Year: 1867




Many years ago, certain minister
was going one Sunday morning to
his school room lie walked through
number of streets; as he turned the
corner, he saw assembled around Il
pump Il party of little boys who were
playing at marbles. On seeing him
approach, they began to pick up their
marbles and run away as fast as they
could. One little fellow, not having
seen him as soon as the rest, could not
accomplish this SO soon, and before he
had succeeded in gathering up his mar
bIes, the minister had closed on him
and placed his hand upon his shoulder.
They were face to face, the minister of
God and the poor little ragged boy
who had been in the act of playing
marbles on Sunday morning And
how did the minister deal with the
boy? for that is what | want you to
observe.


lie might have said to the boy, What
are you doing hcre2 You are break
ing the Sabbath? Don't you deserve
to be punished for breaking the com
mand of God%


But he did nothing of the kind. He
simply said: Have you found all your
marbles !"


No. said the little boy, | have not
'Then,' said the minister, L will
help you to find them,' whereupon he
knelt down and elpcd to look for the
marbles, and as he did so, remarked, |
liked to play marbles when a little boy,
very much, and | think can beat you,
but | never played marbles on Sun
day.


The little boy'S attention was arrest
ed. He liked his friends face. and be.
gam TO wonder who he was. The min
ister Of the Gospel said:


L am going to Il place, where /
think you would like to be-wilI you
come with me?'


where do you live? asked the lit,
tic boy.


Why, in such and such q place. was
the reply.


Why, that is the minister's house.
exclaimed the boy, as if he did not sup
pose that kind man and the minister
of the Gospel could be one and the same
person.


Why said the man, L am the
minister myself, and if you will come
with me | think l can do you some
good


Said the boy: My hands are dirty;
L cannot go


Said the minister, Here is a pump
why not wash?


Said the boy, am so little that |
can wash and pump at the same time


Said the minister, If you will wash
| will pump


He at once set to work, and pump
ed, and pumped, and pumped; and as
he pumped the little boy washed his
hands and face till they were quite
! clean.


Said the boy, My hands are wiring
ing wet, and | do not know how to
dry them


The minister pulled out of his pock-
ct clean handkerchief and offered it
to the little boy.


Said the boy, But it is clean


Yes was the reply, But it was
made to be dirtied.'


The little boy dried his face and
hands with the handkerchief, and then
accompanied the minister to the house
of worship.


Twenty years after, the minister
was walking in the street of large
city, when a tall gentlemen tapped
him on the shoulder, and looking into
his face, said, You can't remember
me-


No. said the minister, 4 don't


Do you remember twenty years
ago, finding a little boy playing mar
bIes around pump? Do you remem-
Der that boy being too dirty to go to
school, and your pumping for him, and
your speaking kindly to him, and tax
ing him to school,


oh said the minister, 9 do re-
member


Sir said the gentleman, Il was
that boy | rose in business and be.
came a leading man. | have attained
! good position in society; and on see