Year: 1870




How it rained last night, and how
dismally the drops sounded, as they
beat upon the roof, and dashed agains
the window pane. And the winds, how
they roared as they swept around the
house, rafting the shutters, and the
| doors, and whirling the bright leaves ii
showers from the trees. How bleak anC
wild the night looked, and how great q
contrast to the perfect days of only a
week ago, with their cloudless skies
golden balmy air, and foods of. soft
warm sunshine, and the loVelier nights
with their silver shining moon, and their
| gentle zephyrs breathing low, sweet mu-
sic among the trees.


How cold it was, and with what a
sense of comfort we gathered around
! the bright FIRE, and still later nestled
down in our soft beds, and drew the
warm blankets about us, breathing a
prayer of thankfulness, meanwhile that
we had a safe sweet shelter from that
! fierce and pitiless storm.


Oh, how sadly it spoke to us of the
| beautiful summer that had gone with all
| its sweetness, its comforts, and its delights
and told of wild wintery storms, that
were already brewing among the hills,
/ and in the dark caves of the ocean, so
soon to burst upon us in all their fury,
dimming the gold of the glad sunshine,
and changing the warmth Of the sum-
mer air, to the chill of even death itself
Listening to the wailings of the storm,
and the beating of the merciless drops
upon the roof, and against the window,
how our thoughts went wandering forth
to the dear ones sleeping in their lowly
beds, on the lonely hillside, and how we
yearned to call them from them thence,
and gathering them close to our hearts,
shelter them from the fierce wrath of the
storm, and warm them into life and love
again. But, remembering the promises
of the good Shepherd, that he would
gather his loved in his arms bearing
them to green pastures, and by the
still waters" in that land of love and
blessedness, where


'The storm never beat on It's glittering
While the years Of eternity roll"


we knew that they were safe and our
hearts were comforted.


Then we thought of the poor, of the
widowed mother who with feeble health
and aching heart, tolls on day after day,
and far into the night that she may pro-
vide food and clothes for her helpless
little ones. And again of those tender
little ones whose once fond father and
loving mother lie mouldering under the
valley-sod, and of those worse than or
phaned ones, who disowned by an un-
feeling father and deserted by cruel
shameless mother, are thrust out upon
the charities of a not too friendly world;
to whom these tokens of the coming
storms, come with grief and terror


FThaT, rrra casd vrrifI7fr1 ourselves that
surrounded as we may be with all the
blessings and comforts of life, how sell
fish we are apt to grow, and how care
less and thoughtless of the comfort and
happiness of others. How often we turn
away from the voice of woe, or listen
with an unwilling or incredulous ear to
the pitiful pleadings of some poor un-
fortunate, forgetful alike of the COM
mands of the Saviour to remember these
stricken ones and of his promise that
''He that giveth to the poor lendeth to
the Lord. Then we asked the good
Father to fill our hearts with a more
thoughtful and tender compassion for
these soTowing ones of earth, and that
we may be quick to respond to every call
made in their behalf and always be
ready and willing to lend a helping
hand toward every effort that IS put
forth for their good, so that although
the bleak cold winds may Shrek and
roar, and the rains and SHOWS may beat
the orphan may rejoice and the heart Of
the widow, sing for joy.


Do good when you can,


There is plenty to do,


For each f1eetiug moment we live.


There are sad hearts that yearn


For words kind and true,


There are wrongs to forget and forgive. /


There's the naked to clOthe,


And the hungry to feed,


There's the mourner to soOthe and to |
cheer;


There are truths to declare. i


And the Bible to read,


To the erring and ignorant here.


Do good when you can,


There is plenty to DO


o never a kind action Bhun


In beauty twill end.


And Will blossom for you


When life and and its duties are done. |


And o twill be sweet


When the Master shall say,


Here's a robe, and a harp, and crown |


In these beautiful realms


or bright endless day,


At my side, faithful servant, sit down.