be enabled to serve Him acceptably, so that we may have the joy of
hearing Him say, at the last day, "Come, thou blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
(Matt. xxv. 34).
"Search me, O God, is my desire,
Nor let me from Thy ways depart;
To love and serve Thee I aspire,
Enriched with Mary's better part."
MABEL ELLEN DENLY
(Aged 11 years).
_197, High Street, Hounslow._
[We have received several good Essays this month, especially those from
E. B. Knocker, Jane Bell, Margaret Creasey, L. Rush, and P. Rackham. We
hope all of them, as well as the very young friend who wrote the above,
will feel encouraged to persevere.]
[The writer of the above Essay receives a copy of THE SOWER for 1887.
The subject for April will be, "Who are they that will Stand Perfect in
the Day of Judgment?" and the prize to be given for the best Essay on
that subject, a copy of "The Life of John Newton." All competitors must
give a guarantee that they are under fifteen years of age, and that the
Essay is their own composition, or the papers will be passed over, as
the Editor cannot undertake to write for this necessary information.
Papers must be sent direct to the Editor, Mr. T. Hull, 117, High Street,
Hastings, by the first of March.]
"LET NO MAN DESPISE THEE."
Does the injunction to Timothy and Titus respectively--"Let no man less
despise thy youth," and "Let no man despise thee"--give any sanction to
self-assertiveness? Let it not be thought so. Am I eccentric for the
sake of eccentricity, or for the sake of attracting notoriety? Am I
tenacious of my own rights, while sublimely indifferent to the rights of
others? Do I try to pass myself off for better, wiser, richer, or nobler
than I am? Then I deserve to be despised. But if, in the vindication of
unpalatable truth, or in the steadfast and unostentatious discharge of
duty, I encounter scorn, be scorn my portion. The sum of the matter
seems to me to be this--While, on the one hand, I must be willing, for
conscience' sake, to endure reproach, opposition, buffeting, and
contempt, I must be equally concerned, on the other, to avoid every
questionable act or thing that, with any show of reason, may cause me to
be despised, and may thus materially mar my influence for good.
Herein does the poet of the "Night Thoughts" hit the mark--"Revere
thyself, and yet thyself despise." Let self be "of no reputation," but,
at the same time, do thou faithfully and prayerfully pursue intrinsic
worth, and let not "a good name" be of no account in thy regard.
THOMSON SHARP.
EGOTISM and self-assertion are unamiable traits.
Interesting Items.
A CORRESPONDENT of the _Echo_ calls attention to the fact that, at Dr.
Lee's church, in the New Cut, on Sunday night, January 1st, the _Te
Deum_ was sung in thanksgiving for the Papal Jubilee, and wishes to know
what is to prevent it. "Nothing," replies the editor.
ACCORDING to the _Charity Record_, the amount of money bequeathed in
great sums for charitable purposes during the year just closed was more
than L700,000; and if bequests under L1,000 be added, the total would at
least reach L1,000,000. This is exclusive of the money given to several
religious and book-publishing societies.
A THIEVING ELEPHANT.--The contents of a clothes-chest, belonging to one
of the people recently employed in the carnival in the Waverley Market,
Edinburgh, disappeared in a rather amusing fashion. The chest had been
lying near the performing elephants, and in the morning it was observed
that one of these animals was particularly lively, and apparently in the
very highest spirits. Later on, the owner of the chest discovered that
the whole of the contents had been abstracted. Subsequent examination
satisfied the searchers that one of the animals was responsible for the
disappearance of the wardrobe, and as none of the articles could be
discovered hidden away in its vicinity, the only conclusion that could
be come to was, that the mischievous animal had swallowed the whole
lot--boots, brushes, trousers, shirts, and several other articles of
wearing apparel.
THE BAKU NAPHTHA SPRINGS.--Although within the last two years
intelligence has frequently reached Europe of extraordinary outbursts of
mineral oil on the Apsheron peninsula, near Baku, nothing has yet
equalled the astonishing outbreak which the Northern Telegraph Agency
telegraphed a few days ago. Their telegram was to the effect that, near
the petroleum works of a certain M. Arafeloff, a fountain of oil was
throwing out over 2,400 tons daily, that this had been continuing
without intermission for four weeks, and that more than the half of this
enormous output was going to waste. It is to this loss of the oil that
attention is now being directed. Not only at Arafeloff's fountain, but
at almost every large fountain in the Balakhan-Sabuntchin district, the
waste of this most valuable product has been enormous. Millions of poods
of oil have been lost owing to the inefficient way in which it is
reservoired and stored. It is now understood that the Government will
take immediate steps to prevent this ruinous waste, and to compel the
owners of oil-springs to adopt more scientific methods of boring,
collecting, and storing.
AN IRISH CABIN PAVED WITH GOLD.--The _Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette_ of
December 31st contains the following:--"A few weeks ago, the writer was
in a bank office in a country town in the south of Ireland, when a very
common-looking, roughly-dressed man passed out after a conference with
the manager. The latter said, 'Did you see that man? Well, some time
ago, there was a run on the Bank of Ireland here, and he withdrew
(receiving it in gold) L700 which he had there on deposit. That sum he
informs me he still has at home, "under the kitchen flure." He has also
more than L400 on deposit here with us.' Is it not hard to know 'what is
truth' in Ireland? Here you have the floor of an Irish cabin literally
paved with gold at a time when the payment of rent is impossible. It may
be said that this is an exceptional case, but we believe such cases are
not at all so rare as some suppose."
THE Roman correspondent of _Le Paris_ of January 5th states that, at
Florence, Mr. Gladstone was heard to express a desire to see Leo XIII.
This being repeated at the Vatican, the Pope sent word to Mr. Gladstone
that nothing would delight him more than to have a visit from him. It is
therefore arranged, says the correspondent of the _Paris_, that he is to
go to Rome, and when he calls at the Vatican, is to be received
according to the ceremonial adopted there when non-Catholic visitors are
admitted to audiences. The correspondent thinks that anxiety about the
Irish question moved Mr. Gladstone to manifest the desire above
mentioned, and that the Pope's celerity in reciprocating it sprung from
the same cause. The Pope has been urged to stand out against the Land
League; but, feeling what a momentous thing it would be to do this, he
is, we are told, delighted to talk over the matter with Mr. Gladstone.
Thus we see Salisbury and Co. and Gladstone and Co. are in perfect
agreement as to giving their power to the Pope. It is only a keen
competition between them as to which shall be first, and do it most
effectually. Since Salisbury and Co. have encouraged the Queen to
despise her coronation oath, we need no longer wonder that they are so
quiet about Mr. Bradlaugh. Perhaps Lord R. Churchill's expressions on
the subject were anticipatory of the whole matter. We find that neither
party is worthy of being entrusted with our Protestant interests.
NINE hundred thousand dog licenses were issued for the past year. The
duty amounted to L340,000.
CHRISTMAS AT THE LONDON POST OFFICE.--From statistics it would seem that
never before have the Post Office officials had their energies so
severely taxed as on Christmas Eve last, during which day no fewer than
15,000,000 letters and newspapers were forwarded to their destination.
In all some 3,000 supernumerary men were engaged, these being in
addition to the regular staff. At Coldbath Fields, where the Parcel Post
is now conducted, some 65,000 inland and 5,000 foreign parcels were
disposed of during the day, for the conveyance of which to the various
railway termini more than 800 vans were brought into requisition.
AN ATLANTIC WAVE.--An immense wave recently fell upon the steamship
_Umbria_ with a deafening roar when a thousand miles from Queenstown,
bringing the ship to a standstill, and causing much damage to the decks.
Stout brass rods, an inch in diameter, that formed the railing about the
bridge, were twisted and bent like straws. An eye-witness, who has made
thirteen ocean voyages, thus describes the occurrence:--"The look-out
saw the wave coming, and the course of the vessel was altered so that
she met it obliquely, while the speed of the engines was slackened. As I
saw the huge wave, it looked like a black mass of water with white waves
on the top, and it rolled higher and higher as it neared the vessel.
When it struck her she shivered from stem to stern, and the combing of
the wave fell with the weight of tons on the deck. The wood cover of the
forward hatch was splintered in pieces, while the water poured in
torrents into the hold, but the bulkheads were closed. The bridge was
broken, and the iron stanchions were twisted with enormous force, while
the turtle-back was flattened by the tremendous weight of the water.
There was also a panic among the passengers, most of whom were sleeping
in their berths. When the force of the wave was felt, they thought the
ship was going to the bottom, and many in their night-clothes rushed
into the main dining-room. Of course the danger was past, as the wave
rolled by, and the excitement subsided."
ZION SUNDAY SCHOOL, HERDEN BRIDGE, YORKSHIRE.--The friends, teachers,
and scholars connected with the above place celebrated their annual
Christmas tea festival on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 1887. The
school-room was very tastefully decorated with evergreens and mottoes in
touch with the season; also the tables, so richly laden with all sorts
of nice and dainty things, had not escaped the eye of the decorators,
for at intervals luxuriant exotics were placed, thereby contributing a
very pleasing appearance. The children's features were lightened up with
the thought of their happy treat; also the older people seemed to wear
pleasant countenances, and apparently enjoyed the time, notwithstanding
their thoughts were in a much loftier strain. The tea was served by the
young ladies of the place to about one hundred and forty. After tea, a
public meeting was held in the chapel, presided over by Mr. John Smith,
of Halifax. The meeting was opened by singing a Christmas hymn, after
which Mr. T. Barritt, senior deacon, offered prayer. Mr. E. Hargreaves
presented the prizes to the scholars for good attendance. Addresses were
also delivered by Messrs. T. Smith, Jos. Smith, and T. Barritt. Hymns
were sung. The report was read by the Secretary, which showed an
increase of eight during the year, the present number on the books being
eighty-two. Recitations were given by the scholars, and a very good
meeting was brought to a close a little after nine o'clock.
ALBERT STREET CHAPEL SUNDAY SCHOOL, OXFORD.--The prizes were distributed
to the scholars on Tuesday, December 27th, 1887. The meeting was opened
by singing, "I thank the goodness and the grace"; this was followed by
prayer. Owing to the indisposition of Mr. Newton, the friends, teachers,
and scholars were greatly disappointed in not having the usual address
they look forward to every year from the Superintendent. There were
twenty-eight boys and girls who said pieces, and they, one and all,
deserve great commendation for the capital way in which they recited.
One girl, aged twelve, rehearsed the story of "Giving Away a Child," in
prose, from Volume IX. of the LITTLE GLEANER. Another scholar, aged
twelve, repeated in a very perfect manner a lengthy piece containing
seventy-nine verses, entitled "The Little Pilgrim." This too was taken
from an early volume of the LITTLE GLEANER. A boy, aged eleven,
rehearsed very nicely a difficult piece called "The Two Brothers, and
what Echo said to them," and he imitated the echo capitally. Then
followed, perhaps, the greatest attraction of the evening, namely, the
distribution of the prizes. The first prize in the boys' class was
awarded to William Tombs, and in the girls' class to Elizabeth Leech. As
usual, a prize was given for the best essay--the subject, "The History
of Joseph." This prize was awarded to a boy, who received a nicely-bound
book, entitled "Pebbles from the Brook." The meeting was closed with
prayer.
M. S. P.
[Illustration: CARING FOR THE LITTLE ONES]
CARING FOR THE LITTLE ONES.
The faithful guardians of our cities have many and varied duties to
perform, but perhaps in none of them does the kindness of their hearts
shine forth as it does in their tenderness to little ones who have lost
themselves in the winding streets of a great city. In wet or wintry
weather they treat them tenderly, and take them home, or to the warm
fire at the nearest station, till their parents claim them. This
incident may well call to mind the kindness of Jesus to the little ones
when on earth, as we read--"And they brought young children to Him, that
He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them.
But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them,
Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of
such is the kingdom of God. And He took them up in His arms, put His
hands upon them, and blessed them" (Mark x. 13, 14, 16).
The mothers came, in days of old,
To Jesus, that He might enfold
Within His arms their children dear,
And then His kindness did appear.
Disciples thought it waste of time;
Rebuked, as though it was a crime;
But it was ne'er the Saviour's way
To turn poor coming ones away.
Therefore the Lord was much displeased,
And thus the happy moment seized;
Them in His arms did take and bear,
Showing His love and kindly care.
His loving voice could never say--
"Oh, take these little ones away!"
And though the parents' hearts might fear,
He loved to see them coming near.
His blessed words, "Forbid them not,"
Are with much heavenly comfort fraught;
And "Suffer them to come to Me,"
Gives forth a welcome kind and free.
In Him sweet rays of mercy shine--
So tender, harmless, yet divine;
Upon them He His hands doth place,
And blesses them in truth and grace.
Displeased with what His servants did,
And having their unkindness chid,
He makes His pleasure shine so bright,
Causing the mothers much delight.
Oh, tell it out, to heal the smart
Of many an anxious parent's heart--
He hears the sigh, He sees the tear,
And each poor pleader welcomes near.
Oh, tell it out, that children dear
May seek His face, and never fear,
That He will hear their feeble prayer,
And give them in His love to share.
He speaks of heaven and glorious things,
And is so meek, though King of kings;
Of children says, to cheer and please,
"The kingdom is of such as these."
Oh, eyes that saw with kindly look!
Oh, arms that thus the children took!
Oh, hands, parental-like, thus laid!
Oh, words to bless, what grace displayed!
Lord, fix our youthful eyes on Thee;
Grant us Thy love and grace to see;
Cause us to love Thy blessed name,
And tune our tongues to speak Thy fame.
The proud, the lofty, all defiled,
Must be made as a little child;
Must all their sins and vileness own,
And seek for mercy at Thy throne.[1]
[1] Throne of grace.
Oh, Saviour, may Thy love so free
Encourage souls to come to Thee;
And may they, finding all they need,
Confess that they are blest indeed.
B. B.
THE biggest lies are told for the least cause.
A BUDDING OF HOPE.
Dear young readers of the LITTLE GLEANER, how very true and solemn are
the words of the poet--
"The moment when our lives begin
We all begin to die."
And at what age death may take us none of us can say. From among the
large number who read the GLEANER, we every now and again hear of one
being taken away by death.
Lizzie Winchester, of Cross-in-Hand, was a constant reader of the
GLEANER, and of other good books, but not to the neglecting of her
Bible. She was a scholar in the Sunday School at Ebenezer Chapel,
Heathfield, where she was always very quiet and attentive, and she was
also very fond of her teacher. When she left school, she regularly
attended chapel with her sisters, sitting where she could see the school
children, and would complain when she got home if she saw any that did
not behave themselves properly. She had a great reverence for the house
of God and for the servants of God. She had but few companions, but was
much beloved for her little acts of kindness in sending to one and
another small presents. Some little time before her death she sent "The
Sack and its Treasure" to a young friend at Eastbourne, as a birthday
present; and who can say how much real good may result from such little
gifts as that? I should not think that any one could point out a flaw in
her moral character. But this was not grace; and although she needed no
outward reformation, yet if the heart be not changed, there can be no
entering into the kingdom of God.
The last time that she walked to chapel, a distance of three
miles--making six miles both ways--was on August 21st. It was not then
known that anything was the matter with her. First her throat was sore,
and she felt poorly, but she still kept about. On Wednesday, September
14th, she was out, and gathered half a gallon of blackberries. She was
up on Thursday and Friday, and put her clothes on on Saturday, but could
not get down stairs. Towards night she was much worse, and it was found
that her affliction was diabetes.
On Sunday she was very ill, and the doctor said she could not last long.
Her Sunday School teacher, Miss C----, was sent for, and when she
arrived, she saw that Lizzie was sinking fast, and found that she could
say but little.
I am not going to set her up, and positively say she was a partaker of
grace, for the very few words she uttered are not of themselves
sufficient evidence for that. About five o'clock, during her mother's
absence, she said, in a very low tone of voice, "I hope Jesus will heal
my soul," or, "Perhaps Jesus will heal my soul." Miss C---- could not
distinguish the words so as to be sure which.
Early on Monday morning, the 19th of September, 1887, she died. Had she
lived till the 26th, she would have been eighteen years of age. Just as
she departed there was a beautiful smile came over her countenance; and
as Miss C---- afterwards went with several friends to see the corpse,
these words came into her mind as if some one had spoken them to her--
"Not a wave of trouble rolls
Across her peaceful breast."
Mr. Mockford buried her on the following Saturday; and, among other
things, he spoke from these words--"If the tree fall toward the south,
or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth there it shall
be." He spoke of the departed as being toward the south--toward the
house of God, the people of God, and the ways and Word of God; and as
she was so far joined to the living, there was hope that she would be
found among that people at the resurrection morning.
On Sunday morning in the school, one of the teachers read that chapter
where the same words stand, and, though not at the funeral, some very
similar remarks were made, and the same hope concerning the departed was
expressed. I am sure of this--that, if she had that good thing in her
heart toward the Lord God of Israel, namely, faith toward Jesus and His
blood, she is now joining
"The host of virgin saints
Made to salvation wise."
The question may arise, "Why say anything about her, since there is no
more ground for hope than this?"
It is to the living I want to say a few words, hoping the Lord will make
use of this feeble account to lead the young readers of the LITTLE
GLEANER to consider how matters stand with them before God and for
eternity.
"Reflect, young friend, I humbly crave,
Thy sins, how high they mount!
What are thy hopes beyond the grave?
How stands that dark account?"
Oh, how solemn your case, if you are in an unpardoned state! Death may
come upon you speedily, and then what will you do? All who die without
repentance and forgiveness must hear that solemn word from the lips of
Christ, "Depart from Me!" Are you blessed with a good hope, through
grace? Then you certainly have something to be thankful to God for. Or
are you in some doubt as to whether you have a living hope in Christ?
And do you fear that, if called to die, you could say no more than
Lizzie Winchester did? Then my prayer for such an one is, that the Lord
may stir you up to real, earnest, wrestling prayer and importunity
respecting your salvation.
"If hellish foes beset thee round,
And would thy way withstand,
On Jesus call, nor yield thy ground,
And He will help command."
It is no small mercy, reader, if your moral character will compare with
Lizzie Winchester's. She was a model in this respect, and I hope you may
be found in every way as consistent as she was, and, above all, may you
be found in Christ Jesus, living and dying.
I had thought of saying more, but, as I wish to be brief, I will
conclude by telling you that, notwithstanding her reservedness, several
friends, with myself, had a good hope of Lizzie. We do trust she is now
"completely blest;
Has done with sin, and care, and woe,
And entered Jesus' rest."
W. L.
[We hope our readers will bear in mind the motive our friend has in
writing, and we in giving, this brief account of Lizzie Winchester; and
may the Holy Spirit cause the reading of it to make them feel the
importance of the new birth, and stir them up to seek clear and certain
evidences of their salvation, so that, when they come to die, they may
be able to confess, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him."--ED.]
BIBLE SUBJECTS FOR EACH SUNDAY IN MARCH.
Mar. 4. Commit to memory Heb. xi. 23.
Mar. 11. Commit to memory Heb. xi. 24.
Mar. 18. Commit to memory Heb. xi. 25.
Mar. 25. Commit to memory Heb. xi. 26.
THE first character of right childhood is, that it is modest.
"THERE IS NO REST IN HELL!"
AN AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE.
Dear Reader,--The following account being "an authenticated fact," it is
put before you with the hope that you may be thereby led to solemnly
consider the subject of a future state. God's truth does not require
fiction to make it effectual; therefore, the net of truth should only be
weighted with words of truth.
The awful, but true, narrative now put before you takes us back for
something like a century, to the city of Glasgow, where, at that time,
was a club of gentlemen of the first rank in that city. They met
professedly for card-playing; but the members were distinguished by such
a fearless excess of profligacy as to obtain for it the name of "The
Hell Club."
Besides their nightly or weekly meetings, they held a grand annual
festival, at which each member endeavoured to "outdo all his former
outdoings" in drunkenness, blasphemy, and licentiousness. Of all who
shone on these occasions, none shone half so brilliantly as Archibald
Boyle. Educated by a fond and foolishly indulgent mother, he was early
allowed to meet in society with members of "The Hell Club."