THE WATCHWORD.
"Without thy guiding hand we go astray."
"NOTHING else at present, thank you. You may put these with the
articles Mr. Wynn has selected, and he will be in this afternoon to
complete the order. Come, Mabel; dear, are you ready?" And Mrs. Wynn
turned from the gentlemanly proprietor of the picture store, and
addressing the last words to her daughter, prepared for her departure,
drawing her handsome wraps a little closer, and giving a premonitory
shiver.
Mabel was busy with a quantity of engravings, and replied,—
"Just wait a few moments, please. I want to select a few of these for
the boys."
"Oh, those boys! I really believe you are more interested in making
purchases for them than for yourself!"
"How can you think so, when I have already supplied my own wants in
this line?" responded Mabel.
"Well, there are other wants to be provided for, I suppose you know. We
are to go to Stewart's next to look at those shawls. I hope you will be
able to give your attention to that matter," said Mrs. Wynn, a little
impatient at the delay.
"Yes, mother, I promise to give my mind to shawls for a whole half hour
if necessary. Only don't hurry me now, please."
"But we must hurry," was the reply. "We have only three hours more
before we leave, and a great deal to do yet."
Mr. Wynn had come to New York for a stock of winter goods, and his wife
and daughter had accompanied him to make purchases for themselves.
Mabel always enjoyed such trips. She liked the whizz and whirr of
the city; she liked to watch the hurrying stream of people, to spend
a morning in an art or book store, to go to the park—in short, she
enjoyed the sights and novelties as all residents of quiet country
villages enjoy such occasional visits. She even shocked her mother
by insisting that she positively enjoyed riding in the street cars.
"Because," she said, "it is the very best place to see what sorts of
people fill up this world."
But nowadays, she was always on the look-out for something to help her
in her work for "those boys," as Mrs. Wynn always designated them.
Having accepted the position of teacher, she took up the work with
great interest and energy. Those boys were to carry through life the
impress of her instructions. Would it be for good or ill? More than
that—their characters were being formed for eternity. To lift them
above low pleasures, evil thoughts and sinful habits; to teach them how
best to use their powers, how to avoid failure, and make their lives a
real success; to educate them for Christ—this was her work; for this
she girded herself with much fervent prayer and faithful study; to
this end, she sought a mere complete consecration to Christ, knowing
that her own life should be the exponent of the religion she would
teach them, realizing that an example of holy living is more than much
teaching.
Some of them were nearing the age when boys think they are too big to
go to Sunday-school, and their teacher resolved if possible to keep
them, so their teacher was continually seeking to strengthen her hold
upon them. Whenever and wherever she found anything she could make
available as a means to the end she had in view, she seized upon it.
Sometimes the merest trifle would give rise to a thought or plan, and
she would say, "I must work that up for the boys."
And that morning in the picture room, she had caught an idea from a
conversation which was going on over a portfolio of "Views on Venice."
The gentleman of the party was evidently familiar with the scenes which
these "Views" represented, and Mabel grew interested in his remarks. He
was saying,—
"These paths, one can't call them streets, are fearfully narrow and
tortuous. There is just one thing to prevent a stranger from getting
hopelessly lost in the tangle of crossings and twistings. The principal
footpath is of white marble, and this leads directly to the Ponte di
Rialto. So one has only to keep to this white line to come out all
right. And I have often thought," continued the speaker, whom Mabel
now recognized as Dr. V., an eminent Sunday-school worker, "how the
life of Jesus, pure and perfect, leading straight on to the goal of our
aspirations, is laid before us in the Gospels, a sure guide for our
feet amid the crooked ways of life."
That was all. At that moment, the clerk brought the articles for which
she was waiting, and claimed her attention. But an hour or two later,
having disposed of the shawl question, and various other matters in
the way of laces, ribbons, gloves and the like, she had time to finish
out her list of Christmas gifts for her class. It was a Bible this
time for Henry Trafton, who did not own one. Not that his parents were
too poor to buy one for their son, but they had never thought anything
about it. In their handsome parlour a family Bible, in Turkey leather
and gilt clasps, reposed upon a cushion that was a marvel of needlework
and patience, and Mrs. Trafton had a smaller volume which she kept upon
her private book-shelf. But Henry came Sabbath after Sabbath without a
book, and read the lesson out of his neighbour's Bible. No wonder he
never had a lesson!
As Mabel made her selection, a thought of the fragment of the
conversation which she had just heard flitted through her mind, and her
eye alighted upon the words, "I am the way," and then "None cometh unto
the Father but by me," she exclaimed, "That's the very thing!"
"What did you say?" asked the attendant, wondering.
"Oh, excuse me; I'll take this, and this," and to herself she said, "I
must learn not to talk loud when I speak to Mabel Wynn. But that is
just the thing for our class motto. 'Follow the White Line.' If I could
only manage the cards, if I were a bit of an artist, I could get them
up myself. I must manage it."
She did. The cards with the motto printed in the style of the
illuminated texts—which she had been looking over, failing to find
just the right thing for her purpose—were ready by Christmas—small
ones for book marks, and larger, handsomer ones in pretty frames. They
were hung upon the tree of many fruits which the school met to enjoy
and appropriate, and each boy received a private letter explaining
the motto and containing words of earnest warning and affectionate
entreaty. They were invited to take Christ as a pattern and more than
this, to accept him as a Saviour.
When they came to talk it over together, the teacher said, "I hope you
will all adopt it as your own motto. It is my earnest prayer that we
may all make our lives as near like Christ's as possible. We shall need
to 'watch and pray' if we would keep the path he has laid down, for
there are many turns in this life and many things to draw us out of the
narrow way. But none of you have said how you like it."
"I like it," said Lewie Amesbury. "At school, day schools, I mean,
teachers are always holding up some great man for a pattern, but I
think it is a great deal better to have a perfect pattern. I s'pose we
can't be perfect, but we ought to try and live as near the rules Christ
laid down as we can."
Lewie was the "best boy" in the class, always prompt, always ready with
the lesson, always quiet, looking grave over the frolics and tricks of
the other boys, giving assent to the truth presented, and seeming ready
to follow the right course. But did he really love the Saviour?
Herbert Bradford spoke next.
"I like the motto well enough, but it wouldn't be honest for me to
adopt it entirely. I don't want to be a Christian now, and that is what
it means, isn't it?"
"It leads to that, certainly," answered Miss Wynn; "but, Herbert, will
you tell us of one point in which you would not like to be like Jesus?
We read that 'Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with
God and man.' That was while he was yet a boy. You would not object to
follow such an example? When he grew to manhood, he entered upon that
work for which he came, 'Led by the Spirit.' Listen to this," and Mabel
turned over the leaves of her Bible, and read,—
"'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all
that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion; to give unto
them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the Spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.'
What a grand mission! And how perfectly and beautifully fulfilled! If
we take up the study of Christ's life here on earth, as I proposed to
you, we shall see how desirable it is to follow closely the example of
our Divine Master."
After giving out the next lesson, which was to be a study of some of
the prophecies regarding the Saviour, Mabel said,—
"And now remember the watchword and 'follow' closely. Whenever you are
tempted or puzzled during this week, ask yourself—What would Christ
say? Will you do that? Herbert, will you, so far as you can, let Him
settle the questions that come up this week?"
It seemed a simple thing, and Herbert promised. Little did he think,
that before another Sabbath, he should meet and decide the most
important question that could come to him in his life.