FATHERS AND MOTHERS, ACT IN UNISON. 233 winds of neglect and unkindness. Love was its life, and so it drooped! "ALL'S WELL." False prophet! Sin walks the earth in purple and fine linen; honest poverty, with tear-bedewed face, hungers and shivers and thirsts, "while the publican stands afar off." The widow pleads in vain to the ermined judge for "justice," and unpunished of heaven the human tiger crouches in his lair, and springs upon his helpless prey! "ALL'S WELL." Ah! yes, all is well! for "He who seeth the end from the beginning" holds evenly the scales of justice. "Dives" shall yet beg of "Lazarus." Every human tear is counted. They shall yet sparkle as gems in the crown of the patient and enduring disciple! When the clear broad light of eternity shines upon life's crooked paths, we shall see the snares and pitfalls from which our hedge of thorns has fenced us in, and in the maturity of our full-grown faith we shall exultingly say, "Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt."-Fanny Fern, FATHERS AND MOTHERS, ACT IN UNISON. No. II. I KNEW a young man well, who is now a pest to the village in which he resides, shunned by all who love virtue and honesty, and the ringleader of the idlers and mischievous. I knew him when but a little boy, petted and indulged by his mother; by her never contradicted, or, at least, not with sufficient firmness to be minded. His father would have curbed him, but his occupation took him from home for some hours in the day; he did what he could to restrain him when at home, but was always thwarted by the mother. He grew older and older, also more and more self-willed. His father sometimes resorted to punishment, 234 CHRISTMAS IS COMING. and in one or two cases sent him supperless to bed, for misconduct. After the family evening-meal was over, the father was again absent for a short time; the mother would then bring that boy down to the fire, give him a good supper of the best she had in the house, let him stay till his father was expected in again, and then he would go back up stairs, knowing his father had this deception practised upon him. The result was what might be anticipated; the lad disregarded his mother altogether, only making a laugh of her commands, and unheeding her remonstrances; she did not secure his love and esteem, far from it, he only treated her with contempt. Let parents act in concert with each other, and never let the child see that one thinks the other acts improperly. What one parent commands, the other ought to assist in having carried out; but never let one counteract an influence that the other sees necessary. How much evil might be prevented, if parents went hand-in-hand in the management of their children, and both governed with firmness, kindness, and decision, assisting each other to carry out their plans for their children's benefit! Each parent should endeavour, by all their words and actions, to leave an impression in the minds of their children of affection for the other parent, and a desire to please and obey them; and nothing is so calculated to effect this as, whatever the one enjoins, for the other to make it a matter of importance to be done, because father or mother said so. R. T. P. "CHRISTMAS IS COMING!" "EDITH! Edith! oh, are you not glad Christmas is coming? Oh! won't it be nice? I could jump, dance, run, scream, when I think of it. Why, cousin, how still you sit! Don't you remember how nice it was last year? CHRISTMAS IS COMING. 235 what a beautiful Christmas-box I had, and what a charming New-year's-gift you had?" "Yes, Hetty, dear, I remember quite well-so well that I shall never-no, never forget." "Why, dear me, Edith, I am ready to give you not a Christmas-box, but a hard box, for being so tame about it, and talking so coldly. Let me see, how many sat round the table? Pa and Ma, Edward, John, Henry, Lucy, you, and————oh! dear, I see you are thinking all the time about poor aunty. She was there, too. Don't cry, dear Edith! I forgot all your sorrow; poor aunty, we all loved her. Why, Edith, look! look! there is Dr. Blake coming up the garden. Why, mamma must be very ill, or papa would not send for him." "Yes, dear Hetty, I fear she is very ill," replied the gentle Edith. "The nurse told me that dear aunt had scarlet fever." "Scarlet fever, Edith! Oh! how you frighten me! I hope I am not going to be motherless, like you. Oh! dear, I fear all my joy will be turned into sorrow; it will be a sad Christmas, if dear mamma is ill." "We may be ill, too, dear Hetty. My dear mamma used to say, after papa died so suddenly, we never know what a day of sorrow to-morrow may be." "Oh! Edith, you make me tremble; I will go up softly and ask nurse all about it." "No, dear, don't, please; we are told to go up the other way to our own rooms. I think uncle is afraid we may get the fever." One week after this conversation, poor Hetty was in her coffin. The fever came and blighted the beautiful, blooming flower, and the reaper cut it down. The last words she said were "Oh! where am I going?" "Christmas is coming," but Hetty's seat will be empty as well as her aunt's. What if you should be called away before Christmas comes? Will you have to ask-"Oh! where am I going?" |