The Pedler of Dust Sticks Part 3

"Henry--, a MAN in the best sense of the term, strong in body and soul, with a heart full of the n.o.blest purposes, which he carried out into action, without show and with a child-like mind."

"To the great Giver of all things thankful for the smallest gift. To his family a devoted father. To his friends a faithful friend. To the state a useful citizen. To the poor a benefactor. To the dying a worthy example."

"Why was this power broken in the prime of life? Why were the wings of this diligent spirit clipped? Why were stopped the beatings of this heart, which beat for all created things? Sad questions, which can only find an answer in the a.s.surance that all which G.o.d wills for us is good."

"Peace be with thee, friend and brother! We can never forget thee."

Around their father's grave the children stand, And mourning friends are shedding bitter tears; With sorrowing faces men are standing here, Whose tender love did bear him in their arms In sickness once, and now once more in death, Him who protector, friend, and helper was; And many eyes whose tears he wiped away, Are weeping at his narrow house to-day.

When the frail vestments of the soul Are hidden in the tomb, what then remains to man?

The memory of his deeds is ours.

O sacred death, then, like the flowers of spring, Many good deeds are brought to light.

Blessed and full of love, good children And true friends stand at his grave, And there with truth loudly declare, "A n.o.ble soul has gone to heaven; Rich seed has borne celestial fruit; His whole day's work now in G.o.d is done."

Thus speak we now over thy grave, Our friend, now glorified and living in our hearts.

A lasting monument thou thyself hast built In every heart which thy great worth has known.

Yes, more than marble or than bra.s.s, our love Shall honor thee, who dwellest in our hearts.

These tears, which pure love consecrates to thee, Thou n.o.ble man, whom G.o.d has called away From work which He himself has blessed,-- These grateful tears shall fall upon the tomb That hides the earthly garment of our friend.

O, let us ne'er forget the firm and earnest mind Which bore him swiftly onward in his course; How from a slender twig he built a bridge O'er which he safely hastened to the work Which youthful hope and courage planned.

Think how the circle of his love embraced His children and his children's children, all, His highest joy their happiness and good.

Think how he labored for the good of all, Supporter, benefactor, faithful friend!

How with his wise and powerful mind He served and blessed his native place!

His works remain to speak his praise.

How did his generous, n.o.ble spirit glow With joy at all the good and beautiful Which time and human skill brought forth!

He ever did the standard gladly gain Which light, and truth, and justice raised; And when his n.o.ble efforts seemed to fail, Found ever in his pure and quiet breast a sweet repose.

We give to-day thy dust to dust.

Thy spirit, thy true being, is with us.

Thou art not dead; thou art already risen.

Loved friend, thou livest, and thou watchest o'er us still.

Be dry our tears; be hushed our sighs; Victor o'er death, our friend still lives; Takes his reward from the Great Master's band.

Deep night has pa.s.sed away. On him Eternal morning breaks. He, From the dark chamber of the grave, Goes to the light of the All-holy One.

Weep, weep no more! Look up with hope on high!

There does he dwell. He liveth too on earth.

The Master who has called him hence to higher work, To-morrow will call us--perhaps to-day.

Then shall we see him once again. He, who went home From earth in weakness and in pain, Is risen there in everlasting joy and strength.

Till then we here resolve to live like him, That we, like him, may die religious, true, and free.

When any little boy reads this true story of a good, great man, I would have him remember that Henry began to be a good, great man when only eight years old. Henry began by being industrious, patient, and good humored, so that people liked to buy his sticks.

Then he was faithful and true to his father, and would not leave him, not even for the sake of gaining some advantages. Henry used all his faculties, and, by making his pretty canes, he got money, not to buy sugar plums, but to pay for instruction. When he did wrong, he took his punishment cheerfully, and did not commit the same fault again. All the virtues which finally made him a good, great man he began to practise when he was only eight years of age, when he was really a little boy.

I would have every little boy and girl who reads this story try to imitate him. If he is poor, let him learn to do something useful, so to earn money that may help his father and mother, and perhaps be the means of giving him a better education. If he is rich, let him seek to get knowledge, and let him remember those who have not as much as he has, like little Eva, who taught Uncle Tom. Let him remember that the selfish and the lazy cannot be truly happy; that selfishness is its own punishment in the end; that no children and no men are truly happy or truly good who do not obey the words of the n.o.ble-minded Henry on his death-bed--

"Be useful, and love one another"

THE MIGHTY DEEDS OF ABC.

A LETTER TO A LITTLE BOY FROM HIS AUNT.

MY DEAR FRANK: I was much pleased with your writing me a letter. If you were to take a piece of paper, and do up some sugar plums in it, and send it to me, I should eat up the sugar plums, and then there would be nothing left but the piece of white paper; but if you take a piece of paper, and mark on it with a pen some crooked and some straight, some round and some long strokes, they tell me, though they make no noise, that you love me, and they seem just like little messengers from you to me, all with something to tell me of my dear little Frank.

Besides, after these messengers have spoken once, there they stand ready to speak again as soon as I only look at them, and tell me the same pleasant story the second time that they did the first.

If I were to put them away in a safe place for forty years, and then look at them, when you were beginning to be an old man, these crooked scratches of your pen would still talk to me of little Frank, as he was when I held him in my lap, and we used to laugh, and talk, and tell stories together.

Think, then, my dear Frank, how much better it is to be able to fill a letter with these curious strokes to send to a friend than to have bushels of sugar plums to send him.

Did you ever think what curious things these little letters are? You know the great Bible that you love to look at so much, and to hear father read from. All the wonderful things related in it are told by twenty-six little letters.

It is they that tell you of the creation of the world, of the beautiful garden called Eden in which Adam and Eve lived; they tell you the sad story of their disobedience to G.o.d, and of their being turned out of paradise.

Then they tell you all about the Israelites, or Jews, as we call them. In the same book, these twenty-six letters place themselves a little differently, and tell you the story of Joseph and his brethren that you were so much pleased with when your father read it to you, and that of David and Goliath, that you like so much.

Then these same wonderful story tellers relate to you the beautiful history of Daniel; of that courageous, good man who chose rather to be torn to pieces by wild beasts than not to pray every day to G.o.d, and thank Him for His goodness; and how G.o.d preserved him in the lion's den.

The wonderful story of Elijah they also tell you, and many others.

But last and most interesting and wonderful of all, my dear little Frank, is the story of Jesus Christ and his friends called the apostles.

These little letters have never told such a beautiful and affecting story as they tell you of that pure and spotless Being who was sent by G.o.d to teach us our duty, and to show us the way to be happy forever.

No being ever existed on this earth who showed so much love and tenderness, so much goodness and humility, so much wisdom and power as did Jesus Christ.

There, in that best of books, stand these little messengers, as I call them, still speaking the very words of the blessed Saviour; ready to comfort the poor and sorrowful; to teach patience and hope to the sick; to instruct the ignorant; to reprove the wicked; and inviting little children to come to his arms and receive his blessing.

Do you not want to know all that they can tell you of this great and good Being?

I could write you, my dear Frank, a letter so long that I fear you would be tired of reading it, about these same wonderful little figures; but now I dare say that you will think more of them yourself, and that the little book with the corners rolled up which contains your ABC will be more respectable in your sight.

Perhaps you will, after thinking some time, ask who invented these wonderful letters; and then, if you do really want to know, your father will tell you all that is known about it, or, at least, all that you can remember and understand. When you are old enough to read about the history of letters, you will find books which will make you laugh by telling you that there was a time when, if you wanted to write "a man," you would have been obliged to draw the picture of a man; and, as there was then no paper like ours, you would have been obliged to take a piece of wood or bark to make the drawing on; and so the same with every thing else.

So you see, if you and I had lived at that time, and you had written to me about your dog, your pleasant ride and the other things that were in your letter, you would perhaps have been obliged to get a man to bring me the letter, it would have been so clumsy, instead of bringing it yourself, folded neatly in your nice little pocket book; and as for my letter, only think how much room it would have taken up.

You will say, "Why, aunt, letters are not only better than sugar plums, they are better than dollars."

Indeed they are, my dear Frank. The knowledge that they can give, the blessing they can bestow, is better and more valuable than all the silver and gold in the whole world; for they can teach us what is wisdom and happiness; they can teach us the will of G.o.d.

I love to think, too, of what pleasant messages they can carry backwards and forwards between friends, and that in a few hours these curious, handy little things will appear before you, my dear little Frank, and tell you what I have just been thinking about, and that I always love you, and am ever

Your affectionate AUNT.