EM -41 its ttiski *prim 4*SU PP_LED&ENTAis Towanda, Pa., December itsch, tqfp, TO THE CHILDREN. EAR little children where= Who are watched and . tenderly . By father and by 'mother; Who are comforted by , thelove that lies In the kindly depths of a sister's eyes Or the helpful words of a brother: I charge you by the years to come, '- When some shall be far sway from home, , An:l some shall be gone forever; Br all you have to feel at the , last • - When yea stand alone and think of the past, ' That you speak unkindly, never I For cruel words, nay , even lees, Words spoken only in thp*htleasnem, Are keo. against' you aalfteerr If they made the face of a mother sad, Or a Mader sister's heart leis glad, • • Or checked a brother's laughter; , Will rise again and they will be heard, - -And every thoughtless, foolish word, • That ever your lips have sicken, After the lapse of years and years, . . Will wring from you such bitter tears , • As fait when the heart is broken. May you never, sever have to say, • When a warelnsn•the post .on some &oily day, • " Its Istericiat your feet is strewing : `!Bly father had not been bowed so low, • • Nat: mires:slier:left us long ago, • Bat for deeds of my misdoing!" May you never stand alone to weep Where a Wile sister Heti asleep, With the flowers twined npon her, And Imarou would have gone down to the To save one curl of her shining head From sorrow or dishonor ; Yet have to think with bitter tears, Of some little sin of Your ehl fish years, , 11.11 your soul is anguish-riven ; • And cry, when there comeisno word or smile; "I sinned but I loved you. all the while, And I wait to be forgiven r • May you never say of a brother dear, "Did Ido enough, to aid and cheer, • Did I try to help and guide him ? Now the snares of the world about him lie, And if tualumored he live and die, I shall wish I were laid beside him :" Dear little innocent, precious ones, Be loving, dutiful daughters and sons, - • To father and to mother ' • And, to save you r selves from the bitter pain That comes when regret and remorse are vain, Be good to one another! • Puaitz_Csamr. CHRISTMAS AT HILLSIDE. MIRISTMAS EV# ! How the Zin young hearts of Christendom beat 'at the sound of that blessed holiday - It has kindled the eyes and quick ened' the steps of the young folks at Hillside, for the house has been astir all the week—every one' on the watch—for each tnember has a secret,' and many - a merry joke is played by the children on each other. • Mamma has gone into the' city several times and always brings home a bundle, to be , hidden away carefully until the happy Christmas morning. But there is' plenty of work the evening before, and mamma says that the little ones must be put _off to - bed early on Christmas eve, there is so much to be done by the good spirits is the silent night; . a Just tell us one sweet story be:, fore we go, niamrna," said Violet. • 8. Would you like to hear about the Krist kindlein children ?" asked . mamma: • • • O, yes, that wilt be, so sweet ; now we 'are all quiet," said Rose. " With these words; the group of thildren settled themselves around mamma* before the open 'grate; the ruddy blate" of the bituminous coal the only light in the family moin.ii With an arm around little Roie, and' little Paul upon her lap, with- Violet and Fred on stools ather feet,.mamma commenced = "One of the dear friends of little children tells this stork. It is an old -legend that oir Christmas eve the, -Kiist-kindlein came in the form of a bright, beautiful boy, with waving auburn hair,' the softest hazel eyes and with the sweetest smile that ever lit, up the 'hoe of childhoOd. With him came an angel, a beautiful; strong angel,.on theii•er rand of-love. . • • • • " • The bells wee ringing out their merry peals from every belfry in. the city; the ground was covered with 'crisp snow; the sleighs with their silver bells flying in every direction; the shop windows brilliantly lit and filled with all sorts of beautiful shin , trig bays ; the windows of all private houses illuminated too; the streets :filled with people and their children, "many a little. urchin stepping up to - the windows to peep at the happy =families within. : - : Above this crowd floated the ":ICristAcindlein and the angel; but the • people did not see them in the clouds. Descending now and then, the • Krist-kindlein would- stop at 'doors that he was about to enter, but the 'angel said, .‘ Not there, there is dis cord among them," and so they pas sed on, for the loving Krist- kindlein could not press a kiss upOn the cheek of such. Then they came to another and hiore humble home—looking in through the window, there was a poor widow and her ion, their-faces shining with ha —*Mors.' The Wm* Was very poci,'-b - ut alichire of 'neat gess. On the table stood a fir tree with a few colored candles, a few soave - red apples and 'sugar. -toys, and on the top, with . outspread, wings, a small candy an = The two did riot see.m,to walk as the children of nien did, hut moved ,along with a gliding 'motion, pass ing through doors.- without •open l • ing them; and thus they , stood be fore the astonished -pair, a_soft, halo around - the head of ;the heautiful boy, but they did lot see the smile upon his lovely face. • ' ll You are very ,haliPY," said a sweet voice, n on this Christmas eve . uWe ought to be," replied the . mother,: "when it is. the eve of our dear. Lord's birthday." , ":You .seem yew poor," continued `the voice. r ,• "We have - our . daily food and clothing, and we want no - more." " But your next-door • neighbori have • everything that riches can give." • P"Yes," .said the mother,' "but without Christ--we have Him; and don't you see,this beautiful fr tree? It was sent to us„byone of His dear servants, so you see we have , friends too." , Where does that •good friend live ?" inquired the voice. " It is the ' good Fraulein _Weiss ; everybody in Heidelberg knows her. She has a:Christmas tree to-night for the children of the poor. Johannes has been sick and could not go out on such a c.old night, so she sent us this pretty tree and a goose with all its dressing and onions, and a mince pie, for our Christmas dinner. Ought we not be happy ? But I wish I could see the'one that speaks such kind words.'"' "That cannot be now," said the angel, ."but , will be seen hereafter, so be content" The ..Krist-kindlein .:then,kissed the two upon the fdreliea, and then silently passed through the closed door to search for the good ,Fraulein. - . That was a biased kiss, forth Christ it came the spirit of. tho. Quist child ; the love, the joy and peace of heaven ; for these were truly .:the children of the kingdom. , 'Passing on they came to the good Fraulein, whom they found in the midst oilier group of happy child- A large gr tree stood 'bit the ta ble, glittering with colored,balls and candles, decorated with every , va t rie-, ty of pretty things made of gilt and silver paperby Fraulein's Own fiands,. assisted ,by numerous young Maids, ready to help one who was always trying to increase the lappiness'of others. She had gathered many, c.ornfitS, too, so that none , would go away without something substantial: from the Christmas .tree. . They were all:sparkling, hut none so bright and.merry at. the good Fraulein, _ and . the Xiist-kindlein pressed his kiis upori her brow - and left the same blessing :upon: all whOrn she pointed out as loving and good. Fraulein was, forty-five years old, but the ChriSt-Child dwelt within that heart with all the freshn*cif Youth; and ivhen she lay4iwn upon . her pillow on that Christmas eve, it was with the sweet kiss of beriedict lon flooding her warm, loving heart. And 'so all - that night, beneath the stars of beaver', the ,angel and the ICrist-kindlein pasied around and ere the errand of love was quite end ed, the day had dawned' and many a kiss was left upon . the.sweef aces of the young Sleepers,drearriing py visions about the coming day and the` oys of the. bright Christinas season. . It is true that none had seen the 'aces of the two; but who can dOul:•t that just such spirits are preseilt in all where the spirit of holy, - heaven- IV love animates the.household'.' Mamma. folcled her hands:: anti kissed her group 'of rapt listeners, kir her stony )vas done.' •-` ; • 0 . That is a, beautiful 'story," said Violet, "1 wonder ill° wrote it." " I think a kiiid old itory-wrier named- Hans Anifirion. All the children hived him but he is gbije and will never write any incite ividet stories." " It was a pretty - story I I wish the Krist-kindlein would kiss the," said " Yes, mychildren, it.is a' beauti ful fancy, and it may be true with us all if we will have it so; we may, all have that blessed kiss of the Krist; kindlein." YeCm) PEoess, of a meLnucholy, poetic turn, are forever askin4: Ls life worth the living?" We are willsng to answer if they tell w, fi s t', whether death is worth' dying for? RINGING THE CHRISTMAS .4 rl"fori,triid bells, 'to the'Aci he Hying elold, the frosty light; The year is ln the zught; cart c wild brand let hies dre, rold,tbili ring , ki the . oeti ham ill* wow **mow; . The year is going, let him go; I , ,i4pg , !x!" filefalse ring in the Rm.. not . . , . . . , Ring a the plat that saps the mmd, t , Fornaiakthatherami tee .00100 A.; ." ..-- ' . Ring.oat tbefead of rich 'and poor, , —Bing inladiaaa le an frnibmii, ~.. .. ..,-... oats How -dying 'And Ancient forms of rty strife : t• i Ring in the nobler modesmodes of life, ' t. "Whit sweiteewinumm, pante laws.- ' . outoat the want; &teem ibe.ant • The ftithleta coldnesi of the tame, • Bang out, rimto moiniftsii But ring the faderminstrel y in. • drhyin Ring mit false pride in *ft and blood, - The eiviislinder'amd the to the love of troth and•ngh47. 'Ring m the common - love of _good. New out old shapes Of foal desalts, Meg out,the nanowinginst of gold: • Ring out the thoosandwats of old, : Ring In the thousand years of peace.. •• • . Ring in the vaiiant m>jn and free, Thelarger hetat, thethidlierhand; Ring out thetindonlir of the land, Ring In the Cautisr that, is to be. KRS..WONDER'S DREAM ;.. . ON NEW. WAR% EVE. ; • 4 -43 WISH there.wasn't a man or a ch4d on the arth—there now ! Johnny got a shaipbOx on theca'. and Mittie was set down on a chair with a jounce that almostshonk the little house to its foundations; and Mrs. Wonder proceeded to get supper for,the man." . They were the tor ment of her life:—these children and that ...man." The first thing in the morning and the last at night'she was hurrying and working and cOn triVingAust for them. No peace or comfort or rest did she know—nor they either, for that matter. It was New Year's Eve, and, as is natural with hi all she had been reviewing wi. her life for the past five years, and, just aS a great manyofus_haie : been after such a retrospect, she ...was a ' good deal disc'nuraged ;, dficouage- , malt Seldorn has the effect to make' us. good r humOred, aid we always attempt to :believe . that the blame. lies' with somebody beskie ourselva, and.we Often' feel that if we could lift the %Oldie world ,up and set it down with a jounce, it'would do us: an an:ming Amount of good just so Mrs.Vonder felt when she .gave utterance .to :the . pointed remark at the. beginning of the: chapter ; and her feelings were depicted on her countenance as Mr. Wonder opened the door t ,and. with an- en quiring look stepiled into the room is she placed the. last smoking dial' . upon the tea-table. . ..There; I wish you'd eat I your supper and get to bed out ofrthe was the gentle invitation' for.the children , to . . Oartake Of the evening meal, and they followed in structions hurriedly - and - silently as , they could. Mr. Wonder; , cyho had long ago became 'used' to theie lit tle diversions, got himself oll'down town: as snort. as .practicable, and the unhappi, discouraged, overworked, impatient andfretful wife andlmoth .ei was left, alohe for the balance of the eveni: ' - -It was two hoUri - before she was able dileet that her workTivaS done fortheniglit," and that she might sit down in a, chair to , rest; - for thOugh men - declare and maintain that,,women, !as housewiveS, don't haVe...anYthing much" to do, they ire mistaken, nevertheless, and wo men will dispute this - point with them till, the crack of noon, and probably., at that important period] neither will have , arrived any nearer. 'the same - COficlu:sion than ..theY.are :now. ; Mr. Wonder, as he meander ed'doiVii town at that identical hOur, as' wondering what Hannah could find tn.do,:tliat made her so cross "dniltiredall the time: Why couldn't her work be done at six'o'cloek, as was 'his? Anct why couldn't` she sit down and read, evenings, as he did ? And . Mrs. Wonder 'might have, told WM, as 'she had told him uldmdred times beforto, that -there ere: some buttnnsoff johnnies - that niist-beihtt bin-when hetasn't wearing it, and a rent in Mittles -apron that , must be sewed tip before the child wanted it - in the morning; .andstockiugs tci darn and gloves to inend,nrida. thousand little things just right ibr.. women to donf eve ning; as Grandima. Parsons Used to .say.l, Mr. Wonder, however, 'was a very gOod sort of a man, and tried to make the best of things, add nai body will maintain that he was to blame if Nature -hadn'tgiven hire the sense and-reason to fully under stand the circumstances of the; cave, and so, as he sat in , the - club:room, where he had been indirectly...sent by Mrs. Wonder, the latter, satty, the fire at home, aloge,and soon. fell into a heavY slumber, andas she slept she &mined . • ' In Wet dream Mrs. Wonder, seem ed to have been transported to a strange country, and her arrival and appearance:4oe- a matter of as much, curiosity to the people she met is were they to her. The most she 'cOuldmake of them Was that theY were human beings, :but the manner in which human ~ were clad, left it an open question as to which 'sex they belonged Oterfirst impre!;- sion was ,that they had arisen an haste that day and each threin an invertedeoffee-sack over the;;lread after first cutting a. hole for the eyes and mouth.- . - She. seemed to have spent a week among this mysteriCius cornmunitY, goickg_whither she pleased and help ing herself AO -vihateier -she could find to eat. " She at last discovered that her .companiOns nrideritood her position far better than she Under stood it, heath', and. that they laugh ed among theinselves as they Watch ed her inquiring countenance, and vouchsafed no commentaries ,upon the situation, until ,she, Unable to :endure the simppns* and stringeness of the surroundings,, at? last broke forth with eager questionings, after she had discoveied, to her horror, the true state of the society into whiCh she had been mysteriously thiown. . " Where " are your. . hiiSbands?",. she inquired one day, finding herself surrounded by a dozen of the strange community, whichohe had become 'satisfied, consisted 'of women Only. They immediately broke forth in to the 'most unmistakable expres 'sions of scorn and • ridicule, and at last, amid the Uproar, she managed to catch one intelligent answer : " We drove 'era of tiventy years ago ; them that wouldn't go with scOldin' got hot water; an' broom sticks, an' mop handles, an' rollin' pins, an' flat-irons an' things, are.," she added, shaking a - delicate fist vigorously, A , we'd like to .see the man that'd date to step foot on this soil agin. The truth of the matter was," she continued, as her compan ions quieted down so that the audi ence for whose benefit the informa tion was given might not"• fail of hearing, " the truth of the matter was we got tired of,.'em. There was their clothes to see to an' their stockin's to darn, an' their boots to black . an' buttoni _to sew on, an' , their" collars 'to fix -of. a - .Sunday trimnire, and their meals to cook 'three times a day, so we, hadn't no time for nothin' else ; and we just put our heads together and declared war on this • whole tribe, 'an' a sor rierlookin' set you never saw than _they was as they took their carpet= sacks and went over the hills and far au-ay."" And the speaker pan's ed to execute ,a gyration Of delight as she mailed the sce.ne. ' a Bilt the Children—what did you do with tile poor little , children ?"- incluireir Mrs. Wonder, her eyes un consciously filling:with tears at the thought of the ; little ones crying after their fathers, a.s they must have done when they sa* them . going. away, likely, to never return: " Oh, ve bundled the boys off with their' fathers, an' tha girls we kept. with. us. Some of ?ern have rim away though, an' when they do that we , never let 'ern come back —thOirgh it's a fact," '.uttered 'the speaker in a reflective tone, " none of 'em ever, attempted to.". " Well, now," said ,Mrs. Wonder, "can You tell me liOwicame here, and ; moreover, hosy I can get away; fOr I have a' htisi;iirid and' two dear ' little, children at. home, and I can never be happy away from them. 'I . c t • r want: to go back imniediately."' ' T. Why r exclainied' a .half ozen voices, "..we were looking in at our kitchen. window- the night we 'de cided to bring you; away and yob said yoir wished . there wasn't a maxi or a .chilcl T 'on the.folee of the earth;' an' we thought Ali would be just the cf:f9r your waited . till you ha d got your _Fp .band :off dciiyn town and theichildien_ in:lied, .and Whek, you . went; 03, *ileeto` in' your chair . we 166 k yon - up and:ennie away. - - _Y o rill hare,, t05 . 44,k here itow, riOnr;for ' ,We....Shoii4 let, yotiput you'd tell 'Or us. anddien.them men ,Mighth'unt around and :,break ip to our territory and irilitneget b ack us and snake us wail' oit - 'erri i s it..../Is they ..nsecl„to. • Come, . naw,":-they hegin.tb asSinne: a persuasive tone, "You better mike: `up your mind to stay here. We. Hire ; the easiest life imaginable. We' don't have to make : or wear fine dresses, you see, 'calis there's' nobc4iweicare for: It's a great ~saving of time and bother.".. - f don't care *anything about all That," replied Mrs. Worider.. rather be a slave and work on my hinds and • kneei for those that I love than to , ; Rile here or anywhere elle away - from them." * . Just then it appeared 'that she saw Mi. .VVonder, a , great -ways off, leading' the children, and they ap peaied 'as* if searching for some thing or some orie . that was lost She gave a loud shriek of joy_ and was springing away from the hands that would have detained her when she awakened and -63und_The arms of a real live man about ,her as he lifted her_back .to, the chair from -which she had fallen. Hannah,, what was you drminraboutin Wond er, as he looked kindly into her flushed face and held her feverish hands-a raiment in • his. , • --- ..._. . "0, nothing, she answered, eva siveiy, but to his unbounded sur-, prise she bent over and kissed him as she started away to pick up Johnny who. at that auspicious, orb ment had fallen out of bed and was crying'histily, with the pain from, a bumped nose. - , Mrs. Wonder didn't spank Johnny as she usually did -- when he was so careless as to fall out of bed in' his sleep, but brought him put in her arm chair and rocked him till his head and heart were healed, then gently' laid . ,him back in bed beside his sister. Little Mittie had cried herself to sleep, and the mother, with deep contrition, gently bathed off the 'tear stains with water, and some tears not the child's were left on _the cheeks instead, and many kisses on the soft red lips. Then Mrs..Wopder went out and sat down besid& - her husband and told him her dreain,, and though there were few 'comments on either side when it was done, yet it paved the way for the-happiest New Year's Day the family had ever,seen. Mr. Wonder slid out. of the house after his wife was abed, and asleep, and for a half honr after his return was undoing parcels with the slightest noise possible, and tip-toeing around in , his stocking feet in the most ridiculous manner you could imag-, ine, 'and looking. as pleased, and silly, and happy as a boy who had been commended for the act which he had till then expected - would bring .hjn a whipping. And we haven't any ' business to , tell what they did and said the next morning, or why Mr. Wonder wasn't seen at his office until most noon, or how many told him he was looking un commonly well, or why he was in hurry ti) get home at night, and what the reason was that he, didn't g 6 downtown =after supper. This prying into f4rnily matters isn't at all, becoming, and if anyone - lents to krioW what was .done with the skeletUn- that was dragged out of the cloSet of the I Wonder family that New Yeir's Eve, they'll have to inquire of somebody else, that's all. THOUSANDS; OF "YEARS. Consider how- men reason about the Bible. „They say. - it contradicts itselL They say it lacks the marks of a divine work. Consider: that it aot one book like a book on the ccinstitution of the globe or any other composed by one-mind. It is not ;a_ book according to the modern -way in which books are made. On theccintrary;itis the religious works that appeared for thousands of years. It is the religious literature of ages, the religious light that was 'devel oped in-the world through long pe riods, brought together merely for convenience. ,There . are thirty-six different writers represented,living hundreds of years ' apart, • speaking different languages,subject to-differ ent governments and , different insti tutions, and having- ho , knowledge of each' other's work. There., are • fifty-seven separate, books or tracts' which have been