The Home Advocate. (Jefferson, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, June 11, 1869 Page: 3 of 4
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Children, obey your [Parents in all things in the Lord, for this is right. Love on© another.
mice cntem it, lie cun never retrace j too late; and what might have been,
hit) steps. The ascent is so gradual, j rings through the lonely chambers
and as the roud increases in beauty ; of the heart like a funeral dirge,
our little friend is so delighted with : Their talents are misapplied, their
tkr prospect before him, that he nev-1 energies misdirected, and their lives
<t thinks of the pleasures he ha3 ; are failures. It is not so with those
left in (he beautiful valley. As he ! who "lay up their treasures in heav-
K
journeys 011. a fairy form in fantastic
raiment takes his hand, and proptK
hps to Accompany him on the way.
Her name is Fancy, and, she paints
the scene before him in glowing col-
ors. He pants to reach the top of
the steep, and his impatience increas-
es at every step. At length lie
reaches the summit, and gazes on the
plain stretched out in stern sublimity
before him. In the center of the
plain on an eminence stands the tem-
ple of Fame, towering in magnificent
grandeur to the clouds. While con
ternplating this grand structure Am-
bition comes up, and urges him to
cBroll his name on the list, of the tem-
ple with the great ones of earth. En-
ergy then approaches telling him
where there is will sufficient all ob-
stacles can be overcome. Thus so-
licited, he starts with speed for this
new goal. While reveling in the
" rainbow tints of fancy," Discontent
comes up, and points to the rugged
steep, the almost insurmountable
barriers and difficulties that rise
mountain high before him. He fal-
ters, and is almost ready to faint by
the wayside, when Hope, that blessed
comforter draws near, and cheers his
heart with gentle smiles, and kind
words of encouragement. Our friend
goes bravely on, until he comes in
contact with dense crowds all rush-
ing toithe same place; they jar and
impede each other's progress—each
seeming to think the more obstruc-
tions he throws in another's way,
the smoother will be his own path.
Amid the clashings of the multitude
Despair flaps her raven wings, and
her boding cry tells of millions who
have failed. Discontent joins in. and
he comes near yielding; but Hope
backed by Ambition comes to the
rescue, telling him he has nothing
to lose, and every thing to gain:
thus inspired with fresh courage, he
presses on with renewed vigor, to en-
counter and overcome the difficulties
in the way. As he approaches the
temple the gaunt spectre Poverty de-
bars his entrance: by increasing ex-
• ertions he overcomes it. He then as-
says to enter, but the crowd of appli-
cants is so great that many have to
wait on the few, whom the fickle
goddess Fortune favors. Heaven-
born Patience comes to the aid of
our hero. It length he gains the
iirst step; he continues to ascend,
cheered on by shouts of the admiring,
though envious multitude. Finally
he gains admittance, and meets Suc-
cess, who decks his brow with a
wreath of laurels, and bids him wel-
come to the enjoyments of the tem-
ple. He dismisses Hope, and ener-
gy, thinking as the goal is won he
needs them 110 longer. Ambition
has nothing to point to, and he sits
down to eat the fruit of his labors,
toils, and desires, and finds it dust
and ashes.
••O! Happiness how far we flee
Thine own sweet paths In search of
thee."
It is ever thus with those who
■seek worldly honors, instead of God's
approval; the applause of man in-
stead of the forgiving smiles of Je-
aus. Their treasures are 011 earth;
they sow to the wind and reap the
whirlwind." Tbev find their mistake
en, where moth and rust doth not
corrupt, nor thieves break through
and steal," The humble, teachable
child of God may better fulfill his
destiny, than one who climbs to the
highest pinnacle, of earthly fame.
PALLIB.
For the Home Advocate.
thk children.
Aunt Fanny loves children—all
children—pretty and homely—bright
and stupid—good and bad—espec-
ially the bad ones, for she has had
some experience in that line, and
knows bad children don'tgo to do
it" half so much as people give them
credit for. Besides, tearing clothes,
and slipping up in the mud, and for-
getting your jacket when you go to
pick berries, and leaving the bars
down when you run to get the gun to
shoot that " plaguey hawk" is child-
hood. Who would have a world
where the children are all nice and
proper and never made mistakes?
Aunt Fanny would not, for one. And
now, children, loving you as I do, it
has been a great pleasure to me to
have a paper printed especially for
you—right here at home—in Texas.
Aunt Fanny is afraid a great many
little children don't have the Advo-
cate that ought to. I hope every
little boy and girl who.has the paper
will lend it to his or her mates, and
try to get others to take it, and get
together and read the stories, and
get "big sis "or "bud "to read to
you. I know a great many children
in Texas, arid I often wonder if all
my little friends get the little paper
printed for them.
I often think of one little girl. I
will tell you about her: One morn-
ing during the war while liding, a
sudden shower forced me to dis-
mount and seek shelter at a farm-
house. 1 found four or five little chil-
dren, detained from school by the
rain, and they had taken their books
front their satchels, and wero amu-
sing themselves by spelling. I sat
close by the window and pretended
to be looking at the rain so they
might not be embarrassed by my
presence. Presently one jumped up
and said, "0 ma! spell bear! spell
bear! I know you can't do it;'' and
she clapped her hands and looked
so bright and full of mischief, I for-
got to pretend to look out of the win-
dow; besides there was something so
funny in the idea that a great grown
woman could not spell bear. The
poor woman looked as though she
hardly knew whether to attempt it,
but little Lizzie (that was the little
girl's name ) coaxed so sweetly she
began, b-a-. " 0 no, no, 110," shouted
the children. After several efforts
she succeeded. " Thought I could!"
she exclaimed triumphantly. "I
knew I could when I was a little
girl." What a pity she could not
have kept on a little longer, and been
able to teach her bright, intelligent
child. I found on inquiry that they
had been driven back from Parker
county by the Indians. Lizzie's
bright eyes have haunted me ever
since. I wanted to teach heraud let;
her read the many child-books Aunt
Fanny's little ones had. Probably
she lias gone back to Parker county,
and like her mother, will forget to
spell bear. I hope not—I hope
bright-eyed Lizzie, who looked as
though she would enj ly learning so
much, has become an excellent read-
er. I hope she has tlte Advocate to
read; do you not, ohildren? It is a
very sad thing not to be able to read—
to know nothing but what our eyes
see or our ears hear of the great,
beautiful world we live on. Perse-
vere in learning all you can, chil-
dren. It is liko the bees laying up
honey. Wintry days will come to
you, when the knowledge you have
stored in your minds will be a great
happiness. Do you want to hear
something of my school days forty
years ago, in a far off land? I know
you do, there is nothing little ones
love better than to hear the old folks
tell wlyit happened to them when
they were little, llow funny to think
that pa and ma were little once, and
danced over a stick of candy, and
cried when they stumped their toes
just like you do. That will always
appear strange, wont it? Aunt Fan-
ny remembers very well when she
was a wee one and how dearly she
loved stories just like you do. I am
afraid I am writing too much. Good-
bye for the prcspnt.
AUNT FANNY.
Very good. But some mischievous
mothers will be ready to sify, Aunt
Fanny is making a special plea for
her own children, in the above intro-
duction. We don't think so. We
are sure all our little readers will
look anxiously for Auntie's incidents
of childhood.—Editor.
For the Homo Advocate.
TO THE CHILDREN.
Come with me, children, into this
flower garden. Now isn't this a
treat. Look at the great variety of
colors. Even the rose is almost an
endless variety. The fragrance, too,
is not the same in any two. And
yet it is a-rose. This bed or' Phlorc
—every shade of pink and purple,
white, and varigeted. How lovely.
And there is the sweet forget-me-
not, modestly peeping out from its
bed of green leaves; near by it, the
wild violet, blue as the heavens
above, not a bit ashamed of the fine
company it chances to be in. And
there stands the white lily peerless
in her spotless robes of pure white.
Twining around the lattice work of
that summer house, the honeysuckle,
white jasmin, and Clematis, yel-
low . Jasmin are blending their
beauties and sweets, maki'ng an al-
most impenetrable roof. The early
spring flowers are gone. But here
are seed pods formed, and see the
number of little seeds in every one.
Their work is not done yet; those
seed will mature 011 the parent stalk,
and fall to the ground, and by and
by new bulbs will come up. I like
the early flowers. They come to
gladden us after the cold winter is
past, sometimes before. I have seen
them covered with snow and thought
they would all be killed. But some
would escape, and bo appreciated all
the more for their scarcity. Let us
sit down here in this summer house.
Now let us talk just a little while.
This is a nice placo to talk in. We
can sec the beauties around us, and
inhale tne fragrance, at our leisure.
Now suppose there were 110 flow-
ers, what a dull louring world this
would be. Few things bear fruit be-
fore they have flowefs on them. The
peach and muny other trees all per-
haps, tho dowers protect the fruit
and seed while they arc too tender
to bo exposed to tiie cold air and oth-
er causes which would blast them.
In tha cup of the flowerit, there is a
sweet substance called nectar by
some. Bees gather it and manufac-
ture it into honey. There is the
humming bird. See how he is feast-
ing 011 those honeysuckles. Look at
his bill. It is exactly suited to the
business. That butterfly is taking
his dinner of the same sweet mater-
ial. I giivM he will uut aave any of
the nectar and store it up like the
bee. He is a gay fellow, flutters from
flower to flower all day long; he has
his work to do. You all know some-
thing about how ho pusses from one
form to another. As we soo him now
is the last. First tho egg, then the
little worm, after whilo a great loathe-
some worm; then he spins a house,
and with a kind of glue sticks it to
a limb or underneath a plank or log,
and stays there until his wings grow
and then he bursts tho little house
open and flies out in the air a butter-
fly. I have read some beautiful
thoughts suggested by the changing
of the chrysalis to a winged insect.
Now you see the flowers are a real
service to somo of God's creaturcs
besides man. Some plants possess
medicinal virtues. Every thing was
made for some good purpose, if we
only knew it. The world with all its
grandeur and beauty was made be-
fore man was made. God made man
with faculties or powers to enjoy and
appreciate his works. Some things
look unseemly; but God made every
thing in harmony. Thero is nothing
useless. Some things are terrible to
contemplate. And we know so lit-
tle, we cannot see why it should be
so. We might know more than we
do, if wo would improve our time.
Instead of finding fault with others,
and telling tales 011 our neighbors, to
injure them, if we would study the
works of God scattered in such pro.
fusion around us, wo might be far
better and so much more useful.
Let 11s try it. There is the bee, let us
imitate her industry aud patience.
She culls a little here—only a "little,
but she is not discouraged. All day
long she is busy laying by a store
of sweets. So you may to-day store
an idea, to-morrow two, and so on, un-
til you are ready for a higher and
holier placo than this. This is the
right placo for you now. Life is a
great school. We aro all getting
ready for a great examination day.
You know how schools are conducted.
Well, I am trying to help you a little
with some of your lessons, others
help me. We can all help each oth-
er. You are here for a noble purpose.
That soul with all its powers of
thought and feeling is a gemot un-
told value. Take caro to keep it
pure. Don't squander tho rich lega-
cy. Sometime soon we will have
another talk, somewhere, perhaps in
the grand old woods.
Mentor.
We think the above was intended
for last week, but through the geu-
erosity of Mentor, we got two of her
articles on hand at once, and per-
haps interchanged. But it don't
make any difference. They are good
for any time. Wo have already
another interesting one for next
week—A Day Dream. The editor
and the children will not know how
to repay Aunt Mentor, unless she
name next time,
not an ugly one.-
We feel sure it is
-Editok.
fig has no blossoms. You want to
know the use of flowers. \\ ell I ; will take it in thanks. We are tempt-
will tell you some of the uses. On the I ed to ask her to sign her Christian
For the Home Advocate.
FJTRST SIGHT OK A PRINTING
OFFICE.
The old aphorism, "Always speak
the truth, but it is not necessary, ev-
ery time, to tell all you know," was
once very forcibly illustrated in my
own early history, and greatly to
my mortification, as the sequel will
show.
When but a small boy, my father
sent me to tho country town with a
special message to his merchant.
When I got there, I was told that the
merchant was in the country, but
would return in a few hours, and I
must wait. This suited mo very
well, as I had seldom been to town
and wanted to see the sights. So I
Bet about it at once, and in earnest.
My plan was to make tho circuit of
the public square, entering in at ev-
ery open door. I had not gone far, #
when I found myself in a family room,
where, 1 saw at a glance, I was not
wanted. So I beat, a hasty retreat.
After this, 1 got on very well, till I
reached tho second corner. There I
found rather a shabby looking build-
ing standing endwise to the square,
aud tho door Invitingly open.- On en-
tering I found no one in tho front
room; but, pushiug on iuto a back
room, wearing a very dingy appear-
ance, f discovered 4fellow standing
at a strange sort of frame, all cov-
ered over with little open boxes filled,
with awkwardly formed littlo pieces
of metal. 1 spoko to tho fellow, but
ho said not a word, only went 011, in
gieat haste, picking out those pieces
of metal atid putting them in a
queer looking thing he hold in his
hand; and, from the way his lips
worked, I thought ho was counting
them. Somehow I had got it into
my head that the making of nails by
machinery was a wonderful contri-
vance; and, after looking 011 for some
time, I said to myself: "This is a
nail factory." Those little pieces of
metal 1 took to bo unfinished nuils;
and thought that my Mr. Gruui was
fixing either to head or point them.
After waiting for some time, I grew
impatient, and ventured to ask: " Is
this a nail factory?" Suddenly, Mr.
Silence dropped his nailn, and began
to utter such yaw! haws! as almost
endangered the roof of that old house
I knew, in a moment, I was sold, but
at wiiat price I could'nt tell. So 1
backed out in haste. But before I
could reach the outer door, tho fel-
low vociferated aftor me; " 'This is a
printing office!" Reader did you ev-
er have a cup of cold water poured
down your sleeve? If so, you felt
comfortable to w!:at I did just then.
Well, like a great many others, I
was Btrongly inclined, on returning
from a trip, to tell all I had seen and
heard ; but, on this occasion, pru-
dence told me I had better hold my
tongue. However, on reaching home,
disposition got tho better of prudence,
and out it all came. My parents,
brothers, and sisters, by laughing at
mo made me feel 110 better, you may
bo sure. Nor was this the last of it—
wish it had been. The very next
week, out comes the country paper—
to which my father was a subscriber
a— with an exaggerated account of tho
whole affair, accompanied with what,
I stoutly maintained, was an abomi-
nable caricature of my whole ap-
pearance aud manners, on the occa-
sion. I had never thought of tho
weekly paper comiug from tin t old
1 ,iyi
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Patillo, F. J. The Home Advocate. (Jefferson, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, June 11, 1869, newspaper, June 11, 1869; Jefferson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth235546/m1/3/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.