HOW TO DO GOOD. 45 good still. Three days before his death, he expressed a desire to make his will, and, after bequeathing his books and other articles to his relatives and friends, on being reminded of his money, and asked how he wished that to be disposed of, he said, "Put that into my Bible box." A sum equal to about fifty pounds was afterwards sent to the Bible Society, as the contents of that box. This was a noble legacy from a boy thirteen years old. Not many of you, boys or girls, could do so much as this; but you could all love the Bible, and the Saviour, and "the poor children,” and all heathen children, as he did. You could all pray, and probably every one of you could give something, to send the Bible and the missionary to those who need such help from children "who love Jesus." HOW TO DO GOOD. True greatness DR. JOHNSON wisely said, "He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything." Life is made up of little things. It is but once in an age that occasion is offered for doing a good deed. consists in being great in little things. roads built? By one shovel of dirt after another; one shovel at a time. Thus drops make the ocean. Hence we should be willing to do a little good at a time, and never wait to do a great deal of good at once." If we would do much good in the world, we must be willing to do good in little things, little acts one after another; speaking a word here, giving a tract there, and setting a good example all the time; we must do the first thing we can, and the next and then the next, and so keep on doing good This is the way to accomplish anything. Thus only shall we do all the good in our power. THE JUVENILE REPORTER. ON looking at the first page of this "Messenger," the Reporter observes that the Editor has put in a picture of a Chinese temple, and promised that the Reporter would explain it. Now, he is always willing to be useful, and glad to do anything possible for his young friends and readers, but he humbly thinks if the Editor had known that his poor old friend was so bad with tooth-ache, he would have explained the picture himself. Well, you see the dumb idol is standing up in the corner with some candles burning before it, beside several offerings the saints have presented-vessels of rice, tea, &c. These poor priests are kneeling before this dumb god, covering their faces, and muttering over some form of prayer, which the idol hears about as well as does the candles or the basins before it. What a sad delusion! Poor men! they never pray to "God, their maker." They do not even believe that the great God created them at all. Their notion is, that the "first great cause" was a being they call Pawn-Koo: they say he was the first being, from whom all of us have sprung; that after his death he became the basis of all things. His flesh became the earth; his bones the rocks and mountains; his blood seas and rivers; his hair trees and forests; and the lice on his person became birds, beasts, and men! Of course this is awful nonsense; but the poor Chinese believe it, and are likely to continue to do so until they are made acquainted with the true God, who "created all things, and by whom all things subsist." How sad to think that millions of people believe in these delusions, and are therefore going down to the grave and to eternity with a lie in their right-hand. Dear friend, will you not pity these poor idolators, pray for them, and try to send them the gospel. You often say or sing, "Salvation, Oh, the joyful sound, A sovereign balm for every wound, A cordial to our fears." But the ears of these benighted people have never heard THE JUVENILE REPORTER. 47 that joyful sound, some of whom might have heard it, if you had done what you could. [The Reporter would beg to say here, that those who have not yet sent their Collecting Cards to Mr. Matheson, will oblige by doing so without delay. The time for doing this is up, and more.] Speaking of China, the Reporter is reminded of poor India. Oh, what sad doings have been going on there! What barbarities, what cruelties and sufferings; what multitudes have died horrid and lingering deaths. If you read over the 11th chapter of Hebrews, you will see a sad description of what many of our countrymen, with mothers and children, have endured in India. Some of them were good, holy men-missionaries of the cross"of whom the world was not worthy." And who has not heard of General Havelock? the good, the noble, the heroic Havelock; he is gone too. We once hoped he would live to return, that we might see him in our streets and cheer and reward him for his noble deeds, and love him for his goodness; but the Lord Jesus took him home and gave him a crown of righteousness and a palm of victory. Soldier of Christ, well done! Rest from thy hard employ; The battle's fought, the victory won, A gentleman in India writes some true and noble words about Havelock, without, perhaps, knowing it. They never can write a better epitaph on his tomb than this:- "He was perhaps the bravest man in his own army. He was a Christian of the old stamp. A strong, God-fearing Puritan man, who thought often in Scriptural phrase, and deemed it no shame to teach his soldiers to pray. The Reporter is glad to see that Christian people have been holding meetings, and resolving to raise funds to send more missionaries to poor India, with the least possible delay. May God speed their work, and hasten the time when India's "gloomy hills of darkness" shall be lighted up with the light of life. 48 THE JUVENILE REPORTER. Madagascar is a little island reigned over by a most cruel heathen queen. There are some Christians there, and, years ago, she hunted them like partridges, and put many to death. Some were taken to the brink of a rocky precipice and cast over headlong, because they would not deny the Saviour. For some time there has been peace, and many were hoping the missionaries might soon re turn; but, no-the persecutions have been renewed as cruel as ever. Lately, thirteen persons were stoned to death, their heads were afterwards fixed on poles, and their wives and children made slaves. Between fifty and sixty were subjected to the poisoned water, and eight of them died under the operation. Nearly sixty were bound in chains, of whom two died, and a number more have been reduced to slavery. How different is our lot compared with the lot of these poor people. The Lord send them a speedy deliverer! Coming nearer home, the Reporter is very glad to receive such good accounts of his old friends at Brampton. He has not yet forgotten the capital meeting they had on New Year's-day, the excellent way the boys and girls answered; and he hopes they have not yet forgotten the good advices they got. It has been a hard year this last, especially for poor people; but the scholars of Brampton have raised nearly £6 for the missions in China and Corfu. The Reporter has been at a good many meetings, public meetings, and tea meetings, and ragged meetings, during the last month, of which he cannot now speak. He was delighted, however, with the annual meeting of the London Shoe-blacks. It was held in St. Martin's Hall, where the boys took tea. The little band played beautifully, and the boys looked so happy and hearty in their new uniforms, it did the Reporter's old heart good to look at them. There were upwards of 1,000 people there to see them, among whom were Lord Shaftesbury, the Marquis of Westminster, Lord Radstock, Sir John Pakington, &c. The boys earned last year by blacking shoes in the streets, the extraordinary sum of £3,646. WE have come from the prison, from its "work! work!" "watch! watch!" from its neat little white cells, its cheerful-looking galleries, its pleasan garden; we have come to what may be truly called the house of pain, of sleepless nights and suffering days. Whence, then, this feeling of relief-we had almost said of satisfaction? Because sickness, because pain is a less evil than sin; we have left man's prisoners, we have come to God's prisoners APRIL, 1858. E |