I thought that I would go and see
How these poor children were.

Ere long I reached their cheerless home, — 'Twas searched by every breeze, – When, going in, the eldest child.

I saw upon his knees.

I paused to listen to the boy;
He never raised his head,
But still went on, and said, “ Give us
This day our daily bread.”

I waited till the child was done,
Still listening as he prayed;
And when he rose, I asked him why
That prayer he then had said.

"Why, sir," said he, "this morning, when

My mother went away,

She wept because she said she had

No bread for us to day.

"She said we children, now, must starve,

Our father being dead;

And then I told her not to cry,

For I could get some bread.

"Our Father,' sir, the prayer begins;
Which made me think that he,
As we have no kind father here,
Would our kind Father be.

"And then you know, sir, that the prayer Asks God for bread each day; So in the corner, sir, I went;

And that's what made me pray."

I quickly left that wretched room,
And went with fleeting feet,
And very soon was back again
With food enough to eat.

"I thought God heard me,” said the boy; I answered with a nod;

I could not speak, but much I thought
Of that boy's faith in God.

How very sad it is to hear some very small boys use

wicked words in their play!

They speak the name of his name in vain." Our

God very often; they "take mother often tells us that God hears all we say; that he

Questions. Do any children ever use wicked words in their play? Does God hear all you say? What is written in his book? Do wicked children

keeps a book in which all our words are written down. Do such children know this? Do their parents talk with them about it? I should think, if they believed that God heard all they said, that he noticed it and wrote it down against them, they would not dare to do so.

Our father often talks with us about keeping our language pure. He says to us; "Little girls, I do not think you will be tempted to use wicked words, for you will not see any whom you might suppose to be young ladies doing thus; but the boys, Edwin and Henry, may sometimes hear those who may pretend to be young gentlemen using language which, at the first, might make them shudder; yet, by hearing them often, they may be tempted to try to be like them.

"Always remember," says our father, "that the eye of God is upon you. The darkest night cannot hide you from his sight; and he has said he will surely punish those who take his name in v. in."

When we repeat the commandments on Sabbath even

think of this? If they did, would they dare to take God's name in vain ? Are little girls as much tempted as boys? What should you always remember? Will he punish those who take his name in vain? On what mountain were the

ings, our father takes a good deal of pains to try to have us understand them, that we may put them in practice. He sometimes tells us how splendid and awful was the sight when God came down upon the top of Mount Sinai to give the commandments; how the whole mountain trembled and was burning with fire. He tells us these very commandments which we repeat were first heard from the voice of God, out of the midst of the fire; and they were afterwards written "by the finger of God," on two tables of stone, which Moses had carried up into the mountain, by God's express command.

Our father says to us, "Children, should you not be careful to keep these commandments as God requires, since he has taken such pains to make them known to us?" We always answer, "Yes, father ;" and we think, when he talks with us in this way, we shall never forget what he says.

Once our mother told us a story of a lady who had one little boy named Willy, whom she loved very much. That

commandments given? How did the mountain appear? How were they given? By whom were they afterwards written? Upon what? Should you not keep them? Do you think you will try to remember? What did Willy