The Mother CHAPTER 1.
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Introduction.
Summer had passed away, and autumn had verged on towards winter. Instead of a brief, sultry twilight, there were long evenings, and pleasant gatherings of the family circle.Care looked more cheerful; there was a light on the wan cheek of Sickness; and Labor sung merrily as she turned her wheel.
His daily labors ended, James Hartley returned home on such an evening — his step light, his mind clear, and his spirits buoyant. Scarcely a year had passed since the wreck of his worldly prospects; but in that time, the reacting strength of a manly character had lifted his bowed head, and fixed with confidence his steady eye. But this result would have taken place slowly and imperfectly under other circumstances and different influences from those with which he was surrounded. He owed much to the cheerful temper andhopeful spirit of his wife. So far from murmuring at the change in their prospects, or, permitting her husband to murmur — every allusion to this change was accompanied by Anna Hartley with expressions of thankfulness that all of the real blessings were left them.
"We have more than enough for all our needs," she would say, "And besides, we have each other, and our dear little Marien. Do you think we have reason to complain? No — you cannot. Our cup is not empty — it is full to the brim!"
As was ever the case, a smile of welcome greeted Hartley on entering his pleasant home. But it seemed to him, after the smile had died away, that there was a thoughtful expression upon Anna's brow. This grew distinct to his eye, as he observed her face more carefully.
"Is Marien asleep?" he asked, soon after he came in.
"Yes. She was tired, and went to sleep early. I tried to keep her awake until you came home, but she was so drowsy and fretful, that I thought it best to put her to bed."
"Dear little creature!"
"She is a sweet child."
"A sweeter one cannot be found. As she grows older, how much delight we shall take in seeing her mind expand, and become filled with images of all that is lovely and innocent. As the twig is bent — so is the tree inclined. Anna, all we have to do is to bend this twig aright. Heaven's rain and sunshine will do the rest."
"To bend it aright may not be so easy a task as you suppose, James."
"Perhaps not. And yet it seems to me, that a wise course of government, carefully pursued, must produce the desired result."
"To determine wisely, is not always in our power. Ah, James! It is that thing of determining wisely, which gives me the greatest concern. I believe that I could faithfully carry out any system of government, were I only well satisfied of its being the true one. But, so conscious am I, that, if in the system I adopt there be a vital error, the effect will be lastingly injurious to our child, that I hesitate and tremble at every step. The twig which shoots forth, unwarped by nature, pliant and graceful, may be trained to grow in almost any direction. But our child is born with an evil and perverse will — a will thoroughly depraved."
"That I do not like to admit; and yet I believe it to be too true."
"Alas! it is but too true, James. It needs not Scriptural Revelation to tell us this. Already the moral deformity we have entailed upon our child, is showing itself every day. How shall we correct it? How shall we change it into beauty? I think of this almost every hour, and sometimes it makes me feel sad. It is easy to say, 'Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined' — but it is not so easy a thing to bend the human twig as you will. There is great danger of creating one deformity in the effort to correct another; or of checking, in its flow, the healthy sap by undue pressure. And still further; our own states of mind, from various causes, are ever changing, and from these changes result obscurity, or a new direction of our thoughts. What seems of the first importance today, is not so considered tomorrow, because other ideas are more distinctly before our minds and throw things of equal importance into obscurity. Our own uncorrected hereditary evils are also in our way, and hinder us from either seeing aright or doing aright."
"You are disposed to look at the gloomy side of the picture, Anna," replied her husband, smiling. "Suppose you take a more encouraging view."
"Show me the bright side, James. I will look at it with pleasure."
"There is a bright side, Anna — everything has a sunny side; but I do not know that it is in my power to show you the sunny side of this picture. I will, however, present to your mind a truth that may suggest many others of an encouraging nature. Into right ends — there flows a perception of true means. Do you not believe this?"
"I have the best of reasons for believing it to be true."
"Can there be a higher or holier end than a mother's, when she proposes to herself the good of her child?"
"I believe not."
"Into that end will there most assuredly be an influx of wisdom to discover the true means. Do not despond, then. As your days — so will your strength be."
Anna sighed heavily, but made no reply for some moments. She was too deeply conscious of her ignorance of the true means, to feel a profound confidence in the practical bearing of the principles that her husband had declared, and which reason told her were true.
"It is easy to theorize," she at length said. "It is pleasant to the mind to dwell upon true principles, and see how they apply in real life. But, it is a different matter when we come to bring down these theories ourselves. There is in us so much that hinders — self love, indolence, pride, and a thousand other things — come between our good purposes and their accomplishment."
"True. But, on the side of good resolutions, is One who is all."
"Right, my dear husband! — Right!" exclaimed Anna, interrupting him. "He who is for us — is more than all who are against us. If I can only fix my confidence, like an anchor to the soul, upon Him — all the rough places of peevish nature will be made even — light will break in from a dark sky — -I shall see clearly to walk in right paths!"
"Ever let us both strive to fix our confidence upon God," responded Hartley in a low but earnest voice. "If we do so, we shall not find our duty so hard to perform as at first sight it may appear to us. We must keep our minds elevated above all mere worldly and selfish ends — and seek only the highest good for our offspring."
"The highest good — Yes, that must be our aim. But do we agree as to what is the highest good?"
"An important question, Anna. If we do not agree, our task will be a difficult one. What do you call the highest good?"
Anna mused for some time.
"The highest good — the highest good — " she murmured abstractedly. "Is it wealth? — Honor? The love and praise of men? — The attainment of ill earthly blessings? — No — no! These can only continue for a time. This life is a brief season at best — a mere point in our existence — a state of preparation for our real and true existence. In seeking the highest good of our child, we must look beyond the bounds of time and space."
"If we do not, Anna, our seeking for the good of our child will be in vain. But, after determining which are the best interests of our child, the next great question is: How shall wesecure them? Thousands have decided as we have, but alas! how few have been able to secure the right means. A Christian education I know to be the only true education. All others must fail. But what is a Christian education? It is in the wrong determination of this question, that so many fail."
"Can you determine it, James?"
"Not so well as you can. But do you not agree with me in the conclusion I have stated?"
"Assuredly I do. The Christian religion is nothing more than heavenly order, and involves in it the true relation of the creature and the Creator. It is not the abstract, dark, austere and repulsive something that so many make it; a thing of pharisaical sanctity and unmeaning observances. No — no. Religion clothes herself in garments of light, and wears upon her brow a sunny smile. All who look upon her as she really is, must love her."
"Truly said, for she is the very embodiment of beauty. But, how few there are who see her and know her."
"Too few indeed."
"Still, Anna, we are dealing but in generals. How are we to educate our child upon religious principles?"
"First of all, we should, as I have already endeavored to do, impress upon her mind the idea of God, and that he loves her, watches over her, and protects her from harm. This is easily done. No idea is so readily conveyed to a child's mind as that of the existence of God as a good Being. When I talk to Marien, as young as she is, about God, she will look me steadily in the eyes, and listen with the most fixed attention. She cannot yet speak her thoughts, but I know that she more than half comprehends me, and that in the tender and most impressible substances of her mind, I am fixing ideas that can never be eradicated. As she grows older, and her mind expands, I shall not only teach her to regard the good of others, but instruct her in the right means of promoting it. The whole Law and the Prophets hang upon the precept: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart — and your neighbor as yourself.' Here is the starting point in all religion. With this fundamental doctrine, must all other doctrines square. To love God — is to live according to his commandments; and to love our neighbor — is to seek his good — his highest good. If we live only for ourselves, and regard only ourselves, we live a false and irreligious life, and cannot be happy. No matter what doctrines we profess — no matter by what name we call ourselves — if we do not seek the good of others we are irreligious."
"With what truth may it be said — There is none good — no, not one," remarked Hartley, as his wife ceased speaking. "How easy it is to see the truth of a precept, and declare it; but how hard a thing is it to live according to the tenor of that precept."
"Yes — and how easy it is to talk about the education of our child, but how almost impossible will it be for us to accomplish the important task," replied Anna. "Already do I find myself at a loss how to meet and correct certain evil tendencies thus early apparent in our dear little one. These will grow stronger as she grows older. I cannot remove them — all I can do will be to prevent their attaining sufficient strength to rule in her mind, at the same time that I seek to sow the seeds of opposite good principles, that when she comes to mature age, and the great struggle commences — which takes place with everyone, she may have the means of a sure conquest. If we could remove the evil tendencieswith which our children are born — our duties would be lighter, for we could then work with more confidence. But this we cannot do. Each one has to do it for himself, when he comes to mature age. He has then to fight against the evils in himself, and when from right motives he does this, the Lord will remove them. All we can do for our child, is to keep, as far as it is in our power, her evils quiescent, and fill her mind with active principles of goodness. These will be weapons and armor in the strife that must take place, sooner or later. Fighting with these, she must come off conqueror."
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