Little Children, 


Love One Another


A little girl, with a happy look,

Sat slowly reading a ponderous book,

All bound with velvet, and edged with gold,

And its weight was more than the child could

 hold;

Yet dearly she loved to ponder it o'er,

And every day she prized it more,

For it said (and she looked at her smiling

 mother).

It said, "Little children, love one another."

She thought it was beautiful in the book,

And the lesson came home to her heart she took;

She walked on her way with a trusting grace,

And a dove-like look in her meek, young face,

Which said, just as plain as words can say,

"The Holy Bible I must obey;

So mamma, I'll be kind to my darling brother,

For little children must love each other.

Yet I'm sorry he's naughty, and will not play,

But I'll love him still, for I think the way

To make him gentle and kind to me,

Will be better shown, if I let him see

I strive to do what I think is right,

And thus when I kneel in prayer tonight,

I will clasp my arms around my brother,

And say, 'Little children, love one another.' "

The little girl did as her Bible taught,

And pleasant indeed was the change it wrought,

For the boy looked up in glad surprise

To meet the light of her loving eyes;

His heart was foiled, he could not speak,

But he pressed a kiss on his sister's cheek;

And then looked up to the happy mother,

Whose little children loved one another.



DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: I esteem it a privilege.