Youth Instructor



IT was noon as the writer entered a schoolroom in a far western village, where he found the teacher and pupils very pleasantly passing the intermission. After an introduction to the teacher, who seemed to be an American by birth, I showed him the YOUTH'S INSTRUCTOR. The pupils, on learning that a youth's paper was offered for examination, grouped around to hear what remarks would be made about it. The teacher was pleased with it, and so subscribed for his little girl.

The next day my course led to the residence of a Scotchman. Here was a group of cheerful children. Maggie, the eldest of the company, could read English. The mother thought well of the paper, and sent one of the children to call the father. He came and looked over the paper until he found an article, which seemed to startle him, and he suddenly handed me back the sample copy.

I asked what there was that he did not like.

"Why," said he, "there is an article in it about tobacco."

"Indeed! But you would not object to it on that account? You do not wish your children to use tobacco when they are grown up?" He was silent. Afterward, to the great delight of the child, he let Maggie subscribe for the paper.

The same day I visited a German family, where the Stimme der Wahrheit had been taken for several months. 

The father was absent. The mother could read only in her own dialect, but the children had learned to read in English. There were Lizzie, Laura, Ida, Mary, Vina, the baby, and the mother all at once eagerly inspecting the first English paper introduced into this family. Laura could read quite readily, and three of them could understand much of the meaning of what she read.

My journey now led to the house of a Swede, where, finding a hearty welcome, I tarried for the night. The Harold had been taken by our host for nearly two years. The children examined the YOUTH'S INSTRUCTOR in the evening, and in the morning subscribed, thus introducing the first English paper into this family also.

The same day I came to the residence of a Dane, who seemed to be quite intelligent. He had borrowed a few copies of the Tidende and read them, and it was easy to get him to subscribe for this. This man had no Danish Bible, and I sold him one. 

Learning that his oldest child could read English, the INSTRUCTOR was presented. The boy than read to his parents, which resulted in their allowing him to subscribe for it.

Thus in three days the YOUTH'S INSTRUCTOR is brought into the families 

of five different nationalities. Are there not many places where the children of foreigners could thus easily be led to take our good little paper? Let it go out into the highways and hedges to every nationality. Its mission is love and joy and peace to the children. 



J. S.