sweet Mary and the trusty, truthful oldest boy who so resembled his father, and

"So they wrote, in courteous way,

They would not give one child away.
And afterward toil lighter seemed
Thinking of that of which they dreamed.
Happy in truth, that not one face

Was missed from its accustomed place."

Truly, most parents do love their children as did these parents. Yet how few love them so wisely as to be willing to give the attention necessary to train them properly.

THE HALLOWED MEMORY OF MOTHER.

Every mother must read, with increased determination to strive to properly train her children, such lines as those written by Miss E. A. Allen. They but echo the sentiments which millions of children hold and will hold in years that are to come, long after the mother's spirit has been wafted to the other shore.

Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight,
Make me a child again, just for to-night;
Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart as of yore;
Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care,
Smooth the few silver threads of my hair;
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;
Rock me to sleep, mother,-rock me to sleep!

Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you;
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between ;
Yet with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I to-night for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep,-
Rock me to sleep, mother,-rock me to sleep!

Over my heart in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shown,
No other worship abides and endures,
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours;
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick-souled, and world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy lids creep,—
Rock me to sleep, mother,-rock me to sleep!

Mother, dear mother, the years have been long
Since I last listened to your lullaby song;
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem
Womanhood's eyes have been only a dream;
Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace,
With your light lashes just sweeping my face,
Never hereafter to wake or to weep,-

Rock me to sleep, mother,-rock me to sleep!

HOME AND COUNTRY DEPENDENT UPON MOTHERS.

Noble mothers, grow not weary and faint! Upon you depend not only the happiness of the home, but

even the future of our country. Upon you will forever rest, not only the blessings of your children, but the highest benediction of Almighty God, whose representatives you are on earth.

XX.

THE HOME INFLUENCE.

THE GREAT NEED OF AMERICA.

The greatest need of any country, and especially of our own, is better men and better women. The greatness of future generations depends upon the character of the boys and the girls of the present. It is the duty of the home to properly train children. This is important, not only for the sake of the children and the home, but for the sake of the church and the government, as well. Without proper training at home it is almost impossible for the children to be what the parents would wish them.

THE RIGHT SPIRIT FOR THE HOME.

Too few realize the all-powerful influence which the home spirit exerts upon children. All have noted how different is the spirit in some homes from that discovered in others. It is hard for a child to develop properly in some homes as for a plant to mature in a dark cellar, where the bright sun seldom, if ever, penetrates. We do not wonder that such a plant is white and unhealthy looking. Need we wonder, then, why so many children fail to develop as they should where the home influences are

even less propitious than for the development of the plant?

The highest object of the home is not to furnish with the most expensive furniture. It is not to have a place where friends may be entertained in such a way as to satisfy our selfish vanity. Its highest object should be to furnish a place in which children may be trained in the development of noble characters. Parents who can organize such a home are most successful and worthy of the highest praise.

ONE HOME.

Pay a short visit to one home and note the spirit. An air of loving sympathy permeates every nook and corner. The parents seem to be living only for their precious children. The children, by every act, show regard and love for their parents. By their conversation the children show that they are looking forward to the time when they can live for their dear parents. How the children vie with one another in the performance of some loving service for the tired parent. How quietly and yet how effectively, by a look, he shows full appreciation of the tender care and love. Reproof comes, at times, in tones which are firm but kind. Punishment, also, is felt, when thoughtlessness merits such treatment; but it comes in such a way that the child cannot but feel that it really does pain the one inflicting the punishment. In such a home everything seems to have a tendency to encourage right living and