The Orphan's Home Mittens and George's Account of the Battle of Roanoke Island

The ladies all burst out laughing. "The idea of your frightening a child," they said. "Won't you let us come in and see the fun?"

"You had better take your pocket handkerchiefs out if you do, for you will be more likely to cry than laugh; but I won't let you come at all. It is too serious a matter."

They laughed at me again, and pretended to believe that I meant to give the children a stick of candy apiece; but I walked into the great school room, looking very serious, and I felt very serious too, when I saw one of the boys standing in the corner for punishment. Going up to the teacher's desk, I said, "Miss H – , don't you think it would be a good plan to take all the good children to Central Park some day?"

"Yes, madam; but I am afraid there will not be many to go."

I looked out of the corner of my eye, and saw that the poor little orphans were gazing eagerly at me; and rapping on the desk, so as to command perfect silence, I began, in a very grave tone, this speech:

"My dear children, there is one thing I want you to believe, before I say another word, and that is, that I love you."

I stopped and looked round. Oh, what glances of affection came from those orphans' eyes! and one little bit of a boy, who had been made to sit on the floor close by the teacher's desk, because the boy next him had tickled him and made him laugh out loud at prayers – this little fellow put up his hand and smoothed my dress. I took his little fat fingers in mine, and went on:

"Yes, I love you dearly. I don't expect you to be perfect children, because no one is always good; but I want you to think, how kind your Father in Heaven has been to you, to place you here; instead of allowing you to wander about the streets, learning to lie and steal, and use wicked words. The least you can do, is to try – mind, I say 'try' – to be good and obedient. You all know that many of the greatest men in this country were poor boys, with not half the advantages you have here. There is nothing to prevent any one of you boys from some day becoming the President of the United States; there is nothing to prevent you all becoming what is far higher – that is, Christian gentlemen. But for the present, what do you think, both boys and girls, about behaving so well as to deserve an excursion to Central Park?"

A tremendous cheer followed this question, and then I went on: "Well, if you are good for two weeks, you shall go. In the mean time, I wish to see ten of you boys (I won't tell their names before the rest) next Friday in the little recitation room. I shall have something particular to say to them, and I do hope they will be such very good boys from this time to then, that what I shall say will be very pleasant; and now three cheers for Central Park."

The children made a tremendous noise; for that was what they liked to do: and I went out laughing and nodding at them.

Then I got a sheet of paper, and wrote in great letters, quite an inch long, "Central Park for Good Children;" and carrying it into the school room, I pasted it in a conspicuous place, so that all disposed to be naughty might be constantly reminded of this delightful reward for good conduct; and then I said, "Good-by, girls and boys;" and they shouted back, "Good-by, Aunt Fanny," and I left them.

The next Friday, I went again to the Orphan's Home; I had prayed for my ten naughty boys every night, and I made up my mind to be very gentle and kind to them. I took a copy of the "Independent Newspaper" with me, in which was an excellent story; the very thing to read to them. It was called "New-Year's Resolutions," and was signed "I. G. O." I wish I knew the author, so that I could thank her for writing it.[3 - I obtained permission of one of the editors of the "Independent," to insert this admirable story. Without that permission, it would have been omitted. It was written by Miss Isabella Graham Oakley, Cincinnati, Ohio. I thank her heartily.]

Well, the ladies laughed at me again, and begged to peep in at the door to see me frighten my naughty boys; but I would not let them. I went into the pleasant little recitation room, and found them all there.

They did not look the least alarmed, but quite pleased; so I said, "Old fellows, come and shake hands with me; then you will feel that I am a friend, and I am sure you will attend to what I say."

"Yes, indeed we will," they all exclaimed; and they very nearly squeezed my hand off.

"Now," said I, "let me hear what you have to complain of, and what has tempted you to be so disobedient and disrespectful to your teacher."

Thereupon they all commenced talking at once, and made themselves out to be the most abused boys in the world. "Such long lessons! Couldn't go out and play in the wet snow! were sent to bed for nothing at all!" &c., &c.

All the time they were talking they were playing off monkey tricks upon each other. One boy would call another suddenly, with his sharp finger-nail close to his cheek. Of course, when the other turned, his cheek would come bump against the finger. Another boy, who had his hair cut very short, was favored with experiments on it by the others: each one trying to see how much he could pinch up in a thumb and finger; and once, when I got up to open the window a little, a boy on the end of the long bench tipped it, and upset all the rest on the floor.

I could not help laughing; but at last I said, "Now, boys, it's my turn to speak, so be quiet." Then I told them of poor children wandering in the streets that very day, without shoes or stockings, dirty, starving, taught to lie and steal, and sure, if they grew up, to do worse and worse, till they ended their days in prison, or were perhaps hung for murder. "My dear boys," I continued, "use your reason, and see how much better you are off. You are clothed, fed, and above all, taught how to lead pure lives. You know all about your Saviour, who died for you and me. We take care of you, because we love you. I love you all dearly, and you don't know what a happy and proud woman I shall be if I live a few years longer, and hear of you boys as good, perhaps great men. There is nothing to prevent it. I am sure you would rather be good than bad. I am quite certain, when you have been bad, that your conscience makes you miserable. Is it not so?"

The tears were trembling in some of the boys' eyes; and one or two answered in a loud voice, "Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I will read you this beautiful story. It will instruct you in your duty much better than I can."

They all brightened up wonderfully at the prospect of a story, and listened to it in breathless attention. Here it is.

NEW-YEARS RESOLUTIONS

It was New Year's evening, and the parlors, not yet lighted, were warm and quiet, when Joel Goodwill walked listlessly in and sat down in an easy chair before the grate.

"Now is a first-rate chance to think what I will do this year," said he to himself. He thought he was alone; but he had been there only a few minutes when some one spoke to him from the back parlor. It was his father.

"Why, father, you there?" said Joel. "I thought there was no one here."

"Come here, my son," said his father. Joel obeyed, and found his father sitting before the fire in the other room; he sat down on his knee.

"I have just been reviewing my past year, and laying some plans for this New Year; have you had any such thoughts, Joel?" asked his father.

"Yes, sir," replied Joel, soberly.

"You have been making good resolutions then for the future, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir; I'm going to turn over a new leaf, and do first-rate in school this year, and home too."

"Have you looked over your past year pretty closely?"

"Not so very much."

"Have you come up to the purpose of the good resolutions you made last New Year's?"

"No, sir, I expect not; I can't remember very well all I've done, or what they were."

"Seems to me you drew up a copy of resolves then, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Suppose you go and get them, and and let us look them over."

Joel said he didn't believe he could find them; he hadn't seen them for ever so long. However, he went up to his little room, and fortunately alighted upon them quite readily, in a little drawer where he kept his certificates of merit, and some other choice things.

On his way down stairs he tried to remember what there was written on the paper; but he could not recall a line. He only recollected that he was sitting at his father's secretary drawing up his "resolutions," last New Year's day, when he came suddenly behind him with a beautiful new leather satchel for him, and that he took up the paper and talked a little about it. When he reached the parlor he handed the paper to his father, remarking, "We can't see to read by the fire."

"I think we shall make it out," replied he, turning it up so that all the fire-light might reflect from it. It was written in a large, clear hand, Joel's handsomest, and was quite legible there.

"Let us see now what you meant to do last New Year."

Joel, with some secret misgivings about the proceeding, took his seat again on his father's knee, who commenced:

"January 1, 1861.– Resolutions for my conduct during the coming year: 'First – I shall read in the Bible and pray faithfully every day. Dr. S. told the children last Sunday that any child who persevered in this for one year would certainly become a Christian, and I am resolved to become a Christian.'"

Here his father paused. Joel was looking very gravely into the fire.

"Well, Joel, has that resolution been kept?"

"No, sir, not long."

"How long was it kept?"

"I don't know. I kept it pretty good for a while, I know; maybe till I went away to uncle's in March."

"What caused you to give it up?"