Attempt > Volume 1 and Select writings

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THE ATTEMPT
high and liberal views of life, which will not jar upon those feelings which may have
been awakened in us by what we have heard that day.
As regards children, it is specially needful not to close all their story books on
Sunday. They may he for a time much interested in the beautiful Bible stories, hut
to secure not only their respect but their love for Sunday, we must be careful not to
force their thoughts all day into one channel. Can we not all remember how some
wet Sunday would have dragged heavily by, had we not had some liberty in the choice
of our books 1 We remember, when not very old, passing some time very happily
when confined to the house on a Sunday, in reading “ Basselas, Prince of Abyssinia ”—
our anxiety was great to hear how the man fared who made himself wings and tried
to fly. Not an unprofitable lesson for a child did he learn from this—how the fowls of
the air are cared for by their Maker, and are provided with wings far past the ingenuity
of man to imitate. Then there is that admirable hook, “ Ministering Children,” so
well adapted to form a part in the Sunday literature for children. It may turn their
thoughts to what they, children though they he, can do towards spreading comfort
over the homes of the aged and the sick; how they, by a little self-denial, can give
some small pleasure to the poor, whether it he a bouquet of flowers to freshen the
room of the sick child, or a basin of soup to tempt its failing appetite, or a play-hour
devoted to reading to the old man whose sight has well-nigh failed him. Such are
surely wholesome thoughts for the day, thoughts which may soon he actions, making
many ministering children of those who never before knew how much may be done
in this great world by a little child.
Aswe get older, many of us find that there are enough of serious hooks to interest
us during the spare hours of Sunday; hut what surprises us is, that people who have
no interest in the subject should force themselves to read large deep books on such
subjects as church history. On week-days we do not all select our hooks by one
rule—the deep read deep hooks, and the light read light books; but on Sunday we
all aim at reading dry hooks. Why may not our individuality show itself as well in
the choice of our Sunday reading as in our other employments 1 We do not all go to
one church, we choose for ourselves the one in which to our mind we hear the truth
most clearly set forth. Then why not choose our hooks each one according to his
taste 1 We have the one Book in common—it is enough; there is no need that we
should all have another; if wo but love it aright, there is no fear of our reading books
which will harm us. Thus throwing off the trammels which have hound our choice
(they could not hind our taste), we shall never find Sunday wearisome; it will be indeed
a day of peace and gladness, enabling us to say, with the quaint poet-^pvine—jlt-
kvtt-cUvivit-