I DARE say some of my little readers find that the meetings for worship, or the preaching of the gospel to which their parents take them, are sometimes rather wearisome. Perhaps one reason for this may be that they do not listen to anything that is said; they sit staring about them, looking now at the windows and then at the walls, now at the sunshine playing on the floor, and then at somebody who happens to move. If another little boy or little girl happens to be near, the amount of attention they get is really wonderful. He or she becomes quite a study, every bit of dress, every button, the color of the hair and eyes and hat, all is most narrowly scanned, and when that is done and there is nothing more to look at in that direction there is an uncomfortable shuffle, and a book falls and makes a noise, and then the little culprit colors up and looks ashamed of course. All this time things are being said or sung that are well worth hearing, but are all lost through want of attention; while the poor child who has been thus idly staring about feels so weary that he hardly knows how to sit any longer. It seems as if the meeting never would come to an end, and I have sometimes seen a little boy or girl just going to exclaim “O ma!” when they have suddenly remembered where they are and have only got as far as O! Well now, I dare say there is often a great deal going on at these meetings which little ones cannot quite understand or take an interest in, but I am very sure that if they went just with one purpose in view, and determined to keep that before them all the time, they would, at the very least, escape all the weariness they too often feel; and not only so, but little by little they would learn at last so to like the meetings that they would want to go every time. Now what do you think that one purpose is which I refer to? Well, I will tell you in the words of a little girl named Alice, not yet quite five years of age, who said the other day “You know, ma, I do so like to go to the meetings, for I know so little about Jesus, and perhaps I might learn more at the meetings.” You see she wanted to know more about Jesus; she felt she did not know enough about Him (who does?), and expecting to hear more, she went to the meetings in that hope and for that purpose. So then if you want to like the meetings, go there like little Alice, for the purpose of LEARNING ABOUT JESUS.
B.