GEMS GATHERED IN HASTE:
A New Year's Gift for Sunday Schools
Dedicated,
As a labor of love,
To four Sunday Schools,
Each of which will know that it is one of the four
By the initials of
Their friend,
T.B.F.
A BRIGHT THOUGHT SPEEDILY EXECUTED.
It is an excellent rule, no doubt, children, not to be in a hurry; andthe proverbs, "Take time by the forelock" and "The more haste theworse speed," are wise proverbs, worth keeping. But occasions occur,once in a while, when working hastily is a great deal better than notworking at all, and may be working to some purpose too. I remember acase of this kind. In a certain town, on the forenoon of July 3, 183-,when "Floral Processions" were novel affairs, a company of ladies andgentlemen were assembled in a barn-chamber, finishing off and packingup a lot of moss baskets, and arranging bunches of flowers to be sentto Boston, to the Warren-street Chapel, by the mail coach at 3o'clock, P.M. It was about 10 o'clock when one of the party,—supposewe call him, for convenience just now, Mr. Perseverance,—who had beenlooking out of the window, down upon a very little garden, suddenlyturned round, and exclaimed that something might be made prettier thanany thing they had yet done. He told what it was. "It is impossible todo it now. We must wait till next year," said his friends. "Nothinglike trying: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. No time likethe present," replied Mr. Perseverance, a pertinacious gentleman, whowanted to "strike when the iron was hot," and carry out his notionwithout delay. Accordingly, he caught up two sticks, and nailed themtogether, so as to get the right shape. Then he went down town,—thetown being small, he had not far to go,—begged at the bookstore a few"show-bills," containing the letters he needed for patterns; bought asheet of gold paper and half an ounce of gum-arabic, twice as much ofboth as he really wanted; people in a hurry are not apt to calculatevery nicely, or be very economical, you know. He carried his articlesback to the barn, and asked a lady to try to cut out a motto he hadselected, and gum it on a ribbon. "But where shall I get the ribbon?"said the lady. "Oh! find it somewhere," said Mr. Perseverance; "and besure and have all ready when I return." There was one spot in thewoods he remembered visiting months before with a boy in hisneighborhood, on which grew another material, indispensable to hisproject. He found the lad: they jumped into a chaise; rode two orthree miles to a grove; and, on searching a few moments, found whatthey were after,—a plant green in mid-winter as well as in summer,and prized by everybody who loves Christmas; gathered a bushel of it,more or less; and got home again before dinner. Meanwhile, the lady,with others to help her, had been busy; and all were wide awake now,entering into the spirit of the matter, thinking that the bright ideaof Mr. Perseverance might possibly be accomplished in season. Asplendid bunch of pure white lilies, not quite open, was fastened tothe longest stick, the stems covered with wet paper or moss; then bothpieces of wood were wound round with thick and rich evergreen, leavingthe glorious flowers standing out gracefully, and white as thenew-fallen snow. Next came the motto, in golden letters, on a broadwhite satin ribbon, which Mrs. Perseverance had found: it was the beltof her bridal dress, carefully preserved for several years, and nowdevoted to a good cause. The "emblem" was completed and packed just intime for the coach. "And what was it?" An ev