A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you, little friends, readers and writers too. We spent many happy hours tether last year; I hope we shall have more. Your letters give me great pleasure, and although perhaps some feel disappointed not gaining a prize, you know St. Paul says all run in a race, but one wins. And your labor has not been all lost, as I have gleaned some precious thoughts for myself from your letters. You will see Willie Branford is the successful one this month.
I see some of the newspapers have been reading your letters, and many good things they have said about our Magazine, for which we all would thank them; but one editor can’t understand how children so young can write such letters without somebody’s help. Ah! that gentleman is not a Sunday School teacher, or his little ones do not go to a Sunday School, or he would know more about what you learn from the word of God, and that it says there, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt. 11:2525At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (Matthew 11:25)). And again, “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise.” Such precious words as these give me bright hopes what sort of men and women Dot’s little Bible readers will make. But now let us see what Willie Branford has to say on