MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS. — My pleasant monthly task is over once more, and I have put Charles Tozer in the corner, not as at school for being naughty, but because I like his paper the best. There were some papers which” at first reading I thought better, but after getting the scales and weighing them a little, I fancied some of ‘the thoughts weighed a little too heavy for the writers. It seemed as if the Bible dictionary had been used a little too much. I don’t say anything about consulting it for many things, but when we use it to give greater clearness to our own thoughts, we should say where we get it born, like this: “Solomon the son of King David by Bathsheba was born about B.C. 1035.” — Wood’s Bible Dictionary. I mean where anything is taken from another book, because it so happens that two or three writers may look in the same book, and write down the same words. And in answer to Eva Bond, who wants to know if the papers are to be “What little girls think themselves?” I say that is just what I do want. When it is other people’s thoughts it reminds me of when I was young, and we were one day blackberrying, all, except brother Willie, were busy gathering. When we had finished, and Willie had his share given him, he was the first to cry out “See, mother, what fine blackberries we have gathered!” But what had we to do with it?If mother had looked at the hands she would have seen who had gathered.
Willie gave mother what others had gathered. I want to help you to think — express your thoughts in your own language. You know a plain-looking plate with bread and butter on it is to a hungry person better than an empty china one with a great many pictures on it. But let us hear what Charles Tozer says.
Timothy.
MY DEAR DOT. — I will begin by saying that Timothy was the grandson of Lois and the son of Eunice; the mother of Timothy was a Jewess, his father was a Greek. Timothy was taught from an early age to read the Bible. Paul would have Timothy go with him, and took and circumcised him, because of the Jews that knew his father was a Greek. When they had gone through Phrygia they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach in Asia. We see in the Bible that Timothy and Paul were great friends. You will find in the thirteenth chapter of the Hebrews, the Epistle was written to the Hebrews from Italy by Timothy, You will also find in the first chapter of Philemon that it says, “Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother,” I suppose, dear Dot, that it means a brother in the Lord. We find in Acts 17 that he was called Timotheus. We also find in the same chapter that he was a certain disciple. Paul and Timothy used to go together on their travels to preach. We find that Paul has got written in the first epistle of Timothy, second verse, “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” But in the second epistle of Timothy, second verse, “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and. Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul, when he had passed through Macedonia, sent two of his messengers into Macedonia whose names were Timotheus and Erastus, but Paul himself stayed in Asia. We find that Paul and Timotheus went to Spain, for Paul liked Timothy to be with him.
Yours most faithful,
Charles Tozer
Aged 11 years and 3 months.
5, Park Terrace, Maidenhead, Berkshire