RAGGED TOM.
Tom was a poor, ragged boy. His home was an old house in a narrow court. A stool, a deal table, an old bed in one corner, and a bag of shavings in another, were all the goods contained in the room where Tom, with his father and mother, lived.
Tom's hands and face were generally very dirty; his hair matted; his clothes were in rags, and his feet were without shoes. He often had nothing to eat, and no fire to warm him, however cold the day. Many were the blows and kicks the poor boy received from the rude men and lads who lived in the court.
It was well for him that a Ragged School was established in the neighbourhood, and he was invited to go. He then learned that he had three enemies of which he had not hitherto thought much. These were dirt, ignorance, and sin.
He speedily vanquished the first at a pump. The second he overcame by patient effort at the school. Then Tom became a respectable, happy, and useful young man. Best of all, he sought mercy and help from God, and lived to prove that he had God's smile and blessing.