"But, are there not others whom you can help to be happy and good?" asked Mrs. Payson; "those whom we always have with us?"
"I don't know," said Joshua, "as there are any persons that are always with us. Bridget has been here only a few months, and she says she must go away after New-Year; so you do not mean her. And John will leave next Spring; so you can not mean him."
"When you were learning your Sunday school lesson a few weeks since," said Mrs. Payson, "I heard you repeating these words of Christ, 'Ye have the poor with you always; and whensoever ye will ye may do them good.'"
"O, yes, mamma, I did not think of that," said Joshua. "But, there are so many poor people, how can we do them good?"
"We can do our little," said Mrs. Payson, "and if we only make one sad heart glad we have done a good deed, and we shall be better and happier ourselves while we are helping others."
"When Mrs. Blake comes here to see you, mamma," said Rebecca, "she talks about poor people, and how much she does for them. But Mrs. Blake does not seem to be happy; and she says there is no use in helping the poor, for if one begins there is no end."
"Mrs. Blake," said Mrs. Payson, "has not a pleasant way of talking; but I think she enjoys doing good to others in her own cross way. Yet, if we would be happy ourselves in making others happy, we must love to do it. If you should give little Harry Grant a pair of mittens because I told you to do so, while you were fretting because you wished to keep them yourself, you would be neither better nor happier for doing it; and you would not speak gently and kindly to the poor little fellow, and so make his face and your own bright by pleasant words. Mrs. Blake spends much time and money in helping poor people; but she forgets that she should
'Speak gently, kindly to the poor.'"
"I have some toys, mamma," said Rebecca, "that I can give to Mrs. Grant's lame Harry; I am sure they will make his little pale face smile."
"And I should like to give Willie a pair of shoes," said Joshua; "for his are very ragged."