Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

April 12, 1893.A FAMILY PAPEE.i love it„ i love it.» and who will oareUto chide wie forLOVINQTHE OLD ARM CHAIR.LITTLE BOY BLUE.The little toy dog is covered with dust.But sturdy and staunch he stands;Aad the little toy soldier is red with rust.And his musket molds in his hands.Time was when the littl3 toy dog was newAnd the soldier was passiug fair,And that was the time when our Little Boy BlueKissed them and put them there."Now, don't you go till I come," he said,"And don't you make any noise!"So toddling off to his trundle bed,He dreamt of the pretty toys.And as he was dreaming an angel songAwakened otrr Little Boy Blue—•Oh, the years are mauy, the years are long.Bat the little toy friends are true.Aye, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand.Each in the same old place.Awaiting the tonch ot a little hand.The smile of a little face;And they wonder, as waiting these long years through.In the dust of that little chair.What has become of our Little Boy BlueSince he kissed them and put them there,—Eugene FHeld,CHILDREN'S CORNER.My Dear Children: So many are askingabout the money for the Indian Missionchapel, I thought I could answer all at once.The money Eev. Mi. Carithers received waslast year. It was from nickels he gave out in1891. The nickels he gave in 1892 are notyet due; nor are the ones Mr. Wilson gave,Tou were given a year to work on them oruntil Synod meets. The chapel is not nearpaid for yet, so you have tiiue to work moreand still pay to the chapel. As it was beingbuilt and of course it took money to do it,Mrs. Geoig« asked if some could pay a part atthe holidays. Then the money began to comein. Oue boy in the new missiou band in Genevacongregation has worked two years for theIndian Mission. This year he has taken anickel to work for Adana. Won't that pleasethe missionaries there to think the childrenhire are wanting to help tbem? I have receivedthe following money for the IndianMission ChapeliFlora Elliot $ 1 25Ella Watson 1 00Eoberta La'rd - - - - - 60Eenwick Laird . . . - 50Annie Snyder - - - - - 55Bessie Youpg - . - -30Jennie McClelland - - -50Total $4 50M. S. Gibson.Meesine, February 27, 1893.Dear Children: At Mrs. George's requestI write a letter for your column in the ChbistianNatian.I will tell you of three little boys who arewards of the American Mission in Mersine.You know we have neither room nor teachersfor a boys' boarding school. The father ofthese little boys, Mr. Abel, was an Englishman,an engineer on the Mersine, Tarsus andAdana E. E. Though he professed to be aProtestant, he was not in communion with anychurch. His wife, a Greek woman, was aEoman Catholio.Mr. Abel died last year and in some difficultieswhicb arose about his property, Mrs. Abelcould find no one who would plead for herrights but the American Missionaries- Lastfall she sent her two older boys to our school.About two months ago she became too ill toleave her bed, and on several occasions saidthat if she died she wished her boys to be withthe missionaries. Some little time ago shebecame much worse, and her own priest urgedher strongly to give the boys to him,but she refused.It was so ordered that just about this timeau English sea-captain with whom she was acquainted,was in port. The English Consulwas called in to go and draw up her will, sothat after her death tbere might be no dispute.Her will, witnessed by the captain, and twoother reliable men, left her children to theabsolute control of the Mission.She died last Friday and was buried on Saturday,and Saturday evening the three littleboys, George, Johnnie and Charlie, werebrought to us.They are, I suppose, about nine, seven andfive years of age. They speak very brokenEnglish, but speak Greek very well. LittleCharlie, who had always stayed at home withhis mother, and was not at the funeral, keptsaying, "I want to go house." I suppose hethought his mother was still at the house.Yesterday was Sabbath.and we foun dont thatnone of the little boys knew the Lord's Prayerin English, though the eldest could rattle it offin Latin, not understanding a word of it.1 hope you will pray for these little boysthat they may learn the way of salvation byJesus Christ. And I hope you all thank Godevery day that ycu have friends wbo havetaught small. you all these things when you wereAffectionately,Maey E. Metheny-HELPFUL CORNER.[Address all communications for this deparimentio Rev. Wm, Litiiejohn, editor, Mediapolis, Iowa, ]1. Study op Woeds.Some short time ago a letter appeared in theNew York Sun from a correspondent on theproper use of the word function. The correspondentaccuses the Staff of the Sun for usingthe word in an improper sense. " They makeit mean," he says, " a social event, such as awedding, a ball, or a dinner party." He givesin support of his position Noah Webster's definition:"Performance; employment; office ;occupation ; office-of a member of the body ;place; char'^e ; faculty; power ; a mathematicalexpression considered with reference to itsform."In Cassell's French-English and English-French Dictionary the French woid, which isspelled with an o, is thus defined: "Function,offic ; plural, functions; duty, office. Entreren: to enter on one's functions. Faire ses s :to perform one's duties. Sorfir de- : to retirefrom office."In the same dictionary the English wordfunction is thus defined in French : ' Fonction,faculte, occupation ; f; metier emploi, m."In reply the editor says: "If our esteemedcorrespondent had carried his investigations alittle further, he would have discovered thatthe use of the word fund ion in tho sense towhich he objects is not strange, and not improper.Function, meaning an official ceremony,ecclesiastical, social or spectacular, orany important occasion distinguished by elaborateceremonial, is not the French fonction,but the Spanish funcion. In Spanish theword has long had a special significance, coveringa range wide enough to include either agreat religious festival or a bull fight. Anyfestive concourse of people is a funcion. ThePortuguese funcao is used in the same comprehensivesense. The comparatively recent employmentof the English word function toexpress an idea which no other substantiveconveys so directly, easily and gracefully, isonly an instance of the steady enrichment ofthe language by the process of accretion. Theword is now so used because it is now needed.Its use in that specific sense is quite as logicaland legitimate as in any other sense in whichit is made to do duty; certainly no furtherfrom the original spirit of its Sanscrit andAryan root bhug, to enjoy, than the technicalmeaning which function possesses in mathematicalscience. We bope that Mr. Curtisnow perceives that the application of the wordfunction to a brilliant social event is dueneither to the blind gropings of philologicalignorance nor to the reckless appetite forslang. The word is not slang. It has comeinto our noble language by the front door. Ithas been gratefully and generally received bytbe best contemporary writers ot English, andhas the unquestioning recognition ofour mostmodern and enlightened lexicographers. Letit remain!II. Miscellaneous.In answer to G. S's question. How many differentlanguages are there, and which islikely to prevail universally ? We would replyto the latter part in the words of C E. Haines." The English is practically certain to becomethe language of the world." One people basever been accustomed to call the speech ofanother p«Jople " mere gibberish." After theattempts of the earlier languages at universality,there remain the " two competitors for lingualsupremacy, French and English."At one time it seemed as if the Frenchwould be victorious. The same writer says," In all the nobler qualities of language, sonorousnessof expression, wealth of meaning,adaptability to the highest forms of poetry andthe deepest outpourings of prayer, it (French)is immeasurably inferior to English."VALUABLE BUT NOT COSTLY.It may save yiu a great deal of trouble in cooking.Try it. We refer to the Gail Borden Eagle BrandCondensed Milk, regarded by most housekeepers asabsolutely essential in culinary uses, and unsurpissedin coffee. All Grocers and Druggists sell the EagleBraud.