Little men may do much harm;
Little girls may learn to charm ;
Little boys may shame their sires,
And little sparks become great fires;
A little pen may write a word
By which a nation shall be stirred ;
A little money, wisely spent,
A world of sorrow may prevent;
A little counsel, rightly given,
May lift a sinful soul to heaven.
Little losses, day by day,
Would waste old Rothschild's wealth away;
A little needle in the eye
May cause an elephant to die;
A little fault, if left to grow,
An emperor may overthrow;
A little word, but spoke in jest,
May rob your neighbor of his rest;
A little selfishness and pride
The kindest household may divide;
Little vices many times
Out-Herod felonies and crimes;
And little virtues in the sum
Great excellences do become.
ONCE Sultan Nushirvan the just, hunting,
Stopped in an open field to take a lunch.
He wanted salt, and to a servant said,
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Go, get some at the nearest house, but pay
The price the peasant asks." "Great king," exclaimed
The servant," thou art lord o'er all this realm;
Why take the pains to buy a little salt?"
"It is a little thing," said Nushirvan,
"And so, at first, was all the evil whose
Most monstrous load now presses so the world.
Were there no little wrongs, no great could be.
If I from off a poor man's tree should pluck
A single apple, straight my slaves would rob
The whole tree to its roots: if I should seize
Five eggs, my ministers at once would snatch
A hundred hens. Therefore strict justice must
I, even in unimportant acts, observe.
Bring salt, but pay the peasant what he asks."
ALGER'S ORIENTAL POETRY.
EACH CAN DO SOMETHING.
WHAT if the little rain should say,
"So small a drop as I
Can ne'er refresh those thirsty fields;
I'll tarry in the sky."
What if the shining beam of noon
Should in its fountain stay,
Because its single light alone
Cannot create a day.
Does not each rain-drop help to form
The cool refreshing shower?
And every ray of light to warm
And beautify the flower?
Then let each child its influence give,
O Lord! to truth and thee;
So shall its power by all be felt,
However small it be.
SUPPOSE a little twinkling star,
Away in yonder sky,
Should say, what light can reach so far
From such a star as I ?
Not
many rays of mine so far
As yonder earth can fall,-
The others so much brighter are,
I will not shine at all!
Suppose a bright green leaf, that grows
Upon the rosebush near,
Should say, because I'm not a rose,
I will not linger here;
Or that a dew-drop, fresh and bright,
Upon that fragrant flower,
Should say, I'll vanish out of sight,
Because I'm not a shower!
Suppose a little child should say,
Because I'm not a man,
I will not try, in word or play,
To do what good I can!
Dear child, each star some light can give,
Though gleaming faintly there;
Each rose-leaf helps the plant to live,
Each dew-drop keeps it fair!
And our good Father who's in heaven,
And doth all creatures view,
To every little child has given
Some needful work to do:
Kind deeds toward those with whom you live, Kind words and actions right,
Shall 'mid the world's worst darkness give
A little precious light!
Nor mighty deeds make up the sum
Of happiness below,
But little acts of kindliness,
Which any child may show.
A merry sound, to cheer the babe
And tell a friend is near,
A word of ready sympathy,
To dry the childish tear,—
A glass of water timely brought, —
An offered easy-chair,-
A turning of the window-blind,
That all may feel the air,
An early flower, unasked bestowed, -
A light and cautious tread,—
A voice to gentlest whisper hushed,
To spare the aching head,-
O, deeds like these, though little things,
Yet purest love disclose,
As fragrant perfume on the air
Reveals the hidden rose.
Our Heavenly Father loves to see
These precious fruits of love;
And, if we only serve him bere,
We'll dwell with him above.
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