Classic Poem

The flowers of the field, and the gems of the mine,
The pearls of the deep, and the stars in the sky,
May be brilliant and beauteous, but not so divine
As the dear little children, born never to die.
God's hand we behold in the tints blossoms wear,
As they deck earth with beauty, and gladden our eyes;
But nor star-spangled midnight, nor flowers may declare,
So well as dear children, our God in the skies.

He knew this who blessed them, and said, " Evermore,
Oh suffer the children to come unto me! "
For the glorified host on eternity's shore
Are like little children in innocency.
In heaven their angels forever behold
His face whose bright glory no prophet could bear:
ThaTheart, like a glacier, must ever be cold,
Who could wish for a heaven no infant could share.

We love them who gather among them to-day,
And greet their gay banners and faces so bright;
Rejoicing that none need to falter or stray
In their path through this world to the region of light.
We celebrate now an historic event, —
Here first children gathered, a sabbath-school band:
We proudly rejoice that from this village went
A voice for the sabbath school through our fair land.

The women, God-honored! who gathered them first
In the school of the sabbath, to learn of its Lord,
Saw the bud of bright promise to full beauty burst,
And then " went up higher " to take their reward.
Be their memory still cherished while children are found
Life's alphabet conning in innocent glee!
May their spirit of faithfulness ever abound
With all who the teachers of children may be!

This day a new motto we'll take as our own, —
" Little children and God! " " Little children and God! "
And pray that our pathways on earth may be known
By the flowers that we plant along infancy's road.
And then, when our toil in this life shall be o'er, —
All our labors in sabbath school faithfully done, —
Life-crowned and rejoicing, we'll sing evermore,
" All praise to the Saviour through whom we have won. "