Favell Lee Mortimer

“ One of the most curious animals in Siberia, is the Argalis, or mountain sheep. It is remarkable for its enormous horns, curled in a very curious manner. Think not it is like one of our quiet, foolish sheep; there is no animal at once so strong and so active. It is such a climber, that no wolf or bear can follow it to the high places, hanging over awful precipices, where it walks as firmly as you do upon the pavement. Sometimes a hunter finds it among the mountains, and just as he is going to shoot it, the creature disappears:—it has thrown itself down a precipice! ”

“ So the Son promised that he would die for Adam and Eve, and for their children.
How kind it was of the Father to spare his dear Son, whom he loved so very much! How kind it was of the Son to leave his throne of light, his bright angels, and his dear Father, and to take a body and to die!
[42]
You know that we are some of Adam’s children’s children. It was for us that Jesus came to die. We are wicked, and we should go to hell, if Jesus had not promised to die for us. We ought to love the Father and the Son, because they had pity on us. ”

“ When one Lama dies, another is chosen;—some little baby,—and he is placed in a very grand palace, and worshipped as a god all his life long. I have heard of one of these baby Lamas, who, when only eighteen months old, sat up with great majesty on his pile of cushions. When strangers entered, he looked at them kindly, and when they made a speech to him, he bowed his little head very graciously. What a sad fate for this poor infant! To be set up as a god, and taught to think himself a god—while all the time he is a helpless, foolish, sinful, dying creature! ”

“ Sometimes Jesus prayed to his Father while his disciples stood near and listened.
Once when Jesus had been praying with them they said, Lord, teach us to pray. Then Jesus taught them a little prayer.
It was this: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. ”

“ The greatest harm that can be done to any one, is to give him a false religion. There are no grand mosques in Circassia, because there are no towns: but in every little village there is a clay cottage, where prayers are offered up in the name of Mahomet. There can be no minaret to such a miserable mosque: so the man who calls the hours of prayer, climbs a tall tree, by the help of notches, and getting into a basket at the top, makes the rocks and hills resound with his cry. How different shall be the sound one day heard in every land; when all people shall believe in Jesus. ”

“ The soul can never die, but the body is only made of dust, and it soon crumbles away and becomes dust again.
No one can make a dead person alive again. Yet once there was a man in this world who made dead people alive. Who was that man? He was called Jesus; he was not only a man, he was God too; he was the Son of God. Most people would not believe that he was the Son of God, [Pg 3] though he said he was. Yet we are sure he said true, for if he had been a wicked man he could not have made dead people alive again. God his Father was with him, and this was the reason he did such wonderful things. ”

“ No one knows but God. There will be many wicked people in the world then, and some good people. An angel will blow a great trumpet, and Jesus will say to the people who are dead, Come out of your graves.
The bodies of all the dead people will come out of their graves. Those who love Christ will be like the angels, and will fly up into the air. If you are alive when Jesus comes, he will catch you up in the air to meet him.
As soon as you see Jesus you will be like him, all shining and glorious. Jesus will be king over the whole world, and make all people happy. ”

“ How glad he was when the Arabs pointed to a mountain, and said, "That is Mount Sinai." With what fear and reverence he gazed upon it! Here it was that the voice of the great God was once heard speaking out of the midst of the smoke, and clouds, and darkness!
How strange it must be to see in this lonely gloomy spot, a great building! Yet there is one at the foot of the mountain. What can it be? A convent. See those high walls around. It is necessary to have high walls, because all around are bands of fierce robbers. It is even unsafe to have a door near the ground. ”

“ But God chose that his Son should be a little baby at first—because everybody is a little baby at first.
God sent his Son to be the baby of a poor woman. This woman’s name was Mary. Mary had no little children. She was a good woman and loved God. God’s Holy Spirit was in her, and made her meek and gentle.
One day an angel came to her. When Mary saw the bright angel, she was frightened: but the angel said, “Fear not, Mary; God loves you. He will send you a baby, that shall be the Son of God. You shall call his name Jesus. He will come to save people from Satan.” ”

“ There is silk, too, and tea, and porcelain in Japan; but they are not nearly as fine as China. There is gold also.
There are as many people in Japan, as there are in Britain; for the Japanese are very industrious, and cultivate abundance of rice, and wheat. Oh! how sad to think that so many millions should be living and dying in darkness; for the chief religion is the false, and foolish religion of Buddha, or, as he is called in Japan, "Budso." How many names are given to that deceiver! Buddha in Ceylon; Fo, in China; Gaudama, in Burmah; Codom, in Siam—and Budso in Japan! ”

“ The moon does not shine as brightly as the sun, for God lets it be dark at night, that we may rest and sleep soundly.
Who could count the stars?—No one but God. He knows their names and their number too. When we look at the moon and stars, let us think, How great God is! Yet he cares for the little birds, and loves little children. ”

“ A Brahmin would lose his caste by eating with a sudra; a sudra would lose his by eating with a pariah, and by eating with you—yes, with you, for the Hindoos think that no one is holy but themselves. It often makes a missionary smile when he enters a cottage to see the people putting away their food with haste, lest he should defile it by his touch. ”

“ There is a parliament in Circassia, but it does not meet in a house, but in a grove. Every man who pleases may come, but only old men may speak. If a young man were to give his opinions, no attention would be paid. The warriors sit on the grass, and hang up their weapons of war on the boughs above their heads, while they fasten their horses to the stems of the trees.
The speakers are gentle in their tones of voice and behavior. The Circassians admire sweet winning speeches. They say there are three things which mark a great man; a sharp sword, a sweet tongue, and forty tables. ”

“ Most of the people who wished to kill Jesus, lived in a great town called Jerusalem.
Jesus used to go to Jerusalem very often, and he used to preach there.
Why did some people hate Jesus?—Because he told them of their wickedness.
He used to say to them, You do not love God, who is my Father, but you are proud and vain. You wish to kill me. You tell lies. You are unkind to poor people. You pretend to love God, but while you are saying your prayers, you are thinking how good you are. Your hearts are full of wickedness. ”

“ The great lords require their servants to show them the same respect. Servants always crawl into a room, pushing in their trays before them; and when waiting, they walk about on their knees. How shocking to see men made like worms to gratify the pride of their fellow-men! The rule is never to let your head be higher than the head of a person more honorable than yourself; if he stand, you must sit; if he sit, you must crouch.
The Siamese are like the Burmese in cruelty. When an enemy falls into their hands, no mercy is shown. ”

“ Jesus knew everything that would happen, and he knew that he must soon die.
He used to tell his secrets to his disciples; so he took them into a place by themselves, and said, I soon shall leave you: the wicked people will take me, and bind me with ropes, and beat me, and laugh at me, and nail me on a cross; but I shall soon be alive again.
The disciples could not bear to hear Jesus talk of dying, for they loved him very much. They all looked very sad, and Peter said, You shall not die; but Jesus said, I must die to save men, and to please my Father. ”

“ In one place there is a garden where monkeys riot about at their pleasure, for all in that garden is for them alone, the delicious fruits, the cool fountains, the shady bowers, all are for the worthless, mischievous monkeys.
But if it be strange for men to worship monkeys, is it not stranger still to worship snakes and serpents? Yet there is a temple in India where serpents crawl about at their pleasure, where they are waited upon by priests, and fed with fruits and every dainty. ”

“ That little dog will die some day. Its body will be thrown away. The dog will be quite gone when its body is dead. But when your body dies, your soul will be alive, and you will not be quite gone.
Where would you be put if you were dead?—Your body would be put in a hole in the ground, but your soul would not be in the hole. Even a baby has a soul, or spirit.
One day as I was walking in the streets, I saw a man carrying a box. Some people were walking behind, crying. There was a dead baby in the box. Was the soul of the baby in the box?—No; its soul was gone up to God. ”

“ In the first warm days of spring the young animals come forth, and immediately they begin crawling on the ground in one immense flock, eating up all the grass as they pass along; in a month they can fly, and then they darken the air like a thick cloud; wherever any green appears, they drop down and settle on the spot. The noise they make in eating can be heard to a great distance, and the noise they make in flying is like the rustling of leaves in a forest. ”

“ I cannot tell you how very bad Satan is. He is very cruel, for he likes to give pain. He is a liar and teaches people to tell lies. He is proud, and wishes people to mind him more than God. He is envious, and cannot bear to see people happy.
The devil hopes very much that you will come and live with him when you die. He knows that if you are bad like him, you will live with him. So he tries to make you like himself. When you are in a passion, you are like the devil. ”

“ They do not know that none can save from the destroyer but God.
The Hindoos make images of their gods. Brahma is represented as riding on a goose; Vishnoo on a creature half-bird and half-man; and Sheeva on a bull.
Sheeva's image looks horribly ferocious with the tiger-skin and the necklace of skulls and snakes; but Sheeva's wife is far fiercer than himself. Her name is Kalee. Her whole delight is said to be in blood. Those who wish to please her, offer up the blood of beasts; but those who wish to please her still more, offer up their own blood. ”

“ The birds cry to God, and he hears them, and lets them find food. Now God loves us much better than he loves the little birds, because we have souls; so he will certainly hear us when we pray to him.
If your mother had no bread in her cottage, and if she could get no money to buy some, yet God would hear her, if she loved him. He would not let her starve. Will you not ask God for bread every day, and say, Give me this day my daily bread?
We ought to thank God for the food we eat: before we eat breakfast, or dinner, or supper, we should say, I thank thee, O Lord, for this nice food. ”