Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1893 — THE CHILDREN’S FRIEND. [ARTICLE]

THE CHILDREN’S FRIEND.

Tho foliotving anecdote touchingly ihows how kindness will awnicen the uoblest and most beautiful attributes of character in children. The story of tho friendship between Arnuud Berquin and the children who lived near him in Paris is as charming ns any of his own stories, whioh won for him tho title, “ Ihe Children’s Friend." A little garden adjoined Barquin’s residence in the Montmartre quarter. There the children of tho neighborhood came to havo their friend join in their play, tell them stories, and settle thoir small disagreements, Thoir mothers and fathers, too, fell into the way of ing him about family difficulties, and? referring to him auy differences which> arose between friends; nnd Berquin rendered decisions from which these children of a large growth never appealed. Berquin had long wished for his mother to como from Bordeaux to visit’ him, and at last tho old lady consented to undertake the journey. Berquin was delighted. He prepared for her a room* exactly like tho one sho occupied' atf home. Everything was arranged to make her surroundings perfectly homelike. Just then came the news of her suddeni death, (ind her sou, who was already out of health, was plunged into a state of melancholy, and soon became seriously ill.

While his life was in danger, his little friends of the Montmartre quarter never relaxed their vigilance. Some placed themselves as sentinals at each end of the street, and asked the cocxhmen to drive another way. Others brought branches every morning to spread in thestreet to deaden the sound of ti e vehicle* that were obliged to pass through. A little group waited at the door of his room, hardly daring to breath, listening for news of the invalid. When they heard auything, they passed the word along to others nt the root of the stairs. These in turn reported it to those at the door, and presently it was known by all the auxious ones. The Children’s Friend began to recover, but he was still melancholy, nervous, and unable to sleep. The doctor noticed that music and flowers had u calming effect on him. Immediately tbo children ceased to patronize the fruit and sweet stalls, and liecamc steady customers of the flower-sellers. Henceforth their friend’s room was filled with the freshest and most beautiful of blossoms. One day they hired two hand-organs to come to the garden to play under his windows. This brought to the invalid’s face the first smilo since his illness. The next evening his ears were greeted with music far more soothing. A Piano and a harp and three young girls’ voices rendered his favorite songs, and some of his own compositions. This exquisite concert was repeated for many even’ngs. One night, when he spoke his thanks to the invisible singers, and said, “How have I inspired so much interest and kind feeling?” a voice replied, “Have you never re-read your own books, then?" Care and loving attention gradually restored him to his usual health and spirits. The children had won their friend back to life. The French Academy crowned his works, but no honor ever touched him as did the devotion and the hand-organ serenade of the children of the Montmartre quarter. —[Yankee Blade.