TALKS TO LITTLE FOLKS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1196, 1 February 1895, Page 30

TALKS TO LITTLE FOLKS.

■ O . THE PIOTUEE IN THE FACE. The park of the King of Love is all joeautiful—rippling streams with ivory •bridges, grass like a well-kept lawn with borders of flowers, avenues of majestic trees, ■cosy seats everywhere, and inviting paths of jnoss, like a thick velvet carpet, j Boys and girls with radiant faces, sparkling eyes and shining limbs are playing “ Touch -jiot,” about a thousand on each side. One .aide forms houses with doors and windows shoulder to shoulder, two deep, back to back, in circles, octagons and squares, with 'open spaces of about two feet for doors, while ,lwo taller ones stretch out to clasp the hands of two others for the window. There is a street of ten houses. The other side in ten ; «ompanies run through the doors and leap the windows, the game being not to -touch the houses, and not to touch each other '(excepting when inside, those who touch being “ out.” How they laugh and sing ! j:, “May we see the Palace?’’ we ask a lovely girl who is “ out.'’ She replies, “ j .will show the way.”

y The Palace is pure white, rainbow tinted, ; <with plants and flowers around each window, ; »ud the door is made of a magnificent pearl |three feet in diameter, set in trellis work of ; pure gold, fastened with rubies. On each •side .of the marble steps is a beautifully carved alabaster angel whose wings stretch Upward and over the face, and joining the .-wings of the one opposite, make a lovely arch • about six feet wide. The pearl door seems .to open of its own accord, and the girl leads .us into the hall.

;. Exquisite statues in marble, ivory and v gold, divide the hall into avenues of a mile in length, with trees and flowers between, y,While fountains shine like diamonds, each .drop sounding a remarkably soft musical > note. As we listen and behold, we are filled with ineffable peace. The girl draws aside a curtain of gold . thread when we have an entrancing scene of ; embodied Love. In a vast hall, miles long,

..men, women and children are engaged in c conversation, joyous singing, children dan* . ( cing, and every face radiant with joy. But ( for a difference in size we cannot tell

•women from men—they are angels. The

- hair of every one is whiter than enow, with •( a lovely shine, and reaches almost to the > waist in curls which keep it in place. Their i robes are white with the slightest tint, the -whole blending as a rainbow, no colour

. clashing with any other. Through the robes, - which are like finest transparent lace, we ,*-»ee their perfect forms, their beautiful ..thoughts, kindly wishes, holy desires, being a heavenly moving picture, the love shining in --the face making each presence a beam of r sweetness and light. r The girl drops the curtain, and, in •.• response to our sigh, remarks, “ To see and \ hear more would make you yearn too much / to depart from earth; and, besides, you '- could not bear the joy of it/ 5 S As we return to the pearl door, we hear 1 the tread of a heavy man who carries “• choice fruits, and, as if the place were his '< own, gives a strong jerk at the bell. As • he does not hear any sound from within, •*' he pulls again as if he meant to break the • wire. He peeps through the gold trellis, but cannot see anything, though we can see him. The girl tells us that he is willfully blind within. Leaving the fruit, he goes stamping down the steps in a rage. A shining one draws near, but he does not •‘ see the shine; he sees only a majestic man, 1 who says, “The reason there is no answer - is because you are defiled with impenitence and polluted with disobedience ; are you not Gardener Cain ?” “ No, sir; I am my Lord Caine, landed proprietor!’ 5 He is turning angrily away when he sees Abel coming along, and hides behind a tree to ; laugh at him when he is turned away. ' Abel is followed by a charming pet lamb which frisks about him like a dog. He ' says to the shining one, “ I perceive that you are a servant of the King of Love ; I am one of the rebellious ones, but am penitent and wish to be obedient; I have !, come to ask the King for mercy and have V brought this spotless lamb to redeem me/ 5 J The shining one gives the lamb to two - Jitfcle children he calls, who put ribbons-on

it, and singing with joy, they lead it to the verdant hillside amongst the King’s sheep. Now the pearl door opens, and a Voice of sweetest tone is heard, saying, “ Abel, thy blame is blotted out, thy name written in heaven !” Falling on his knees, under the outstretched wings, Abel bursts into a song of praise. The Voice again is heard, “The lamb thou hast brought is a picture of the spotless and gentle Christ who bears the blame of the whole world; and because thou art penitent and obedient, I adopt thee as one of my angel-children and give thee the divine nature.” We observe that the shining one now goes to Cain, saying, “Thou hast seen how a sinner may be accepted and become a divine child.”

“ Favouritism !” shouts Cain in anger : “ the King of Love is not impartial! am I not better than this effeminate Abel ? Because he cringed like a slave, he is adopted, while I who corne as a man, a man ! am treated as if I were a beast.”

The shining one gently replies, “ Nay, nay, dear Cain ; the King can receive thee only in the appointed way. Now if thou wilt be inspired with penitence, behold, in exchange for thy choice fruit, I will give thee this lamb which has come to lie down at thy feet; come, my son, offer it to the King of Love, and thou, likewise, shalt become his adopted child.” But Cain kicks the lamb, and turns away, exclaiming, “ I will not humble myself! i hate the King of Love! I will kill Abel!” Following bis brother, he gives him a terrible blow, and he falls dead. The face of Cain changes and seem9to say, “ I am a murderer !'*

Since that time every sin leaves its mark and line on the face, like the number of a fresh page in an index. Every time we do wrong, the Unseen Artist, also paints a picture of it on the face of tee immortal spirit within. Our every act alf ;ets the pictuiein the face—if unrighteous, greedy and unkind, it is demon ; but if virtuous, unselfish and gracious, the angel will show in the face, and your presence breathe sweetness and light.