Southern Christian Advocate

THE RAINY SUNDAY.

Every body knows what a rainy Sunday is.
It is to a great many persons the most gloomy day in the whole year. To many, Sunday is a weary day, let it be clear or stormy; but I would gladly believe that to many more it is a day of happiness and holy rest. I have two accounts to give of the way in which a rainy Sunday was passed, and none of our readers are too small, I think, to observe the difference.

Richard and Susan were down stairs early in the morning, to have their breakfast, and go to Sunday School. They both observed it was raining, but nothing was said about staying at home on account of it. They had only belonged to the school two Sundays, and as on both of them the weather had been clear, they could not tell whether their mother would allow them to go this day in the rain or not. However, just as Susan was putting on her over-shoes, their mother came into the room.

"You need not put on those shoes, Susan," said she, "it is too wet for you to go to Sunday School."

"Do you think so, mamma," said Susan, "you know I went to school yesterday when it rained."

"I know you did, my dear; but going to school in the week is a very different thing from going on Sunday."

"How is it different, mamma? It is a shorter walk to Sunday School," said Richard.

"Yes, it is shorter I know; but I am not going to have Susan's new dress and bonnet spoiled, by trampling along the streets in the rain, nor your new clothes either, Richard."

"Mamma, I will wear my school bonnet, and a calico frock, if you will let me go," exclaimed Susan, earnestly.

"And I will wear my every day clothes, mamma," added Richard.

"Let me hear no more, children," said the mother, sternly; "do you think I am going to send my family out on Sunday, dressed like the poorest children in the school? a pretty sight it would be, truly!"

The disappointed brother and sister were silent. What they might have said to their mother that was improper, I cannot tell, if they had not both remembered the commandment which says, "Honor thy father and thy mother."

They had the ten commandments for their lesson that morning, and this one, of course, was fresh in their memories. When their mother had left the room they consoled themselves with hearing each other their lessons, which they knew perfectly.

"We shall go to church, any how, sister," said Richard, "for father and mother have gone every Sunday now, for three or four weeks."

"No, brother," said Susan, mournfully, "they have only gone when the weather has been clear; one Sunday it rained and they stayed at home; but let us beg them to go this morning."

So, when the parents came into the parlour, Richard and Susan both asked them to let them go to church with them.

"To Church!" exclaimed Mr. S---, "why you must be crazy, Dick."

"No father, but sister and I want to go very much, and we thought if you would take me under your umbrella, and mother would take Susan under her's we would go very nicely."

"No, my son; content yourself at home to-day. These Sunday Schools have put strange notions in your head; Church is the very worst place you could go to in wet weather; you sit there a couple of hours or more, with damp feet breathing a damp atmosphere;--'tis enough to kill you!"

"But, father, we have over-shoes that we can take off when we get to our pew."

"There, Richard, that will do," said his mother; "I do not like to hear children attempt to argue with their parents. We are not going out to day, and that is sufficient."

I need not say what a long and dreary day this was to Richard and Susan. Their parents, who were not religious, took no pains to give them suitable books to read, and their short attendance at the Sunday School had only been enough to teach them that they were not spending Sunday properly, without knowing exactly how they ought to spend it. They did read the Bible part of the time, but as they were left to do as they pleased, it is not much wonder that in the afternoon they read some of their usual story books.

I was only going to speak of Sunday, but I believe I had better mention, that on Monday morning, as the storm continued, the children expected a holiday; but their mother told them, directly after breakfast, to get ready for school, and to wrap up well, for they had a long walk.

"I cannot afford to pay for your education," said she, "and then allow you to stay at home for trifles."

So the over-shoes were put on, and the common clothes, and the children set off obediently.

Richard could not help saying as they went along, "I wonder why mother thinks so much more of what we learn at the day school than of what we learn at the Sunday School: I think we learn better things at Sunday School, for they teach us there about our souls."

"I don't know," replied Susan, with a sigh. "but perhaps mother does not think about our souls; I never heard her speak of them."

At dinner time their father came in late,

"What has detained you so, my dear?" asked Mrs. S.

"I have been busy all the morning," replied her husband, "and now I must just swallow a mouthful or two and be off again: I have been down on the wharf the whole morning in the rain, and I'm wet to the very skin."

"Do, my dear, change your dress before you go out again, I'm afraid you will take cold."

"O no, no; I have not a moment's time--I think I shall make money by what I am doing to-day--I must run the risk of taking cold;" and as soon as he had eaten a hasty dinner, he went down to the wharf again, though it rained harder than ever.

In the afternoon Susan said to Richard, (for they did not dare to make their remarks to their mother;) "Don't you think father will take more cold to-day while he is out in the rain, than he would have done yesterday in the warm Church?"

"Yes," said Richard; "I do so; but I suppose father would rather make money than go to Church."

"I suppose he would," said Susan.

Churchman.