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forget that little gesture!

In one part of her remarks she cautioned us against hasty and harsh
judgments. We should cover with our charity the faults and imperfections
of those about us, as nature hides with her mossy covering the unsightly
stone.

She referred to the case of children: a child often has a sweet
disposition until five or six years of age and then becomes very
irritable and cross, causing the parents much anxiety--and, perhaps,
much impatience. And yet it may not be the child's fault at all; but
only the effect of ill-health, too much study and confinement, or pure
mismanagement. A large portion of the disobedience and wrong temper of
children comes from improper food or loss of sleep, or something of
that sort. And it is not cross fretful _children_ alone that need to be
judged tenderly. A consumptive friend of hers, rendered nervous and weak
by long sickness, upon being asked one morning, as usual, about her
health, replied: "Don't ask me again--_I feel as if I could throw this
chair at you._" Now I do not think, said Mrs. Prentiss, that this
speech was a sin in the sight of God. He saw in it nothing but the poor
invalid's irritable nerves, God judges us according to the thoughts and
intentions of the heart; and we ought, as far as possible, to judge each
other in the same way. And when we ourselves are the ones really at
fault, we ought to confess it. I never shall forget how humiliated I
felt when my mother once came to me and asked my forgiveness--but I
loved her ten times as much for it.

Prayer was another point touched upon in this last Bible-reading. She
almost always had something fresh and striking to say about prayer. It
was one of her favorite topics. I recall two or three of her remarks
at this time. "Always move the lips in prayer. It helps to keep one's
thoughts from wandering." "A mother can pray with a sick child on her
lap more acceptably than to leave it alone in order to go and pray by
herself." "Accustom yourself to turn all your wants, cares and trials
into prayer. If anything troubled or annoyed my mother she went straight
to the 'spare room,' no matter how cold the weather, and we children
knew it was to pray. I shall never forget its influence over me." "When
a question as to duty comes up, I think we can soon settle it in this
way: 'Am I living near to Christ? Am I seeking His guidance? Am I
renouncing self in what I undertake to do for Him?' If we can say yes to
these q