TO MRS. HERBERT TOWNSHEND BOWEN.
My Dear Friend,
Independent of the personal feelings which urged the dedication of thisunpretending volume to you, I know few to whom a story illustrative of amother's solemn responsibilities, intense anxiety to fulfill them, anddeep sense of the Influence of Home could, with more justice, betendered. Simple as is the actual narrative, the sentiments it seeks toillustrate, are so associated with you—have been so strengthened fromthe happy hours of unrestrained intercourse I have enjoyed withyou—that, though I ought, perhaps, to have waited until I could haveoffered a work of far superior merit to a mind like yours, I felt as ifno story of mine could more completely belong to you. Will you, then,pardon the unintentional errors which I fear you, as an earnestProtestant, may discern, and accept this little work as a slighttribute of the warm affection and sincere esteem with which you havebeen so long regarded by
Your truly attached Friend,
GRACE AGUILAR.
The following story will, the author trusts, sufficiently illustrate itstitle to require but few words in the way of preface. She is onlyanxious to impress two facts on the minds of her readers. The one—thathaving been brought before the public principally as the author ofJewish works, and as an explainer of the Hebrew Faith, some Christianmothers might fear that the present Work has the same tendency, andhesitate to place it in the hands of their children. She, therefore,begs to assure them, that as a simple domestic story, the characters inwhich are all Christians, believing in and practicing that religion, alldoctrinal points have been most carefully avoided, the author seekingonly to illustrate the spirit of true piety, and the virtues alwaysdesignated as the Christian virtues thence proceeding. Her sole aim,with regard to Religion, has been to incite a train of serious andloving thought toward God and man, especially toward those with whom Hehas linked us in the precious ties of parent and child, brother andsister, master and pupil.
The second point she is desirous to bring forward is her belief, thatin childhood and youth the spoken sentiment is one of the safestguides to individual character; and that if, therefore, she have writtenmore conversation than may appear absolutely necessary for theelucidation of "Home Influence," or the interest of the narrative, it isfrom no wish to be diffuse, but merely to illustrate her own belief.Sentiment is the vehicle of THOUGHT, and THOUGHT the origin of ACTION.Children and youth have very seldom the power to evince character byaction, and scarcely if ever understand the mystery of thought; andtherefore their unrestrained conversation may often greatly aid parentsand teachers in acquiring a correct idea of their natural disposition,and in giving hints for the mode of education each may demand.
Leaving the beaten track of works written for the young, the author'saim has been to assist in the education of the HEART, believing that ofinfinitely greater importance than the mere instruction of the MIND, forthe bright awakening of the latter, depends far more on the happyinfluences of the former than is generally supposed.
The moral of the following story the author acknowledges is addressedto moth