No, Don't! by T. H. JEYS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Aug 12, 1909

No, Don't!

By T. H. JEYS

T. H. JEYS

DEAR fathers, don't scold. The shoes will grow old, and the clothing wear out. 'Tis by no means at all worth scolding about. Your burdens will be like the sands of the sea, and nothing is what you might wish it to be; you'll be jostled and pressed, and perplexed and distressed; you'll wish for a place and a period of rest. The children won't do as you might wish them to; all things will run wrong, and the prospect look blue. But, fathers, don't scold! O don't scold!

Dear mothers, don't scold. There'll be dust on the carpet from John's dirty feet, and Mary and Polly will fail to be neat. They'll make a great racket; for quiet you'll plead; and after you've spoken, they'll fail to take heed. All over the garden the chickens will scratch; the seeds will not sprout; the eggs will not hatch; the doors will blow open; the house plants will freeze; John's suit will wear out at elbows and knees. But, mothers, don't scold. O don't scold!

Dear brethren, don't scold. Brother A is too slow; Brother B is too fast; Brother C never sees till the chance has gone past; Brother D is contrary, F and G are perverted; H, I, J, and K are not soundly converted; while all of the rest, whether child, man, or woman, are all full of faults, decidedly human. In short, to come quickly and right to the point, — the world, and all in it, are quite out of joint.

But, brethren, don't scold. O don't scold!