the floor, he had to take his place with the others. Thus, table manners
and politeness were unknown, and the earliest picture stamped upon the mind
of little Edwin that he could in after-years remember was a group of boys
and girls, of all ages and of whom he numbered one, hovering about a large
dishpan, each eagerly watching for an opportunity to "dip" for his or her
share of the food.

With the picture came a desire to be good and kind to all. Perhaps some
Christian friend of the family had offered just such a prayer for him, and
God, knowing the evil surroundings that would have a tendency to make him
selfish or unkind, protected and shielded him with this very wall of
kindness. At least God saw and understood, and he cared enough to help the
poor little innocent, untaught boy as he matured from babyhood not only to
be unselfish but to avoid doing many things that might have provoked others
to anger. In short, God became his teacher, and many times while Edwin was
still very young, when he discovered his playmates doing that which was
evil, there was something within his heart that said it was wrong and that
he ought not to do as they were doing. His ideas in regard to the right and
wrong of different things he for a time expressed quite freely among the
children; but, finding that he was only ridiculed for his pious thoughts,
he learned to keep his views to himself. Although he was silent, he
endeavored to keep as far away as possible from the scenes that troubled
his finer nature.

But not all the days were dark for Edwin. There were times when the
children were taken for long walks out in the fields or woods, where the
flowers grew and where the birds sang their sweet songs. Upon such
occasions Edwin's heart would be so filled with gladness that he would be
almost beside himself. Not only the brown and yellow butterflies gliding
hither and thither, lighting now and then upon some pretty blossom, only to