A woman sat by a hearthside place,
Reading a book with a pleasant face,
Till a child came up, with a childish frown,
And pushed the book saying, “Put it down.”
Then the mother, slapping his curly head,
Said, “Troublesome child, go off to bed;
A great deal of Christ’s life I must know,
To train you up as a child should go.”
And the child went off to bed to cry,
And renounce religion — by and by.
Another woman bent over a book
With a smile of joy and an intent look,
Till a child came by and jogged her knee,
And said of the book, “Put it down — take me.”
Then the mother sighed as she stroked his head,
Saying softly, “I shall never get it read;
But I’ll try by loving to learn His will,
And His love into my child instill.”
That child went to bed without a sigh,
And will love the Savior — by and by.
Reprinted from Above Rubies, 1986
Painting: Richard S. Johnson
“Story Book – One Before Bed”