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 JOHN 
 
 A 
 
 IN SEARCH 
 
 OF 
 
 PLACE. 
 
 RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY; 
 
 56, Paternoster-row ; 164, Piccadilly, 
 LONDON, 
 
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JOHN IN SEAKCH OF A 
 
 PLACE. 
 
 
 " Well, John, have you succeed- 
 ed to-day, my son ? n 
 
 " No, mother ; I hare been 
 nearly all over the town, and no 
 one would take me. But I think 
 if you had been with me I should 
 
2 JOHN IN SEARCH 
 
 have stood a better chance. You 
 look so thin and pale, mother, 
 somebody would have felt sorry, 
 and so have taken me ; but no- 
 body knew me, and no one saw 
 you." 
 
 It was a cold bleak night, and 
 John had been out all day " look- 
 ing for a place." He had tried 
 hard until it was quite dark, and 
 then gave up, thinking his mother 
 must be tired of waiting for him, 
 
 John's mother was a widow, 
 and a very poor one. She had 
 kept herself by needle- work till 
 a severe trial of sickness had con- 
 tinea her to her bed, and she was 
 unable to do more. She told her 
 little son to sit down by the fire 
 while she got him some food. 
 The fire and the supper were very 
 scanty ; but John knew they were 
 
OT A PLACE. 3 
 
 the best she could provide, and he 
 felt that he would rather share 
 such a fire and such a supper with 
 so kind a mother, than sit at the 
 best-filled table with any body 
 else who did not love him as she 
 did, and whom he did not love as 
 he did her. 
 
 After a few moments of silence 
 the boy looked up into his mo- 
 ther's face and said, " Mother, do 
 you think it would be wrong to 
 ask my new Sunday-school teacher 
 about a place?" "No, my child, 
 not if you have no other time, 
 and I think that he would be a 
 very proper person ; at least, 1 
 should think that he would be in- 
 terested in getting you a good 
 place." " Well, to-morrow is Sun- 
 day, and when the class breaks 
 up I will ask him," 
 
4 JOHN IN SEAUCH 
 
 After reading a portion of God's 
 holy word, the mother and her lit- 
 tle boy kneeled down together to 
 pray. She asked God to bless 
 them with his Holy Spirit, that 
 they might truly repent of sin, 
 and through faith in Jesus Christ 
 obtain pardon. She prayed that 
 God would care for them as a 
 Father, give them his rich grace, 
 and do that which he knew to be 
 best for them, for Christ's sake. 
 
 " I feel happier now," said 
 John, "I was so tired when I 
 came in that I felt quite sad ; — 
 did I look so, mother ?" The 
 mother's heart was full, and she 
 gave her boy a kiss, which was 
 eweeter to him than many words, 
 
 Next morning was the Lord's 
 clay. John's breakfast was more 
 
OF A PLA.CE* 5 
 
 scanty than ever ; but he said not 
 a word about that, for he saw that 
 his mother ale very little of it. 
 But one or two sticks of wood 
 were left outside the door where 
 it was kept, and he knew that 
 both food and fire might all be 
 gone before night. They had 
 earned no money to buy any- 
 thing for several days. The sun 
 was shining bright and clear, but 
 the air was very cold. The child 
 had no overcoat ; but hastening 
 to the school, he was in his seat 
 just as the superintendent and 
 his teacher entered. ^ 
 
 ""Who is that little pale-faced 
 boy in your class?" asked the 
 superintendent of the teacher* 
 " His name is Jones — 1 intend 
 to visit him this very week. He 
 
6 JOHN Itf SEA.BCH. 
 
 is a well-behaved boy." " I shouk 
 like to know more about him/ 
 said the superintendent, "and } 
 will speak to him after school." 
 
 The superintendent did noi 
 forget him, and when the class 
 broke up, seeing him linger be- 
 hind the other scholars, went up 
 and spoke to him kindly. " Tou 
 have been here to school several 
 Sundays, have you not, my boy?" 
 "Yes, sir; I came just a month 
 ago to-day." " Had you ever 
 been to school before that time?" 
 " Yes, sir ; before mother was 
 taken sick I used to go to ano- 
 ther school, but that was a great 
 way off, and when mother got 
 well, and you opened this new 
 school, she brought me here." 
 
 " Well, did i not see you yes- 
 
OF A PLACE. 7 
 
 terday, looking for a place m 
 "Water-street?" "I was down 
 there, sir, looking for a place." 
 "Why did you not take that 
 place which the gentleman had 
 for you in the large shop ? ' % 
 " Because, sir, they kept open 
 shop on a Sunday, and mother 
 would not wish me to work on 
 the Lord's day." 
 
 " You did not keep the piece 
 of gold money that you found on 
 the floor as you were coming into 
 the street; why did you not?" 
 " Because it was not mine, sir ; 
 and I thought that the gentleman 
 of the shop would find the owner* 
 sooner than I should." 
 
 " He did, my boy — it was my 
 money. Did you not get a place 
 yesterday?" "No, sir; all the 
 
8 JGHK AKD HIS PLACE. 
 
 places were full, and nobody 
 knew me." "Well, my boy, 
 you may go now and tell your 
 mother that you have a place. 
 Come to me very early in the 
 morning — your teacher will tell 
 you where I live." 
 
 John went home with his heart 
 and his eyes so full that he could 
 hardly see the street, or anything 
 else, as he went along. He knew 
 that it would cheer his dear mo- 
 ther very much, and so it did. 
 That Sunday evening John and 
 his mother knelt down together^ 
 and with tears of joy they gave 
 thanks to God, who had not for- 
 gotten the fatherless and the 
 widow in their distress. 
 
 Pardon and Son, Printers* Paternosler-row* 
 
 «M 
 
"-i O i *? 
 
w 
 
 IN the bright season of thy youth, 
 
 In Nature's smiling bloom ; 
 Ere age arrive, and trembling wait 
 
 Its summons to the tomb : 
 
 Remember thy Creator, God; 
 
 For him thy powers employ ; 
 Make him thy fear, thy iove, thy hope, 
 
 Thy confidence, and joy. 
 
 He shall defend and guide thy youth 
 Through life's uncertain way, 
 
 Till thou art landed on the coast 
 Of bless'd eternity. 
 
 Then seek the Lord betimes, and choose 
 The paths of heavenly truth ; 
 
 The earth affords no lovelier sight 
 Than a religious youth.