THE NEW SWING- 
 
 iHi 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 SABBATH SCHOOL 
 
 No. 13 Comhill. 
 1839. 
 
 OHM?* 
 SOCIETY.feCa 
 
k 
 
THE NEW SWING. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 MASS. SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY 
 
 } 
 
 No. 13 Comhill. 
 1839. 
 
THE NEW SWING. 
 
 " Why, Mary, what are you 
 crying about? Put down your 
 apron, and tell me what is the 
 trouble. Stop sobbing; I cannot 
 hear what you say. Frank did 
 what?" 
 
 " Frank won't let me swing 
 any; he will have it all himself. 
 It is my turn to swing." 
 
" Well, wipe up your tears, 
 and look good-natured; then I 
 will go out with you, and see 
 what is the matter. I cannot 
 go with a sour face. There, 
 let me see you smile. That 
 will do. Now we will go. 
 
 " Francis, is this your swing?" 
 "Yes, father." "Who put it 
 
4 
 
 up ?" " George. " " How long 
 have you had it?" " Only just 
 this morning-. I asked him to 
 put it up, and I found the rope, 
 and then Mary cried because I 
 would not let her swing- all the 
 time." " Frank, you would not 
 let me get in once." "Well, 
 " " Stop, my son, a mo- 
 ment. I want to know what you 
 did, not what Mary did. Are 
 you willing to tell me frankly 
 all you did wrong?" "Why 
 
 ." Francis looked on the 
 
 ground, and kept kicking the 
 dirt. " Why, yes, father, I will. 
 You see we wanted a swing. 
 Then George fixed it for us, 
 
vw m 
 
 5 
 
 because I was not tall enough* 
 I was to go first, because I was 
 the largest ; and — and — it went 
 so good I did not want to get out 
 as soon as Mary called me.' 5 
 
 "Does Mary like to swing as 
 much as you do?" " Yes, sir; 
 but it went so nicely I did not 
 want to get out. Then she 
 asked me so many times that — 
 
6 
 
 that I felt a little vexed, and 
 told her I would not get out 
 till I was ready. Then she ran 
 off crying into the house." 
 "Was it so, Mary?" "Yes, 
 papa. I wanted to get in, and 
 he staid a long time." 
 
 "Francis, what rule have 
 you forgotten this morning?" 
 After thinking a minute, Francis 
 said, " I might have got out, 
 and let Mary swing before. I 
 suppose I was a selfish boy; 
 but I don't know what rule I 
 broke, I am sure." " Don't you, 
 my son? Do you, Mary?" 
 " No, papa ; I — I — I guess I was 
 a silly little girl to cry." 
 
" Do you remember when we 
 were reading in the Bible last 
 Sabbath ?" " Don't tell,— don't 
 tell, father; now I know all 
 about it. I forgot the Savior's 
 golden rule : Do unto others as 
 you would have others do unto 
 you. Was it not that ?" " Yes, 
 my son, that was it; and you 
 forgot all about it, and Mary did 
 
8 
 
 too. Mary would not like to 
 have had Francis cry. It is 
 foolish and silly for her to cry 
 when any little thing troubles 
 her. And Francis would like 
 to have had Mary given him 
 his share of the swing. 
 
 " Now how much trouble it 
 would save you, if you would 
 only remember this golden rule. 
 Whenever you are at play, 
 always i do unto others as you 
 would have them do unto you. 1 
 Whenever there is trouble, or 
 you wish* very much to have 
 your own way of playing; 
 when you are becoming selfish; 
 stop, my children, and remem- 
 ber this golden rule/' 
 
3*1*7* -