Louis School Days

Louis' School Days, by E. J. May

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Title: Louis' School Days A Story for Boys
Author: E. J. May
Release Date: November 17, 2006 [EBook #19855]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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SCHOOL DAYS ***

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LOUIS' SCHOOL DAYS,
A STORY FOR BOYS.

By E. J. May
[Illustration: Louis and Meredith on Brandon Hill. Page 76.]
NEW-YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 200 BROADWAY.
1852.

PREFACE.
It was originally my intention to leave the child of my imagination to
make its way where it would, without any letter of introduction in the
form of the usual prefatory address to the reader; but having been
assured that a preface is indispensable, I am laid under the necessity of
formally giving a little insight into the character of the possible inmate
of many a happy home.
Reader, the following pages claim no interest on the score of
authenticity. They are no fiction founded on facts. They profess to be
nothing but fiction, used as a vehicle for illustrating certain broad and
fundamental truths in our holy religion.
It has often struck me, in recalling religious stories (to which I
acknowledge myself much indebted), that many of them fell into an
error which might have the effect of confusing the mind of a thinking
child, namely, that of drawing a perfect character as soon as the soul
has laid hold of Christ, without any mention of those struggles through
which the Christian must pass, in order to preserve a holy consistency
before men. This would seem to exclude the necessity of maintaining a
warfare.
The doctrine I have endeavored to maintain in the following pages is,
that man being born in "sin, a child of wrath," has, by nature, all his
affections estranged from God; that, when by grace, through faith in
Christ, a new life has been implanted within him, his affections are
restored to their rightful Lord, every thought and imagination is
brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; and his whole being
longs to praise Him who has called him "out of darkness into light"--to

praise Him "not only with his lips, but in his life." Then commences the
struggle between light and darkness, between the flesh and the spirit,
between the old and new man; and the results of this conflict are seen
in the outward conduct of the Christian soldier.
The character of the child of God does not essentially alter, but a new
impulse is given him. Whatever good quality was in his natural state
conspicuous in him, will, in a state of grace and newness of life, shine
forth with double lustre; and he will find his besetting sin his greatest
hindrance in pressing forward to the attainment of personal holiness.
The great wide difference is, that he desires to be holy, and the Lord,
who gives him this desire, gives him also the strength to overcome his
natural mind; and the more closely he waits on his heavenly Father for
His promised aid, the more holily and consistently he will walk; and
when, through the deceits of his heart, the allurements of the world, or
the temptations of Satan, he relaxes his vigilance, and draws less
largely from the fountain of his strength, a sad falling away is the
inevitable consequence. This warfare, this danger of backsliding, ends
only with the life, when, and when only, he will be perfect, for he shall
be like his Saviour.
As a writer for the young, I dare not plead even the humble pretensions
of my little volume in deprecation of the criticism which ought to be
the lot of every work professing to instruct others. In choosing the
arena of a boy's school for the scene of my hero's actions, I have
necessarily been compelled to introduce many incidents and phrases to
which, perhaps, some very scrupulous critics might object as out of
place in a religious work; but my readers will do well to recollect, that
to be useful, a story must be attractive, and to be attractive, it must be
natural; and I trust that they who candidly examine mine will find
nothing therein that can produce a wrong impression. It has not been
without an anxious