The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher | Page 3

children on the charity
of the community, they must take the consequences."
The constant work and worry incident to caring for so many poor,
disheartened people was indeed great, and Mr. Engler was right when
he told his wife that she already had too much work to do; but it was
very hard for her to think of the neglect that the poor little child would
undergo even while its mother was there, for such a heartless woman
could not be expected to do her duty. As the days and weeks glided by,
it was as Mrs. Engler had feared, and the cruel manner in which the
babe was handled was pitiful to behold. But scolding and criticizing the
mother did neither the mother nor the child any good, and Mrs. Engler
endeavored to forget about the matter and to let the baby get along as
well as it could.
When at last the seven months had expired and the day for the
departure of Mrs. Fischer had arrived, the woman who had so disgraced
the name of motherhood was glad. The pretty costume of black was
faded and worn, and the glossy hair was tangled and unkempt, but
within the eye the light of evil was shining brighter than ever. It was
indeed a glad moment for her when she heard the chains about her
ankles clanking heavily upon the floor and she knew that she was once
more a free woman and could go and do as she pleased. And without a

thought for the comfort or a plan for the future of her helpless child, she
left him to the generosity of the people.
It truly might seem that the young life was blighted, but there was One
far better than mother, brother, or sister who cared and was ready to
lend a helping hand.
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the
good" (Prov. 15:3).
"Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have
storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye
better than the fowls?" (Luke 12:24).

CHAPTER II
LIFE IN THE ALMSHOUSE
Few save the poor feel for the poor: The rich know not how hard It is to
be of needful rest And needful food debarred; They know not of the
scanty meal, With small, pale faces round; No fire upon the cold, damp
hearth When snow is on the ground.
--Miss Landon.
Mrs. Engler had long since given the care and feeding of the children
over into the hands of inexperienced women, who might have utterly
ruined the delicate digestive organs had it not been that the food
allowed was wholesome and the quantities too small for them to
overfeed. The children, after being provided with pewter spoons, were
seated in groups around large pans and were allowed to dip as they
chose into the mixture that the pan contained. For a time after his
mother's departure baby Edwin was fed from a cup, but as soon as he
was able to handle the spoon and to toddle about 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