DUTIES TOWARDS OUR ENEMIES.

How poor are they that have no patience.
SHAKESPEARE.

There is no precept which more clearly demonstrates the divine nature of christianity than that of loving our enemies. It would in fact appear that to follow this precept we must rise above human nature. Do not unto others what you would not that they should do unto you, was the most elevated precept among the pagans. But the christian law commands us to do good for evil, and this precept is the result of the feeling of love, our Saviour sought to inculcate in mankind in order to strengthen the bonds of charity and love.

It might seem to many that, children do not require to be taught their duty to their enemies, as it is generally supposed that children have no enemies; but observation proves that children are influenced by the society in which they move, and that they mostly have the same passions, and prejudices as their parents and governesses. Considerable attention is sometimes given to mental instruction, but moral duties have unfortunately so little weight in general education, that when young women are called to act for themselves, they know not what course to pursue even in the most commom occurrences of human life.

That children have no enemies is most true, at least we hope so; at all events, they are shielded from harm by the tender care of their parents and the services of those placed to watch over them; but yet there may exist in the youthful heart a feeling of enmity, resulting from injustice received, and it is this feeling we would wish children to conquer by enlightening their reason, and teaching them to control their inclinations.

To love our enemies seems to be almost beyond the powers of human nature, yet our Saviour never commanded us

to do what was above our strength, but offered us an example of forgiveness of injuries, and love of our enemies. Again it may be said children have no enemies, but I repeat that children will always share the enmity of which their family is the object, that they will hate those their parents hate, and this sentiment being allowed to take root will grow with children, and be natural to them in manhood. Those who are in the habit of observing children, will find that hatred and a love of vengeance is not uncommon in early age, and that these feelings are brought into action on the most trifling occasions; it needs but a slight contradiction or any annoyance to bring forth evidence of these passions.

Children think they may hate those who offend, those who contradict, or those who correct them.

It is a great error to allow children to believe that they may return evil for evil; all christian governesses should teach their pupils that nothing authorizes a bad action; this principle should be firmly established; under almost all circumstances when offence is given, we think only of the injury received, we forget the duties we have to perform; we do not bear in mind that we must forgive as we hope to be forgiven, that we must return good for evil; our first impulse is to be revenged, to inflict on our aggressor the wrongs we have suffered, but this is animal instinct, not a moral, nor a christian feeling. Let this fact be made thoroughly clear to the youthful understanding; if for instance my neighbour sets fire to my house, am I justified in doing him a like injury? If such were the case, society would be one perpetual struggle, life would be spent in inflicting evil on our fellow creatures.

While savages are at war with each other, they inflict the most cruel torments on their vanquished enemies; such is man uncivilized, but in civilized nations, prisoners are respected and when war, that fearful result of human passions is brought to a close, prisoners are discharged, and the evils attendant on war are as much as possible repaired; such is the influence of christianity that it even softens the hearts of warriors.

If we reflect, if we examine our own hearts, we shall find that reason and morality are in harmony with religious precepts, and that our evil passions are the result of mere animal instinct.

Our Saviour condemned vengeance, knowing the evil use that we should make of it; and knowing also how unable we are to judge of our own cause; judgment of offences was therefore left to a higher power. We are naturally hurt at injustice, whether it concerns us or not, though we more deeply feel an offence of which we are the object, but when the injustice is committed, it cannot be undone; it is therefore wise to forbear, for even did not the christian law forbid us to return evil for evil, all the harm we could do our neighbour would not undo the harm inflicted on us.

Resentment and a desire for revenge may spring from a just cause, but if this be turned to hatred and shew itself in acts of hostility, it is one evil added to another: and were we to indulge in resentment, life would be a continued scene of discord.

There is a country, and a christian country wherein a fearful spirit of vengeance reigns, and society is in a constant state of fear the innocent are often victims to the blind ferocity of this horrid custom. In Corsica, if one member of a family be injured, the family of the aggressor is called to account; wives, daughters, and even the most distant relations are kept in perpetual fear, and are liable to suffer for the faults of others.

What happens in Corsica, unfortunately occurs elsewhere though in a different manner; children enter into the quarrels and share the resentment and opinions of their parents; I once heard a child only twelve years old express in strong terms the greatest enmity for one of his father's political adversaries.

I cannot too frequently remark that it must never be forgotten that children are destined to be men, therefore they must be early accustomed to the performance of the duties

they will have to fulfil in later life. Now if the feeling of revenge be not corrected in youth, a morbid sensibility is acquired; susceptibility is brought to so high a pitch, that the least thing gives offence, and the person whose mind is thus diseased, lives in a constant state of dissatisfaction with all around him.

Whatever may be the situation in life in which it has pleased God to place us, whether as nobles or commoners, how many disappointments are we doomed to encounter? it is therefore cruel not to teach children early to submit to circumstances over which they can have no control.

Children brought up under the paternal roof, with servants ready to obey their orders, and with governesses having no power, nor authority over them, because these governesses do not understand their duties, and do not feel that their duty is to command, not to yield; these children, I say, are not happy when they have to act for themselves; they have been allowed to suppose that every one would bend to their wishes, and they no sooner discover their error, than feelings of enmity are engendered towards all those who may presume to differ from them. With individuals thus badly educated, to displease them, is in their opinion a crime, and how often do we hear young women who have left the school room say, "I hate that lady, I abhor that woman, I detest that governess, how odious are those servants!!"

If it be difficult to make children understand that an injury done to them must not be returned, it is not less difficult to teach them that contradiction does not imply enmity, and that even our best friends may differ from us. But how many young persons boast of their determination to have their own way, are aggrieved by the slightest contradiction, and make enemies where they might have gained friends? These are the results of an ill directed early education, in which due submission has not been enforced, and as all good or bad qualities are connected, so the the child trained to obedience, learns more easily than a wilful child, for a well

educated child is alive to all the noble and elevated feelings of morality and religion; it is worthy of remark that persons who most easily take offence are badly educated, or want stability of character, they always fancy themselves aggrieved, and consequently live in a state of enmity with those around them.

Nothing is so conducive to happiness as the regulation of the temper and judgment, therefore I would that every governess should feel the necessity of giving the strictest attention to their pupils from their earliest age. Not only let children be advised to be calm and have their passions under control, but let them be assisted in conquering the feelings of anger that may arise in their youthful breasts; and when they are too apt to take offence, lead them to examine the subject of their annoyance, and cool observation will probably serve to shew the matter as of little consequence, or wholly unworthy of notice.

How sad are the results of precipitation, how much misery is brought on society by revenge, how much peace of mind would attend the forgiveness of our enemies? but when unfortunately we are led by impulse, and have not our passions under control, how liable are we to lose sight of what is due to ourselves, and to our neighbours! we make use of expressions which we afterwards regret, and the consequences may be fatal to ourselves as well as to those we have injured.

From persons whose education has been neglected, and whose minds are ill regulated, forgiveness of enemies must not be expected. They have not their passions under due control, and seem to think they can never be sufficiently revenged for the injury they have received, however trifling that injury may be: indeed, to use the words of the immortal Shakspeare:

"Could men thunder, Jove never would be quiet."

If we examine the cause of the dislike some children feel for all those who are placed in authority over them, we shall find that this evil feeling originates in the absence of judici