“As Little Susy had a kind mamma to take care of her, you will, perhaps, wonder why God gave her also, a great many servants of her own. He gave her so many, that you might spend your whole life in reading about them. But I shall tell you of only a very few, and then you can ask your mamma to talk to you about the others. For the little servants Susy had, you have, too.”
So is the beginning of
Little Susy’s Little Servants by Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss. It was first published in 1856, and it was probably intended for toddlers and young readers. I consider my 1883 copy one of my finest treasures. It is not just an old book, but a treasure of truths about God, family, and diligence. The continuing theme is that of giving ourselves to God for His glory. “I am not my own” is the clearly stated message.
The story begins with Susy as a small baby who is given many servants by God. Two of them are bright little things and exactly identical to each other. They amuse her by showing her the things she wishes to see. Another twin set of servants are described as, “not very pretty, but very useful, for without them she never could have heard her mamma sing, or her papa whistle; or the shovel and tongs fall down and make such a charming noise; nor the pussy-cat say ‘mew!’ nor the doggy say ‘bow wow!’” For indeed, her servants are her eyes, ears, hands, feet, and tongue.
As she grows, Susy learns how these servants are to be used. At first she thinks they are for her own amusement, but her parents are very careful to teach her their true use. Mrs. Prentiss writes, “But all this time I have only spoken of Susy’s hands and feet, and ears, and eyes, and tongue, as being useful to herself, and have not said a word about their doing things for other people. Now it is not likely that God meant any little child should live in this world, and where there is so much to do, and do nothing for its papa and mamma, and nothing for Him who has done so much for its happiness and comfort.” Susy is taught to love and obey her parents, care for the sick and handicapped, and respect her elders.
Although Little Susy exhibits good character, she must deal with sin. Little Susy is often found to be naughty. Her hands find many uses, but they are not all helpful. She cuts her hair, knocks over the wash-stand, and slaps her brother and parents. She is not left to form a habit of it without reproach or discipline however. By the time Susy is three it is said that she “had learned what she might do, and what she must not, her momma could leave her all alone in the parlor, with a few toys, and be quite sure that she would touch nothing she had been forbidden to touch, nor climb up into dangerous places, nor take any dangerous thing. The scissors might lie on the table, and the sharp knife open by her side; the good little hands would not touch them. Nor would the obedient little feet now take Susy near the fire where she could so easily have been burned. If Susy promised to do a thing, she always did it, and so her mamma often let her play by herself in the parlor…”
Susy is still not portrayed as a perfect little girl. She is sometimes disobedient, willful, and reluctant to help. Children of the mid 19th century had already learned the famous “In a minute, mamma!” Some things just don’t seem to change. For each offence Susy is deliberately disciplined to know what is right. Repentance and change are called for, and not just to the offended, but to God. She is taught that God sees everything she does. Every good thing that Susy does for anyone is done for Him who gave the feet, hands, and mouth that she uses.
Mrs. Prentiss teaches that mischief and sin are found in idleness. Susy is taught how to read and sew from a very early age, and she is instructed to be helpful to her mother and amuse her baby brother. Another important aspect of her education is the memorization of hymns and Bible verses.
Most important of all the lessons her parents can teach her is this next one: Susy is responsible to God. All her actions and words are to be for His glory. Her mother teaches her to praise God with her whole heart and life. When Susy asks how she is to do this, her mother replies in this way. “Why, by obeying Him and trying to please Him.”
The last chapter is clear and sweet, illustrating childish obedience to Christ. It is posted here for your enjoyment:
Little Susy’s Little Servants, Second Series, Chapter IXTHE next day was Sunday, and Susy and Robbie went to church and sat in the pew with their papa. Susy observed that a plate was handed to every one, and that when it came to her papa he put in some money. So when they were walking home together, she said:
“Papa! who was that money for that you put into the plate, at church ?”
“It was for God,” said her papa.
“How will they get it up to Him?” asked Robbie in great surprise, and looking up to the sky.
His papa smiled, and even Susy knew better than that.
“When Jesus was here on this earth,” said their papa, “he sent good men, two and two at a time, to go about teaching people about God, and about heaven. And such good men keep going, even to this day. And that money was to help feed and clothe them while they are preaching, and so I said it was money given to God.”
“I wish I had some money to give to God,” said Susy. “But I haven't a bit.”
“God does not expect you to give him what you have not,” said her papa. “But you have other things, besides money.”
“I've got some dolls” said Susy.
"No, I don't mean dolls. When we get home I will read something to you which will make you see plainly what you can give to God."
So after dinner they went to the library and Susy's papa took down a large book and began to turn over the leaves, as if in search of something. Before long he came to the place he was looking for, and he lifted Susy into his lap and showed her where to read.
“Read it aloud,” said he, and Susy read.
“I have this day been before God, and have given myself—all that I am and have—to God; so that I am in no respect my own. I have no right to this body, or any of its members; no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet, these eyes, these ears; I have given myself clean away.”
“These are the words of a great and good man, who is now in heaven. Now you see what you have to give to God, my darling little Susy."
Susy looked at her hands and at her feet, and was silent. At last she said, in a low voice, half to herself:
“I don't believe God wants them.”
Her papa heard her. “He does want them, and He is looking at you, now, to see whether you will give them to Him, or keep them for yourself. If you give them to Him you will be careful never to let them do any thing naughty, and will teach them to do every good thing they can. And if you keep them for yourself, they will be likely to do wrong, and to get into mischief.”
“Have you given yours to Him, papa?”
Yes, indeed, long ago.”
“Are you glad?”
“Yes, very glad.”
Susy sat still silent. She did not quite understand what it all meant.
If you give your tongue to God,” said her papa, “you never will let it speak angry, unkind words. Or tell tales. Or speak an untruth.”
“I guess I'll give Him my tongue” said Susy.
“And if you give God your hands, you will watch them and keep them from touching things that do not belong to them. You will not let them be idle, but will keep them busy about something, either work or play—“
“Oh! will God let them play?” cried Susy in a joyful voice. “Well! then I'll give Him my hands.”
“And if you give Him your feet, you never will let them carry you where you ought not to go, but teach them to run quickly when mamma calls; and when you are old enough, they will carry you to visit and comfort poor and sick people.”
“Yes, that will be nice!” said Susy. “God shall have my feet.”
“If you give Him your eyes, you will never, never let them look at any thing you know He would not like to look at if He were here by your side. Not to read a book you would not read if He were looking over the page with you. And to use them wisely and with great care.”
“Could I cry with them?”
“Why, certainly.”
“Mamma says I cry too much.”
“I did not say you might cry too much with them.”
“Well!—I'll give God my eyes some of the time, and some of the time I'll keep them.”
“Oh! no! God will not like that, at all.”
“Well, I might want to—let me see—I might want to look at something—and I couldn't. And I should want to be naughty sometimes."
“A little girl who loves God want to be naughty!”
“I love Him, I do love Him,” said Susy. “And He may have my eyes. I guess I shan't want to look at any thing naughty.”
“I dare say you will, Susy, but if you give your eyes to God, you know He will help them not to do wrong.”
“Then I will give them to Him and welcome” said Susy.
“And as to your ears, after you have given them to God you will not let them listen to a word that you think He would not like them to hear. And you will take care to make them listen to people who try to teach you. They have behaved very well to-day, and I am sure you will give them to God."
“Yes papa, I will.”
Then they knelt down together and Susy's papa prayed to God to hear all they had been saying and to be so good as to accept all Susy had now promised to give Him, and to keep her from ever forgetting her promise, but to make it her rule in all she said and all she did, all she saw and all she heard, to remember,
"I am not my own.”
And then he taught her the lines you will find at the end of this book. They were written nearly two hundred years ago, but are just as good now as they were then; and may God help every child who reads about little Susy, to live according to this prayer.
"Oh! that mine eyes might closed be
To what concerns me not to see;
That deafness might possess mine ear
To what concerns me not to hear;
That truth my tongue might ever tie
From ever speaking foolishly;
That no vain thought might ever rest,
Or be conceived in my breast;
That by each word, and deed, and thought
Glory may to my God be brought!
But what are wishes! Lord, mine eye
On Thee is fixed, to Thee I cry—
Wash, Lord, and purify my heart
And make it clean in every part;
And when 'tis done, Lord, keep it so,
For that is more than I can do!"
Mrs. Prentiss’s conversion was a moving experience after months of mental torment. She trembled at the knowledge of the great righteousness of God and her own sinfulness. In George Prentiss’s book
The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss he tells of the deliverance she found. “It was in this height of despair that thoughts of the infinite grace and love of Christ, which she says she had hitherto repelled, began to irradiate her soul. A sermon on His ability to save "unto the uttermost" deeply affected her.” Mrs. Prentiss wrote the following about her thoughts after her conversion.
"From this time my mind went slowly onward, examining the way step by step, trembling and afraid, yet filled with a calm contentment which made all the dealings of God with me appear just right. I know myself to be perfectly helpless. I cannot promise to do or to be anything; but I do want to put everything else aside, and to devote myself entirely to the service of Christ."
Being both the child and wife of ministers put her at the heart of sharing the gospel.
Little Susy’s Little Servants is a charming example of using gifts and talents for God’s glory. There is much that that this little book can teach us, even if we are beyond the intended audience of a beginner reader. Are we actively living for Christ? Can our friends, acquaintances, and most importantly, our family, tell by looking at our lives that we are the Lord’s? I hope the excerpts from
Little Susy’s Little Servants and Mrs. Prentiss’s personal testimony are an encouragement to you to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22
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Is it true that George Washington did not love his mother? At least one biographer has made this surprising claim. I will admit that nearly every Washington biography I have read hardly mentions her except to provide her name and minor facts. Mrs. Washington is rumored to have been irritating, commanding, and unlovable. A single author ventured to state without hesitation that, “George Washington did not love his mother.”
I have been reading about Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss over the last few weeks. This is a lovely hymn written by her in 1856.
I suffered a disaster today! If you look carefully over my blog you will notice that all of the entries appear to have been posted on the same day. It was not originally so. You might find this hard to believe, but I accidentally deleted Study.Quiet this morning. Perhaps I woke up too early! It is an amazing feat to delete a blog when you have no wish to, but I prove that it is possible. All of the posts have been published again in the original order of the first blog. The only lasting loss was a comment left on The World of Narnia. Thank you for your patience!
The Wizard of Oz
The Chronicles of Narnia is a 7 book series written by the English author C. S. Lewis. He was a great Christian who created a fictional or secondary world full of symbolism and allusion. In this secondary world, C. S. Lewis used both the world as we know it as well as a world of his own creation and tied them together in such a way as to make it believable.
In this essay I will describe my world view. It will define my views about life and the Creator of everything.
