Books with author Elizabeth Prentiss ("Aunt Susan")

Aunt Jane was a widow who was rich with wisdom and advice for everyone she knew. Horace was injured in the Civil War which helped turn his soul to God. Because of Aunt Jane’s advice, Horace courageously went ahead with his marriage plans while having little means to support a family. Horace and Maggie demonstrated a lifestyle that showed what is important in life: two hearts that loved each other and God. They did not have many material possessions, but they valued their riches in Christ. Aunt Jane said to Horace, “The truth is, I want you to set an example to the hosts of young men who are living unsatisfactory, bachelor, boarding-house lives. In nine cases out of ten pride lies at the bottom of these lives. Because they can’t begin where their fathers and mothers left off, they won’t begin at all. They dry up and stagnate for want of an object.”

Herman had an unfortunate injury and was forced to lay in bed and think. His grandmother told him to “ask our dear Lord why He spared his life on that terrible night, since surely it was to do something for Him.” Soon after that little Herman received a special gift from God. Herman’s father became very sick and “lay, day after day, night after night, in profound sleep.” Max realized “My long sickness has made me another man.” The story illustrates how God uses affliction to develop spiritual life in people.

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. At first she did not know what they were for, or where they were. They did not know, either, and so they were useless. Two of them were black, and so much alike that you could not tell one from the other. Susy kept them shut up most of the time, so that nobody could see them. When her aunts and cousins came to see Susy, they would say: "I should think she might let us see them!" and would go away quite disappointed. These black servants were bright little things, and they soon learned to amuse Susy a great deal. One of the first things they did for her was to let her see the fire; and that she thought very beautiful. Susy had another pair of twins for her servants, who knew so little what they were for, that they used to slap and scratch her face. Her mamma said she should have to tie them up if they did so. Indeed, many a little baby has had them all covered up with white rags, to keep them from doing mischief before they were old enough to know better. But though they did not know how to behave, they were very pretty, tiny little things, and when Susy's papa knelt down and took one of them on his hand, and kissed it, and wondered at it, and said what a funny wee morsel it was, why, it looked, to be sure, like a pretty rose-leaf, or any thing else soft, and pink, you can think of.

Elizabeth Payson Prentiss (1818 – 1878) was an American author, well known for her hymn "More Love to Thee, O Christ" and the religious novel Stepping Heavenward (1869). Her writings enjoyed renewed popularity in the late 20th century.Mrs. Prentiss has earned a high reputation as an authoress who presents religious truth in the form of narratives attractive to juvenile and often older readers. In this she shows how the course of Providence is full of incidents, which, however grievous or joyous in themselves, rightly improved, at once bring the Christian nearer to heaven, and ripen him for it.It shows a profound insight into the methods of God's dealings with his children, and the workings of a sinful nature and divine grace under the Severe disciplines of life. It is a book to help "heavenward" the erring and struggling soul; to teach useful and needed lessons to the unhappy and the afflicted; and to inspire all with nobler views of duty and higher aims of life.

First published in 1869, "Stepping Heavenward" is an account of a young girl's day-to-day activities, interwoven with her quest to better her life. Watching her godly mother, with whom she becomes easily irritated at times, Kate learns about striving for excellence. The book portrays a no-nonsense approach to Christian living; still the romantic, artistic qualities of the author shine through without unctuous fluff. The book lacks not in laughter all the while inciting the reader to ponder deeper, eternal matters. The early writings of this nineteen-year-old part child, part woman, reveal an innocence coupled with an acute awareness of her human nature, that is, the selfish, sinful side of humanness, unchecked by the Almighty. The author doubtlessly reflects a typical 19th century young woman in certain ways. Yet one may see that small matters sometimes are pivotal. Indeed the continual, though not necessarily consistent, exercises in noble deeds and hard self-examination propel this young woman to attain a rare depth of character. Her brutal honesty and freckle-faced candor are truly refreshing, and her artfully penned expressions provide great reading - entertaining, spontaneous and articulate. Though written in diaried form, a theme surfaces here as in the hymn, "More Love to Thee, O Christ," also written by the author of this book.

Excerpt from Stepping HeavenwardShe took the baby tenderly in her arms and went on in her eager, quick, informal way, but with a bright little blush and smile, I'm not very polite - pray, let me introduce myself! I'm Mrs. Prentiss, and you are Mrs Field, I know.After a little more sweet, motherly comment and ques tion over the baby, a touch of nature which at once made us akin, - she asked, Have you brought the baby to be christened?I said, No, I thought it would be better to wait till she was a little older.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"In order to provide the best reading experience for our readers, we create ebooks from the original and unabriged content of world-famous works. Plus, a full active table of contents for each book makes reading easier than ever.Book description:""How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen!"" Thus begins the lifelong diary of young Katherine as she pours out her hopes, dreams, and spiritual journey on the pages of her dear, old journal. Whimsical and charming Katherine is engagingly candid about her character flaws and her desire to know God. As you listen to her share her heart through these journal entries, you will be amazed and delighted by the depth of her character and the womanly wisdom and godliness she develops over the years. From the agonies of being a teenager to the delicate balancing act between being a wife/mother/daughter/neighbor, it is easy to relate to Katherine's triumphs and trials whether you are 16 or 60. Listen to her unforgettable story set in the early 1800's as you are encouraged to ""step heavenward,"" and don't be surprised if you find yourself recommending it to all of your friends and family!(Introduction by Theresa Downey)""In honor of Tammi Martin"""

On a clear, frosty day of the twentieth winter of her life, the beautiful Queen Anitta sat in her sledge enveloped in ermine, and inhaled the air with smiles of satisfaction. Before and behind her a retinue of attendants made a brilliant parade of gay trappings and many-colored garments, which contrasted finely with the white snow over which they flew.The young queen had almost everything in the world to make her happy. The king gratified her every wish, as far as it was possible to do so; her people always received her with acclamations; when she was tired of living in one palace she could go to another. It follows, then, as a natural consequence, that she was happy.By no means. She had one wish that had never been gratified, and never would be; for whereas the king delighted in dogs and horses, her great pleasure was in little children, and of these she had none. Now it might seem, at first blush, that queens are the last persons in the world to possess such tastes. It is generally understood that they spend their lives, during the day, sitting on thrones, with golden crowns on their heads, which serve them at night as luxurious nightcaps, and act as constant reminders that the heads that wear them are heads of no common sort. It is true we have the highest authority for the fact that there once existed on earth a queen who went into the kitchen, like other mortals, to eat bread and honey, while the king counted out his money in the parlor. But such queens are rare, and so is the queen of our story, who actually fancied that even on the stately floors of palaces the patter of little feet would be musical.