All of the articles in this representative issue of the Youth’s Companion promote religious morality. The story about Jacob and the Angels teaches readers that “real religion requires us to love and serve God with the best affections of our heart.” The article on the orphan girl focuses on the power of prayer. And “Infant Education” concludes that everything that God has given must be used in a way that God would like. Taken together, these articles demonstrate that the editors had no intention of amusing their young readers. Instead, they used depressing stories about death and orphans to convey their ideas.

Boston Public Library, Rare Books & Manuscripts