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diff --git a/43439-8.txt b/43439-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3827437..0000000 --- a/43439-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3066 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Short Studies in Ethics, by John Ormsby Miller - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Short Studies in Ethics - An Elementary Text-Book for Schools - -Author: John Ormsby Miller - -Release Date: August 11, 2013 [EBook #43439] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SHORT STUDIES IN ETHICS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -SHORT STUDIES IN ETHICS - -_AN ELEMENTARY TEXT-BOOK FOR SCHOOLS_ - -BY - -REV. J. O. MILLER, M.A., - -_Principal of Bishop Ridley College_ - -TORONTO: -THE BRYANT PRESS -1895 - - -Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the office of -the Minister of Agriculture, by REV. J. O. MILLER, M.A., St. Catharines, -Canada. - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - I. DUTY 7 - - II. OBEDIENCE 15 - - III. TRUTHFULNESS 19 - - IV. COURAGE 24 - - V. PURITY 30 - - VI. UNSELFISHNESS 35 - - VII. HONESTY 40 - - VIII. FAITHFULNESS 45 - - IX. PROFANITY 50 - - X. JUSTICE 54 - - XI. BENEVOLENCE 59 - - XII. AMBITION 63 - - XIII. PATRIOTISM 68 - - XIV. BODILY EXERCISE 72 - - XV. HABIT 77 - - XVI. INDUSTRY 82 - - XVII. SELF-CONTROL 88 - -XVIII. SELF-RELIANCE 91 - - XIX. FRIENDSHIP 95 - - XX. GENTLEMANLINESS 100 - - XXI. COURTESY 105 - - XXII. REPENTANCE 110 - -XXIII. CHARACTER 115 - - XXIV. CONSCIENCE 120 - - - - -PREFACE - - -This little book has grown out of periodical addresses to my own pupils. -An experience of over ten years has convinced me of the necessity of -teaching systematically the fundamental principles of Morality. The -scarcity of books suitable as elementary texts is a sufficient proof -that the subject is neglected in our schools. It cannot be right that -children should be left to master so wide a subject from incidental -instruction and from example. - -I should be sorry if any one thought, from glancing at the topics I have -treated, that I seemed content to put lessons in practical Morality in -place of instruction in the Scriptures and definite religious teaching. -Nothing can take the place of the Scriptures. But I feel convinced that -these two aspects of Truth must go hand in hand. The young mind requires -the truth to be presented to it from all sides, and nothing appeals to -it so strongly as a modern example. - -My own idea as to the use of such a book as this is that it should -supplement Bible instruction. The lessons are short enough to be taught -in half an hour. If one topic is taken up each week, and thoroughly -explained, and enlarged on by fresh examples from current life and -history, the whole book can be easily mastered in the school year, and -leave ample time for review and examination. If it should prove helpful -to other teachers, my labour will be amply rewarded. - -_Bishop Ridley College, St. Catharines, -Feb. 28th, 1895._ - - - [Greek: Megas gar ho agôn, megas, ouch hosos dokei, to chrêston ê - kakon genesthai.] - --_Plato._ - - - - -No. I. - -DUTY - -+Duty is something which is due, and which, therefore, ought to be paid -or performed. It is something owed by everybody, to God, to self, or to -others.+ - - -No other word is more disliked by the slothful than the word Duty. The -mention of the word itself causes weariness to a boy or man of that -kind. We can only get to like the word and the thing itself by -accustoming ourselves to perform it regularly, a little at a time. A boy -or girl with a fine ear and a natural talent for music hates, at first, -the daily practising and the uninteresting lessons; but, as soon as the -difficulties are mastered, playing an instrument becomes a delight. -Duty, in itself, is not a distasteful thing; it is because we hate -anything which gives us trouble that it seems unbearable. We can teach -ourselves to like taking pains. - -Duty is, in one sense, the great law which governs the universe. The -planets revolving about the sun, the moon encircling the earth, even the -erratic comets, in fulfilling the laws of their being, perform the -duties which they are set. So, too, the plants and animals of the lower -creation obey the laws under which they live. Even of inanimate things, -pieces of human mechanism, may this be said. The pendulum of the clock -will tick until it is worn out, if it receive the care necessary for its -work. We see what wonderful things a machine can be made to do for man -in Edison's marvellous inventions of the kinetoscope and the -kinetograph. - -Human duties differ from those of the lower creation and of the -inanimate world in this, that in the latter the duties are performed by -virtue of the great law of necessity, whereas man is free. That is what -makes human duties moral--that is where the _ought_ comes in. If we love -idleness, and most of us do at first, we naturally hate the idea of -Duty. If we give way to our feelings and desires, we shall only hate -Duty more intensely, and we are in danger of becoming not much better -than the brutes around us; in fact, we are giving way to the brute part -of our nature. Human nature differs from brute nature in having a -Conscience, which continually whispers in our hearts, "I must not," and -"I ought." It is our first duty to listen to Conscience. - -The longer we practise doing duties the easier they become. A great man -once said: "A man shall carry a bucket of water on his head and be very -tired with the burden; but that same man, when he dives into the sea, -shall have the weight of a thousand buckets on his head without -perceiving their weight, because he is in the element, and it entirely -surrounds him." After running two miles for the first time, a boy feels -great stiffness, but after he has done it twenty times he feels nothing -but the pleasure of good health arising from pleasant exercise. In the -same way, he translates a single sentence in his Latin grammar with -great difficulty at first, but when he can translate Cæsar's campaigns -without trouble the task becomes a delight. - -Most people think they are entitled to great credit for doing their -Duty, and even to reward. If some one owes you a dollar, is he entitled -to a reward for repaying you? Is he entitled to any special credit? If a -father sees his son drowning and jumps into the water to rescue him, is -he entitled to any special credit, as a matter of right? Duty is -something _due_; therefore, it is a debt. "When ye have done all the -things that are commanded you, say, We are all bondservants; we have -done that which it was our duty to do." - -(1) Duty is something owing to ourselves. Character is made up of -duties, and by our character we must stand or fall. We owe it to -ourselves to take the greatest care of our bodies. They should be -cleansed and exercised every day of our lives. Many a man, who would -feel outraged if his favourite horse were not thoroughly groomed and -otherwise cared for daily, neglects his own body, which needs "grooming" -quite as much as that of the horse. We owe it to ourselves to be careful -as to what we eat, and as to the right quantity. If we give a dog too -much meat or a horse too much grain, we know the result. We are not so -careful about ourselves as about our animals. - -We owe it to ourselves to be true in all things. "First to thine own -self be true," says the great poet. We owe it to ourselves to be honest -in the very smallest things as well as in the great; to be afraid of -nothing except evil; to be clean in our thoughts and words; to be -modest; to be kind; to be gentle to the weak; to be generous; to be -charitable; to be modest about ourselves; to be temperate. - -(2) Duty is something owing to others. We owe our parents a return for -their love and care for us at a time when we should have perished -without it. The return that is due them is that we should be a credit to -them instead of a disgrace, so that the world may say, "Those parents -have reason to be proud of their children." God has said: "Honour thy -father and thy mother." We owe it to them to be diligent in our -lessons, so that we may prepare to earn our own living, and not to be -dependent upon them all our days. A boy may say: "I am not going to -bother my head about this work. My father is rich, and I shall never -have to work unless I like." A few years hence, men will say: "Look at -that idle fellow! He is a disgrace to his parents. He is fit for -nothing; he is going to the bad already." - -We owe it to others to owe them nothing. "Owe no man anything." It is -our duty to pay every debt in full, at the earliest moment possible. We -owe it to others to keep as sacred every confidence reposed in us. We -owe it to others to say no evil of them. _De mortuis nil nisi bonum_ was -a proverb of the Romans. It is wiser to speak evil of no one at all. - - - "He slandereth not with his tongue, - Nor doeth evil to his friend, - Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." - - -(3) Duty is something owing to one's country. The names of the patriots -will be the last to die from men's memories. Every man owes to his -country his name, his influence, his strenuous labour, his liberty, his -life itself, should that be needed. When Nelson, on the day of -Trafalgar, gave to his ships the signal, "England expects every man to -do his duty," he spoke for all nations, in all ages, under all -circumstances. When Pompey's friends tried to dissuade him from setting -sail for Rome in a storm, telling him that he did so at the peril of his -life, he said, "It is necessary for me to go, it is not necessary for me -to live." Perhaps the greatest example of patriotism shown in a love of -Duty of modern times is that of Wellington. His greatness lay in doing -thoroughly every duty that came in his way. For that he would sacrifice -everything else. Late in his life he was content to suffer a temporary -loss of popularity through devotion to what he believed to be a duty. He -was even mobbed in the streets of London, and had his windows smashed -while his wife lay dead in the house. The great motive power that -underlay his whole career was whole-hearted devotion to Duty. He himself -said that Duty was his watchword. "There is little or nothing in this -life worth living for," said he; "but we can all of us go straight -forward and do our duty." Nelson's last words were: "I have done my -duty; I praise God for it." - -Some years ago a troop-ship called the _Birkenhead_ was wrecked off the -coast of Africa. The officers and men saw the women and children safely -into the boats, which sufficed for them alone. Those brave soldiers and -sailors fired a salute as the ship went down, and thus cheerfully gave -up their lives to the watery grave. Upon which a great writer said: -"Goodness, Duty, Sacrifice--these are the qualities that England -honours. She knows how to teach her sons to sink like men amidst sharks -and billows, as if Duty were the most natural thing in the world." - -(4) Duty is something owing to God. The highest act of duty is to -acknowledge that we owe everything to God, except evil. We owe our lives -to God, for from Him they came. We owe it to God that man is a human -being, and not merely a higher sort of lower animal. God "breathed into -his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living _soul_." We owe -to God all that we have, and especially all happiness that we enjoy. It -is from Him that comes all the love that enters into our lives. He is -the great source of love to the human race. That is why we call Him our -Father; He is the personification of the love of which our earthly -parents' love is an example. We owe to God gratitude for His love to us, -manifested at every step of our lives, and we ought not merely to feel -that gratitude, but also to express it to Him daily. It is our duty, -therefore, to pray. - -The highest form of prayer is that God's will may be done in our lives. -If we are sincere in that, and pray it with our hearts, and not merely -with our lips, it will be found sufficient to cover every request that -we can make, because our supreme duty is to do God's will in every act -and desire of life. Arising out of that prayer come the principal duties -of life, viz., thankfulness for God's goodness to us, the fight against -evil in every form, the showing to others by example how God's will may -be done, and, lastly, perfect trust in God in every circumstance of -life. - - - - -No. II. - -OBEDIENCE - -+Obedience is doing promptly and cheerfully what is commanded by those in -authority over us.+ - - -Obedience is the first great law of life. No nation could continue to -exist if its citizens were not law-abiding. The most highly civilized -nations are those whose citizens yield loyal Obedience to the laws, and -strive to make all men obey them. Every society has its rules which the -members agree to obey, and it can only exist so long as that obedience -is observed voluntarily and faithfully. No army could be successful -against the enemy if the soldiers did not obey their officers. -Unquestioning obedience to the commands of the captain is necessary for -the safety of the ship and of the lives of the passengers. Those who are -employed in business must obey the instructions of their employers if -the business is to succeed. The first lesson that a schoolboy is set to -learn is the lesson of Obedience. What happiness could there be in our -homes if the children did not obey their parents? - -The greatest part of life is Conduct, and Conduct can only be attained -by practising Obedience. The little child learns it from its mother, the -boy from his father, and from his master at school. The young man must -practise it at college, or at business. The older man continues to obey -some one all through his life. If he wish to govern others, he must -first obey himself. If he will not obey himself, he cannot rule others. -There is only One who is above Obedience--that is God. - -At the battle of Balaklava, a small brigade of cavalry was ordered to -attack an immensely strong battery. The order was a mistake, as every -one knew that such an attempt would mean certain death. Yet the officer -commanding the cavalry did not hesitate for a moment to carry out the -orders, though he well knew what the result would be. Not a single -soldier among those six hundred refused to obey. - - - "Theirs not to reason why; - Theirs but to do and die." - - -And so the charge was made, and out of the six hundred only one-quarter -returned. - -Boys sometimes think it a manly thing to question the orders given them, -and even to assert their independence by refusing to obey. Brave men -think it childish to stop to reason about the commands of those in -authority. The wisest men believe that disobedience is one of the -strongest signs of radically bad character. Experience teaches us that -disobedience will, in time, destroy the character altogether. He that -will not submit to authority must become, in time, not merely a useless, -but a dangerous, member of society. - -Obedience, to be worth anything in building up conduct, must be given -_promptly and cheerfully_. Obedience which is tardy, or yielded through -fear, is not right Obedience at all. If a boy's father desires him to do -a piece of work which is not agreeable, or not very easy, there is often -a great temptation to put it off, and do other things first. A boy is -told to cut the grass when he comes home from school. He returns home, -and finds the afternoon warm, and the prospect of grass-cutting -uninviting, and so he first feeds his pigeons; and that reminds him that -he is very anxious to make them some new nest-boxes. The afternoon has -nearly gone when he, at length, drags himself unwillingly to the -lawn-mower; and he has barely finished the work, when he sees his father -coming in at the gate. Perhaps the edges of the grass plot have not been -clipped, as a finish to the work, because he did not begin soon enough. -That is a case of tardy Obedience--not real Obedience. The work was done -because the boy knew he must do it, and not because he loved to obey -his father. Real Obedience is _prompt_ Obedience. - -Real Obedience is always cheerfully given. He who grumbles at an order, -and only does it through fear, is not obedient. A boy who will not -cheerfully give up a game, in order to carry out a command from one in -authority, must always be looked upon as one who is at heart -disobedient. If the officers of the cavalry, mentioned above, had chafed -under the order to put their lives in peril, and had sent the messenger -back to find out if they were really to make the attack, they would have -lost their claim to our admiration as truly brave men. If the troopers -had grumbled when the order was given to advance into the valley of -death, and had made the attack in a half-hearted way, they would never -have gained the undying glory that is theirs, and they would probably -have sacrificed the lives of the few who did at last return in safety. -Their Obedience gained them immortal fame because it was prompt and -cheerful. - -He who would become a good citizen, and a really useful member of -society, can only do so by practising Obedience, with great patience, -and with all his heart, throughout the whole of his life. To attain -excellence in it, as in many other things, it must be begun very early -in life. Above all, it must be willingly given. Real Obedience is -prompt, cheerful, and from the heart. - - - - -No. III. - -TRUTHFULNESS - -+Truthfulness is speaking and acting in a perfectly straightforward way, -without any attempt to add to, or take from, the facts. Its opposite is -Lying or Deception.+ - - -If Lying were the rule and Truthfulness the exception, society would -soon be destroyed. Men could not do business with each other if they -could not be trusted to speak the truth, and to keep faithfully a -promise once made. Instead of trusting, they would fear one another; -every time they were assured of anything they would doubt, and perhaps -suspect a trap. If all men resorted to lying, they would soon begin to -destroy each other, because it is an instinct of human nature to -preserve one's self from the attack of enemies. The liar is the enemy of -mankind. A great man was once asked: "Do the devils lie?" "No," was his -answer; "for then even hell could no longer exist." - -(1) Regard for Truthfulness forbids us to tell, as truth, what we know -to be false. This is the worst form of lying. Only the most hardened -will lie deliberately; no one who has not had long practice in this vice -can tell a deliberate falsehood without despising himself. That can only -be done when the Conscience is at last asleep, and when the character -has become vicious. - -(2) Another form of lying is telling, as truth, what we do not know to -be true. People often assert things which they cannot possibly know to -be true; for instance, the motives of other persons. There are also -things which are only probable, and of which we cannot be certain. To -state as absolutely true what we cannot know to be true is falsehood. -Again, there are things which are merely matters of opinion, and upon -which vastly different opinions may be held. If we would be strictly -truthful, we must be careful to state as true only what can be proved to -be facts. - -(3) Another form of deceit is telling what may be true in fact, but -telling it in such a way as to convey a false impression. This may be -done by (_a_) exaggerating, or adding to, the facts; or (_b_) by -withholding some important part of the facts. Many a character has been -ruined by some enemy who wilfully overstated, or understated, facts of -the highest importance to the person's reputation. Many a man has ruined -his own character by allowing himself to acquire the habit of -exaggeration. - -(4) Untruthfulness shows itself in other ways. A lie may be acted as -well as spoken. For example, when a boy allows himself to be praised for -some action he never performed and does not give the praise to the right -person, or at least disown it for himself, he acts a lie. The boy who -tries to make his master believe him to be obedient and studious when he -is not acts a lie. The boy who brings up as his own work an exercise -which he has cribbed, or in which he has been assisted, acts a lie. - -(5) Concealment of the truth may be an unspoken lie. There is an old -Latin motto which says: "The suppression of the truth is the suggestion -of an untruth." By keeping back a necessary part of the truth one may -give a totally wrong impression of the facts, and this is just as much a -lie as absolute misstatement. - -(6) Trickery, or underhand dealing of any kind, is a kind of lying. A -London merchant had business with another in a foreign country. The -latter asked the former to send out certain packages of goods marked -less than the real weight, so as to escape the customs duty. "I can't do -it," said the English merchant. "Very well," said the foreigner, "if -you won't, there are plenty of others who will, and I shall take my -business away from you"--which he did, causing the other firm a heavy -loss. A few years afterwards the foreigner wrote to the English -merchant: "Enclosed is a draft for so much, which please put to my -credit. I am sending my son to England to learn your way of business. -There is nobody in whom I have such confidence as I have in you. Will -you take him into your office and make him the same sort of man that you -are yourself?" - -(7) Truthfulness lays upon us the most solemn obligation to keep our -promises, no matter how small may be the matter concerned. He who makes -a promise, not intending to keep it, is guilty of gross deception. In -making a promise it is our duty to express our _intention_ in the -plainest terms, and we must then consider ourselves under obligation to -carry out that intention faithfully and fully. When Blücher was -hastening with his army over bad roads to the help of Wellington at the -battle of Waterloo, he encouraged his troops by calling out frequently, -"Forward, children, forward." "It is impossible; it can't be done," was -the answer. Again and again he urged them. "Children, we must get on; -you may say it can't be done, but it must be done! I have promised my -brother Wellington--_promised_, do you hear? You wouldn't have me _break -my word_!" - -Lord Chesterfield once said: "It is truth that makes the success of the -gentleman." Those words should be taken to heart by every boy who wishes -to honour truth. Clarendon said of Falkland, one of the noblest and -purest of men, that he "was so severe an adorer of truth that he could -as easily have given himself leave to steal as to dissemble." -Shakespeare said: - - - "This above all: to thine own self be true, - And it must follow as the night the day - Thou canst not then be false to any man." - - - - -No. IV. - -COURAGE - -+Courage is that disposition which enables us to meet danger or -difficulties firmly and without fear. There are two kinds of Courage: -Physical and Moral; and it has two aspects: Fearlessness and Boldness.+ - - -The opposite of Courage is Cowardice, and no greater insult can be -offered a man than to call him a coward. Courage has always been looked -upon as one of the greatest virtues. Men may be willing to forfeit -purity, truth, and honour, but they cling to Courage to the very end. -Courage is a quality that boys love and respect, because it is a manly -virtue. - -Physical Courage appeals most to the young. Nothing so excites their -admiration as a feat of daring. Physical Courage is a splendid thing, a -thing to be prized by every one. As a rule, it is something that every -one may possess a good share of. Physical Courage depends very largely -upon bodily vigour and strength of muscle. It is when we are nervous and -feel our limbs to be weak that our Courage is small. The boy or man who -exercises his muscles regularly is sure to store up a large amount of -physical Courage--enough, at least, to develop its first -stage--Fearlessness. - -He who possesses a good constitution and a body whose strength he has -tested by repeated trials is not apt to turn tail at small fears, as are -the weak and delicate. He is able to present to difficulties, or, it may -be, to danger, a steadfast mind and a calm exterior. It is this sort of -Courage which makes the English soldier renowned in war. Had it not been -for the dogged persistence of his soldiers in holding their ground, in -spite of a hurricane of shot and shell, Wellington could never have held -Napoleon at bay at Waterloo. But, while this Fearlessness is much to be -admired, it is, after all, the least heroic form of Courage, because so -much of it is purely physical. - -Fighting, as a test of Courage, is greatly overestimated. Experienced -soldiers tell us that it requires a good deal of Courage to go into -battle for the first time. "You look pale," said one officer to another, -as he came within range of the enemy's guns for the first time; "are you -afraid?" "Yes," answered the other; "if you were half as much afraid, -you would turn tail." But, with most soldiers, the feeling of fear soon -wears off, and where there is no fear there is not much trial of -Courage. The physical Courage that we all covet is that which leads a -man to do what others dare not. In 1892, a young clergyman, on a visit -to this country, was crossing the foot-bridge at Niagara Falls. When -about one-third of the way across, he saw a lady stepping up from the -carriage path to the sidewalk. She caught her toe against the edge, -stumbled forward, and fell through the open iron work at the side of the -bridge. She happened to be over the place where the broken rocks line -the edge of the water. In her swift descent, she struck her head against -one of the girders and was stunned; her body then turned over and fell -across another girder. At this moment the clergyman came up. Looking -over, he saw her body swaying gently, and evidently about to drop very -soon to the awful rocks, over two hundred feet below. Without a moment's -hesitation, he sprang out over the edge of the bridge, and, seizing one -of the iron rods that supported the girder, he slid down, and then crept -along the narrow girder till he reached the lady. Bracing himself with -immense difficulty, he kept her from plunging into the abyss until help -arrived, death beckoning to him from below, if he should lose his head -for a single moment. At length a rope was lowered to him, and they were -soon drawn up. That is a splendid example of physical Courage. - -A higher type of Courage is that which enables us to endure pain. -Endurance is a rarer quality than dashing Fearlessness. It was said that -in the Franco-Prussian war, in 1870, the French soldiers were more -brilliant in the on-rush than the Prussians, but they lacked endurance, -and could not stand for long before artillery fire. This type of Courage -is best seen in bearing pain. When Epictetus was a slave, his master was -one day beating him. The poor slave said: "If you do not look out, you -will break my leg." Presently the bone snapped. "There," said Epictetus, -as _calmly_ as before, "I told you you would break it." One of the most -remarkable instances of the Courage of endurance is that of the defence -of Cawnpore, in the days of the Indian Mutiny, by a handful of English -troops, with their wives and children. For twenty-one days they endured -untold agonies of exposure by a never-ceasing fire, of hunger, of thirst -(sharp-shooters picking off any one who dared approach the single well -in the camp), of the midsummer sun, of sickness, and of the unutterable -foulness of their surroundings. The soldiers' wives showed even greater -endurance than the men. Women generally have greater courage than men in -the matter of bearing pain. - -The highest type of Courage is that which is called Moral Courage, and -is exercised about matters of right and wrong as they affect us -individually. "It is shown by the man who pays his debts, who does -without when he cannot afford, who speaks his mind when necessary, but -who can be silent when it is better not to speak. It requires Moral -Courage to admit that we have been wrong." It requires Moral Courage to -stand being laughed at, although it is the sign of a wise man to be able -to enjoy a laugh at his own expense. It requires Moral Courage to run -the risk of losing one's popularity. Socrates was the greatest teacher -of ancient times, and he was beloved by many of his pupils; but because -his lofty teaching ran beyond the attainments and spirit of his age, he -was condemned to drink the deadly hemlock. He died calmly, even -joyfully, discoursing to his judges of the immortality of the soul. -Galileo was imprisoned when seventy years of age, and, probably, -tortured. He was content to suffer it, and refused to retract what he -had proved to be scientific truth. - -When we are laughed at or threatened with persecution of any kind, -Courage bids us stand by our principles. - - - "As the crackling of thorns under a pot, - So is the laughter of a fool," - - -said Solomon. It is the part of wisdom to disregard being laughed at. -When a boy lacks backbone, we say he is easily led, which means, easily -led wrong. How we pity such a boy! - -The highest Courage is that which leads men to sacrifice their lives of -their own free will. Such was the courage of the soldiers and sailors of -the _Birkenhead_. In one of the battles of the Peninsular War, a -sergeant named Robert M'Quaide saw two French soldiers aim their muskets -against a very young officer, sixteen years old. M'Quaide pulled him -back behind him, saying: "You are too young, sir, to be killed," and -then fell dead, pierced by both balls. - -Courage is a very different thing from Recklessness, or Foolhardiness. -An old proverb says: "Courage is the wisdom of manhood; foolhardiness -the folly of youth." And Carlyle said: "The courage that dares only die -is, on the whole, no sublime affair.... The Courage we desire and prize -is not the courage to die decently, but to live manfully." - - - - -No. V. - -PURITY - -+By Purity we mean that state of mind which is possessed by him who -fights against foul thoughts, drives them away, and who never allows -himself to perform an unclean action, or to use filthy, or obscene, -language.+ - - -Purity involves three things: (1) Clean language, (2) clean thoughts, -(3) clean actions. They are put in this order because it generally -happens among the young that impurity begins with hearing unclean -language, and by imitating it. A little boy hearing others use foul -language soon begins to use it himself, though he may not know its real -meaning. Alas! it does not take long for him to learn the meaning of it -also; and it is but a short step from foul language to impure thoughts -and filthy actions. - -Purity is one of the three heroic virtues; the others are Truth and -Courage. In the age of chivalry men valued Purity above all things -except Truth and Courage. Tennyson makes his hero say: - - - "My good blade carves the casques of men, - My tough lance thrusteth sure; - My strength is as the strength of ten, - Because my heart is pure." - - -Purity is one of the most manly virtues. Impurity marks the coward and -the sneak, because it is nearly always directed in thought or action -secretly against those weaker than ourselves. In "Tom Brown at Oxford," -one of Tom Brown's friends says: "I have been taught ever since I could -speak that the crown of all real manliness is Purity." You may ask: "Why -is it manly?" It is manly because it cannot be got without a hard -struggle; the temptation to be impure in thought, if not in language, is -one of the hardest temptations to overcome. A little boy may not feel -it, but the older he grows the harder he has to fight against impurity -in his heart, and in his life. - -We must, first of all, guard against unclean language. There are some -words which are merely filthy, without being immoral; both are bad, and -the one leads to the other. Little boys often long to have other words -to put into their language than they have learned at home, because they -think the home language not strong enough or manly enough. In order to -satisfy themselves that they are no longer children, they begin at -school to copy the strong words of the boldest and most reckless of the -boys they meet, and they quickly add to their vocabulary unclean and -even immoral words, because such words seem to be the mark of manliness, -and of personal independence of character. By the time that a boy begins -to realize what such words really mean, he has already formed the habit -of using unclean language, and a bad _habit_ is the hardest thing in the -world to get rid of. - -Any one who thinks about the matter for a moment will admit that filthy -language is not only not manly, but that it is degrading to the mind and -character. One of the most manly characters of modern times was -Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, who died in 1874, by the clubs -of savage islanders, who, when he was dead, placed him in a boat with -his hands crossed, and set him adrift upon the Pacific. We are told by -an old schoolmate of his that once, when he was captain of the cricket -eleven at Eton, some boys at the cricket dinner began to sing a coarse -song. "Coley" Patteson had said that he would leave the room if such a -song were sung, and as soon as they began it he quietly got up and went -out. The result of his action was that the bad custom was stopped -entirely. The old poet of Israel sang: "O Lord, keep the door of my -lips." We all need to make that request. Another of the most manly men -of modern times was General Grant, President of the United States. We -are told of him that on one occasion, when a number of gentlemen were -dining together, some one began to tell an indecent story. He commenced -by saying: "I have a first-class story which I may tell, seeing that -there are no ladies present." "No! but there are _gentlemen_ present," -said General Grant, and the story was not told. - -The use of unclean words leads to impure thoughts and to filthy actions. -It is difficult to speak plainly about this matter of personal Purity. -Every boy when he reaches a certain age is tempted by the Devil in the -way of impure thoughts. These are first presented by unclean things -which come into the imagination. If they are not fought against, and -driven out by force of strong will, in a short time the imagination, -naturally one of the purest and most beautiful faculties of the human -mind, will become tainted, and at last foul and degraded. Unclean words -do harm, first, to the individual character, by destroying its early -purity and delicacy, just as we spoil the beauty of a grape by rubbing -off its bloom; and, secondly, to those who hear and may learn to use -them. But unclean thoughts, the evil imaginations, injure the _soul_, -and the _mind_, and the _body_. They injure the soul by making it take -delight in that which is foul and base, and which belongs to the brutes. -They hurt the mind by destroying its power to concentrate itself on -work, or on anything that lies outside of self. They injure the body, -because he who is given up to foul thoughts soon becomes capable of -nothing else. He avoids companions, he desires to be _alone_, that he -may take delight in foul images of the mind, and so the body is -neglected and loses its strength. - -There is even a worse stage, when the foul imagination results in -_secret_ acts of filthiness, which eventually will destroy body, mind, -and soul. The poor wretch who has learned such horrible habits may live -on, but not many years can pass until he shall become an idiot, and must -be confined in an asylum, away from his fellow-men. Terrible, indeed, is -the fate of such a person. How significant are the words of the great -Teacher, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!" -Another great teacher once said that pure religion was: "To visit the -fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself -_unspotted_ from the world." - - - - -No. VI. - -UNSELFISHNESS - -+Unselfishness is the giving up personal gain or advantage. It is the -desire to do the will of another rather than our own. It is making a -sacrifice to please some one else.+ - - -Truth, Purity, and Courage are called the heroic virtues; Unselfishness -is greater than any of them. It is like the Christian virtue of Charity -or Love; it makes people forget their own interests for the sake of -others. Unselfishness is the great lesson we learn from studying the -life of Jesus; He is the great example to the world of absolute -self-forgetfulness. We admire notable examples of this virtue. One of -the members of the Light Brigade tells us that in that terrible charge -he was wounded in the knee, and also in the shin. He could not possibly -get back from the scene of the fight. Another soldier passing by said: -"Get on my back, chum." He did so, and then discovered from the flowing -blood that his rescuer had been shot through the back of the head. When -told of it, he said: "Oh, never mind that; it's not much, I don't -think." But he died of that wound a few days later. The brave fellow -thought not of his own wound, but only how he might help another, though -he belonged to a different squadron and was unknown to him. - -Unselfishness is one of the hardest things to learn. A boy may be -naturally brave and even generous, but no one is naturally unselfish. We -are apt to confuse generosity with unselfishness; really they are quite -different. A generous person gives out of his abundance, liberally; an -unselfish person of what seems necessary to his happiness. A generous -boy shares his weekly purchases with his friends; an unselfish boy, out -of pity at some distressful case, gives away all his allowance for that -week, and cheerfully goes without. The selfish boy spends his money upon -himself alone. It is hard to neglect Self. - -Even the selfish make sacrifices occasionally. But there is not much -virtue in being unselfish now and then, if, in the meantime, we think of -nothing but gratifying our own desires. Real Unselfishness is a habit, -and needs to be acquired as does any other habit. We have to begin -practising it, and to go on practising it, in the little things of life -as well as the great, for a long time before we are finally able to -forget self and think of others first. It is perhaps impossible to -forget self altogether; but Unselfishness aims to that. - -A boy is going down town for some amusement. His sister asks him to take -a parcel for her to the house of a friend, who lives considerably out of -the way. He says he can't be bothered, or that he will miss some of his -fun; he is selfish. Another boy is next at bat, and the "Pro." is going -to bowl. A friend asks him to exchange places on the list, as he has to -meet his father at the train later on, and he is near the foot of the -list. The first boy consents, though he knows he will not get nearly so -good a practice; he is unselfish. The unselfish person is constantly -trying to lighten the burdens of others. - -If you wish to tell a thoroughly selfish person, watch his conversation. -He talks constantly of himself, of what he has done, or will do, or can -do. His belongings are better than those of another, merely because they -are his. He loves himself more than any one else; and it is natural to -talk of what we love best. Lord Bacon said: "It is a poor centre of a -man's actions, _himself_. It is right earth." He also said: "The -referring of all to a man's self is a desperate evil in a citizen of a -republic." "Wisdom for a man's self is, in many branches thereof, a -depraved thing. It is the wisdom of rats, that will be sure to leave a -house before it fall. It is the wisdom of the fox, that thrusts out the -badger who digged and made room him. It is the wisdom of crocodiles, -that shed tears when they would devour." - -An old proverb says: "Love thyself, and many will hate thee." - -Unselfishness is hard to practise, because it brings no reward in this -life. The unselfish man, indeed, is often imposed on by the -self-seeking, and more often still simply because he is unselfish, and -never ceases to think of others. A Christian man in the city of Toronto, -widely known for his charities, subscribed $500 to a deserving object. -The committee in charge of the matter appointed collectors to go about -and ask help from the public. A lady called upon this gentleman, not -knowing that he had already given largely. He was about to tell her of -his first subscription, when he noticed her face fall at the expected -refusal. He immediately took her little book and put down his name for a -second amount. He could not bear to send her empty away. His first -subscription was generosity; his second, Unselfishness. There _is_ a -reward here for Unselfishness--the approval of one's own Conscience, -and, after all, that is of greater permanent value than the praise of -men. - -In an age when there is so much grasping after personal gain, it is -refreshing to read of great instances of forgetfulness of self. When the -_Victoria_, after her collision with the _Camperdown_, was found to be -sinking, Admiral Sir George Tryon ordered the sick and the prisoners to -be brought up from below, and then gave the usual order, always the last -to be given on a ship: "All hands for themselves." Not a man broke ranks -until that order was given. Even then the chaplain stayed to help the -sick, and so lost his life. The Admiral himself went down, standing on -the bridge; and, most notable of all, young Lanyon, a junior midshipman, -refused to leave the Admiral's side, though told to jump, and they went -down together. - - - "He that loseth his life shall find it." - - - - -No. VII. - -HONESTY - -+Honesty is Truth practically applied to questions about the property of -others. It is the principle of dealing with others as we would desire -others to deal with us. The sole guide in fulfilling this obligation is -not what the Law may be, but what our Conscience tells us.+ - - -(1) Honesty is a form of Truthfulness. It is that form of it which is -concerned with our dealings with others, especially as to their -possessions. The opposite of it is called Dishonesty, and the worst form -of Dishonesty is Stealing. The thief is hated, and feared, and despised -more than any other sort of criminal. Men fear him as they do poisonous -snakes; because the thief is a creeping creature, hiding himself and his -actions from the light of day. He watches you until you feel secure, and -are less careful than usual of your possessions; then he sneaks about, -waiting for a favourable moment when no one is near to observe or -suspect him before snatching your property. A man may commit a very -grievous offence against another in a moment of passion; and, though we -acknowledge the justice of his punishment, we do not hate him. But men -hate a thief because he is a sneak, and because his offence is done in -cold blood, not in the heat of anger; in an underhand way, not openly -and above board. - -The confirmed thief is one who has yielded his soul to the Devil. He -deliberately sacrifices his character; he surrenders himself of his own -free will to a life of evil. Stealing inevitably leads to lying, and -these two things degrade the character more quickly than any other evils -that touch it. Not only does he destroy the purity of his soul; before -long he must yield up his body for punishment. Not one thief in a -hundred goes long unpunished. - -(2) There are other forms of dishonesty not so open as stealing, and, in -some cases, not so harmful, but generally degrading and destructive of -high character. One of these is Cheating. If a coal dealer is paid for a -ton of coal and delivers only nineteen hundred pounds, he is guilty of -stealing. If, however, he gives full weight, but sells the coal as -first-class, when it contains shale or other impurities, and is really -of a cheap grade, then he is cheating. The schoolboy who copies his -night-work from another, or gets help, and then presents the exercise as -his own, is guilty of cheating. This form of cheating is made worse -when it is done in examinations, because the result affects not only -the standing of the person who cheats, but deprives others of fairly won -advantage. - -(3) Another form of dishonesty is that by which one person takes -advantage of another in a bargain, through his ignorance or -helplessness, even though nothing is actually misrepresented. For -example, A. asks B. to lend him ten cents for a month. B. knows that A. -is in a tight place, and must have the money; and so he offers it on -condition that A. will pay him twenty cents at the end of the month. B. -is dishonest, because he takes unlawful advantage of A.'s necessity. - -(4) There is a kind of cheating not referred to above--that is cheating -in games. Apart from the effect of this kind of cheating upon the -character, the game itself is spoiled. There is a tendency, nowadays, to -play games for the sake of the victory alone, and to take no interest in -games that one cannot win. We should play the game for its own sake, and -frown down all attempts to win it by going just a little outside of what -we know to be the rules. He who allows himself to cheat at games is -forming a habit which will lead him to cheat later on in serious -business. - -(5) Another form of dishonesty is that relating to property lost and -found. A boy finds a sum of money in a room, or hall, or playground, or -even on the street. Money is a thing not easily identified, and there -is, therefore, a temptation to pocket it and say nothing about it. This -is dishonest. The duty in such a case is plain, to try to find the -owner, and, if that cannot be done, then to put the money to some useful -or charitable purpose, and not into one's own pocket. - -(6) Still another form of dishonesty is that in which one person takes -to himself the praise belonging to another; or allows another to bear -blame belonging to himself. We often see boys letting others suffer, in -one way or another, for what they have done. Nothing can be meaner or -more contemptible. It is not uncommon to see people eager to take the -credit, or praise, or even rewards, which properly belong to others, who -have been thrust aside, or forgotten, for the moment. It is a form of -dishonesty. - -Honesty has another side also. When practised according to the voice of -Conscience, without regard to what the law may be, it is the sign of a -noble character. A young man's father fails in business, and dies -suddenly, leaving many debts behind him unpaid. The young man makes a -solemn resolution that he will save and save, and work his hardest, to -pay off those debts, though he did not make them; that is the Honesty of -the truly noble character. A very striking example of this sort of -Honesty is that of Sir Walter Scott, who applied himself, though nearly -sixty years of age, to the enormous task of paying off, by the sale of -his stories, a debt of $600,000, which he did not actually incur, and -from which he could have got free, according to the letter of the law. -But his inflexible Honesty forced him into making an effort which -doubtless shortened his life. - - - - -No. VIII. - -FAITHFULNESS - -+Faithfulness is being true to our word, and to our friends, fulfilling -our obligations, and doing what we see is our duty, at all costs.+ - - -Of the honest man we say: "His word is as good as his bond." Of the -faithful man we say: "He was never known to desert a friend or neglect -an important duty." Faithfulness is one of the strongest evidences of -fine character. The boy who is sent on an errand by his mother, and -resists the temptations of some playmates he meets on the way, to stop -and have a game, is Faithful. Two boys going for a walk in the country -decide to cross a field of ripe grain, and run the risk of being seen by -the farmer in the next field. They are seen and chased. One can run much -faster than the other; in fact, he can escape if he likes to leave the -other. But he doesn't; and both are caught, and have their ears cuffed. -That is an example of the Faithfulness of a friend. As the gentleman's -psalm puts it, - - - "He sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not"; - - -or, as it is otherwise translated, - - - "He sweareth to his friend, and changeth not." - - -In the history of Napoleon we are told that, after his burial at St. -Helena, his household sadly embarked for Europe. One of their number, -however, Sergeant Hubert, refused to abandon even the grave of the -Emperor. For nineteen years he continued at St. Helena, daily guarding -the solitary tomb, and when the remains were at length removed to France -the faithful old servant followed them home. How often we see people -professing the utmost friendship and loyalty to one who has wealth and -influence; but as soon as his money is gone, his faithless friends -depart also. Is not that the case sometimes, even with schoolboys? - -We should be faithful in performing obligations. It is said of Thomas -Brassey, who has been called a great captain of industry, and who was -one of the first to undertake great railway contracts, that the reason -of his success lay in the fact that he was faithful in all obligations, -and trusted his men as they trusted him. On one occasion, when he was -building a railway in Spain, a man who had agreed to make a cutting -through a hill found that it turned out to be a rock cutting, though the -price was to be for a sand cutting. If there had not been perfect trust -between the two men, the work would have stopped, and Mr. Brassey would -have lost a large sum through delay. The sub-contractor went steadily on -with the work, and had it almost finished, when Mr. Brassey arrived from -England to inspect the works. When he came to the hill, the -sub-contractor told him what he had done. Some men would have taken -advantage of the sub-contractor; but Mr. Brassey allowed him double the -price agreed upon, and kept a faithful servant by practising -Faithfulness himself. - -A merchant fails in business. He agrees with his creditors to pay them -fifty cents in the dollar, and they then discharge him from his -liabilities, and he begins business again. In a few years he makes a -good deal of money. He determines to pay back to his old creditors the -other fifty cents in the dollar, from payment of which they had -released. That is a case of Faithfulness to one's obligations. The moral -obligations to pay back everything remained, though his creditors had -let him off. There are such men in the business world, and all honour to -them! Horace says: "Fidelity is the sister of Justice." - -We should be especially careful to be faithful in the performance of our -promises. A promise is a sacred thing. It is an obligation undertaken of -our own free will, and for which we have pledged our honour. That is -what the sacred poet means in saying: "He sweareth to his own hurt, and -changeth not." Nothing can turn him from his promise, even though he is -sure to suffer by it. There is a proverb which says: "Promises may get -friends, but it is performance that must keep them." - -Faithfulness is most difficult in the daily round and common task of -life. Yet it is precisely there that Character is formed and built up. A -reputation for Faithfulness cannot be made by being strictly faithful a -few times, or in a few important things. We have to practise at it, and -grow into the character of a faithful man after years of effort. A boy -is given ten words to parse for next day. He does five carefully; and -then, longing to get out to play, he does the others anyhow, just to be -able to show the exercise, and escape detention; he is unfaithful. Or, -he is given four stanzas of poetry to learn. He learns three, and takes -his chance of being asked one of the three, and not the fourth; he is -unfaithful. He is expected by his parents to watch over his younger -brother who goes with him to school, but he lets the little fellow fight -his own way; he is unfaithful. He listens without protest, or without -moving away, to bad, or, perhaps, obscene, language. He is unfaithful to -God, and to his father and mother. - -The late Czar of Russia, Alexander III., was many times in danger of -his life, and his father had been assassinated by Nihilists. Yet he -refused to flinch from the path of duty. He was faithful to his great -position and responsibilities, and was called the Peace-keeper of -Europe. When he was fresh from a hair-breadth escape from the hand of an -assassin, he said: "I am ready; I will do my duty at any cost." - -The highest examples of faithfulness are to be found in the history of -the Christian martyrs, who gave up their lives joyfully, rather than be -found unfaithful. In the terrible persecution of the early Christians in -A.D. 303, a young Roman noble, named Andronicus, was brought before the -governor of the province. He was very bold in professing his faith in -God. The judge said: "Youth makes you insolent; I have my torments -ready." Andronicus replied: "I am prepared for whatever may happen." He -was tortured upon the rack, scraped with broken tiles, and salt rubbed -into his wounds, but remained immovable. Three times the torture was -repeated. But with seared and scarred flesh, members cut off, teeth -smashed in, and tongue cut out, he maintained his fidelity to the end. -At last he was thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre of -Anazarbus. - - - "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of - life." - - - - -No. IX. - -PROFANITY - -+Profanity is using the name of God, or of anything sacred, in a -disrespectful or light and careless way.+ - - -There is no vice which has so little excuse for existence as the vice of -Profanity, commonly called swearing or cursing. Every other vice we can -think of has some appearance of reason in it. Thieving is done because -of the temptation to gratify some desire. In the case of the young -thief, who is just learning the evil practice, this desire completely -overcomes him. The enjoyment which he thinks he will get from the -coveted thing forms an overwhelming temptation. Lying is generally -resorted to by the young in order to get them out of scrapes, or to -avoid immediate punishment; and we might thus enumerate other vices, and -the reasons for their existence. But Profanity can plead no excuse -whatever. It is merely a vicious habit acquired without sense or reason. -Boys learn it from each other, and in many cases from men, who are -doubly guilty in allowing the young to overhear evil words. Boys think -it manly to swear because they hear their elders doing it. But there is -nothing manly about swearing. The things that are truly manly are such -things as Fearlessness, Moral Courage, Endurance, Steadfastness, -Loyalty, Honour, Faithfulness. Profanity cannot rank with any of these. -Placed beside them, it is at once seen to be low and vicious. - -(1) The worst form of Profanity is that which is made use of when any -one uses God's name in a disrespectful way. We see this when one person -curses another in the name of God. This worst form of Profanity -generally arises from giving way to ungovernable passion. - -(2) A less evil form of it arises from allowing one's self to form the -habit of swearing; not from a bad motive, but because of the tendency in -most of us to imitate others, or from carelessness in watching the words -we use. Boys should be as careful of their words as young ladies are of -their steps. It is easy to acquire a habit; it is exceedingly difficult -to get rid of it. - -(3) A little boy asks: Is it Profanity to say _damn_, or to use lightly -the name of the _Devil_? It is just as profane to use either of these -words as it is to use the name of God carelessly. The power of _damn_, -as we now understand that word, belongs to God alone; it is a sacred -thing; therefore, it is profane to speak of it lightly. The devil is the -ruling spirit of evil, and of the souls of those who are entirely given -up to evil. The destiny of the human soul in such a state is one of the -most solemn thoughts that can come to men; to speak lightly of the -matter is to profane it. - -(4) To scoff at religious things is Profanity. If a boy so behaves in -church as to show that he has no respect for the reading of the Bible, -or for the singing of sacred songs, or for the act of prayer, he is -guilty of Profanity. If one person wilfully interferes with another when -engaged in any sacred exercise, meaning to bring the person or the act -into disrepute, he is guilty of Profanity. We see, then, that Profanity -covers a much wider field than the mere disrespectful use of God's name, -with an evil purpose in the mind. - -The use of profane words is the mark of a coarse and vulgar mind. Many a -man has been weaned of the habit which he learnt as a boy solely on -account of its coarseness and vulgarity. That is not a very high ground -on which to give up a vice; yet it is sufficient to show us that -Profanity tends to degrade him who practises it. The man who prides -himself on being a gentleman, and yet uses bad language, is by no means -altogether a gentleman. The use of coarse language destroys the fine -and delicate texture of the mind, and blunts the finer perceptions. He -who would keep his very highest faculties uninjured cannot afford to -indulge in any habit which tends to coarseness. - -Washington once asked a number of his officers to dine with him. In one -of the pauses of conversation, he heard one of them at the far end of -the table utter an oath in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone. -The General looked quietly at his guests, and then said: "I really -thought I had invited none but gentlemen to dine with me." - -Plutarch said: "If any man think it a small matter to bridle his tongue, -he is much mistaken." - -St. James said: "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect -man, and able also to bridle the whole body." - - - - -No. X. - -JUSTICE - -+Justice is the principle of awarding to all men, including ourselves, -what we believe to be their just rights. We are morally bound to be just -even to our enemies, not only in our actions, but also in our words and -thoughts.+ - - -Justice is said to be truth in action, that is, truth carried into -practical operation. Two brothers at school have a hamper sent them from -home. It is directed to the elder, but the letter says it is for both. -The elder takes charge of it, and, while enjoying its contents freely -with his friends, has the power to allow his brother to partake of the -good things very sparingly, and only occasionally. But he allows his -brother free access to the basket, that both may share alike. That is a -simple case of Justice. - -A boy going out to steal apples from an orchard forced a younger and -smaller boy to accompany him for the purpose of keeping a lookout. While -the bigger boy was in the middle of the orchard the younger lad was -caught, and taken back to school to be punished. The real thief, having -escaped, returned in time to see the little boy punished for the -offence. Instead of bravely coming forward to take the place of his -companion, who was really his victim, he laughed it off, and promised -him some candy at the end of the week. That is a case of gross -injustice. The converse of this form of injustice is also common; when -one person takes the praise, or reward, that is really due to another. -We see injustice of that kind in business, and, indeed, in every walk of -life. It has happened over and over again that the maker of some great -invention has been obliged to sell it for bread, while the man who -bought it has taken advantage of his fellow-man's distress and made a -fortune, and the other was left in poverty. "Render, therefore, to all -their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear -to whom fear; honour to whom honour." - -The Thebans represented Justice as having neither hands nor eyes; their -idea being to picture the just judge, who would neither receive a bribe, -nor respect persons from their appearance. For a similar reason the -English people picture her with eyes bandaged, and having a sword in one -hand and a pair of scales in the other. The Emperor Maximilian's motto -was _Fiat justitia, ruat coelum_; "Let justice be done, though the -heavens fall." Mahomet said: "One hour in the execution of justice is -worth seventy years of prayer." - - - "Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding - small; - Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He - all." - - -Though man's justice fail, God's justice can never fail in the end. - -Grievous injustice is often done by the exaggerations of enemies, or -careless busybodies. Two friends fall out, and one, feeling bitter -against the other, repeats something which the other has confessed in -confidence, taking care to add a little--just enough to save the story -from absolute misrepresentation, but enough to do his former friend an -injury which, perhaps, can never be undone. Gossip about the failings of -others almost always ends in injustice. - -"Let every man be swift to hear; slow to speak; slow to wrath," if he -wish to become a just man. One of the most harmful of the smaller sins, -and most difficult to get rid of, is the sin of exaggeration. It is -fatal to the growth of Justice in the character. If we would be just to -others, it is well to practise the rule of silence unless we have -something favourable to say. The love of Justice should lead us, -whenever we hear anything to a man's discredit about which there is no -absolute certainty, to give him the benefit of the doubt. When a -prisoner is being tried for an offence, the judge always tells the jury -that if there be any reasonable doubt about the evidence the prisoner -must have the benefit of it. It is better that the guilty go free than -that the innocent should suffer. - -We can be unjust in our thoughts of others, as well as in our actions -and in what we say. We are constantly warned by the best and wisest men -about the folly of rash judgments. These words, from the Sermon on the -Mount, are an example of many similar warnings: "Judge not, that ye be -not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." It is -possible to be guilty of the gravest injustice to others, by forming -harsh opinions of them in our own minds for which we have not sufficient -ground. It is not necessary to utter our judgment in order to be unjust; -we can harm people merely by thinking evil of them, because a harsh -judgment in the mind affects all our dealings with them, and may thus -injure them in the opinion of others. - -In seeking to be just men, our grand guide should be the Golden Rule: -"As ye would that men should do to you, do to them likewise." If, when -about to do, or say, or think, anything unjust of any one, we could get -into the way of asking ourselves how we should look upon the matter if -the positions of the persons were reversed, there would be far less -injustice in the world. Justice is one of the great virtues, and it is -worth striving after. It is a virtue that we can only possess in a -marked degree by constant practice in doing just acts, in speaking just -words, and in thinking just thoughts. - - - - -No. XI. - -BENEVOLENCE - -+Benevolence is good will. The benevolent man has kind thoughts of -everyone, kind words for everyone, and a helping hand for those who need -it.+ - - -Goldsmith's biographer tells us that when the poet was taking a stroll -one evening, he met a woman with five children, who implored his -charity. Her husband was in the hospital, and she was from the country, -and had neither food nor shelter for her helpless offspring. Goldsmith's -kind heart melted at the story. He was almost as poor as herself, and -had no money in his pocket, but he took her to the college gate, and -brought out to her the blankets from his bed to cover the children, and -part of his clothes to sell for food. In the night he found himself -cold, and so he cut open his bed and buried himself among the feathers, -where he was found next morning by a college friend, with whom he had -promised to breakfast. - -One boy has a feeling of spite against another, owing to some trivial -quarrel. To vent it, he goes to his enemy's room, and, in his absence, -slashes the gut of his tennis racket with a knife. That is an example of -Malevolence, or evil will, or, as it is commonly called, Malice. - -The benevolent man is he who calls the whole world kin, and refuses to -harbour an evil intention against any one. To have a mind like that -requires long practise in patience, charity, fortitude, forgiveness, and -self-denial. St. Paul, in one of his most famous letters, says that -Benevolence is made up of these very things; so that in this matter we -have not only our own experience, but a great authority to corroborate -it. Shakespeare, too, says: - - - "Deep malice makes too deep incision; - Forget, forgive; conclude, and be agreed." - - -The saying of another poet, "To err is human, to forgive divine," might -well read, "To avenge is human, to forgive divine." Every one who gives -way to malicious anger usurps the place of God, and says to himself, -"Vengeance is mine." But who ever got any lasting satisfaction out of -revenge, when wrath has died away, and the injury he has suffered begins -to look smaller? Sir John Lubbock well says: "Revenge does us more harm -than the injury itself; and no one ever intended to hurt another, but -did at the same time a greater harm to himself, 'as the bee shall -perish if she stings angrily.' The vulture, we are told, scents nothing -but carrion, and the snapping turtle is said to bite before it leaves -the egg, and after it is dead." - -If a little boy is hurt, how kind the big boy becomes in his help and in -his words! And yet, when he gets well again, perhaps the same big boy -will make his life miserable, through unkindnesses which really amount -to bullying. - -It is difficult to say kind things of those whom we do not like, and it -is far harder to think kind thoughts about them; but, if we wish to be -really men of good will, we shall have to make the effort to do both. -Difficult as it may be, it is quite certain that the trial is worth -making. The benevolent man is the happiest man in the world. Happiness -is thus brought to us by striving to do what we think we shall hate -doing. There is an old proverb which says: "Pursue happiness, and she -will flee; avoid her, and she will pursue." - -The distinctive feature of Benevolence is willingness to lend a helping -hand to those in need of it. One great name in this respect is that of -William Wilberforce, who gave up his time and energies to abolishing the -slave trade. No other human being ever did a greater work than that, and -no other name will live longer in history than his. Another great name -is that of John Howard, who gave the best years of his life to -improving the condition of prisons, not only in England, but in other -countries, too. "In three years he personally inspected every prison in -the three kingdoms that presented any peculiarity. He travelled ten -thousand miles at his own expense, and delivered from prison a large -number of poor debtors by paying their debts. Wherever he went he -brought some alleviation to the lot of the prisoner by gifts of money, -bread, meat, or tea, and by remonstrating with jailers, surgeons, -chaplains, and magistrates. Several prisons underwent a complete -renovation and reformation, solely in consequence of his conversations -with county magistrates and circuit judges." - -We may not all be able to do great deeds of Benevolence; but we can all -get into the habit of lending a hand whenever it is needed--not merely -when a great occasion demands, but habitually. "A handful of good life -is worth a bushel of learning." We can all practise keeping cheerful -tempers, and saying kind words, and doing small acts of kindness, even -to enemies. What distinguished Christ, as a teacher, from all other -teachers that went before him, was His treatment of this subject of -Benevolence. The old and well-established law was: "An eye for an eye, -and a tooth for a tooth." He laid down a new law, the principle of -Benevolence: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him -drink." - - - - -No. XII. - -AMBITION - -+Ambition is that longing for pre-eminence which urges men to intense and -long-sustained exertions. Ambition is good or evil, according as it is -selfish, or seeks the good of mankind.+ - - -Ambition is the putting forth of immense energy with a definite purpose -in view. Nearly all the great achievements of the human race have been -accomplished by means of the ambition of individuals, Alexander the -Great, Cæsar, St. Paul, Henry IV. of France, Raleigh, Gustavus Adolphus, -Richelieu, Warren Hastings, Clive, Napoleon, Wellington, Nelson, -Faraday, Pallissy, Livingstone, Gordon, Edison, all achieved great deeds -through ambition. But as the names represent types of good and bad -character, so there are two kinds of ambition, noble and selfish, good -and bad. - -It must be confessed that Ambition is apt to lead men astray. It is hard -to be ambitious without being at the same time selfish, proud, and -covetous. Ambition is a dangerous possession to the young man whose -character is not well grounded, and who has not learned to put the good -of his fellow-men above his own personal advancement; and these two -things always clash in questions of right and wrong. We are told that -when the Russian engineers were consulting the Czar about the line of a -railway from St. Petersburg to Moscow, he refused to listen to a -statement of difficulties, but took a ruler, and, laying it on a map of -Russia, drew a straight line between the two cities, and ordered the -engineers to disregard towns, and private homes, and obstacles of any -other kind. Napoleon literally waded "through slaughter to a throne," -and cared nothing for the sacrifice of his soldiers or the tears of a -whole nation. - -Ambition is bad when it leads men to seek power to gratify personal -ends. Cæsar's ambition was evil because he thirsted for personal power -for his own gratification and pride. The thirst for money is a bad -Ambition. It nearly always ends in making man a miser, than whom there -is no man more contemptible and pitiable. It is seldom a man amasses a -very great fortune without depriving other people of their rights. The -wise man said: "He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." - -Ambition often destroys the character of the man who gives way to it. -Macbeth was a great general, and a brave and honest man. In thinking -over the murder of the king, which his wife proposed to him, he said: - - - "I have no spur - To prick the sides of my intent, but only - Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself, - And falls on the other"; - - -meaning that he had no motive whatever for killing Duncan except the -ambition to occupy his throne. Ambition destroyed him. Frederick the -Great bound himself to befriend and support the young ruler of Austria, -yet he violated his oath, robbed his ally, and plunged Europe into a -long and desolating war. To quote his own words: "Ambition, interest, -the desire of making people talk about me, carried the day, and I -decided for war." He sacrificed his own soul for the sake of the glory -arising out of victorious war. - -The danger of Ambition to young men is that it leads to discontent with -their present lot in life. Many a young man has been utterly ruined by -giving way to discontent because of Ambition. A young man in a bank, -filled with Ambition, wishes to improve his position. His salary is -small, and he feels cramped. He begins to speculate through brokers, -paying a little cash down. Perhaps he is successful at first. Then he -hears of some railway shares that are going up in price every day. If he -can only get some money to buy he can repay it in a week, and make a -great profit for himself. He takes the bank's money. He does this -several times, until at last the crash comes, as it always does, and the -young man is sent to spend some of the best years of his life in gaol. -Ambition has destroyed his reputation, and has cost him his liberty and -his friends. - -To excel in his present calling, is a lawful Ambition for a young man, -leaving it to the future, to his reputation, and to God, to lift him -higher. How much wiser and happier Macbeth would have been if he had -kept to his first resolution: - - - "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me." - - -It is quite possible for Ambition and Contentment to go together, and to -produce the very greatest results in the long run. This was the ambition -of General Gordon, that he might excel others as a soldier, and yet be -content with a position humble as men count such things. He refused -repeated offers of money from the Emperor of China. He accepted the -Peacock Feather and Yellow Jacket to give pleasure to his mother, and to -enable him to exert the necessary influence upon the Chinese in settling -the country after the horrors of war. This was the kind of Ambition held -by Livingstone, by Palissy the potter, and, above all men in modern -times, by Faraday. When Faraday made known some of his discoveries, he -was offered large sums to make experiments for merchants, and he might -soon have become very rich, but it would have taken all his time. He -refused; he remained poor; he gave himself up to scientific research, -and he made the name of England great in the scientific world, as it had -never been before. - -The highest Ambition a man can have is to be able to make a sacrifice of -his inclinations, and to give himself up to some noble work for the good -of mankind, without any thought of profit or pride, or place or power, -or any other form of selfishness. - - - - -No. XIII. - -PATRIOTISM - -+Patriotism is love of and devotion to one's country. It is the spirit -that prompts us from love of our country to obey its laws, to support -and defend its existence and its rights, and to promote its welfare.+ - - -Maurice once said, very truly, "that man is most just, on the whole, to -every other nation who has the strongest feeling of attachment to his -own." Love of one's country, if it be real and deeply rooted in the -heart, is a sacred thing. There are few nobler feelings, if only they -are genuine. A boy's patriotism is generally associated with fireworks -and brass bands, and it is right enough that he should make merry on his -country's great days. But we should guard against thinking that there is -nothing more in Patriotism than fireworks and bragging and brass bands. -The show, the display, should be only the mark of a real love and -respect within the breast. - -It is natural to be proud of one's country. If a stranger should abuse -it in our hearing, we should feel indignant, and a natural feeling of -pride would urge us to refute his statements. There are many things to -be proud of, even in a country by no means great in arms or in -territory. He would be a very small-minded man who refused to -acknowledge the right of every country to the devotion of its children. -But, as Maurice said, "he is most just to others who has the deepest -attachment to his own." It is not boasting to say that we belong to the -greatest race that the world has ever seen. The growth of our race, not -only in the little mother island, but also in every continent of the -world, has not been paralleled by any other people. No other nation in -history has retained so long its supremacy among the nations of the -earth. When the great nations of Greece and Rome reached the height of -their power, they maintained it for a time by means of slaves, and gave -themselves up to luxury and vice. But, as soon as they became effeminate -through loss of vigour and the idleness of their citizens, their power, -and even their national existence, were destroyed. Instead of -maintaining its power and wealth by slave armies and slave labour, the -English people abolished slavery off the face of the civilized world. -England paid Portugal $1,500,000, Spain $2,000,000, to induce them to -give up the slave trade. For fifty years England kept a squadron on the -west coast of Africa to keep down the slave trade, at a cost of -$3,500,000 a year. She paid the West Indies and Mauritius $100,000,000 -to free their slaves. The sum which it cost the English-speaking people -of America to put down the slave trade cannot be calculated. - -The ancient nations of Greece and Rome derived immense sums of money -from their colonies. They made the colonies pay for the support of all -the armies and the general expense of government. England has never -taxed a colony with any great burden. It is estimated by Sir John -Lubbock that in ten years, from 1859 to 1869, $210,000,000 was spent by -the mother country upon her colonies. - -It is the glory of Canadians to belong to such a race. The old land from -which we came is worthy of our deepest love and veneration and pride. As -Tennyson patriotically says: - - - "There is no land like England, - Where'er the light of day be; - There are no hearts like English hearts, - Such hearts of oak as they be." - - -And this new land, too, claims our love and loyalty. No boy ever grew to -manhood with a fairer heritage than the young Canadian possesses. But if -his privileges are many, so, too, are the duties of citizenship. After -all, the best patriot is the best citizen. It is easy to cheer with the -crowd, even when its cry is "Our country, right or wrong." That can -never be the cry of the true patriot. In fact, real Patriotism concerns -itself not with "cries," but with deeds. He is said to be the truest -patriot "who can make two blades of corn grow where only one grew -before." How true that is for Canadians! Our country does not at this -stage of its history require the partisan, or the politician; we have -too many of them. It needs men who love her as men love their homes and -families; thinking it an honour and a pride to labour for them. - -Patriotism is a sacred thing, a sacred duty. Ruskin says, "Nothing is -permanently helpful to any race or condition of men but the spirit that -is in their own hearts, kindled by the love of their native land." - -It is our duty to cultivate the love of our country, to do everything in -our power to make that love stronger as we grow older. If we love our -country, if we see that in her which calls forth our enthusiasm, then we -are ready to make any sacrifice for her that she may demand, even to -shedding our blood. Ruskin also says: "It is precisely in accepting -death as the end of all, and in laying down his life for his friends, -that the hero and patriot of all time has become the glory and safety of -his country." - - - - -No. XIV. - -BODILY EXERCISE - -+Mens sana in corpore sano.+ - -+"The glory of young men is their strength."+ - -+"He that hath clean hands waxeth stronger and stronger."+ - - -Dr. Hall tells the following true story: Two friends are in a canoe in -the Mozambique channel. A flaw of wind upsets the boat, which fills and -sinks, and the men are left to swim for their lives. One says to the -other: "It is a long pull to the shore, but the water is warm and we are -strong. We will hold by each other, and all will be well." "No," says -his friend, "I have lost my breath already; each wave that strikes us -knocks it from my body." In a moment he is gone. His friend can do -nothing; only swim, and then float, and rest himself, and breathe; to -swim again, and then float, and rest again; hour after hour to swim and -float with that calm determination that he will go home; hour after -hour, till at last the palm trees show distinct upon the shore, and then -the figures of animals. And then, at last, his foot touches the coral, -and he is safe. That is an example of the difference wrought in two men -merely by exercise, or the steadiness of training. - -Exercise makes the body strong. Many a man has reason to bless the -memory of his father or teacher, who, when he was a weak boy, with -flabby muscles, and without energy or strength of will, made him take -regular exercise. A young man who was threatened by weak lungs was -ordered to take regular Exercise every day with clubs and dumb-bells and -a vigorous walk in the open air. After a few months' steady practice he -found that he could, with his hands, lift his elder brother, lying flat -on the ground, by the clothes and elevate him above his own head. -Neglect of Exercise keeps the muscles weak, makes the blood impure, and -renders the body liable to the diseases which are ever ready to attack -him. We now know that diseases enter the human body by means of minute -living germs, which float unseen in the atmosphere. Practically, no -people living in towns escape these germs; but the strong body is able -to throw them off, while the weak succumbs. There are in the blood -thousands of little bodies which act as scavengers, and are continually -fighting against foreign invaders that get into the system. If the body -becomes weak through lack of Exercise, the blood suffers, the number of -scavengers becomes lessened, and disease more easily fastens upon it. - -Not only is the body weakened by lack of Exercise, but the brain is even -more so. If a stream of pure blood be necessary for the strength of the -body, it is far more necessary for the health of the brain. Parents -often complain that their sons are stupid, and are not able to see -through things, and have poor memories, when the trouble lies chiefly in -the fact that the blood is unable to carry off the worn-out elements of -the brain, because it is not kept pure by regular Exercise and fresh -air. The secret of mental activity is complete bodily health. The boy -who is subject to headaches cannot study hard; nine-tenths of the -headaches arise from giving the stomach too much hard work, and the -brain too little. The stomach is capable of an immense amount of labour -if the other members of the body will only work, too; but if they get -idle, it is apt to break down under its burdens, and then the brain -suffers. - -The English race has always been characterized by immense energy. -Probably no other race has ever been so distinguished for enterprise and -energy. It is the energy of the race which has led to the growth of its -vast colonies, and to the maintenance of empire over less civilized -peoples. It has made the United States the great nation that it is. -Energy makes the man, as it makes the nation. The vast majority of -people depend for energy upon Exercise. Loafing destroys energy. Mental -energy depends very largely upon physical energy, except in the case of -the sick. Physical energy depends upon taut muscles and supple joints. - -The relation of Exercise to morality is very close. If a young man fills -up his spare time with Exercise, he runs no risk of going to the bad -morally. After a day's work, and active Exercise to end it, he needs a -great deal of sleep; and his sleep is sound and refreshing. The -sleeplessness that arises from loafing causes an immense amount of -mischief to the moral nature--impure thoughts, or half-waking dreams, -with, perhaps, degrading habits growing out of them. When the body is in -a good state of health, man's faith in God, and in truth, purity, and -honour, is bright and steadfast. When his body is run down, through -neglect, everything looks gloomy. - -An important part of Exercise is the work of keeping the body clean. It -is just as necessary to keep the outside of the body clean and sweet as -the inside; and as the inside is being continuously cleansed by pure -blood, the outside should be cleansed regularly with water. The decayed -matter in the body, carried off by the blood, escapes chiefly in one -way--that is, through the pores of the skin, and if these pores are -allowed to get choked by neglect the dead matter remains in the system -and pollutes it, and the body soon gets out of order. It is a duty to -take sufficient exercise every day to incite perspiration, and then a -cold plunge or sponge bath, or, at least, a vigorous rub-down. If we -could only get into the habit of doing that, we might snap our fingers -at most kinds of disease. - -These things depend largely upon daily Exercise: Bodily Strength, Mental -Activity, Energy, the Moral Life. - - - - -No. XV. - -HABIT - -+By Habit is meant accustoming ourselves to do certain things regularly. -Habit is a tendency of the mind and body resulting from frequent -repetition of the same acts.+ - - -An old man who had very deformed fingers said: "For over fifty years I -used to drive a stage, and these bent fingers show the effect of holding -the reins for so many years." Carlyle said: "Habit is the deepest law of -human nature. It is our supreme strength, and also, in certain -circumstances, our miserablest weakness." In the life of the young, -especially, the two greatest laws are Habit and Imitation. There is -nothing a boy's parents fear so much as that he will imitate bad things -in the characters of others, and so learn bad habits. When a boy has -learnt a great many bad habits, it is almost impossible to get rid of -their effects, even though he should change his habits. They leave marks -upon the character, just as smallpox does upon the face. - -It is easy to learn bad habits. It is just like the old game of "Follow -your Leader." Unless the leader is a very clever athlete, most boys -have no difficulty in following and imitating what he does. When once a -boy makes up his mind that he is not going to be very particular about -his language, it is astonishing how easily he will learn to swear, and -to use unclean words. But if he should become ashamed of such a habit, -how hard it is to drop it! He may make the strongest resolutions, and -try his best to put them in practice; but he will find himself dropping -into profane language when he gets excited, or loses his temper, or at -other times when it is particularly necessary for him to be careful. - -With many people to do a thing once is to form the Habit. It is well -known that the taste for wine and spirits is often inherited by a boy -from his parents. For that boy, or young man, to drink once is to form a -Habit, though he may be quite unconscious of it. We always do form -habits unconsciously, and we often know nothing of them until they are -fully formed and have nearly mastered us. If some kind friend warn the -youth, he may drop the habit at once; but, if not, drinking will soon be -a positive pleasure, and, before he knows it, he will be on the primrose -way. Let a young man give way a few times to impure imaginations and -thoughts, and he will soon be in danger of a habit that will destroy -him, body and soul. The curse of the human race is the tendency to form -bad habits. - -The surest way to avoid bad habits is to form good ones before the -former become established. And the first good Habit that will help us to -avoid or conquer bad ones is _never to be idle_. "An idle man is like -the housekeeper who keeps the door open for any burglar." I do not mean -by not being idle that we should never cease from work. But I do mean -that as soon as work ceases play should begin. Idleness is loafing; and -nothing so surely produces other bad habits as the habit of loafing. The -boy who has a game in view the moment his work ceases is not in very -great danger of forming bad habits. The boy who is in danger is he who, -having done the least possible amount of work in school hours, is tired -by the effort to do nothing, and so would rather lie upon his bed than -take exercise. - -The Habit of exercise is a sacred duty. All feel the effects of -systematic neglect of fresh air and muscular training, and most young -men and boys do take exercise spasmodically--one day a great deal, and -the next, perhaps, none at all. The bodily system can no more flourish -under that sort of treatment than it could if one were to over-eat on -one day, and go absolutely without on the next. The only way to bring -the body to a high state of cultivation and to keep it there is to form -the habit of exercise, and let nothing interfere with it. It need not be -always the same; it should be varied; but it should always be active. -If a boy does not care for very violent exercise, he can substitute for -it light gymnasium work, or club and dumb-bell exercise. The great -Sandow says that he keeps his strength up to the point of efficiency by -clubs and dumb-bells, and open-air exercise. The great thing about it is -regularity; that is to say, Habit. - -Another great factor of success in life is the Habit of early rising. We -all love to lie in bed a little longer than we ought; but we should -fight against it. Mr. Gladstone, throughout his years of vigour, took -seven hours sleep, and he said to a friend: "I should like to have -eight; I hate getting up in the morning, and I hate it the same every -morning. But one can do anything by habit, and when I have had my seven -hours sleep my habit is to get up." King George III. was an early riser. -He once said to a man who came late: "Six hours sleep enough for a man, -seven for a woman, and eight for a fool." Dickens use to rise at seven, -have a cold bath, "and then blaze away till three o'clock." Kant, the -greatest philosopher of modern times, used to retire at ten, and his -servant had strict orders never to allow him to sleep later than five, -no matter how strongly he might plead for rest. Sir Walter Scott said: -"God bless that habit of getting up at seven. I could do nothing without -it." The Duke of Wellington said that when we turn in bed it is time to -turn out. - -The wise boy will form habits of reading good books regularly, -especially the Bible; of exact and strict punctuality in all his -engagements, great or small; of neatness in his appearance; of personal -cleanliness; of politeness of speech. A Habit once learned will stick to -one, whether good or bad. - - - "Habit at first is but a silken thread.... - Beware! that thread may bind thee as a chain." - - - - -No. XVI. - -INDUSTRY - -+Industry is the fully formed habit of work. It is that which prevents us -from wasting time, and strength, and the powers of mind. Its opposite is -Indolence, or Laziness.+ - - -Work is a fundamental law of life. He who does not work must suffer, -whether he be rich or poor, because man cannot break any law of nature -without paying the penalty. If a man deliberately sin against nature, -that is, against God, he may be forgiven, but he cannot escape the -result, or, in other words, the punishment. - -But all work is not Industry. If we are compelled to work against our -will, that is not Industry. There must be the habit, and no habit can be -fully formed without the mind's consent. Industry is work done with a -will; not at odd moments, with wide spaces of idleness between, but -regularly as a habit, which is as much the business of life as eating -and sleeping. - -In the history of mankind, Industry has been a far greater power than -Genius. Genius, indeed, has been called "the power of taking pains"; -that is, immense perseverance. The amount of good done to mankind by men -of genius who have had no Industry is hardly worth counting up. Nearly -all the world's great men have been men of great diligence. As Cicero -said: "Diligence is the one virtue that includes all the rest." Solomon -has the same thought: "The soul of the diligent shall be made fat." It -is astonishing what a large number of great men have risen by their own -industry to positions of the highest authority and influence. Faraday -was the greatest chemist of modern times. His father was a village -blacksmith, and he himself was first a newsboy, and then learnt the -trade of bookbinding. He became interested in books through making their -covers. Turner, the greatest modern landscape painter, was the son of a -barber. He left school when he was thirteen; and from that time earned -his own living. - -Sir William Jones, the great oriental scholar, was a man of enormous -Industry. Before he was twenty years old, he had mastered Greek, Latin, -Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, and had made great progress in Arabic -and Persian. He divided his day as follows: - - - "Seven hours to law, to soothing slumber seven, - Ten to the world allot, and all to heaven." - - -Hugh Miller, the great geologist, began life as a stonemason. Elihu -Burritt, a blacksmith, mastered eighteen languages and twenty-two -dialects. Such perseverance and diligence should make us feel ashamed of -neglected opportunities. - -The main thing to keep in mind about Industry is that it is a habit, -and, like most good habits, somewhat difficult to acquire. A boy is -given a piece of work by his father. He goes at it with great vigour; -but, in a short time, his attention is attracted by his dog, or birds, -and he leaves the work for something more pleasant; he is not -Industrious. A boy begins his night lessons and works five minutes, and -then remembers something that happened that afternoon at play; he -returns to his book for five minutes more, and then thinks of the next -half-holiday--and so on. Industry means concentration, and he has not -learnt anything about that yet. - -At the beginning of the lesson, a boy pays close attention; but he soon -sees that his nails require attention, or his pencil a finer point, or -the nearness of his neighbour suggests a small trick. Perhaps his head -is heavy and requires to be held up by one hand, or the hero of the -latest story persists in thrusting himself upon the mind, or he wishes -he were out camping. Industry is attention; and he has not yet learned -how to keep his mind on his work. - -Most boys suffer from lack of power to pay attention for a considerable -time. With some it is a disease arising from physical causes. If a boy -has got into the habit of imagining impure things, his power of -attention is in danger of being destroyed; if he has learned to practise -secret vice, his brain is being destroyed. Some boys possess marvellous -power of concentration. Macaulay's mother tells us that he wrote a -fairly complete history of the world, occupying twelve pages, when he -was seven years old. But the average boy needs to have his power of -attention cultivated, as any other faculty is trained. He can do this, -first, by striving to take an interest in everything that presents -itself to his mind, no matter how dry; and, secondly, by practising -attention. He can do this by keeping a watch open, and seeing how long -he can work without thinking of outside things. There is no more notable -example of industry in our own day than that of Edison. He is said to -sleep only three or four hours in the twenty-four for months at a time. -Those who live with him say that his Industry is the most remarkable -thing about him. Some one once asked him how to succeed in life. His -answer was: "Don't look at the clock!" - -Attention produces the habit of Industry, that is, of wasting not a -moment in idleness. Lord Nelson said that he attributed his success in -life to a habit he formed of being fifteen minutes ahead of time for all -his engagements. Imagine a boy being fifteen minutes ahead of time in -rising, and at meals, lessons, and prayers! The habitual late comer is -destroying his faculty for Industry. No one can afford to waste time; -and there would be less time wasted if we could only remember that -idleness is Suffering, if not now, then later on. - -The great Cobbet said: "I learned grammar when I was a private soldier -on the pay of sixpence a day. The edge of my berth was my seat; my -knapsack was my bookcase; a bit of board on my lap was my writing table. -I had no money for candles; in the winter time it was rarely that I -could get any evening light but that of the fire, and only my turn at -that." - -Sir John Lubbock says: "Industry brings its own reward. Columbus -discovered America while searching for a western passage to India; and, -as Goethe pointed out, Saul found a kingdom while he was looking for his -father's asses." - -There is, for a boy, no motto grander than Luther's _Nulla dies sine -linea_. - -An old sun-dial in a churchyard in Scotland has these words engraved on -it: - - - "I am a shadow, - So art thou; - I mark time, - Dost thou?" - - - - -No. XVII. - -SELF-CONTROL - -+Self-control is the power a man exercises over himself--the power to -check his desires and passions; the power to deny himself present -pleasures for the sake of a great purpose; the power to concentrate his -energies on a single object in life.+ - - -Self-control is the basis of all Character, and the root of all the -virtues. Without it, man is like a ship that has lost its rudder, and -tosses helpless upon the waves. Self-control is one of the hardest -things to learn, though no one can succeed in life without it. We say of -the poor drunkard: "He could never say no!" The young man who can say no -to his friends, when his Conscience tells him he should, has learned one -of the hardest lessons of his life, and is in no danger of many of the -worst pitfalls of early manhood. Tennyson says: - - - "Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, - These three alone lead life to sovereign power." - - -The wise man said: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; -and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." - -A boy at school finds the greatest difficulty in paying _attention_. -His mind keeps wandering away from his work. He makes good resolutions, -but finds that, in spite of them, he cannot _fix_ his attention. After a -time, he despairs of himself, and gives up his chance, and perhaps -bitterly disappoints his parents. The trouble was lack of Self-control. -He had never learned how to master himself. He who can master himself -can master almost any difficulty. He must learn what Concentration -means. It is a habit, and can only be acquired little by little, by -earnest effort, and a strict watch upon self. A good plan is to keep a -watch open, and see how long the mind can be kept at work without -suffering any interruption. - -If we learn to control self in one way, it becomes easier to do so in -others. If a boy is given to flying into a rage, and practises checking -himself, until the habit is controlled, it will not be nearly so hard to -control himself in other ways. One of the hardest things to conquer is -the habit of exaggeration; it is so easy to overstate a thing, so hard -to keep to the _exact_ truth. The boy who conquers a habit like that is -on the road to thorough Self-control. - -Control of the appetite is, perhaps, the most difficult form of -Self-control for boys to practise. He who gives way to his appetite -yields the reins to a reckless driver. There is no vice more disgusting -or more dangerous than gluttony. It is the vestibule to all the other -vices. It is quite as important a duty to control one's stomach as to -check one's tongue. The best things are apt to come to him who has -learned to do without; though Self-control for its own sake is the -herald of happiness. In the life of General Gordon, we are told that he -once offered a native of the Soudan a drink of water. The man declined -the water, saying that he had had a drink _the day before_. A drink -every other day was enough for him; he had learned Self-control. - -History is full of examples of the failure of men and nations through -the loss of Self-control. The Greek nation was destroyed because the -people gave themselves up to idleness and the gratification of their -desires. So were the Romans, who were conquered by the savage Goths, who -possessed the virtue of Self-restraint. No man ever yet became great who -did not practise the great virtue of Self-denial. - -St. Paul said: "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection." - - - - -No. XVIII. - -SELF-RELIANCE - -+Self-reliance is the power to help one's self. It is personal -independence. It is that which makes labour enjoyable. It is that which -adds Zest to a man's pursuits in life, and produces the highest success.+ - - -He who learns the great lesson of Self-reliance will never lack the -means of livelihood or the opportunity for usefulness. It is the duty of -every boy to learn to depend upon himself. His father may be a rich man -now, but it is far easier to lose wealth than to create it, and the day -may come when his father may have to depend upon him. That every man -should earn his own bread is one of the fundamental duties of life. St. -Paul laid it down as a law for the Christians in Thessaly that "if any -would not work, neither should he eat." - -Most people have the stern necessity to labour laid upon them; but there -are some who have inherited, or expect to inherit, wealth, and who see -no need to employ their abilities in active, steady, persistent labour, -and yet it is just these who have the power to confer special benefits -and blessings upon their fellow-men. He who has no cares about the -earning of his daily bread has a great opportunity to devote himself to -some special line of labour which will result in a lasting benefit to -the community in which he lives, and which requires leisure for its -proper development. The rich man is a curse to his country, instead of a -blessing, if he keeps his capital from active employment, and at the -same time neglects to use for the good of his fellows that higher sort -of capital--his personal abilities. - -If the schoolboy wish to make real progress, he must learn to depend -upon himself alone. He will never master a subject thoroughly if he go -constantly to the master, or to another boy, for help. He who gets -another to do his lessons for him cheats not only the master, but -himself also. The boy who loves to overcome difficulties, whether they -be in the gymnasium, or the class-room, or the cricket field, is sure to -succeed in the struggles of after life. - -Self-reliance comes naturally to some people, especially to those who -have bodies trained by vigorous exercise. To others it becomes a habit -only after long effort, but it is beyond the reach of no one. Two things -are required for its attainment: determination and practice. We need -not expect to attain any good habit without failure at first. But, as -has been wisely said: "Perseverance, self-reliance, energetic effort, -are doubly strengthened when you rise from failure to battle again." - -Emerson said: "Self-trust is the first secret of success"; and in -another place: "Self-trust is the essence of heroism." - -It would be easy to give a great many examples of the virtue of -Self-reliance. One of the greatest in modern times was that of Lord -Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of England. He tried many times before he -at last got a seat in parliament. The first time he tried to speak in -that great assembly, he was received with shouts of laughter, when he -said: "Gentlemen, I now sit down, but a day will come when you shall -hear me." All will remember the wonderful Self-reliance of the Black -Prince at the battle of Creçy. At the close of his life, Jean Paul said: -"I have made as much out of myself as could be made of the stuff, and no -man should require more." - -Lord Bacon said: "Men seem neither to understand their riches nor their -strength: of the former they believe greater things than they should, of -the latter much less. Self-reliance and Self-control will teach a man -to drink out of his own cistern, and eat his own sweet bread, and to -learn and labour truly to get his living, and carefully to expend the -good things committed to his trust." - -Self-reliance does not mean Self-assertion. The truly self-reliant man -is modest in his language and manners. The boaster has usually very -little backbone to his character. Self-reliance is a deeply-rooted -feeling of reserve power, which makes a man strong under all -circumstances. It carries with it an equally strong feeling of -self-respect. The old French proverb says that a man is rated by others -as he rates himself. - -Goethe's advice to young men was: "Make good thy standing place, and -move the world." - - - - -No. XIX. - -FRIENDSHIP - -+Friendship is that feeling between people which leads them to trust each -other entirely, to tell each other of their difficulties, hopes, and -fears; to share with each other pleasures and sorrows; to help each -other when need arises, even though it involves a sacrifice.+ - - -Cicero thought Friendship of so much importance in life that he wrote a -treatise on it. He said: "Of all the things which wisdom provides for -the happiness of a lifetime, by far the greatest is friendship." -Certainly, it is a thing for which human nature seems to cry out. Lord -Bacon quotes an old saying: "Whosoever is delighted in solitude is -either a wild beast or a god." Just as we all desire to be liked rather -than to be hated, so we long to have, at least, one friend to whom we -can tell everything, and who will stand by us. We envy him who has many -friends. We may set it down as a truth, that if we have no friends the -fault lies in ourselves. There is something lacking in us, or there is -some horrid thing in our character that others cannot like. Real -Friendship must be based on admiration, or liking for some quality that -he who is desired as a friend possesses. The boy who lacks friends, but -longs for them, must search his own heart and character to see if he -cannot find out what is the matter with him. - -It is better to have one or two friends than to be popular with the -crowd. Some boys will do anything to be popular, even to sacrificing -Friendship. It is quite a common thing for boys to make themselves out -to be much worse than they really are in order to gain admiration. They -will pretend to be guilty of all sorts of things in order to get others -to think them more daring than themselves. The worst of it is that a boy -of that kind often becomes thoroughly bad at heart. - -It is in the power of every one to have at least one sincere friend; if -we are willing to be unselfish, to forget ourselves, and to try to help -others, we can have many. There is nothing that makes the daily life so -pleasant as the companionship of a friend present, or the thought of a -friend absent. Cicero said: "A true friend is he who is, as it were, a -second self." But, if we wish to keep our friends, we must be prepared -to make sacrifices sometimes. No man ever kept a friend for a long time -without occasionally doing something to prove the warmth of his feeling -for that friend. Friendships are generally broken because one or the -other partner turns out selfish. Boyish Friendships would be much more -lasting than they are, except for the great difficulty most boys have in -"giving up" to others. - -If Friendship is a sacred thing, how necessary it is to use care in -making a friend! It is the sign of wisdom to have many companions, but -few friends. To have many companions is to knock off our own rough -corners, and to teach us the principle of "give and take." In dealing -with a real friend, it should be mostly "give" and very little "take." -He who tries to make a friend should begin by giving his Friendship, and -give it with all his heart. But if he does that to one who is morally -below his own standard, the result will be disastrous. The old Romans -had a saying, taken from their poet Virgil, _Facilis descensus Averno -est_, which means that it is wonderfully easy to lower one's standard of -right and wrong. The poet went on to say: "But to retrace your steps, -and escape to the upper air, this is a work, this is a toil." - -There is nothing truer than the saying that a man is known by his -friends. A man's Friendships are the test of his character. A Spanish -proverb says: "Tell me whom you live with, and I will tell you who you -are." When a boy leaves school to go into a bank, or other business -house, his employers watch to see what friends he has. If they are not -what they should be, the young man is looked upon with suspicion; he is -not put into a position of trust; he may, some day, be told that his -services are no longer wanted. In buying an article which we intend to -last a long time, we are careful to choose the very best that can be had -for the money. If a man is going to buy a horse, how careful he is to -see that there is no blemish in him, and how particular he is to secure -a thoroughly reliable man to look after him! And yet the same person is -perhaps quite careless about the choice of his friends, though their -power to yield him the greatest pleasures in life, or to bring to him -the greatest sorrows, cannot be measured. Wise is he who heeds the words -of the wise man: - - - "Enter not into the path of the wicked, - And go not in the way of evil men. - Avoid it, pass not by it, - Turn from it, and pass away. - - "For they sleep not, - Except they have done mischief; - And their sleep is taken away, - Unless they cause some to fall. - - "For they eat the bread of wickedness, - And drink the wine of violence. - - "But the path of the just - Is as the shining light, - That shineth more and more - Unto the perfect day." - - -If you possess a friend who satisfies your heart and conscience, cling -to him under all circumstances. If he find fault with you, be patient. -"Faithful are the wounds of a friend." If he give way to wrath, give -back the soft answer that turns it away. - -If you cannot have the Friendship of the illustrious living, it is easy -to obtain that of the illustrious dead. The Friendship of good books is -one of the greatest pleasures of life. To win it, it is only necessary -to form the habit of reading regularly, no matter how little at a time. - -The best guide for a boy in forming Friendships is to choose none for -his friend whom his father or mother would disapprove of, _if they knew -all about him_. - - - - -No. XX. - -GENTLEMANLINESS - -+The four chief marks of a gentleman are: Honesty, Gentleness, -Generosity, Modesty.+ - - -Thackeray, who is noted among great English writers as a hater of shams, -said: "Perhaps a gentleman is a rarer man than some of us think for. -Which of us can point out many such in his circle--men whose aims are -generous, whose truth is constant, whose want of meanness makes them -simple, who can look the world honestly in the face with an equal manly -sympathy for the great and small? We all know a hundred whose coats are -very well made, and a score who have excellent manners, and one or two -happy beings who are what they call in the inner circles, and have shot -into the very centre of fashion; but of gentlemen, how many?" - -These four qualities of the gentleman include more than might appear at -a single glance. Honesty means far more than not stealing. The -"gentleman's psalm" tells us as one of his characteristics that "he -speaketh the truth in his heart." He who does that is honest in his -words, in his deeds, and in his thoughts. He so hates dishonesty that -honesty has become part of his life--it is in his heart. Such a man can -look the world in the face without flinching. He is the most fearless of -men, because he has nothing to hide from the light of day. As one great -man once said of another, "He has the ten commandments stamped upon his -countenance." Here, then, to be honest is to be brave also; we cannot -imagine a true gentleman as a coward. - -The second quality is Gentleness. It is hard for a boy to be gentle, -because he spends most of the time during which he controls his own -actions with other boys, and gentleness is not much called for. Some -boys look upon this quality as womanish, the mark of a coward, a thing -to be avoided. But what should we say of a boy who roughly handled a -bird with a broken wing? All boys possess this quality of Gentleness, -because it is founded on sympathy with the sufferings of the weak. If a -small boy falls and breaks his arm, how eagerly the bigger boys come to -his assistance, and how careful they are to touch the broken limb with -all tenderness! The feeling of sympathy makes them gentle. No boy is -without this God-given faculty. It is there to begin with, and if a boy -wish to become a gentleman he must cultivate it, as he does his other -powers. It is a faculty soon lost if we neglect it; it is easy to learn -to be rough and loud-mouthed, and roughness soon leads to cruelty. The -true gentleman practises Gentleness towards the weak at all times, -whether they are suffering or not. The boy should learn it in his own -home; that is the best and easiest place to learn it. It is easy to be -gentle with one's mother; it is a bad-hearted boy who suffers himself to -be rough in his speech, or rude in his manner, to her. The same rule of -Gentleness should be steadily observed towards his sisters and younger -and weaker brothers. He who has thus practised gentleness in his home -will go out into the world a character actually trained to be gentle to -those weaker than himself, and to be sympathetic towards the sorrows and -sufferings of the unfortunate. - -The third mark of a gentleman is Generosity. By this I do not mean -open-handedness about money. Lavish liberality may be only another name -for careless imprudence. By Generosity is meant the utter absence of -selfishness. Aristotle called his true gentleman the magnanimous man. -Generosity is large-heartedness. It involves the absence of all thought -of self, and a never-failing consideration for the feelings of others. -Such a man was Sir James Outram. When the English army was marching to -the relief of Lucknow, Sir James, who was the senior officer, allowed -Havelock to take command, and to win the glory of the siege, and himself -went in a subordinate position. Of him it was said that he was "one of -the bravest, and yet gentlest, of men; respectful and reverent to women, -tender to children, helpful to the weak, stern to the corrupt, honest as -day, and pure as virtue." When Edward the Black Prince took the French -king and his son prisoners at the battle of Poictiers, he gave a banquet -for them in the evening, and he insisted on waiting upon and serving -them at the table. At the battle of Dettingen a squadron of French -cavalry charged an English regiment, and the two leaders found -themselves opposed to each other. The young French officer raised his -sword to attack his opponent, when he saw that he had only one arm, with -which he held his bridle. Instead of cutting him down, the Frenchman -saluted him with his sword, and passed on. - -The fourth mark of a gentleman is Modesty about his actions and -opinions. Nothing more surely marks his opposite in society than -self-assertiveness and bragging. The true gentleman never boasts of what -he has done. On the other hand, he does not seek to belittle a good -action for which he is praised. If such an action comes to general -notice, he accepts the praise justly offered, and then seeks by -silence, or by changing the topic of conversation, to withdraw -particular notice from himself. He is content to do and let others talk. -Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most modest men. He kept secret for a -long time some of his greatest discoveries for fear of the notoriety -they would bring him. He did not publish his marvellous discoveries of -the Binomial Theorem and the Law of Gravitation for years, and when he -published his solution of the theory of the moon's rotation round the -earth he forbade the publisher to insert his name. The true gentleman is -modest about his opinions. Comparatively few have deeds to boast about; -but all have _opinions_ to advance. We should guard against asserting -them too strongly, or attempting to force them down people's throats. If -an opinion is true or valuable, it is sure to make its own way by reason -of its own force; it is only weakened by the loud assertion of the man -of rude manner and coarse nature. It is a wise saying of the great -apostle: "Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think." -The old Hebrew poet thought the highest type of gentleman him "that -walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in -his heart." - - - - -No. XXI. - -COURTESY - -+Courtesy is kindness of heart, combined with good manners. It is the -special mark of a gentleman, particularly in his treatment of those in a -humbler position than himself.+ - - -One of the most famous schools in England, founded by William of -Wykeham, in the reign of Henry III., has for its motto the words, -"Manners maketh the man." Though this does not express the whole truth, -it is, nevertheless, undoubtedly true that many a man owes his success -in life to his good manners. Two boys leaving school desire to enter a -bank. One is a boy of very pleasing manners; the other, though, perhaps, -possessing greater ability, is unpolished in appearance, and gruff in -manner. If the bank manager has reason to believe them fairly equal in -knowledge and ability, he will take the pleasant-mannered youth in -preference to the other, because he believes in securing a clerk who -will be civil to customers, and obliging to all with whom he comes in -contact. It is worth while, then, to cultivate politeness in speech and -manner. A famous woman once said: "Civility costs nothing, and buys -everything." - -We must be careful to distinguish between Politeness and Courtesy. Any -one can learn certain rules of Politeness, even though he be coarse at -heart. Some men put on Politeness with their evening coats, but are the -reverse of polite in their everyday garb. To such men Politeness is like -varnish or veneer; scratch them on the surface, or merely rub them the -wrong way, and their real nature comes out. - -Politeness is an excellent thing when it is joined to genuine kindness -of heart. It then becomes Courtesy. Courtesy is Kindness and Politeness -joined together and exhibited at all times to all persons, no matter -what their rank in life. The man who is kind to his servant, and speaks -politely to him at one time, and at another gets into a furious temper -and abuses him, has not learned Courtesy. Courtesy implies a certain -gentleness in dealing with other people. It is a mistake to think that -Manliness and Gentleness do not go together. The strongest and most -manly men are noted for their quietness of disposition. Not only are -they not self-assertive, but they are actually gentle to the weak. - -Courtesy comes easily to some people; to others it is difficult. Some -persons are naturally open and unreserved in their nature; others are -reserved and shy, and it is hard to get at them. Boys and young men -often suffer far more than people think on account of shyness, which -keeps them from being openly friendly with people whom they do not know -well. This shyness is sometimes put down to bad temper, or moroseness, -or sometimes even to a desire to be rude. How earnestly should the boy -or young man strive to get rid of a failing which may be the unfortunate -cause of doing him so much harm in the eyes of others! - -Bacon says: "If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows -he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off -from other lands, but a continent that joins to them." If you wish to be -known as a courteous man, begin at once to do little acts of kindness to -others. Acts of kindness form the basis of true Courtesy. Lord -Chesterfield said: "The desire to please is, at least, half the art of -doing it." If we wish to learn how to get a reputation for Courtesy, we -must make an effort to do what others like, though we may not care about -it ourselves. Many a man owes his success in life to doing pleasant -things in a pleasant way. The headmaster of one of the greatest public -schools in England said: "Courtesy begets Courtesy; it is a passport to -popularity. The way in which things are done is often more important -than the things themselves." Another writer has said: "A good deed is -never lost. He who sows Courtesy reaps friendship." - -To be Courteous, we must not only do kindnesses; we must do them in a -pleasing manner. "Manner will do everything. Give a young fellow on -setting out in life a good manner, and he will want neither meat, drink, -nor clothes. 'I like that lad,' some one says, 'he has such nice -off-hand manners.'" "Sir Walter Raleigh was every inch a man, a brave -soldier, a brilliant courtier, and yet a mirror of Courtesy. Nobody -would accuse Sir Philip Sidney of having been deficient in manliness, -yet his fine manners were proverbial. It is the Courtesy of Bayard, the -knight, _sans peur et sans reproche_, which has immortalized him quite -as much as his valour." Burke said: "Manners are of more importance than -laws. Upon them, in a great measure, the laws depend. Manners are what -vex, soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, -by a constant, steady insensible operation, like that of the air we -breathe in." - -Dr. Johnson once said: "Sir, a man has no more right to _say_ an uncivil -thing than to act one--no more right to say a rude thing to another than -to knock him down." We should be especially courteous to servants and -those below us in the world. A great man returned the salute of a negro -who had bowed to him. Some one told him that what he had done was very -unusual. "Perhaps so," said he, "but I would not be outdone in good -manners by a negro." - -The truly courteous man is never caught napping. He is courteous not -only in crowds, where every one can see him, or in social life, among -his equals; but also in little things, at odd moments, when no one of -importance is by, and to the poor and ignorant. He is courteous, too, in -his own home. That, perhaps, is the final and hardest test of all. It is -easy to be polite when we are out at a party of friends, though even -there it is sometimes hard to show real Courtesy. In giving advice to -young men, Thackeray said: "Ah, my dear fellow, take this counsel: -Always dance with the old ladies, always dance with the governesses!" He -meant: show your gentlehood by being kind to those who have not many -friends. But it is hard to be Courteous in the home when things do not -please us, and we are out with the world. Yet it is there we must begin -to practise Courtesy. It is there we must learn that kindness, and -cheerfulness, and good manners which will earn for us the epitaph of -Tennyson's friend: - - - "And thus he bore without abuse - The grand old name of gentleman." - - - - -No. XXII. - -REPENTANCE - -+We are often sorry when we do wrong; this is the first step towards -Repentance; but Repentance itself is more than being sorry; it is -ceasing to do wrong, and beginning to do right.+ - - -Man differs from the most intelligent of the lower animals in having a -moral nature, called a soul; that is, he is responsible for his actions. -One great evidence of this is to be found in the fact that, after he has -done evil, his conscience generally reproaches him sharply, and he feels -remorse, which is the keen pain brought about by the memory of -wrongdoing. But we must not mistake this pain of remorse for Repentance. -It should be the beginning of Repentance; but Repentance itself must go -much further than that. - -Two men with evil-looking faces were seen to enter a great church in -Rome one day, where, in little chapels attached to the church, people -were making confession of their sins to the priests, and obtaining -absolution from them. These two men looked as though something very -serious was weighing on their minds, as they searched for a priest to -whom to confess. A short time after they had found one, they were again -seen, coming down the aisle of the church, laughing together, and -looking as jolly as possible. Next day they were arrested for attacking -a traveller on the highway and almost murdering him. Probably those two -men felt the pangs of remorse when they were in the church seeking to -confess their sins. But there was no Repentance, because they went back -at once to their evil courses. - -A sick man was said by his doctor to be dying. His clergyman came to see -him, and begged him to be reconciled to a neighbour with whom he had had -a serious quarrel. At last he consented, and when the neighbour was -brought to his bedside they had a short, friendly conversation, and -shook hands. But as the neighbour was leaving the room, the sick man -called out: "_But you must remember this stands for nothing if I get -better again._" There was no real Repentance in the sick man's heart. - -A man who had been living a very careless and sinful life went to hear a -great man preach. The sermon had such an effect upon him that his -conscience became very uneasy, and he felt keen remorse for the evil of -his life, and determined to stop it all and begin again in a different -way. He first went to see a neighbour who scoffed at religious things, -and who, the moment he went in, began to ask him about the great -preacher, and to make fun of him for paying much attention to what was -"absurd, and all a lie." The man replied: "Never mind the preacher just -now; I want to tell you about a very serious matter. Four years ago you -lost two fine sheep out of your flock, and though you searched -everywhere you could not find them. Those sheep came into my pasture -field, and I caught them, and marked my brand on top of yours, and so -they were not discovered. But I have now come to tell you of the matter, -and to put myself in your hands. You can, if you like, have me arrested, -or I will pay you whatever you ask." The neighbour was astonished, but -at last said he would take the value of the sheep, with interest on the -money from the time they were stolen. The man paid this down, and then -doubled the amount. After he had gone his neighbour began to think that -the sort of religion which made a man confess a sin long past, and which -no one could ever find out, must have some reality about it, and he -scoffed no more. That is a case of genuine Repentance. - -Happy is the man who repents while there is yet the opportunity to undo, -to some extent, the evil he has done. Some men repent when it is too -late to undo the mischief. Henry II., King of England, rode from London -to Canterbury in the night, and when he came to the gates he dismounted, -and walked barefooted to the shrine of the martyr. He there made public -confession of his sin, and was scourged with a knotted cord before the -people, though he was then king. Imagine the Emperor of Germany being -publicly scourged! Though Henry repented, he could not bring Becket back -to life again. Henry Ward Beecher told the story of a young man who came -to Indianapolis, when Mr. Beecher was minister there, on his way to -settle in the west. While there he was robbed in a gambling saloon of -fifteen hundred dollars, all that he had. It led to his suicide. "I know -the man who committed the foul deed; he used to walk up and down the -street. Now, suppose this man should repent? Can he ever call back that -suicide? Can he ever wipe off the taint and disgrace that he has brought -on the escutcheon of that young man's family?" - -Everybody has need of practising Repentance, because no one can live a -perfect life. Goldsmith said: "Our greatest glory consists not in never -falling, but in rising every time we fall." If we rise again every time -we fall, there is but little danger that we ever fall so low that we -cannot rise at all, or of doing that which we cannot, to some extent, -put right. - - - "Confess yourself to Heaven; - Repent what's past, avoid what is to come." - - -It is unwise to put off Repentance. It should be done now. The -opportunity may slip away from us altogether. As a wise man once said: -"I know that a man, going--swept down that great Niagara--if his little -skiff be driven near to one shore, he can make one great bound and reach -the solid ground--I know _he may be saved_ from destruction: but it is -an awful risk to run." - -We can best learn the value of Repentance by practising it in little -things. If a boy is guilty of rudeness to any one, and especially to a -lady, he should go at once and, in a manly way, acknowledge it. The fact -that he has begged her pardon will keep him from committing the same -offence again. If we practise Repentance in the small matters of daily -life, it will be easier for us to practise it in things of great and -serious moment. - - - - -No. XXIII. - -CHARACTER - -+The word Character comes from a Greek word meaning to cut, or engrave. -By Character we mean the peculiar qualities impressed by Nature or Habit -on a person; in other words, what he really is.+ - - -Character is the crown of life; to the evil it is a crown of infamy; to -the good, a crown of glory. Some scientists believe that all the facts -of knowledge which we acquire are stamped upon the brain, making many -grooves and creases upon its surface. Our actions and thoughts and words -and habits being impressed upon the soul form its Character. The -formation of good Character takes many years, and is a very gradual -process; but every action has its part in the final result, and every -habit binds the parts together. Bad Character is developed in the same -way as good character; but the process is easy and rapid. A boy begins -by stealing something; soon he is led on to lie about it. One lie leads -to another, and the success of the bad experiment leads to another theft -and more lying. Bad companions soon gather round him, and the sprouting -plant of evil grows like a weed. Ere long it has fastened its thousand -roots in the depths of his soul. - -Gibbon said: "Every man has two educations--one which he receives from -others, and one, more important, which he gives himself." In the -business world, the men of highest reputation value their Character -above everything else, because no one can take it from them, unless they -deliberately yield it. It is valued highly, because it has been earned -by never-wavering effort through long years. They have educated -themselves by unceasing practice to put Truth and Honour, Chastity and -Courtesy, Industry and Temperance, Self-Reliance and Self-Control, -Modesty and Charity, Justice and Benevolence above Cleverness and Love -of Gain, which so often make a man unscrupulous in dealing with his -fellows. - -In the studies which have gone before, we have seen what these qualities -mean. They go to make up Character. But Character cannot be produced by -learning lessons about it in books. Character is the education which a -man gives himself. In reading the lives of great men, we see very -clearly that they began to acquire the qualities which afterwards -distinguished them when they were boys. A great writer has said that -Conduct is three-fourths of life. If we wish to be distinguished for -Character, we must begin to practise those things which produce it while -we are schoolboys. - -The grand thing about Character is that it is independent of -circumstances. The man who values Honour above all things cannot be put -into any position where there is any real danger of losing it. After the -great battle of Assaye, the native prince sent his prime minister to the -Duke of Wellington to find out privately what territory and other -advantages would be secured to his master in the treaty with the Indian -nabobs. They offered Wellington five hundred thousand dollars for the -secret information. The great general looked at him quietly for a few -seconds, and then said: "It appears, then, that you are capable of -keeping a secret." "Yes, certainly," replied the minister. "_Then, so am -I_," said Wellington, smiling, and bowed him out of the room. Take -another instance, in humble life. Once, when the Adige was in flood, the -bridge of Verona was carried away, only the centre arch standing. On -this was a house whose inmates called loudly for help, as this arch was -slowly giving way. A nobleman called out, "I will give a hundred French -louis to any one who will go to the rescue." A young peasant seized a -boat, managed with great difficulty to reach the pier, and, at the risk -of his life, rescued the family just in time. When they reached the -shore, the count handed the promised money to the young man. "No," said -he, "I do not sell my life; give the money to these poor people, who -need it." - -The man of noble Character values, above all other things, these: Truth, -personal Honour, Moral Courage, Unselfishness, the Voice of Conscience. -Chaucer, the father of English poetry, said: - - - "Truth is the highest thing that man may keep." - - -In the days of chivalry, the noble-hearted soldier sang to her who wept -at his going: - - - "I could not love thee, dear, so much, - Loved I not honour more." - - -Of Courage, Addison said: - - - "Unbounded courage and compassion joined, - Tempting each other in the victor's mind, - Alternately proclaim him good and great, - And make the hero and the man complete." - - -Of Selfishness, Shelley said: - - - "How vainly seek - The selfish for that happiness denied - To aught but virtue!" - - -The voice of Conscience is the voice of God, That voice was never yet -disregarded without suffering; to reject Conscience is to incur -retribution. The wise man cultivates his Conscience; that is, he -listens for its warnings and suggestions, and yields his desires at its -call. The man of Character seeks its advice at every important movement -of his life. - -It is impossible to build up a noble Character without a model. Before -beginning to erect a magnificent building, the architect must provide a -plan for the workman to follow. The shipbuilder requires a model for the -construction of a beautiful racing yacht. Before making a new and -intricate machine, the craftsman must have a working model. In the -building of Character, the working model is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the -example to the human race of all the traits of true manliness which men -admire. He is the model of willing Obedience, of undaunted Courage, of -absolute Truthfulness, of Generosity, of Gentleness to the weak and -suffering. He is the model of all the virtues. An old poet said of -Jesus, with the greatest reverence, that He was - - - "The first true gentleman that ever lived." - - -He who sincerely wishes to build up his life into noble Character will -be helped by nothing so much as by the study of the actions and words of -Jesus, the model of nobleness to all men, in all ages, since He came -into the world. - - - - -No. XXIV. - -CONSCIENCE - -+Conscience is that faculty of the mind which teaches us to distinguish -between right and wrong. It often warns us when we are about to do -wrong, and reproaches us for the wrong we have done.+ - - -A great man once said that when he was a small boy he was walking one -day by the side of a pond, when he saw a turtle creeping out of the -water. He had never yet killed anything, and he felt a great temptation -to kill it with his stick, when some one seemed to whisper to him: "It -is wrong." He went home and asked his mother what it was. She told him -that men called it Conscience; but she called it the voice of God, -speaking in his heart. He said that he often afterwards tried to listen -for the voice, and it kept him from much wrong that he would otherwise -have done. - -Conscience has been compared to the needle in the sailor's compass; by -its means the ship is kept upon her proper course. If we consult -Conscience, we cannot go far astray. A boy is about to steal some money -for the first time. Just as his hand is upon it, he fancies he hears -steps approaching. He hastily drops the money, and turns away with a -beating heart. But he finds he is mistaken, and, perhaps, thinks it was -only imagination. He is wrong; the beating heart and the imaginary -noises are Conscience warning him that he is about to do wrong. If he is -an unthinking boy, he merely laughs at his fears, and next day goes back -again. This time he _listens for the sound of steps_, but he does not -hear them. The fact that he listened shows that Conscience has been at -him again; but this time the warning is fainter, and he commits the -theft. It is possible to stifle Conscience altogether. - -According to an Eastern tale, a great magician presented his prince with -a ring of great value. Its value did not consist in the precious stones -it contained, but in a peculiar property of the metal. Whenever the -prince had a bad or lustful thought, or meditated a bad action, or was -about to say a wicked, or cruel, or unjust thing, the ring contracted, -and the pain caused by the pressure on the finger warned him against the -evil. The poorest person may possess and wear such a ring as that, for -the ring of the fable is just that Conscience which is the voice of God -in our hearts. - -When Macbeth was on his way to murder King Duncan, he had a frightful -vision of what he was about to do, and he saw an imaginary dagger -beckoning him the way that he was going; the handle was towards his -hand, and had gouts of blood upon it. That was Conscience calling upon -him to stop before it was too late. Conscience sometimes speaks to us -while we are actually doing evil. - -While Conscience speaks to us about what are, for us, great wrongs, it -seldom does so about little wrongs until they are over and passed away. -A boy says: "I do many things of which I am ashamed, and which I would -not have done had Conscience warned me." That shows us very plainly that -Conscience is a thing we must cultivate if it is to be of any real -service to us in the way of preventing us from the doing of evil. A. -says to B.: "I am going across to the corner store for some candy. If -that master over there should see me, you tell him I have just gone over -the fence after something." B. thinks for a moment, and says: "Can't do -it; it's not straight." A. then asks C., who agrees to do it. B. -consults Conscience; C. does not. If they go on thus, in a few years B. -will meet some great temptation and overcome it; C. will meet some great -temptation, and fall under it. - -If we do not form the habit of looking to Conscience for guidance, the -time will come when its voice will be heard reproaching us for the evil -that we have done, and that we can never undo. So common is it for men -to think of Conscience only when the harm is done that it has been -called "the awful compulsion to think." Half the grief that people -suffer is through their own sins in the past, and it is Conscience -pricking them that causes the grief. Sometimes this grief is so terrible -that men, and even women, are led to take their own lives. He who -listens to Conscience will never leave this world with the red blot of -"suicide" staining his character. - -Dr. Johnson said: "Conscience is the sentinel of virtue." The wise -captain never lets his men sleep on the field without posting one or -more sentinels. The young man going out into the world is going on to -the battlefield of his life, and to be caught napping is to fall into -the enemy's hands. He needs all his forces, and, above all, the -sentinel, Conscience, to keep guard when the enemy is lying in ambush, -and danger seems far away. St. Paul tells us that if we wish to war a -good warfare we must have two things, "Faith, and a good Conscience." - -"No whip cuts so sharply as the lash of Conscience." - -"The voice of Conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; -but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it." - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Short Studies in Ethics, by John Ormsby Miller - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SHORT STUDIES IN ETHICS *** - -***** This file should be named 43439-8.txt or 43439-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/4/3/43439/ - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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