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diff --git a/old/60109-0.txt b/old/60109-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 87f0ee4..0000000 --- a/old/60109-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8193 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Floyd's Flowers Or Duty and Beauty For -Colored Children, by Silas X. Floyd - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Floyd's Flowers Or Duty and Beauty For Colored Children - Being One Hundred Short Stories Gleaned from the Storehouse - of Human Knowledge and Experience Simple Amusing Elevating - -Author: Silas X. Floyd - -Release Date: August 16, 2019 [EBook #60109] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLOYD'S FLOWERS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, hekula03, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: SILAS X. FLOYD _AUTHOR_ JOHN HENRY ADAMS _ARTIST_] - - - - - FLOYD’S FLOWERS - OR - DUTY AND BEAUTY - FOR - COLORED CHILDREN - - BEING ONE HUNDRED SHORT STORIES - GLEANED FROM THE STOREHOUSE OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE - SIMPLE AMUSING ELEVATING - - - BY - - PROF. SILAS X. FLOYD, A. M., D. D., - - AUTHOR OF “THE GOSPEL OF SERVICE AND OTHER SERMONS,” “LIFE OF CHARLES T. - WALKER, D. D.,” “NATIONAL PERILS,” ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED BY - - JOHN HENRY ADAMS - - PROFESSOR OF ART AT MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE, ATLANTA - - - - - COPYRIGHT 1905 - - BY - - HERTEL, JENKINS & CO. - - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - - -I FEEL A PROFOUNDER REVERENCE FOR A BOY THAN A MAN. I NEVER MEET A -RAGGED BOY ON THE STREET WITHOUT FEELING THAT I OWE HIM A SALUTE, FOR I -KNOW NOT WHAT POSSIBILITIES MAY BE BUTTONED UP UNDER HIS SHABBY COAT. - - —JAMES A. GARFIELD. - -[Illustration: GEN. SAMUEL C. ARMSTRONG.] - - - - - PUBLISHER’S NOTE. - - -The publishers of this book have spared neither pains nor expense in -trying to make it as nearly perfect as a book of this kind can be. The -typographical appearance and the illustrations will speak for -themselves. - -We consider ourselves fortunate in having been able to secure the -services of the Rev. Dr. Silas X. Floyd as the author of this volume. -Mr. Floyd’s life work, aside from his literary training, has made him -the ideal man to speak to the colored boys and girls of the South. Soon -after graduating from Atlanta University in 1891, Mr. Floyd became -Principal of a Public School at Augusta, Ga., and remained in that city -for five years consecutively as a teacher. In June, 1896, he was called -from the school room into the Sunday-school work, having been appointed -by the International Sunday School Convention as one of its Field -Workers throughout the South. He continued in this work for three years, -retiring from it to become Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, -Ga., one of the largest churches in the South. After a year and a half -in the pastorate, he returned to the Sunday-school work, becoming -Sunday-school Missionary for Georgia and Alabama under appointment of -the American Baptist Publication Society. Two years ago, he re-entered -the school room, and is now once more Principal of a Public School at -Augusta. His school is one of the largest in the State of Georgia. - -Mr. Floyd’s work, as the record shows, has been conspicuously for and in -behalf of the children, and he is known far and wide as a competent -writer and speaker on topics concerning young people. He has contributed -to the Sunday School Times, the International Evangel, the New York -Independent, The World’s Work, Lippincott’s Magazine, and many other -journals and periodicals. He is the author of a volume of sermons -published by the American Baptist Publication Society and listed in -their catalogue as among their standard works, and is also the author of -the Life of the leading colored Baptist preacher in America, published -by the National Baptist Publishing Board. From the beginning of the -Voice of the Negro, Mr. Floyd has had charge of the Wayside Department -as Editor, and his work as a humorist and writer of negro dialect is -known to many through that medium. - -In 1894, Atlanta University, his alma mater, conferred upon Mr. Floyd -the degree of Master of Arts, and in 1902, Morris Brown College -conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. - - - - - THE PICTURES AND WHO MADE THEM - - -A distinctive feature of this volume is the inclusion of more than half -a hundred of original drawings by a young artist. Every boy and every -girl delights in pictures. There is something in pictures, even though -the subjects be foreign to us, which readily takes hold of our innermost -feelings and becomes companionable to the extent that we find ourselves -loving that _something_ whatever it is:—a man, or an humble dog, or an -old homestead, or what not. We seldom think that some great mind has -been hard at work to produce that picture and that it takes years and -years of application and deep study to prepare even a genius in art. - -While you are enjoying the pleasures to be derived from the “rough -sketches” in this book it is hoped that at the same time you will catch -the inspiration of the artist who made them. The negro race has produced -very few artists of note, for very few of them have made a success in -the profession. Of that few, John Henry Adams is second only to Tanner. - -Coming up with little in his favor other than a determination to “win” -and the prayerfulness of loving parents, John Adams kept himself in -school until he was thoroughly prepared to enter upon life’s sea as a -thinker for and a master of himself. Acquiring his art education at The -Drexel Institute, Philadelphia, Adams returned to Atlanta and found a -place to utilize his training at the Morris Brown College, where he has -been eminently successful as a teacher, and where he is loved and -honored by all. - -The lapse of twenty-six years is a very short time to begin to measure a -man’s success, but Mr. Adams has already succeeded. The demand for his -work is large and plenteous. If there is such a thing as having more -work than one can do, it applies pointedly to him. Besides the many fine -and costly paintings which Mr. Adams makes and sells, his “rough -sketches” are quite popular and “go like hot cakes.” And, with all of -this he is a regular contributor to one daily paper, two weekly papers -and a monthly magazine. This is but a glimpse of the man. His work as -trustee of city charities, his visitations to mission houses and his -liberal pocket-book show the more tender side of the artist. When a -football game is in progress there’s another side of the man—the -enthusiast. But all the way through Mr. Adams is ever the amiable -gentleman, the vigorous thinker and worker, the friend of children and a -constant source of gladness to the poor of Atlanta. - - PUBLISHERS. - - - - - PREFACE. - - -Truly the boys and girls of to-day ought to be thankful that they are -alive. There never was such a golden age for childhood and youth as the -present. To say nothing of the rich opportunities for mental and -spiritual development, what a multitude of things have been provided for -the innocent pleasure, the wholesome recreation of the young people of -to-day; inventions that remind one of the magic of the “Arabian Nights”; -tools of sport so perfect that one cannot imagine how they could be -bettered; fascinating games, all unknown in the days gone by; books and -papers upon which science, art and literary skill have lavished modern -resources—all these and many other wonderful things have fallen to the -lot of the favored boys and girls of to-day. - -And now enterprising publishers of our grand country are going to put -the boys and girls of America—and especially the colored boys and girls -of America—under obligation to them, because they have decided to add to -the list of good books for children and youths already on the market. I -use the word “good” advisedly; for from the day that I was engaged to -write this book I have had in mind constantly the thought of making it -such a book as would tell for good. It is an old saying that “evil -communications corrupt good manners,” but evil reading does more than -this: for evil reading corrupts good morals. - -I have endeavored to put into this book of stories for children only -such things as might be freely admitted into the best homes of the land, -and I have written with the hope that many young minds may be elevated -by means of these stories and many hearts filled with high and holy -aspirations. Our nation has a right to expect that our boys and girls -shall turn out to be good men and good women, and this book is meant to -help in this process. - - SILAS X. FLOYD. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - I. A SPELLING LESSON 19 - - II. THE TRUTH ABOUT LUCK 22 - - III. AN EVENING AT HOME 26 - - IV. THE MAKING OF A MAN 29 - - V. FALSE PRIDE 33 - - VI. THANKSGIVING AT PINEY GROVE 37 - - VII. THE LOUD GIRL 46 - - VIII. THE ROWDY BOY 51 - - IX. HONESTY 53 - - X. UNCLE NED AND THE INSURANCE SOLICITOR 56 - - XI. THE STRENUOUS LIFE 61 - - XII. A HUMBUG 64 - - XIII. A CANDIDATE FOR BAPTISM 66 - - XIV. GOING WITH THE CROWD 72 - - XV. MARY AND HER DOLLS 75 - - XVI. JAKY TOLBERT’S PLAYMATES 79 - - XVII. A VALENTINE PARTY 83 - - XVIII. “NO MONEY DOWN” 86 - - XIX. TOMMY’S BABY BROTHER 90 - - XX. KEEPING SCHOOL 93 - - XXI. THE SCHOOL OF THE STREET 96 - - XXII. THE FOX HUNT 100 - - XXIII. A BOLD VENTURE 105 - - XXIV. A HERO IN BLACK 108 - - XXV. THE ROAD TO SUCCESS 111 - - XXVI. SAMUEL C. ARMSTRONG 114 - - XXVII. HOW TO BE HANDSOME 117 - - XXVIII. PATIENCE 119 - - XXIX. THE BITER BIT 122 - - XXX. THE ALPHABET OF SUCCESS 124 - - XXXI. EASTER MONDAY IN WASHINGTON 125 - - XXXII. KEEPING ONE’S ENGAGEMENTS 129 - - XXXIII. A MIDNIGHT MISHAP 131 - - XXXIV. FREDERICK DOUGLASS 133 - - XXXV. OUR DUMB ANIMALS 136 - - XXXVI. A PLUCKY BOY 138 - - XXXVII. A HEART-TO-HEART TALK 141 - - XXXVIII. A GHOST STORY 144 - - XXXIX. GOOD CHEER 149 - - XL. LIFE A BATTLE 152 - - XLI. RULED BY PRIMITIVE METHODS 155 - - XLII. HUNTING AN EASY PLACE 159 - - XLIII. BURT BANKSTON’S BEQUEST 162 - - XLIV. THE BIG BLACK BURGLAR 166 - - XLV. PIN-MONEY MADE WITH THE NEEDLE 169 - - XLVI. SELF-HELP 173 - - XLVII. HENRY WARD BEECHER’S TESTIMONY 177 - - XLVIII. ROUNDING UP A CHICKEN THIEF 180 - - XLIX. SHIELDS GREEN, THE MARTYR 184 - - L. AIMING AT SOMETHING 186 - - LI. THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE REYNOLDS FAMILY 188 - - LII. THE HOLY BIBLE 196 - - LIII. ANDREW CARNEGIE’S ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN 198 - - LIV. DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GENTLEMEN 200 - - LV. THE LETTER OF THE LAW 202 - - LVI. THE BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 204 - - LVII. THE RIGHT TO PLAY 207 - - LVIII. A CHRISTMAS PRESENT 209 - - LIX. DRINKING AND SMOKING 211 - - LX. THE NICKEL THAT BURNED IN FRANK’S POCKET 214 - - LXI. MONUMENT TO A BLACK MAN 217 - - LXII. THE BAD BOY—WHO HE IS 219 - - LXIII. THE BAD BOY—HOW TO HELP HIM 221 - - LXIV. THOMAS GREENE BETHUNE (“BLIND TOM”) 226 - - LXV. NOT FIT TO KNOW 229 - - LXVI. THE RIGHT WAY 231 - - LXVII. KEEPING FRIENDSHIP IN REPAIR 234 - - LXVIII. LITTLE ANNIE’S CHRISTMAS 236 - - LXIX. THE VELOCIPEDE RACE 239 - - LXX. FAULT-FINDING 241 - - LXXI. THE PURITANS’ SABBATH 244 - - LXXII. THE DEVIL ON AN EXCURSION 247 - - LXXIII. RANDOM REMARKS 250 - - LXXIV. BENJAMIN BANNEKER, THE NEGRO ASTRONOMER 254 - - LXXV. “A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM” 258 - - LXXVI. DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE LADIES 264 - - LXXVII. THREE WORDS TO YOUNG PEOPLE 266 - - LXXVIII. “A LAMP UNTO MY FEET” 272 - - LXXIX. THE THREE BRIGADES 275 - - LXXX. “HOME, SWEET HOME” 277 - - LXXXI. EDMUND ASA WARE 280 - - LXXXII. AN ANTE-BELLUM NEGRO PREACHER 284 - - LXXXIII. PURITY OF CHARACTER 287 - - LXXXIV. EACH ONE OF US OF IMPORTANCE 289 - - LXXXV. THE POETRY OF LIFE 290 - - LXXXVI. ON BEING IN EARNEST 292 - - LXXXVII. YOUNG PEOPLE AND LIFE INSURANCE 294 - - LXXXVIII. THE LITTLE SAILOR CAT 297 - - LXXXIX. ADVICE TO LITTLE CHRISTIANS 299 - - XC. A WORD TO PARENTS 301 - - XCI. A HELPFUL MESSAGE 302 - - XCII. THE UNSEEN CHARMER 304 - - XCIII. OUR COUNTRY 307 - - XCIV. THE “DON’T-CARE” GIRL 309 - - XCV. NEGRO HEROES 312 - - XCVI. FREDERICK DOUGLASS TO YOUNG PEOPLE 315 - - XCVII. TOO HIGH A DAM 318 - - XCVIII. A GOOD FELLOW 320 - - XCIX. THE FUTURE OF THE NEGRO 321 - - C. THE TRAINING OF CHILDREN 323 - -[Illustration] - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - FRONTISPIECE. - - A SPELLING CLASS 20 - - THAT’S A VERY PRETTY WAY TO SPELL “LOVE” 21 - - “HOW MANY PAPERS HAVE YOU SOLD TO-DAY, TOMMY?” 23 - - AN EVENING AT HOME 27 - - BOBBY AND HIS “MAN” 30 - - “HERE IS THE CARPET, YOUNG MAN; I HOPE I HAVE NOT KEPT YOU - WAITING.” 34 - - GRACE BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL 38 - - GRACE’S GRADUATION 42 - - BLAB-MOUTHED AND NOISY 47 - - MODEST AND QUIET 49 - - HE STUFFS BOTH HANDS IN HIS TROUSERS POCKETS 52 - - “HOW MUCH FOR THE MELON?” 54 - - “DAT’S JES’ WHAT MY ’LIGION DOES,” SAID THE OLD MAN 57 - - “I DON’T BREAK EASY” 62 - - “O, GET OUT OF THE WAY, CAN’T YOU?” 65 - - “MOTHER, I’M SO HAPPY. TEACHER FORGAVE ME” 74 - - MARY AND HER DOLLS 76 - - “I’M GOING OVER TO JAKY’S, MAMMA” 80 - - OLD MRS. GRAY 84 - - “PAPA I AIN’T GOT NO LITTLE BABY BROTHER TO PLAY WITH” 91 - - TOOTSIE 94 - - LITTLE JOE 97 - - UNCLE HAMBRIGHT 101 - - “YOU ALL WAIT UNTIL I COME BACK AND THEN WE’LL PLAY AT - FOX-HUNTING” 103 - - “LEND ME FIVE DOLLARS” 106 - - A HERO IN BLACK 109 - - THE ROAD TO SUCCESS 112 - - HOW TO BE HANDSOME 118 - - PATIENCE 120 - - A BITER BIT 123 - - KEEPING ONE’S ENGAGEMENTS 130 - - A MIDNIGHT MISHAP 132 - - OUR DUMB ANIMALS 137 - - “THE BOY MARCHED STRAIGHT UP TO THE COUNTER” 140 - - A HEART-TO-HEART TALK 142 - - “HUH! HUH! THERE DON’T SEEM TO BE BUT TWO OF US HERE TO-NIGHT” 145 - - “CHARGED WITH KISSING A GIRL ON THE STREET” 157 - - “I HAVE JUST FINISHED MY COURSE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL” 161 - - THE GAMBLER 163 - - THE GAMBLER IN OLD AGE 165 - - THE BIG BLACK BURGLAR 168 - - PIN-MONEY MADE WITH THE NEEDLE 172 - - WASHING DOLLIE’S CLOTHES 175 - - “SON, IT’S A MIGHTY LUCKY THING FOR YOU AND NANNIE THAT I DIDN’T - HAVE MY GUN” 182 - - AIMING AT SOMETHING 187 - - “HE CARRIED WITH HIM SOME WILD FLOWERS AND GREEN LEAVES” 190 - - “WELL, JOHN, I SUPPOSE SISTER IS DEAD” 194 - - DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GENTLEMEN 201 - - “MAMMA TOLD ME NOT TO ASK FOR ANY MORE CREAM” 203 - - THE BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 205 - - “MAMMA, I HEAR OLD SANTA’S BELLS, AND OF COURSE THIS IS THE - PRESENT HE BROUGHT” 210 - - DRINK AND TOBACCO 212 - - “A QUARTER, MA’AM” 215 - - MONUMENT TO A BLACK MAN 217 - - “PLAY FANTASTIC” ON THE FOURTH OF JULY 220 - - THE BAD BOY—HOW TO HELP HIM 222 - - FRANCES 229 - - “I GOT IN THE HALL LAST NIGHT FOR NOTHING” 232 - - THE TWO PATHS 235 - - “SHE PUT OUT HER THIN LITTLE HAND AND FELT IT” 237 - - THE VELOCIPEDE RACE 240 - - FAULT-FINDING 242 - - “GOODNIS GRACIOUS! I SEE DAT OLD CYCLOOM COMIN’ BACK AG’IN. HE - LOOK BLACKAH AND WUSSAH DAN HE DONE BEFO. RUN, ISAAC, RUN!” 248 - - “I WISH I COULD HAVE MY WAY WITH THOSE BOYS FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES” 251 - - DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GIRLS 265 - - “A LAMP UNTO MY FEET” 273 - - MEMBERS OF THE RAINY-WEATHER BRIGADE 276 - - HOME, SWEET HOME 278 - - “SAINT PAUL WAS A MUCH BETTER MAN DAN I IS, AN’ DEY WHUPPED HIM - MOS’ EV’YWHAR HE WENT” 285 - - EACH ONE OF US OF IMPORTANCE 289 - - THE POETRY OF LIFE 290 - - BEING IN EARNEST 293 - - TAKING OUT A POLICY 295 - - THE LITTLE SAILOR CAT 298 - - ADVICE TO LITTLE CHRISTIANS 299 - - A WORD TO PARENTS 301 - - “IS—ER—ER—MR. HOPEGOOD IN?” 305 - - THE “DON’T-CARE” GIRL 310 - - NEGRO HEROES 313 - - FREDERICK DOUGLASS 316 - -[Illustration] - - - - - FLOYD’S FLOWERS - - - - - I. - A SPELLING LESSON. - - -The boys and girls of Public School No. 10 were glad to have a new girl, -whose name was Bertha Dent, enter their spelling class. The little -girl’s mother told the teacher that the child could probably keep up -with the First Grade in spelling, because she could spell such words as -“dog” and “hog” and “cat” and “rat” and “bat.” - -It was not a great while before the teacher called the spelling class. -She asked Bertha, the new girl, to stand with the class. - -“You may spell ‘dog,’ Mary,” said the teacher to one of the girls, “and -tell us what kind of noise little dogs make.” - -“D-o-g, dog,” said Mary, “and our little dog says ‘bow-wow-wow!’” - -“That was very well done,” said the teacher. “Now, Annie, you may spell -‘cat,’ and tell us what kind of noise little kittens make.” - -“C-a-t, cat,” replied Annie, “and the little kitties sometimes say -‘mew-mew,’ and when the little doggies come ’round they bristle up and -hiss at the doggies.” - -“That’s very well,” responded the teacher. “Sadie, you may spell ‘bird,’ -and tell us what the little birds do.” - -“B-i-r-d, bird,” said Sadie. “We have a pretty mocking bird that sings -for us all the time; most birds sing, but mama says there are some birds -which are good to keep bugs and worms off the vegetables and flowers.” - -[Illustration: A SPELLING CLASS.] - -“That is correct,” the teacher made answer. “Now, Bertha Dent, you may -spell ‘love’ for us, and tell us what love does.” - -“Oh,” said the new pupil, “I know very well how to spell ‘love.’” And -then Bertha ran to the teacher, threw her arms around the teacher’s -neck, and gave her a sweet little kiss. “That is the way mama told me to -spell ‘love,’” said Bertha quietly, while the teacher and all the -members of the spelling class smiled. - -[Illustration: THAT’S A VERY PRETTY WAY TO SPELL “LOVE.”] - -“That is a very pretty way to spell ‘love,’” said the teacher. “But -don’t you know any other way to spell ‘love’?” - -“Why, yes,” answered Bertha looking around. “I spell ‘love’ this way, -too.” Then she brushed a fleck of dust from the teacher’s sleeve, picked -up some papers that were scattered around on the platform and arranged -them on the desk. She, also, pulled a tiny bit of thread off the -teacher’s skirt. “I spell ‘love’” said Bertha, “by working for mama and -papa and little brother, and trying to make everybody happy.” - -The teacher drew the little girl close to her side, threw one arm around -the child’s neck and said,—— - -“That is the very best way to spell ‘love’; but can’t you spell ‘love’ -the way the book spells it?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Bertha. “L-o-v-e, love.” - -The teacher hugged Bertha, called her a dear little girl, and then -dismissed the class. - - - - - II. - THE TRUTH ABOUT LUCK. - - -[Illustration: “HOW MANY PAPERS HAVE YOU SOLD TO-DAY, TOMMY?”] - -This is a world of order and system. There is nothing haphazard about -it. The sun rises and sets according to a regular and unchanging law. -The tides come in and the tides go out not by accident or chance, but in -accordance with well-defined laws. Winter and Summer, sunshine and rain, -follow each other in well-ordered succession. What is true in the -natural world is also true in the moral and business worlds. A boy reaps -that which he sows and gains the prizes for which he is willing to pay -the price in labor and self-denial. A divine law controls success and -defeat in this life and no strategem or trick can take the place of hard -work. - -Some years ago, I happened to find myself near the terminal of the great -East River Bridge in New York City. Two little boys were standing near -one of the large iron posts crying their afternoon papers. I tarried -near them because I was waiting for a particular car. One little fellow -said to the other,—— - -“How many papers have you sold to-day, Tommie?” - -“Nearly one hundred an’ fifty,” was Tommie’s quick reply. - -“Honor bright?” - -“Yes; honor bright.” - -“Whoopee! but ain’t you in big luck, Tommie?” - -“Luck!” exclaimed Tommie, wiping the perspiration from his brow. “There -ain’t no luck about it; I’ve just been everlastingly at it since four -o’clock this morning—that’s all!” - -And that is the _all_ of real success. Those who achieve success are -“everlastingly at” what they are trying to do. Tommie was right in -declining to have his hard and honest work cheapened by calling the -result of it luck. - -“You are the luckiest chap I ever saw,” I once heard a little boy about -sixteen years say to another boy of about the same age. - -“Why do you say that?” asked the other. - -“Because you have had your salary raised twice in the same year.” - -“Well,” was the reply, “you may call it luck; but I don’t. I have always -done my work the very best I knew how. I have never once in the whole -year been a single minute late in getting to the office, nor have I ever -left a single minute before it was time for me to leave. When I have -worked over-time, I have not made any fuss about it. My boss said when -he raised my salary last week that he had taken these things into -account. So, I don’t see where the luck comes in.” - -“All the same,” said the first boy, “some bosses wouldn’t have raised -your salary.” - -“Then I would have the satisfaction of knowing that I had done my duty.” - -Boys, I tell you that’s right. Nine out of ten employers know that it is -to their advantage to show appreciation of faithful work and they show -it. When this appreciation comes luck has had nothing to do with it. The -thing that passes for luck is in nearly all cases the just reward of -honest endeavor. - -Do not, therefore, start out in life with the expectation that some -“lucky turn” will bring you sudden honor or wealth or position without -any effort on your part. Substitute that fine old word “_work_” for that -deceitful word “_luck_,” and base your hopes of future success and -usefulness upon the honorable labor that it is a God-given privilege for -every well and strong and right-minded boy to give his heart and hands -to performing. - - - - - III. - AN EVENING AT HOME. - - -Boys and girls between the ages of eleven and seventeen ought to spend -their evenings at home, as much as possible. In these busy, bustling -twentieth century days, there are many families—so much the worse for -them—that scarcely know what it is to spend an evening at home together. -Not only the young people but the older people are “on the go.” The -evenings are crowded with calls and invitations, which come from far and -near. It is nothing to go five or even ten miles to an evening concert -or social gathering, the trolley is so near, so cheap and so universal. -But I tell you, boys and girls, no matter what the pleasure or amusement -afforded—no matter what the instruction or culture received—there are no -social or similar opportunities good enough to displace the home circle. -The sooner young people realize this the happier they will be. - -[Illustration: AN EVENING AT HOME.] - -Boys and girls ought to plan for some evenings at home. Let other things -have a share, but do not give up all the time to other things. Once a -week the young people ought to arrange for an evening at home. Decline -everything else for that evening, the same as you would for any other -engagement. Gather the family together. Make a special place for grandma -and grandpa. Sing merry songs; play innocent and amusing games; take -time to tell the home folks about some of the things that you do and -that you have seen in the world; get acquainted with the home folks; be -delighted in their delight; by special appointment, spend one or two -cheerful hours with the folks at home each week. - -The young folks themselves should take the lead in this matter. A home -is not merely a place with four walls where people meet to eat and drink -and sleep securely beneath a roof. Nay, boys and girls, a house is -reared to be a _home_—the center where a family may gather into one; to -be a serene retreat where the tenderest affections may find rest; where -love may have a dwelling place, and the _amenities_ of life gain ample -scope; where parents and children may press one another heart to heart; -where sorrows and joys may be freely shared in sacred confidence; in a -word, where the great work of training human beings for the duties of -the present life, and the perfection of another, may be begun and -carried on. - -There is one special reason for making much of the evenings at home that -young people are not likely to think of. _Inevitably_ the _family_ -circle will be broken up very soon. Perhaps not by death, but most -certainly by change. When Fred goes to college that is the beginning of -new ties and new associations, and the home privileges can never be -quite so complete to him again. The years of the complete unity of the -home are very few indeed. While these years are passing, young people -especially should make the most of them. My dear boys and girls, get the -benefit of these years; get their joys; store up memories of home life, -for they will be in future years the most beautiful pictures of the -heart. However some may sneer at it, the memory of home and mother is a -great power for righteousness. It has saved many a person to God and -native land and race. - - “Be it ever so humble— - There’s no place like home.” - - - - - IV. - THE MAKING OF A MAN.[1] - - -Mr. Stamps, seated near the table, was glancing over the afternoon -paper. Mrs. Stamps, in an easy chair, was doing some fancy work. Little -Bobby, six years old, more or less, was playing with his toys on the -floor. All at once the precocious little boy stopped short in the middle -of his sport and, looking up at his mother, asked,— - -“Mama, who made the world?” - -“God,” replied Mrs. Stamps, sweetly. - -“Who made the sea?” continued Bobby. - -Mrs. Stamps answered, “God.” - -“Well,” said Bobby, “did God make everything?” - -“Yes, my son; the Lord made everything.” - -“And did he make everybody?” - -“Yes; the Lord made everybody.” - -Bobby was silent for a moment. Presently he looked anxiously at his -father, and then, turning to his mother, he asked,— - -“Mama, did God make papa, too?” - -“Yes; God made papa also.” - -After a lengthy pause Bobby asked,— - -[Illustration: BOBBY AND HIS “MAN.”] - -“Mama, do you think that I could make a man, if I was to try real hard?” - -“You had better run out to play now, Bobby,” said Mrs. Stamps, somewhat -non-plused by her son’s curiosity. - -Bobby left the room almost immediately. He went straight to the beach in -front of the house, and labored long and earnestly in piling up some wet -sand. Pretty soon he was joined in his work by two other little boys. -For some time the three little fellows worked vigorously in piling up -the mud. Mrs. Stamps called her husband to the window, so that he might -see what the boys were doing. - -“Wife,” said Mr. Stamps, “I believe those little Satans are trying to -make a man.” - -Toward sunset Bobby ran into the house and exclaimed with delight,— - -“Mama, we’ve got our man almost finished. We didn’t have but one marble, -and we used that for one of his eyes. I came in to ask you to give me a -marble, so that we might put in his other eye.” - -“It’s too late to bother now, Bobby,” said Mrs. Stamps. “Wait until -to-morrow morning; then I will give you a marble and let you finish your -man.” - -The next morning, bright and early, Bobby went out to look for his man. -Lo and behold! the sea had washed the man away during the night. But, -Bobby, of course, did not suspect that. He thought that the man had gone -away of his own accord. So the little fellow spent the entire morning -looking for his man. He looked under the house; he looked in the stable; -he went up to the garret; he walked up and down the beach; he went into -the woods—looking for his man. But his man was nowhere to be found. - -Two or three weeks later an African Methodist Episcopal Conference -assembled in Bobby’s town. Among the ministers present there happened to -be a short, chubby, tan-colored brother with only one eye. When Bobby -spied him he examined the man curiously and cautiously from head to -foot. The examination ended, Bobby concluded that that was his man. At -once the little fellow left his mother and went over and took a seat -beside the man. Bobby’s mother was somewhat embarrassed. The man was -evidently pleased, although, to be sure, he himself was not quite -certain why he should be an object of special interest to the little -boy. The man went to the secretary’s table to have his name -enrolled—Bobby went with him. He went into the vestibule to get a drink -of water—and Bobby followed him there. But all the while the man was -still in doubt as to the cause of the little boy’s apparent affection. -By this time, thoroughly exasperated, Bobby’s mother decided to go home. -She approached the pew in a very ladylike manner and said,— - -“Bobby, dear, come; we must be going home now.” - -“All right, Mama,” said Bobby in dead earnest, “but you will please let -me take my man home with me—won’t you? I just found him to-day, and you -know I’ve been looking for him for over two weeks!” - -Then, for the first time, it suddenly dawned upon Mrs. Stamps what was -the matter with Bobby. In spite of herself she laughed heartily at the -boy’s perversity. Finding that his mother hesitated to reply, Bobby -turned to the man and said,— - -“Come on: we’re going home now. Why did you leave before I finished -you?” - - - - - V. - FALSE PRIDE. - - -Once upon a time the head clerk in a carpet store requested one of his -junior clerks to go to a patron’s home to measure a room, and suggested -that he take along a five-yard sample. The junior clerk objected to -“carting” such a big bundle, as he said, “all over town,” and asked that -one of the boys be sent with it. The proprietor of the establishment, -who happened to overhear the remark, privately told the head clerk to -inform the proud young fellow that a boy would be sent on after him with -the roll. Shortly after the young man reached the house, the proprietor -of the establishment covered him with confusion by appearing at the -house in person with the roll of carpet under his arm. Handing the -bundle to the bewildered young man, the proprietor remarked: - -“Here is the carpet, young man. I hope I have not kept you waiting for -it. If you have any other orders, I’ll take them now.” - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: “HERE IS THE CARPET, YOUNG MAN. I HOPE I HAVE NOT KEPT -YOU WAITING.”] - -A young woman of my acquaintance refused to carry home a yeast cake, -though it was needed at once for the family baking and she was bound -directly homeward. She said that she wasn’t a delivery wagon, and so the -yeast cake had to be sent to her home. - -A great many foolish young people are so absorbingly regardful of their -trim appearance on the street that they will never under any -circumstances carry a basket or bundle, however much inconvenience they -may cause others by refusing to do so. - - * * * * * - -Now, it is not proper pride or self-respect which prompts people to act -as the young folks acted whom I have just referred to. It is silliness -which prompts them to act so. Any honest work is honorable that is -honorably done, and you will notice that young people of good social -position and strength of character are above such pettiness. Only -inferior people act that way. Superior people do not act so, because -they are well aware that they cannot be compromised by doing -straightforwardly, without fuss or apology, whatever needs to be done. -Yet, I admit, that it seems to be human nature that whatever is -distasteful or supposedly menial should be done by somebody else. When -young people, or old people for that matter, are tempted to be foolish -in such things they should remember the lesson of humility that Christ -taught his disciples, when in that warm Oriental country, where only -sandals are worn, He performed the necessary service of washing the -disciples’ feet. For us to be above our business—for us to think -ourselves too good or too dainty to soil our hands with honest toil—for -us to feel that it is a lowering of our dignity to carry a bundle -through the street, is to prove by our conduct that we are not up to the -level of our business, that we are possessed of a great amount of false -pride, and, in a higher sense, it shows that we have a foolish and -wicked distaste of true service. There is nothing low, nothing -degrading, nothing disgraceful, in honest labor, in honest work of any -kind, whether it be to boil an egg properly, to sweep a floor well, to -carry a bundle or package through the streets, or bring a pail of water. -In fact, if somebody were to say that “chores” done or undone are the -making or the unmaking of boys and girls, it would be a homely way of -putting an important truth. Bringing up coal or bringing in wood, -weeding the garden bed, running errands, washing dishes, sewing seams, -dusting furniture, doing any odd jobs where there is need, cheerfully, -faithfully—these lead to the highway of greater opportunities and are -the usual avenues to the only manhood and womanhood that is worth -having. My young friends, the castle of your noblest dream is built out -of what lies nearest at hand. It is the uncommonly good use of common -things, the everyday opportunities, that makes honored lives, and helps -us, and helps us to help others, along the sun-road. “He that is -faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” “Pride goeth -before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” - - - - - VI. - THANKSGIVING AT PINEY GROVE. - - -The people of the Piney Grove settlement, both white and black, had been -free for nearly a generation. The whites had been freed from the curse -of being slave-holders, and the blacks had been freed from the curse of -being held in bondage. But never in the history of this little town, in -the very heart of the so-called “Black Belt” of Georgia, had the people -known anything about the proper observance of Thanksgiving Day until -189–. And in that year the revolution was brought about by a young -colored woman named Grace Wilkins. - -Grace Wilkins was the only daughter of Solomon and Amanda Wilkins. -Solomon and his wife were farmers—plain, simple, ordinary country folk. -Amanda was literally her husband’s helpmeet. She went along with him -every morning to the field, and, in season, chopped as much wood, picked -as much cotton, hoed as much corn, pulled as much fodder, and plowed as -much as her husband did. Up to her fourteenth year Grace had been reared -on a farm, and had learned to do all the things that any farmer’s child -has to do—such as milking cows, feeding hogs and chickens, hoeing cotton -and corn, picking cotton, pulling fodder and the like. In her fourteenth -year, acting upon the advice of an uneducated colored preacher, her -parents sent Grace away from home to attend one of the great normal and -industrial institutes for the training of the black boys and girls of -the South. - -[Illustration: GRACE BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL.] - -At first her mother and father were filled with forebodings. It was the -first time that they had ever allowed their daughter to be away from -them, and they missed her so much and longed for her so constantly that -they thought that they had made a mistake in sending her off to -“boardin’ school.” Ignorant and superstitious neighbors, though they -knew as little about such matters as did Solomon and Amanda, were loud -in saying that “Sol” and “Mandy” would live to regret the step they had -taken in sending Grace away from home. The only rays of sunshine that -came in to brighten these periods of mental unrest and gloom on the part -of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were found in the letters which they received -regularly from their daughter. Grace invariably informed her parents, -whenever she wrote, that she was “well an’ doin’ well.” Thus reassured -from time to time, Solomon and Amanda managed somehow to undergo the -terrible strain of having their daughter absent from them for eight -months. But meantime they were firmly of the opinion that, once they got -their hands on her again, they would never allow Grace to return to -school. - -With glad and thankful hearts Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins joyously embraced -their daughter when she came home at the close of her first year in -school. With keen and genuine interest, they listened to her wonderful -accounts of the great school and of the great man at the head of it. -Grace dressed differently and talked differently; and her mother said, -speaking one day in confidence to her husband shortly after Grace’s -return, “Dat gal’s sho got a new walk on her!” - -Grace Wilkins brought back a toothbrush with her from school. That was -something which she had never had before. She used that toothbrush every -morning and night. That was something that she had never done before. -She was now careful to keep her hair well combed every day. That was -something that she had been accustomed to do on Sundays only or on -special occasions. She washed her face two or three times a day now, as -her mother and father noticed. Before she went to school she had been in -the habit of giving her face, as the old people say, “a lick and a -promise” early each morning. Besides, Grace kept the house cleaner than -she had kept it before. She brought home with her a brand-new Bible -which she read regularly at home and always carried to church and Sunday -school. She also had a song book called “Jubilee Songs and Plantation -Melodies,” and it gladdened the hearts of the good “old folks at home” -to hear their daughter sing from a book some of the very songs that they -had sung all their lifetime and which were so dear to them. - -All these things and others made a deep and abiding impression upon -Solomon and his wife. And finding that withal their daughter was just as -loving and kind as she had been before, and that she was just as -industrious and faithful as formerly, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were not long -in deciding that their daughter should go back to that school another -year, and that they would work hard and stint themselves in order that -they might keep her there until she had finished the normal course. - -So back to school Grace Wilkins went—that year, and the next year, and -the next. It was the proudest day in Solomon’s and Amanda’s lives when -they sat in the magnificent chapel of the school and heard their -daughter read her graduation essay on “The Gospel of Service.” Glad -tears welled up in their eyes when they heard the principal call their -daughter’s name, and then saw Grace step up to receive her certificate -of graduation. - -Coming back to Piney Grove to live, “Miss Gracie”—everybody called her -that after graduation—established a little school which she called “The -Piney Grove Academy.” It was the first public school for colored -children ever opened within the corporate limits of the little village. -Before that the schools were district schools or county schools, which -were taught about in different places for only three or four months in -the year, mainly during the summer. Miss Gracie began her school the -first day of October. By special arrangement she used the first three -months for the public term allowed by the state, and supplemented that -with a five-months term, for which the pupils were required to pay fifty -cents each per month. The plan worked well, the parents joining in -heartily in the movement, and the Piney Grove Academy soon became the -model school for the surrounding counties. - -[Illustration: GRACE’S GRADUATION.] - -Among other things Miss Gracie had learned at school what was the import -of our national Thanksgiving Day. At the opening of the second year of -the Piney Grove Academy she decided that she would inaugurate an annual -Thanksgiving service. Accordingly on the opening day of the second year -Miss Gracie informed the pupils of her plan, and told them that she -would begin the very next day to prepare a suitable program for the -exercises. Afterwards Miss Gracie secured the cooperation of the village -pastor—the same man who had been instrumental in having her parents send -her away to school. Through him she was permitted to talk to the people -at the church two or three times about the proposed celebration. She was -careful to tell them that the Thanksgiving festival was meant specially -to be a home festival in addition to being a time for the people to come -together in their accustomed places of worship to thank God for the -blessings of the year. She urged them, therefore, as far as they were -able without going to unnecessary expense, to have family dinners and -bring together at one time and in one place as many members of the -family as possible. She explained to them how this might be done -successfully and economically, and with pleasure and profit to all -concerned. She also urged them to be planning beforehand so that nothing -might prevent their attending church Thanksgiving Day morning. She was -going to hold the exercises in the church, because her little school was -not large enough to furnish an assembly hall for the people who would be -likely to be present. - -On Thanksgiving Day nearly everybody in town went to the exercises. Many -white people attended, including the county school commissioner and the -school trustees. It was the first Thanksgiving service that any of them -had ever witnessed. - -The program was made up, for the most part, of choice selections from -negro authors, composers, orators, and so forth. A selection from -Frederick Douglass on “Patriotism” was declaimed; one from Booker T. -Washington’s Atlanta Exposition speech was also delivered. Paul Laurence -Dunbar’s poem entitled “Signs of the Times” (a Thanksgiving poem) was -read by one of the pupils, and also “The Party,” another of Dunbar’s -pieces, was rendered. “The Negro National Hymn,” words by James W. -Johnson and music by his brother, Rosamond Johnson, was sung by a chorus -of fifty voices. At the opening of the service the president’s -Thanksgiving proclamation was read and appropriate remarks were made by -Miss Wilkins. The closing remarks were made by the Rev. John Jones, the -village pastor. The remarks of Mr. Jones were in the congratulatory -mood. He was naturally proud of Miss Gracie’s achievements, because he -had had something to do with putting her on the road to an education. He -spoke of the teacher as the leaven that was leavening the whole lump, -and the applause which followed the statement showed plainly the high -esteem in which the teacher was held by all the people. Everyone enjoyed -the service. None of the villagers had ever seen anything like it -before. After singing “America” all of them went away happy, many of -them, in obedience to Miss Gracie’s previous counsel, going home to eat -for the first time, well knowing what they were doing, a Thanksgiving -dinner. - -At the home of Miss Wilkins there was an excellent spread of ’possum, -potatoes, rice, chicken, pickles, macaroni, bread, a precious -Thanksgiving turkey, and the inevitable mincemeat pie. Besides Miss -Gracie, there sat at the table that day her parents, Mr. and Mrs. -Solomon Wilkins, John and Joseph Wilkins, brothers of Solomon who had -come from a distance, Mary Andrews, a sister of Mrs. Wilkins, who also -came from a distance, Grandma Wilkins, Grandma and Grandpa Andrews, the -Rev. John Jones, his wife, his daughter, and his only son, Jasper Jones. - -Jasper had gone to school at T—— one year after Gracie went, and, of -course, was one year later in finishing the course there. On this -Thanksgiving Day, nevertheless, he had been out of school long enough to -have successfully established himself in the business of poultry raising -and dairying. - -Just before the dinner party was dismissed the Rev. Mr. Jones arose and -said: - -“There is another little ceremony you’all is invited to witness befo’ -you go out to see the baseball game. I am authorized by these -credentials which I hol’ in my hands to unite in the holy bonds of -matrimony Miss Grace Wilkins and Mr. Jasper Jones. If there is no -objection, these two persons will please stan’ up, an’ I’ll tie the -knot.” - -Of course there were no objections. The knot was tied. And when the -villagers learned of the occurrence not long afterwards they had -additional reason for believing that they were right when they voted -that Piney Grove had never seen the like of such a Thanksgiving Day, and -that Miss Gracie Wilkins was one of the best women in all the world. - - - - - VII. - THE LOUD GIRL. - - -I do not know of a more sorrowful spectacle than that of a girl who is -loud in her dress, loud in her manners, and loud in her speech. It is a -great mistake for a girl to suppose that this loudness will be mistaken -by her friends and acquaintances for smartness. The desire to be -regarded as bright and witty has led many a girl into the folly of being -loud in her manners. She often cherishes the illusion that the attention -such manners attract is combined with admiration, when the truth is that -those who witness her strange conduct are simply wondering how it is -possible for her to throw to the winds that charm of all -girlhood—modesty. - -One afternoon not long ago I saw a group of girls of the loud type. They -came into the street car in which I was sitting. They all wore boys’ -hats. One wore a vivid red jacket with brass buttons, and another had on -a brass belt. A third one had on a most conspicuous plaid skirt. This -third one had a box of bonbons, and when the three were seated she -opened the box and offered it to her companions, saying as she did so, -in a voice loud enough and shrill enough to be heard in every part of -the car: - -[Illustration: BLAB-MOUTHED AND NOISY.] - -“It’s my treat; have some, chums!” - -Upon this invitation one of the girls dived down into the box like a -hungry bear, and held up a piece of the candy in triumph and then dashed -it into her mouth with a great guffaw. “O, Mame!” said one of the girls, -“if you ain’t just horrid to go and take the very piece I wanted!” - -“Mame” laughed and, taking the candy from her mouth, offered it to the -other girl, saying as she did so: - -“Well, here it is, Lulu!” - -“Lulu” struck the candy from “Mame’s” hand, and it flew across the aisle -into the lap of a lady sitting opposite the girls. This set all three of -the girls to giggling and tittering, and they seemed in danger of -convulsions when the owner of the box of candy let it fall and a part of -the candy rolled out on the floor. - -The conductor came forward and picked up the box and candy and handed -them to the owner. She giggled out her thanks, and “Lulu” said: “Why -didn’t you give him a gumdrop for his trouble?” - -This seemed to impress the other girls as a most brilliant witticism, -and they fell to tittering violently over it. - -Presently a gentleman came in and stumbled slightly over the feet of one -of the girls thrust out into the aisle. - -[Illustration: MODEST AND QUIET.] - -“I beg your pardon,” said the gentleman, as he lifted his hat, whereupon -the three girls grinned and giggled and giggled and grinned -immoderately, and one of them said: - -“Roxy, you had better ride out on the platform, where there is more room -for your feet!” - -“Roxy” then struck “Lulu” for making this speech. “Lulu” pretended to be -much offended and flung herself over to the other side of the car, where -she made a grimace at the other girls. - -The conduct of these girls during the half hour that they were on the -car was such as caused every father and mother who saw them to regard -them with pity. The loud girl, my dear readers, is always an object of -pity. She should be a sorry object for her own contemplation. An old -writer has said: “You little know what you have done when you have first -broken the bounds of modesty; you have set open the door of your fancy -to the devil, so that he can represent the same sinful pleasure to you -anew.” - -Now, the loud girl may be entirely innocent of any actual wrong-doing, -but she is regarded with dislike, distrust, and even disdain, by the -better class of people. She acquires a reputation for rudeness and -coarseness, and the people of refinement will not associate with her. -Her character suffers, no matter how innocent she may be of any -intention of doing wrong. Delicacy, modesty, is the certain sign of -sweetness, purity and gentleness of character, just as indelicacy is the -certain sign of a lack of these beautiful traits. - - - - - VIII. - THE ROWDY BOY. - - -You can tell him wherever you see him. There are certain marks or -appearances which he carries about with him and which are never absent. -For one thing you will find him with a cigarette stuck in his mouth, and -a cigarette is one of the deadliest poisons in the world for boy or man. -He wears his hat on the side or cocked back on his head. Frequently he -stuffs both hands in his trousers’ pockets. He doesn’t attend school -regularly; sometimes he starts for school and ends at the bathing pond -or the baseball park. He is late at Sunday school, if he goes at all, -and he stands ’round on the outside at church while the service is going -on inside. He steals rides on trains and on trolley cars, and on passing -vehicles of all descriptions. He is saucy and impudent to older people, -and is always ready and willing to quarrel or fight with his mates. He -is what the boys call a “bully.” - -The loud girl and the rowdy boy are two things of which we have seen -enough in this world. They are things; they are hardly worth the dignity -of being called human beings. - -I saw one of these rowdy boys in his own home not a great while ago. His -mother said to him: - -“Johnnie, you must always take off your hat whenever you come into the -house.” - -“Good gracious alive,” he said, “I can’t do anything right. What is the -use of grabbing off your hat every time you come into your own house?” - -[Illustration: HE STUFFS BOTH HANDS IN HIS TROUSERS POCKETS.] - -His mother looked sad, but said nothing. Presently she discovered that -her little boy had brought some mud into the house on his shoes. In her -sweetest tones she said: - -“Johnnie, you must go to the door and wipe your feet now. See how you -are tracking up the floor there!” - -“Well,” said the rowdy boy with a snarl, “can’t the old floor be -scoured? You must think this old house is gold.” - -Now, I am a preacher, boys, and, being a preacher, of course I am what -is called a “man of peace,” but I tell you that that was one time I came -pretty near wishing that I wasn’t a preacher so that I might have given -that boy what he deserved. I was sorry, for the time being, that he -wasn’t my son. No manly little boy will ever talk to his mother in any -such way. I suppose that boy thought it made him appear to be a very -important personage, but he was very much mistaken. Don’t be rowdy, -boys; don’t be rough; don’t be rude. You were made for better things. - - - - - IX. - HONESTY. - - -Early in the morning two little boys came to the market place. They -arranged their little stands and spread out their wares, and sat down to -wait for customers. One sold watermelons and fruit, and the other sold -fish and oysters. The hours passed on and both were doing well. -By-and-by Sammie had only one melon left on his stand. A gentleman came -along and said: - -“What a fine, large melon! I think I will buy that one. What do you ask -for it, my boy?” - -[Illustration: “HOW MUCH FOR THE MELON?”] - -“This is my last melon, sir; and though it looks fair, there is an -unsound spot on the other side,” said the boy, turning the melon over. - -“So there is,” said the man. “I don’t believe I’ll take it. But,” he -added, looking straight at the boy, “is it very good business for you to -point out the defects of your goods to customers?” - -“Perhaps not, sir,” said the boy with becoming modesty, “but it is -better than being dishonest.” - -“You are right, my boy; always speak the truth and you will find favor -with God and man. I shall not forget your little stand in the future.” - -Then turning to the other boy’s stand the man asked: - -“Are those fresh oysters?” - -“Yes, sir,” said Freddie, “these are fresh this morning—just arrived.” - -The gentleman bought them and went away. - -“Sammie,” said Freddie, “you never will learn any sense. What did you -want to show that man that spot on the melon for? He never would have -looked at it until he got home. I’ve got an eye to business, myself. You -see how I got rid of those stale oysters—sold them for just the same -price as fresh oysters.” - -“Freddie,” said the other boy, “I wouldn’t tell a lie, or act one -either, for twice the money we have both earned to-day. Besides I have -gained a customer and you have lost one.” - -And it turned out just as Sammie said. The next day the gentleman bought -a large supply of fruit from Sammie, but he never spent another penny at -Freddie’s stand. It continued that way through all the summer. At the -close of the season he took Sammie into his store, and, after awhile, -gave him a share in the business. - - - - - X. - UNCLE NED AND THE INSURANCE SOLICITOR.[2] - - -Turner Tanksley, a representative of the Workingmen’s Industrial Aid -Insurance Company, called upon Edmund Grant, an elderly colored man, -with a view to getting him to insure his life. - -“Good morning, Uncle Ned,” said Mr. Tanksley. - -“Mawnin’, Boss,” said the old man, raising his hat and making a low -courtesy. - -“Uncle Ned, do you carry any insurance?” inquired the solicitor. - -“Does I car’y what?” asked Uncle Ned in great surprise. - -“Do you carry any insurance? Is your life insured?” asked the solicitor -by way of explanation. - -“Bless Gawd! Yas, yas,” replied the colored man, “long ago—long ago.” - -Then the solicitor asked: “In what company?” - -Uncle Ned answered: “I’m a Baptis’, sah; I’m a Baptis’—a deep-watah -Baptis’.” - -Mr. Tanksley realized that the old man had not understood the question, -but, anyhow, he asked: - -“How long has it been since you joined?” - -[Illustration: “DAT’S JES’ WHAT MY ’LIGION DOES,” SAID THE OLD MAN.] - -“I j’ined,” replied Uncle Ned, “de same year dat de stars fell—I reckon -you know how long dat’s been?” - -“That’s a long while,” commented the insurance man; “quite a long while. -Does your company pay any dividends?” - -“Boss,” said Uncle Ned with a broad grin, “dat question is plumb out uv -my reach. What is you tryin’ to git at?” - -“Why, Uncle Ned,” said Mr. Tanksley, “a dividend is interest paid on -your money; and if you have been paying your money into one company for -more than thirty years surely you ought to have been receiving your -dividends long before now, especially if it’s an old-line company.” - -“Well,” said Uncle Ned, “hit sho is de ole-line comp’ny—hit sho is. De -Lawd sot hit up Hisse’f ’way back yondah on Calvaree’s tree. But I ain’t -nevah hyeahed tell uv no intrus’ nor no divverdens ner nothin’ uv dat -sawt; an’ you ain’t hyeah me say nothin’ ’tall ’bout payin’ in no money -fer thirty yeahs—you know you ain’t. Salvation’s free, white man; -salvation’s free—you knows dat ez well ez I does.” - -The way Uncle Ned laughed when he had delivered himself of this -remarkable speech would have done your soul good. - -“Oh, I see,” said Mr. Tanksley with much condescension, “I see that I’ve -misunderstood you. You’re talking about your soul’s salvation.” - -“Dat’s what I is,” chimed in Uncle Ned, “dat’s what I is.” - -“I came,” resumed the solicitor, “to talk to you about insuring your -body in case of accident, sickness or death.” - -“Accerdents is fer us all,” said Uncle Ned, with a far-away expression -on his face, “accerdents is fer us all, an’ dah ain’t no gittin’ ’roun’ -death.” - -“That’s true,” responded the patient solicitor, “that’s true; insurance -companies can’t prevent sickness and accidents and death any more than -you can, Uncle Ned, but insurance companies can and do help you to bear -your burdens in the time of trouble.” - -“Dat’s jes’ what my ’ligion does,” said the old man with supreme -satisfaction, “dat’s jes’ what my ’ligion does.” - -“But we do it in a different way,” persisted the solicitor. - -“Well, how does y’all do?” asked Uncle Ned. - -Then the solicitor went over the details of the Workingmen’s Industrial -Aid Insurance Company with his accustomed rapidity, telling about the -initiation fees, monthly premiums, accident benefits, sick benefits, -etc., etc., laying much stress especially upon the “endowment fund” that -would be paid upon the death of the insured. When he had finished the -elaborate narrative Uncle Ned, who had given the most earnest attention -to the speaker, inquired: - -“Boss, who you say de money goes to w’en I dies?” - -“To your wife,” answered the solicitor, “or your children, or anybody -you might name.” - -“Well, Boss,” said the old man, “lemme ax you one question: Don’t you -think dat would he’p de uddah fellah mo’n hit would me?” - -“What other fellow?” asked Mr. Tanksley. - -“My ole ’oman’s secon’ husban’,” replied Ned; “you know des ez good ez I -does dat ef I wuz to die an’ leave my ole ’oman two hundred or three -hundred dollars, dah’d be some cullud gent’man done changed her name -’fo’ ole Ned got cole in de groun’.” - -Uncle Ned’s originality made it very hard for Turner Tanksley to -suppress a smile. Without giving the solicitor a chance to speak, Uncle -Ned continued: - -“An’ dah’s anuddah way to look at hit. Wimmins is mighty cu’ious. Yas, -sah; wimmins is mighty cu’ious. Ef I wuz to go into dis thing you’s -tellin’ me ’bout, I dasn’t let Dinah know hit. White man, you don’t -know—no, sah, you don’t know. Ef dat ’oman knowed she’d git all dat -money w’en I died, she would sho put a spidah in my dumplin’—she sho -would, an’ fuss thing I know I’d wake up some mawnin’ an’ fine myse’f -dead, an’ all on account uv dis thing dat you calls ’showance. No, sah, -I don’t want nothin’ to do wid hit. De Baptis’ church is good ’nuff fer -me.” - -When the solicitor turned the corner he heard Uncle Ned singing some -kind of religious song with the following refrain: - - “I’m Baptis’ bred, an’ Baptis’ bo’n. - An’ w’en I die, dah’s a Baptis’ gone.” - - - - - XI. - THE STRENUOUS LIFE. - - -They were having a rough-and-tumble time of it and Pansy was getting -some pretty hard blows. She took them all good-naturedly, nevertheless, -and tried to give as good as she received, much to the delight of her -little boy friends. A lady who was standing near, afraid for the little -girl, chided the boys and said: - -“You shouldn’t handle Pansy so roughly—you might hurt her.” - -And then Pansy looked up in sweet surprise and said with amusing -seriousness: - -“No; they won’t hurt me. I don’t break easy.” - -It was a thoroughly childlike expression, but it had more wisdom in it -than Pansy knew. She spoke out of a little girl’s experience with dolls, -some of which, as she had learned, broke very easily. Pansy knew how -delightful it was to have a doll that didn’t break so easily. Though she -was not a homely girl by any means, and though she was not a wicked -little girl, yet she wanted it understood that she was not like a piece -of china. That was why the other children liked her so much—because she -knew how to rough it without crying or complaining at every turn. Pansy -was not a cry-baby. - -[Illustration: “I DON’T BREAK EASY.”] - -There is all the time, my dear boys and girls, a great demand everywhere -all through life for people who don’t break easily—people who know how -to take hard knocks without going all to pieces. The game of life is -sometimes rough, even among those who mean to play fair. It is very -trying when we have to deal with people who break easily, and are always -getting hurt and spoiling the game with their tears and complaints. It -is so much better when we have to deal with people who, like little -Pansy, do not break easily. Some of them will laugh off the hardest -words without wincing at all. You can jostle them as you will, but they -don’t fall down every time you shove them, and they don’t cry every time -they are pushed aside. You can’t but like them, they take life so -heartily and so sensibly. You don’t have to hold yourself in with them -all the time. You can let yourself out freely without being on pins as -to the result. Young people of this class make good playmates or good -work-fellows, as the case may be. - -So, boys and girls, you must learn to rough it a little. Don’t be a -china doll, going to smash at every hard knock. If you get hard blows -take them cheerily and as easily as you can. Even if some blow comes -when you least expect it, and knocks you off your feet for a minute, -don’t let it floor you long. Everybody likes the fellow who can get up -when he is knocked down and blink the tears away and pitch in again. -Learning to get yourself accustomed to a little hard treatment will be -good for you. Hard words and hard fortune often make us—if we don’t let -them break us. Stand up to your work or play courageously, and when you -hear words that hurt, when you are hit hard with the blunders or -misdeeds of others, when life goes roughly with you, keep right on in a -happy, companionable, courageous, helpful spirit, and let the world know -that you don’t break easily. - - - - - XII. - A HUMBUG. - - -A boy or girl who is pleasant and agreeable everywhere except at home is -a humbug. I know one boy who is a good deal of a humbug, although you -would never think so if you were to see him in any place outside of his -home. He is good-looking, neat and tidy, and carries himself like a -little man. I do not know of a boy who can tip his hat more gracefully -to a lady, or who can say, “I beg your pardon,” or “excuse me, please,” -more pleasantly than he can. But, for all that, he is a humbug. - -I visited his home the other day. I heard his mother speak to him. - -“Alexander,” she said. - -“Well, what do you want?” he asked in a voice which plainly indicated -his displeasure. - -“I want you to do something for me.” - -“Oh, you are always wanting me to do something just when I want to be -doing something else,” said Alexander, and this time he was whining. - -In departing on his errand Alexander accidentally ran against his little -sister in the hall. I expected to hear him say, “I beg your pardon” in -the pleasant way that I knew he could say it, but he snapped out -instead: - -“Oh, get out of the way, can’t you?” - -[Illustration: “OH, GET OUT OF THE WAY, CAN’T YOU?”] - -When he returned from the postoffice Alexander’s mother was out in the -yard trimming the flowers. While Alexander was reporting to her, she -happened to drop her scissors. I expected to see her polite and dutiful -son pick them up, as he was close by when the scissors fell; but the boy -paid no attention to the scissors. When his mother said: “Please pick up -my scissors for me, Alexander,” he said: - -“What did you drop ’em for?” - -I spent the best part of one whole day at Alexander’s home, and never -once during all that day did I hear him speak politely to his mother or -sisters, nor did he observe the ordinary rules of courtesy and good -behavior in their presence. He was continually grumbling and complaining -and finding fault. So I think I have a right to say that this boy is a -good deal of a humbug. Any boy is a humbug who is polite and gracious to -others and in every way discourteous and disagreeable at home. Don’t you -think so, too? - - - - - XIII. - A CANDIDATE FOR BAPTISM.[3] - - -At the close of the regular prayer-meeting service the pastor of the New -Mount Zion Colored Baptist Church, according to custom, stepped to the -front of the platform and inquired: - -“Is dar anybody present to-night who would like to jine dis church? Ef -so, please stan’ up.” - -Whereupon a little girl, apparently fourteen or fifteen years old, -stood. The parson said: - -“Take yo’ seat. Dah’s one; de church will set togeddah atter dismission -an’ hyeah f’um dis little lamb.” - -The benediction having been pronounced, all the sinners were asked to -leave the room. Only church members are allowed to remain for these -“after meetings.” When the room was cleared of all “the goats” a -pompous-looking individual, perhaps a deacon of the church, arose and -said: - -“Bruddah Pastur, de house is in ordah an’ ready fur business.” - -The pastor then asked the little girl who was seeking admission to come -forward. She gave her name to a one-eyed man seated at a table in front, -who, after a laborious effort, passed it up on a piece of paper to the -preacher. The preacher, readjusting his brass-rimmed spectacles, looked -at the piece of paper for a long while, and then raised his head and -said: - -“Bruddahs an’ sistahs, dis is little Queen Victoria Davis, who comes to -tell us what de Lawd has done fur her soul.” Then, turning to the girl, -he said: “My daughtah, we wants you to tell us what fuss started you to -prayin’, and how you foun’ de Lawd, an’ so on an’ so fo’th. Speak loud -so all kin hyeah.” - -The little girl began as follows: - -“Well, bruddahs and sistahs, what fuss started me to prayin’ was dat I -knowed dat I had a soul to save, an’ ef I didn’t git religion hell would -sho be my home.” - -“True! True!” exclaimed a number of men and women in chorus. - -“An’ den,” continued Queen Victoria, “I wanted to start to servin’ de -Lawd while I was young: I wanted to give Him my bes’ days.” - -“Amen,” said one old brother. - -“Well,” asked the pastor, “how did you feel while you was seekin’ de -Lawd?” - -The girl hesitated a moment, evidently in doubt as to the exact purport -of the question. Finally she said: - -“I felt like I wanted to be saved.” - -This answer not exactly suiting the parson, he put the question in a -different way. Said he: - -“Did you feel light er did you feel heavy while you was a-prayin’?” - -“I felt both,” said the little girl in unaffected innocence. Funereal -groans of pity swept through the congregation. The preacher tried again. -This time he asked: - -“Did you feel light de mos’ er did you feel heavy de mos’?” - -When Queen Victoria responded, “I felt heavy de mos’,” a wave of -approval greeted the remark. - -“W’en did dat heavy load leave you?” asked the parson. - -“Las’ Friday night,” said Queen Victoria; “las’ Friday night. I kep’ on -a-prayin’ an’ a-prayin’, an’ I didn’t feel no bettah untell I made up my -min’ dat I was a-gwine tah fin’ de Lawd er die a-tryin’. An’ las’ Friday -night de Sperrit met me an’ spoke peace to my soul. I hyeahed a little -voice, but I saw no man, an’ de little voice said to me, ‘Go in peace -an’ sin no mo’: yo’ sins is furgiven an’ yo’ soul sot free’.” - -At this everybody shouted assent. “Glory! Hallelujah!” exclaimed an -elderly sister. - -“Now, my daughtah,” said the preacher, “how did you feel atter dat?” - -“I felt light ez a feathah,” said the child. There was another shout of -approval, Queen Victoria having hit upon the regulation answer. - -“Ef you was to die now, whar would you go?” inquired the examiner. - -“To heaven,” was the reply. - -“Ef you had ’a’ died in yo’ sins, whar would you ’a’ went?” - -“I would ’a’ went to hell,” said the girl. - -“Would Gawd ’a’ been jest in sendin’ you to hell?” - -“No, sah!” exclaimed the applicant. Many of the hearers laughed. The -preacher raised his hand and said: - -“Don’t laff; don’t laff; de chile is young yit, an’ she’s got to learn.” - -Then by a series of leading questions, mainly concerning parental -government, the old pastor brought the child around to the point where -she saw, or where she was willing to say that she saw, that it was just -for God to send people to hell. - -“Do you want to jine dis church?” continued the questioner. - -“Yes, sah,” said the applicant. - -“Dis is a Baptis’ church, you know,” explained the pastor; “we baptize -hyeah by putting people deep down undah de watah. Ain’t you sheered uv -cole watah in de wintah time?” - -“Watah can’t git too cole fur me,” said the little girl, “I got de grace -uv Gawd in my heart.” - -The people fairly whooped at this (as in their superstition they -supposed) supreme manifestation of faith. - -The pastor then turned to the congregation and said: - -“Is dah any uddah questions?” - -An old brother near the stove arose and said: - -“Bruddah Pastur, I ain’t hyeahed de chile say whar she was at w’en de -change took place.” - -Queen Victoria responded: - -“I was at de Bridge Street church las’ Friday night.” - -The old brother nodded, as if completely satisfied with the answer. Then -he asked: - -“How long is you willin’ to trus’ dis hope?” - -“Tell I dies,” said the applicant. Down sat the questioner. - -“Any mo’ questions?” asked the pastor. - -A sister stood. - -“Honey,” she said, “is you got any parrunts livin’?” - -“Yas’m,” was the reply; “my ma an’ my pa is both livin’, an’ dey’s both -out in de ole fiel’ uv sin.” - -“Lawd ’a’ mussy!” exclaimed several of the hearers. The sister who asked -the question sat bathed in tears. - -A brother in the rear arose and said: - -“I has a question dat I wants to ax: I wants to know, daughtah, ef you -was convertid at de Bridge Street church, huccom you wants to jine dis -church?” - -“De Speerit sent me to dis church,” exultantly exclaimed the girl. - -“Glory to Gawd!” said the pastor. “Bless de Lamb!” exclaimed someone -else. “Honah! Honah! Honah!” hallooed many others, and there was a -general shout. - -The examination ended, two sisters came forward and took Queen Victoria -into the anteroom. When the applicant had been carried out a brother -arose, the same pompous individual who had originally announced the -house in “ordah an’ ready fur business.” Clearing his throat, he said: - -“Bruddah Pastur, I sho b’lieves dis is de works uv grace.” There was a -loud chorus of “Amens.” “An’ I motions,” continued the speaker, “ef I -kin git a secon’, dat she be ’ceptid ez er candidate fur baptism, an’ on -baptism ’come a full membah uv dis church.” - -“Secon’ de motion!” “Secon’ de motion!” exclaimed several at one and the -same time. - -The motion was put and carried. Queen Victoria was brought in once more. -The pastor informed her of the unanimous vote of the church, and -instructed her to be ready for baptism the following Sunday night. Then -the meeting adjourned, the members singing as they dispersed: - - “Ole sheep, you know de road, - Ole sheep, you know de road, - Ole sheep, you know de road, - Young lambs mus’ learn de way.” - - - - - XIV. - GOING WITH THE CROWD. - - -“But all the girls went, mother. I didn’t like to be the only one left -out. Besides, when I said I wouldn’t go they all laughed at me and said -that I was a coward.” - -It was Wednesday morning, before school time, and Anna was dreading to -go back to school—dreading to meet her teacher. The day before a circus -had been in town. At recess, while the children were on the playground, -they heard the noise of the band, and one of the girls said: - -“Let’s go and see the parade.” - -“All right,” said Anna. “I’ll go and ask the teacher if we may.” - -“No; don’t ask her—she might say no. We can get back before the bell -rings, and she will never know that we left the grounds.” - -Anna and one or two other girls held back. They all knew that it was -against the rules to go off the playground at recess without permission. - -“Oh, come on! Come on!” insisted one of the girls. “You’re afraid; -you’re afraid! Come on! Don’t be such a coward; all the rest are going.” - -And so Anna went. - -When the girls saw the parade pass one point they wanted to see it once -more, and away they went through the cross street to get to another -corner ahead of the procession. School was forgotten; and when they did -remember, recess time was long past and it was too late to go back. - -The next morning, as Anna stood in the kitchen talking it over with her -mother, her little heart was very heavy. She knew she had done wrong; -she dreaded to go to school; and she was very unhappy. - -“Perhaps,” said her mother, “if you had been brave about not going, the -other girls would have stayed on the school grounds too. Or, if you had -asked the teacher, I think she would have let you all go. But whether -she did or not, it is never safe to do a thing just because ‘all the -rest do it.’ Going with the crowd is not a good plan unless you are sure -that the crowd is going in the right direction. The only wise thing for -you to do is to be sure you are right, and then stick to it and never -mind what the crowd does.” - -“I didn’t mean to do wrong,” said Anna, as the tears started in her -eyes. - -[Illustration: “MOTHER, I’M SO HAPPY. TEACHER FORGAVE ME.”] - -“I know that, my dear,” said her mother, “but you were more afraid of -being teased than you were of doing wrong. I hope you will remember from -this day forward that the brave girl is not the girl who dares to do -wrong, but the brave girl is the one who does what she knows to be -right, in spite of the taunts and jeers of her playmates.” - -“What shall I tell my teacher?” asked Anna in a low voice, as she -dropped her head. - -“Oh,” said her mother, kissing her, “you go right straight to your -teacher and tell her that you have done wrong, and that you are sorry -for it. Ask her to let you say so to the whole school. Be sure to beg -her pardon, and promise not to do so again.” - -Little Anna did as her mother told her. That afternoon, when she came -back from school, she ran into her mother’s arms and said: - -“Mother, I’m so happy. Teacher forgave me, and I mean to be good.” - -And the smile on Anna’s face spoke plainly of a happy heart. - - - - - XV. - MARY AND HER DOLLS. - - -[Illustration: MARY AND HER DOLLS.] - -Was there ever a time when the first doll was born? Was there ever a -time when little boys and girls, especially little girls, did not love -dolls and did not have something of that nature to play with? It would -appear that dolls, or playthings somewhat like unto dolls, are as old as -babies themselves—that is to say, boys and girls, that ever since there -have been little children in the world there have been little things for -them to play with. And I never saw a sane person in my life who regrets -that it is so. It is not only amusing, it is inspiring to see the little -children making merry with their dolls and their toy animals and their -little express wagons and their wooden guns and their toy steam engines -and their whistles and their balloons and their brownies and their -jumping-jacks and their hobby-horses and a hundred and one other things. - -Mary had put away her dolls for the night and was cleaning the doll -house when papa came in. - -“How many doll babies have you now, Mary?” he asked. - -“I have five dolls now, papa,” said Mary, “but only one is a baby—that -is little Flossie. Robbie and Nell are three years old now; Mattie is -two and Jerusha is one year old. Flossie is now the only little baby.” - -The Rev. Dr. Smithson smiled. - -“Well,” he said after a time, “five dolls make a big family, I think.” - -“I don’t,” said Mary quickly. “Rolla Mays has thirteen girls and two -boys in her doll family, and I haven’t but five in all!” - -“I shouldn’t think,” said Dr. Smithson, “that Rolla would know what to -do with so many.” - -“Why, papa, of course she does!” - -“Mary,” said Dr. Smithson, looking thoughtfully at his little daughter, -“I have a little girl in my Sunday school class who hasn’t a single -doll. I thought you might like to give her one of yours. You could spare -one—couldn’t you?” - -“Oh, papa, I couldn’t—not a one,” exclaimed Mary. - -“Not one—when this poor little girl hasn’t any?” - -“Oh, papa, I love my dolls so—how can I give them away?” - -“You’d have four left—wouldn’t that be enough?” - -Mary thought a long while before speaking. She looked distressed. - -“Papa,” she said at last, “Mrs. Grant was over here the other day, and -she said that she wished you and mamma would give me to her because she -didn’t have any little girl of her own. You’ve got five children -yourself, papa—but would you give any of ’em away just because you would -have four left?” - -Dr. Smithson took his little daughter in his arms and kissed her. - -“No, dear,” he said; “papa wouldn’t give any one of his children away. -You may keep all of your dollies, and we’ll think of some other way to -help poor little Hattie.” - -The next morning Mary said: - -“Papa, I have thought it all out for Hattie. You know I have been saving -up a little money to buy me a little iron bank—but I can wait for that. -I have saved up fifty cents—don’t you think that will be enough to buy a -nice little dolly for Hattie, and let me keep my babies?” - -Dr. Smithson knew that Mary had long been planning for the bank. So he -asked: - -“Are you quite sure that you want to spend your money in this way?” - -“Yes, papa, I’m very sure,” said Mary with a smile, though there was a -hint of sadness in her eyes. - -Dr. Smithson and Mary bought Hattie a pretty doll. Hattie was overjoyed -when she saw it. Mary went back home, glad that her papa had understood -how she loved her dolls, and glad to find that not one of her beloved -children was missing. - - - - - XVI. - JAKY TOLBERT’S PLAYMATES. - - -“Well, Johnnie, where are you going this morning?” asked Mrs. Jones as -her little boy started towards the gate. - -“I’m goin’ over to Jaky’s, mamma; you know I must go over to Jaky’s -every day.” - -“What do you find at Jaky’s to make you so anxious to go over there -every day almost before you are out of bed good?” - -“Oh, mamma, Jaky has the nicest playmates over to his house you ’most -ever saw.” - -“Who else goes over to Jaky’s besides you?” asked Mrs. Jones. - -“Jaky don’t have no reg’lar visitor but me,” said Johnnie proudly. “Me -an’ Jaky is the whole thing.” - -“Well, you are saying a good deal for yourself when you say that Jaky -has the nicest playmates in the world—don’t you think so?” - -[Illustration: “I’M GOING OVER TO JAKY’S, MAMMA.”] - -“I didn’t mean me,” explained Johnnie. “Jaky’s playmates ain’t folks at -all. Jaky’s playmates is animals—just animals, but I do believe that -they have got as much sense as some folks I know.” - -“What kind of animals?” asked Mrs. Jones, becoming interested. - -Then Johnnie went on to explain. He said: - -“Jaky’s got chickens and dogs and cats and birds. He’s got names for all -of ’em, and they all know their names and they just run to Jaky when he -calls them. The chickens and birds, too, will just walk right up and eat -out of Jaky’s hand. And his trained dogs and cats are just the funniest -things I ever saw. His little dog, Trip, can carry a gun and obey the -commands, “Carry arms!” “Present arms!” “Parade rest!” just like a -little soldier. One time at a fair he saw trained dogs and horses, -elephants, and even lions. Then he decided that he would train some -animals himself. And, mamma, he has done well. Why, he’s got a cat that -can spell some words. Jaky printed some letters of the alphabet on -separate cards, and he’s got a cat that will pick out the right ones -every time. One of his little dogs can play the fiddle. It may seem -strange, but he certainly can do it. He can hold the fiddle, and draw -the bow across it just the right way, and he can play a little tune. -Jaky calls it a dog tune, and I think he ought to know. - -“You just ought to see Jaky’s chickens—he’s got six of ’em. He calls -them and they all come running. Then he holds out his arm, and calls -them by name, and they will jump up on his little arm, one after the -other, and will sit there until Jaky tells them to jump down. And Jaky -is so kind to his two birds that they won’t fly away when he lets them -out of their cages for a little while. He can take them up in his arms -and pat them gently, and then he puts them down, and they will lie still -right by Jaky until Jaky calls them by name and tells them to go into -the house—that is, I mean, into their cages. - -“By the way, mama, I forgot to tell you. Jaky is getting up an animal -show, and he says that I am to be his manager. He’s going to print the -cards to-day. He’s going to call his circus, “JAKY TOLBERT’S GREAT -ANIMAL SHOW—THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH,” and he’s going to make me the -manager of his circus. Won’t that be fine? You’ll come and see it—won’t -you? We’re going to charge only one cent for you to come in. Oh, it’s -going to be great, and I don’t want you to miss it.” - -“To be sure, I’ll come,” said Mrs. Jones. “Tell Jaky I’m glad to hear -about how much he loves the dumb animals—every manly boy ought to love -and protect them.” - -“I tell you,” said Johnnie, as he hurried out of the gate, “Jaky will -fight anybody who hallooes at one of his pets or mistreats one in the -least. He’s just as kind to them as he can be. Don’t you forget the -show. It’ll come off next week.” - - - - - XVII. - A VALENTINE PARTY. - - -It was one week from St. Valentine’s Day, and the Berry children had -already provided a number of the tokens, comic and otherwise, which they -meant to send to their friends. Jack produced a grotesque and awfully -exaggerated caricature of a withered, stoop-shouldered old woman, with -some cruel lines of doggerel printed beneath it. - -“I’m going to send this to old Mrs. Gray,” said Jack, as he exhibited -the comic picture. - -Nearly all the children laughed, and said that the picture and the words -beneath it would just suit the old woman. Mrs. Gray was an old and -poverty-stricken widow woman, and many of the children of the little -village took delight in playing tricks on her on Hallowe’en and -Valentine nights. In this way, the children, especially the boys, had -made her life so miserable that the old woman often said that she hated -even the sight of a boy. In the midst of the merriment over the proposed -venture of Jack Berry, it was Lillie Berry who spoke up, saying,—— - -[Illustration: OLD MRS. GRAY.] - -“Jack, I tell you what I think. I think we ought to give Mrs. Gray a -genuine surprise next week. She has had so many ups and downs in this -life, I really believe that we can give her a little pleasure if we give -her a true—true surprise. Of course, all the boys and girls will be -invited to join in, but it is not going to be like a regular party, but -something like the ‘surprise’ parties or donation parties that we -sometimes give the preacher; we’ll just put the things on the doorstep -and run, the way we do with valentines, you know. What do you say to -that, Jack? And what do the rest of you think?” - -Very quickly the Berry children agreed with what Lillie had said, and -immediately they set about planning for the valentine party. - -The night of February fourteenth was clear, cold and moonless. Across -the fields in the darkness, a throng of merry young children, with a -wagon or two (little goat wagons) piled high with baskets and bundles -and wood, slipped silently toward the little house where old Mrs. Gray -sat shivering over her scanty fire. A sudden knock at the door aroused -Mrs. Gray from her musing. She hobbled painfully to the door. Opening -it, she saw by the light of the tallow candle a basket of rosy apples -and another of potatoes. Nothing else was in sight. - -A second knock followed almost as soon as the door had closed on the two -baskets which were hurriedly drawn inside. This time a can of kerosene -oil held a lonely vigil on the doorstep. - -“I haven’t had a drop in my lamp for two weeks,” Jack heard the old lady -say, as she peered out eagerly into the darkness before closing the -door. - -As she was busy filling her lamp, she was interrupted by a third knock, -which resulted in a basket filled with groceries in parcels in all -shapes and sizes. Great tears stood in Mrs. Gray’s eyes, and a great -lump arose in her throat. - -At last knock number four revealed the real Saint Valentine—a group of -laughing boys and girls, every one of whom carried an armful either of -pine or oak wood for the stove. - -“Where shall we put it?” asked Jack Berry, as eager now to help as he -had been the week before to tease. Mrs. Gray was rubbing her eyes, and -wondering if she could possibly be awake and in her right mind. - -“Wish you many happy returns of Valentine’s Day!” said Lillie Berry, as -she slipped into the withered hand a small purse containing the -valentine money of the boys and girls; and before the bewildered woman -could say more than a fervent “God bless you,” her guests had melted -away in the darkness, and she was left to weep tears of thankfulness -among her new possessions. - - - - - XVIII. - “NO MONEY DOWN.” - - -Boys and girls, I suppose you are quite familiar with what is known as -buying things on the instalment plan. You have seen people in your own -neighborhood—perhaps in your own homes—buy things that way. Chairs, -tables, bed-steads, rugs, pictures, things for the kitchen and things to -wear, and many other things are bought that way. Most people think they -are getting a great bargain when they are able to buy things by paying a -small amount in cash as the first payment—say fifty cents or a -dollar—and then pay the balance in small weekly or monthly payments. And -especially do some of our mothers and fathers think that they are -getting a great bargain, if they are able to buy things they want for -“no money down” and so much a week. In such matters, my dear boys and -girls, your parents are making a terrible mistake and are setting you a -wrong example. They lose sight of the fact, when they fall into the -habit of buying anything and everything on the instalment plan or on the -“no money down” plan, that a day of reckoning is sure to come; that the -time comes when they must pay for everything that they have been led -into buying. Thoughtful people—wise people—prefer to pay “money down” -when they buy anything; and this habit of paying as they go helps them -in at least two ways. First, it saves money in their pockets, and, -secondly, it keeps them from running in debt. - -Children, these men who come to your homes with great packs on their -backs always charge you double for whatever they may sell you on the “no -money down” plan—no matter what it is! That is why they are willing to -make the terms so “easy,” as they say. In the end they profit by their -schemes, and nobody else does profit by their schemes except these -peddlers. You ought to avoid them as you would a wild beast. You do not -know now, boys and girls, what a terrible thing debt is. I honestly hope -that you may never know, and if you will take the advice of older and -wiser persons I am sure you will always be free from the bondage of -debt. - -Not long ago, I saw two women standing at the window of one of these “no -money down” or “hand-me-down” stores. One said to the other— - -“I just believe I’ll get me a new cloak this winter. My cloak didn’t -cost but three dollars, and it is so old and shabby that I am ashamed to -wear it in the street. Look at that beauty over there in the corner. -Only ten dollars and ‘no money down’.” - -“Yes;” said her companion, “but I guess the money will have to come down -sometime.” - -“Oh, of course; but, you know, I won’t have to pay it all at once. I -could probably get it for fifty cents a week.” - -“Well, why don’t you just save the fifty cents a week until you have -enough to pay ‘cash down’ for the cloak, and in that way you would save, -I am sure, three or four dollars; because you can buy that same cloak -for six dollars or seven dollars in cash.” - -“Oh,” said the woman, “I’d never save it as I would if I had the cloak -and knew that I just had to pay for it.” - -“But, Delia, the cloak would not really be yours until you had paid for -it, and I would feel kind of cheap wearing a cloak that didn’t belong to -me. If I were you I would stick to the old cloak until I could pay the -money down for a new one. That’s what I would do.” - -And that is exactly what anybody should do who wants a new cloak. It is -what people should do, no matter what they want. I know a boy fifteen or -sixteen years old who had the courage and the manliness and the honesty -to wear a very shabby old overcoat all of last winter rather than buy -one on the “no money down” plan. It is his plan always to “pay as he -goes,” and be debtor to no one. - -I heard the other day of a young fellow who goes two or three blocks out -of his way to avoid passing certain stores because he owes the -proprietors of those stores money that he cannot pay. That boy, I know, -is miserable night and day. Mr. Longfellow, in his “The Village -Blacksmith,” tells us that the honest old blacksmith could look “the -whole world in the face,” because he did not owe anybody anything—he was -out of debt. And boys and girls, if you are level-headed, you will fight -shy of the “no money down” plan. By choosing the “money down” plan, you -will save your self-respect and your good name. - - - - - XIX. - TOMMY’S BABY BROTHER. - - -For several months Deacon Tadpole’s little son, Tommy, had made constant -and repeated reference to the fact that he had no little baby brother or -sister to play with. One day, when he was feeling unusually sad over his -misfortune, he said to his father,—— - -“Papa, I ain’t got no little baby brother to play with—you might at -least buy me a little pony.” - -“Papa can’t buy a pony, son;” said the deacon. “A pony costs too much. I -thought you wanted a little brother or sister.” - -“I do,” said Tommy, “but if I can’t get what I want I’m willing to take -what I can get.” - -“But, you would rather have a little brother than a pony, wouldn’t you?” -asked Mr. Tadpole. - -Tommy thought awhile and then said he thought he would rather have a -little baby brother than to have a pony. - -“You see,” he said, “it costs so much to keep a pony, and we would have -to build a stable for him, wouldn’t we, papa?” - -“Yes,” answered his father, “and we haven’t got any room in the backyard -for a stable.” - -“And we’d have to buy hay, too,” said the child. - -“Yes,” said his father. - -“Well, I’d rather have the little brother.” - -[Illustration: “PAPA, I AINT GOT NO LITTLE BABY BROTHER TO PLAY WITH.”] - -So the matter was left in abeyance until a month ago when little Tommy -was told one morning that a little brother had come to him. - -He was delighted. He danced around in the hall and made such a racket on -the stairs that the nurse threatened to have him sent away. When he was -permitted to see the baby, Tommy went into ecstasies. He asked a -thousand questions about the little one, and was very anxious to know -why God had taken so long to send him down from heaven. He wanted to -kiss the baby, and cried because they wouldn’t let him hold it in his -arms. - -But Tommy’s enthusiasm for the new baby began to wear off in about a -week’s time. It was always, “Sh-sh! Sh-sh! You’ll wake the baby,” or -“Tommy, you must be more quiet!” or “You can’t come in this room, now!” - -In fact the little baby brother seemed to be interfering with little -Tommy’s fun to such an extent that he decided to go to his father and -see if some new arrangement could not be made. Tommy found his father in -the library. He ran to Deacon Tadpole and climbed upon his knee, and -said,—— - -“Papa, I don’t believe I want my little brother any more. I can’t have -any fun with him. I’ll tell you what let’s do. Let’s trade him for a -pony.” - -“Oh, we couldn’t do that,” said the deacon. - -Tommy was silent for a time. Then he said,—— - -“Well, I don’t suppose we could find anybody that would want to trade a -pony for him, but don’t you think you could trade him for a goat?” - - - - - XX. - KEEPING SCHOOL. - - -Every boy and girl in America ought to go to school. The public school -is one of the best institutions connected with the life of our nation. -But did you ever hear of a little girl who went to school to herself? I -have, and I want to tell you about it. - -We will call her Tootsie. - -There was no school house, and no teachers; nothing only just little -Tootsie; not even her dolls; just simply Tootsie sitting all alone on -the couch near the window. That was all there was to this little school, -so far as anybody could see. - -But Tootsie said she had a large school, with some sixty pupils. -Sometimes she would say that her scholars had been naughty and that they -would have to stay in at recess; and then again she would say that they -had been promoted to a higher grade; she often talked to her pupils as -if they were real live people, telling them how they should stand and -how they should sit and giving them permission to be excused, and so on. -So you see it seemed in Tootsie’s mind very much more like a real school -than it could to us. - -[Illustration: TOOTSIE.] - -Every morning, when Tootsie’s sister would start for school, Tootsie -would watch her until she was out of sight, and then she would go and -sit down on the couch. Not having a true-true school book, she would -take her Christmas story books. At first she would only look at the -pictures and try to think what the story about them must be. Then she -would ask mama or grandma, or whoever happened to be nearest, what the -words of the picture-story were. She would then say the words of the -story over to herself, and look at the picture. Next day she would read -over the words of the same story as far as she could remember them, and -when she came to a word that she did not know, up she would jump and go -and ask some one what it was. When she had learned a story herself, she -would then talk to her sixty imaginary scholars about it, showing them -the picture and explaining the story to them just as though the children -were all there before her in her little school room. - -In this way Tootsie went through one after another of her story books, -picking out the stories that had pleasing pictures. - -But the nice thing of it all was that Tootsie was really learning to -read, and she did get so that she read real well; for she knew just what -she was reading about, and often, when she would find a story that was -funny, she would laugh right out even if she was at school, and then she -would find mama or grandma and read the funny part to them. - -Maybe one reason why Tootsie learned so fast was because her school was -just like play to her and not like work. Of course, it is easier to play -than it is to work. But could you think of any better thing to play than -to play keeping school? Why not try it? It helped Tootsie wonderfully, -and I believe it would help many other boys and girls. What do you think -about it? - - - - - XXI. - THE SCHOOL OF THE STREET. - - -Little Joe, ten years old, had followed his business as a newsboy and -bootblack in Smutville for three or four years, and, of course, had -turned out to be a first-class little citizen of the street. He could -curse and swear, and drink and smoke, just the same as any old hardened -sinner. - -One day, after Joe had finished one of his daily fights with some other -small boy, a kind-hearted gentleman stepped up to him and said,—— - -“My little man, do you go to school?” - -“Nope,” said Joe. - -“Do you go to Sunday-school?” - -“Nope.” - -“Well,” said the gentleman, “what do you expect to do when you are -grown?” - -“I ain’t going to wait till I’m grown—I’m going to be a jockey; that’s -what I’m going to be.” - -“How would you like to be bank cashier or president of a great bank? -Wouldn’t you like that better?” - -“Yep,” said the boy, “but a poor boy can’t get no job like that—now you -know he couldn’t.” - -“Oh, yes; he could if he were to prepare himself for it. But a poor boy, -and no other boy, will ever be a great business man if he is going to -live forever in the street—cursing and swearing and fighting and, it may -be, stealing, and having no higher ambition than to be a jockey.” - -[Illustration: LITTLE JOE.] - -“Are you a parson?” asked the boy, becoming interested. - -“No, but I am interested in little boys. I am the secretary of the Young -Men’s Christian Association and we have a boys’ department. I want you -to join it. I have found out about your habits and your surroundings; I -was told of the death of your mother and father; and I made up my mind -to come and ask you to come over to the Young Men’s Christian -Association and live with us. You may continue to sell your papers and -black boots, but, you see, living with us, you can go to school at -night, and some day you will have a good education—and you might be a -bank cashier.” - -Little Joe took this good man’s advice and went to live in the Y. M. C. -A. building. He did not turn out to be a bank cashier or president, but -what was better, Joe turned out to be a General Secretary of one of the -largest Y. M. C. A.’s among the colored people of this country, and in -that way has been instrumental in saving a great many other boys from -the gutter. - -But Joe would never have amounted to anything if he had not been taken -away from the wicked influences of the street, and placed on the road to -higher things. The worst school in this world that any boy can go to is -the school of the street. The school of the street turns out the most -impure, the most dishonest and the most illiterate boys, and those boys -and girls who ever rise to be anything or anybody in the world are the -ones who leave the influences of the street in due time, as Little Joe -did. The street offers most of its work and most of its attractions at -night, as many boys can tell. The life of the street leads to no career -that is worth following. The good careers are made by those whom the -street has not had a chance to spoil, or by those who are taken out of -the streets before they become hopeless cases. - -There is no greater error than the common notion that it is a good thing -to let a boy run the streets and become “hard” and “tough” and “have his -wits sharpened” and make “a little man” of himself, as some foolish -people say. A boy learns more downright mischief in one night in the -street than he can unlearn in the home in six months. And so, what will -the teaching of the home, the public school and the Sunday-school amount -to, if we are going to give our boys in their young and tender years the -freedom of the streets? If now and then a street boy—that is to say, a -boy hardened in the ways of the street—does get a good place, in most -cases he will lose it and fall back to the old, free life of the gutter. -The boys who succeed are the boys who get away from, or who are taken -away from, the influences of the street and who are surrounded by better -and more wholesome influences. Those who remain under the influences of -the street become in the course of time members of the great army of -beggars, tramps and criminals. It is a great pity that there should be -so many stories going the rounds which tell about newsboys and messenger -boys and so on rising to be bank clerks and telegraph-operators and so -forth. On the whole, these stories are misleading, and for the reason -that they seem to give the impression to many innocent boys and to many -thoughtless parents that the surest way to give a boy a good start in -life is to send him out into the streets to “rough it” and fight his way -to the front over beer bottles, games of chance, the race-track, and the -pool room, to the accompaniment of vulgar jokes, profane swearing and -evil associates. I repeat: The school of the street is the worst school -in the world, and the sooner boys get out of it the better it will be -for them. - - - - - XXII. - THE FOX HUNT. - - -Uncle Hambright used to pride himself upon his ability to invent amusing -games for the children. Sometimes he found it hard to think of anything -new, but the demands of the children were so insistent and his desire to -please them always was so intense that it often happened that Uncle -Hambright could almost make a way out of no way. - -Dinner-time was fast approaching. All the morning, the half-dozen little -children, who were spending the day with Uncle Hambright at the -Sunday-school picnic, had been playing every conceivable sort of game -and had been enjoying every imaginable kind of story told in Uncle Ham’s -inimitable way,—but still the children were not satisfied. “Just one -more story,” or “Just one more game,” or “Give us your best game now for -the last before dinner,”—the children clamored one after another. - -“Very well,” said Uncle Ham. “You all wait until I come back, and then -we’ll play fox-hunting.” - -Uncle Ham went and told his sister and her husband, the parents of the -little children, to take the dinner-baskets far into the woods to the -place which they had already agreed upon as the spot where the -dinner-table should be spread. Coming back to the children, Uncle Ham -said,—— - -[Illustration: UNCLE HAMBRIGHT.] - -“Now, we are ready. Come close and listen while I explain.” - -With anxious hearts and eager faces, and clapping their glad hands, the -children gathered around Uncle Ham. - -“Now,” said he, “I have a piece of chalk here in my hand. I am going to -make something like this wherever I go along.” While he was speaking he -made a round ring on the fence close by. He put marks for the ears and -feet and a mark for the tail. Then he continued: “This is the fox. I’m -going to make foxes along the path that I take into the woods—sometimes -these foxes may be on fences, sometimes on trees, sometimes on rocks, or -anywhere I wish to place them. Whenever you find a fox you will know -that you are on the right road, and you must be sure each time to follow -in the direction that the head of the fox points. Then you won’t lose -your way. You must give me a little start, because I must be out of -sight before you all begin the hunt. At the end of the hunt, if you -follow carefully, you will find a large present waiting for each one of -you. You may help yourself to whatever you like, and then we shall all -come back together, because, you know, I will be at the end myself -waiting for you when you come.” - -It seemed that the ten minutes start that the children had agreed to -give Uncle Hambright would never come to an end, so eager were they to -begin the hunt. By-and-by the time came, and they were off. The first -few foxes had been drawn on the board-walk, so the hunters had easy -sailing for a little while. Pretty soon, however, one of the girls -discovered a fox on a tree, and the head of the fox pointed right into -the woods. At first the children halted. The eldest girl said finally, -after studying a few minutes,—— - -“Let’s go on; Uncle Hambright wouldn’t take us where anything could hurt -us, and, besides, he said he would be waiting at the end.” - -Thus reassured, all of them plunged into the woods. Once in the woods -the little foxes drawn on trees and stumps carried them right along by -the side of a babbling brook for a long distance. Sometimes they would -find one fox, and then they would find it very hard to locate the next -one. It was great fun for them to scurry about in the woods, examining -trees, stumps, rocks and everything, hunting for the foxes. Finally one -of the little girls found a fox on a fence. The head of the fox pointed -upwards. The little child said,—— - -“This little fox seems to be pointing to heaven; I’m sure we can’t go up -there.” - -“Oh, no;” said the oldest girl, again coming to the rescue,—“I think -that that little fox leads over the fence—that’s all.” - -So, over the fence they jumped and continued the chase. - -[Illustration: “YOU ALL WAIT UNTIL I COME BACK, AND THEN WE’LL PLAY AT -FOX-HUNTING.”] - -The course proved to be zig-zag now for a few minutes, and the children -found the foxes more and more difficult to locate. They felt safe again, -when the foxes were found on stones or rocks leading up the side of a -hill. The woods began to thin out, and the children were no longer -timid. Up the hill they went with a merry laugh and a shout. Once on top -of the hill, they lost their course again. After a time, they found a -fox, though, and that fox pointed straight down the hill. The children -bravely followed. At the foot of the hill, they came suddenly upon an -open space, and close by there was a great big fox marked upon a piece -of black paste-board and standing right over a bubbling spring of water. - -“Uncle Hambright must have meant for us to stop here,” said one. - -“Maybe, he meant for us to stop and get some water,” said another. - -One or two of the fox-hunters stopped and drank some water. Then the -oldest one said,—— - -“Come on now, let’s look for another fox; I guess we are most through -now.” - -About twenty yards away from the spring, the children came to another -open space that was well shaded. What was their delight and surprise to -find there stretched out before them on a large white table cloth, laid -on the bare ground, a sumptuous picnic-dinner. And in the middle of the -table there was a true-true stuffed fox with a large red apple in his -mouth. For a few moments the children stood around the table in -bewilderment. But they were not to be kept in suspense a great while. -Pretty soon, Uncle Hambright and mama and papa came out of the woods -near by, and such a laugh as went around that picnic-dinner was never -heard before or since! - -At the close of the meal, the children all voted that that was the best -game that Uncle Ham had played during the day. - - - - - XXIII. - A BOLD VENTURE. - - -“Mr. Slocum, good morning, sir; I came around to ask you to lend me five -dollars.” - -Mr. Slocum, Manager of the Harlem Steamboat Company, looked up from his -desk in surprise when he heard this abrupt announcement. - -“What’s that?” he asked curtly. - -“Lend me five dollars,” said the little boy who had first addressed him. - -“Who are you?” demanded Mr. Slocum. - -“I’m nobody,” said the boy,—“nobody, but I want you to lend me five -dollars.” - -Mr. Slocum, who was generally said to be a hard man to deal with, was -surprised at the boy’s presumption, yet, nevertheless, he was secretly -pleased at the boy’s frank and open manner. - -“Do you know what borrowing money means?” asked Mr. Slocum, rising and -looking down upon the diminutive figure standing before him. The boy was -barefooted, held his hat in his hand, and his hair was nicely combed. -Mr. Slocum continued: “Don’t you know when a person borrows money he is -supposed to pay it back?” - -“Oh, yes;” said the boy, “I know that. You lend me the money, and I’ll -pay it back all right. I only want it for three months. I’ll pay it -back.” - -[Illustration: “LEND ME FIVE DOLLARS.”] - -There was something about the boy’s face and general deportment that won -Mr. Slocum’s favor. He ran his hand into his pocket, pulled out a -five-dollar bill and handed it to the boy. - -“Thank you, sir;” said the boy, as he turned to go,—“thank you sir; I’ll -pay it back.” - -Three months later, the same little boy entered Mr. Slocum’s office. - -“Here’s your five dollars, Mr. Slocum,” said the little boy. “I’m much -obliged to you, sir.” - -“Who are you?” asked Mr. Slocum, as he reached out and took the money. - -“I’m nobody,” said the boy. - -“Well, why do you bring me this money?” - -“Because I owe it to you,” explained the little fellow. - -The boy told Mr. Slocum of the loan made three months before, and made -Mr. Slocum recall the transaction. Mr. Slocum asked him to have a seat. - -“Well, what did you do with that money?” asked Mr. Slocum. - -“Well,” said the boy, “I was hard up when I called on you. Me and my ma -had been selling papers for a living up to that time, but somehow we had -got behind with our expenses. House rent was due, and we didn’t have -nothing to eat. I had to find a friend somewhere. So, after trying two -or three places where I was known and failing to get any help, I decided -to drop in here and see you. You know the result. Well, I paid my rent -for a week; rented a little stand for my ma to sell papers on the -corner, while I continued to hustle in the street. That five dollars you -lent me give me good luck, and I’ve been going right up ever since. Me -and ma are living in a better place now; we’ve got a plenty to eat; and -we’ve got a plenty of fine customers. I told you when I came here before -that I was nobody then, but I’m somebody now, Mr. Slocum,—anyhow, I feel -so—and I want to thank you again for the help you gave me.” - -The boy’s story pleased Mr. Slocum very much. It is needless to say that -he took an interest in that boy, and continued to befriend him. - -This happened many years ago. To-day Tommy Tolliver—that was the boy’s -name—is the Assistant General Manager of the Harlem Steamboat Company, -and a very well-to-do man. Mr. Slocum says that there is nobody in the -world like him. Tommy’s mother died some years ago, but she lived long -enough to see her little boy taken out of the streets, put to school, -and started on his career of usefulness. - - - - - XXIV. - A HERO IN BLACK. - - -I read some years ago, boys and girls, a story in McClure’s Magazine, -which I think should be of interest to every boy and girl in the world. -The story was taken from the records of the Royal Humane Society of -Great Britain. It told about an obscure negro seaman whose brave deed -was discovered and honored by two of the great nations of the earth. - -One tropical night, the steamer Dolphin rested almost motionless off the -Cayman rocks in Nicaragua. Crew and passengers, some twenty in all, were -asleep about the deck, for it was too hot to go below. Then came such a -squall as comes only in those Southern seas. The sails, all set, -furnished ample leverage. Within ten seconds, the Dolphin was bottom up, -her passengers and crew struggling in the water. - -[Illustration: A HERO IN BLACK.] - -Wilson McField, a negro and a subject of Great Britain, was the first to -come to the surface. All his twenty-seven years of life he had known -these waters, and he swam like a fish. He soon succeeded in climbing -upon the bottom of the vessel. Then he shouted to the others, and one by -one pulled up five of the crew. - -Fortunately the squall was soon over, although the sea was high. After -they had drifted two hours the men heard strange sounds, like pounding -within the vessel. Some thought they heard voices. The more -superstitious were afraid. The night dragged on, and by daylight the -sounds had grown fainter. The crew concluded that men were imprisoned -within the boat, but none could devise a way to save them. Then the -negro proposed to dive under and into the ship. They assured him he -would never get out again, but carrying between his teeth one end of a -rope that had been dragging from the vessel, McField dived, passed under -the gunwale and rose in the hatch. - -It was pitch-dark, and the interior of the vessel was full of the -floating cargo, but he kept on steadily. Finally concluding that he had -reached the cabin, he rose, and in an instant his head was above water. -Yet so foul was the air, and so narrow the space between the water and -the ship’s bottom, that he could hardly breathe. He could see no one, -but he heard the knocking again, and called out. Then came voices faint -but familiar. - -Swimming in the direction of the sound, he found two men braced against -the cabin sides and holding their heads above water. One was a young -rubber cutter, named Mallitz, the other a native Spanish-Nicaraguan, -called Ovando. Both were panic-stricken, and McField was obliged to -threaten them with instant death if they did not obey him. He fastened -the rope round Mallitz and gave the signal to pull. McField dived into -the water along with his man. In his fright Mallitz entangled himself in -the hatchway, and precious time was lost in freeing him. When they -reached the surface Mallitz was unconscious, and McField more dead than -alive. - -They pulled Mallitz aboard but McField would not follow. As soon as the -rope was free he took it in his teeth and went under, found the hatch -and entered the cabin. Ovando was almost uncontrollable with fear and -exhaustion, but McField finally secured him with the rope, and gave the -signal to pull up. This time the trip was made without accident, and -both men were drawn on board. All the men were saved. - -The United States government awarded McField a medal and a sum of money -in gold, and the Royal Humane Society of Great Britain gave him a medal -of silver. - - - - - XXV. - THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. - - -The world is constantly looking for the man who knows the most, and it -pays little regard to those who are proficient in the usual degree in -the same things. One must excel, or, in other words, know more than his -associates in order to succeed notably. The world will bid high for you -if you know more than other men. - -[Illustration: THE ROAD TO SUCCESS.] - -So that boys and girls who are preparing themselves for the duties of -life should not aim simply at being as good as somebody else, but they -should aim at being the best that it is possible to be in any chosen -line of life or business. I have noticed in my short lifetime that there -is a great tendency on the part of young people to cut short their -education. Being able to shine in the intellectual and social worlds -with the small attainments made in some college or normal school or -industrial school, the average young negro man is content to stop with a -diploma or certificate from one or another of these institutions. They -will never realize what injury they have done themselves by so doing -until it is too late. On the other hand, there is another large class of -young people that stop short even before they have finished the course -in even any one of the normal or industrial schools. They must go out to -work; they know enough to make a living; what’s the use of so much -education, anyhow? This is the way some of them talk. This is what some -of them believe. Boys and girls, no man or woman with such low ideals -will ever reach the topmost round of the ladder of fame. Such boys and -girls will always play a second-rate part in the great drama of life. -The boys and girls who are going to the front—the boys and girls who are -going to have the leading parts—are the boys and girls who are willing -to take time to prepare themselves. And preparation means hard work; and -not only hard work, but hard and long-continued work. A person can learn -a good deal in one year; a person can learn a good deal in two years; -but nobody can learn enough in one or two years, or in three or four -years, to make it at all likely that he will ever be sought by the great -world. - -Aside from the rudimentary training, it ought to take at least ten years -to make a good doctor, or a good lawyer, or a good electrician, or a -good preacher. Four of these years ought to be spent in college; and -four in the professional school; and the other two ought to be spent in -picking up a practical or working knowledge of the calling—whatever it -may be. The young doctor obtains this practical knowledge in hospitals -and in practice among the poor. The electrician obtains it by entering -some large electrical industry or manufactory, in which a thoroughly -practical knowledge of mechanical engineering and electricity can be -secured. It is true that some men have become distinguished in these -callings without this long preparation of which I have spoken; yet it -is, also, true that they would have been better off—they would have been -more likely to have become eminent—if they had taken the longer course. -College is a little world which every one, other things being equal, -ought to enter and pass through before launching in the great world. - - - - - XXVI. - SAMUEL C. ARMSTRONG. - - -Boys and girls, I wonder how many of you have heard of Samuel C. -Armstrong—General Armstrong, the founder of Hampton Institute in -Virginia? General Armstrong was one of the best men who ever lived, and -he was the friend of all mankind. His special services were rendered in -behalf of Indians and Negroes—the weaker races. You ought to go to -Hampton Institute sometimes and see that place, and go over to the -little cemetery in one corner of the grounds and stand uncovered by the -side of General Armstrong’s grave. He died in 1892. - -You ought to get the story of his life and read it. It will bear to you -a thrilling message; for to read that book is to enter the presence of a -man of magnificent courage and indomitable faith. - -A general at twenty-six, with a brilliant war record behind him, the -quality of his courage had been already proved; but the future was to -test it far more severely. The responsibility for the experiment at -Hampton was a terrible one, presenting problems which no nation had been -called upon to solve before. He had to face isolation, ignorance, -indifference, misrepresentation. At the best, after he had conquered -prejudice and won friends for the work, he had to spend half his time -begging for money, for he had to raise by personal efforts from fifty -thousand to eighty thousand dollars annually for the current expenses. -Yet in all that time and under all his burdens no one ever saw him -discouraged. He used to explain his position by a story which he called -his “rule of conduct.” - -“Once there was an old colored man who could not be dissuaded from -working at an empty ’possum hole. ‘Ain’t no ’possum in dat hole? Dey’s -jest got to be, ’cause dey’s nuffin’ in de house fer supper’.” Or, as he -used to tell his children, “Once there was a woodchuck. Now woodchucks -can’t climb trees. Well, this woodchuck was chased by a dog, and came to -a tree. He knew that if he could get up this tree the dog could not -catch him. Now woodchucks can’t climb trees, but this one had to, so he -did.” - -He had to, so he did, was the motto of General Armstrong’s life. “Doing -what can’t be done is the glory of living,” he once said. “For most -people,” said one of General Armstrong’s friends, “an obstacle is -something in the way to stop one from going on, but for General -Armstrong it merely meant something to climb over; and if he could not -climb all the way over, he would get up as high as possible, and then -crow!” - -When you come to read the story of General Armstrong’s life you will -find that there is no finer picture in it than that of an evening when -he spoke at a little suburban church far down a side street. It was a -bitter winter night, with a driving storm of sleet, and when it was time -for the meeting to begin the audience consisted of a score or so of -humble people who evidently enough had no means to contribute, and a -dozen restless boys kicking their heels in the front pew. Then “in the -midst of the bleakness and emptiness rose the worn, gaunt soldier, as -bravely and gladly as if a multitude were hanging upon his words. His -deep-sunk eyes looked out beyond the bleakness of the scene into the -world of his ideals, and the cold little place was aglow with the fire -that was in him.” - -Dangers, hardships, obstacles—upon these he had tried “his soul’s stuff” -all his life, but here was another and a more difficult test. Triumphant -in faith and unflinching in duty, he could meet even defeat in the -spirit of victory. - - - - - XXVII. - HOW TO BE HANDSOME. - - -Do you want to be handsome? I’ll tell you how. - -First, look well to your health. Eat regularly and simply, and take -proper rest, in order to be healthy. Do not crowd the stomach. The -stomach can no more work all the time, night and day, than a horse; it -must have regular rest. The body must have proper rest also. Do not keep -late hours. Go to bed early. If you have work which must be done, it is -a good deal better to rise early in the morning and do it than it is to -sit up late at night and work. - -Secondly, good teeth are essential to good looks. Brush the teeth -regularly with a soft brush morning and night, especially at night. Be -sure to go to bed at night with clean teeth. - -Thirdly, look well to the ventilation of your bed-rooms. No one can have -a clear skin who breathes bad air. Fresh air is a preventive of a -multitude of diseases. Bad air is the cause of a great many premature -deaths. - -Fourthly, cleanliness of the entire body is of vast importance. Some one -has said that “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” and some one else has -added, “And soap is a means of grace.” Handsome people not only eat -regularly and simply; they not only sleep regularly and look well to -proper ventilation; but handsome people will take regular baths. - -Fifthly, more than all else, in order to look well you must wake up the -mind and soul. When the mind is awake, the dull, sleepy look passes away -from the eyes. Keep thinking pleasant and noble thoughts; do not read -trashy novels or books; read books which have something good in them. -Talk with people who know something. Be often in the company of those -who know more than you do. Hear lectures and sermons and profit by them. -If we listen and understand and heed, the mind and soul are awakened. So -much the better if the spiritual nature is aroused. Sometimes a plain -face is really glorified with the love of God and of man which shines -through it. - -Lastly, keep a strong and vigorous body by taking plenty of wholesome -outdoor exercise, and do all the good you can. - -Why not begin to grow handsome to-day? - -[Illustration] - - - - - XXVIII. - PATIENCE. - - -[Illustration: PATIENCE.] - -Patience is one of the marks of a high character. It might well be -called the habit of closing the mind against disagreeable and annoying -conditions. To acquire this habit so effectually as to hide even from -one’s self any sense of suffering or offense from contact with such -conditions is what the truly cultivated aim at. Life, it is true, is -full of trying things, but to let the mind dwell upon them only serves -to increase their offense to the feelings or the senses. - -There are people, of course, who are incapable of self-concentration, -and whose imagination, if left free to gad about, seems always to fix -upon and exaggerate every element of disturbance. They live in what is -called an elementary stage of moral discipline, and are perpetually -fretting about things they cannot help. They are never able to shut down -the will against any unpleasantness. They permit merely accidental -conditions to exercise a kind of tyrannical sway over them, which, if -their minds were once bent to the practice of putting up with things, -would cease to present any annoyance whatever. - -It is difficult, no doubt, to acquire this habit, but this is what -patience means in its highest sense. It is spiritual endurance, and its -chief power consists not so much in adding to the number of our joys as -in lessening the number of our sufferings. It is, therefore, a mark of -power over one’s self and a means of power over others. With patience -the outward success or failure of a man is a small thing compared with -that success which he has achieved within himself. And that kind of -success—the success which enables a man to laugh at failure and rise -superior to discouragements and difficulties—that kind of success is a -means of help and inspiration to all those about him. - -If we consider the works of nature we shall see that nature’s most -beneficent operations are the results of patience. Anything which grows -must have time, and the best things in the world are generally those -things which demand the longest time for their growth and development. -The rank and short-lived weed reaches its full development in the -shortest possible time, but the oak, which is to stand for centuries, -demands the sunshine and the storm of years before its strength is fully -developed. - -Now, boys and girls, one of the hardest demands which nature makes upon -people (especially upon young people, full of strength and energy and -ambition) is to wait for the results of growth. No man becomes instantly -strong morally; he must grow into strength. However great his ambition -and his zeal may be, no man becomes a scholar in a year. It takes time, -and lots of it. No man reaches at a single bound the full development of -his whole nature. He grows into strength. A good soldier cannot be made -without war, nor can a skillful seaman be made on land. - -So in the race of life we must fight hard for all we get and be patient. -Whatever else may be true, or may not be true, only patient and -continued efforts—not hasty efforts—lead to success. - -Before me lies a block of wood. It is full of knots. It seems to me I -can never split it. But I bravely make the attempt. The first blow makes -little impression. The axe springs back with a bound. Again and again I -strike. Then a tiny crack appears. A few more licks—and the block -yields. I have succeeded. Can you tell me which blow did the work? Was -it not the first blow and the last and all between? You have tried -something and failed. Try again. If you fail, try once more. And on and -on, keep trying until you win the victory. - - - - - XXIX. - THE BITER BIT.[4] - - -In the broad light of day a would-be highwayman sprang from the bushes -that skirted the “Big Road,” and with a pistol pointed at Eli’s head -commanded the wayfarer to hold up his hands. Without hesitation Eli -obeyed, grabbing his hat from his head while his hands were making the -ascent. Then he stood trembling, as if in great fear, and said: - -“Lawdy, Boss, what is dat you got?” - -The highwayman replied: “It’s a bulldog.” - -“Kin he bark, Boss?” asked poor Eli. - -“Certainly,” was the answer. - -“Boss, I’ll give you a dollar des to hyeah dat dawg bark wunst,” said -humble Eli. - -“Bang!” went the gun, and the ball went crashing through the woods. Eli -pulled out a silver dollar and handed it over to the would-be robber. - -“Do hit ag’in, Boss,” said Eli. - -A second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth time the dog barked, and -each time Eli paid a dollar for the fun. When the revolver had been -emptied the old negro asked pitifully: - -“Boss, can’t he bark no mo’?” - -On being assured that the dog could bark no more Eli said: - -“Well, Boss, ain’t you got anuddah dawg?” - -The robber said he was sorry, but he did not have another. Then Uncle -Eli said, as he ran his hand into his hip pocket: - -[Illustration: A BITER BIT.] - -“Boss, I got one uv dem dawgs myse’f, an’ I ’spec’ I’ll let you hyeah -mine bark some. Drap yo’ dawg, Boss, an’ drap hit quick,” he commanded -as he pointed his gun at the would-be robber’s head. Down went the other -man’s gun. - -“Now drap dem dollars right ’long side uv dat gun. Be quick,” said Eli. -Down went the dollars. - -“Now you git, an’ don’t you look back. Step lively, an’ ef you das’ to -look back you sho will hyeah sump’n impawtunt!” - - - - - XXX. - THE ALPHABET OF SUCCESS. - - - Attend carefully to details. - Be prompt in all things. - Consider well, then decide positively. - Dare to do right, fear to do wrong. - Endure trials patiently. - Fight life’s battles bravely. - Go not into the society of the vicious. - Hold integrity sacred. - Injure not another’s reputation. - Join hands only with the virtuous. - Keep your mind free from evil thoughts. - Lie not for any consideration. - Make few special acquaintances. - Never try to appear what you are not. - Observe good manners. - Pay your debts promptly. - Question not the veracity of a friend. - Respect the counsel of your parents. - Sacrifice money rather than principle. - Touch not, taste not, handle not, intoxicating drinks. - Use your leisure for improvement. - Venture not upon the threshold of wrong. - Watch carefully over your passions. - X-tend to everyone a kindly greeting. - Young people should read “FLOYD’S FLOWERS FOR COLORED CHILDREN.” - Zealously labor for the right, and success is certain. - - - - - XXXI. - EASTER MONDAY IN WASHINGTON. - - -The approach of Easter arouses delightful expectations in the hearts of -the little children in the great city of Washington, the nation’s -capital. On Easter Monday there is an event which places the day among -the great holidays of the year. The United States government is drawn -into the observance of the day because it furnishes the country’s -greatest band to play the music and the government pays the bills. The -president of the United States, whoever he may happen to be when the day -rolls around, wins the gratitude of the children, for he lets them play -in his back yard. The president’s back yard is called the White Lot; it -covers many acres, and stretches from the back porch of the White House -way out to the great white Washington monument, which towers for more -than five hundred feet in the air a half mile away. The lawns of the -White Lot are always green and inviting, and are covered with the -prettiest flowers and trees that you ever saw. The ground is not low and -level, except in spots. There are many little hills which serve to make -it a beautiful place. Really the president’s back yard is a great big -park. - -Bright and early Easter Monday morning happy little groups of children -may be seen proudly marching toward the White House. Their mothers and -nurses or some grown-up sisters are with them. All the trolley cars are -filled with them, coming from every section of the city. Their little -tongues are very busy chattering about the pleasures that are in store -for them. Some, whose memories stretch back over a long, long expanse of -time, are relating some glowing incident of the year before, for those -who are yet unacquainted with the joys that are to come. The little ones -listen with open mouths and wide-open eyes, and hurry along all the -faster. - -I have been in Washington on two occasions at these great -celebrations—once while the sturdy Grover Cleveland was president and -once while the great and good William McKinley occupied the White House. -In all my experience I have never seen anything that has made me feel -prouder of my country than these feast days for the children; for, in -the president’s back yard, all the children meet on a common -level—children of all races and of all classes. Neither their father’s -position nor their mother’s social standing concerns them. Two little -strangers will meet and play and romp together as if they had been -companions all their days. - -All the little children carry with them little baskets and in the -baskets are the prettiest Easter eggs that can be made. Some are painted -and striped and spotted with bright colors; others are covered with -silver and gilt paper. When the merry-makers get to the great big gates, -where the policemen always stand, they march right through, because they -know the policemen won’t stop them this time. The little fellows hold -their heads high and feel very important, and the policemen smile as -they pass by. The children keep coming and coming until by-and-by the -lot is almost filled, all the way from the White House to the tall white -monument, with laughing children—and with eggs! It would seem that there -were no children left anywhere in Washington. The children are allowed -to run on the grass just as much as they please for this one day. - -If you go near one of the little hills or long banks you may hear one -small girl say to another, “My egg’ll ’oll furver ’an your egg.” And the -other small girl will answer, “No; mine’ll ’oll furvest.” And then they -will start their eggs rolling down the hills and go racing after them to -see whose egg goes the farthest. - -Many of the boys throw their eggs along the ground like ninepin balls, -and see whose will go the farthest. When they get tired of this they -stand a little distance apart and roll their eggs against each other’s -to see whose will break. There is another way that they try to break -each other’s eggs. One holds an egg in his hand so that the top is -uncovered, and another takes his egg and taps it gently against the -first one. He keeps hitting a little harder and harder until one of them -breaks, and the one whose egg doesn’t break is the winner. - -Most of the eggs are boiled hard first, so that the children are not -very sorry, after all, if their eggs do break, because they can eat -them. And their mothers or nurses will give them crackers and salt to go -with them. - -In such a great crowd, where the children are allowed to run where they -please, there are sure to be some little ones who will wander away from -their guardians. All the little “lost” children, as fast as the officers -find them, are taken to a small house in the center of the lot, and the -mothers know just where to look for them. Often there are twenty or -thirty little tots, all tired out, waiting to be claimed by their -guardians. - -On the highest mound of all there is a band—the United States Marine -Band—and they play some of their nicest music on this day. So when the -little ones get weary from running after their eggs they can go and -watch the man pound the big bass drum, and listen to the music. -Sometimes, while the music is playing, the president will come out on -the back porch, high over all, and watch the festivities. A mighty -shout, from old and young alike, always greets the appearance of the -president. No wonder this is one of the big days for the little folks. - -By-and-by all the eggs are broken or eaten, and then it is time for the -tired and happy little fairies to go home. - - - - - XXXII. - KEEPING ONE’S ENGAGEMENTS. - - -What would happen if everybody should begin to-morrow to keep all his -promises and fulfill all his engagements? I think it would make a new -world at once. There is great need that the attention of young people -should be called to the importance of keeping engagements. Much of the -confusion and annoyance and trouble of this world would be done away -with if people would learn to keep their promises. The oft-repeated -excuse, “I forgot,” is not reasonable. If the memory is in the habit of -playing tricks with you, then you ought to make notes of your -engagements, write them down in some way, so that you will not forget -them. Arnold of Rugby said: “Thoughtlessness is a crime,” and he was -right. The great Ruskin has also uttered strong words in condemnation of -thoughtlessness in youth. He said: “But what excuse can you find for -willfulness of thought at the very time when every crisis of future -fortune hangs on your decisions? A youth thoughtless! when the career of -all his days depends on the opportunity of a moment. A youth -thoughtless! when his every act is a foundation-stone of future conduct, -and every imagination a fountain of life or death. Be thoughtless in any -after years rather than now, though, indeed, there is only one place -where a man may be nobly thoughtless—his deathbed. No thinking should -ever be left to be done there.” - -[Illustration: KEEPING ONE’S ENGAGEMENTS.] - -And, then, boys and girls should remember that promptness should always -accompany the fulfilling of an engagement, otherwise the engagement is -not really kept. A person’s time is a valuable possession, which should -be respected by all. Who has not been exasperated by some one with -apparent indifference keeping (?) an engagement a half or three-quarters -of an hour late! And often a whole train of troubles will follow in the -wake of tardiness. The punctual boy or girl in this life is the one who -advances most rapidly. The punctual boy or girl will make a punctual man -or woman. A promise-breaker, or one who is late in keeping his -appointments, cannot in the true sense of the term be considered a -first-class person. - - - - - XXXIII. - A MIDNIGHT MISHAP.[5] - - -[Illustration: A MIDNIGHT MISHAP.] - -Uncle Ned returned from his ’possum hunt about midnight, bringing with -him a fine, fat ’possum. He built a glowing fire, dressed the ’possum, -pared and split the sweet potatoes, and pretty soon he had the “’possum -an’ ’taters” in the oven. While the meal was cooking Uncle Ned amused -himself with his favorite old banjo. When the ’possum had been baked -brown and crisp he took it out of the oven and set it on the hearth to -give it time to cool. Mentally congratulating himself upon the glorious -repast he thought soon to enjoy, he sat silently for awhile in the old -armchair, but presently he was snugly wrapped in the arms of “tired -nature’s sweet restorer—balmy sleep.” - -It happened that two young fellows who were pretty well acquainted with -Uncle Ned’s habits had been stealthily watching about the house waiting -this particular chance. As soon as they were convinced that the old man -was safe in the arms of Morpheus, they crept into the house and -hurriedly helped themselves to Uncle Ned’s supper, including even the -coffee and bread. When they finished the hasty meal, by way of -attempting to cover up their tracks, they smeared Uncle Ned’s hands and -mouth with the ’possum gravy and then beat a retreat. - -After a time Uncle Ned aroused from his peaceful slumber. It is needless -to say that he had dreamed about his supper. At once he dived down to -inspect the viands, when, lo and behold, the hearth was empty! Uncle Ned -steadied himself and studied awhile. - -“Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat -’possum in my sleep!” - -He looked at his hands. They were greasy. He smelt his hands. As he did -so he said: - -“Dat smells like ’possum grease! I sho must ’a’ et dat ’possum.” - -He discovered grease on his lips. Out went his tongue. - -“Dat tas’es like ’possum grease,” he said. He got up. He looked about -the house. There was no sign of intruders. He rubbed his stomach. He -resumed his seat, and, giving up all for lost, he said: - -“Well, ef I did eat dat ’possum, hit sets lightah on my appertite dan -any ’possum I evah et befo’.” - - - - - XXXIV. - FREDERICK DOUGLASS. - - -In 1893 the World’s Columbian Exposition, or World’s Fair, was held in -Chicago in commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of the -discovery of America. A negro man, the Hon. Frederick Douglass, attended -that exposition and delivered an address on negro day. Speaking of this -great man’s visit the Advance, one of Chicago’s great religious papers, -said: - -“It was fine to see at the Congress on Africa the tall form and -magnificent head of the grand old man, Frederick Douglass, now -seventy-five years of age, perfectly erect, kindly, majestic, the -‘ancient fires of inspiration welling up through all his being yet’; -affable to all; finding it still to be as natural to be eloquent as to -speak at all; sympathetic to the core with the people of his own race, -yet none the less loyal to the common interests of all the people of his -country; neither blind to the obstacles in their path and the cruel -social injustice and meanness to which they are often exposed, nor, on -the other hand, unmindful of the friends they have in the South as also -in the North, or above all to the over-shining care and purpose of God -Himself, with the ‘far-off divine intent’ that so clearly takes in the -future of both the American and African continents. Few Americans have -had a more conspicuously providential mission than Frederick Douglass. -And hardly anything in this remarkable congress was more eloquent or -more convincing than his personal presence.” - -Frederick Douglass was born a slave, and his life as a slave was one of -peculiar hardship. Of it he himself says in his autobiography: - -“I suffered little from any punishment I received, except from hunger -and cold. I could get enough neither of food or clothing, but suffered -more from cold than hunger. In the heat of summer or the cold of winter -alike, I was kept almost in a state of nudity—no shoes, jackets, -trousers, or stockings—nothing but a coarse tow linen shirt reaching to -the knee. That I wore night and day. In the day time I could protect -myself by keeping on the sunny side of the house, and in bad weather in -the corner of the kitchen chimney. The great difficulty was to keep warm -at night. I had no bed. The pigs in the pen had leaves, and the horses -in the stable had straw, but the children had nothing. In very cold -weather I sometimes got down the bag in which corn was carried to the -mill and got into that. My feet have been so cracked by frost that the -pen with which I am writing might have been laid in the gashes.” With -regard to his food he said that he often disputed with the dogs over the -crumbs that fell from his master’s table. - -Now this man, born so lowly and surrounded by such circumstances, turned -out to be in the course of time by hard work and self-application one of -the most influential American citizens and one of the greatest orators -that this country has ever known. Among other high offices of trust and -responsibility, he was once marshal of the District of Columbia, -recorder of deeds of the District of Columbia, and United States -minister to Hayti. - -He died February 20th, 1895, at his home in Anacostia, D. C., at the age -of seventy-seven years. A monument to his memory has been erected in -Rochester, N. Y., where he once lived. - -What Frederick Douglass made of himself is possible for any American boy -with grit. Every boy and girl in America should read the life of this -pre-eminent negro and strive to emulate his virtues. His memory is -worthy to be honored to the last day of time. - - - - - XXXV. - OUR DUMB ANIMALS. - - -Domestic animals—like horses, cats and dogs—seem to be almost as -dependent upon kind treatment and affection as human beings. Horses and -dogs especially are the most keenly intelligent of our dumb friends, and -are alike sensitive to cruelty in any form. They are influenced to an -equal degree by kind and affectionate treatment. - -If there is any form of cruelty that is more reprehensible than another, -it is abuse of a faithful horse who has given his whole life to the -service of the owner. When a horse is pulling a heavy load with all his -might, doing the best he can to move under it, to strike him, spur him, -or swear at him is simply barbarous. To kick a dog around, to tie tin -cans to his tail, or strike him with sticks, just for the fun of hearing -him yelp or seeing him run, is equally barbarous. No high-minded man, no -high-minded boy or girl, would do such a thing. We should never forget -how helpless, in a large sense, dumb animals are—and how absolutely -dependent upon the humanity and kindness of their owners. They are -really the slaves of man, having no language by which to express their -feelings or needs. - -[Illustration: OUR DUMB ANIMALS.] - -The poet Cowper said: - - “I would not enter on my list of friends, - Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, - Yet wanting sensibility, the man - Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.” - -Every boy and girl should be willing to pledge himself to be kind to all -harmless living creatures, and every boy and girl should strive to -protect such, creatures from cruel usage on the part of others. It is -noble, boys and girls, for us to speak for those that cannot speak for -themselves, and it is noble, also, for us to protect those that cannot -protect themselves. - - - - - XXXVI. - A PLUCKY BOY. - - -The boy marched straight up to the counter. - -“Well, my little man,” said the merchant, “what can I do for you?” - -“If you please,” said the boy, “I came in to see if you wouldn’t let me -work for you.” - -The boy was not yet ten years old, and he was small for his age. But -there was something in his speech, or manner that held the man’s -attention. - -“Do some work for me, eh?” said the man. “What kind of work could you -do? You can hardly look over the counter.” - -“Oh, yes; I can,” said the little fellow, as he stood on tiptoe and -peeped over the counter. - -Out of sheer curiosity the merchant came from behind the counter, so as -to get a good look at the boy. - -“Oh,” he said, “I see you’ve got copper taps on your shoes; I suppose -your mother couldn’t keep you in shoes if they didn’t have taps on -them!” - -“She can’t keep me in shoes anyway, sir,” and the little boy’s voice -hesitated. - -“How old are you?” asked the merchant. - -“I’m older than I look; folks say that I’m small for my age.” - -“Well, what is your age?” - -“I’m going on ten,” said Davie, with a look of great importance. “You -see,” he continued, “my mother hasn’t anybody but me, and this morning I -saw her crying because she could not find five cents in her pocket-book, -and she thinks she must have lost it—and it was—the—last cent—that she -had—in the world; and—I—have—not—had—any—breakfast, sir.” The voice -again hesitated, and tears came into the little boy’s eyes. - -“Oh, don’t cry, my little man; I guess I can help you to a breakfast. -Here, take this quarter!” He pulled a quarter from his vest pocket and -handed it to the boy. The boy shook his head. - -“Mother wouldn’t let me beg,” was his simple answer. - -“Humph!” said the merchant. “Where is your father?” - -“We never heard of him, sir, after he went away. He was lost in the -steamer City of New York.” - -“That’s too bad. But you’re a plucky little fellow, anyhow. Let me see,” -and he looked straight down into the boy’s eyes, and the boy looked -straight up at him. Turning to the head man, after awhile, the merchant -said: - -“Palmer, is cash boy No. 5 still sick?” - -“Dead, sir; died last night,” was the reply. - -“I’m sorry; but here’s a boy you might use. Put him down in No. 5’s -place. We’ll try him for awhile, anyhow. What is your name, my little -man?” he asked, turning again to the boy. - -[Illustration: “THE BOY MARCHED STRAIGHT UP TO THE COUNTER.”] - -“Davie Thomas.” - -“Well, Davie, we’ll give you three dollars a week to start with; you -come to-morrow morning and I’ll tell you what to do. Here’s a dollar of -your wages in advance. I’ll take it out of your first week’s pay. Do you -understand?” - -“Yes, sir; I understand, and I thank you, too. I’ll be back in the -morning.” - -Davie shot out of the store, and lost no time in getting home. The old -creaky steps in the old ram-shackle house fairly sang with delight as -the weight of the little boy hurried up them. - -“I’ve got it, mother;” exclaimed Davie. “I’m a cash boy! The man’s going -to give me three dollars a week, and he says I’ve got pluck, too; and -here’s a dollar to get some breakfast with, and don’t you cry any more, -for I’m going to be the man of this house now.” - -At first the mother was dumfounded; then she looked confused; and then -she looked—well, it passes my power to tell how she did look as she took -Davie in her arms and hugged him and kissed him, the tears streaming -down her cheeks. But they were tears of joy and thankfulness! - - - - - XXXVII. - A HEART-TO-HEART TALK. - - -“Henry, I asked you to remain after school a few minutes because I -wanted you to help me rearrange the desks and furniture, but I had -another reason for asking you to remain, and I think it is more -important than the one I have just stated.” - -The desks had all been arranged according to the teacher’s notion, and -Henry Holt had gathered up his books to go home. It was then that his -teacher, Miss Ada Johnson, addressed him. - -“Won’t you sit down here a minute, David?” she continued. “I wish to -speak to you a minute or two.” - -David quietly took a seat. He was one of the largest boys in school, and -had been giving an unusual amount of trouble during the day. In fact he -had been a source of annoyance ever since the new teacher had taken -charge. - -[Illustration: A HEART-TO-HEART TALK.] - -“David,” the teacher went on, “I wonder if you realize how hard you have -made it for me in school to-day? Is there any reason why we cannot be -friends and work together? And I wish to be a friend to you, if you will -let me. You could help me so much and you could help your schoolmates so -much if you only would. I want to ask you if you think your conduct has -been manly to-day? Has it been kind?” - -David said nothing, but hung his head. - -“I heard before I came here that you were an unruly boy. People say that -you will neither study nor work, and some people say that you are a very -mean boy. Some of these things may be true, David, I am sorry to say, -but I want to tell you that you are the only hope of a widowed mother, -and I want to say, also, that I think that you are breaking her heart.” -The teacher’s voice faltered at the last words. - -“I know that your father,” the low voice went on, “was a brave and noble -man; and when I hear people say, ‘It is a good thing that Henry Oliver -died before he knew what his son was coming to,’ I think what a pity it -is that they cannot say, ‘How sad it is that Henry Oliver died before he -could know what a fine, manly fellow his son would be, and what a stay -and comfort to his mother’.” - -The boy’s head dropped to the desk in front of him, and he began to sob. -The teacher went over to him and said gently: - -“You can be all this. It is in your power to be all that your father -would have you, all that your mother would have you. Will you not turn -over a new leaf now, not only in your behavior and work in school, but -in your whole life as well?” - -David raised his head. - -“I am with you—I’ll do it, teacher,” he replied, a new resolve shining -in his face. All that day he did some of the most serious thinking of -his life. And he kept his promise. - -The years have been many since then. The little teacher has long since -passed to her rest, but David Oliver is a living monument to the power -of a few searching words, the potency of a little personal interest and -kindliness manifested at a critical time. - - - - - XXXVIII. - A GHOST STORY. - - -Uncle Mose, an old-time colored man, once said in a company of people -who were talking about ghosts that he wasn’t afraid of any ghost that -ever walked the earth. - -“No, sah; not me,” he said; “I’se got my fuss time to be skeered uv -anyt’ing dat’s dead.” - -Whereupon Noah Johnson told Uncle Mose that he would bet him a load of -watermelons that he couldn’t spend one night in the “Widder Smith’s -house.” Now, the Widow Smith’s house was said to be haunted, or, in -other words, it was filled with ghosts. - -“Des name de night,” said Uncle Mose. “I’ll stay dar; no ha’nts won’t -bodder wid me. No, sah; no ha’nts won’t bodder wid me, an’ yo’ -watermillions is des ez good ez gone already!” - -The details were arranged; judges were appointed; and Uncle Mose was to -stay in the haunted house that very night. He got him some pine-knots to -keep a good blaze in the old-fashioned fireplace, carried along an extra -plug of tobacco, secured a large dry-goods box to be used for a chair, -and then he set out for the house. - -[Illustration: “HUH! HUH! THERE DON’T SEEM TO BE BUT TWO OF US HERE -TO-NIGHT.”] - -He made a blaze and seated himself on the pine box. For a time he sung a -number of old plantation songs for his own amusement, as well as to keep -him company. About midnight, feeling somewhat drowsy, Uncle Mose got up, -took a light and went on a tour of inspection. He examined every room in -the house. His search revealed nothing unusual. He wound up his search -chuckling to himself: - -“I sho is makin’ dis load uv watermillions easy. Noah Johnsing didn’t -know who he’s foolin’ wid. I’m a man myse’f; I ain’t afeared uv -nothin’—I ain’t!” - -Down he sat on the box, and pretty soon he was dozing. It was not very -long before he suddenly awoke. He was at once seized with strange and -sudden fear. He was too frightened to move. Although he did not look -around, he was conscious that there was another presence in the room. -His hair stood on ends. He felt a cold chill run up and down his back. -By that time he knew that the object in the room, whatever it was, was -moving towards him. Still he did not move, because he could not. The -ghost (for that was what all the people said it was) stood over Uncle -Mose for a little while, and then quietly sat down on the box beside -him. Uncle Mose looked straight into the fireplace, but his heart was -beating like a runaway horse. The silence in the room at that moment was -like unto the silence of death. Everything was still and solemn. Uncle -Mose could almost hear his own heart beating. The ghost finally broke -the silence by saying, with a loud sigh: - -“Huh! Huh! There don’t seem to be but two of us here to-night!” - -It was then that Uncle Mose looked around for the first time. As he did -so he exclaimed: - -“Yas; an’ f’um dis out dah won’t be but one!” And with that he jumped -through the window, taking a part of the sash with him. - -The judges had been waiting in the open air near the house, so as to -watch the proceedings. They called to the fleeing Uncle Mose, as he -passed them, and ordered him to stop. They said that they were all there -and would protect him. But Uncle Mose, as he kept on running, hallooed -back: - -“I’ll see y’all later!” - -He ran at the top of his speed for more than a mile, for he was well -nigh scared to death. By-and-by, from sheer exhaustion, he was compelled -to stop for a little rest. He was wet with perspiration from head to -foot, and his clothes were as limp as a wet dishrag. But the poor old -man had no sooner seated himself on a stone by the roadside than up -jumps the ghost and sits down beside him once more. - -“Huh!” said the ghost. “You seem to have made pretty good time -to-night.” - -“Yas,” said Uncle Mose; “but what I hase done ain’t nothin’ to what I’se -gwinter do!” And up he jumped and lit out once more. - -He had not gone far on his second trip before an old rabbit ran out of -the bushes and took out down the road ahead of him. Uncle Mose hallooed -at the rabbit and said: - -“Git out uv de way, rabbit, an’ let somebody run what kin run!” - -On and on the poor old man, almost scared to death, ran and ran. Perhaps -he would have been running until now but for a very unfortunate -accident. About five miles from the Widow Smith’s house he came in -contact with the limb of a weeping willow tree that hung across the -road. The poor old fellow, already tired out, was knocked speechless and -senseless. Toward the break of day the judges, who had followed him, -found him lying on the ground doubled up near the tree. Dim -consciousness was slowly returning when they picked him up. They rubbed -him, and walked him around for a little while, and soon he was able to -move himself. - -The first thing Uncle Mose said was: - -“Tell Noah not to min’ ’bout dem watermillions. I stayed in dat house -des ez long ez I could keep my conscience quiet. My ole mammy allus tole -me dat hit wuz a sin an’ a shame to bet, an’ now I b’lieves hit!” - -And to this day, boys and girls, if you want to see a really mad man, -you just ask Uncle Mose if he ever saw a ghost. - - - - - XXXIX. - GOOD CHEER. - - -Everybody loves the cheerful boy or girl, the cheerful man or woman; and -everybody ought to love such people. I wish all the boys and girls in -America would organize one grand SUNSHINE SOCIETY, whose chief object -should be the promotion of good feeling, good cheer, peace and happiness -among all the people everywhere. But, first, a boy or girl, man or -woman, must have sunshine in their own souls before they can communicate -sunshine to others. And, boys and girls, it would greatly assist us in -securing sunshine in our souls if we looked at our mercies with both -eyes, as I might say, and at our troubles and trials with only one eye. -What we enjoy in this world is always a good deal more than that which -we do not enjoy; but we do not magnify our blessings sufficiently. We do -not make as much of them as we ought. We do not rejoice because of them -as we ought. We ought to keep daily a record of God’s goodness and -kindness and patience and love. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning -and fresh every evening; but we do not realize that they are so, because -we do not stop to count them up; we do not think about them. If we -stopped to weigh the matter I think we should find more in our lives to -be happy about than to be sorry about. Our good fortunes always outweigh -our misfortunes; and we should find it so if we only acquired the habit -of remembering God’s goodness to us as well as the disappointments and -sorrows and afflictions which are for us all. - -Then we should study contentment. We should study to be content. We must -cultivate the habit of being satisfied with what we have at present, and -we should not worry about those things which we do not possess. Worry -because of things they did not possess has made countless thousands -mourn. Let us enjoy what we have. Let us make the most of what we have. -And let us not worry about things which we do not possess. No matter how -miserable our own lot may be, there is always some one whose lot is more -miserable still. Worry kills more people than work. In fact worry unfits -a man for work. The man who has learned the philosophy of being content -in whatsoever state he is is the man who is and will be happy. One of -the things in this world that pays a hundred-fold is contentment, and -there is nothing that casts so much blight and mildew upon life’s -fairest flowers as discontent. - -Again, it would help us to keep cheerful if we kept steadily engaged in -some work of usefulness. Let us go about doing good. Let us go about -seeking opportunities of doing good. Doing good makes the heart healthy, -and heart-health makes sunshine, happiness and good cheer. - -A little thought will convince you, boys and girls, that your own -happiness in this world depends very largely on the way other people -bear themselves toward you. The looks and tones at your breakfast table, -the conduct of your playmates, the faithful or unreliable people that -you deal with, what people say to you on the street, the letters you -get, the friends or foes you meet—these things make up very much of the -pleasure or misery of your day. Turn the thought around, and remember -that just so much are you adding to the pleasure or misery of other -people’s days. And this is the half of the matter that you can control. -Whether any particular day shall bring to you more of happiness or of -suffering is largely beyond your power to determine. Whether each day of -your life shall give happiness or suffering to others rests with -yourself. And there is where the test of character comes. We must be -continually sacrificing our wills to the wills of others, bearing -without notice sights and sounds that annoy us, setting about this or -that task when we would rather be doing something else, persevering in -it often when we are very tired of it, keeping company for duty’s sake -when it would be a great joy to us to be by ourselves; and then there -are all the trifling and outward accidents of life, bodily pain and -weakness, it may be, long continued, losing what we value, missing what -we desire, deceit, ingratitude and treachery where we least expected -them; folly, rashness and willfulness in ourselves. All these little -worries which we meet each day may lie as stumbling-blocks across our -way, or we may make of them, if we choose, stepping-stones of grace. - -I want all the little boys and girls who read this book to be -joy-makers, to be burden-bearers, to be among those who shall assist in -filling the whole world with good cheer. It is our duty to cheer and -comfort others; it is our duty to make the world not only better but -happier—happier because better—for our having lived in it. To all the -other beatitudes might well be added this one: Blessed are the cheerful -people, for they shall inherit the earth. - - - - - XL. - LIFE A BATTLE. - - -Boys and girls, I want to repeat to you now some words which were -delivered long ago by the Hon. Schuyler Colfax, a man who was once the -vice-president of the United States. These words are wholesome, and -should be read and considered by parents and school teachers and by -children themselves all over our land: - -“Above all things, teach children what their life is. It is not -breathing, moving, playing, sleeping, simply. Life is a battle. All -thoughtful people see it so. A battle between good and evil from -childhood. Good influences, drawing us up toward the divine; bad -influences, drawing us down to the brute. Midway we stand, between the -divine and the brute. How to cultivate the good side of the nature is -the greatest lesson of life to teach. Teach children that they lead -these two lives: the life without and the life within; and that the -inside must be pure in the sight of God as well as the outside in the -sight of men. - -“There are five means of learning. These are: Observation, reading, -conversation, memory, reflection. - -“Educators sometimes, in their anxiety to secure a wide range of -studies, do not sufficiently impress upon their scholars the value of -memory. Now, our memory is one of the most valuable gifts God has -bestowed upon us, and one of the most mysterious. Take a tumbler and -pour water into it; by-and-by you can pour no more: it is full. It is -not so with the mind. You cannot fill it full of knowledge in a whole -lifetime. Pour in all you please, and it still thirsts for more. - -“Remember this: - -“Knowledge is not what you learn, but what you remember. - -“It is not what you eat, but what you digest, that makes you grow. - -“It is not the money you handle, but that you keep, that makes you rich. - -“It is not what you study, but what you remember and reflect upon, that -makes you learned. - -“One more suggestion: - -“Above all things else, strive to fit the children in your charge to be -useful men and women; men and women you may be proud of in after-life. -While they are young teach them that far above physical courage, which -will lead them to face the cannon’s mouth; above wealth, which would -give them farms and houses and bank stocks and gold; is moral -courage—that courage by which they will stand fearlessly, frankly, -firmly for the right. Every man or woman who dares to stand for the -right when evil has its legions, is the true moral victor in this life -and in the land beyond the stars.” - -These brave and true words were spoken by Mr. Colfax long years ago. -They were true then; they are no less true now. Every boy in America -should treasure them in his heart. Every girl in America should commit -them to memory and make them the rule of her life. Mothers and fathers, -school teachers and preachers, and all who have the care of the young in -any way would do well to study these wise counsels and reflect upon them -and strive to impress upon those for whom they are laboring. - -If you would win the victory in the battle of life, my young friends, -you must watch the little things. It is said that there is a barn upon -the Alleghany Mountains so built that the rain which falls upon it -separates in such a manner that that which falls upon one side of the -roof runs into a little stream that flows into the Susquehanna and -thence into Chesapeake Bay and on into the Atlantic Ocean; that which -falls upon the other side is carried into the Alleghany River, thence -into the Ohio, and onward to the Gulf of Mexico. The point where the -waters divide is very small, but how different the course of these -waters! So it is with people, young or old. A very little thing changes -the channel of their lives. Much will depend upon the kinds of tempers -you have, boys and girls. If you are sour and cross and crabbed, no one -will love you. If you are kind and cheerful, you will have friends -wherever you go. Much will depend upon the way in which you improve your -school days; upon the kind of companions you have; and upon the kind of -habits you form. If you would win a great victory in fighting the battle -of life you must look well to the little things. - - - - - XLI. - RULED BY PRIMITIVE METHODS.[6] - - -I learned that the colored male citizens of Laurens County Ga., had -organized a unique “Good Government Club,” and, being anxious to learn -something of it, I called on the secretary. The secretary explained the -club to me as follows: - -“Our society is a voluntary organization, and has for its object the -betterment of the race. It doesn’t cost anything to join, and any male -citizen upward of twenty-one years old may become a member by taking an -oath to be governed by our constitution and by-laws. There are no -monthly dues. Now and then we make up a purse to help a needy brother. -Our plan is to inquire into the mode of living of our members and -correct, if possible, any faults. If any member fails or refuses to -correct a fault complained of, he is then tried by a sort of -courtmartial. The man under charge is allowed to have counsel from among -the members of the organization. If he is found guilty, the punishment -is usually a flogging given in the presence of the other members. We -whip a man for a number of things: getting drunk, wife-beating, -vagrancy, selling his vote, failure to provide for his family, failure -to make an honest effort to pay his debts, using profane language and so -on. - -“It was reported to the society that one man’s wife was badly in need of -a wash pot. The man was cited to show cause why he had not provided his -wife with the article. He failed to buy one before the trial came off, -and, when tried, failed to show how his wife could get along without one -and still be put to no great inconvenience. Conviction followed. He was -whipped, and ordered to get a pot within thirty days.... In riding past -the home of another man it was seen by one of our members that the front -gate had fallen down. From appearances he had made no effort to put it -up. At the trial it was proved that the gate had been down for several -weeks, and that his wife had tried many times to get him to take more -pride in the care of his home. Conviction followed and the husband will -remember a long time the flogging he got that night....” - -[Illustration: “CHARGED WITH KISSING A GIRL ON THE STREET.”] - -We had a man before us once charged with kissing a girl on the street. -The girl did not appear against him; we could not get her to do so; and -the man stoutly denied the charge. He told our judge that he had never -kissed a woman in his life. The judge asked him if he wasn’t married. -‘No, sah,’ he said, ‘my wife’s dead. I’m de daddy uv nine chilluns, an’ -I nevah kissed a woman in my life.’ In the midst of much laughter, the -judge asked, ‘Did you never kiss your wife?’ Without a moment’s -hesitation the man said: ‘No, sah; no sah.’ Then the judge said: ‘Jim, -you’re the biggest liar in town, and I sentence you to be given -forty-nine lashes, but I’ll suspend the sentence if you’ll agree to -leave town within the next five hours.’ ‘Judge,’ said Jim, ‘I don’t want -no five hours; I’ll be gone in five minutes.’... The strangest case I -remember was the case of a man charged with beating his wife. His wife -was a hard-working washerwoman. She had complained to us three or four -times, but always repented before the time for trial, and would not -appear against her husband. When she did come to our meeting she said: -‘Now, judge, I’se a-gwine ter tell you evaht’ing.’ And she told how her -husband would get drunk and come home and curse and beat her -unmercifully. She gave a graphic account of the last whipping she had -received. The judge said: ‘I sentence this man to be given one hundred -and one lashes—the maximum of the law.’ ‘Dar, now!’ exclaimed the woman. -‘Dar now! I’se done fixed you at las’! I tol’ you ’bout beatin’ on me -like I wuz a dawg!’ Turning to the judge she said: ‘Judge, I’ll take de -whuppin’ fur him ef you’ll lemme; I ’spec’ he’ll be good atter dis.’” - - - - - XLII. - HUNTING AN EASY PLACE. - - -A nicely dressed young man, fifteen or sixteen years old, who had just -finished his course in the high school, stepped into the office of the -president of the Smutville Short Line Railroad. - -“Well,” said the president, looking up from a mass of correspondence, -“what can I do for you, sir?” - -“I have just finished my course in the high school,” the young man began -nervously, “and I thought that I might be able to secure a desirable -position with your company. I came in to talk with you about it.” - -The president asked the young man to have a seat. - -“So,” said the president, “you want a desirable place, eh?” - -“I do, sir,” said the young man, his heart beating high with hope. - -“A place,” continued the president, “that would pay you something like a -hundred dollars a month?” - -“Something like that,” said the young man eagerly. - -“I guess you would like it very well, too, if I could arrange it so that -you could report for work at nine o’clock in the mornings and get off -every afternoon at three or four o’clock. In other words, you want -something easy. I can see by looking at you that you are not accustomed -to hard work, and you could not fill a place that required you to report -at six o’clock every morning and work until six every afternoon. Do I -size you up correctly?” - -“I think so, sir,” was the reply. - -“In plain English then, you are looking for a soft place with the Short -Line?” - -“I am, sir.” - -“Well, sir,” said the president, smiling for the first time, “I regret -to inform you that there is only one such place on our railroad. I -occupy that place myself, and I am not thinking of resigning.” - -The young man’s face flushed. - -[Illustration: “I HAVE JUST FINISHED MY COURSE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL.”] - -The president continued: “I hope you will not think that it is going -beyond what is right and proper for me to say, but I must tell you, -young man, that you have started out in life with the wrong notion. No -brave and strong young man is going about looking for an easy place. The -brave and true man asks only for work. And the men who are occupying -what you call the easy places in this life to-day are the men who have -climbed into them by hard work. You are very much mistaken if you think -that they have stepped into them from the high school. In fact, and -you’ll find it out soon enough for yourself, there are really no soft or -easy places in this world, and the man who goes about seeking such -places stamps himself at once as a failure. Nobody will ever employ such -a boy, and such a boy would be no good if he were employed. Let me, as a -friend, advise you, young man, that the next place you go to to apply -for a job, you ask for a chance to begin at the bottom. If it happens to -be a railroad, ask to be given a chance to do anything—firing an engine, -or cleaning cars, or laboring in the roundhouse. Be willing to begin low -down in the business, and, if you’re made out of the right stuff, you -will fight your way to the front. I started in with the Short Line as a -day laborer myself, and if I had not done so I would not be at its head -to-day. You advertise your own folly when you go and ask a sensible -business man to put you at the start at the head of something. You must -begin at the bottom and work up to the top. That is the rule everywhere, -and you will not, I am sure, prove an exception to it.” - -Let us hope, boys and girls, that this young man left the president’s -office a wiser young man. Be sure not to follow his example. Don’t go -around hunting for easy places. - - - - - XLIII. - BURT BANKSTON’S BEQUEST. - - -Burt Bankston was a noted Kentucky gambler. Those who knew him best said -that he had some redeeming traits. He never drank whiskey; he used -tobacco in no form; and he seldom indulged in profanity. Moreover he -frequently went to church. - -[Illustration: THE GAMBLER.] - -But he never made any excuses for his gambling. He rather defended it, -saying that gambling was not a sport or pastime with him, but a -business. He said he gambled for the same reason that a man kept a store -or practiced law—for a living. - -His wife declared that he was peaceable and quiet at home. The only -fault she found with him, according to her own testimony, was that he -kept late hours and often spent the whole night away from home. And she -begged him many times to quit the gambling table. Her appeal always fell -on deaf ears. - -“Burt, I’m going to quit; I’ve got enough; this is my last night at this -kind of thing.” The speaker was Bill Mobley, one of Burt’s chums. - -“All right, Bill,” said Burt, “I guess I’ll follow you in a few days; -I’m getting old now.” - -The next morning Bill Mobley was found dead upon the streets of -Lecompton. Whether he had taken his own life or been sandbagged on his -way home was never found out. - -From that day forward no man ever saw Burt Bankston in a gambling house. -He opened a grocery store—that failed. He started a laundry—that fell -through. He tried a peanut stand; he peddled flowers about the street. -Compared with his former high living, his existence was miserable. His -wife died after a few years. Friends said that she died of remorse, or a -broken heart, or something of that kind. She could not bear to live on -after her husband’s downfall—that is, his downfall in the eye of the -world. Soon after she died Burt was stricken with a dreadful sickness. -He came near dying. By-and-by he was restored to health, but he was -broken and bent with old age. Friends pitied him, and secured him a -place as watchman at a celebrated orphan’s home. - -[Illustration: THE GAMBLER—IN OLD AGE.] - -At last one day Burt Bankston died, everybody believing him to be a -pauper. When his will was probated it was found that he left an estate -worth nearly $500,000. This sum Burt designated to be divided into three -parts—one part to be devoted to the common school education of the -masses; another part to the work of the Y. M. C. A., and the third to -the orphan asylum. Among other things, in the body of the will Burt -Bankston said: - -“For twenty years I was a gambler. The past twenty years I have spent -repenting. I advise all young men to let gambling alone; and I hope that -those who may be benefited by my bequest may be willing to follow the -advice of one who has passed through the fire.” - - - - - XLIV. - THE BIG BLACK BURGLAR. - - -One cold winter night, about midnight, my good wife called to me, -saying: - -“Dan! Dan! Get up! Get up!” - -“What’s the matter?” I asked with much alarm. - -“Somebody’s in the dining-room; I heard them rattling the dishes just a -minute ago.” - -“I don’t hear anything, wife,” I said slowly. - -“There’s somebody in there sure; I heard them myself. Do get up, Dan, -before they take everything we’ve got.” - -“I haven’t got a gun or any kind of weapon,” I said, still fighting for -time. - -“Well, get up and make a noise—walk around heavy—that’ll frighten ’em -and make ’em leave.” - -[Illustration: “THE BIG BLACK BURGLAR.”] - -I got up quietly, turned up the lamp, and looked about me with a sigh. - -“Be quick,” said my wife. - -“In a minute,” said I. - -I tipped around to the wall on the side of the bed, and took down an old -iron sword, which had done duty in the Mexican war, and which we had -preserved as an heirloom. - -“Hurry, hurry, Dan!” said my wife. - -“All right,” I said with meekness. - -I took the sword in one hand and the lamp in the other, and moved gently -toward the door, which opened from our bed-room into the dining-room. - -Pausing at the door, I said,—— - -“Hallo! Hallo, in there!” - -The response came from my wife in bed. - -“Open the door, Dan; open the door!” - -Humbly I placed the lamp on the floor close by the door, caught a tight -grip on my old war-piece, and then quickly shoved the door wide open. I -intended, of course, after getting my bearings, to pick up the lamp and -enter the dining-room on a tour of inspection. But, I assure you, there -was no time for any such careful procedure. As soon as the door was -opened and the light went streaming into the dining-room, something fell -to the floor with a terrible thud, and quicker than it takes to tell it -a great big black something, that looked to me like a buffalo or -elephant, came bounding toward me. It was all so sudden that it -surprised me, and I fell back trembling. Over went the lamp. It broke. -Out came the oil. It took fire and pretty soon the lambrequin close by -took fire also. Down I snatched it and threw it into the grate. I -reached for the first thing handy, and tried to smother the fire on the -floor. In doing so, I stepped on a piece of glass and cut my foot. I -burnt my hands terribly. And, to beat it all, my night shirt caught on -fire. I ran to the bed, and sat down in order to quench the blaze. This -shows that I still had some presence of mind left, although, as a matter -of fact, this new extinguishing process scorched my legs awfully. - -When all was quiet again, and I lit another lamp in order to take an -inventory, my bed-room was a sight to behold! I found that in the -struggle, my old army sword had been plunged amidship into the handsome -mirror of our dresser, and had also made havoc of a reproduction, of -Millet’s Angelus. I discovered, also, that I had used my brand-new $50 -overcoat to extinguish the fire, and that many of the handsome photos of -our friends that stood on the mantle had been ruined. Altogether that -one night’s experience cost me in the neighborhood of $100, not to -mention my own personal injuries. It was a terrible night, I tell you. -And far-off in one corner, I saw, crouching in abject fear, the cause of -all my troubles—the burly black burglar. And what do you think it was? -It was nothing in the world but an old black Tom Cat, who had been a -member of our family for many years! - - - - - XLV. - PIN-MONEY MADE WITH THE NEEDLE. - - -Surely all young girls ought to know how to sew, and, not only sew, but -all girls, I think, ought to love the purely feminine occupation of -sewing. Since I am sure that many of the little girls who will read this -book know how to sew, I am going to tell you about some little sewing -that my wife did. - -In 1903, the Ladies’ Home Journal, of Philadelphia, offered a prize of -fifty dollars for the best way to make pin-money at home. You know, -girls, that pin-money means pocket change or spending money. Many -hundreds of women all over the world sent in suggestions to the Ladies’ -Home Journal, each one hoping, I am sure, that her suggestion would win -first prize. The following letter sent to my wife will tell you just how -her suggestion was received: - - - “THE LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL, - “Philadelphia. February 5, 1903. - - “Dear Madam: - -“It gives me much pleasure to tell you that among the hundreds of -letters received in response to the offer made in our January magazine -in connection with The Editor’s Want-Box, Mr. Bok has chosen your -offering as the one entitled to the first prize of fifty dollars. He -congratulates you upon your success and thanks you for the interest you -have shown. - -“Our Treasurer will send you a check within a week. - - Very truly yours, - “Wm. V. Alexander, - “Managing Editor. - - “Mrs. Ella Floyd.” - - -The check came all right, girls, and my wife thought, as she said to me, -that in winning the prize she had found a new way to make pin-money—that -is, by telling others how to make pin-money at home. - -Two hundred of the little articles were afterwards published from time -to time in The Ladies’ Home Journal. The first article of the series -appeared in the magazine for January, 1904, and my wife’s little story, -which won first money, was at the head of the list. I am going to give -here the whole of the little article, as published in The Ladies’ Home -Journal. Of course, I am proud that she won the prize, and I hope other -young ladies by-and-by may be the happy winners in such contests. And -here is the article: - -“When one’s pin-money is all gone but twenty-five cents the question -comes as to the way to replenish it. One day when I found that I had -only that amount I invested it as follows: - - 1 yard of lawn .10 - 1 yard of lace .10 - 1 spool of cotton .05 - ——— - .25 - -“The same day I made three baby caps as daintily as I could with these -materials. The next day I sold them for twenty-five cents each, and then -I had seventy-five cents. I then bought - - 1 yard of lawn .15 - 2½ yards of lace .25 - 2 yards of ribbon .25 - 2 tiny buckles .05 - 1 spool of cotton .05 - ——— - .75 - -“With these materials I made two baby caps, somewhat larger than the -first ones, and trimmed more prettily. I found no trouble in selling -them for $1.50. Straightway I invested the sum in lawn, lace, ribbon, -etc., and as I had done so well with the caps I thought I would try my -hand on little bonnets. I made two. A friend offered me $5 for them -before they were finished. I accepted her offer and from that day to -this I have never been troubled about pin-money. - -[Illustration: PIN-MONEY MADE WITH THE NEEDLE.] - -“In four weeks’ time I made and sold twenty caps and eleven bonnets. The -material for the caps cost me $2.50—twelve and a half cents for each. I -sold them for twenty-five cents each. The material for the bonnets cost -me $8.25, or seventy-five cents each. I sold them for $2.50 each. So I -netted $21.75 for my work. The time which I devoted to this enterprise -was that which ordinarily I would have used in calling or in running up -bills for my husband to pay. - -“Since the first four weeks of which I have spoken in detail I have made -more expensive caps and bonnets for babies from six months to about -three years old. The last one I made was of silk, beautifully trimmed, -tucked and hemstitched. I sold it for $6, making a clear profit of $3. -My husband says I’ll soon be in position to organize a trust.” - - - - - XLVI. - SELF-HELP. - - -If there is one idea for which more than any other the public school -system should stand, it is the idea of self-help. Self-help is the best -kind of help in the world, and one cannot learn this lesson too early in -life. Even little children—three, four, five, six and eight years -old—should be taught to work. Any little child is just as capable of -doing the little things in work as he is in play. Why should not the -little girl be taught to trim and wash the dress of her doll? Why should -not the little children be taught to sweep up the dirt that they have -scattered in play? Why should they not be taught to remove the dishes -from the table, brush up the crumbs, set back the chairs, pick up chips, -put the kindling wood in its place, bring the potatoes in from the -garden, help to pick over the berries, and so forth? We might argue this -question from now until doom’s day, and nobody, I think, would be able -to give any good reason why children should not be taught to do the -little things. Little children who are accustomed to having everything -done for them by others are very soon beset with the rust of laziness -and the canker of pride. Whereas, on the other hand, if children are -taught to help themselves as soon as and as much as they are able, it -will tend to improve their faculties, and will, at the same time, have a -good influence upon their dispositions. - -Childhood and youth are periods of life which materially influence all -of its following periods, and whether the earlier years of one’s life be -passed in idleness and indolence, or in well-directed industry, is a -point on which greatly depends the worth or the worthlessness of human -character. Where is the man who guides his affairs with discretion, or -the woman that looketh well to the ways of her household, and yet was -not in some measure imbued with industrious and provident habits in -early life? On the other hand, who that has been treated until the age -of fifteen or twenty like a helpless infant, and had every want supplied -without being put to the necessity of either mental or bodily exertion, -was ever good for anything afterwards? - -[Illustration: WASHING DOLLIE’S CLOTHES.] - -The tendency of the age is by far too much in the direction of keeping -our young boys solely for the purpose of loafing about the streets, or -standing around the soda fountains on Sunday—and our young girls for -parties, social entertainments, picnics, excursions and the like. So -that by the time our boys and girls reach manhood and womanhood, they -despise honest labor and are afraid to engage in real hard work. A young -woman may know how to read and write—may understand grammar, history, -and geography—may sing sweetly and play the piano well; but, whatever -else she may know or may not know, if she does not know how to bake a -hoe-cake of bread, make her little brother or sister a pair of pants or -a plain dress, she is only half educated. In fact, every young woman -should not only know how to perform every duty connected with a -household, but every young woman should take some part in household -work. No girl need tell me that she really loves her mother if she is -willing to leave to her mother the work of washing the dishes, sweeping -and scouring the floors, caring for the little children, doing the -Monday washings, the house cleaning, and the like, while she devotes -herself to pleasure, novel reading, social calling, butterfly parties, -or playing rag-time music or singing rag-time songs. - -The home and the public school are the two great agencies which are -jointly engaged, or which should be jointly engaged, in teaching -children to help themselves. If children are taught, as boys and girls, -to think for themselves, speak for themselves and act for themselves, -when they are old they will not forget the precious lesson, and will be -less likely to become burdens on the community. The highest ambition of -every American man and woman should be to be of some useful service to -the world; and the first step will be taken toward this noble end when -we have thoroughly learned the value and importance of the lesson of -self-help. First, learn to help yourself, and then you will be able to -see more clearly how to help others. - - - - - XLVII. - HENRY WARD BEECHER’S TESTIMONY. - - -First impressions are always most lasting. We may not recognize or -understand it at the time, but the boys and girls, the very young -people, whom God has committed to our care in the home or the -Sunday-school or the public school, gather in their early days, in the -formative and impressionable period of their lives, the inspirations and -impulses which shall guide them in after years either on the road to -good or on the road to ruin. I happen to have high testimony on this -point. It is the testimony of the grandest preacher who ever stood in an -American pulpit. I mean Henry Ward Beecher. The following testimony is -taken from a sermon of his preached in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, on -Sunday, January 18, 1874. The subject of the sermon was “Soul Power.” -Among other things, Mr. Beecher said: - -“In reading the life of Goethe, written by himself, you will notice how -he marks the various stages of his self-culture, and says, ‘At this -point I met such a man, and he was of great use to me in such and such -respects.’ Goethe’s educators were living men, active and powerful, -around about him. - -“I can look back upon my own early life, and see how one and another -took me, and how one prepared me for another. I can see how the largest -natures did not always get access to me. It was late in life before my -father influenced me very much. I think it was a humble woman who was in -our family that first gained any considerable control over me. I feel -the effects of her influence to this day. - -“I next came under the influence of a very humble serving-man. He opened -up new directions to me, and gave me new impulses. He was a colored man; -and I am not ashamed to say that my whole life, my whole career -respecting the colored race, in the conflict which was so long carried -on in this country, was largely influenced by the effect produced on my -mind when I was between eight and ten years of age, by a poor old -colored man named Charles Smith, who worked on my father’s farm. He did -not set out to influence me; he did not know that he did it; I did not -know it until a great while afterwards; but he gave me new impulses, and -impulses which were in the right direction; for he was a Godly and -hymn-singing man, who made wine fresh every night from the cluster. He -used to lie upon his humble bed (I slept in the same room with him) and -read his Testament, unconscious apparently that I was in the room; and -he would laugh and talk about what he read, and chuckle over it with -that peculiarly unctuous throat-tone which belongs to his race. I never -had heard the Bible really read before; but there, in my presence, he -read it and talked about it, to himself and to God. He turned the New -Testament into living forms right before me. It was a revelation and an -impulse to me.” - -What noble testimony this is! And from what a noble source! All of us -have what is called influence, and, consciously or unconsciously, we are -all influencing others, especially the young. It is a matter worth our -deepest and most prayerful thought. If Charles Smith, “a poor old -colored man;” if Charles Smith, “the very humble serving-man;” if -Charles Smith, “the Godly and hymn-singing man,” was used of God to give -impulses—and impulses which were in the right direction—to a little boy -who was afterwards to become the greatest preacher that America has ever -known, may not some of us be likewise used of God for the glory of our -Common Master, even Christ, and for the good of our fellow-men? I tell -you, friends, we may. And when we think of the great friend of humanity, -Henry Ward Beecher, let us not forget to think of Charles Smith, who had -so much to do, according to Beecher’s own testimony, with giving this -great man a right start. - - - - - XLVIII. - ROUNDING UP A CHICKEN THIEF. - - -I was not the chief actor in the story which I shall now tell. I played -only a minor part. My father-in-law was “leading man.” Soon after I -married I accepted a very cordial invitation to take up my residence -with my wife’s parents. Our bed-rooms happened to be on the same floor, -so that it was very easy for us to hear in one room any unusual noise -made in the other. My mother-in-law was a great hand at the poultry -business. She had a large number of the choicest breeds, and she found -great pleasure in looking after them. Now, the old-folk’s bed-room was -at the rear. Our room was in front. Late one night I heard a voice -calling. - -“Thomas! Thomas!” - -It sounded sad and far-away. At first I thought it might have been a -ghost. I raised myself up and listened. Pretty soon I heard the voice -again, calling in strangely sepulchral tones. - -“Thomas! Thomas!” - -And then I could not be mistaken. It was my mother calling the old man. -Father drawled out sleepily,—— - -“What is it?” - -“There’s somebody out there at my hen house, just as sure as you’re -born. Don’t you hear the chickens calling for help?” - -There was a short silence. After awhile I heard the old lady say -impetuously,—— - -“Thomas, why don’t you get up and go and see after them chickens?” - -There was another pause. By-and-by mother spoke again,—— - -“Thomas, you don’t need on your top-shirt. Go on, just as you are. My -chickens are in danger. If I were a man, I wouldn’t have stopped to put -on my pants even. You’re a coward—that’s what you are!” - -Next I heard the old man speak. I do not know whether he was looking out -of the window or not, but I heard his say,—— - -“Hi, there, look out! I’m coming out there! Look out, I’m going to blow -your daylights out!” - -If the old man meant this remark to impress his wife with his bravery -the effect was certainly lost on the woman, because I heard her say -louder than ever,—— - -“Get out of the way, you coward baby, you! I’ll go myself! Where’s my -slippers?” - -In less than a minute I heard the old lady’s voice at the back door, at -the head of the steps which ran down into the yard. She said,—— - -“Bring the lamp, Thomas! Bring the lamp!” - -[Illustration: “SON, ITS A MIGHTY LUCKY THING FOR YOU AND NANNIE THAT I -DIDN’T HAVE MY GUN.”] - -Curiosity pulled me and my wife out of bed. I stepped quietly into the -hall, and stood well in the dark, not desiring to be in any way -conspicuous in the investigations which were proceeding. My wife was by -my side—trembling, anxious. Her angelic mother had already descended the -steps, and neither of us knew what fate might befall her there. Wife -whispered that we had better go to the rescue. We started for the door -where father stood with the lamp. On the way I stumbled against a little -table and knocked off a pitcher of ice-water, which fell to the floor -with a terrific crash. It sounded louder than usual, not only on account -of the stillness of the night but also on account of the fact that our -nerves were already keyed up to a very high tension by the exciting -events then taking place. At the sound in the hall, father turned -quickly and looked behind. The light flashed into our faces. He must -have thought we were ghosts or burglars. Immediately the lamp fell out -of the old man’s hands, and he went sailing down the back stairs, -hallooing at the top of his voice,—— - -“They’re in the house, wife! They’re in the house!” - -When wife and I reached the door father was already, as I afterwards -learned, safely buried behind the chicken house, and mother was lodged -under the steps. - -“Father!” I called out. “Father!” - -There was no response. - -“It’s me and Nannie, mother,” I said. - -Still we heard nothing. - -I went back to our room, and got our lamp. My wife was following me, -foot to foot. Returning, I descended the steps and stood on the last -one. Wife remained at the head of the steps, anxious, waiting, and ready -to fly back into the house at the first outcry. - -“Father!” I called again. “Father! Mother! There’s nobody in the house -but me and Nannie. I made that noise myself, father. Where are you?” - -Simultaneously the old folks emerged from their hiding-places. - -The old lady said,—— - -“Thomas, you’re the biggest coward in all the world! I’ll never speak to -you again!” - -Father addressed me, ignoring his wife’s complaint. Said he,—— - -“Son, it’s a mighty lucky thing for you and Nannie that I didn’t have my -gun.” - - - - - XLIX. - SHIELDS GREEN, THE MARTYR. - - -Near the south-east corner of the cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio, there -stands an unpretentious monument of clouded marble, about eight feet in -height, bearing the following inscriptions: - - S. GREEN, - Died at Charlestown, Va., Dec. 2, 1859. - Aged 23 years. - - - J. A. COPELAND, - Died at Charlestown, Va., Dec. 2, 1859. - Aged 25 years. - - L. S. LEARY, - Died at Harper’s Ferry, Va., Oct. 20, 1859. - Aged 24 years. - - These colored citizens of Oberlin, - The Heroic Associates of the Immortal - JOHN BROWN, - Gave their lives for the Slave. - Et nunc servitudo etiam mortua est, laus Deo. - -In 1876, Frederick Douglass, who was once an associate and intimate -friend of John Brown, lectured at Oberlin College. Among other things, -Mr. Douglass said that Shields Green, who had once been a student of -Oberlin College, was residing in the Douglass family shortly before the -raid on Harper’s Ferry. At the call of Brown, Green went with Douglass -to an appointed spot near the borders of Virginia. There John Brown -confided to them the details of his plans, including the capture of -Harper’s Ferry. Mr. Douglass objected to the plans as unwise and -hazardous, and, finding entreaty unavailing, he withdrew from the -enterprise. Shields Green, nevertheless, followed his old commander. -When John Brown was finally surrounded, Green and one other companion -were in the mountains on some errand. When they returned, they saw at a -glance that the rescue of Brown was impossible. Green’s companion -counseled flight, and did himself escape, but Shields Green—the former -Oberlin student—replied that he preferred to “go down and die with the -old man,” meaning John Brown. - -And he did. - -There is scarcely a more touching incident than this in all our national -history. - - - - - L. - AIMING AT SOMETHING. - - -It is true, boys and girls, that it is what you hit, not what you aim -at, that counts; but, nevertheless, it is a very important thing to take -the right aim. The man who aims deliberately at the center of the target -stands a better chance, a hundred to one, than the man who shoots -without taking aim. So, in life, that boy or girl who has a purpose—who -is aiming at something—will be more successful than those boys and girls -who have no plans and who aim at nothing. - -[Illustration: AIMING AT SOMETHING.] - -It is not sufficient, in the moral world, to aim at something, but every -boy and girl should aim at the best things. The best and highest things -in this world are the unseen things, the eternal things, the things that -will last forever. Money is a good thing, but there is something higher -than money. A high position in the business or professional or political -world, is a good thing, but there is something higher and better than -office and position. Character is the grandest, the highest and best -thing in this world. We include in this one little word “character” a -world of things. Honor, uprightness, speaking the truth, dealing fairly -with people, being willing to help the lowly and unfortunate, paying -your debts promptly, these things, and many other things like them, are -included in the one word “character.” And these are the things that are -worth while in this world. These are the things that every boy and girl -should aim at. It may not be possible for every boy and girl to become a -millionaire; it may not be possible for every boy and girl to fill high -offices in this world, or succeed in large business enterprises; but one -thing is certain: every boy can be a good and true boy, every girl can -be a noble and beautiful girl. Beautiful as to conduct, as to words and -deeds, I mean. Good boys are the fathers of good men. Pure girls are the -mothers of pure women. For, what, after all, is a boy? And what is a -girl? What is a man? What is a woman? I will tell you. A boy is a little -man—that’s all; and a man is a grown-up boy. A girl is a little -woman—that’s all; and a woman is a grown-up girl. - -It is important, then, that boys and girls should aim at the right -things, the good, the true and noble things early in life. What boys and -girls aim at, in nine cases out of ten, they will reach as men and -women. And to help you in taking the proper aim early in life, I am -going to give you something to aim at. Let every boy and girl make this -little motto his rule of life: - - Know something—know it well; - Do something—do it well;— - And be Somebody! - - - - - LI. - “THE BLACK SHEEP” OF THE REYNOLDS FAMILY. - - -Will Reynolds was “the black sheep” of the Reynolds family. He knew it -and felt it, because he had been frequently slighted and treated with -contempt by his relatives. The only person who never lost faith in him -was his mother. She always felt that there was something good in her -wayward son, and often said that it would show itself some day. But -Will’s mother died in the early stages of his backslidings. Will’s -father married the second time, and the boy, finding it impossible to -get along with his stepmother, left home. He went from bad to worse. -Being arrested on the charge of drunkenness and vagrancy, he sent to his -two brothers, who were prosperous brokers in D. St., asking them to pay -his fine. Word came back that they would not interfere in his behalf. -His brothers sent word that he had brought the trouble upon himself and -he must get out of it the best way he could. Will was sent to the Work -House for six months. And nobody’s hand was raised to help him. - -While he was serving his time, his only sister, a young woman not yet -grown, died. He knew nothing of it until about a month after it -occurred, and then he read the account in an old newspaper which he had -borrowed from a fellow prisoner. The news of his sister’s death deeply -affected him. His sentence was shortened by one month on account of his -good behaviour. The first thing he did, on coming to the city, was to -visit the family lot in Myrtle Hill Cemetery. He carried with him some -wild flowers and green leaves, being too poor to purchase a floral -offering from the dealers in such things. With uncovered head, he knelt -and placed these tokens of respect on the graves of his mother and -sister. This done, he stood in silence for a moment, and then wept like -a little child. While riveted to the spot, he made a solemn vow that he -would quit the old life and make a man of himself. “It’s in me,” he said -to himself, “and I’m going to prove it.” - -[Illustration: “HE CARRIED WITH HIM SOME WILD FLOWERS AND GREEN -LEAVES.”] - -Slowly he turned away from the sacred place. He went directly to the -offices of his brothers. He had been furnished with a new suit of -clothes, according to custom, upon leaving prison, and so made quite a -decent appearance. He found his oldest brother, John B. Reynolds, seated -at a desk in the front office. He entered at once and said,— - -“Well, John, I suppose sister is dead?” - -“How dare you,” exclaimed John, rising to his feet,—“how dare you to -speak of Annie as your sister, you jailbird, you miserable convict! Get -out of here this minute! Leave this room at once, and never set foot in -it again!” - -There was fire in the man’s eye as he spoke. Will attempted to speak, -but was not permitted. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he left the -room. He had gone to tell of his new determination and ask for another -chance, and this was the reception which he met. On his way down the -steps, he came face to face with his other brother, Thomas Reynolds. -Thomas tried to pass without speaking, but Will intercepted him. - -“Tom,” he said, “I’m your brother still. I’m not asking help now; I only -came to tell you that I’m going to do better. I thought you would be -glad to hear it.” - -“I want to hear nothing from you,” said Thomas. “You’ve disgraced us -forever, and you can go your way; we don’t want anything to do with you; -we don’t want to see you again!” - -Will went forth into the street weeping. - - * * * * * - -Thirty years have come and gone since Will was driven away from the -offices of his brothers. What changes have these years worked? - -Soon after leaving prison Will was a constant visitor at the Railroad -Men’s Branch of the Y. M. C. A. Through the Secretary of the -Association, he soon secured a place as a day laborer in the machine -shops of the Big Bend Railroad. After securing regular employment, he -went to live in the Y. M. C. A. building. At the close of his first -year’s service with the railroad, he was promoted from a common laborer -and made an apprentice. After four or five years, he had learned the -trade and was receiving the daily wages of a machinist. After twelve -years with the company, he was made the Master Machinist. At the end of -fifteen years’ service, he was made Superintendent of Construction. Five -years later he was made a Division Superintendent. At the expiration of -more than twenty-five years of faithful service, Will Reynolds was able -to write after his name, “General Manager of the Big Bend Railroad.” He -had, also, been married for several years, and was the father of five -children. - -Will’s father and brothers lost sight of him for nearly twelve years, or -until the papers announced his appointment as Master Machinist of the -Big Bend Railroad. They suddenly awoke to find that their conclusions -that he had probably long since died a drunkard’s death, or had gone off -as a tramp and had been killed, or was again serving a sentence in -prison somewhere—were wrong. - -The same week that Will was made Superintendent of Construction of the -Big Bend Railroad, the newspapers spread all over the country the news -that Col. Oliver P. Reynolds had committed suicide. According to their -way, the newspapers gave all the sickening details of the tragedy, -together with the whole family history. They said that Col. Reynolds had -been driven to suicide by his wife. They said that she was much younger -than he; that she was extravagant; that she was a leader in gay society; -they told how, on her account, Col. Reynolds had driven his son away -from home fifteen years before; they declared that the old man’s life -had been a hell to him; and that his wife had brought him almost to the -verge of bankruptcy, and, in order to escape facing open disgrace, he -had murdered himself. - -When Will heard of his father’s death, he hastened at once to the city, -but was denied admission to the family residence, and had to attend the -funeral in the little church around the corner not as a member of the -family but merely as an outsider. - -We are not concerned in this story with the fate of Will’s stepmother. -But, as to Will’s brothers,—well, the crash came eight or ten years -after the death of Col. Reynolds, or a short while before Will became -the General Manager of the Big Bend Railroad. John B. Reynolds and -Thomas Reynolds, members of the firm of John B. Reynolds & Bro., had -been arrested and placed in the Tombs, charged with misappropriating -$175,000 of trust funds. Again the family history was rehearsed in the -newspapers. The papers did not fail to recall the suicide of Col. -Reynolds, nor did they fail to tell how these two brothers had earlier -in life turned their backs on a younger brother. - -[Illustration: “WELL, JOHN, I SUPPOSE SISTER IS DEAD?”] - -Will read the papers, and, saying to his wife, “Well, Mary, perhaps -they’ll be glad to see me this trip,” he went immediately to offer his -services to his brothers. - -He had prophesied correctly. John and Thomas were very glad to see him. -They had no friends among those high in financial circles because they -had for many years conducted their business in such a way that business -men had no confidence in them. They had no credit and could get nobody -to go on their bonds. Will took in the situation at a glance. He had -been thoughtful enough to bring along with him the leading attorney of -the Big Bend Railroad, and he put matters straightway into his hands. -Bail was arranged, the brothers were released, and the lawyer then -turned his attention to the prosecutors. It was discovered that almost -half of the amount stolen was the property of Simon B. Nesmith, -President of the Big Bend Railroad. When Will Reynolds and the lawyer -found that their own superior officer had been so heavily hit by John B. -Reynolds & Bro., they came near fainting. Fortunately Nesmith when he -heard the whole story agreed not to prosecute, and not only said that he -would be satisfied with any settlement that the Railroad’s Attorney -might arrange but also volunteered to see the others concerned and use -his influence in having them do likewise. - -In a short time matters were adjusted, and John Reynolds and Thomas -Reynolds were saved from prison. But they lost all their earthly -possessions and their brother, “the black sheep” of the family, had to -secure them for the sum of $40,000 besides. - -John B. Reynolds and Thomas Reynolds came to their senses. It was their -time to cry now. Amidst great sobs they said,—— - -“We treated you wrongly, brother Will; we ought to have helped you many -years ago; we are so sorry we didn’t; and it was such a small matter, -too.” - -But Will said,—— - -“Don’t talk about the past: I’m your brother still. Go and do as I did. -Start over and make men of yourselves—you’ll have enough time. That’s -all I ask.” - - - - - LII. - THE HOLY BIBLE. - - -I heard a minister say the other day that a mother had not necessarily -done much for her boy because she had bought him a nice Bible and put it -in his trunk, when he was about to leave home to seek his fortune in the -world. I think it wrong for anybody—minister or what not—to indulge in -such loose and flippant talk. The effect is bad—always bad, and no hair -splitting, and no higher criticism, and no curiously ingenious -explanations can mend the matter. As for me, give me the old-fashioned -mother who sends her son out into the world with a Bible in his trunk, -and give me the old-fashioned boy who reads that Bible every night with -tears in his eyes, as he thinks of the old folks at home and of their -simple lives devoted to Jesus Christ. Give me the man, woman or child, -whose hands touch the Bible reverently, instead of slinging it about as -a dictionary or some common dime novel. Give me the plain old fellow who -quickly takes leave of that circle in which critics are proceeding to -ably explain away certain chapters of the Bible. - -As for me, I want no new theories about the Bible—no new versions—no new -criticisms. No man has a right to weaken the faith of others. No man has -a right to knock away the staff that supports the crippled wayfarer. And -no man has a right to tell an aged mother that it does no good to give -her boy a Bible unless he can suggest a better substitute. Destroy the -old-fashioned idea concerning the Bible, and we shall have a nation of -infidels defying God, defying the law, and repeating the licentiousness -and horrors of the French Revolution. We should make the Bible first in -all things. Make the Bible first in the family, in the Sunday-school and -church, make it first in state and society, and we shall have a Republic -that will grow brighter and brighter as the years come and go, and then -we “shall go out with joy, and be lead forth with peace: and the -mountains and the hills shall break forth before us into singing, and -all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” - - - - - LIII. - ANDREW CARNEGIE’S ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN. - - -One of the bravest and truest friends of humanity that I know of is -Andrew Carnegie, the great iron king. He has retired from business now, -and is spending his time in giving away his money for the good of his -fellow men. In addition to smaller gifts, he has given to the city of -New York $5,200,000 for libraries for all the people. He has given -$10,000,000 to Universities in Scotland, his native country, and he has -also founded the “Carnegie Institution,” of Washington, D. C., with the -liberal sum of $10,000,000. Every colored boy and girl in America has a -special reason for thanking Mr. Carnegie for his splendid gifts to -Tuskegee and Wilberforce and other colored schools. In addition to the -$600,000 given toward Tuskegee’s endowment fund, he has given Tuskegee -and Wilberforce library buildings, costing about $20,000 each. The words -of such a humanitarian and philanthropist should carry weight -everywhere, and should be studied by all. Among other things, Mr. -Carnegie says, in speaking to young men: - -“Do not make riches, but usefulness, your first aim, and let your chief -pride be that your daily occupation is in the line of progress and -development; that your work, in whatever capacity it may be, is useful -work, honestly conducted, and as such ennobles your life. - -“Whatever your salary be, save a little; live within your means. The man -who saves a little from his income has given the surest indication of -the very qualities that every employer is seeking for. - -“The great successes of life are made by concentration. Do not think you -have done your full duty when you have performed the work assigned you. -You will never rise if you only do this. - -“You hear a good deal about poverty nowadays, and the cry goes up to -abolish poverty, but it will be the saddest day of civilization when -poverty is no longer with us. It is from the soil of poverty that all -the virtues spring. Without poverty, where will your inventor, your -artist, your philanthropist come from? - -“There are three classes of young men in the world. One starts out to be -a millionaire. Another seeks reputation, perhaps at the cannon’s mouth. -A third young man, who will be successful, is he who starts out in life -with self-respect and who is true to himself and his fellow-men. He -cannot fail to win.” - - - - - LIV. - DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GENTLEMEN. - - -1. The essential part of good breeding is the practical desire to afford -pleasure and to avoid giving pain. Any boy possessing this desire -requires only opportunity and observation to become a little gentleman. - -2. Never be guilty of what are called practical jokes; that is to say, -never place a pin in a chair so that somebody may come along and sit on -the pin’s point; never pull back a chair when a person is about to sit -down, and in that way cause such a person to fall on the floor. No -little gentleman will play such tricks. - -3. Whenever a lady enters a room, it is proper for boys to rise, if they -are seated, but you must never offer a lady a chair from which you have -just risen, if there is another chair in the room. - -4. Never engage in conversation while a person is singing. It is an -insult not only to the singer but to the company. - -5. Always take off your hat when assisting a lady to or from a carriage. - -6. If in a public place, you pass and re-pass persons of your -acquaintance, it is only necessary to salute them on the first occasion. - -[Illustration: DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GENTLEMEN.] - -7. Do not wear anything that is so conspicuous as to attract attention; -and, particularly, avoid the ruffian style. - -8. Do not lose your temper. Particularly if you are playing innocent -games for amusement and happen to lose; avoid the exhibition of anxiety -or vexation at lack of success. - -9. In all your associations, keep constantly in view the old adage, “too -much familiarity breeds contempt.” - - - - - LV. - THE LETTER OF THE LAW. - - -It was a bright and balmy afternoon in spring. Mrs. Anderson, in keeping -with the practice of neighborly kindness which was in vogue in the -Berkshire village, had sent a large plate of ice-cream across the street -to Mrs. Van Ingen’s. The cream was quite toothsome, and little Annie Van -Ingen, “six years old, going on seven,” felt when the plate had been -emptied that she would like to have some more. - -With tears in her eyes she confided her wish to her mother. The maternal -explanation, “My darling, mama didn’t make any cream to-day,” failed to -satisfy Annie. - -“Well, where did you get that we had?” she asked. - -“Mrs. Anderson was kind enough to send it to us,” answered the patient -mother. - -“I’m going over there and ask her for some more,” abruptly interposed -little Annie. - -“No, no, no, my precious;” said Mrs. Van Ingen, “you mustn’t think of -doing such a thing. Mama doesn’t want the neighbors to know that her -little Annie is a beggar.” - -[Illustration: “MAMMA TOLD ME NOT TO ASK FOR ANY MORE CREAM.”] - -For reply Annie’s tears flowed fast and faster. Finally, seeing that -nothing else would avail, to pacify Annie, Mrs. Van Ingen said,—— - -“I’ll tell you what to do, dearie; you go over to Mrs. Anderson’s and -tell her that you’ve come to play awhile with her little girl. Now, be -careful, don’t ask her for any cream, but I’m sure she’ll offer you some -before you come back.” - -The crying stopped immediately, and pretty soon Annie went tripping -across the street to play with Mrs. Anderson’s little girl. - -Mrs. Anderson met her at the door and kissed her affectionately. - -“I wanted some more cream,” volunteered little Annie; “the cream you -sent mama was very nice, and I wanted some more. Mama told me not to ask -you for any more, but she said that if I would come over here and play -with Bessie you would give me some more before I went back home. So, I -have come over to play with Bessie.” - -And, having relieved her mind of its burden, little Annie, with perfect -delight and joyous innocence, ran hastily up the stairs to the nursery -in search of Bessie. - - - - - LVI. - THE BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN. - - -According to some of the most thoughtful people who have lived in this -world, a good way to deal with children in regard to the books that they -are to read is to give them the freedom of a library which contains a -few thousand of the best books in the world, and let them browse at -will. This was originally, I think, Charles Lamb’s idea. Charles Lamb -was a lovable man who wrote readable books for children. But this -statement of Lamb implies, of course, the possession of a good library. -Unfortunately many of my readers will not be found among those who live -in homes which are well-stocked with books. That is one reason why it -seems wise to make one or two suggestions as to the best books for -children to read. If you cannot have all of the best books in the world, -it is important that you should have at least a few of the best books in -the world; and I shall name a few which I believe every boy and girl in -America ought to know something about. - -[Illustration: THE BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.] - -For children between the ages of six and twelve, I should put at the -head of my list Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe,” a good edition of the -“Arabian Nights,” and Hans Andersen’s fairy tales. In addition to these -I would get Hawthorne’s “Wonder Book,” Andrew Lang’s “Fairy Book” and -some book full of absurd fun like Lear’s “Nonsense Book” or “Alice in -Wonderland.” We must not forget Joel Chandler Harris’s “Uncle Remus,” -for it ought to have a place in every collection of children’s best -books. Kipling’s “Jungle Book” is good, and so is Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s -Progress.” “Tom Brown at Rugby,” Lamb’s Shakespeare Tales, and Ruskin’s -“King of the Golden River” must not be overlooked. John Burrough’s -“Birds and Beasts” might as well end the list, since I haven’t room to -give all the best books for children. - -But whatever else you do, boys and girls, if you wish to widen your -spiritual horizons, do not close the windows on the emotional and -imaginative side by neglecting poetry. Somebody has said that “There is -in every one of us a poet whom the man has outlived.” “Verse and Prose -for Beginners” by Horace E. Scudder is a delightful book to have, and -another book of poems called the “Children’s Garland.” - -The best books for a child are the books that widen his world. A man or -woman in middle life or old age who loves poetry and great pictures and -statues, who is familiar with Shakespeare, who has a sense of humor and -a love of nature, knows a deal about the joy of living and is full of -resources. No one can ever have these resources and that joy who has not -had them from early childhood. - - - - - LVII. - THE RIGHT TO PLAY. - - -The right to play is one of the divine rights of men and women, of boys -and girls, and is just as essential to the peace, happiness and -prosperity of the world as is the right to pray. Never be afraid or -ashamed, my young friends, of honest, vigorous, healthy play. Dominoes, -lawn tennis, baseball, football, ping-pong, golf, foot-racing, leaping -and jumping, boxing and wrestling, pole-vaulting, punching the bag, -swinging dumb-bells or Indian clubs, and a hundred other things are -perfectly sane and wholesome amusements for old or young. To refrain -from all forms of amusements is just as destructive of happiness and -injurious to character as is the other extreme of indulging too freely -in pleasures and pastimes. Puritan austerity and unrestrained excess are -alike to be condemned. But a certain amount of play—play of the right -kind and within proper limits—is a divine right of young people. Young -people must have fun and relaxation, and, if they do not find it in -their own homes, it will be sought in other and perhaps dangerous -places. - -For myself, I believe that anybody is an enemy to young people who -desires to repress and crush out the naturally buoyant spirits of -childhood and youth, and he is a benefactor of humanity who makes it a -part of his business to see that proper places of amusement are provided -for the young people. Aside from the physical advantages of play, there -are moral advantages also. A man who helps to keep his body in good -condition by regular exercise is, in that way, beyond a doubt, adding to -the number of his days; that is to say, he will live longer than the man -who doesn’t play. But beyond and above that, he is a happier man while -he lives; he gets more joy and satisfaction out of life than the other -fellow. Sane and healthy play tends to blot out the remembrance of cares -and hardship; it gives our minds something else to think about. But -young people must be careful not to become absorbed in these things. I -believe in play; I believe in pleasure, in fun. But when I see young -people, or old people for that matter, devoting all their time to -wheeling, footballing, card parties, the giddy whirl of the dance, the -bacchanalian hilarity of the dram shop, and so on, I am forced to say -that things which may be right when taken in moderation, and as a relief -from the overtaxing burdens of life, are wrong when they become the -chief object for which one lives. - - - - - LVIII. - A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. - - -A forsaken little kitten wandered up and down the street on the day -before Christmas. It had no home; it had no name; it had no ribbon -around its neck; and it had no saucer of nice milk in one corner. - -It began to grow dark, and colder too, and the stars came peeping out, -and the first flakes of a real Christmas snowstorm began floating down -through the air. The kitten mewed a trembling little mew, which told as -plainly as it could that it was very hungry, and it fluffed out its fur -to keep itself warm. - -Now, somewhere along that street, up on top of a house (hiding behind a -chimney where he couldn’t be seen), was Santa Claus, getting everything -in shape before starting on his evening round. When old Santa saw that -lonesome little kitten strolling around he smiled—yes, old Santa Claus -smiled. He smiled because he knew that two blocks up the street a little -girl was standing with her nose pressed against the window, looking out -into the deepening night. - -He had seen her as he went by. And he had also seen the poor little -supper laid out for two on the table, and heard her say to her mother, -in a quavering voice: - -“Not even one present, mamma—not the teeniest little one!” - -[Illustration: “MAMMA, I HEAR OLD SANTA’S BELLS AND OF COURSE THIS IS -THE PRESENT HE BROUGHT.”] - -“No, Susie,” her mother had answered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get anything -for my little girl this year, but—you know there wasn’t any money dear.” -And there was a tremble in her mother’s voice too. - -Susie wiped away the tears, and turned to look out of the window. - -“Perhaps,” she said to herself; “perhaps Santa Claus has something for -me after all!” - -Now, the sad, really dreadful part about it was that Santa Claus didn’t -have one single thing for Susie in his pack. Perhaps it was because she -had moved into that house since last Christmas, or perhaps for once old -Santa had made a mistake. Anyway he was just saying to himself: “Why, -bless me, what shall I do about it?” when he caught sight of that -shivering little kitten. - -“The very thing,” he thought. “I’ll give them to each other!” and he -chuckled till his reindeer looked around to see what was the matter. - -And what happened next? Well, that kitten never knew really. It only -seemed as if there was a sudden rush and jingle of bells, which -frightened it so that it flew up the street as fast as its four little -legs could carry it, until it saw a small friendly face at a window, and -rushed up some steps nearby. Then a door opened, and two soft little -arms picked it up gently from the cold snow and a voice cried: - -“Oh, mamma, see the poor little kitten—it’s so cold—oh, we’ll keep it, -won’t we, mamma! The poor little thing. Do you think it would drink -milk?” - -Would it drink milk? What a question to ask about a little kitten. While -the little kitten was nearly choking itself trying to drink a saucerful -of milk and purr at the same time there was a jingle of bells outside, -and Susie said: - -“Mamma, I hear old Santa’s bells, and, of course, this is the present he -brought.” - - - - - LIX. - DRINKING AND SMOKING. - - -There is food for reflection in a saying of somebody who lived a great -many years ago, ’way back in 1878. Here it is: - -“Our government land costs one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre, and -good whiskey two dollars a bottle. How many men die landless who during -their lives have swallowed whole townships—trees and all?” - -Alongside of this statement might go this other one, which is equally -true: - -“The young man who smokes three five-cent cigars a day—and many young -men use double the quantity at double the price—puffs away enough money -in the course of ten years to give anyone a handsome start in business, -or to provide anyone a comfortable home.” - -[Illustration: DRINK AND TOBACCO.] - -From a purely business standpoint, not to say anything about religion or -morals—from a purely business standpoint young people drink too much and -smoke too much. Every five cents spent for beer is five cents thrown -away. Every ten cents spent for whiskey is a total loss. It would bring -far better returns if it were put into a savings bank and laid away for -a rainy day. As for smoking, it is a silly, senseless, expensive habit. -It literally burns money up. The following figures show the expense of -smoking two cigars a day at five cents each from the age of twenty to -the end of each period of five years up to the age of seventy, 6 per -cent compound interest semi-annually being reckoned upon the money: - - Two Cigars a Day at 5 Cents each. - From the age of: No. Years. Principal. Prin. & Int. - 20 to 25 years 5 $ 182.50 $ 209.21 - 20 to 30 〃 10 365.00 490.39 - 20 to 35 〃 15 574.50 868.25 - 20 to 40 〃 20 730.00 1,376.07 - 20 to 45 〃 25 912.50 2,058.44 - 20 to 50 〃 30 1,095.00 3,094.99 - 20 to 55 〃 35 1,277.50 4,367.46 - 20 to 60 〃 40 1,460.00 6,078.73 - 20 to 65 〃 45 1,642.50 8,378.52 - 20 to 70 〃 50 1,825.00 11,469.25 - -Boys, I am glad to be able to put these figures down where you can see -them, and study them for yourselves. I want you to reflect upon them. It -is not what you make, but it is what you save that makes you rich. If -you ever expect to be even well-to-do men, not to speak of being rich -men, you must begin early to learn and practice the habit of saving your -money. If you will learn to leave out of your expenses the bills for -whiskey and tobacco it will not be hard for you to see then how you can -also save by cutting down your expenses for trifles, such as -knickknacks, candy, red lemonade, peanuts, etc. First in importance -among public institutions, next to the church and the school house, I -place the savings bank. No matter what your occupation, no matter what -your salary, it is possible for every young person to save something out -of his earnings, however small they may be. But if this habit of saving -is not acquired in early life it will be very hard to learn it later. -Saving is not the miser’s habit necessarily, nor is it the spirit of -avarice and parsimony. It is prudence and forethought. Money is a good -thing. It is the love of money—not money—that is the root of all evil. - - - - - LX. - THE NICKEL THAT BURNED IN FRANK’S POCKET. - - -Deacon Hepworth kept a little fish market. - -“Do you want a boy to help you?” asked Frank Shaw one day. - -“Can you give good weight to my customers and take good care of my -pennies?” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Frank. - -Forthwith he took his place in the little store, weighed the fish and -kept the room in order. - -“A whole day for fun, fireworks and noise to-morrow!” exclaimed Frank, -as he buttoned his white apron about him the day before the Fourth of -July. A great trout was thrown down on the counter by Ned Tant, one of -Frank’s playmates. - -[Illustration: “A QUARTER, MA’AM.”] - -“Here’s a royal trout, Frank. I caught it myself. You may have it for -ten cents. Just hand over the money, for I’m in a hurry to buy my -firecrackers,” said Ned hurriedly. - -The deacon was out, but Frank had made purchases for him before, so the -dime spun across to Ned, who was off like a shot. Just then Mrs. -Sinclair appeared. - -“I want a nice trout for my dinner to-morrow. This one will do; how much -is it?” she asked as she carefully examined it. - -“A quarter, ma’am,” and the fish was transferred to the lady’s basket -and the silver piece to the money drawer. - -But here Frank paused. - -He thought to himself: “Ten cents was very cheap for that fish. If I -tell the deacon it cost fifteen cents he’ll be satisfied, and I shall -have five cents to invest in firecrackers.” - -The deacon was pleased with Frank’s bargain, and when the market was -closed each went his way for the night. - -But the nickel buried in Frank’s pocket burned like a coal. He could eat -no supper, and was cross and unhappy. At last he could stand it no -longer, but, walking rapidly, tapped at the door of Deacon Hepworth’s -cottage. - -The old man was seated at a table, reading the Bible. Frank’s heart -almost failed him, but he told the story and with tears of sorrow laid -the coin in the deacon’s hand. - -Turning over the leaves of the Bible, the old man read: - -“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and -forsaketh them shall have mercy.” - -“You have forgiveness, Frank,” he said. “Now go home and confess to the -Lord, and remember you must forsake as well as confess. Here, you may -keep this coin as long as you live to remind you of your first -temptation.” - - - - - LXI. - -[Illustration: A MONUMENT TO A BLACK MAN] - - -In the city of Columbus, Georgia, there was erected in the year 1904 a -monument to the memory of a colored man named Bragg Smith. Mr. Smith -lost his life in the autumn of 1903 in an effort to save the life of the -city engineer of Columbus, who had been buried under an excavation in -the street. A large crowd of colored men was at work digging deep -trenches in which were to be placed pipes for running water about the -city. In some way the sides of the narrow trench had not been properly -supported by planks or otherwise, and by-and-by a great stretch of dirt -caved in. Unfortunately the city engineer, a white man, was caught -underneath the falling dirt. Bragg Smith did not stop to say: “Oh, it’s -a white man; let him die!” but at once jumped down into the ditch and -tried to pull the white man from under the heavy dirt. It was while he -was engaged in this work that the dirt fell from both sides a second -time, and Bragg Smith, in his effort to save the life of the white man, -lost his own life. The Bible says: “Greater love hath no man than this, -that a man will lay down his life for a friend.” - -The city council at its first regular meeting after the accident voted -to erect a suitable monument to the memory of Mr. Smith. The monument -was dedicated in April, 1904. The monument is of Vermont and Georgia -marbles, and bears on one side this inscription: - -“Erected by the City of Columbus to mark the last resting place of Bragg -Smith, who died on September 30, 1903, in the heroic but fruitless -effort to save the life of the city engineer.” - -On the other side appears this quotation from Alexander Pope: - - “Honor and fame from no conditions rise; - Act well your part; there all the honor lies.” - - - - - LXII. - THE BAD BOY—WHO HE IS. - - -My dear children, I am happy to say that all boys who are called bad -boys are not bad boys. There is quite a difference between a bad boy and -a merely mischievous boy. A boy is not necessarily bad because he makes -unearthly noises about the house, or now and then twists the cat’s tail -just to hear her mew, or muddies his clothes in an effort to catch -crawfish. He is not bad just because he likes to “play fantastic” on the -fourth day of July. So many people complain of their boys being bad when -they are only mischievous—that is to say, when they are only full of -life. Some people think that a good boy is one that has a pale face and -looks sickly; one that wears a sanctimonious look and moves along -through the world as though he were afraid to put one foot in front of -the other. That isn’t my kind of a boy. I do not think that kind of a -fellow is a boy at all—he is ’most a girl! A boy who never enjoys a romp -in the woods, who never climbs the apple tree before or after the apples -are ripe, who never plays ball, who will not shoot marbles, etc.—this -sort of a boy usually dies young, or he grows up to be a “male woman.” I -mean by that, that he grows up to be a man who acts like a woman; and -that kind of man is hardly fit for anything. - -[Illustration: “PLAY FANTASTIC” ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.] - -But there are some bad boys, I am sorry to say—really bad boys, bad in -heart and in deed. I have seen some on the chain gangs; I have seen some -hanging around the street corners—especially on Sundays, with no clean -clothes on; I have seen them smoking cigarettes—and a cigarette is -something which no manly boy will use; I have seen them in saloons, -drinking, playing pool and playing cards; I have sometimes seen them -shooting dice in the street for money. There are probably one thousand -boys in the jails, reformatories and in the penitentiaries in the single -state of Georgia. To form anything like an adequate estimate of the -total number of bad boys in the South we must add to the above number -the boys imprisoned in the other states; and, also, that much larger -number who have never been imprisoned because they happen never to have -been arrested, or who have been arrested and have had their fines paid -in money; and, finally, we must add those who have already served their -time and are again at large. So, you see, there are many thousands and -thousands of bad boys in the world, and they are very easily found. Are -you a bad boy or a good boy? Isn’t it better to be a good boy than to be -a bad boy? - - - - - LXIII. - THE BAD BOY—HOW TO HELP HIM. - - -[Illustration: THE BAD BOY] - -Almost anybody can make something out of a boy who is naturally good, -but it takes one of very Christlike power and patience to make anything -out of a really bad boy. Yet all boys may be reclaimed, reformed, saved; -at least so I believe. And the first step in making a good man out of a -bad boy has to do with the boy’s body. The Holy Bible tells us that our -bodies are the temples—the dwelling places—of the Holy Ghost, and every -boy, and every teacher of every boy, in the home or day school or Sunday -school, should give more time and attention to the body in order to make -it a fit place for such a holy being. It is as true now as of old that -plenty of soap and water will exert a wholesome influence in making bad -boys good. Some one has said that cleanliness is next to godliness, and -somebody has added that soap is a means of grace. A boy who is taught to -bathe regularly and who is taught to keep his clothing neat and clean at -all times will in that way learn the great lesson of self-respect -quicker than in any other way; and, in my judgment, the shortest way to -the purification of a boy’s habits, a boy’s morals, a boy’s character, -is to teach him first to keep his body pure. Keep it pure not only by -baths and clean clothes, but keep it pure and sweet by keeping it free -from whiskey and tobacco in every form. Exercise, regular, and -systematic exercise, whether as work or play, will go a great way -towards keeping the body clean and healthy. Every boy is mistaken, every -parent is mistaken, who thinks that labor is unworthy, or that any kind -of honest work is degrading. The body needs to be kept alive and -vigorous by the frequent use of all its parts, and there is no better -way to keep the body vigorous than by doing some kind of work—work that -requires the use of the hands and legs and muscles, work that stimulates -the blood and makes it flow freely through the body. - -Another step in the process of making a good man out of a bad boy has to -do with the mind. The body grows not alone by exercise, but the body -grows by what we put into it: the food we eat and the water we drink, -etc. We might say, I think, that the body grows on what it feeds on. It -is the same way with the mind: the mind grows on what it feeds on. If we -feed our minds on obscene pictures, on bad books, on vulgar stories, -told by ourselves or our associates, we cannot expect to have minds that -are keenly alive and active for good. Our thoughts control us, boys and -girls, whether we understand the process by which they control or not. -Our thoughts control us. If our thoughts are pure and sweet and noble, -we will be pure and sweet and noble. If our thoughts are impure, vile -and ignoble, we will be impure, vile and ignoble. Our thoughts rule us. -So every boy should guard well his thoughts; every boy should guard well -what he puts into his mind. Every boy’s mind feeds on what he puts into -it, and every boy’s mind grows on what it feeds. It goes without saying, -then, that a boy should not read “blood and thunder” detective stories, -stories about the “James Brothers” and other outlaws and bandits; nor -should a boy read filthy so-called “love stories.” All such literature -should be shunned, as a boy would shun deadly poison. A boy who desires -to become a good man should read only those things which will give him -confidence in himself that he can and may become a good man—good for the -service of God and the service of his fellow-men. Bad company must also -be left behind if a bad boy wants to become a good boy. Those boys who -tell smutty jokes and stories should not be allowed to associate with -that boy whose eyes have been opened and who wants to feed his mind on -good and wholesome food. Character, boys, in its last analysis depends -chiefly on three things: Heredity, environment and will. Now you cannot -do much to change your inherited tendencies—the tendencies you receive -from mother and father at birth, but you can do much in offsetting, in -overcoming these tendencies. You can also do much with the aid of a -generous and enlightened public to change your surroundings if they -happen to be bad. I confess that your mothers and fathers, your teachers -and pastors ought to do much more in this regard than you; but if they -will not exert themselves to get you out of evil surroundings, then, as -you value your own life and time and possibilities, by the help of God, -try to get out yourselves. The will is very largely influenced by your -surroundings. Hence you can see the importance of having good books and -good associates. - -But whatever you do, boys, do not forget Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, -who takes away the sin of the world. The highest part of your nature is -your spiritual nature, and, while you are building up the body and -building up the mind, do not forget to build up your soul. If others -will not assist you in this greater matter you can help yourselves. The -Master said: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid -them not.” - - - - - LXIV. - THOMAS GREENE BETHUNE. - - -(“Blind Tom.”) - -I suppose there is not a little colored girl or boy in America who has -not heard of the wonderful “Blind Tom,” one of the greatest musicians of -the world. I wish that every boy and girl might have seen him and heard -him give one of his remarkable performances with the piano. I had that -high favor and privilege myself. During his life on the stage, or for -more than forty years, “Blind Tom” was seen probably by more people in -the world than any one living being. His stage career was closed -somewhere in 1900. I do not know whether he is living at present or not. -If he is still alive, and he probably is, he is very nearly sixty years -old. Everywhere, in this country and Europe, those who observed him most -closely, and attempted to understand him, pronounced him a living -miracle, unparalleled, incomprehensible, such as had not been seen -before in the world, and probably never would be seen again. - -Thomas Greene Bethune, better known to the public as “Blind Tom,” was -born within a few miles of the city of Columbus, Georgia, on the -twenty-fifth day of May, 1849. He was of pure negro blood, and was born -blind. He was little less than four years old when a piano was brought -to the house of his master, for he was born a slave. As long as any one -was playing he was contented to stay in the yard and dance and caper to -the music. Sometimes he was permitted to indulge his curiosity by being -allowed to run his fingers over the keys. One night the parlor and piano -had been left open. Before day the young ladies of the family awoke and -were astounded to hear Blind Tom playing one of their pieces. The family -gathered around him to witness and wonder at his performance, which they -said was marvellously strange. Notwithstanding that this was his first -known effort at a tune, he played with both hands and used the black as -well as the white keys. Pretty soon he was allowed free access to the -piano, and began to play off-hand everything he heard. As young as he -was, he soon mastered all of that and began composing for himself. The -record of his public life is too long for me to give, but that Blind Tom -was known and honored around the world is known to everybody. - -But feeling that every colored boy and girl should be justly proud of -Blind Tom’s record, I will give some words from the book of Hon. James -M. Trotter, himself a colored man. His book is called “Music and Some -Highly Musical People.” He says: - -“Blind Tom is unquestionably the most wonderful musician the world has -ever known. He is an absolute master in the comprehension and retention -of all sound. You may sit down to the pianoforte and strike any note or -chord or discord, or a great number of them, and he will at once give -their proper names, and, taking your place, reproduce them. Complete -master of the pianoforte keyboard, he calls to his melodious uses, with -most consummate ease, all of its resources that are known to skillful -performers, as well as constantly discovers and applies those that are -new. Under his magnetic touch this instrument may become, at his will, a -music box, a hand organ, a harp, or a bagpipe, a “Scotch fiddle,” a -church organ, a guitar, or a banjo; it may imitate the “stump speaker” -as he delivers his glowing harangue; or, being brought back to its -legitimate tones, it may be made to sing two melodies at once, while the -performer, with his voice, delivers a third, all three in different time -and keys, all in perfect tune and time, and each one easily -distinguishable from the other! He remembers and plays fully seven -thousand pieces. Some persons, it is true, have had the temerity to say -that Blind Tom is an idiot. Out with the idea! Who ever heard of an -idiot possessing such power of memory, such fineness of musical -sensibility, such order, such method, as he displays? Let us call him -the embodiment of music, the soul of music, and there let our -investigations rest, for all else is vain speculation. No one lives, or, -so far as we know, has ever lived, that can at all be compared with -him.” - - - - - LXV. - NOT FIT TO KNOW. - - -[Illustration: “FRANCES.”] - -Susan and Mamie and Lillian and Marjorie were always close friends. They -usually went together and played together and it was very unusual to see -one of them without the others. At school they always made it a rule to -lunch together and play together. One day at recess they were standing -in a little group all by themselves when Frances joined them. - -“What are you talking about, girls?” asked Frances in cheerful tones. - -“I’m telling them a secret,” said Susie, “and we will let you know, too, -Frances, if you’ll promise not to tell any one.” - -“I’ll promise you not to tell anybody but my mother,” said Frances, “for -I have made it a rule to tell my mother everything.” - -“No; you can’t even tell your mother,” answered Susie; “you must not -tell any one in the world.” - -“Well, then, I refuse to hear it,” said Frances, as she walked away, -“for what I can’t tell my mother is not fit for me to know.” - -Don’t you think Frances was right, girls? I think so. As soon as little -boys and girls begin to listen to words and stories which they would be -ashamed to repeat to their mothers they are on the road to temptation, -and nobody can tell how soon they will reach the end, which is always -disgrace and death. - -I wish all the boys and girls who will read this book would make the -reply of Frances their motto: “What I cannot tell my mother is not fit -to know.” Stick to this rule through thick and thin, and you will avoid -many of the snares and pitfalls by which many of your companions and -playmates sink into shame and sin. Don’t read a note that you would be -afraid to have your mother read. Don’t look at a picture that you would -be ashamed to have your mother see. Don’t speak any word, and don’t -allow any to be spoken to you, that you would not like to have your -mother hear. A girl’s best friend is her mother. A boy’s best friend is -his mother. And, boys and girls, be very sure that if a thing isn’t fit -for your mothers to know it isn’t fit for you to know. - - - - - LXVI. - THE RIGHT WAY. - - -Henry Oliphant always considered himself lucky whenever he was able to -get a ride on the street cars without paying for it, or get a glass of -soda water or be admitted to some public place, where an admission fee -was charged, without paying the price. He was bragging one day to some -of his boy friends that he had not paid anything to witness the school -exhibition the night before. Frank Sewall was brave enough to chide him -for having done so. Frank was a plain-spoken boy, and Henry didn’t like -what Frank had said. He thought what he had done was all right, while -Frank had said that it was all wrong. Anyhow, Henry decided to get his -father’s opinion on the matter. - -“Father,” he said, when night had come, “I got in the hall last night -for nothing.” - -“How was that?” - -“I just walked by the doorkeeper and he didn’t ask me for any money.” - -“Did the doorkeeper see you?” - -“Well, father, that was his business; he was put there for that purpose; -he ought to have seen me.” - -“But I asked you, Henry, whether the doorkeeper saw you. I want you to -answer that question.” - -“I don’t know, sir.” - -“Do you think he saw you?” - -“I don’t know, sir.” - -“Well, Henry, if he had seen you, don’t you think he would have asked -you for your money or a ticket?” - -[Illustration: “FATHER,” HE SAID, WHEN NIGHT HAD COME, “I GOT IN THE -HALL LAST NIGHT FOR NOTHING.”] - -“I guess so, father; but he didn’t ask me for anything.” - -“Well, now, Henry, you know that a charge of ten cents was made at the -door, and that no one had a right to enter who had not paid the ten -cents. You did go in without paying. Now, whether the doorkeeper saw you -or not, do you think that that was quite honest on your part? Was that -the right way for you to act?” - -“Well, I would have paid him if he asked me. I wasn’t the doorkeeper.” - -“I guess the man who stole our wood last week would have paid me if I -had seen him and asked him; but we called that stealing.” - -“But, father, I did not take anything from the doorkeeper.” - -“Who gave you the money with which to pay your admission?” - -“Mother.” - -“Where is that money now?” - -“I have it; but I didn’t take it from the doorkeeper.” - -“But you kept it from him, Henry. It belongs to the doorkeeper. He gave -you its value. My son, the right way is, whenever you buy anything, -whether it be a ride or a glass of soda water or permission to see a -concert, whenever you buy anything you ought to pay for it. If you don’t -you are no better than a common robber. You must go to-day and give Mr. -Hall that ten cents.” - - - - - LXVII. - KEEPING FRIENDSHIP IN REPAIR. - - -I sometimes think that boys and girls, and even old people, are often -careless in the matter of their friendships—not careless in the matter -of selecting friends, though I am sure there is room for improvement -along that line—but careless in trying to keep the good friendships we -have already formed. We ought to keep our friendships in repair. Perhaps -you think that our friendships are not things which need to be kept in -repair. How foolish it is to think so! Does a garden need to be weeded? -Does an old fence need to be kept in repair? Do we paint our houses only -once in a century? What about the musician—does he not need to keep in -practice? Supposing that you never kept your muscles in repair by -constant use or exercise—how long would you be strong or healthy? And do -you think that your friendships, because they are in a way -intangible—you cannot see them, handle them or taste them—do you think -that they grow and thrive of their own accord, and, therefore, do not -need to be kept in repair? Slights, snubs, angry words, unpleasant -conduct, long-continued lack of association, long-continued lack of -familiar intercourse, and coldness, even where the meetings are -periodic—these things, boys and girls, will kill the warmest friendship -and choke the tenderest love. So we ought to be careful to keep our -friendships in repair. If we had no friends in this world, no playmates -and companions, no kindred spirits into whose keenest sorrows and -highest joys we entered with deep and full sympathy, and who did not -enter into our sorrows and joys in the same way—if we had no friends in -this world, with all of its wealth and splendor, we should not desire to -live very much longer. But to have friends and to be friendly goes a -long way towards making the world a beautiful and blessed place to live -in. - -[Illustration: THE TWO PATHS.] - -How, then, may we keep our friends? Easy enough—by cultivating them; and -we cannot keep them in any other way. We should take time to be -friendly. Little notes, little presents, little visits, little social -entertainments, little kindnesses—these things, and things like them, go -a great way in cementing our friendships, in tying people to us, as it -were, with hooks of steel. We should not neglect these means of keeping -our friendships in repair. Always give your friends a cordial welcome in -your homes, and at your little children’s parties; let them feel, make -them feel, that their coming adds to your pleasure without increasing -your burdens. Don’t be selfish and narrow; be broad-minded and liberal. -Keep your friendships in repair, and then see if you do not find your -horizon broadened, your life sweetened, and the weary weight of this sad -old world lightened. - - - - - LXVIII. - LITTLE ANNIE’S CHRISTMAS. - - -Christmas morning came. - -Daylight was just peeping into the room. - -Poor little Annie, the cripple, awoke and turned her eyes towards the -corner where she had hung her stocking the night before. - -Surely, she thought, as she watched it, there could not be very much in -it, because it didn’t seem to be any larger than it was when she had -hung it up. After awhile she crept slowly to where it was. - -She did not take her crutches, for fear she would disturb her mother, -who slept in the same bed with her. It was hard for her to move around -without her crutches, but she persevered and finally she reached her -stocking. - -[Illustration: “SHE PUT OUT HER THIN LITTLE HAND AND FELT IT.”] - -She put out her thin little hand and felt it. Yes, there was something -in it! Then she put her hand inside and took out something which seemed -round and soft. She took it out and looked at it. It was a little cake. -Poor little Annie smiled, and put her hand back into the stocking. This -time she found something which was done up in paper. She opened the -paper and found a whole dozen of gumdrops. How brightly her little eyes -flashed! She was only six years old and she had never had so much candy -at one time in all her life. - -By-and-by her mother awoke. She raised her head and saw Annie’s happy -face. “Poor girl,” she thought, “how happy I would have been to have -bought something else for her, but I wasn’t able. I hope she will be -happy with what she has.” - -“See, mother,” cried Annie, “I have twelve gumdrops and a cake. We will -eat half of the gumdrops to-day and save the other half for to-morrow. -You’ll eat three and I will eat three.” - -“No, Annie,” said her mother, “you must eat every one by yourself.” - -Annie smiled, but did not say anything. - -Little Annie’s mother was a widow, and she was very, very poor; there -were many times when they had only a little dry bread and water for the -day’s food. For this bright Christmas season there were many things -besides food which she would like to have bought for her poor little -crippled child; but she did not have any money to pay for playthings or -toys. - -After breakfast on this Christmas day Johnny Ray came to see them. He -brought with him a good thick shawl for Annie’s mother and four pairs of -warm stockings which his mother had sent for Annie, and, also, a large -package of nice candy. - -Little Annie’s mother cried for joy. - -Little Annie was too happy to speak. She had never dreamed of having so -much candy at one time! - - - - - LXIX. - THE VELOCIPEDE RACE. - - -One bright day Archibald mounted his velocipede and rode out into the -long green lane, where he could ride for a long distance without -interruption. He had left his coat in the house because he knew that -riding would make him very warm. - -When he reached the lane the velocipede moved along so smoothly that -Archibald was very happy. By the time he had gone nearly a half mile he -was tired and stopped for a rest. - -Pretty soon he heard a noise coming from behind, and he wondered what -rider it might be on the same track that beautiful spring morning. He -looked up and saw John Smith coming, riding a large velocipede and going -as fast as he could. - -Archibald quickly mounted his wheel and started on a swift run, trying -to overtake the flying John. Before they reached the end of the road -they saw Clara Hempton, standing by the fence with her little -velocipede. Clara watched the boys as they flitted past. She thought -that she could keep up with John, but she was not sure that she could -ride as fast as Archibald. - -[Illustration: THE VELOCIPEDE RACE.] - -While she was meditating Archibald cried out: - -“Clara, you wait until we finish this race, and then we three will go -back together.” - -Archibald reached the end first, but John was not very far behind. - -When Clara reached them Archibald said: - -“Now we will all have a fair start and see who will reach the other end -first.” - -So they all started on a line. Archibald knew that he was the largest -and could go the fastest, but, as he had won the other race, he did not -ride this time as fast as he could. He thought this was the right way to -give the others a fair chance. - -Clara and John reached the other end of the lane at exactly the same -time, with Archibald a short distance behind them. - -John and Clara were greatly delighted because they had won the race from -the big boy, Archibald. Archibald was pleased because they were pleased. -This was not the only time that Archibald had proved that he was a good -and kind boy, and that he was thoughtful of little children younger than -himself. - -From this little story of the velocipede race many other little boys and -girls may learn a good lesson, I hope, that will do them good all -through life. - - - - - LXX. - FAULT-FINDING. - - -[Illustration: FAULT-FINDING.] - -Faults are the easiest things to find in all this world. A fault is -something that can be found without looking for it. And I guess no -little boy or girl in all the world knows anything that is easier to -find than something that he or she doesn’t have to look for. Well, -faults are things that we can find without looking for them; so faults -are the easiest things to find in all the world. Yet, boys and girls, -the habit of fault-finding, or the habit of finding fault, is one of the -worst habits that anybody could form. It does nobody good, generally -speaking. Besides it stamps the person who is so easy to find fault with -everything and everybody as being a mean, low, envious, evil-hearted -person. It is a good deal better to look for something to praise than it -is to look for something to blame. Yet there are some people—some little -boys and girls—who are so constituted that they do not see any good in -anything. When it is cold, it is too cold. When it is hot, it is too -hot. They don’t like “vici kid” shoes; they want patent leathers. The -singing at church or Sunday school last Sunday was just horrid. Old Mary -Jones ought to be taken out of the choir. The preacher preaches too -long, or the deacon prays too loud. The school teacher isn’t any good—I -can beat him drawing myself. So they go on from day to day, finding -fault with everything and everybody. Nothing pleases them; nothing -delights them. If by any chance or mischance they should get to heaven -they would, I believe, find fault with the way the Lord has arranged -things up there. They are miserable people to have around—these -good-for-nothing, lazy and trifling fault-finders. If you try real hard, -boys and girls, you can find something good in everything and in -everybody. That is one reason why we do not always see the good in -people or things—we don’t look for it. We can find out what is bad—can -find out the bad things without looking for them, but if we want to see -the good things we must be on the lookout for them. If we are on the -lookout—if we make up our minds that we are going to see the good, and -only the good, we are always sure to find it. - -There was an old woman once who was noted for being able to say -something good about everything and everybody. She was never heard to -speak evil of anything or anybody. Once upon a time a gambler died in -the city where she lived. He was a miserable sinner, and nobody liked -him and nobody had a good word to say for him, even after he was dead. -Aunt Maria, the good old lady, went to see him after he had been put -into his coffin. The people who were present wondered what good thing -Aunt Maria could possibly say about the dead sinner. Aunt Maria entered -the room and walked around on tiptoe. After awhile she raised her head -and said: - -“Friends, I tell you, he makes a mighty nice looking corpse.” - - - - - LXXI. - THE PURITANS’ SABBATH. - - -If all the little boys and girls in America to-day knew how the people -in the New England states were compelled by law to keep the Sabbath day -I think they would realize how much better it is to be living in these -days and times than to have lived in those. - -The laws concerning the keeping of a New England Sabbath were very -severe—that is, before the Revolutionary War, when what was called -colonial rule was in force. - -No manner of work was allowed to be done; no visiting, no playing, no -gaiety of any kind was permitted; just think, boys and girls, it is said -that one man was brought to trial and fined for kissing his wife on a -Sabbath morning. - -Slowly and solemnly, just as if they were going to a funeral, the -families all walked to the meeting house on Sundays, some of them having -to walk many and many miles. - -On reaching the church the men took their places on one side of the -house and the women on the other—they didn’t allow men and women to sit -together. The children, also, had to sit by themselves, and there was a -man appointed to keep them quiet. This man carried a long stick with a -hard knob at one end and a little feather brush at the other. The -feather end of this stick he would use to tickle the faces of the men -and women who might chance to get sleepy and go to nodding during the -preaching. The other end he used on the children. - -I guess this poor man must have kept busy all the time, for the sermons -were very long, lasting for whole hours. Sometimes a man would begin a -sermon in the morning and preach up to dinnertime; the congregation -would then go out for dinner, and come back and sit for hours during the -afternoon to hear the sermon concluded. - -The men carried their muskets to church with them, so that they might -have them ready in case of an attack from the wild Indians. - -The meeting houses were not warmed even in very cold weather; the people -thought that in some way it would make them better Christians if they -bore such discomforts without a murmur. Of course we know better now, -and wouldn’t think of doing such a foolish thing. - -After a time the people began to carry hot bricks and stones to keep -their hands and feet from freezing, and by-and-by they carried foot -stoves. These stoves were little tin boxes, with holes in the side, a -cover, a door, and handles with which to carry them. In these boxes were -put live coals and in that way the fire would last throughout the -sermon. - -I fear many and many a little boy and girl dreaded to see Sunday come, -for, as a rule, it was a long, dreary day, and I am sure that they must -have been glad when it was over. - -I know you must be glad that people no longer have the idea that Sunday -should be such a dismal, sober day; and I believe that our Heavenly -Father is much more pleased to see the children spending the Lord’s day -happily in their homes with their mothers and fathers, their little -brothers and sisters. - -Of course no Christian boy or girl even now believes in making Sunday a -day of riot and fun; and no Christian man or woman believes in having -the saloons open on Sunday anywhere. But most of us are away beyond the -old Puritan idea of sadness and gloom for the Sabbath. - -Next Sunday, boys and girls, when you enter your pleasant Sunday school -rooms and find your schoolmates and teachers so glad to see you, and -where everything is bright and pleasant, think of those poor little -children who had no books and cards and no pretty songs and who were -made to pass the whole day without even being allowed to laugh. - - - - - LXXII. - THE DEVIL ON AN EXCURSION. - - -I wonder how many boys and girls have ever witnessed a cyclone—a great -big hurricane of wind and rain, of lightning and thunder, that just -knocks down all the trees and takes the roofs off all the houses. - -It is a terrible thing, the cyclone is! - -The other day one came to our town. We could look up into the sky and -see coming, from afar, a great big black cloud that looked for all the -world like a balloon—a great big balloon, ever so large. The wind was -blowing at a rapid rate, the dust flying, and everybody was frightened. - -The roof was lifted off the school house, a church was blown down, many -houses were unroofed, and men and beasts were alike hurled right and -left. I do not think anybody was killed but a great many were frightened -nearly to death. - -The cyclone took one poor little boy and landed him in the midst of a -mud puddle. The little fellow stretched out stiff and stark, as if he -had been killed. An old man ran up to the edge of the ditch and said: - -“Isaac, is you dead?” - -Isaac said nothing, but his eyes, were rolling in their sockets. The old -man asked again: - -“Isaac, is you dead? ’Cause ef you is dead d’ain’t no use uv my comin’ -in dar to try to git you out.” - -This time Isaac grunted, rolled his eyes, and asked: - -[Illustration: “DE GOODNIS GRACIOUS! I SEE DAT OLE CYCLOOM COMIN’ BACK -AG’IN. HE LOOK BLACKAH AND WUSSAH DAN HE DONE BEFO’. RUN, ISAAC, RUN!”] - -“Where is he, Uncle Reuben?” - -“Whar’s who?” asked Uncle Reuben. - -“The devil,” said Isaac. - -“He done gone,” said Uncle Reuben, “he done clean gone; but you bettah -git up f’um dar!” - -“I can’t,” said Isaac. “I can’t; I’m ’most dead!” - -Uncle Reuben studied a short while. He was planning what to do next. He -didn’t want to go into the mud and water and get his clothes soiled in -trying to rescue the little boy. By-and-by Uncle Reuben threw up his -hands, looked up the big road and said: - -“De goodnis gracious! I see dat ole cycloom cornin’ back ag’in. He look -blackah and wussah dan he done befo’. Run, Isaac, run!” - -You ought to have seen Isaac jump out of that hole. He got out -hallooing, and he ran and hallooed for nearly a quarter of a mile. Uncle -Reuben hallooed after him to stop, but it did no good. The poor little -fellow was well nigh scared to death. - -A few days after the cyclone Uncle Reuben was telling some of his -friends about the occurrence. Among other things he said: - -“Little Isaac wasn’t ready fur Judgment—dat’s all! He wasn’t ready! W’en -a man’s ready to go to judgment, he ain’t ’fraid uv nothin’. No, sah; he -ain’t ’fraid uv nothin’. Isaac wasn’t ready, an’ he hallooed an’ -squealed jes like death done struck him. Mens, I tell you, dat ole -cycloom jes ’tuck de roof off’n ev’ybody’s house. Look like ev’ybody’s -house he come to he dip down an’ say, ‘Take yo’ hat off to me; don’t you -see me cornin’; ain’t you got no mannahs?’ Den he’d strike ’em an’ take -deir hats off hisse’f. He took de roof off’n de cullud school house an’ -he took de roof off’n de white school house. De cycloom ain’t no -respectah uv persons—he sho ain’t. W’en little Isaac done come to his -senses an’ done got clean ovah his fright, I ax’d him what a cycloom -was. He told me dat a cycloom wa’n’t nothin’ ’tall in dis worl’ but de -debbil on a flyin’ ’scursion. The mo’ I think ’bout it, the mo’ I -b’lieve dat boy was right. De cycloom sho is de debbil on a ’scursion, -an’ w’en de debbil is a-ridin’ you’d bettah lay low.” - - - - - LXXIII. - RANDOM REMARKS. - - -In the olden times parents used to rule their children, but in these -days and times there are many people who believe that the children rule -their parents. So many misguided parents in these days and times believe -in sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Boys don’t get many whippings -at home nowadays, and if a boy happens to get a good flogging at school -it will cause a big row, and sometimes cause the teacher to be -threatened with arrest. Whenever my teacher used to whip me I was always -afraid to mention it at home for fear of getting another. I heard a man -say the other day: “Never whip a child; raise your boy on love and -kindness and reason!” Yes; and when that boy is twelve or thirteen years -old somebody will have to go to him and talk to him and try to persuade -him not to whip his father or mother. - -[Illustration: I JUST WISH I COULD HAVE MY WAY WITH THOSE BOYS FOR ABOUT -TWO MINUTES.] - -I was at church the other day and I saw two boys about ten or eleven -years old. After service they lit their cigarettes and went marching off -as big as Trip. A man of the old school looked at them for awhile, and -then, turning away, he said: - -“I just wish I could have my way with those boys for about two minutes.” - -I didn’t say anything, but deep down in my heart I sympathized with the -old man, and felt that both of the youngsters ought to have had a good -whipping. - -Some girls are almost as bad as some boys. Girls are most too fast in -these days. As soon as they get their dresses to their shoetops they are -gone. They go crazy over their clothes, for they think that they must -keep in the fashion. They read too much trash, for they think that is -the way refined and cultured people do. Old-fashioned modesty is at a -discount. The girls don’t wait for the boys to come now—that is, many of -them don’t; they go after them. I have seen some girls running around in -these new-fashioned night gowns, and they call it a Mother Hubbard -party. If their mothers don’t allow them to go with the boys they will -slip around and meet them somewhere anyhow. And where they are allowed -to go with the boys they generally go to extremes. What business has a -little girl—ten or twelve or fourteen years old—to be locked-arms with a -little stripling of a boy, going home at night from church or some -social entertainment. It always disgusts me whenever I see it. Worse -than a mannish boy is a womanish girl. What business has a little girl, -or a larger one, to allow a man to throw his arm around her waist in the -round dance? It is immodest, to say the least, and there is not a good -mother in the land who approves it. A girl who goes to a promiscuous -ball and waltzes around with promiscuous fellows puts herself in a -promiscuous fix to be talked about by the dudes and rakes and fast young -fellows who have encircled her waist. Slander is very common, I know, -especially slander of young ladies; there are not many young ladies who -escape it; but the trouble about it is that it is not all slander—some -of it is the truth. - -In the olden times when folks got married they stayed married, but -nowadays the courts are full of divorce cases. The land is spotted with -what are called “grass widows,” and in many a household there is hidden -grief over a daughter’s shame. Why is it? What causes it? Lack of proper -training and care of the young. Habits are great things—good habits or -bad habits. If girls are reared to clean their teeth and keep their -fingernails clean they will keep them clean all their lives. If boys are -reared to chew tobacco and smoke they will never quit. The same about -loving and courting and getting married. Much depends upon training, -upon habits. Young flirts make old flirts. Young devils make old devils! - - - - - LXXIV. - BENJAMIN BANNEKER, THE NEGRO ASTRONOMER. - - -The little colored boys and girls of America should be proud to know, as -I suppose the little white boys and girls will be surprised to learn, -that the first clock of which every portion was made in America was made -by a colored man. - -The colored children will also be glad to know, I think, that among the -earliest almanacs prepared for general use in this country were those -which were published for several years by this same colored man. His -name was Benjamin Banneker. I have found a good and true account of this -wonderful man in The Atlantic Monthly for January, 1863. I am going to -give a good portion of that account in this book, because I believe -every colored person in America should be acquainted with that man’s -history. The account says: - -“Benjamin Banneker was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, near the -village of Ellicott’s Mills, in the year 1732. There was not a drop of -white man’s blood in his veins. His father was born in Africa, and his -mother’s parents were both natives of Africa. What genius he had, then, -must be credited to that race. When he was approaching manhood he went, -in the intervals of toil, to an obscure and remote country school. At -this school Benjamin acquired a knowledge of reading and writing, and -advanced in arithmetic as far as ‘Double position.’ Beyond these -rudiments he was his own teacher. Young Banneker had no books at all, -but in the midst of labor for a living he so improved upon what he had -gained in arithmetic that his intelligence became a matter of general -observation. He was such an acute observer of the natural world and had -so diligently observed the signs of the times in society that it is very -doubtful whether at forty years of age this African had his superior in -Maryland. - -“Perhaps the first wonder amongst his comparatively illiterate neighbors -was excited, when, about the thirtieth year of his age, Benjamin made a -clock. It is probable that this was the first clock of which every -portion was made in America; it is certain that it was purely his own -invention as if none had ever been made before. He had seen a watch, but -never a clock, such an article not being within fifty miles of him. He -used the watch as a model for his clock. He was a long time at work on -the clock,—his chief difficulty, as he used often to relate, being to -make the hour, minute, and second hands correspond in their motion. But -at last the work was completed, and raised the admiration for Banneker -to quite a high pitch among his few neighbors. - -“The making of the clock proved to be of great importance in assisting -the young man to fulfill his destiny. It attracted the attention of the -Ellicott family, who had just begun a settlement at Ellicott’s Mills. -They were well-educated men, with much mechanical knowledge, and some of -them Quakers. They sought out the ingenious negro, and he could not have -fallen into better hands. In 1787 Mr. George Ellicott gave him Mayer’s -“Tables,” Ferguson’s “Astronomy,” and Leadbetter’s “Lunar Tables.” From -this time astronomy became the great object of Banneker’s life, and in -its study he almost disappeared from the sight of his neighbors. He -slept much during the day, that he might the more devotedly observe at -night the heavenly bodies whose laws he was slowly, but surely, -mastering. - -“Very soon after the possession of the books already mentioned, Banneker -determined to compile an almanac, that being the most familiar use that -occurred to him of the information he had acquired. To make an almanac -then was a very different thing from what it would be now, when there is -an abundance of accurate tables and rules. Banneker had no aid whatever -from men or rules; and Mr. George Ellicott, who procured some tables and -took them to him, states that he had already advanced very far in the -preparation of the logarithms necessary for the purpose. - -“The first almanac prepared by Banneker for publication was for the year -1792. By this time his acquirements had become generally known, and -among those who were attracted by them was Mr. James McHenry. Mr. -McHenry wrote to Goddard and Angell, then the almanac-publishers of -Baltimore, and procured the publication of this work, which contained -from the pen of Mr. McHenry, a brief notice of Banneker. When his first -almanac was published, Banneker was fifty-nine years old, and had -received tokens of respect from all the scientific men of the country. -Among others, Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State under George -Washington, wrote him a most flattering and complimentary letter. In his -letter Jefferson said, ‘Nobody wishes more than I do to see such proofs -as you exhibit, that Nature has given to our black brethren talents -equal to those of other colors of men, and that the appearance of a want -of them is owing only to the degraded condition of their existence both -in Africa and America.’ - -“Banneker continued to calculate and publish almanacs until 1802. - -“Mr. Benjamin H. Ellicott, who was a true friend of Banneker, and -collected from various sources all the facts concerning him, wrote in a -letter as follows: ‘During the whole of his long life he lived -respectably and much esteemed by all who became acquainted with him, but -more especially by those who could fully appreciate his genius and the -extent of his acquirements.’ - -“Banneker’s head was covered with a thick mass of white hair, which gave -him a very dignified and venerable appearance. His dress was invariably -of superfine drab broadcloth, made in the old style of a plain coat, -with straight collar and long waistcoat, and a broad-brimmed hat. His -color was not jet black, but decidedly negro. In size and personal -appearance, the statue of Franklin at the library in Philadelphia, as -seen from the street, is a perfect likeness of him. - -“Banneker died in the year 1804, beloved and respected by all who knew -him. Though no monument marks the spot where he was born and lived a -true and high life, and was buried, yet history must record that the -most original scientific intellect which the South has yet produced was -that of the pure African, Benjamin Banneker.” - -The above is the story of that wonderful black man told in splendid -terms of high and well-deserved praise by a white man. Every little -black boy in America may well be fired with inspiration to do something -beyond the ordinary by reading the story of Banneker’s life. - - - - - LXXV. - “A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.” - - -It is truly astonishing what a boy can do when once he has made up his -mind to do his best. Dr. Len. G. Broughton, the famous pastor of the -Tabernacle Baptist church, Atlanta, Ga., in a little book, which he -calls “The Modern Prodigal,” has told a very pathetic story about a -little boy. It is so true to life, and so typical of what a black or -white boy may do under similar circumstances, if he only decides for the -true and the right, that I have decided to reproduce the little story in -this book. It is well worth reading. Dr. Broughton says: - -“Not long after I entered the ministry, I went to a certain town to hold -a series of meetings. It was one of these good old Southern towns, the -inhabitants of which banked on aristocracy and fed their souls upon the -glory of departed days. They had never known what it was to be -spiritually warm. The first night I was there I preached to a great -audience. It was in my early ministry, when I made many propositions. -The first one I made that night was for any one to stand who wanted -prayers offered for their friends. As soon as I made it a little boy got -up and walked out in the aisle, where he stood looking me square in the -face. I said, ‘God bless you, little man,’ and he sat down. I then asked -any one who wanted the prayers of God’s people to rise. That boy got out -in the aisle again and looked me in the face, and again I said, ‘God -bless you.’ I asked if there was anybody present who was willing to -accept Jesus. That boy stood up again and looked me in the face, and -again I said, ‘God bless you.’ Nobody else stood up that night, and I -began to think I had struck about the hardest and coldest crowd I had -ever run up against. - -“The next night I preached as hard as I knew how to sinners, and when I -finished, I asked anybody who wanted to be prayed for to stand up. The -same little rascal popped out into the aisle, as he had done the night -before, and stood looking at me until I saw him and said, ‘God bless -you.’ I thought I’d vary the thing a little, so I asked if anybody -present was willing to come forward and give me his hand as an -indication that he would accept Jesus. That same boy came shuffling out -of his seat, straight down the aisle and gave me his hand. I saw smiles -on the faces of some in the congregation. Nobody but the boy showed any -interest, and I went off somewhat disheartened. The third night I -preached, and when I asked all who wanted prayer to rise, that boy -popped out into the aisle. The people had begun to regard it as a joke, -and they nudged each other with their elbows, while a broad smile flared -from one side of the house to the other. When I asked anybody who was -willing to accept Jesus to come and give me his hand, that boy came, and -the congregation smiled broader than before. After the meeting the -deacons came to me and told me that the boy must be stopped, as he was a -half-idiot, and was throwing a damper on the meeting. I said: ‘Stop -nothing! How are you going to throw a damper on an ice-house?’ - -“For the whole of that week that boy was the only person in the house -who showed any interest in the meeting. Then he wanted to join the -church. The pastor was absent, and I was to open the doors of the -church. The deacons came to me and said I must not receive that boy, as -he didn’t have sense enough to join the church. I said: ‘Look here, -brethren, I won’t take this responsibility on my hands. I’m going to put -that boy on you, and if you choose to reject him, his blood be upon your -hands.’ At the conclusion of the morning service, I invited all who -wanted to unite with the church to come forward. That boy came. I asked -him if he had accepted Christ for his personal Saviour. That’s all I -ever ask. He said he had. ‘Brethren,’ I said, ‘you hear what this boy -has to say. What will you do with him?’ An ominous silence fell on the -congregation. After a time, from ’way back by the door, I heard a -muffled and rather surly, ‘I move he be received.’ Another painful -silence followed, and then, from the middle of the church, I heard a -muffled, ‘I second the motion.’ When I put the motion, about a half -dozen members voted ‘aye’ in a tone so low that it seemed as if they -were scared. I gave the boy the right hand of Christian welcome awaiting -baptism, and then dismissed the congregation. - -“The next day the boy went out to see his old grandfather, a man whose -whitened head was blossoming for the grave, and whose feet were taking -hold upon the shifting sands of eternity. ‘Grandfather,’ said he, ‘won’t -you go to church with me to-night and hear that preacher?’ We always -feel kindly towards those who are afflicted, you know, and are willing -to please them; so the old man agreed to go. - -“That night I saw the boy and the old man sitting away back by the door. -When the sermon was finished, one of the members of the church arose and -said: ‘I have a request to make. We have with us to-night, Mr. Blank, -one of our oldest and most respected citizens, but he is out of Christ. -I want special prayer offered for this my special friend.’ With that he -laid his hand upon the head of the old man, down whose furrowed cheeks -the tears were streaming. The next night I saw the old man sitting about -half-way down the aisle. When all who wanted to accept Jesus were -invited to come forward and give me their hands, I saw the half-idiot -boy coming down the aisle leading the old man by the hand. - -“That little boy’s father kept a saloon. The following day the child -went there, and climbing up over the high counter, he peeped down upon -his father and said: ‘Papa, won’t you go to church with me to-night to -hear that preacher?’ ‘You get out of here, child,’ said the father; ‘go -out of here; don’t you know you mustn’t come in here?’ Strange, strange, -how fathers will keep places where their children cannot go! ‘But, -papa,’ continued the boy, ‘won’t you go to church with me to-night?’ -‘Yes; I’ll go, but you get out of here.’ - -“That night the man came with the half-idiot boy, and sat about where -the old man had sat the night before. When I asked all who would accept -Jesus to come forward, he walked down the aisle and gave me his hand. He -asked if he could make a statement, and when I said ‘Yes,’ he faced the -congregation and said: ‘My friends, you all know me, and I want to say -that so long as I live I will never sell another drop of whiskey, for I -have given my heart to God to-night, and from this day forward I propose -to serve him.’ - -“The meeting warmed up at last, the town was set on fire for God. Every -saloon keeper was converted and every saloon was closed. The feeling -spread and a saloon seven miles in the country was closed and the keeper -was converted to God. - -“At the close of the meeting I sat on the front seat and saw the pastor -lead three generations into the baptismal waters, the old man in front, -his son behind him, and last in line the little half-idiot boy. The only -mistake that was made, to my mind, was that the boy who had led the -others to Christ should not have been first in line. Where is the little -half-idiot boy now? He has grown much brighter within the last few -years, and is now going to school. He says he wants to be and will be a -missionary. - -“What a lesson for the young to-day. Persistent self-surrender, ever -doing the best we can, is a never failing way that leads to victory.” - - - - - LXXVI. - DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE LADIES. - - -1. A little lady always says, “I thank you” whenever anybody assists her -in any way, and always says, “If you please,” whenever she makes any -kind of request. - -2. A little lady is never loud and boisterous on the streets, in public -places, or at home. Sometimes girls are so rough that they are called -“Tom-Boys.” No Tom-Boy ever was a true little lady. - -3. A true little lady will always see that her linen is clean and -spotless—collars and cuffs, aprons and dresses, handkerchiefs, and all -articles of clothing. Every true little lady hates dirt. - -4. A little lady will not be guilty of idle gossip. She will not tattle; -will not go around hunting all the evil things that are said or known -about other little ladies. She closes her ears tight against the -slanderers of the town. - -5. A little lady will love the Sunday-school and the church. She will -love the society of good people and the society of good books. She will -have higher notions of life than that life is something to be spent in a -merry round of pleasure. - -6. A true little lady loves her mother, and she will show that she loves -her mother in various ways. She will help her about the housework. She -will be fond of going out in company with her mother often. She will not -think, that anybody else’s mother is or can be better than her own -mother. - -[Illustration: DIRECTIONS FOR LITTLE GIRLS.] - -7. Every true little lady will be a Christian. She will early give -herself to Jesus. She will delight to help the poor; to visit the sick, -carrying the cheer and comfort and something good to eat and flowers and -many other things. She will love everybody. Do you? - - - - - LXXVII. - THREE WORDS TO YOUNG PEOPLE. - - -The first word is, Be true. The second word is, Be trustworthy. The -third word is, Dare to do right. - -First: Be true! Be what you seem to be or what you pretend to be; do not -be a hypocrite; be firm and steady in adhering to friends, promises or -principles. Be a true boy; be a true girl. - -Secondly: Be trustworthy! Be worthy of trust; be reliable; make your -word your bond. Conduct yourself in such a way that people can depend on -you. - -Thirdly: Dare to do right! Whatever comes or doesn’t come, stand by what -you believe to be right, even if you have to stand alone. Be honest, -upright, faithful, sincere, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that -which is good. - -True boys and girls are scarce; they are not easily found; they do not -grow on trees. But, to tell you the truth, we need good boys and girls, -true boys and girls, much more than we do educated boys and girls. All -education without character is a dead weight! - -Let me give you one or two reasons why you should be true, trustworthy, -and brave for the right. In the first place, for the sake of your -influence. Every boy and girl in this world has some influence. Every -boy in this world, white or black, rich or poor, high or low, is helping -his friends and playmates to grow better or worse, higher or lower in -the scale of being. Every girl in this world is likewise helping or -hindering others. If we are harsh and unkind, cruel and unjust—in every -wrong, every baseness, meanness, selfishness, we are harming not -ourselves alone but the whole great family of man. On the other hand, -when we speak fearlessly a brave, true word, when we perform cheerfully -a hard and trying task, whenever we are faithful, honest, earnest, -patient, pure, trustworthy, whether we know it or not, we are -strengthening the unseen impulses which make for nobility and higher -manhood and womanhood throughout the world. In the economy of God, by -his infinite wisdom, the humblest life reaches forward to the highest -and the highest life reaches backward to the lowest. - -But perhaps you are saying that I am taking too much for granted. -Perhaps you think that it is not true that there is not one of the very -least of the great human family who is not every day exercising some -personal influence for good or evil upon the world. If you think so, -boys and girls, or older people, you are mistaken. No human being can -escape from the world’s atmosphere. Though you fly to the uttermost -parts of the sea or hide in the depths of the dense city, some life is -affected by your life. Not only some life is affected by your life, but -many lives are affected by your life. It is a thought of this kind that -Charles Dickens beautifully expresses in his story called “David -Copperfield.” He says: - -“There is nothing—no, nothing—beautiful and good that dies and is -forgotten. An infant, a prattling child, dying in his cradle, will live -again in the better thoughts of those who loved it, and plays its part, -though its body be burned to ashes or drowned in the deepest sea. There -is not an angel added to the hosts of heaven but does its blessed work -on earth in those who loved it here. Dead! Oh, if the good deeds of -human creatures could be traced to their source, how beautiful would -even death appear. For how much charity, mercy, and purified affection -would be seen to have their growth in dusty graves!” - -No, children, it is no idle dream, no fancy story that I tell when I say -that the humblest member of the human family, as well as the highest, is -exercising daily, whether he is conscious of it or not, some influence -for good or evil upon the world. Viewed in this light who can measure -the possibilities—the divine possibilities—that are wrapped up in little -boys and girls? Viewed in this light, how the slightest action, the -smallest of our little duties, takes on new importance! It was with this -thought in mind that James A. Garfield said: “I feel a profounder -reverence for a boy than a man. I never meet a ragged boy on the street -without feeling that I owe him a salute, for I know not what -possibilities may be buttoned up under his shabby coat.” Yes, boys and -girls, by every brave and cheerful effort that we put forth we are -reforming, uplifting, renewing, inspiring, hearts and souls we never -heard of, never knew, the whole world becoming stronger for every bit of -moral courage we create, sweeter for every kindly look we give, and -holier for every good deed we do. And, of course, the contrary is true. -When we fail, when we come short, when we sin, the consequences are not -ours alone—they extend to all humanity. We are all, white and black, -rich and poor, old and young, male and female, children of one family. -Just as the quivering circles from a pebble thrown into a lake stretch -on and on from shore to shore, so the silent impulse of a single life -thrills from heart to heart until the very edges of humanity are -touched. - -There is another reason still why we should be true, trustworthy, brave. -That reason is that somebody else takes us as his ideal—his standard. -Poor as we are, weak as we are, as unworthy as we are, somebody else is -looking up to us—especially those of us who have been favored with -educational advantages and opportunities. And you know that the failure -of one who is invested in another’s mind with ideal qualities is a -failure beyond the actual. That is one reason why people say that, as a -rule, a preacher’s children are the worst children in the world. As a -matter of fact, they are not the worst children in the world; but, being -the children of preachers, everybody expects more of them than of -others,—they are taken as ideals, as standards—that’s all. And what -might be excused in others will not be excused in one who is taken as an -ideal. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America’s greatest writers, in -speaking of this truth says in his story called “The Marble Faun:” - -“The character of an individual beloved one having invested itself with -all the attributes of right—that one friend being to us the symbol and -representative of whatever is good and true,—when he falls, the effect -is almost as if the sky fell with him, bringing down in chaotic ruin the -columns that upheld our faith. We struggle forth again, no doubt bruised -and bewildered. We stare wildly about us, and discover—or it may be we -never make the discovery—that it was not actually the sky that has -tumbled down but merely a frail structure of our own rearing, which -never rose higher than the housetops, and has fallen because we founded -it on nothing. But the crash, and the affright and trouble are as -overwhelming, for the time, as if the catastrophe involved the whole -moral world. Remembering these things, let them suggest one generous -motive for walking heedfully amid the defilement of earthly ways. Let us -reflect that the highest path is pointed out by the pure ideal of those -who look up to us, and who, if we tread less loftily, may never look so -high again.” - -Now, I have said my three words. You see they have stretched themselves -out to a great length, but I hope the boys and girls who read this book -may profit by them. Strive to be true, strive to be trustworthy, strive -to be brave. In the long run the prizes of this world, and of that which -is to come, are won by boys and girls of strong moral character, not by -those who are merely learned or rich. But, of course, I believe in -education and I believe in money. I think you ought to strive to obtain -both—both are useful, and both are necessary; but, with all your -getting, boys and girls, be sure to get those things which will reach -beyond this world and which will count for more than money or good looks -or education or any such thing when the world is on fire, when the moon -shall be turned into blood, when the trumpet sounds, and all must go to -stand before the Great King to give an account of the deeds done in the -body. - - - - - LXXVIII. - “A LAMP UNTO MY FEET.” - - -Once upon a time, so it is said, a little ragged boy was carefully -printing these words with a stick upon the ground, “Thy word is a lamp -unto my feet.” - -On looking up from his work, the little fellow was surprised to find a -kind-looking old man watching him. - -“Where did you learn that, my boy?” asked the man. - -“At Sunday-school, sir.” - -“What’s your name?” - -“Crawford.” - -“So, Crawford, you learned that text at Sunday-school. Do you know what -it means?” - -“No, sir.” - -“What is a lamp?” - -“A lamp? Why, sir, a lamp is a thing that gives light!” - -“That’s correct. Well, what is the word that the text speaks of?” - -“The Bible, sir.” - -“That’s right. Now, how can the Bible be a lamp and give light?” - -“I don’t know,” said the boy, “unless you light it and set it on fire.” - -“There’s a better way than that, my lad. Suppose you were going down -some lonely lane on a dark night with an unlighted lantern in your hand, -and a box of matches in your pocket, what would you do?” - -“Why, I’d light the lantern.” - -“Why would you light it?” - -“To show me the road, sir.” - -“Very well. Now, suppose you were walking behind me some day, and saw me -drop a quarter; what would you do?” - -[Illustration: “A LAMP UNTO MY FEET.”] - -“Pick it up and give it to you, sir.” - -“Wouldn’t you want to keep it yourself?” - -Crawford hesitated; but he saw a smile on the old gentleman’s face, and, -smiling himself, he finally said: - -“I should want to, sir; but I shouldn’t do it.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because it would be stealing.” - -“How do you know?” - -“It would be taking what wasn’t my own, and the Bible says we are not to -steal.” - -“Ah!” said the old man, “so it’s the Bible that makes you honest, is -it?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“If you had not heard of the Bible you would steal, I suppose?” - -“Lots of boys do,” said Crawford, hanging his head. - -“The Bible, then,” continued the old man, “shows you the right and safe -path—the path of honesty, does it?” - -“Like the lamp!” exclaimed Crawford, seeing now what all the old man’s -questions meant. “Is that what the text means?” - -“Yes, my boy,” the man answered, “there is always light in the Bible to -show us where to go and what to do. Don’t you think it would be a good -thing to take the Bible, the good old lamp, and let it light you right -through life?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Do you think you will be safer with it?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Why?” - -“Because if I’m honest I will never go to prison.” - -“And what else?” asked the man. - -Crawford thought awhile. By-and-by he said,— - -“If I mind the Bible I shall go to heaven when I die.” - -“Yes, and that’s the best reason for taking the lamp. It will light you -right into heaven.” - - - - - LXXIX. - THREE BRIGADES. - - -There are three brigades, or three little companies, which I think ought -to be organized among the boys and girls in every Sunday-school in -America. Can’t you form them in your Sunday-school? It is a very simple -matter. It will not cost any money: only a little time and forethought, -and a will to do. One brigade is called the Rainy-Weather Brigade, and -all the little boys and girls who join this company pledge themselves to -go to Sunday-school every Sunday, when they are not sick, even if it is -raining. The second brigade is called the Front Seat Brigade, and all -the members of this company pledge themselves to occupy front seats in -the Sunday school during the opening exercises before they pass to their -classes. The third brigade is called the On-Timers’ Brigade, and the -children in this brigade pledge themselves to be present on time at the -opening hour. - -[Illustration: MEMBERS OF THE RAINY-WEATHER BRIGADE.] - -You can see at once how helpful these little brigades are in every -Sunday school (where they exist) to the officers and teachers. Some -children will not go to Sunday school when it is raining or when it -threatens to rain; some will not go forward and occupy front seats when -they do go; and there are others who are always tardy. What a blessing -it would be if all the little children would organize these brigades at -once in their schools, and try to get every scholar to join each one of -them. - - - - - LXXX. - “HOME, SWEET HOME.” - - -Go with me, boys and girls, to the gay streets and gilded saloons of the -great city of Paris far across the sea. Here is said to be the centre of -all the world’s follies and pleasures. It is at night. - -An American, who has left his home and native land to view the splendors -of the wicked city, is passing along the street. He has beheld with -delight its paintings, its sculpture, and the grand and graceful -proportions of its buildings. In the midst of his keenest happiness, -when he was rejoicing most over the privileges which he possessed, -temptation assailed him. Sin was presented to him in one of its most -bewitching garbs, and he yielded to the voice of the siren. He drank -wildly and deeply of the intoxicating cup, and his draught brought -madness. Reason was overthrown and he rushed out, all his scruples -overcome, careless of what he did or how deeply he became immersed in -the hitherto unknown sea of guilt. - -The cool night air settled damp and heavy upon his heated brow. Walking -on and on, not knowing or caring where he went, by-and-by strains of -music from a distance met his ear. Pretty soon, following in the -direction from which the sounds came, he was able to distinguish the -words and air of the piece. The song was well remembered. It was “Home, -Sweet Home.” Clear and sweet the voice of some singer, using his native -tongue, rose and fell on the air; and the poor wild man stopped and -listened to the soft cadences of that beloved melody. - -[Illustration: HOME, SWEET HOME.] - -Motionless he stood until the last note floated away, and he could hear -nothing but the ceaseless murmur of the great city. Then he turned away -slowly, with no feeling that his manhood was shamed by the tear which -fell as a bright evidence of the power of song, and also as an evidence -that he, the guilty sinner, was not yet absolutely lost beyond recall. - -The demon of the wine cup had fled, and reason once more asserted her -right to control. As the soft strains of “Home, Sweet Home” had floated -to his ear, memory brought up before him the picture of his own “sweet -home.” He saw his gentle mother and heard her speak, while honest pride -beamed from her eye; she seemed to speak again of her son, in whose -nobleness and honor she could always trust. His heart smote him as he -thought how little he deserved such confidence. He remembered her last -words of love and counsel, and the tearful farewell of all those dear -ones who gladdened that far-away home with their presence. The tide of -remorse swept over his soul as he thought of what the sorrow of those at -home would have been could they have seen him but an hour before. -Subdued and penitent he retraced his steps, and with his vow never to -taste of the terrible stuff that could so excite him to madness there -was mingled a deep sense of thankfulness for his escape from further -degradation. The influence of home had protected and shielded him, -although the sea rolled between. - -How strong such memories are to prevent the commission of crime! How -powerful is the spell of home! How important, then, is it to make home -pleasant and lovable! Many a time a cheerful home and smiling face will -do more to make good men and good women than all the learning and -eloquence that can be used. It has been said that the sweetest words in -our language are “Mother, Home and Heaven”; and one might almost say -that the word “Home” included the others. Who can think of home without -remembering the gentle mother who sanctified it by her presence? And is -not “Home” the dearest name for heaven? Oh, then, may our homes on earth -be as green spots in the desert, to which we can retire when weary of -the cares of life and drink the clear waters of a love which we know to -be sincere and always unfailing. - - - - - LXXXI. - EDMUND ASA WARE. - - -In another chapter of this book I have told you, boys and girls, -something of the story of General S. C. Armstrong, the founder of -Hampton Institute. I am now going to tell something about another white -man, who was the founder of another great school for colored people. His -name is Edmund Asa Ware, and he was the founder of Atlanta University. -Of course you know that I must love Atlanta University because I was -graduated there myself a long time ago; but I think that Atlanta -University should have a warm place in the heart of every black boy and -girl in America. It has done and is doing a great work for the higher -training of our men and women. - -Mr. Ware was born in North Wrentham (now Norfolk), Mass., December 22, -1837. When fifteen years old he removed with his father’s family to -Norwich, Conn., where he entered the Norwich Free Academy. In 1859 he -entered Yale University, from which institution he was graduated four -years later. In 1865 he went to Nashville, Tenn., where he served for a -year as principal of one of the newly organized public schools of that -city. In 1866 he came to Atlanta, Ga., and under the auspices of the -American Missionary Association began the educational work to which he -devoted the rest of his life. In 1867 he was appointed superintendent of -schools for the state of Georgia under the Freedmen’s Bureau, and -traveled widely in the prosecution of that work. The same year a charter -was obtained for Atlanta University, which institution was not opened, -however, until 1869, and Mr. Ware became its first president and -continued as president until his death. He died suddenly of heart -disease September 25, 1885, in Atlanta, and was buried September 29th in -Westview Cemetery in the suburbs of the same city. - -A few years later his body was removed to the campus of Atlanta -University, where it now sleeps. A huge granite bowlder was brought from -Massachusetts, his native state, by funds contributed by the graduates -of Atlanta University, and this bowlder, suitably inscribed, marks his -last resting place on earth. - -At the memorial services held in honor of President Ware in Stone Hall, -Atlanta University, December 22, 1885, on the forty-eighth anniversary -of the birth of the dead president, Prof. Bumstead, who is now president -of Atlanta University, spoke the following words about Mr. Ware’s -boyhood and early life: - -“It was a pleasant boyhood, and its joys were innocent and wholesome -ones. A white rabbit, a goat, and two hounds were the pets with which he -played at home. He threw the line for speckled trout in the meadow -brooks, and he rowed his boat upon the pond to gather the fragrant -waterlilies. - -“It was an industrious boyhood. In summer he gathered blueberries, -huckleberries and blackberries for market. When twelve or thirteen years -old he spent his school vacations in service as a clerk in a village -store. When fourteen he cultivated and harvested thirty dollars’ worth -of vegetables. - -“It was a conscientious boyhood. His mother has no recollection of his -ever being untruthful. His village teachers all commended him for his -unvarying conformity to the right in school. It is said that when he was -fifteen years old he had never been absent a day nor had a mark for -tardiness. When serving as clerk in the village store his employer -showed him a certain article which had some defect about it, not very -readily noticed, and bade him say nothing about it. He promptly told his -employer that he could obey no such instructions. - -“It was an ambitious boyhood—ambitious, of course, in the best sense of -the word. He eagerly seized upon and improved every opportunity for -self-improvement. He read the best books and periodicals. He heard -lectures from such men as Beecher, Phillips, Curtis, Everett and Gough. - -“In the autumn of 1859 he found himself a member of the largest Freshman -class which at that time had ever entered Yale College. Here for the -first time I grasped the hand and looked into the earnest eyes of my -friend. I remember him in those early college days for the unaffected -modesty of his bearing, the simplicity of his dress, his manifest hatred -of all pretense and shams, his keen sense of humor, and his dry wit. His -professedly religious life had been begun at the Norwich Academy but a -few months before he entered college. Both in the academy and college he -was active in religious work, and his face was set like a flint against -all forms of iniquity.” - -Mr. Ware was married in 1869 to Miss Sarah Jane Twichell, of -Plantsville, Conn. His wife served with him long and faithfully at -Atlanta University, and continued to serve long after he had passed to -his rest. She was left a widow with three daughters and one son. She -herself died subsequently. The son has since been graduated from Yale -University and from Union Theological Seminary, New York City, and is -now chaplain of Atlanta University. - -Mr. Ware was a good man who believed that God had made of one blood all -nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and that Christ -had redeemed us to God out of every kindred, tongue and people and -nation; he believed in the common origin and common destiny of the whole -human family, in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and, -therefore, recognized no distinctions among men except those founded on -character or merit. Along with a host of pioneer New England -missionaries who came South to help us shortly after the war Mr. Ware’s -name deserves to be honored and revered by a grateful people to the end -of time. - - - - - LXXXII. - AN ANTE-BELLUM NEGRO PREACHER. - - -Once upon a time I heard Bishop Fitzgerald of the M. E. Church, South, -tell the following story. - -I give it in his own words: - -“The ante-bellum negro preachers were the product of the times, and -differed from the mass of their race only in the fact that they were -shrewder and more eloquent. Among them were many men of piety and good -sense and burning zeal. In others there was a combination of cunning, -superstition, excitability and volubility almost indescribable. - -[Illustration: “SAINT PAUL WAS A MUCH BETTER MAN DAN I IS, AN’ DEY -WHUPPED HIM MOS’ EV’YWHAR HE WENT.”] - -“To the former class belonged a noted negro preacher of Culpepper -County, Va., an old man of blameless life and venerable appearance, who -so entirely commanded the confidence of the white people, and whose -influence with the people of his own race was so wholesome, that no one -thought of enforcing against him a statute then existing which required -that in any gathering where six or more negroes were assembled a white -man should be present. Despite this statute Uncle Jack came and went as -he pleased, trusted by the whites and venerated by the blacks. - -“At one of his meetings a party of mischievous young white men planned -to have a little fun at the old man’s expense. Waiting near the door of -the rustic chapel until the services were concluded the company -approached the old preacher and its spokesman said: - -“‘Old man, we are officers of the law and are patrolling this beat. You -have violated the law, and we are going to whip you for it. Come along -with us.’ - -“They led the way to the thicket near at hand. Uncle Jack followed in -silence. - -“‘Have you nothing to say, old man?’ asked the spokesman. - -“‘Nothin’, Marstah,’ said Uncle Jack. - -“‘Perhaps you don’t think that we really intend to whip you,’ said the -young man, ‘but we will. Have you nothing to say to that?’ - -“‘No, sah,’ said Uncle Jack; ‘I has nothin’ to say. De fac’ is, Marstah, -I has oftened wondar’d that I has nevah been whupped befo’. Saint Paul -was a much bettah man dan I is, an’ dey whupped him ’mos’ ev’ywhar he -went. I has preached much longah dan he did, an’ I has nevah got a -whuppin’ in my life. It seems to me dat I ought to have at leas’ a few -licks!’ - -“The young scapegraces looked at each other in confusion, and it is -needless to say that Uncle Jack was not whipped.” - - - - - LXXXIII. - PURITY OF CHARACTER. - - -Boys and girls, if you will take a plum or an apricot you will find that -over the outer coat of either one of them there glows a bloom more -beautiful than the fruit itself—a soft, delicate powder that overspreads -its rich colors. Now, if you strike your hand over that you will find -that the bloom will at once depart, and when it goes it is gone forever. -It only appears once. You go out into the flower garden early in the -morning. The flower that hangs there impearled with dew, like so many -jewels—you shake it once, so that the drops or beads will roll off. You -take that same flower, after the dew has been shaken off, and you may -sprinkle water over it as you please, yet it can never be made again -what it was when the dew fell on it so gently from heaven. Again, on a -frosty morning, you may see the panes of glass covered with landscapes, -mountains, lakes and trees, blended into a fantastic picture. Now, lay -your hand upon the glass and by the scratch of your finger or by the -warmth of the palm; all the delicate tracery will be obliterated—all the -beautiful picture will vanish, and you could not reproduce it, although -you tried for a hundred years. Once wiped out, the picture on the glass -is wiped out forever. - -So there is in youth a purity of character which, when once touched and -defiled, can never be restored—a fringe more delicate than frostwork or -the dew on the flowers or the bloom on the plum or apricot. Character is -a thing which, when once stained, can never be again what it was. When a -young boy or girl leaves the home of his or her parents, with the -blessing of a mother’s tears upon the cheek or the blessing of a -father’s hand upon the head, if earthly purity of character be once lost -it is a loss that can never be made up again. Though by God’s mercy the -sin may be forgiven, yet its effects cannot but be in some way felt, and -the boy or girl will never be what he or she was before. - - - - - LXXXIV. - -[Illustration: EACH ONE of US of IMPORTANCE] - - -Never think yourself, whoever you are, of small importance. Never think -that it is of little account whether you are good or bad, or what your -example is to others. Each mere particle of dust, every tiny grain of -sand, the minutest atom, is an active agent in the whole universe. So -each one of us is of importance in our sphere, however isolated and -insignificant that sphere may appear to be. - -A few particles of dust in a watch will stop its motion; small barnacles -on a ship’s bottom will hinder its journey; and a little shifting sand -in the great river will change its current. So, little boys and girls -exercise their influence for weal or woe upon the world. Don’t you -believe for once that the world is moved only by the great forces, the -great men and the great enterprises. Little folks and little things -likewise help to move the world along. Great generals are necessary; but -what would they be without the soldiers behind them? - -Every boy has his part to do in the great work of the world, and every -girl has her part to do. Every boy and girl is of importance; how -important nobody knows, and perhaps never shall know until eternity -reveals it. There ought to be in this truth great encouragement and -great comfort to all who think that they are insignificant and have no -work to do in this busy world. Perhaps in the distant future many a man -who estimated himself great shall be found to have been insignificant, -because of unfaithfulness to his trust; and many another man who perhaps -thought himself of little worth will find himself glorified because he -did what he could. - - - - - LXXXV. - -[Illustration: THE POETRY OF LIFE] - - -Poetry is more than verse-making, more than the jingle of words, more -than the sing-song of meter. - -Sunshine and flowers, brightness and joyousness, the harmonies of the -passions and the inspiration of love—these are the poetry of life. - -Without poetry, life is a tread-mill; a veil of tears; a dreary waste. -Even religion is only a crucifixion—a death to sin—if we have not the -resurrection into the new life of joy. - -Many of us make hard work of life by bending our backs too much. We get -dirt in our eyes by keeping them too near the dust, and we get -narrow-minded and selfish by our narrow radius of vision. - -To become truly rich we must stand in the dignity of our manhood; walk -in the integrity of our calling; and run in the rhythm of a poetic -nature. Out of harmony is out of sphere. The dignity, integrity and -poetry of life are all lost by inharmony; only the ashes of -disappointment are left; but with these we can dance at our work, and -turn irksome duties into joyous privileges. Instead of moping in the -valley of the shadow of death, we may live in the sunshine, where -beautiful flowers and luscious fruits and delicious sweets grow. - -Yes; yes; we might as well live in light as in darkness; make life a -joyful song as a funeral dirge; live amid glory as shame. With a radiant -countenance, a beaming eye, and a loving hand, we can do more work and -have more to do; we can get more out of life and have more life to -enjoy; we can scatter more sunshine and have more left for ourselves. - -Christ came to bring to every toiler, heaven. Let us get into it -quickly. It is here—and here only—that we find the poetry of life. - - - - - LXXXVI - ON BEING IN EARNEST. - - -Of ten men who fail in life, nine men fail for want of zeal, -earnestness, courage, where one man fails for want of ability. This -half-heartedness, this lack of zeal, this timidity, this shrinking from -duty and hard tasks is seen on all sides and among all classes. But I -tell you, boys and girls, that the least enviable people in all the -world are those who think that nothing is particularly worth while, that -it does not matter much how a thing is done if it is only done with; who -dwaddle along in a shabby sort of a way, considering only their own -ease, with little sense of responsibility, and with no shame in being -shirks. Every boy should make up his mind to live a round, full, -earnest, intense life. Every girl should do the same. Don’t be -satisfied, boys and girls, to be jellyfishes, with only a capacity for -drawing in nourishment and lingering on until your time comes to die. Be -vertebrates, people of backbone, purpose, aim, enthusiasm, earnestness. - -At a public dinner President Roosevelt asked Governor Odell of New York -if he knew anything worth doing that was not hard in the doing, and the -governor could think of nothing. As a rule perhaps there is nothing, and -yet things once hard in the doing become easy as skill is gained by -repetition. Be in earnest, be faithful and resolute, and it will act -like a tonic, giving light to the eyes, springiness to the step, and -buoyancy to the heart. - -[Illustration: BEING IN EARNEST.] - -Don’t be overcome by your circumstances. No matter how distracting a -man’s surroundings may be, he may yet be able to focus his powers -completely and to marshal them with certainty if he makes up his mind to -do it. If things go hard with the self-mastered man or boy, he will be -able to trample upon difficulties and to use his stumbling-blocks as -stepping-stones. If a great misfortune overtake him he will simply use -it as a starting point for a new departure, a turning point for more -determined effort. He may be weighed down with sorrow and suffering, but -he always starts anew with redoubled determination to do the thing he -has set his heart upon doing. He will not be discouraged; he will not -give up; he will fight it out to the end. Put him in prison, and he will -write the “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Deprive him of his eyesight and he will -write the “Paradise Lost.” - -It was the spirit of earnestness which fired the soul of Martin Luther -at the Diet of Worms, who, after being urged to recant, said: “Here I -stand; I can do no other; God help me!” It was this spirit which -characterized William Lloyd Garrison, the champion of the abolition of -slavery, who, when he was urged to stop fighting slavery, exclaimed: “I -will not equivocate, I will not retract, I will not be moved one inch, -and I will be heard.” So be in earnest, boys and girls, at home, at -school, at work and at play. It will help you a thousand-fold. - - - - - LXXXVII. - YOUNG PEOPLE AND LIFE INSURANCE. - - -Every little boy and girl, and, of course, every man and woman, of the -colored race in America should carry a life insurance policy of some -kind in some reliable company. In this matter the old people, as in some -other things, ought to set the example for the young, but there are some -reasons, growing chiefly out of their previous condition of slavery, why -our mothers and fathers have not, as a rule, taken very largely to the -business of having their lives insured. But because our parents have -been negligent in this matter there is no reason why the younger -generation should be. Life insurance is a good thing, boys and girls—one -of the best things in the world. American life insurance companies alone -pay to policy-holders or estates of policy-holders over one hundred -million dollars annually. Only a very small and almost insignificant -portion of this vast sum goes into the hands of colored people, and for -the reason that very few colored people carry life insurance policies. - -[Illustration: TAKING OUT A POLICY.] - -Now use a little common sense about this matter. Whatever is good in -life insurance for other races is good for our race; whatever in life -insurance benefits other races will benefit our race. In business as in -education, whatever is good for a white man is good for a black man. I -would, therefore, urge every boy and girl to join a life insurance -company, and where your mothers and fathers are not insured I would urge -you to do your utmost to persuade them to join at once. - -For one reason, a life insurance policy is not expensive. You might as -well talk of the expense of buying bank stock, or the expense of putting -your money into a savings bank or any other safe place as to speak of -the expense of keeping up a life insurance policy. It is accumulation -and not expense. Every dollar put into life insurance is a dollar saved -to yourself or your estate. - -For another reason life insurance is a good business investment. -Carefully collected statistics on file in Washington City prove that -investments in life insurance are much safer and yield much larger -returns than money placed in a savings bank. When you are older you will -perhaps be able to make these comparisons for yourself. For the present -you can take my word for it. - -A third reason, life insurance is cheap. You can in an instant create a -capital of $1,000, though you may be ever so poor, by laying aside only -a few cents a week. Young people chew up and drink up and smoke up and -frolic up more money every week than would be sufficient to protect them -against the rainy days that must come to everybody. - -And, then, life insurance has a character value. It makes a young man a -better man; it makes a young woman a better woman; that is to say, it -makes them more economical, more business-like, happier, and, I believe, -it will make them live longer. - -It is high time that black boys and girls were learning these things and -acting upon them. When God commanded us not to serve money as a false -god He did not say that money could not serve us, and I beseech the boys -and girls, and the old people too, to exercise the same foresight and -the same good sense about life insurance that other races exercise. - - - - - LXXXVIII. - THE LITTLE SAILOR CAT. - - -In September, 1893, grouped on the Fall River Line pier at the foot of -Warren Street, New York, there stood a party of twenty-three sailors -waiting for the Puritan to take them on to Boston. The central figure in -the group—a short, thickset man, with bronzed and grizzled -moustache—stood erect with arms folded over his chest. Upon the solid -foundation thus made nestled a little white kitten. The man and the -kitten were the Boston contingent of the crew of the steamship City of -Savannah, which had been wrecked the week before on Hunting Island, off -the South Carolina coast. - -[Illustration: THE LITTLE SAILOR CAT.] - -The story of the beaching of the steamship and of the taking off of her -crew by the City of Birmingham had been told in all the newspapers, but -nothing had been said about the cat, so the Boston Herald said. Before -the shipwreck the cat was nothing more than an ordinary ship’s cat, and -the captain had named him Mascot; but that was the end of his -distinction. After the disaster, nevertheless, all the sailors swore -that the kitten was as good a sailor as any of them. - -“He’s a wonder,” said the short, thickset man, surveying the cat -proudly; “nobody thought of him in the rush, but he got there just the -same. He climbed the rigging in that gale like an old tar and held on -for hours. He wasn’t a bit frightened either. Only he would ‘caterwaul’ -when he got hungry. We were on board of the boat fifty hours after she -struck before the sea was such that we could be taken off in boats. At -night the captain ordered all the crew into the rigging and made us stay -there. We each took a piece of rope and lashed ourselves on, so as to -keep from falling off when asleep. That’s what the captain said the -string was for, but I never slept at all. I don’t think many others did. -The cat got along without any rope, and she was there in the morning all -right. When we got away at last, nearly crazy with thirst and so faint -that we could hardly climb down the ‘Jacob’s ladder’ into the -Birmingham’s boats, that little fellow climbed out of his nest in the -rigging and wanted to go too. We were glad to take him.” - - - - - LXXXIX. - -[Illustration: ADVICE TO LITTLE CHRISTIANS] - - -1. Be punctual and regular at all the services of your church. - -2. Give close attention to the pastor in the public service. Good -hearers make good preachers. - -3. Whenever you are aided by a sermon tell the pastor about it. In this -way you will help him more than you think possible. - -4. Do not neglect morning and evening prayer at home. Pray daily for -God’s blessing upon the preaching and other labors of the pastor. - -5. In the world let your light so shine before others that they may be -led to glorify your Father which is in heaven. Let your light shine. - -6. Invite your friends to attend divine services. A drawing congregation -is as good as a drawing preacher. Call for your friends often. - -7. Remember day by day that you are not your own, but have been “bought -with a price,” and that you are Christ’s servant. Watch and pray. - -8. If any service is required of you in the church or in the Sunday -school, do not shirk it; always say: “I will try for Jesus’ sake.” - -9. In the prayer meeting speak briefly and to the point. If you pray, -ask only for what you want. Be short and direct. “Ask and ye shall -receive.” - -10. Never subscribe more than you are able to pay, and be sure to pay -whatever you promise. Whether much or little, give it cheerfully. “God -loveth a cheerful giver.” - -11. Having found eternal life, use all appropriate means to develop -Christian character. Prayer, reading the Bible, attending church and -Sunday school, reading good books and Christian newspapers, keeping the -best company—all these will help you. - - - - - XC. - A WORD TO PARENTS. - - -[Illustration: A WORD TO PARENTS.] - -Children are a gift from God. Children are a heritage from the Lord. It -depends largely on parents whether they become a heritage of honor and -delight or of sorrow and shame. It is not simply incumbent upon parents -that their children be well cared for, fed and clothed, properly -educated and so forth; but more than this, they are to be brought up “in -the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This being true, then, the -highest aim of rearing children is not simply that they may win success -and command respect in the world. Respect and success are greatly to be -desired and sought, but beyond them and beyond everything else is the -highest and chiefest aim of parental love and care; that their children -may honor and command the righteousness of God in the life that now is -and magnify the glory of God in the life that is to be. This is the mark -and prize of their high calling. - -Admitting this, then, the early conversion of children is all-important. -But if they are to be early converted, is it not wise—nay, absolutely -essential—that mothers and fathers prepare the way by restricting their -natural impulses by which they are led to desire indulgence in the gay -vanities of life? Is it not positively wrong for parents to indulge that -pernicious and destructive delusion, which some allow, of permitting -their children to have their own evil way in the hope that in due time -they will in some way see their error and turn to the right path of -their own accord? Father, you are a Christian. Mother, you are a -Christian. Now, in your home, in the management of your children, are -you doing the best you can to show what a Christian family should be? -How is it, my friends? I leave that question with you. - - - - - XCI. - A HELPFUL MESSAGE. - - -Life is too short to spend any time on a book that is not worth reading; -but when you read a good book you will be richly repaid if you stick a -sort of mental pin in sentences that especially impress you and return -to them again and again. If the book is your own, it is sometimes -helpful to mark it neatly here and there, and to copy some of the -nuggets of thoughts. In that way you help to fasten them in your brain, -and perhaps to engraft their meaning upon your lives. From a book of the -writings and speeches of a New York preacher, Dr. Maltbie D. Babcock, -who went a year or two ago to “the better land,” I have culled the -following sentences that hold, I think, a helpful message for boys and -girls as well as for old people. - -“Look out for your choices. They run into conduct, character, destiny. - -“To make the best of things is the right way to let things make the best -of you. - -“Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible. This is the only -world in which a Christian can suffer. - -“Whenever you feel blue remember that God loves you and think up some -kindness, if no more than sending a flower to some one or writing a -note. - -“If you can help anybody, even a little, be glad. - -“Do not let the good things of life rob you of the best things. - -“What have you done to-day that none but a Christian would do?” - - - - - XCII. - THE UNSEEN CHARMER. - - -Carl Brickermann, a collection clerk in an uptown bank, in his -accustomed daily routine found it necessary, among other things, to call -by telephone the downtown brokerage firm of Hopegood & Co. One day he -missed the familiar feminine voice which had usually responded to his -calls. But the new voice seemed sweeter and much more passionately -penetrating. For two or three days Brickermann was puzzled, not only -because of the change at the other end of the ’phone, but also because -of the strange and unaccountable fascination which the new voice -possessed for him. At length one day, almost in desperation, he turned -aside from his regular business inquiries to ask: - -“Where’s the other girl?” - -“Which other girl?” asked the mellifluous voice over the articulate -wire. - -“The one who used to answer the ’phone for the Hopegoods,” explained -Brickermann. - -“Promoted,” came the response, with a merry little laugh. - -“And you have her old place?” asked Brickermann, somewhat encouraged. - -“Yes; for awhile,” said the same still, small voice at the other end, -and it sounded more and more sweetly to the would-be masher. - -“Well,” said Brickermann, laughing the while, “I used to know her quite -well, and I should like to meet you face to face, if you don’t mind. I -am so charmed with the music of your voice I am sure I should be -perfectly entranced with the magic of your face.” - -[Illustration: “IS—ER—ER—MR. HOPEGOOD IN?”] - -A merry peal of laughter from the other end greeted this sally. The -young man continued: - -“I used to come down some days about four o’clock to see Margie. Will -you, my Unseen Charmer, grant me the same high favor?” - -“Why, certainly! Come any day,” answered the sweet voice which had so -strangely bewitched the young man. In ecstasy Brickermann shouted back: - -“I’ll be down this afternoon.” - -Brickermann hung up the receiver, and, chuckling with delight, he turned -to his other duties with the alacrity that a young spring chicken -displays when it suddenly discovers a big fat worm. - -By three-thirty o’clock he had arranged his toilet, and stood before the -mirror giving the finishing twirl to his budding moustache. He brushed -his clothing the second time, brushed his hat, and, figuratively -speaking, arrayed in purple and fine linen, he sallied forth. He boarded -an elevated train bound for the downtown district. On his way down he -tried to picture to himself the kind of a girl he should meet at the -Hopegoods. Would she be tall or short of stature? Blonde or brunette? -Above twenty-one years of age or only sweet sixteen? The quick arrival -of the train at Park Place put a period to Brickermann’s reverie. He -went tripping across a few blocks to the place where all of his hopes -had been centered during the past few hours—in fact, days. Arrived -there, he stepped into the front office where “Margie” had formerly -presided. It was the same snug and cosy room, but he failed to behold -there the eagerly expected young lady. Instead he ran amuck a chubby -little boy, with a ruddy face and curly hair, and perhaps not more than -fourteen or fifteen years old, sitting in “Margie’s” place. - -Brickermann was visibly embarrassed. He did not know where to begin or -what to say. He twitched nervously at the glove which he carried in his -hand, and finally he stammered: - -“Is—er—Mr. Hopegood in?” - -“No, sir,” said the boy. “Can I be of any service to you?” - -Brickermann’s face turned blood red, and great drops of perspiration -stood out upon his forehead. The accents of the little boy startled him, -for they were the same that had been wafted to him almost daily along -the wire and with which he thought he had been enamored. In the midst of -his confusion he managed to say, hoping almost against hope that his -identity had not been discovered: - -“Well, er—er—I’ll call again.” - -And, without waiting to hear the Unseen Charmer speak again, he hastily -retired with as good grace as was possible under the circumstances. - - - - - XCIII. - OUR COUNTRY. - - -Boys and girls, we are all American citizens, the last one of us. This -is our country, as much as it is the country of any other race, and we -should love it and fight for it as our fathers have loved, fought and -died for it on many a battlefield. We may be the descendants of -Africans, but we are citizens of the United States. This is our home—our -country. Let us believe it, in spite of what some foolish people say. -Therefore I am going to give you one or two sentiments which you should -learn early in life in order to stimulate your patriotism. - -1. May the honor of our country be without stain. - -2. May the glory of America never cease to shine. - -3. May every American manfully withstand corruption. - -4. May reverence for the laws ever predominate in the hearts of the -American people. - -5. The sons and daughters of America, may their union be cemented by -love and affection, and their offspring adorn the stations they are -destined to fill. - -6. May the growth of the American union never be prevented by party -spirit. - -7. The boys of America, may they be strong and virtuous, manly and -brave. - -8. The girls of America, may they prove to be such in heart and life as -will make them worthy mothers of a strong and noble race. - -9. Health to our president, prosperity to our people, and may Congress -direct its endeavors to the public good. - -10.— - - May Peace o ’er America spread her wing, - And Commerce fill her ports with gold; - May Arts and Science comfort bring, - And Liberty her sons enfold. - - - - - XCIV. - THE “DON’T-CARE” GIRL. - - -About the worst girl in all this world is the girl who doesn’t care what -people think or say about her conduct; the girl who goes to every “hop,” -to every party, who stays out late at night with the boys, who hangs -over the gate and talks to them, and who cuts a number of foolish -capers, and then when any one speaks to her, shoots her head ’way up in -the air, and turns up her nose, if she can, and says boldly: “Oh, I -don’t care; nobody has anything to do with me!” She is the worst girl in -the world, and she will never come to any good end. Every girl who is a -law unto herself in regard to all that she says or does is certain not -only to bring upon herself the condemnation of those whose good opinion -it is worth while to have, but she will most certainly incur the -punishment of a just God. And sometimes, I am sorry to say, I think that -when a girl proudly declares that she doesn’t care for the good opinion -of others she does so because she knows that she has already lost all -right to that good opinion. - -[Illustration: THE “DON’T-CARE” GIRL.] - -It is wrong, boys and girls, to undertake to run roughshod over the -so-called prejudices of the public. It is a foolish thing to take -delight in trying to shock people by your boisterous and unladylike and -unbecoming conduct. Every really wise and nice girl does care a good -deal for the good opinion of others, and particularly for the good -opinion of persons older than she is. She recognizes the fact that the -laws of conventionality and of good society are based upon what is right -and what is proper, and that no girl can with propriety set them at -naught. - -Some girls go so far as to say that they “don’t care” what their own -fathers and mothers think. The wild girl who says this is setting at -defiance not only the human parental law, but also the law of God, which -plainly commands children to obey their parents. - -Haven’t you ever seen a “don’t-care” girl? She is nearly always reckless -in manner and speech; she is bold and defiant; she is impudent beyond -mention; and she is very fond of ridiculing girls who do care a great -deal what others think about them. - -No matter whose children they are—no matter what schools they have -attended—these “don’t care” girls are no good, and good girls ought not -to associate with them. Every day such flippant girls are treading on -dangerous ground, and some day, unless a merciful God prevents it, she -will come to open disgrace and die and go to torment. I am hoping to see -the day when all the “don’t-care” girls will have passed out of -existence, and then all our girls will be of the refined and womanly -kind who do care a great deal about their conduct, their manners and -their morals. I don’t want my daughter to associate with any other kind. - - - - - XCV. - NEGRO HEROES. - - -No true history of the American continent can be written without giving -due credit to the part which brave negro men have played on the field of -battle in the defense of liberty. At the head of the list of great negro -soldiers stands unquestionably Toussaint L’Ouverture, the emancipator of -Hayti, the little republic to the south of the Island of Cuba. This -black hero, who never saw a soldier until he was fifty years old, -crossed swords with the great Napoleon, who is said to be the greatest -general the world has ever known, and he outwitted that great warrior. -Wendell Phillips in a great oration places the name of Toussaint at the -head of the list of all the world’s great leaders and statesmen, above -the name of even our own George Washington. - -Next comes Crispus Attucks, who was killed in the Boston massacre on the -night of March 5, 1770. His blood was the first blood shed in the cause -of American independence. John Adams and Daniel Webster both date the -beginning of American independence from that terrible massacre. Later on -when the Revolutionary War came the negro played a valiant part and many -individuals won just fame. For instance, Peter Salem and Salem Poor both -distinguished themselves at the battle of Bunker Hill, and at other -points. To-day a monument stands on Boston Common erected in honor of -Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem, Salem Poor, Samuel Maverick and James -Caldwell. - -[Illustration: NEGRO HEROES.] - -All the boys and girls now living know about the heroism of Antonio -Maceo in behalf of the freedom of Cuba, and how that brave general laid -down his life for his own people shortly before the United States in -1898 took up arms in defense of Cuban liberty and drove the Spanish -tyrants out. Of course there were many colored soldiers who took notable -parts in the work done by our country during that short and decisive -war. It is even claimed on good authority that the black soldiers saved -the regiment of Rough Riders, which was commanded by the intrepid -Colonel Roosevelt who afterwards became governor of New York and -president of the United States. - -But before the Spanish-American War the negroes had given good account -of themselves on many a well-fought field—in the war of 1812 and again -in the great Civil War. In the Civil War, which resulted in the -restoration of the Union and the freedom of the slaves, there were -186,000 colored soldiers. To-day a monument stands on Boston Common, -also, in memory of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment of United -States soldiers. This was a colored regiment, which was commanded by a -gallant white man named Robert Gould Shaw. He and a large proportion of -his command were killed at Fort Wagner, S. C., in July, 1863. - -In the Civil War we were not allowed to have our own officers, all the -officers being white. In the Spanish-American War this was changed, and -we had over two hundred officers, including some as high as colonels and -two paymasters with the rank of majors. When another war comes we are -going to have some generals as well as colonels and captains and majors. -Some of the little boys who are reading these words may be called on to -render this higher service for the country and the race. I hope, boys, -if it should be so, that you will be prepared to give as good an account -of your stewardship as those who have gone before. I hope you will learn -a good deal about the lives of the great heroes above named, and about -others whom I cannot stop to mention now. In this way you will gain -inspiration for the future. - - - - - XCVI. - FREDERICK DOUGLASS TO YOUNG PEOPLE. - - -Shortly before he died Frederick Douglass made a tour through the South. -Among other places he visited Atlanta University. At that place he made -an address to the young people. It is so full of hope and help that I -wanted to place it where every ambitious black boy and girl in America -can see it. It has never been published before, except in the Bulletin -of Atlanta University. Mr. Douglass said: - -[Illustration: FREDERICK DOUGLASS.] - -“My young friends: I see before me an assemblage of young people, full -of the blood of youth, just entering upon the voyage of life. It is an -interesting spectacle to me, as to us all, to meet such an assembly as I -see before me this morning in an institution of learning, of knowledge, -and of ethics and of Christian graces. I experience great pleasure in -what I see to-day. There is no language to describe my feelings. It was -no mere image that John saw and described in the apocalypse. It was a -new heaven and a new earth indeed. When I look back upon the time when I -was a fugitive slave I recollect the evils and cruelty of slave-hunting. -No mountain was so high, no valley was so deep, no glen so secluded, no -place so sacred to liberty that I could put my foot upon it and say I -was free! But now I am free! Contrasting my condition then and now the -change exceeds what John saw upon the isle of Patmos. A change vast and -wonderful, that came by the fulfilling of laws. We got freed by laws, -marvellous in our eyes. Men, brave men, good men, who had the courage of -their convictions, were arrested and subjected to persecutions, mobs, -lawlessness, violence. They had the conviction of truth. Simple truth -lasts forever! - -“Be not discouraged. There is a future for you and a future for me. The -resistance encountered now predicates hope. The negro degraded, -indolent, lazy, indifferent to progress, is not objectionable to the -average public mind. Only as we rise in the scale of proficiency do we -encounter opposition. When we see a ship that lies rotting in the -harbor, its seams yawning, its sides broken in, taking water and -sinking, it meets with no opposition; but when its sails are spread to -the breeze, its top-sails and its royals flying, then there is -resistance. The resistance is in proportion to its speed. In Memphis -three negro men were lynched, not because they were low and degraded, -but because they knew their business and other men wanted their -business. - -“I am delighted to see you all. Don’t be despondent. Don’t measure -yourselves from the white man’s standpoint; but measure yourselves by -the depths from which you have come. I measure from these depths, and I -see what Providence has done. Daniel Webster said in his speech at the -dedication of Bunker Hill monument: ‘Bunker Hill monument is completed. -There it stands, a memorial of the past, a monitor of the present, a -hope of the future. It looks, speaks, acts!’ So this assembly is a -monitor of the present, a memorial of the past, a hope of the future. I -see boys and girls around me. Boys, you will be men some day. Girls, you -will be women some day. May you become good men and women, intelligent -men and women, a credit to yourselves and your country. - -“I thank you for what I have experienced to-day and I leave you -reluctantly, and shall always carry with me the pleasantest impressions -of this occasion.” - - - - - XCVII. - TOO HIGH A DAM. - - -Once upon a time a criminal, sentenced to a twenty-year term of -punishment, declared that his ruin was due to the fact that too high a -“dam” had been built around his early life. - -He was a boy on a farm, the son of strict parents, who never unbent into -friends and comrades, but had iron ideas of parental duty along the -lines of restraints, and gave large doses of the catechism and the Ten -Commandments, interspersed with much fault-finding and complaints of the -waywardness of boys in general and their own boy in particular. - -As a consequence the boy chafed against the “high dam,” burst its bounds -early and came to the city with a zest for freedom in proportion to the -restraint he had undergone and an admiration for a fast life. This was -by way of reaction from his disgust for the farm and its slow ways. - -“Don’t build your dams too high,” was the brief sermon preached by this -condemned criminal and directed to parents—especially those who are -rearing children in the country or in small towns. Human nature will -continue to be human nature, and boys will continue to be boys. Youth -will long, and naturally so, for variety and amusement. The house in -which parents never unbend in sympathy with their children’s longing for -a little brightness and jollity, where work goes on in unretrieved -monotony, and home means only a place to sleep and eat in—such a home -sends its boys and girls to the city before they are panoplied to meet -its temptations; either this, or else it hardens and saddens them into -mere machines or beasts of burden. - -Books, music, flowers, games, social clubs, cheerful pictures, love and -sympathy—these will bind the young heart to home and right living and -will obviate the necessity of the “high dams” of restraint. - - - - - XCVIII. - A GOOD FELLOW. - - -He was a good fellow. - -He spent his money like a Prince. - -There was nothing too good for him to do for those with whom he kept -company. - -He lived rapidly, and had no thought of to-morrow. He burned the candle -of life at both ends. - -To-day he is dead,—and those vampires who sucked his life’s blood and -helped him to spend his money have no time to give him one thought. - -Ah, how insincere and empty is the title of “good fellow” when it is -applied to the man whose money is always on tap for those who are -desirous of having a good time! And how corrupt and undesirable are the -so-called friendships which spring from a lavish expenditure of money! -Boys, the roof over your heads covers the best friends you could -possibly have on earth. Those who slap you on the shoulder and say -hilariously, “Good boy!” are seldom ever worth their salt. They like you -for what they can get out of you—that’s all! - -Real happiness in this world comes, if at all, from living right and -doing right. If you are a good fellow in the sense of giving everybody a -“good time” with your hard-earned means, I warn you that, when your -money gives out, all your friends will desert you, and when you die they -will be the last ones to come near you, and may even laugh at what a -fool you made of yourself! - - - - - XCIX. - THE FUTURE OF THE NEGRO. - - -My dear boys and girls, I have written nearly one hundred stories for -this book and I have not said one word about the so-called Race Problem. -I have done this on purpose. I believe that the less you think about the -troubles of the race and the less you talk about them and the more time -you spend in hard and honest work, believing in God and trusting him for -the future, the better it will be for all concerned. I know, of course, -that the sufferings which are inflicted upon the colored people in this -country are many and grievous. I know that we are discriminated against -in many ways—on common carriers, in public resorts and even in private -life. The right to vote is being taken away from us in nearly all the -Southern states. Lynchings are on the increase. Not only our men but our -women also are being burned at the stake. What shall we do? There are -those who say that we must strike back—use fire and torch and sword and -shotgun ourselves. But I tell you plainly that we cannot afford to do -that. The white people have all the courts, all the railroads, all the -newspapers, all the telegraph wires, all the arms and ammunition and -double the men that we have. In every race riot the negro would get the -worst of it finally. But there is a higher reason than that. We cannot -afford to do wrong. We cannot afford to lose our decency, our -self-respect, our character. No man will ever be the superior of the man -he robs; no man will ever be the superior of the man he steals from. I -would rather be a victim than a victimizer. I would rather be wronged -than to do wrong. And no race is superior to the race it tramples upon, -robs, maltreats and murders. In spite of prejudice; in spite of -proscription; in spite of nameless insults and injuries, we cannot as a -race, afford to do wrong. But we can afford to be patient. God is not -dead. His chariots are not unwheeled. It is ordained of God that races, -as well as individuals, shall rise through tribulations. And during this -period of stress and strain through which we are passing in this country -I believe that there are unseen forces marshalled in the defense of our -long-suffering and much-oppressed people. “They that be with us are more -than they that be with them.” What should we care, then, though all the -lowlands be filled with threats, if the mountains of our hope and -courage and patience are filled with horses and chariots of Divine -rescue? - - - - - C - THE TRAINING OF CHILDREN. - - -My last words shall be to parents. Many parents neglect the training of -their children until the boys and girls have grown to be almost men and -women, and then they expect all at once to develop them into -well-rounded characters, as if by magic. Others fix upon a definite time -in life—say, ten or twelve years old—before which time they say it is -unnecessary to seek to make lasting impressions upon the minds of -children, all unconscious of the fact that the character may have been -long before that period biased for good or evil. - -I say it deliberately—it is a deep and abiding conviction with me, that -the time to begin to shape the character of children is as soon as they -begin to know their own mothers from other mothers, or as soon as they -become awake to the events which are taking place around them. The -farmer who has the notion that his child can wait, does not dare to let -his corn and cotton wait. He has observed that there are noxious weeds -which spring up side by side with the seed he has planted, and, -marvelous to say, the weeds outgrow the plants. They must, therefore, be -cut down and kept down, or else they will ruin the crop. - -Side by side with your tender babe in arms there are growing now, dear -mothers, the poisonous tares. They are rooted already in the child’s -heart, and, unless they are stricken down pretty soon, they will -dominate the child’s life. And, of course, there is only one way to -destroy evil—that is, to plant good in its stead. If there is one -untenanted chamber in your child’s heart, inhabit it, I pray you, with -nobler and purer thoughts which before long shall bring forth fruit unto -God. Satan does not wait, I assure you; he never allows a vacancy to -remain unoccupied in anybody’s heart, old or young. He rushes into empty -hearts and idle lives and sows tares thicker than the strewn leaves of -autumn. It is an old and senseless and barbarian custom which has taught -us that the child can wait or must wait. If anybody must wait at table -to be served, it is usually the little child, who may be the hungriest -of all; if some one must remain away from church or Sunday-school, it is -often the youngest child, who perhaps needs most to go; if some one must -be kept out of the day school, it is the smallest child, of course; and -during the year that he remains idle he may receive impressions and -learn lessons that will mar his whole future life. Let us have done with -this barbaric practice. Make room for the children; give them not only -the first place but the best place. - -In almost any city in the South any Sunday in the year you will find -more children—more boys and girls—outside of the Sunday-schools than you -will find inside. There is a loud and crying call sounding from the past -and from the future and bidding mothers and fathers to be more diligent -in the matter of having their children embrace opportunities of growth -and spiritual culture which are almost within a stone’s throw. If -mothers and fathers will not hear and obey this clarion call I believe -that they will be brought to account for it in the day of judgment. Not -only so, but in the years to come they will be compelled to wail out -their sorrow over prodigal sons and daughters who might have proven to -be ornaments to society and to the church if their parents had devoted -half the care upon them that they expended upon colts and calves, -kittens and puppies that grew up with them! - -In all earnestness I implore those to whom God has given winsome little -children to begin early, as early as thy find it possible, to train -their young lives for God and heaven. Let their little voices learn -early to lisp the precious name of Jesus and be attuned to sing His -praise. If you leave them this legacy—than which there is none -greater—there will come peace and joy to your old age, and the light of -heaven, like the golden glow of a radiant sunset, will rest on your -dying bed. - -And now, as I close these stories, there comes to me across the -intervening space of silence and of tears fond memories of a sweet and -patient mother. I cannot remember when she began to talk to me of Jesus -nor read to me the word of God. I remember well when she taught me how -to read, and the old-fashioned blue back spelling-book is as plainly -before me now as in those long past days. But, long before that, I had -heard her read the Bible and raise her voice in prayer for all whom she -loved. And to-day those memories live when a thousand busy scenes of -after life lie dead. And when old age comes on—if God should spare me to -be old—the memory of my mother’s words and her reverential prayers will -be the brightest of all the joys that shall light up the evening of my -life. - - - THE END. - ------ - -Footnote 1: - - Published in the Voice of the Negro. - -Footnote 2: - - Published in Lippincott’s Magazine. - -Footnote 3: - - Published in Lippincott’s Magazine. - -Footnote 4: - - Published in Lippincott’s. - -Footnote 5: - - Published in Lippincott’s. - -Footnote 6: - - Published in The World’s Work. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as - printed. - 3. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together - at the end of the last chapter. - 4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Floyd's Flowers Or Duty and Beauty For -Colored Children, by Silas X. Floyd - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLOYD'S FLOWERS *** - -***** This file should be named 60109-0.txt or 60109-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/1/0/60109/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, hekula03, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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