15th Week.

HONESTY.

INTRODUCTORY LESSON.

L. Are we to have another proverb to-day, papa?

P. Not to-day. We will now begin another course of lessonsand, when we have finished it we will learn some new proverbs for a change.

W. The last course was on TRUTH.

P. And our new course will be on a principle which is very much like truth.

Ion. But-what is a principle? P. Ah,-there we must stop. Let us consider what a principle is, and understand it properly. This is why you must consider. A principle is a very important thing. It is of no use for you to grow and be men, unless you have learned some good principles. You had better die! But when you get some "principles ;"-if they are good ones, you will be happy and all men will love you. If they are bad-then you will be miserable, aye, and all men will despise you! It will not matter how learned you are,-no matter how rich you are-you will never "hold up your head like a man,' but as you sneak along the street, people will point to you and say "Poor fellow, no one respects him, he has no principles."

W. Oh!-then, please make us understand what principles are, papa.

P. Well! You remember the moral tale that Ion made up-how Lucy and Ada beat two hard-working boys in weeding the garden.

Moral Lesson.

W. Yes, because they went on slowly, and with such care.

P. And it was the "going on slowly" which made them succeed so well. It was a principle in them which made them work slowly. We call it the cautious principle. It is a principle which children do not learn very soon.

W. No, papa-at least boys don't. I'm never cautious.

Ion. And girls do not always. That was why ROSAMOND made excuses. She had not learned the cautious principle, and spoke too quickly.

W. That was why ROSE spoilt that tune when she was playing it. She played in such a hurry, and had not learned the "cautious principle."

Ion. That was why Mrs. Pearce's son ARTHUR became so poor,-he tried to get rich too fast, for he had not learned the "cautious principle."

P. The "cautious principle," then, would have been useful to Rosamond, Rose, and Arthur. You know how useful it was to ALFRED, Mrs. Pearce's other son.

L. Ah! It was that principle which made him succeed in his business. Why, a principle is as good as money-perhaps it is worth more, now I think about it; -because ARTHUR had a great deal of money left him by his aunt.

P. Yes, principles are worth more than money. Listen

Our grocer has a large shop, and he does more business than the other grocers.

"Yes, sir," he said to me one

day-" my prices are just as high as any other grocer's-quite as high as old Scroggins's. But then, I always sell good things. I don't want to get a large profit, so I always sell the best articles I can find, and treat everybody very well." L. That is a principle-a goodnatured principle.

P. Yes. He called it a liberal principle, which means the same thing "I do business, sir, on a liberal principle," he said to me.

And "old Scroggins"-why, he only gives his customers common sugar for fivepence;-and sells other common articles because they do not cost him so much as good things. So he thinks he will make more profit, and will get rich sooner.

L. That shows that he only thinks about himself. Then that is an ill-natured principle. You would say it is un-liberal, suppose. P. No, the proper word is illiberal. That is what we call a man when he cares too much for himself, and not enough for others.

These two principles are not so important when they are only principles of trade. Yet, see what they do! They make one grocer rich, and the other

W. Poor! What a poking little shop Scroggins's is.

P. Here is another principle. At Islington, where your uncle lives, there were once a great many omnibuses-brown, white, yellow, and green ones. But the green

omnibuses,

"The Favorites," began to be different from all the others-for, as regularly as the clock struck eight, one of them would pass the end of your uncle's street, then, twenty minutes afterwards came another-and another

exactly twenty minutes after that; and, so on. They were

always true to their time, so they beat all the other omnibuses.

Ion. Ah, they were regular !—or "punctual," that is the word to use. That is a principle-Punctuality. I think I see now what a principle is--it is a sort of rule. A man finds out a plan which is right and good. Then he says to himself, That is a good plan-I will keep to it always""-so he makes a rule

of it.

P. Yes, and thus it becomes one of his principles. But-oh, there are greater-far greater principles than those which we have been talking about.

W. I think I know one, papa; I have just thought of it. There are two boys in our school who never quarrel with anybody. They are brothers. If anybody treats them badly they are kind to him, and that is their rule always-their principle. And now all the boys in the school are their friends ; they have not any enemies.

P. Ah, that is the principle of LOVE. The principle which brings peace on earth and good-will towards men. Love brings peace.

W. Yes, papa. Peace is the effect of love; we have been learning about "effects" lately. Love was Alfred's principle when he had conquered the Danes-and so there was peace.

Ion. And it was Athelstane's principle. Don't you remember when he had conquered those three kings, how he treated them with kindness? It had the same effect.

L. And when he gave the Welsh king his kingdom again, he made peace. Ah!-if we could make an "Object lesson" on Love, we might find out many more effects perhaps.

P. Yes; a long time hence, when you are much older-we will make lessons, like your Object

Then

lessons, on "principles." we will find out their qualities, and effects too.

Ion. Then, we should find, of course, that there are good and bad principles.

P. True, Ion. And all the principles you have, make up what is called your character,- -so now, perhaps, you can tell me why you learn "Moral lessons."

L. I can tell you, papa. You want us to see which principles are good, that we may learn to! good characters.

Ion. Yes-good moral characters -I have heard about "moral characters."

W. And there are religious characters, too.

L. I think I can tell, papa, which of the principles we have been talking about are good ones

The cautious principle is a good principle,

The liberal principle is a good principle,

The principle of punctuality is a good one-and The principle of loveP. Ah, that is a higher principle than the others. All moral principles are parts of religion, but love forms a very large part of it.

Yes, dear children. Love is the great principle of the great God!and, when His Spirit shall help you to think of His wonderful goodness, and shall thus help you to feel His love, you will easily learn LOVE TO GOD. This is the highest principle of all. You were put down in this world on purpose to learn it. Shall I tell you what you will do. then?

L. Yes, dear papa, please. P. Then, you will be full of gratitude to him for saving you, and making you his childrenand, you will say, "I will not try to get moral principles only to please myself,"-but, "I will try and find out every good principle that I may be better fitted to serve God. I'll show him my love by trying to please him." Then I shall know that you are "taught of God" and are religious characters.

Now, understand this differenceIf you try to get good principles for your own good, then you will beW. Moral characters.

P. But when God has taught you to learn moral principles that you may serve him, then you will be

Ion. Religious characters.

P. Remember this, Ion, and all of you. Do not stop by learning to be moral characters, but ask our Father to teach you that you may always live to His glory!

L. Have you finished, papa?

P. Yes. There are many more principles to talk about—but, we shall find them out as we go on. They all spring from the one grand principle we have already been learning, which is the foundation of the others.

L. You mean the principle "TRUTH," papa,-but how can it be the foundation of good principles?

P. I will answer that question for you next week, when we have our first lesson on Honesty. You will see then how truth leads to honesty, if I can make you understand it.

He has also made an "oblique line" on it, to show you how it may be divided into two parts. Will you look carefully at the picture, and tell me what is the exact position of this line.

Ion. I will, mamma. The oblique line begins at the ear, and slants in an upward direction, across to the eyebrow. So, it divides the head into two parts. What is the upper part called?

M. The upper part is called THE SKULL.

W. And the lower partM. Just put your hands upon that part of your head!

W. I feel now-it is my face. So the head has two great parts1. The Skull.

2. The Face. M. You know, I dare say, what very important organ is placed inside your skull.

W. Yes, mamma-my Brain. M. Think, then. This skull is formed as a case for your brain.

Cases are generally used for preserving things; and, as the brain is such an important organ

Ion. It deserves a very good case to protect it.

M. You may be sure, as God made this skull, that it is the best case which could have been made. So, now we will set to work and think about it. The object of the skull is to protect the brain what is there in the skull which makes it so well fitted for its object? Suppose you notice, first, its different parts.

W. I will, mamma. The parts of the skull are, 1st, the bone in front-the forehead bone.

M. Or, you may say, "The

frontal bone."

W. And, here, behind the frontal bone, is a larger bone, which forms the sides of the skull, and the top. There are two, I suppose one on each side. They make the great wall of the skull.

M. Yes, they are sometimes