The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-05-29
For the Girls and BOYS.
George, the best Boy in School.

When George returned from school, he
tan TO his mother, exclaiming with tone of
exultation, SONY two more days, mother.
have not had single mark for bad conduct.
and have had more good marks for per-
feet recitations than any boy in school. In
two more days the month will be out"
George expected his mother to be as de-
lighted as himself but for moment she look
cd grave, and seemed to be thinking. At
!ength she said, 81 am always glad when you
have done well at SCHOOL, but do not know
that ought 10 be particularly glad because
you have done better than any other boy.
You read this morning the account of the
Phnrisee who thanked God that he was bet
ter than other men; and you know that God
was not pleased with him. We may thank
God for keeping us from sin, but we must
wish and pray that all other men may he
kept also"
"But is il wrong, mother, to wish TO be
praised? You very often praise me-"
"oh! no, it is right to love praise; but we
must not do right merely for the sake ofbeing
praised. fpraise is all we wish for,we shall
be likely to neglect our duty, and to do very
wrong things when we have nobody to praise
or blame us. There ARE bad people i'm the
world who would praise you for doing wrong;
and it is often love ofpraise which leads per-
sons to commit great sins"
George looked thoughtful for moment.
u think 1t is very pleasant" he said ut length,
ITO be praised by good peopIe-by YOU and
father and Miss Elliott. And sometimes"
he added after another pause. at would be
hard to be good if nobody praised us for it,"
80 til u.s." said his mother; "but can tell
you motive which will always make MS
happy when we have done what is worthy
OF praise, even if no person in the world |
should
please God lie always knows our motives,
and when he sees that we do right for the |
sake of pleasing him, he looks upon us with |
favor, This thought will make us happy, G.
ven If all the world blame us. Sometimes. |
you know, people are blamed for doing right:
but that will not make them very unhappy.
Ifthey only remember that God, who looks
upon the heart is pleased with their conduct
81 should think it was very hard" said
George, ''to be blamed for doing right"
True, It is not pleasant, but we must not
mind It, fa bad boy should blame you for
wishing to please your filther and mother. | T
hope you would care but little for it,"
81 do mott like to be laughed at."said George.
"Neither do l." said his mother, 'nor does
any onej and we should avoid doing tbinrs
which arc in themselves ridiculous: but when
any evil minded person laughs at us for doing
right, we must still do our duty, in spite of
their laughing. five have right feelings. we
shall often feel happy in suffering for doing
our duty. This is what the Bible means
when it says, Blessed are ye when men
shall revile you and prosecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
my sake Blessed, means Happy, and our
Savior calls them happy who suffer for doing
right: So we must always do as God com
'nands, whether persons praise or blame us.
and even fthey treat us very i'll. In all things
we must seek the praise of God more than
the praise of men. Whenever we feel il
hard 10 he blarned for doing right, we must G
think of the Divine Savior who all his life v
was bameless and perfect, and who yet was =
rcviled and prosecuted, and even put to q
cruel death for teaching men how they might
he saved from their sins. If Christ had not
died for us, we mast all have been miserable
for ever. Shall we then think it hard to suf
Ter little blame or ridcule for the sake of
pleasing him? We must ask God, for his
sake, to deliver us from the fear of man.
which bringeth snare"
George sat for some time, thinking very
seriously ofwhat his mother had said, and
hen, taking his little brother and sister into
he garden, to relieve his mother from care,
1e devoted himselfvery kindly and patiently
% their amusement until dinner time. E. f.
-.4m Messenger. =