West-Jersey pioneer., 1865-03-04
HOW TO PICK HUCKLEBERRIEs.

he was an old, white haired man, and
very rich. As he seemed never to have
been in any great business, such as mer-
chants and spectators now engage in,
and as he was never accused Of being a
dishonest man, it was always mystery to
me how he came to be SO rich. knew
that his father was poor country clergy
man, and that John could have reserved
no property from him. Meeting him one
day, when our conversation happened to
turn on the subject of gathering proper
ty I ventured to ask him how it was that
he had been SO successful in life.
When l was a boy, said he, my father
was a poor minister. We lived very
plain and dressed very plain, but that new
er troubled us. We always had enough
of something to eat, and my mother was
one who would contrive to have her chill
drcn dressed neatly, if not richly. One
day when | was little fellow, several
little boys and girls came along on their
way to pick huckleberries. They invited
me to 60 with them, and when L saw
their bright faces and their little baskets,
and the bright afternoon, l wanted to go
with them. So went into the house and
asked my mother. saw she sympathiz-
ed with me, but said | must go and ask
father.
"And where is father 2"
Cup in his study, of course"
Up 1 bounded, hat in hand, and gently
knocked at his door He babe me come
in.
"Well, Johnny, what is your wish z"
"I want, sir, to go with the children to
pick huckleberries. +"
"Where are they going !"
"Only to Johnson's hill, sir"
CHOW many children are there 2"
"Seven besides myself. Please let me
60"
"Well, you may go. Be good boy,
and use no bad words"
"Away [ scampered, and just got to
the bottom of the stairs, when my father
called me back. Trembling, | again
stood in the doorway, expecting to have
the permission withdrawn.
"Johnny," said my father, with pc
culiar smile, ri have word of advice to
give you. You will find the berries grow
ing on bushes standing in clumps all over
the lot. The children will pick few
minutes at one place, and then go off to
another, in hopes of finding better pick
ing, and thus they will spend half the
afternoon in roaming from one place
to another. Now my advice to you is,
that when you find a pretty fair picking,
stick to that spot, and keep picking there.
Your basket will show at night whether
nv advice is good or not"
Well, sir, l followed my fathers advice,
and though the children would wander
about and cry out, sOh, Johnny, here's a
world Of them, and there's splendid pick
ing,' and shere you can fill your basket
in less than no time,' yet I stuck to my
fair picking place. When we got through
at night, to the astonishment of every
one, and my own no less, it was found
that had nearly twice as many berries
as any other one. They all wondered
But knew. And that was the lesson
that made me a rich man. Whenever |
have found fair picking have stuck to
it. Others have changed occupations and
business, and have moved from one place
to another. l have never done so, and |
attribute all my success to the lesson by
which / learned to pick huckleberries-
have recalled this conversation, and
the form of my old friend, who has long
since passed away, to impress it upon the
parent, and upon the teacher, that slight
sentence of instruction smay shape the
course of the whole life of the child now
under his care. Not only did property
and success hang on the old minister
hint, but the shaping of his sons whole
character for life, and perhaps forever
How much wisdom we need, to be able to
say the right thing at the right time.
And no less urgently do want to i'm
press the lesson on the child. If youl
advantages are less than you could wish
stick to them and make the most o.
them. The stone that rolls the leas
gathers the most moss. What was wise in
picking huckleberries, is wise in every at
tempt to learn and gather what is valua-
BILE. = Sunday School Times.