The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-03-03
TOM GAYLE'S LESSON.

ought to be good all the time. But I
mean that when anything goes wrong,
and ought to stop and think, and be
patient and all that, why then's the time
fail. get mad and do something I'm
ashamed Of; and, oh dear, I wish I didn't
have such quick temper!'
Tom Gayle said all this to himself just
after he had come out of one of his mad
fts-as he calls them, and he told pretty
much the truth. He was quick-tempered,
and it took very little to prove it to any
body. If his shoestrings got into knot,
as the best regulated shoestrings will
sometimes get, that fiery temper of his
was ready to explode over even that tri-
fe; and the chances were that the shoe
would take sudden journey across the
room, followed by "There! Lie there,
you horrid old thing!' then it wouldn't
take long to show Master Tom that he
couldn't appear at breakfast like my
son John, with one shoe off and one shoe
on" So he would cool off, and after a
good many struggles with the string and
more with himself, would finally con-
quer.
So he managed to be in what he called
ia snarl" a good deal Of the time; for by
some strange reason, boys and-well, yes,
girls, too, are wonderfully fond of teasing
any one who can be made to show temper
so easy, and Tom had gained the name
of "Spitfre,' ''Firecracker' and several
such names as the ingenuity Of the school
children can devise, and between you and
me, children, there isn't much that
school-boys and girls can't think of.
Now, is there2
Well, this morning that i'm telling you
about, Tom evidently got out the wrong
side of the bed. Little Johnny had man
aged to upset the wash-bowl, and deluge
Toms bare feet; and Toms cup of wrath
was full, If the bowl wasn't, and it didn't
take long to empty it on poor Johnny's
little head.
Now, Tom didn't really care anything
about water. Bless you! no; no more
than duck. He'd wade and swim in it
half the summer, and skate on it day and
night in the winter, when it had "gone to
Sleep" you know; but he didn't want it
splashed over him that way. And he
stormed and scolded, and having sue.
ceeded in making Johnny set up great
cry, he proceeded to hush him up by Civ
ing him hearty shaking and, I'm sorry
w 0oJS q VASAOeA OAO"s
Then his thoughts came back to him,
and he said to himself: "What wild
beast I'm getting to be-" And, being
warm-hearted and quick to repent, he
caught up his little brother and proceed
ed to pet him into happiness again.
Now I've been telling about Toms
faults, or his one great fault, it's only
fair to tell something abont his good
qualities. For he had them plenty. Ev-
cry body has, you know.
He was generous and loving and brave.
His temper could be aroused just as east
ly for anyone else as for himself. So
you see it did not have its root IN selfish
ness wholly. and many the battles he
fought for younger and smaller boys on.
ly you see, boy with SUCH temper is
only at a disadvantage. He don't always
see the right side clearly. And then
Tom was always ready to confess and re-
pent land made many and honest resolves
to do better; and so, when he had driv-
en- out thelwild teast,as he said, and way
himself agaln-and he was then very
pleasant ''self," lndeed-it was hard not
to forgive him and believe his promises
This morning, after he had made
all this ado about lis unexpected foot
bath, and had confessed that he might as
we'll give up trying, his mother said to
him:
II want to give you something to take
with you to-day, to help you to keep
sweet tempered"
"Guess it'll be more than I can carry
round, mother. A whole barrel of sugar
wouldn't keep me sweet-tempered," said
Tom.
ut isn't nything to take in your hand,
child; but something to carry in your
mind"
''No use; not bit. I've tried all of
those old wise rules. I've counted ten
that is, I've counted 'em afterward-
and 1 know Let dogs delight to bark
and bite, and BE slow to anger and
Let not your angry passions rise,' but if
fellow can't think of 'em in time to
keep him from getting mad, what is the
good of em all, I'd like to know2'
"Tom, my son, 1 know little about It
myself"
you, mothere Why, I never saw you
get mad"
II don't very often nowadays; but if I
were to tell you that you take your hasty
temper from your mother, what would
you think?" ..
Tom looked thoughtful for minute,
and then said: "Well, mother, I think I'd
be awful glad, II mean very glad. In the
first place; I'd know that you understand
lust how a fellow feels, and then I'd
think, as you got over it, maybe I would
sometime, though don't see much signs
of it now. But give us that recipe of yoars.
TIC most schOOl.tlmeN
''Tom, you admire heroes. Now, want
you to be one, and think you have the
material tor one in you. Here's a recipe
for hero-making:
'"Greater is he that ruleth his own spirit
than he that taketh city.
"Bible, amt it?'
eyes, it's Bible.'
"True anyway, if it came out of an al