The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-10-22
70 CHILDREN AGAIN.
Timely Talk About Character
Building-Forming q . bits
Winch Mar or Male For the
Better Things Of Life.

Listen, children! You have had
your first week of school this years
Your states are still clean and you may
be puzzling your troubled little head.
over the marks that you should make
ON them. and it is right that you
should puzzle over that, for it means
great deal to you before the year Is
out. The marks can often. be rubbed
out, but sometimes when your pencil
is little gritty on the point, before
you notice 1t you have made mark
that has cut into the surface of the
slate. So at the end of the year your
slate will show a variety of marks, this
way and that, all over It's surface, no
matter how you may rub it and scrub
it.
That is a great deal the way with
what we call character building. The
character is so com plicated that 1t Is
hard to describe. Habit has a large
part in 1.-THE force that makes sou
take a certain side of the street when
you 20 to school; that makes you
wind your top in a particul.r way !;
that causes you to carry your doll,
maybe head down, day after day; that
may lead YOU to be about two minutes
late at school in the morning.
How easy it is to fall into a habit
You know that now, but as years paes
you will know it better, and the mark
the habit grit in your pencil will make
will grow deeper and deeper, 80 look
out for a habit! Be sure that your
habits are the kind that will make
decent looking mark on your life
slate, tor the mark may be one that
will never rub out.
Make it a habit to be on time-the
tardy habit would make an ugly mark.
Make 1t q habit to be cheerful-the CIR
or the boy that is always whining and
ready to cry or get angry will haye
poor looking slate when the school Of
life Is over. Be unselfish. Think
of the golden rule your mother
has taught you so we'll !,
a It towards others as you want them to
at toward you. 1t is awfulIy easy to
get into the habit OF being selfish and
.lere is nothing that will make your
slate lock worse.
Work work till you get tired-you
will sleep better. If idleness ever be-
comes a habit you cannot get rid OF it,
you might as we'll get off the earth
That doesn't mean no play, for play is
part of the work of life. But 1t means
that habit Of sitting around and do
ing nothing will ruin you. Be truth
fut not only in the words you say but
10 the way you say them. There are
l,ts more ways OF telling lies than by
by mere words, and your conscience
will tell you what that means. No
one has much use for a boy or girl
that lies.
Don't be slow! Learn to do things
q quickly, and it will soon be habit,
bat remember that you should take
time to do them right. Don't be
"smart.," There is nothing that will
make people dislike you quicker. Don't
he loud unless there il mighty good
reason. The boy who couldn't whoop
it up when his ball team is winning
| isn't worth much. But there are times
and places for such exercises.
There are lots more don'ts and do'f
but there is one thing that will help
| YOU always to get along we'll and grow
to be manly men and womanly women
Do YOU want to hear 1t? Remember
vour mother. Live so that she will be
proud of you, and. don't be backward
| in asking her advice. Then if you al
ways remember that you are MAKING
marks every day on that character
slate. YOU will likely have it very
clean looking when the last day comes
And, of course, you want it to ii
clean.