Year: 1867

asked them if they had picked any.
No, sir said one of the little fellows.
me shake dc tree and him drop
Off The father talked to them.
telling them they ought not to have
shaken the tree, and then let them 90.
A few days afterward he was going
away again, and told the boys they
must not pick the pears nor shake the
tree. When he returned he looked at
the tree; and found one pear hanging
by the stem, but carefully eaten all
around nearly to the middle of the
core. Calling the boys to him he asked
if they had picked any pears. NO, sir
said the one who was always first to
speak. did yon shake the tree p NO
sir well, what did you do? Me
bite him to see if him was wipe, and
him aoas wipep Now it is Just as wrong
to 60 around the truth in this way as to
tell direct lie.


So, too, it is wrong to add TO the
truth. Did you ever hear of the boy
who came rushing down stairs, crying,
% mother, there's thousand cats on
the garret ! Not thousand, my son !?
well, then, a hundred a hundred
is good many well, there are ten
Il hardly think there are that many
well, there's one, I'm sure' Now L
believe you, my son. Whenever you
are tempted to tell big stories, think
about the boy and the thousand cats.
1t is wrong, too, to tell a lie Just for
the fun of the thing | once read of
boy who was the worst story-tellcr
in all his neighborhood. Some COM
panions met him one day, when ono
offered him an apple if he would tell
them bigger lie than he had ever
told before. Me! said he, looking as
innocent as lamb; 'why, never told
a lie in all my life 2 Here is YOUR ap-
pie said the one who had made tho
offer. All this was done in jest, but it
was wrong, and SO is april fooling,'
and all joking of the kind The best
rule is, whether in earnest or in fun,
always to speak the truth.


Let me give you some reasons for
always speaking the truth. One is,
God will be pleased. Every time you
tell lie you please 'the father of les
and displease God, and every time YOU
tell the truth you please your Father
in Heaven and displease Satan. The
Wicked One is the only friend you will
ever make by lying.


Another reason for being truthful is,
you will respect yourself You NAV
deceive others by lying, but you cannot
deceive yourself. Every time you tell
an untruth you know you have done
mean action, and you cannot help feel.
ing meanly. Conscience tells you that
you are a liar, and that liar is as bad
as a thief. You are afraid to meet
those whom you have deceived. You
would not have others see you as YOU
see yourself for the world But if YOU
are truthful, you need fear no one, and
can held up your head and look any
one in the eye.


Another reason for speaking the
truth is, you will be respected and
honored by others. A teacher once
asked his scholars why Washington
was called the Father of his Country
when one of the smaller boys imme.
diately sung out, Because he never
told liep Ofcourse the whole school
laughed at the little fellows answer,
but | do not think he was so far wrong
after all. If Washington had not been
the truthful, honest, patriotic boy he
was, he would not have become tho
good and great man he was, and been
honored with the title of Father of
his Country I cannot do better than
close this letter with the description
Of a truthful boy, which, perhaps, you
have seen IN your school books:


Once there little boy,


With curly hair and pleasant eye


boy who always spoke the truth,


And never, never told a lie.


And when he trotted of to school,


The children all about would cry,


"There goes the curly -headed boy


The boy who never tells lie"


And everybody loved him so,


Because he always told the truth,


That every day, as he grew up,


Twas said, there goes the honest youth"


And when the people that stood near


Would turn to ask the reason why,


The answer would be always this,


because he never tells he."


Your friend,


MAJ LYNNE