Year: 1860

of using the right Kind of matter was to in
noculate your arm with some noxious and
hurtful substance taken from some animal
suffering with hydrophobia, or some other hor
rible disease. The blood he would draw from
your arm would be very small. The matter
he would insert would be very little You
would think it could do you but little harm.
But oh children do you not see that it will
enter into your veins thence it will be car
ried through your arm into your body, and
your whole system will be affected by it p
Swiftly it will go to your head and to your
heart. You will be deprived Of your reason
and die horrible death. Beware, then, of
the small beginnings of evil Let nothing
tempt you to tell the first falsehood, or if you
have thus snned resolve with the help Of God
that it shall be the last. Think not that it
is little sin, for its consequences may be
great and terrible Children, you may never
hear my voice again, much that | now say
you will soon have forgotten but beg you to
try and remember this one word of advice
alaOays speak the truth though yOu should de
for ii.


Children, you may begin to think that it
takes me long time to tell you the story Of
the Tree OF Truth. But in fact this is great
big tree, one of the largest and finest in the
grand forest of human virtues However, ou
can see for yourselves how | am progressing.
have passed over the roots with mere men
tion, and disposed of the trunk or main body
of the tree, which is generally the heaviest
part of it, and we have now arrived at the
branches. So be encouraged and pay atten-
tion until we get to the top of the tree,-fOr
of course we can go no higher, and then we
must come down and go to dinner.


Now we will ascend higher and hastily de-
scribe to you some of the limbs and branches
Just above the trunk or body OF the tree of
truth are two small limbs, or rather q limb
with branch growing from it, which although
they are different look very much alike. |
call the limb frankncSS and the branch candOr.
A candid person when he does speak, speaks
without disguise, and says all he ought to say
without reservation or cOncealment An un.
candid person may deceive you, notwithstand
ing what he says is true but he does not tell
the whole truth in regard to the subject mat
ter, and in fact is guilty of faIsehood the es-
Sence of which is the intention to deceive
Candor requires that you say all that you
should say Frankness differs from Candor in
being more comprehensive 1t means opennesS
or freedom in speaking, and is otherwise called
ingenuouSness A frank person will be candid
also, but candid person may lack the dlSpO-
stiou readily to communicate, which is the
characteristic of frankncsS. These are quail
ties which should be cultivated in the young
Truth loves the light, and while an excessive
propensity to tell everything IS 10 be avoided,
yet governed by proper prudence, a frank
open, ingenious disposition is one of the most
pleasing qualities in the young or the old.


Next we come to large limb called justice
which gives to every one his due, and causes
men in their dealing with each other to con-
form to the eternal principle of right and
wrong. You as children have but little to dc
with this, and therefore / shall say but little
about it, as wish to be practical, but will
remind you that justice grows no where but
on the tree of truth Fairness is branch of
this limb. When any subject is introduced,
some people will talk only on one side Of it,
and in fact will only look at or consider one
side of it. They condemn or approve, unheard
or beforehand, and are prejudiced against this
one and in favor of that one, without sufficient
cause. Truth requires that we should exer.
else fairness and equity in the small as well as
the more important relations of life.


| must here warn you against the most de-
teStabe species ct falsehood, called sldnder, OF
falsehoods injurious to the character of others
call this the most hateful kind of falsehoods
because it combines the clements of sin
against God, and malice against man. Ia fact
| would haze you avoid all manner OF evil
speaking. In your progress through life when
you meet with a bad story about any cne, even
if it be true, do not soil your hands by taking
it up and carrying it farther yet what sur
prisng propensity there is among mankind ct
all ages to play in the dirt.


Now we come to a large and important
lmb OF the Tree Of Truth. | shall call it by
the general name of fidelity, by which mean
a careful aud exact observance of all your en-
gagements, or in plain English (and that aftei
all is the best way of talking) always stand
ing to your bargains end doing as you agreed
to do. Especially children | would have yor
know, and you cannot know too soon, the i'm
portance of faithfully complying with pecu
mary engagements, or paying debts. Wher
you become old enough to transact business
remember never to 60 into debt, without
knowing how you are to pay otherwise yor
will soon be in the painful predicament OF moi
being able to fulfil your promises. You viii
find that your word has been pledged and yor
cannot redeem it, Beware then how you
pledge your word, aud be assured beforehand
that you can do as you promise. and if yor
are able, do not fail to do as you have agreed
cost what it may No man of right principles
is loose on the subject of paying bis debts i
he is careless in this respect be is unworthy Of
being trusted in any other. Understand me,
do not refer to those, who from misfortune are
unable to pay what they owe. l speak o.
those who recklessly contract debts without
reference to their probable ability to pay
them, or who negligently put of payment
when they are able to do it. AS you art