Year: 1875




Jamie went up to where the barrel of ap-
pies was and looked at it; then he moved
it little way and then tried to lift it,
raise but try as he might he could not
the edge of the barrel from the floor.
Then he sat down and thought over the
matter; here were the apples and they
must go down cellar, and he was to do
it, but hoao to do it was what puzzled
him. Just then basket-a peck basket
caught his eye, and the puzzle was
solved. He took the basket, filled it with
apples, and carried it to the cellar; there
he took the apples out, laying them on
some boards, handling them so carefully
all the while as not to bruise any, and then
went back for another basketful. Alter
working industriously for while he had
the great satisfaction of seeing the bot
tom of the barrel, and he thought
it was the best-looking part of
the barrel; then it was but short
work to take down the empty barrel and
place the apples back into it. I've
done it, mamma, I've done it; have
taken the whole barrel of apples from
the garret to the cellar" " knew you
could when l sent you to study this
lesson" said his mother. Lesson! what
lesson:" But instead of telling him she
preferred to let him find out for himself.
Jamie at first thought his mother wishes
to teach him to contrive way out of
difficulties, or not to be scared at what
seemed an mpossibility. These lessons,
though important, were not what his
mother had in mind. You may be sure
that Jamie went to bed tired that night,
but after he was supposed to be sleeping
soundly he called out: Mamma, I've
got it. know why you set me at that
barrel of apples. I've got barrel full
of bad habits that l have been carrying
around all this time. I've wanted to get
them out of the garret of my head and
put them in the cellar under my feet,
and I've looked at it, but the job was too
big Now am going to try carrying
peck at Time Tomorrow Pm going to
take that bad temper of mine and pitch
it into the cellar where it belongs. When
ever the anger comes III pitch it down
quick. If do this every day guess in
this new year can put the barrelful of
bad temper, bad thoughts and angry feel
ings all down. Mamma, don't you think if
pray every time these bad feelings come
that God will help me and give me
strength to get rid of them?' Yes,
my dear child. He never turns away
any who ask Hin, and Jesus said,
Ask and it shall be given After a while
you can take little basket in each hand,
that is, two or three faults, found out and
taken down, but begin with peck at
time and you will soon grow stronger
and more able to contend against bad
habits and bad manners" Jamie went
to sleep feeling quite happy, and in the
morning when he got up he prayed earn
estly. He had not been up an hour be-
fore his brother George did something
that displeased him and he began to get
angry. Instead of speaking cross to his
brother, he said to himself, -" Here is this
barrel already open, but God will help
me to conquer this fault; here goes down
one peck from my barrel" and he turned
around and spoke so kindly to his brother
that he, expecting an angry reply, won.
dered what it all meant. But we cannot
follow Jamie's attempts to get rid of his
barrel of faults-one peck at time. 1t
need only to be said that he kept trying,
and, Gas soft answer turneth away
wrath" he so treated George that his
temper was softened and his selishness
abated, and he too began to put down his
faults one peck at time, and the two
brothers from quarreling became loving.
1t may be that some boy or girl who
reads this can see that the effect of
Jamie's example need not be limited to
his brother George and may be encOur-
aged to try to empty that barrelful of
bad habits, peek at a tinae.-An'ertean
AgrSculturist