He that is faithful in that which Is least, is faithful also in much— LUKB 1«:10. 



MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS. ' 



Well dono, thou fiood iind I'aitliful servant.— 

 Matt. 25:^1. 



^ WANT to repeat a little sketch I saw in 

 the >Snnd((!i-Scho<>l TiiiKs. A little boy 

 was doing "something tiiat he ought not 

 to do. As he was only two and a halt' 

 years old. he could not be expected to 

 know very well what was proper and what 

 was not proper. And besides, boys of that , 

 age are not always as obedient as we should I 

 expect them to be when a little older. His ' 

 father stopped him by saying, '^ No. my son, 

 you must not do that." It happened to be 

 something, however, which tlie boy very 

 much wanted to do, and for a whih; he 

 seemed to (piestion wliat the conseciuences 

 would be if he did not mind. Finally his 

 better self triumphed, and he replied, "All 

 right papa, I won't do it any more." I pre- 

 sume most of us would think that was all 

 there was to be said al)out it. and so the 

 father thought; but the boy evidently had 

 different ideas ; for pretty soon he spoke out, 

 " Pa, why didn't you tell me, ' That s a good 

 boy 'V" 



Now, my friends, was not the boy right 

 about itV When he had controlled the wrong 

 impulse, and had triumphed overiiiclinatioii. 

 rulhig his own spirit, as it were, would it 

 not have been a wise thing for the fatlier to 

 liave given him a little coauuendatiou':' 

 Would it not have been well, in fact, iiad 

 the father watched the boy's face, that he 

 might know the conllict going on within? 

 What father or mother can not read their 

 own child's thoughts, if they watch the face 



and the actions? A little word of approval 

 clinches the nail, as it were, and strengthens 

 the child's piirpo.se to do good instead of 

 evil. It is not only among children and 

 grown-up people that we notice this, but it 

 seems as if the rule held good all through 

 animated creation. My earliest recollections 

 are coiuiected with the business my father 

 followed at the time. lie used to carry the 

 stoneware manufactured in our native town 

 to distant towns around. For the purpose 

 he had a large heavy wagon with a high top 

 box. and two great stout horses; and in 

 pleasant weather a smaller wagon with one 

 liorse followed behind, with my brother for 

 a driver. When I became old enough I was 

 allowed to take a trip or two ; and. wasn't I 

 proud, though, when intrusted with a whole 

 wagonload of valuable property, and in- 

 structed in the mysteries of driving, so as to 

 avoid rough places in the road, that my car- 

 go might not be cracked and broken when it 

 arrived at the destination? Well, when we 

 came to long hard hills, father told me to let 

 my wagon stand, and come with him and he 

 would show me how. As the load was 

 heavy, the horses were allowed a breathing- 

 si)ell one or more times on the way up. Be- 

 fore we started iii) the hill he selected a suit- 

 able cliuiik of wood with which to block the 

 wheels, which block he held in his hand as 

 lie walked along (ui foot. Uefore he started 

 he patted the horses on their necks, and 

 they glanced at the big hill, and seemed to 

 take in what was to be done. When he 

 gave the word, up they Avent with a will ; 

 but when the breathing became pretty hard, 

 1 he would slack Ihem up a little, and let the 



