THE MANSE GARDEN. 251 



a slate, with as much intelligence as might be commu- 

 nicated in half an hour, might, by exercising his men- 

 tal faculties, attach him to his abode, save him from 

 bad company, and prevent the annoyance (of ridicu- 

 lous frequency in all like cases) of not knowing where 

 to find your boy when a friend arrives on horseback. 



Of petty faults stealing fruit is likely to be one, as 

 the opportunities are many. In the heat of the sun 

 make your boy lay down his hoe, and refresh himself 

 at the fountain of gooseberries. I have never seen 

 any other effect of this than greater modesty and 

 better work. Give liberty as to this fruit, the best 

 of all, and which it is easy to have as plentiful as an 

 ocean. Tell your little man that you will give him 

 other fruits when ripe, but that he must not take 

 with his own hand, as all theft is bad to the value of 

 a pin ; and your word of kindness, together with the 

 word of God's law, will do far more than spring-guns 

 or man-traps. 



A further rule of moral discipline, and one most 

 essential, is to provide for working hours a constancy 

 of work, and so arranged that the boy may know at 

 all times what he has to do. This alters the natural 

 current of his ideas, and cuts off at once a perpetual 

 fountain of falsehoods. The great object of the 

 youngster is to get done and away ; but he sees by 

 this plan, that it is of no use to do a thing ill in 

 order to have it soon over; and he is afraid to run 

 off to idlers, for the ready excuse of not knowing 

 what to do will in no case serve. The most un- 

 manageable part of his duty is that of going mes- 

 sages. Two or three that might occupy as many 

 half hours are sufficient to consume the day ; new 



