that she should always despise me than that I should go on doing what is unworthy for her sake."

Then the magician took off the mask, and the prince in fear and anguish of heart sought his reflection in the glass. As he looked, his eyes brightened and his lips curved into a radiant smile, for the ugly lines were gone, the frown had disappeared, and his face was moulded in the exact likeness of the mask he had worn so long. And, when he came into the presence of his wife, she saw only the familiar features of the prince she loved.

Questions: Do we make our own faces? How? Are happy people better-looking than discontented ones? How did the prince grow to be kind and pleasant? If you take away a toy from a baby, he is likely to cry: will he be ashamed, when he is older, to cry for everything he wants? Will he train himself not to cry? Do you think you could teach yourself to write if there was no one to show you? How could you do it? What else can we teach ourselves?

JANUARY: OUR FAMILY

Begin the month by speaking of home ties. Who are our best friends? What do they do for us? How can we show our love? Suggest ways of helpfulness at home, as by doing errands quickly; caring for baby, setting the table, getting dressed without help.

The main part of the month can be given to the story of Joseph and his brethren. The story of Joseph brings out the strong bond of family feeling. The events can be told day by day as a continuous story beginning with Genesis, Chap. xxxvii, omitting verse 2. The points to accent in the story are (a) Family

and pastoral life in the Far East; (b) Joseph's boasting and his brothers' dislike of it. Does any one like boasting? (c) The taunt, "Behold this dreamer cometh," by which the brothers increased their anger; (d) Reuben's desire to save Joseph; (e) The love of Jacob for Joseph; (f) Joseph's success in Egypt, due to his attractive nature, his loyalty in doing his master's business, and his wise judgment; (g) How Joseph won affection even in prison; (h) Joseph's wise advice to Pharaoh; (i) Joseph's apparent harshness, but real kindness to his brothers; (j) The repentance of the brothers; (k) The strong emotion shown by Joseph for them even after years of separation; (1) The truthfulness of the brothers when they returned to Joseph; (m) Joseph's special love of Benjamin; (n) Judah's plea to save Benjamin; (o) Joseph's noble attitude in telling who he was: "So now it was not you that sent me hither but God"; (p) The meeting of Jacob and Joseph; (q) The fulness of the forgiveness shown by Joseph.

THE STORY OF JOSEPH

Part I. Joseph and his Brothers. Genesis, Chap. xxxvii.

Joseph was the son of Jacob, and he had many older brothers and a little brother named Benjamin. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he used to feed the flocks with his brethren. Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children and he made him a coat of many colors. And his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph most and they hated him. And Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him yet the more. Read Chap. xxxvii.

Questions: Which brother was the kindest? Did Reuben want to save Joseph? Where did Joseph go? Why did his brothers dislike Joseph? Were they sorry for their wrong-doing?

Part II. Joseph in Egypt. Begin Genesis, Chap. xxxix, verses 1 to 6. It came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, but as she spake to Joseph day by day he hearkened not to her. For he said: "Behold my master hath committed all that he hath to my care and I must do his business." Then she was angry and she made her husband believe that Joseph was a bad man, and Joseph's master took him and put him into prison. Read Chap. xxxix, verse 20, to Chap. xlii.

Part III. The Brothers come to Joseph for help. Read Genesis, Chaps. xlii and xliii. Bring out Joseph's love of his father and his great anxiety to hear about him.

Questions: Why did Joseph pretend to be rough with his brothers? Did Joseph really mean to be kind to them? Did he want to see little Benjamin? Were the brothers sorry that they had been unkind to Joseph? (Chap. xlii, verse 21.) What food did Joseph give them? Was Joseph glad to see Benjamin? What question did he ask about his father? What did he say to Benjamin?

Part IV. Joseph forgives his brothers. Read Genesis, Chaps. xliv, xlv, and xlvi (omitting verses 8 to 28), and xlvii to verse 12.

Read: "Somebody's Mother," in White's School Management.

Read: Martin Luther's letter to his little son.

THE SQUIRREL'S DEVOTION 1

Many ages ago, in the far-away land of India, a great tamarisk tree grew, with wide-spreading branches, far over the surface of a great lake, clear, shining, and still. Morning, midday, and evening shone with varying beauty in the lake where the green boughs of the tamarisk waved in the quiet air.

Far up in the very crown of the tamarisk, a mother squirrel built her home. Here the gentle swinging of the branches rocked the baby squirrel's cradle, so that the little one slept quietly, waiting for the glad day to come when he might frolic through the beautiful green bower as his mother did.

But one day a great storm arose. Away over the sky spread angry clouds. The lake shivered and the sunshine fled from its face. The big tamarisk trembled as the storm struck limb after limb from its strong trunk. Suddenly the squirrel's nest was hurled from its green security, and, frail little home that it was, the baby squirrel could have even its unsafe shelter for but a few moments as it dashed up and down on the storm-lashed

waves.

A great fear struck the heart of the mother squirrel, standing on the lake's edge, her pouches filled with milky nuts for her little one. No help was near. No great swan, on whose white back she might rescue her slowly sinking child. No kind, strong eagle was near to cleave the storm with his dark pinions to the little squirrel's side. No kind boy in a strong boat to come to the mother's aid. Must the mother stand still and see her baby drown? What could she do?

Suddenly the great fear was gone and a great joy took its place. There was just one thing to be done.

1 Told by a native Hindoo.

Empty the lake of its water, and lead her little son to the safe shelter of the friendly bank.

Without an instant's delay, the mother squirrel set to work. Into the lake she plunged, soaked her long feathery tail in the water, climbed out, ran to the crest of a little hill, squeezed out the water on its further side, then back to repeat the work, over and over, and

over.

But while the mother wrought thus with all her soul and with all her might, the great Father looked down with joy to see this faithful mother do all she could to save her child. Swift as a flash of lightning went forth the command to an angel to help the mother and save the child. Like a gleam of sunshine he flew to obey. Like a flash of light the little wet clinging squirrel was restored to its rejoicing mother, who had done everything in her little power to accomplish the miracle that the angel had been sent to assist in. But whether the angel was the white swan, or the black eagle, or a kindhearted lad with a friendly boat, I do not know.

FEBRUARY: THE GOLDEN RULE

LINCOLN'S UNVARYING KINDNESS

Abraham Lincoln loved birds and animals. It hurt him to have any of them suffer. Even when he was very busy he would stop to help an animal in distress.

One day Lincoln and a party of his friends were traveling through a thicket of wild plum and crab-apple trees. It was a warm day, and they stopped to water their horses. Soon the party was ready to start off again, but Lincoln was not to be found.

"Where is Lincoln?" every one asked. “I saw him a few minutes ago," answered one of the party. "He