2. Bad Results of Bad Actions-Nails in the Post.

There was once a farmer who had a son, named John, a boy very apt to be thoughtless, and careless as to doing what he was told to do. One day his father said to him: "John, you are so careless and forgetful, that every time you do wrong, I shall drive a nail into this post, to remind you how often you are naughty, and every time you do right I will draw one out." His father did as he said he would, and every day he had one, and sometimes he had a great many nails to drive in, but very seldom one to draw out.

At last John saw that the post was quite covered with nails, and he began to be ashamed of having so many faults. He resolved to be a better boy; and the next day he was so good and industrious that several nails came out; the day after it was the same thing, and so on for a long time, till at length only one nail remained. His father then called him, and said: "Look, John, here is the very last nail, and now I am going to draw this; are you not glad?" John looked at the post, and then, instead of expressing his joy, as his father expected, he burst into tears. father, "What's the matter? I should think you would be de"Why," said his lighted; the nails are all gone." "Yes," sobbed John, "the nails are gone, but the scars are there yet."

So it is with our faults and bad habits; we may overcome them, but the scars remain.

3. Modesty Pride Content.

(a)-A Modest Wit.

A supercilious nabob of the East,

Haughty, being great-purse-proud, being rich—

A governor, or general, at the least,

I have forgotten which

Had in his family a humble youth,

Who went from England in his patron's suite,

An unassuming boy, and in truth

A lad of decent parts, and good repute.

This youth had sense and spirit;

But yet, with all his sense,

Excessive diffidence

Obscured his merit.

One day at table, flushed with pride and wine,
His honor, proudly free, severely merry,
Conceived it would be vastly fine

To crack a joke upon his secretary.

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Young man," he said, "by what art, craft or trade

Did your good father gain a livelihood?"

"He was a saddler, sir," Modestus said,
"And in his time was reckon'd good."
"A saddler, eh! and taught you Greek,
Instead of teaching you to sew!
Pray, why did not your father make

A saddler, sir, of you?"

Each parasite, then, as in duty bound,

The joke applauded, and the laugh went round.

At last Modestus bowing low,

Said (craving pardon, if too free he made),

"Sir, by your leave, I fain would know

Your father's trade!"

"My father's trade! By heaven that's too bad!

My father's trade? Why, blockhead, are you mad?

My father, sir, did never stoop so low

He was a gentleman, I'd have you know."

"Excuse the liberty I take,"

Modestus said, with archness on his brow,

"Pray, why did not your father make

A gentleman of you?
l?"

(b)-The Horse and the Ass.

The horse, adorned with his great war saddle, and champing his foaming bridle, came thundering along the way, and made the mountains echo with his loud, shrill neighing. He had not gone far, before he overtook an ass, who was laboring under a heavy burthen, and moving slowly on in the same track with himself. Immediately he called out to him, in a haughty, imperious tone, and threatened to trample him in the dirt, if he did not break the way for him. The poor, patient ass, not daring to dispute the matter, quickly got out of the way as fast as he could, and let him go by. Not long after this, the same horse, in an engagement with the enemy, happened to be shot in the eye, which made him unfit for show, or any military business; so he was stript of his fine ornaments, and sold to a carrier. The ass meeting him in this

forlorn condition, thought that now it was his time to insult; and so says he "Hey-day, friend! is it you? Well, I always believed that pride of yours would one day have a fall!"—Æsop.

(c) The Monkey Tourist.

A monkey clad in cloth-of-gold
(So in the proverb we are told)
Will be a monkey still. The aim
Of this new fable is the same;
Pray, listen while I tell in rhyme
The tale how, once upon a time,
A monkey, dressed in garments bright,
With gaudy colors such as might
Become a harlequin, set out—
To show her finery, no doubt—
Upon her travels. In what way,
By ship or coach, I cannot say;
'Tis only known her journey ran
As far abroad as Setuan :

A country-as I understand

On maps set down as

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Monkey-land ";

And widely famous as the place

Where most abound the Simian race,

They're in their own skins simply clad.
Here-as the reader may suppose―
Our lady-tourist proudly shows,

With many a change, her gay attire,
Which all the natives much admire;
And think the wearer must possess
A mind as brilliant as her dress,
And, thereupon, the stranger made
Their leader in a coming raid
For forage, in the country round,
Where monkey-provender was found.

Alas, the day! her clothing proved
An obstacle where'er she moved;
And when the weary day was done,
Her gaudy garments,-every one,—
That in the morning looked so fine,
Were strewn in rags along the line
Through which the expedition led;
And she, worn out and nearly dead,
At night was but the scoff and scorn

"You are doubtless very big;

But all sorts of things and weather

Must be taken in together,

To make up a year

And a sphere.

And I think it no disgrace

To occupy my place.

If I am not so large as you,

You are not so small as I,

And not half so spry.

I'll not deny you make

A very pretty squirrel track;

Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;

If I cannot carry forests on my back,

Neither can you crack a nut."

4. Temperance.

--R. W. Emmerson,

(a) The Washingtonian's Story.

Liquor is the subject of my story;

I can not tell what you and other folks think

Of getting drunk, but for my single self,

I had as lief not be, as live and be

The poor, degraded wretch that sucks the bottle.

I was born free and sober; so were you!

We have no need of brandy. We endure
The winter's cold, and summer's heat, the best,
Without its use.

I do remember well,

That once, upon a raw and piercing day,
A toper came, and challenged me to work
In open air, that he might try the strength

Of alcohol against pure, clear, cold water.
Upon the word, shouldering my burnished ax,
I started with the fellow for the woods,

He took with him a jug well filled with rum,
I slacked my thirst with water from the spring.
We toiled with vigor, and the air around
Answered in echoes to our sounding steel;
But, ere the sun had reached its noonday point,
The liquid in the jug was well-nigh spent.
A mist now gathered on the toper's eyes

And strength forsook his arm. His feeble blows
Fell harmless against the mighty oaks and pines,
That seemed to smile to see the uplifted ax
Strike sideways, glance, and cleave the frozen earth.
The effect was irresistible. I laughed

To bursting nigh;—and yet I should have wept.
My dinner-time had come, and hunger keen,

That sure attendant upon useful toil,

Turned my thoughts homeward, where the viands hot Awaited my arrival.

I spoke

To my companion, he answered me,

But scarce had strength to make speech audible.

We started on together for our homes,

My pace was even, for my limbs were strong;
My heart was happy; and my head was clear.
My friend fared not so well. His trembling legs
Appeared unwilling to support his weight:
They tottered, reeled, and made "Virginia fence."

He said "all Nature had conspired against him;"
The trees themselves were quarrelsome, and struck
Him right and left, at every step. The stumps grew
Turbulent, and stumped him to a fight. He was
No coward; but he saw the odds were much
Against him; so he passed along,—
And though his enemies provoked him sore,-
Oft rising up to strike him in the face,
He journeyed on, and uttered but the threat,
"You'll catch it when I catch you all alone."

The fences now began to dance around him;

The earth piled up in mountains in his path;
The stones came rolling 'gainst his feet, and knocked
His legs from under him; and then the ground,