ations. It checks indolence; for a dutiful child cannot be idle, and see a parent toil. It checks extravagance; a dutiful child will find comfort in sparing from her own earnings to succour a parent. And it checks self conceit; for a child who consults the wishes and opinions of parents soon perceives that they are wiser and more experienced than herself, and this will sober her opinion of her own judgment. Another advantage resulting from dutiful conduct to parents is this: it is the best preparative for filling up every other relation in life with propriety. The best child bids fair to make the best husband or wife, and best knows what to expect and claim from children, and how to enforce those just claims and expectations. - Family Book. ALPHABETICAL CHAPTER OF OLD PROVERBS. A lie has no legs- but truth will stand without a prop. - Confine your tongue, lest it confine you. Example teaches more than precept. Faults confessed are half redressed. He only is fit to command, who has learnt to obey. Jesting lies, bring serious sorrows. Love labour; if you need it not for food, you may for physic. Maidens should be mild and meek; swift to hear, but slow to speak. None have less praise, than those who hunt most for it. One never loses by doing a good turn. Pay as you go, and keep from small scores. Quarrelsome dogs come halting home. Religion is the best armour, but the worst cloak. Slanderers are Satan's bellows to blow up contention. The foot at the cradle, the hand at the reel, is a sign that a woman means to do well. Use the means, and God will give the blessing. Villany is sure to be detected sooner or later. VINEGAR AND SMOKE. "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him." You know the pain which any thing very sharp and sour, like vinegar, gives to a tender tooth; and you know how a room full of smoke makes your eyes smart and tingle, till at length they become quite red and inflamed. Both these painful things are used by Solomon to express the trouble and vexation which idle persons occasion. You send them about some work: when it ought to be half done, they have not yet set out. At last, with, some trouble, you get them started; then it is ten chances to one but they will linger half way; and when they have begun the work, what with delays and the sleepy way in which they do every thing, you can never calculate what trouble you may have before your work is done. How different it is when diligent persons set to work! They lose no time at starting, there is no dawdling by the way, the task goes on briskly and cheerfly. It is finished when you expected; all is comfort and contentment. It is a course of conduct as different from the other, as the sweet well-ripened fruit from the sour vinegar; as the fresh pure morning air, from the choking smoke of the cabin. What little girl or boy that reads this, would choose to be the lazy tiresome sluggard? Not one, I am sure! Then, dear children, arouse yourselves; for whether you grow up as sluggards or not, depends much on whether you now form habits of industry. I will give you a few rules about industry : Grown peo 1st. Do every thing as quickly as you can. ple have often as much work to do as they can get through in the day. They are obliged to bestir themselves and get done quickly, or their work would crowd on them towards night, and all would be hurry and confusion. Little children have not strength to do so much, and kind friends do not wish them to be overpressed with work; so a little girl or boy may have two hours before them, and the task that has been set them may be got through in one. The idle child will make it last the two hours, but a diligent one sets briskly to work, gets the task done first, and has then a happy hour for play, or reading some nice book, or helping some kind friend. How much better this is! First, they enjoy even the task, for brisk work is always pleasant work, while lazy work is dull and tiresome; second, they have the clear gain of a good hour's amusement; and third and most important, they have been forming a good habit. The time may come when the idle child must get through his hour's work in the hour, and then how hard his lazy habits will make it! while to the diligent child, who has never allowed himself to delay, it is still easy and pleasant. 2d. Then remember the good old proverbs: "What is well done is twice done;" "More haste than good speed."There is an idle way of doing work quickly, when you think only of getting to the end, and do not care how it is done. However great a bustle you may seem to be in, this deserves no better name than "busy idleness," for all the things so done are worth nothing, and therefore in the end it comes to much the same thing as if you had been sitting with your hands before you. Some children are more apt to fall into this impatient idleness, and others into dawdling idleness. Try to avoid both; and, that you may form instead a habit of steady diligence, remember my third rule. If 3d. Fix your mind on the one thing you are about.—This will help you both to do it well, and to do it quickly. you want to run fast across the field, to reach any thing, you do not go from side to side in a zigzag line, but straight across to it; and a little boy does not make much of jumping over a ditch in the middle, rather than turn aside. So, if you want to get a task done, go straight to it; do not let your thoughts go to one side and another after any thing else that comes into your giddy head; and if a difficulty comes, do not stop and turn aside. Do as the little boy does at the ditch,-put forth a little more strength, and you will spring over it. You have seen horses pulling a heavy weight up a hill, how they struggle at first starting, as if it was too much for them, but when they had got a start they pulled on with much more ease. If they had stopped, and had to start afresh every few steps, how much harder the hill would have been! Fixing your mind, is like starting the horses each time you let your thoughts wander, you have the extra labour of starting afresh. No wonder this makes all your tasks hard. Now I will give you three reasons for being diligent. 1st, For your own sake.—It will make you happy. Would you rather be like the crawling snail that leaves its slimy track behind it, than the blithe bee that hums so cheerily on the sunny heath, and drinks fresh sweets every hour? It will make you rich. Time is worth more than gold. A diligent man has time for work and time for pleasure; a sluggard is like a pauper, and has to give up what he most wishes, because he has no time for it. 2d, For your neighbour's sake. It will make you useful. The sluggard, who has no time for his own work, cannot find time to help others. I have heard persons remark, they had rather ask help from one who had much to do, than from one who had little. The busy man gets into diligent habits, which enable him to find time for his neighbour's wants as well as his own business. 3d, and chief of all, diligence enables you to glorify God." Herein is my Father glorified," says Jesus, "that ye bear much fruit." When we think how God loves us; what he has done for us; how little what the most diligent person can do seems in return; it would indeed be sad to make it still less, by those idle habits which unfit us for all work. Churchman's Penny Magazine. WESTON SCHOOL. MRS. JONES was the wife of a wealthy merchant: she was kind and liberal, and ever ready to assist the poor with money; but as, during her husband's lifetime, she was much taken up with other affairs, she never thought that the money she gave was often ill-bestowed, for want of due attention and inquiry. At this time, from the failure of some country banks and other causes, Mr. Jones failed in business, and soon after died, leaving his widow only a very small income; she was obliged to leave her comfortable house, and live very frugally in a small cottage in the village of Weston. Though a pious woman, she was too apt to indulge her sorrow; and though she never neglected the house of God, or to study his Word with prayer, yet she gave up too much time to melancholy thoughts, and grew quite inactive. Fortunately for her and for others, Mr. Simpson, the Vicar of Weston, happened to preach a charity sermon one Sunday from the parable of the Good Samaritan, and there was a collection afterwards at the church door. In going home, the Vicar met Mrs. Jones in tears; and on being asked the reason, she told him she was thus distressed because she was now unable to assist the poor as she had been used to do. 66 'Indeed, sir," added she, "I never regretted the loss of my fortune so much as this morning, when you bade us 'go and do likewise." "You do not," replied Mr. Simpson, " enter into the spirit of our Saviour's parable, if you think you cannot go and do likewise without being rich. In the case of the Samaritan you may observe that charity was afforded more by kindness, care, and medicine, than by money; and if you will allow me to speak plainly, dear madam, I have sometimes been. surprised that, with the leisure you have, you should not put. yourself in the way of being more useful." "Sir," said Mrs. Jones, "I am grown shy of the poor since I have nothing to give them." "Nothing! madam," replied the Vicar; "do you call your time, your talents, your kind offices, nothing? I will venture to say that you might do more good than the richest man in the parish could do merely by giving his money, if, instead of brooding over your own troubles, you would exert yourself to find out some of the many ways of doing much good with little or even without any money. You have lately been obliged to study economy for yourself, you can therefore instruct your poor neighbours in that important art; they need it, I assure you, quite as much as money. You can also use your influence for the good of the poor among your rich acquaintance. I am sure, if you will try, you will find many ways of showing your love to God and man, and, in doing so, will become a happier woman. Betty, my housekeeper, shall assist you in anything in which she can be useful." This conversation had even a better effect on Mrs. Jones than the good Vicar's sermon, and the very thought of giving |