Then, stick by stick, and twig by twig,
The little children and the big,

Following the words their father spoke,
Each sprig, and spray they quickly broke;

"There, father!" all began to cry,

"I've broken mine!--and I!--and I!"
Replied the sire, ""Twas my intent
My family to represent!

While you are joined in friendship's throng,
My dearest children, you'll be strong;
But if by quarrel and dispute

You undermine affection's root,

And thus the strength'ning cord divide,
Then will my children ill betide;
E'en beasts of prey in bands unite,
And kindly for each other fight;
And shall not every Christian be,
Join'd in sweet links of amity?
If sep'rate, you will each be weak;
Each, like a single stick, will break;
But if you 're firm, and true, and hearty,
The world, and all its spite, can't part ye."
The father having closed his lesson,
Proceeded to pronounce his blessing :
Embraced them all, then pray'd and sigh'd,
Look'd up, and droop'd his head--and died.

-"TEMPERANCE RECITER."

THE LION AND THE FOUR BULLS.

Four bulls, which had entered into a very strict friendship, kept always near one another, and fed together. The lion often saw them, and as often had a mind to make one of them his prey; but, though he could easily

have subdued any of them singly, yet he was afraid to attack the whole alliance, as knowing they would have been too hard for him, and therefore contented himself, for the present, with keeping at a distance. At last, perceiving no attempt was to be made upon them, as long as this combination held, he took occasion, by whispers and hints to foment jealousies, and raise divisions among them. This stratagem succeeded so well, that the bulls grew cold and reserved towards one another, which soon after ripened into a downright hatred and aversion and, at last, ended in a total separation. The lion had now obtained his ends, and, as impossible as it was for him to hurt them, while they were united, he found no difficulty, now they were parted, to seize and devour every bull of them, one after another.

:

-"ESOP'S FABLES."

156. VANITY AND HUMILITY.

VANITY.

The egotist is one who seems to try

To quell all other creatures with his I.

What is that, which though always invisible is never out of sight? Ans. The letter "I."

But man, proud man!

Dressed in a little brief authority;

Most ignorant of what he's most assured,
His glassy essence-like an angry ape,

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven,
As make the angels weep.

-SHAKESPEARE.

Entangled in a hundred worldly snares,
Self-seeking men, by ignorance deluded,
Strive by unrighteous means to pile up riches.
Then in their self-complacency, they say,
'This acquisition I have made to-day,
That I will gain to-morrow; so much pelf
Is hoarded up already, so much more
Remains that I have yet to treasure up.
This enemy I have destroyed, him also
And others in their turn I will despatch.
I am a lord; I will enjoy myself;

I'm wealthy, noble, strong, successful, happy;
I'm absolutely perfect; no one else

In all the world can be compared to me.
Now I will offer up a sacrifice,

Give gifts with lavish hand and be triumphant.'

Such men, befooled by endless, vain conceits,
Caught in the meshes of the world's illusion,
Immersed in sensuality, descend

Down to the foulest hell of unclean spirits.*
-"BHAGAVAD-GÎTÂ."

Vain men delight in telling what honours have been done them, what great company they have kept, and the like, by which they plainly confess that these honours were more than their due, and such as their friends would not believe, if they had not been told; whereas a man truly proud thinks the honours below his merit, and scorns to boast.

-SWIFT.

Most men set the utmost value precisely on what other people think, and are more concerned about it than about what goes on in their own consciousness, which is the thing most immediately and directly present to them. They reverse the natural order.

*

In all we do, almost the first thing we think about is, what will people say; and nearly half the troubles and bothers of life may be traced to our anxiety on this score it is the anxiety, which is at the bottom of all that feeling of self-importance, which is so often mortified because it is so very morbidly sensitive. It is solicitude about what others will say that underlies all our vanity and pretension, yes, and all our show and swagger too. Without it, there would not be a tenth

part of the luxury which exists.†

-SCHOPENHAUER.

*From Indian Wisdom by Monier Williams.

From The Wisdom of Life, translated by Saunders.

"They don't make as good mirrors as they used to," remarked an old maid, as she observed a sunken eye, wrinkled face, and livid complexion in a new looking-glass she had just purchased.

He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is under a still greater deception.

-ROCHEFOUCAULD.

There is one thing worse than ignorance, and that is conceit. We cannot drive common sense into the head of a conceited person.

Self-conceited people are always first to take a slight and always last to forget it.

Often but little rain falls from a thundering cloud.

-ARABIC PROVERB.

Empty vessels make the greatest sound.

Deep rivers move with silent majesty; shallow brooks are noisy.

Straws swim upon the surface but pearls lie at the bottom.

There's many a slip between the cup and the lip. It was a just answer of Solon to to Croesus, who showed him all his treasure; "Yes, Sir, but if another should come with better iron than you, he would be master of all this gold."