The Orphan's Home Mittens and George's Account of the Battle of Roanoke Island

"I don't know, sir. I expect because Ben and Charley and the rest didn't care anything for their Bibles; so I gave up reading."

"Then you have not proved what Dr. S. said, have you?"

"No, sir."

"And you are no nearer being a Christian than you were last New Year's?"

"No, sir," replied Joel, feeling uncomfortable and mortified by these searching questions. His father proceeded:

"'Second: I am resolved to remember the Golden Rule in all my conduct toward my brothers and sisters.' Well, how has that fared?"

"I've kept that, part of the time, I'm sure; not always, I suppose."

"Then you don't remember having broken it?"

"No – yes, sir; I broke it to-day when I teased Ellie."

"Is that the only time you remember?"

"I broke it last Saturday when I went off with Harry's sled."

"And yesterday when you ran off and left Benny crying alone on the sidewalk, and Christmas day when you chose the best book, and – "

"Pray, don't go on, father, don't tell me any more," interrupted poor Joel, reddening more and more as his father recalled the things he had quite forgotten. "I know I can't keep that rule; I don't believe any boy keeps it."

"You know that you have not kept it; not that you can not keep it. Well, let us go on: 'Third, I am resolved to tell the whole and exact truth always.' How about this?"

Joel's conscience and memory, now pretty wide awake, began to murmur accusations on this point too. He had always scorned to tell an open, deliberate lie, and he knew he could say Yes to a question on that point. But he felt that "the whole and exact truth" was a little different, and he feared his father's memory would be better than his, so he stammered out, "I haven't told a lie this year past; you know I couldn't, father."

"But that is not all your resolution demands. Don't you ever go beyond the truth or stop short of it, in school or in play?"

"I'm afraid I do, sir," faltered Joel, deeply humbled to be called upon for this confession.

"Do you sometimes hide what you ought to confess, or tell a story so as to conceal your share of the blame and throw it on some one else? Can you remember any such cases?

"Yes, sir, I think of some things," said he, knowing well that his father was thinking of particular cases, fresh also to his own memory. Conscience and memory were becoming most uncomfortable monitors.

Here Mr. Goodwill stirred the fire till its bright blaze fell on all objects, bringing them clearly out of the twilight, and then went on, though Joel said he thought they had better not read any more. "Fourth, I am resolved not to be absent from school or late once this year, if I am well."

"I went to Uncle Joe's in the spring, you know, so of course I couldn't keep that."

"You went from choice, though."

"Yes, sir; but I did keep it up a month, I know."

His father then went more rapidly over the remaining resolutions, simply desiring him when he came to one he was sure of having kept, to speak. These were of various degrees of importance; resolves to be first in his Latin class, to obtain a certain prize at school, to drink no tea and coffee, to give up by-words, &c. To no one of all these could Joel say Aye, excepting to the coffee and tea resolution. That, with help from his mother, he had carried out.

The reason why this exposure was particularly mortifying, was because Joel was quite proud of being considered a pretty good boy. He had seldom been so much humbled before. After a little pause his father said, kindly, seeing the boy's troubled face, "You thought you should do all these things when you wrote this, did you not?"

"Yes, sir. I felt sure of it."

"What is the reason you failed?"

"I don't know. I didn't try, I suppose."

"Yes, you did try, for you kept your promises partially."

"I tried awhile, but I didn't stick to it."

"Very true. Do you remember something Solomon says about searching for wisdom?"

"I don't remember."

"He says, he that would have wisdom must search for her as for silver, and seek her as a man seeks hid treasure. You seek wisdom when you set before you such resolutions as these. Now if a man believes there is gold in a certain place, he keeps digging and digging for weeks, till he strikes the vein. If he were sure it was there, I presume he would labor for it for years. But what if, when he comes to a rock, he should throw down his pick and desert the field? Has he gained anything?"

"No, sir."

"But has lost all his time and labor, and is further from fortune than ever, by the force of shiftless, unsteady habits. Now this is a case similar to yours. You are further from being generous and true and persevering, in short from possessing Christian character, than you were this time a year ago. By your carelessness and idleness, you came out of your field without a grain of gold. Besides, by making resolves and breaking them continually, you are losing all moral power and all confidence in yourself. It were better to make no promises than to be guilty of breaking so many."

Joel's convictions were fast overcoming his feelings, and the tears were starting when he asked, "What shall I do, then, if I mustn't make any more resolutions, father?"

"I do not say you must not make any more resolutions; but before you make them, count the cost of keeping them. You must not break any more resolutions. One great secret of failure is, that you get discouraged because you are not perfect. Now, if you fail one day, you should not give up, but make haste to reach your old ground to-morrow. In regard to these resolutions, probably you were not sufficiently in earnest in the first place; but in the next place, you were not wise, when you first failed a little, to give up all because you could not do all. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir; do you think it is worth while for me to try this year? I do want to do right!"

"Certainly I do. By your failure you have learned a lesson which will keep you both careful and humble in future. I will help you by warning, and God will help you; but you must rely chiefly on your own strong determination. 'The kingdom of heaven' (that is, the attainment of righteousness, such as you set before you in your New Year's resolutions) 'suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.'"

Joel has commenced anew to follow one or two all-important resolutions; how he will succeed, the year, as its daily pages are written, will keep record. Let all children who have shared his failure, and they are not a few, start afresh with him to share his victory, making his first resolution, to "hold fast that which is good."

    I. G. O.

"Ah! what a good story this is," said I, as I finished reading, "I wish you would all try to keep some of these resolutions."

"So we will," they cried.

"I don't think you will be successful at first. I know that I should break them many times; but if you ask God to help you, you may in time be able to overcome the continual temptation to break them."

Then we had a long friendly talk together; and I saw, here and there, a beautiful trait, or noble impulse, in these poor orphan boys. They were rude to each other, but they were not mean; and I felt sure that, rightly trained, they would become, in time, good boys and good men.

"Suppose, my dear boys," I said, "I get pen, ink, and paper, and write out these resolutions, for each of you to keep a copy in your pockets; they will help to remind you. I will only ask you to try to keep them. Will you promise me this much?"

They all said they would try as hard as they could.

"Will you promise me to pray to God to help you?"

They promised this with downcast eyes and serious faces.

Then I said: "Well, let us see how you can mind me to begin. I am going into the committee room for the pen, ink, and paper. I expect you to sit quite still, till I come back; will you promise me this?"