mother took a great deal of pains to teach her little boy, so that he might know his duty; and she prayed for him every day, that he might have a heart to do his duty as well as know it. She used to hear him repeat the commandments every Sabbath evening. But at one time I believe there was sickness in the family, and Willy's mother was very much occupied; and for two or three Sabbaths Willy's lessons were omitted.

One day Willy was playing in the next yard with another little boy about his own age, and his mother, who was but a little way off from them, heard her own dear boy use a bad word. O, how it went to her heart! She did not once think that Willy would do so. The word he used was not the name of God, nor was it really swearing; but it was one of those words like I swan," which father says boys begin with when they are afraid to swear; yet it made Willy's mother feel almost as bad as if the word was ever so wicked, for she knew that using such words is the beginning of swearing.

Willy's mother called him in, and she sat down and had

do which pained his mother? Was it the name of God? What was it like ? Is that the way boys begin to learn to swear? If Willy had heard the name

a very serious talk with him. She did not treat nim harshly, for he was a very little boy, and did not know at all the meaning of such words; but he had said it in imi tation of some other little boys. If Willy had heard the name of God spoken in play, he would have known it was wrong; but his mother had not talked with him about, these other words. Now his mother talked about these. Poor little Willy felt very sad. It grieved him to think that he had pained his mother, for he loved her very much. Just then it came to his mind that he had not recently recited his Sabbath lessons as usual; and he said, partly in excuse for himself, but evidently with much tenderness, "Well, you ought to teach me the commandments." Willy's mother felt the rebuke, and after that she was more punctual than ever in teaching her dear little boy the Ten Commandments.

Sometimes at school we hear the children call each other by nicknames. This is not swearing, but it is very improper and unkind; and our mother tells us that those

of God used in play, would he have known it to be wrong? What did his mother now teach him? What did Willy say in excuse? Do you ever hear children call others by nicknames? Is it a wrong habit? If you do so, what

who allow themselves to do so will be growing more and more unkind in their feelings, and unamiable. She says it is a very bad habit. None but rude and boisterous children get the habit; and such are generally marked, not among the best scholars in school, but among the worst. I hope we may not distress our parents by getting any such habits; for it would be very ungrateful to them, as well as displeasing to God.

THE HONEST BOY.

Once there was a little boy

With curly hair and pleasant eye-
A boy who always told the truth,
And never, never told a lie.

And when he trotted off to school,
The children all about would cry,
"There goes the curly-headed boy,

The boy that never tells a lie.”

effect will it have upon you? What sort of children are they who do so? If you do so, to whom will you be ungrateful? Who will you displease?

And every body loved him so,

Because he always told the truth, That every day, as he grew up,

'Twas said, "There goes the honest youth."

And when the people that stood near

Would turn to ask the reason why,

The answer would be always this: "Because he never tells a lie."

7

I MUST BE HONEST AND NEVER TELL A LIE.

I READ a sad story, not long since, of a little girl who took her teacher's needle book. It was a bright-red silk one, and little Jane wanted it very much.

The teacher had several other needle books; so Jane thought she might take that one, and it would not be much missed, or at least the teacher would not say much about

Questions. What did the little girl take which was not her own? Why