King Habit

" I won't "write tbis letter ! I cant do it ! This hatef'ul old paper !" and Frank took up the sheet and tore t to piejes, aud threw it down with a twitch aud jerk, whieh brought to his mothor's lipa a smiltí, Ihough a saddened ono, at the quick-coming thought of her by having gained so littlo relf-ooutrol. " Yhy, Frank, my boy, what troubles 'ou so much ?" she said, rising and trokiug back tho long, w.avy hair iïom lis white forehead " What ia it disurbs y ou so as to draw out this display f wrong temper ?" "This ugly paper with not a line in . ! I cau't write a straight word ; it's oough to try an earthly suint, like you, mother, let aloue an frhpátíént sóhoó'l)oy, who wanta to be off to play. I wish there was DOt a sheet of uuruled aper in the world." " What should I do, then, Frank, nd many others who uever write upon uled paper ? Why, when T was a lite girl, - you need not lonk 80 inoreduous, for I was a litllo girl once, and as ueasy a:id restless as any little girl ould be, - but what I was going to say as, theu it waa not considered very ■editable to depend upon lmes. If we ïad them to slip under our papor we were apt to hide them if our teacher or p&rcnts came near." '' Why, what'a the harm in lines or ruled paper mother ? I cau't see it." " It is far better to acenstom the eye to form its own line ; it gives it a habit of precisión and correctuess which is invaluublo; but the most important thiog is that we should never allow ourselves to become dependent upon aoything ; we should strive to be free of Bverj shacklo but those of right aud duty. Now in the matter of vvriting,- if I may judg(3 by your eft'ervescenee of tempor, - you are a perleot elave to lines. I have often seen you give up a letter which you should have completed, or growl over a compositiou, beeause 37ou could not write iu a straight line across the paper. Now are you williug to have King Lines to rule over all the wriling you expect to do in your day V" " I dou't seebut you arejust as tquch óf a slave, mother, to no lines. for you dou't like to write on rulcd paper, any more thau I do on unruled. " Yes, my boy, but I can write with lines; though, I must confesa, I am more apt to write between theuj, frotu the forco of early teaching ; but I am not depeudent upon unrulcd paper, therefore I have no King No unes to control me. But I want you to think bow inany rnastors you will have il' you aüow yourself to feol you can't do tlits, and that you mast have things eo aud-so, or you eau do nothing. If I was Frank Ray, I would say I would be king over myself ; and that no impertinent I i 1 1 Ie jabit ehould rule over me. I would not et the young fox in, whiuh, when itgets old, would gnaw out all the vitality and streugth of my will. Depend upon it, Frauk, it is these little things, - tho couquering your own yiolJing to obstacles, tho düierminauon to go straight on to the mastcry of every diffioulty, - vvkich will farm the ouly true foundation of a manlv, .solf-relying character ; one dependtmt only upon his God, aud hi. own streugth baptizud inte firrn principie by religious iaith and trust, Now try, my boy, and write your letter. Seo what you eau do." " O, mother, I don't belieee I can do anythiog with it." " If you begin with that idea, Frank, you can't do anything; f'ear and doubt bogot inabihty. ' I can,' ' I will,' are mucli betler words for a motto thañ' I cau't.' " " Wel', mother, suppose I take it and say, ' I will' play truant, and see the show to-morrow ; is it a good motto then ?" " I can't jest on such things, Frank. You have been broiïght up to know right f rom wrong. You can ttll uhen the ' I will' should bo used, aud know that it never sliould be for any Helf-iuclulgence which leads to the negleot of any known duty. 'I won't.' is tbe word then. But if you lay your trook rightly now, you will find you will tjot be obüged to put on the brakes of ' I won't' very often ; but your car of life will run smoothly along on the track of active duty. It all dopends upon your laying the sleepers and the rails, whioh you are doing now every day - aye, hour." - Vhristian Register. "'The diffrrence between Qrant and myself,1 paid General Slierman, ' is this : I fear no danger that I can eco, and Graut fears noue that he cau't see.' "