THE CHEERFUL SERVANT

The influence of the cook, chambermaid, butler, dining-room girl, or the baby's nurse, on the life of a household is beyond computation. A cheerful,

faithful servant con

tributes not only to the physical comfort. and well-being of a family, but she in a measure strengthens the moral life.

Meals served on time, served willingly and nicely-to what extent do they not conserve household health and harmony! There is a medal of honor conferred by the German Empress on servant girls who have remained in the same family a certain term of years. If any class of people in the world deserve to be literally covered with decorations of distinction, it is those who, by their brew

ing and scrubbing, feed the world. and keep its dwelling-places sweet and clean. "Who sweeps a room as by God's law makes that and the action fine," wrote George Herbert. in the seventeenth century. When servants and mistresses and masters become thoroughly grounded in that

belief, the servant problem will be solved. It cannot be properly settled until then. The average servant does not seem to have a high sense of her obligations towards her employers. She will often leave a place without due notice. Is your master or mistress unappreciative, O servant? Then do you serve all the more faithfully, doing everything you can within reasonable bounds, and so, put God in your debt. Be true to your work and your work will be

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true to you." Remember, too, your master or mistress in prayer before God. You do not know what cares and responsibilities they bear. Some of the worries that make them a little difficult at times may be connected with raising or saving the money to pay you your wage. And you, masters and mistresses, think of your servants as being somewhat to you in Christ's stead― who was the servant of all. To require good work is right-it were no kindness to your servant to lower the standard there. Seek, rather, to bring it to the highest degree of excellence by kindly oversight and appreciation.

THE HAPPY SCHOOLMASTER

Father had his usual school festival," Louisa Alcott writes of the Sage of Concord," and Emerson asked me to write a song, which I did. The schools all met in the Hall, a pretty posy bed, with a border of proud parents and friends. Some of the fogies objected to the names of Phillips and John Brown in my poem, but Emerson said, "Give it up? No, no; I will read it." Which he did, to my great contentment; for when the great man of the town says 'Do it,' the thing is done. So the choir warbled, and the Alcott's were lifted up in their vain minds. Father was in glory, like a happy shepherd with a large flock of sportive lambs; for all did something. Each school had its badge;— one pink ribbons, one green shoulder-knots, and one wreaths of popcorn on the curly pates. One school to which father had read Pilgrim's Progress told the story, one child after the other popping up to say his or her part; and at the end a little tot walked forward saying, with a pretty air of wonder, And behold it was all a dream.'

"When all was over and father about to dismiss them, a tall, handsome lad came to him, and, looking up confidingly to the benign old face, asked ' our dear friend, Mr. Alcott, to accept Pilgrim's Progress and George Hubert's Poems from the children of Concord, as a token of their love and respect.'

"Father was much touched and surprised, and blushed and stammered like a boy, hugging the five books while the children cheered till the roof rang. His report was much admired, and a thousand copies printed to supply the demand; for it was a new thing to have a report neither dry nor dull; and teachers were glad of the hints given, making education a part of religion, not a mere bread-making grind for teacher, and an irksome cram for children.”

Mr. Alcott's main purpose in teaching children was, in his own words, "to form the character, mental and moral, of the pupils"; and he had an idea that making them happy was a necessary part of the process. "I found these children very intelligent, and succeeded in making them happy while at the schoolroom. . . Four more children have appeared. Thus far all have been happy," are entries in his diary when, in the early years of his life as a teacher, he was instructing little folks in Common street, Boston. The vocation of teaching is an exalted one. The teacher molds character, and it is often in his or her power to determine the future of many lives.

Happiness is much more evenly divided than some of us imagine. One man may possess most of the materials, but little of the thing; another may possess much of the thing, but very few of the materials. In this particular view of it, happiness has been beautifully compared to the manna of the desert: "he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." Therefore, to diminish envy, let us consider not what others possess, but what they enjoy; mere riches may be the gift of lucky accident or blind chance, but happiness must be the result of prudent preference and rational design; the highest happiness, then, can have no other foundation than the deepest wisdom.

MORAL SUNSHINE

"The world would look better and brighter," said Sir John Lubbock, "if people were taught the duty of being happy, as well as the happiness of doing

our duty. To be happy ourselves is a most effectual contribution to the happiness of others."

"I won't know what to do," cries the transformed Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken. man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! Halloa, there! Whoop! Halloa!"

David Coombe, in his old English cobbler's shop, said dolefully: "It is the darkest hole

that ever I saw; never a bit of sun comes in this place, summer or winter." A vision came to the dozing cobbler, in angel form, saying: "I will tell you how to set a trap for a sunbeam. It must be bright and pure, baited with Energy, Perseverance, Industry, Charity, Faith, Hope and Content. Do this, David Coombe, and you will never say again that no sunbeam gilds your dwelling or gladdens your declining days." The first step David took was to clean the dust and dirt of years from the window-panes of his cobbler's shop. Then the sunbeams came in, a whole family of them; and they came to stay.

Have you ever read the story of Billy Bray? He was a most remarkable

and original character. The dominating characteristic of his religion was its joyousness. Some people did not like his exuberance of spirit; and they told him that if he did not cease to praise God so much in the meetings they would shut him up in a barrel. "Then," said Billy, "I'll praise the Lord through the bunghole."

"The joy of the Lord is your strength," said Nehemiah to the throngs of Israel.

Of Lord Holland's sunshiny face, Rogers said: "He always comes to breakfast like a man upon whom some sudden good fortune has fallen."

"Many years ago," says Oliver Wendell Holmes, “in walking among the graves at Mount Auburn, I came upon a plain, upright marble slab, which bore an epitaph of only four words, but to my mind they meant more than any of the labored inscriptions on the surrounding monuments-She was so pleasant.' That was all, and it was enough. That one note revealed the music of a life of which I knew and asked nothing more. She was

A happy soul, that all the way

To heaven had made a summer day.

Miss Cheerful cannot be called pretty. Seeing her for the first time, one cannot help thinking, even if he does not say it, What a plain face!" Yet her friends never think of it. The juniors at Sunday School, who love her as their superintendent, never think of it. Farthest of all is the thought from those in the home that is wonderfully brightened by her presence..

In a group picture of the family, Miss Cheerful's face is seen among the rest. Did I say she is plain? In this picture she fairly outshines them all. Why? Just because she is herself. She is Miss Cheerful.

The little girl bade "Good morning" to the sun for waking her up, and her birdie: then she asked her mother's permission, and softly, reverently, gladly, bade" Good morning" to God-and why should she not?

There is ever sunshine somewhere; and the brave man will go his way rejoicing, content to look forward if under a cloud, not bating one jot of heart or hope if for a moment cast down.-Orison Swett Marden.

THE PATIENT WIFE

I think that one of the earliest ideas I had of the beauty of patience I received from the wife of a shipmaster. They had drifted off to Indiana, somehow. They were very poor; they lived in the deepest poverty; and yet-though he was a brute and a tyrant; though she suffered everything that flesh and heart could bear; though she had an exquisite taste, and nothing to cultivate it or gratify it; though she had warm affections, and nothing to feed them; and though she had noble aspirations, with almost no opportunity except that which faith gives to all-such perfect, serene, smiling patience I never saw till then, and I have never seen since.-Beecher.