diately. Prompt
obedience should be required. "John, bring me the broom," said a
mother. "Yes," said the boy, and went on with his own work. "John, how
often must I tell you before you obey?" asked the mother impatiently.
Then John went for the broom. But he had disobeyed, and his mother
should have laid down her work and taken John alone and explained what
obedience meant; indeed, he deserved to be punished, if this was his
usual way of obeying. But the mother never explained that needing to
be told twice was disobedience. Most parents are thoughtless about
commands, and after they have given a wrong or unwise command they are
too proud to confess it. I heard a mother say these wicked words: "If
I promise my child a whipping and find afterwards that he was not to
blame, I will whip him anyway to keep my word good." No sensible child
can have any respect for such a parent. A bad promise is always better
broken than kept. "Thomas," said a mother in my hearing the other day,
"I promised to let you and Mary visit Cousin John to-morrow, but I
forgot that these clothes must be taken home to-morrow evening, and I
will need you both to help. It was careless in me to make the promise
without thinking. I am sorry to disappoint you." "Well, mamma," said
Thomas, "sometimes I promise without thinking, and then I can't keep
my promise; so all right. I will stay and help." "God bless you, my
dear boy; I know we both see now how important it is to think before
we promise," was the mother's kind reply. You can see how this plan
brought the child in sympathy with the mother. When the child is old
enough, you should take time to reason with him about the justice of
your commands; but when very young, "Mamma says so" is reason enough.
(Hope. Nashville, Tenn.)

HINTS FOR OUR GIRLS.

It's not such a difficult matter to keep your room in order. After
your own particular domain is in order, learn to keep it so. Learn to
dispose of things as you handle them, and while dressing yourself you
will at the same time unconsciously be setting your room in order.

Have a dainty little catch-all upon the bureau, or hanging near it,
and whenever you see a stray thread or bit of dirt, which you can pick
up, don't neglect it, but let it's place be in the catch-all. This
precaution will make sweeping an easy task and save your room from
ever having a littered look. There will be no days of "putting things
to right," for they will be right all th