it into
strength, and fasten it with silken buttons?

The great art leader, John Ruskin, who has written so many books to
teach people that all beautiful things have their use, and that things
that are not truthful can never be beautiful, would say, I think, that
the workmanship upon the tailor bird's nest exactly fitted his idea of
the "true and the beautiful," because there is no ornament which has
not its use. The silk buttons are not placed there for show; they
fasten the silken lacing.

We could not say as much for many a fine lady's dress, where dozens of
buttons that fasten nothing are seen.

HE WAS A GENTLEMAN.

Some amusing stories are told of the wit and wisdom of London school
children. A class of boys in a Board School was being examined orally
in Scripture. The history of Moses had been for some time a special
study, and one of the examiners asked,--"What would you say of the
general character of Moses?"

"He was meek," said one boy.

"Brave," said another.

"Learned," added a third boy.

"Please, sir," piped forth a pale-faced, neatly dressed lad; "he was a
gentleman!"

"A gentleman!" asked the examiner. "How do you make that out?"

The boy promptly replied, in the same thin, nervous voice,--"Please,
sir, when the daughters of Jethro went to the well to draw water, the
shepherds came and drove them away; and Moses helped the daughters of
Jethro, and said to the shepherds,--'Ladies first, please,
gentlemen.'"

TIME FOR BED.

Ding-dong! ding-dong!
The bells are ringing for bed, Johnnie--
The bells are ringing for bed.
I see them swing,
I hear them ring,
And I see you nod your head.

The bells are ringing for bed, Johnnie--
They are ringing soft and slow;
And while they ring,
And while they swing,
It's off to bed we'll go.

THE VALUE OF A GOOD NAME.

Samuel Appleton, a distinguished Boston merchant, was once sued for a
note, found among the papers of a deceased merchant tailor, and signed
with his name. The handwriting was exactly like his own, but he
declared it to be a forgery, albeit his own brother said he could not
positively say it was not Mr. Appleton's writing, though he believed
it could not be genuine. The Judge was against Mr. Appleton, but the
jury found a verdict in his favor, because they were confident that
nothing could induce him to dispute the payment of a note