an ill-natured and morose disposition,
happening to pass by and see his paper, thinks he will sit down and
write upon it a few lines, just to plague and vex the one who was called
away. We will also suppose that I call another boy to me, who, I have
reason to believe, is a sincere Christian, and say to him, 'Here is a
new duty for you to perform this afternoon. This piece of poetry is to
be copied; now do it carefully and faithfully. You know that this
morning you committed yourself to God's care during the day; now
remember he has been watching you all the time, thus far, and he will be
noticing you all the time you are doing this; he will be pleased if you
do your duty faithfully.'

"The boys thus all go to writing. Now suppose a stranger should come in,
and seeing them all busy, should say to me,

"'What are all these boys doing?'

"'They are writing.'

"'What are they writing?'

"'They are writing a piece of poetry.'

"'They seem to be very busy; they are very industrious, good boys.'

"'Oh no! it is not by any means certain that they are _good_ boys.'

"'I mean that they are good boys _now_; that they are doing right at
_this time_.'

"'_That_ is not certain; some of them are doing right and some are doing
very wrong; though they are all writing the same piece of poetry.'

"The stranger would perhaps look surprised while I said this, and would
ask an explanation, and I might properly reply as follows.

"'Whether the boys are, at this moment, doing right, or wrong, depends
not so much upon what they are doing, as upon the feelings of the heart
with which they are doing it. I acknowledge that they are all doing the
same thing outwardly,--they are all writing the same extract, and they
are all doing it attentively and carefully, but they are thinking of
very different things.'

"'What are they thinking of?'

"Do you see that boy?' I might say, pointing to one of them. His name is
M.' He is writing for money. He is saying to himself all the time, 'I
hope I shall get the quarter of a dollar.' He is calculating what he
shall buy with it, and every good or bad letter that he makes, he is
considering the chance whether he shall succeed or fail in obtaining
it.'

"'What is the next boy to him thinking of?'

"'His name is B. He is copying to oblige a little fellow, whom he
scarcely knows, and is trying to make his copy handsome so as to give
him pleasure. He is thinking how gratified his schoolmate will b