school house to sign it
that night. When he was president, "Old Uncle John," who induced him to
sign it, called on him at the White House and Lincoln said:

"I owe more to you than to almost any one of whom I can think. If I
had not signed the pledge in the days of my youthful temptation, I
should probably have gone the way of a majority of my early
companions, who lived drunkard's lives and are now filling
drunkard's graves."

After reconstruction, the next great question is the overthrow of the
liquor traffic.--Abraham Lincoln.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON

"Gentlemen I have now twice refused your request to partake of the
wine cup. That should be sufficient. I made a resolve when I started
in life, that I would avoid strong drink: I have never broken that
pledge. I am one of a class of seventeen young men who graduated;
the other sixteen fill drunkard's graves, all due to the pernicious
habit of wine drinking. I owe my health, happiness and prosperity to
the fact I have never broken my pledge of total abstinence. I trust
you will not again urge me to do so."

This noble answer was given to friends who were dining with him at the
old Washington House in Chester, Pa., when he was a candidate for
president.

XXII

BIBLE STUDY AND MEMORY WORK

AIMS IN BIBLE STUDY.--SELF-CONTROL.--TRAINING THE MEMORY AND
VOICE.--DIVINE TRUTH THE NEED OF ALL.--ONE BOOK IN THE HOME.--COMMITTED
TO MEMORY.--THE BIBLE ONLY IN SUNDAY SCHOOL.--A LIFE-LONG GOLDEN
TREASURE.--A FOUNTAIN OF BLESSING.--UPLIFTING POWER IN NEW HEBRIDES.

"Hold fast the form of sound words; ... that ye may be able to give
to every one that asketh, a reason of the hope that is in
you."--Paul.

The development of the Bible-memory work, that, during the later years
of this period, moved forward very rapidly, was one of small beginnings
and slow progress at first. The meetings were held at half past two
o'clock on Sabbath afternoons.

The girls were formed into one class and their meeting was held in the
sitting room of the Girls' Hall. The boys met immediately afterwards in
the office of the superintendent in the Boys' Hall.

The weekly lesson consisted in committing to memory five to seven verses
in the more important chapters of the New Testament and Psalms,
commencing with the ten commandments in Exodus XX, 1-17. The passages
assigned were read and studied every week in