what he was, and what results he had achieved in that
time. It was filled with trials and temptations, not all of which were
overcome without care and privation. Often he failed, was often
disappointed, and often was pained to see how feebly the Spirit warred
against the Flesh.
He loved money, and avarice frequently prompted him to do those things
which would have wrecked his bright hopes. That vision of the grandeur
and influence of the rich man's position sometimes deluded him,
causing him to forget at times that the soul would live forever, while
the body and its treasures would perish in the grave. As he grew
older, he reasoned more; his principles became more firmly fixed; and
the object of existence assumed a more definite character. He was an
attentive student, and every year not only made him wiser, but better.
I do not mean to say that Harry was a remarkably good boy, that his
character was perfect, or anything of the kind. He meant well, and
tried to do well, and he did not struggle in vain against the trials
and temptations that beset him. I dare say those with whom he
associated did not consider him much better than themselves. It is
true, he did not swear, did not frequent the haunts of vice and
dissipation, did not spend his Sundays riding about the country; yet
he had his faults, and captious people did not fail to see them.
He was still with Wake & Wade, though he was a salesman now, on a
salary of five dollars a week. He still boarded with Mrs. Flint,
though Edward was no longer his room-mate. A year had been sufficient
to disgust his "fast" companion with the homely fare and homely
quarters of his father's house; and, as his salary was now eight
dollars a week, he occupied a room in the attic of a first-class
hotel.
Harry was sixteen years old, and he had three hundred dollars in the
Savings Bank. He might have had more if he had not so carefully
watched and guarded against the sin of avarice. He gave some very
handsome sums to the various public charities, as well as expended
them in relieving distress wherever it presented itself. It is true,
it was sometimes very hard work to give of his earnings to relieve the
poor; and if he had acted in conformity with the nature he had
inherited, he might never have known that it was "more blessed to give
than to receive." As he grew older, and the worth of money was more
apparent, he was tempted to let the poor and the unfortunate take care
of themselves
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