NEW-YEARS RESOLUTIONS.
It was New Year's evening, and the parlors, not yet lighted, were warm and quiet, when Joel Goodwill walked listlessly in and sat down in an easy chair before the grate.
"Now is a first-rate chance to think what I will do this year," said he to himself. He thought he was alone; but he had been there only a few minutes when some one spoke to him from the back parlor. It was his father.
"Why, father, you there?" said Joel. "I thought there was no one here."
"Come here, my son," said his father. Joel obeyed, and found his father sitting before the fire in the other room; he sat down on his knee.
"I have just been reviewing my past year, and laying some plans for this New Year; have you had any such thoughts, Joel?" asked his father.
"Yes, sir," replied Joel, soberly.
"You have been making good resolutions then for the future, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir; I'm going to turn over a new leaf, and do first-rate in school this year, and home too."
"Have you looked over your past year pretty closely?"
"Not so very much."
"Have you come up to the purpose of the good resolutions you made last New Year's?"
"No, sir, I expect not; I can't remember very well all I've done, or what they were."
"Seems to me you drew up a copy of resolves then, didn't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Suppose you go and get them, and and let us look them over."
Joel said he didn't believe he could find them; he hadn't seen them for ever so long. However, he went up to his little room, and fortunately alighted upon them quite readily, in a little drawer where he kept his certificates of merit, and some other choice things.
On his way down stairs he tried to remember what there was written on the paper; but he could not recall a line. He only recollected that he was sitting at his father's secretary drawing up his "resolutions," last New Year's day, when he came suddenly behind him with a beautiful new leather satchel for him, and that he took up the paper and talked a little about it. When he reached the parlor he handed the paper to his father, remarking, "We can't see to read by the fire."
"I think we shall make it out," replied he, turning it up so that all the fire-light might reflect from it. It was written in a large, clear hand, Joel's handsomest, and was quite legible there.
"Let us see now what you meant to do last New Year."
Joel, with some secret misgivings about the proceeding, took his seat again on his father's knee, who commenced:
"January 1, 1861.—Resolutions for my conduct during the coming year: 'First—I shall read in the Bible and pray faithfully every day. Dr. S. told the children last Sunday that any child who persevered in this for one year would certainly become a Christian, and I am resolved to become a Christian.'"
Here his father paused. Joel was looking very gravely into the fire.
"Well, Joel, has that resolution been kept?"
"No, sir, not long."
"How long was it kept?"
"I don't know. I kept it pretty good for a while, I know; maybe till I went away to uncle's in March."
"What caused you to give it up?"
"I don't know, sir. I expect because Ben and Charley and the rest didn't care anything for their Bibles; so I gave up reading."
"Then you have not proved what Dr. S. said, have you?"
"No, sir."
"And you are no nearer being a Christian than you were last New Year's?"
"No, sir," replied Joel, feeling uncomfortable and mortified by these searching questions. His father proceeded:
"'Second: I am resolved to remember the Golden Rule in all my conduct toward my brothers and sisters.' Well, how has that fared?"
"I've kept that, part of the time, I'm sure; not always, I suppose."
"Then you don't remember having broken it?"
"No—yes, sir; I broke it to-day when I teased Ellie."
"Is that the only time you remember?"
"I broke it last Saturday when I went off with Harry's sled."
"And yesterday when you ran off and left Benny crying alone on the sidewalk, and Christmas day when you chose the best book, and—"
"Pray, don't go on, father, don't tell me any more," interrupted poor Joel, reddening more and more as his father recalled the things he had quite forgotten. "I know I can't keep that rule; I don't believe any boy keeps it."
"You know that you have not kept it; not that you can not keep it. Well, let us go on: 'Third, I am resolved to tell the whole and exact truth always.' How about this?"
Joel's conscience and memory, now pretty wide awake, began to murmur accusations on this point too. He had always scorned to tell an open, deliberate lie, and he knew he could say Yes to a question on that point. But he felt that "the whole and exact truth" was a little different, and he feared his father's memory would be better than his, so he stammered out, "I haven't told a lie this year past; you know I couldn't, father."
"But that is not all your resolution demands. Don't you ever go beyond the truth or stop short of it, in school or in play?"
"I'm afraid I do, sir," faltered Joel, deeply humbled to be called upon for this confession.
"Do you sometimes hide what you ought to confess, or tell a story so as to conceal your share of the blame and throw it on some one else? Can you remember any such cases?
"Yes, sir, I think of some things," said he, knowing well that his father was thinking of particular cases, fresh also to his own memory. Conscience and memory were becoming most uncomfortable monitors.
Here Mr. Goodwill stirred the fire till its bright blaze fell on all objects, bringing them clearly out of the twilight, and then went on, though Joel said he thought they had better not read any more. "Fourth, I am resolved not to be absent from school or late once this year, if I am well."
"I went to Uncle Joe's in the spring, you know, so of course I couldn't keep that."
"You went from choice, though."
"Yes, sir; but I did keep it up a month, I know."
His father then went more rapidly over the remaining resolutions, simply desiring him when he came to one he was sure of having kept, to speak. These were of various degrees of importance; resolves to be first in his Latin class, to obtain a certain prize at school, to drink no tea and coffee, to give up by-words, &c. To no one of all these could Joel say Aye, excepting to the coffee and tea resolution. That, with help from his mother, he had carried out.
The reason why this exposure was particularly mortifying, was because Joel was quite proud of being considered a pretty good boy. He had seldom been so much humbled before. After a little pause his father said, kindly, seeing the boy's troubled face, "You thought you should do all these things when you wrote this, did you not?"
"Yes, sir. I felt sure of it."
"What is the reason you failed?"
"I don't know. I didn't try, I suppose."
"Yes, you did try, for you kept your promises partially."
"I tried awhile, but I didn't stick to it."
"Very true. Do you remember something Solomon says about searching for wisdom?"
"I don't remember."
"He says, he that would have wisdom must search for her as for silver, and seek her as a man seeks hid treasure. You seek wisdom when you set before you such resolutions as these. Now if a man believes there is gold in a certain place, he keeps digging and digging for weeks, till he strikes the vein. If he were sure it was there, I presume he would labor for it for years. But what if, when he comes to a rock, he should throw down his pick and desert the field? Has he gained anything?"
"No, sir."
"But has lost all his time and labor, and is further from fortune than ever, by the force of shiftless, unsteady habits. Now this is a case similar to yours. You are further from being generous and true and persevering, in short from possessing Christian character, than you were this time a year ago. By your carelessness and idleness, you came out of your field without a grain of gold. Besides, by making resolves and breaking them continually, you are losing all moral power and all confidence in yourself. It were better to make no promises than to be guilty of breaking so many."
Joel's convictions were fast overcoming his feelings, and the tears were starting when he asked, "What shall I do, then, if I mustn't make any more resolutions, father?"
"I do not say you must not make any more resolutions; but before you make them, count the cost of keeping them. You must not break any more resolutions. One great secret of failure is, that you get discouraged because you are not perfect. Now, if you fail one day, you should not give up, but make haste to reach your old ground to-morrow. In regard to these resolutions, probably you were not sufficiently in earnest in the first place; but in the next place, you were not wise, when you first failed a little, to give up all because you could not do all. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir; do you think it is worth while for me to try this year? I do want to do right!"
"Certainly I do. By your failure you have learned a lesson which will keep you both careful and humble in future. I will help you by warning, and God will help you; but you must rely chiefly on your own strong determination. 'The kingdom of heaven' (that is, the attainment of righteousness, such as you set before you in your New Year's resolutions) 'suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.'"
Joel has commenced anew to follow one or two all-important resolutions; how he will succeed, the year, as its daily pages are written, will keep record. Let all children who have shared his failure, and they are not a few, start afresh with him to share his victory, making his first resolution, to "hold fast that which is good."
I. G. O.
"Ah! what a good story this is," said I, as I finished reading, "I wish you would all try to keep some of these resolutions."
"So we will," they cried.
"I don't think you will be successful at first. I know that I should break them many times; but if you ask God to help you, you may in time be able to overcome the continual temptation to break them."
Then we had a long friendly talk together; and I saw, here and there, a beautiful trait, or noble impulse, in these poor orphan boys. They were rude to each other, but they were not mean; and I felt sure that, rightly trained, they would become, in time, good boys and good men.
"Suppose, my dear boys," I said, "I get pen, ink, and paper, and write out these resolutions, for each of you to keep a copy in your pockets; they will help to remind you. I will only ask you to try to keep them. Will you promise me this much?"
They all said they would try as hard as they could.
"Will you promise me to pray to God to help you?"
They promised this with downcast eyes and serious faces.
Then I said: "Well, let us see how you can mind me to begin. I am going into the committee room for the pen, ink, and paper. I expect you to sit quite still, till I come back; will you promise me this?"
"Oh yes, ma'am; we won't speak or stir from our seats," they all cried.
"I believe you," I said. I wish you could have seen their eyes sparkle when I said that! They were so glad that I put trust in them.
I went to the committee room, and there the first directress began to talk to me; and I staid much longer than I at first intended. When I went back with my writing materials, I listened an instant at the door. It was perfectly still.
"We have not moved or spoken," said all the boys at once.
"I believe you," I answered. "You are first rate fellows! not so bad, after all. I think there must have been some mistake about that bad conduct. You can behave so well when you try. I hope it is a mistake that will never happen again. I came in this room feeling very unhappy about you; but now I am very much encouraged. What do you think about being called the ten best boys in the school?"
They chuckled and grinned at this; and one boy gave another a sly poke, and said, "Here's the best boy! he hasn't known a single lesson these six weeks;" and another said, "No! this is the best boy; he broke three panes of glass last night in one of the play-room windows;" and another, "Oh, no; this is the best boy, because he's got such a big wart on his nose."
I let them talk, while I wrote on ten half pages of note paper these resolutions:
"1st. I will read the Bible, and pray, night and morning.
"2d. I will try to keep the Golden Rule.
"3d. I will always tell the exact truth."
"There," said I, "that will do." So I gave one paper to each, with a few earnest words; and shook hands with them again, as they promised me to try to keep them; and then they went softly back into the great school-room.
I looked in a few moments after, and saw that they were quietly studying.
The next Friday, I had my ten naughty boys in the little room again.
"Well," said I, "how did you keep the resolutions?"
"Oh!" cried Jacob, "I've broken the Golden Rule."
"Why, how?" I asked.
"Why, ma'am, David had a ball, and he lent it to me, and when he wanted it again, I would not give it to him, but threw it as far as I could out of the window."
"Oh, Jacob!" I exclaimed, "how well you understood what the rule is! Tell me; what ought you to have done?"
"I ought to have given David his ball when he asked for it."
"Why?"
"Because, ma'am, I would have liked him to do so to me."
"Ah, yes; that is it. You understand, and you have sinned wilfully. I am very sorry, dear Jacob; but it is never too late to mend; and I am glad you have had the honesty to confess what you have done; that is a noble trait in you Jacob, and I want you to come and kiss me."
The boy burst out crying at this; and as he kissed my cheek with his trembling lips, I said to myself, "This a bad boy? No, he is a splendid boy!"
Don't you see that my making him feel that I loved him, was the way to his heart? I think if ladies would be just as tender to poor children as they are to their own, it would have a wonderful effect. Only make a child feel that you love him, that he is more than a poor little beggar dependent upon your charity, and he will try to deserve all your kindness.
All the boys had to confess they had broken their resolutions; and to all I talked kindly; but one of them whispered to another: "She did not give us any kiss." Fortunately I heard this, and I said, "Boys, I am going to give you another chance. I shall bring a beautiful little book next time, and the boy who has behaved the best, shall have the book. I shall not ask the teacher. I shall depend entirely on your own accounts of yourselves, for I intend to trust you, and believe what you say. To make myself certain that you would scorn to deceive me, and above all, that you would not offend Our Heavenly Father by a falsehood, I wish you all to shake hands once more, and give me a kiss; then I am certain you will mean to keep at least the third resolution. What is it?"
"I will always tell the exact truth," they shouted.
So they kissed my cheek, and then I read to them a story I had written some time before for that dear little magazine, "The Standard Bearer." Here is the story, and the good minister's name is Dr. Prime.