A gentleman advertised for a boy, and nearly fifty applicants presented themselves to him. Out of the whole number he selected one, and dismissed the rest.
"I should like to know," said a friend, "on what ground you selected that boy, who had not a single recommendation."
"You are mistaken," said the gentleman; "he has a great many. He wiped his feet when he came in, and closed the door after him, showing that he was careful. He gave his seat instantly to that lame old man, showing that he was thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my questions promptly, showing that he was gentlemanly. He picked up the book which I had purposely laid on the floor, and replaced it upon the table; and he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing and crowding, showing that he was honourable and orderly. When I talked to him, I noticed that his clothes were brushed, his hair in order. When he wrote his name, I noticed that his finger-nails were clean. Don't you call those things letters of recommendation? I do; and I would give more for what I can tell about a boy by using my eyes ten minutes than all the letters he can bring me."
Little things show character, and frequently determine a boy's whole career. It is the boy who does the kind, polite, and thoughtful acts unconsciously that wins his way to employment and success. And success does not mean wealth and fame. A man is valued according to his faithfulness and reliability, and these chiefly determine the measure of his true usefulness.
It is not always those who are most conspicuous in the eyes of the world who are really the most useful. A man who takes money at a ferry gate is seen by thousands, but he only does what any one of a thousand could do equally well; while a thoughtful and conscientious writer, who may be personally known to very few, may have great influence for good. True success means the development of a character that is worthy of example—a character that is honest to every duty, faithful to every trust, and that is unselfish enough to find time for kindly acts that are not forced, but the simple expression of a warm and generous principle. True success is fidelity to every relation in life.
"NOTHING TO THANK GOD FOR."
"Have you nothing to thank God for?" asked the mother of a little girl named Helen.
"No," said Helen; "you and papa give me everything."