and then we return again to our former selves.

Precisely so it is with children in the country. They come to this busy
city, and eagerly gaze at the varied shows which attract the eye, and
would prefer to exchange situations with _you_; but by and by they
become wearied with sightseeing, and the home they have left rises
before them as a pleasanter abode than any other dwelling, however rich
or elegant. Thus they learn to be _happy at home_; and this is a most
valuable attainment.

But, in order to be permanently happy, we must have something to do.
There are other lessons to be learned besides those we commit in the
schoolroom. The whole world, indeed, is a school, and we are daily
committing our tasks. These teachings are preparations for our future
happiness.

You have all noticed the growth of a tree. At first, only a little twig
springs out of the ground. And so with the flower. You deposit only a
tiny seed; but in a little time a shoot springs up, and by natural but
slow processes the twig becomes a large shady tree, and the shoot a
beautiful blooming flower. Though they grow very slowly, yet they never
_rest_. Day and night the hidden processes are going on which help to
promote their growth. Just so it is with the minds of children. They are
daily acquiring those habits which will eventually make the whole sum of
their characters. But then, great care is requisite how they form these
characters; that they may spring up in fair proportions, making their
possessors worthy members of society.

I will illustrate this by a fable, which occurred to me as I walked over
the beautiful garden of a friend, with whom I spent a few weeks the past