always around and over us, and within us, if we will but let our hearts
be receptive to its influences. The greatest possible help to
self-control is to learn in the moment of temptation to lift the heart
to God in earnest aspiration for His help and guidance. A sense of the
presence of God is always a strength, and help when we are conscious of
earnest effort to do right. The Bible says: "It is God that worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." It is one of the great
mysteries and yet one of the most evident truths of life, that we must
work ourselves, and that God works in and with us, to accomplish any
good thing. That you may know and realize this truth, and learn to find
for yourself the comfort and support and strength of soul that comes
from seeking after God, is my most earnest hope and prayer for you.




LETTER III.

AIMS IN LIFE.


_My Dear Daughter:_--There is no disputing the fact that in making plans
for life very different motives and aims influence young girls from
those which influence young men. Every right-minded and
affectionate-natured young girl looks forward to, and hopes most of all
to have, a home of her own, which it shall be her life-work to keep and
guide. To prepare herself rightly to fulfill all the duties that belong
to the mistress of a home, should be the one all-embracing aim of any
young girl's life; but with this should be other aims, which may help to
prepare her for vicissitudes, emergencies, or disasters, and also give