The Broken Plate.


SUSIE is a bright little girl with black

eyes, and has many pleasant ways. But

she has one bad habit that all children

should try to shun. It is untruthfulness;

and this our Heavenly Father regards as a

great sin.

One day Susie, who was staying with her

auntie, was so unfortunate as to break a

plate. Oh, how her little heart did beat,

and how she did wish that she could put

the broken pieces together again; but no!

there they were, staring her in the face;

she could not make the broken plate whole.

What was she to do? She heard two

whispering voices within. The first said,

"Now, Susie, run and tell auntie all about

it." The other said, "No, no, Susie; gather

up the broken pieces and throw them away;

you can make up some story about the affair,

and nobody will be the wiser for it.

The recording angel was waiting to see

which of these voices Susie would obey.

Alas! He turned away sorrowing. The bad

spirit had conquered. Susie did not know

that her cousin up stairs had looked down

and seen all that had been done. Oh, how

it saddened the heart of this good cousin

to think that dear little Susie would be so

wicked.

A few evenings afterward she took Susie

on her lap and told her all that she had seen

her do. How guilty this little girl felt then!

She knew all the time that she had done

wrong, and now her sin had found her out.

How much better it would have been if she

had frankly acknowledged the truth in the

first place! Then she would have had

God's smile, and the approval of her own

conscience.

I cannot say that Susie has never told a

lie since; but I do hope that, seeking help

from above, she is trying to conquer this

evil habit. Children, beware of the first

step toward an untruth, remembering that

"lying lips are an abomination unto the

Lord."





 Child's World.