Unchecked Growth.


"I SAW, years ago," said an old man, when I was 

a little boy," a little packet of something

that I thought was rubbish lying about in a

drawer; and without thinking what I was

doing, I scattered it upon the grass-plat before

my window. It happened to be the seed

of a common plant; and before long it sprang

up and burst into blossom. I thought little

of it at the time; but I soon found

it began to spread itself all over the

garden, till it seemed likely to choke everything

else. I got persons to help me root

it up; yet all our efforts for some time

seemed unavailing; and it was not till after

we had worked for several years that the

ground was quite cleared of it. A little of

the plant would perhaps have been an ornament;

but its overgrowth became a

trouble, as it seemed likely to injure every

shrub that was near it.

"What is the meaning of this story, O

master?" asked the boy, thinking there

was some deeper truth in the words than at

first sight appeared.

"I mean this," the teacher answered:

"There are some habits we allow ourselves

to get into, such as regarding everything

from a satirical or a humorous point

of view, that threaten to render useless all

our more serious thoughts and higher

 aspirations.

Remember, either satire or humor

may become a deadly enemy to good, if it

is allowed to spread unchecked."