ded to hold weekly meetings for
debate, and a question was voted for the meeting of the following week.
Nat was appointed to open the discussion, and three others to follow on
their respective sides of the question. A small fee of membership was
required of the male members to defray necessary expenses.

"A good beginning last night," said Charlie to Nat, on the next morning.

"Much better than I anticipated," was Nat's reply. "The thing has taken
better than I supposed it would; but many a good beginning has a bad
ending. We must do our best to keep up the interest, and make it
respectable."

"I was glad to hear you suggest that by-rule about good order," said
Charlie. "I think some voted for it last evening who would not have done
so if it had been deferred until disorder commenced."

"I knew what I was about," answered Nat. "There are some fellows in the
village who would think they could have a good time in spite of the
officers, because they are of the same age, and I thought it would be
well to get them to vote for good order in the first place. We shall
never accomplish any thing in such a society unless we have as much
decorum as there is in the meetings of adults, and without it we shall
have a bad reputation."

Here Nat exhibited one trait of his youth--a strong desire to make every
thing in which he engaged respectable. A few years later he manifested a
feeling in the same direction, when he was made captain of the fire
company. He introduced rules to guard against those vices that are so
likely to find their way into such associations; and his arguments were
generally so good, and his appeals so forcible, that he always carried
his propositions. The result was a model fire company that won the
confidence and respect of the citizens. In his boyhood the same trait of
character caused him to care for his appearance, so that in his poverty
he was usually more neat and tidy in his dress than many sons of the
rich with far costlier apparel. And it was this that had somewhat to do
with the general manly character for which he was known when young.

"I suppose," continued Charlie, "that some men think we only mean to
have a good time, and that there will be more play than profit in our
society."

"And we must show them that it is otherwise by conducting it in the best
way possible," added Nat. "For one, I want it for my own improvement. I
had better stay at home and read than to go there and spend an evening