philosopher Kant held himself to his habits so precisely that people
set their watches by him as he took his daily walk. We may be equally
constant amid worldly vicissitudes, but only a man of true courage is.

'Tis the front towards life that matters most--
The tone, the point of view,
The constancy that in defeat
Remains untouched and true;

For death in patriot fight may be
Less gallant than a smile,
And high endeavor, to the gods,
Seems in itself worth while!

_Florence Earle Coates._

From "Poems."

A GOOD NAME

We should respect the good name of other people, and should safeguard
our own by a high sense of honor. At the close of the Civil War a
representative of an insurance company offered Robert E. Lee the
presidency of the firm at a salary of $50,000 a year. Lee replied that
while he wished to earn his living, he doubted whether his services
would be worth so large a sum. "We don't want your services," the man
interrupted; "we want your name." "That," said Lee, quietly, "is not for
sale." He accepted, instead, the presidency of a college at $1500 a
year.

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.

_William Shakespeare._

SWELLITIS

A certain employer of large numbers of men makes it a principle to
praise none of them, not because they are undeserving, and not because
he dislikes to commend, but because experience has taught him that
usually the praise goes to the head of the recipient, both impairing his
work and making it harder for others to associate with him. A good test
of a man is his way of taking commendation. He may, even while grateful,
be stirred to humility that he has not done better still, and may
resolve to accomplish more. Or imitating the frog who wished to look
like an ox, he may swell and swell until--figuratively speaking--he
bursts.

Somebody said he'd done it well,
And presto! his head began to swell;
Bigger and bigger the poor thing grew--
A wonder it didn't split in two.
In size a balloon could scarcely match it;
He needed a fishing-pole to scratch it;---
But six and a half was the size of his hat,
And it rattled around on his hea