had read, and having decided that it was an improper thing
for the child to have in his possession, one of them had taken it from
the owner, and destroyed it. The aggrieved party had complained to
some of the other children, who said that it was _thieving_ for one
child to take any thing from another child, without his consent. The
boy, nettled at being called a thief, defended himself, by saying that
he, as a monitor, had a right to take away from any of his class any
thing that was calculated to do them harm; and was, it seems, backed
in this opinion by many others. On the other hand, it was contended
that no such right existed; and it was doubtful to me for a
considerable time, on which side the strength of the argument lay.
At last one of the children observed to the following effect:--"You
should have taken it to _master_, because he would know if it was bad
better than you." This was a convincing argument, and to my great
delight, the boy replied--"How much did the song cost?" The reply was,
"A half-penny." "Here, then, take it," says the child, "I had one
given me to-day; so now remember I have paid you for it, but if you
bring any more songs to school I will tell master." This seemed
to give general satisfaction to the whole party, who immediately
dispersed to their several amusements. A struggle like this, between
the principles of _duty and honesty_, among children so very young,
must prove highly interesting to all who love them, and exemplifies,
beyond a doubt, the immense advantage of early instruction.

Another thing to be noticed is, a regard for _truth_. Nothing is so
delightful as this. There is no conversation so agreeable as that of
the man of integrity, who hears without any design to betray, and
speaks without any intention to deceive; and this admitted, we should
strive to the utmost to induce children to remember it. But our
success, in a great measure, will depend on the means we employ. Many
children are frightened into falsehood by the injudicious methods of
those who have the care of them. I have known a mother promise a child
forgiveness if it would speak the truth, and, after having obtained
confession, she has broken her engagement. A child, once treated in
this manner, will naturally be guarded against a similar deception.
I have known others who would pretend not to punish the child for
confession, but for first denying it, and afterwards confessing. I
think that children should not be p