much you love your pupil, this is an honor you ought to dispute
with him, leading him to feel that he is not yet old enough to deserve
it.

Giving alms is the act of one who knows the worth of his gift, and his
fellow-creature's need of the gift. A child who knows nothing of
either can have no merit in bestowing. He gives without charity or
benevolence: he is almost ashamed to give at all, as, judging from your
example and his own, only children give alms, and leave it off when
grown up. Observe, that we make the child bestow only things whose
value be does not know: pieces of metal, which he carries in his
pocket, and which are good for nothing else. A child would rather give
away a hundred gold pieces than a single cake. But suggest to this
free-handed giver the idea of parting with what he really prizes--his
playthings, his sugar-plums, or his luncheon; you will soon find out
whether you have made him really generous.

To accomplish the same end, resort is had to another expedient, that of
instantly returning to the child what he has given away, so that he
habitually gives whatever he knows will be restored to him. I have
rarely met with other than these two kinds of generosity in children,
namely, the giving either of what is no use to themselves, or else of
what they are certain will come back to them.

"Do this," says Locke, "that they may be convinced by experience that
he who gives most generously has always the better portion." This is
making him liberal in appearance and miserly in reality. He adds, that
children will thus acquire the habit of generosity.

Yes; a miser's generosity, giving an egg to gain an ox. But when
called upon to be generous in earnest, good-bye to the habit; they soon
cease giving when the gift no longer comes back to them. We ought to
keep in view the habit of mind rather than that of the hands. Like
this virtue are all others taught to children; and their early years
are spent in sadness, that we may preach these sterling virtues to
them! Excellent training this!

Lay aside all affectation, you teachers; be yourselves good and
virtuous, so that your example may be deeply graven on your pupils'
memory until such time as it finds lodgment in their heart. Instead of
early requiring acts of charity from my pupil I would rather do them in
his presence, taking from him all means of imitating me, as if I
considered it an honor not due to his age. For he should by no means