own organization. I commend your business judgment."
"Can you suggest any improvements?"
"None whatever," declared the lawyer.
"Can you discern any flaws?"
"No—emphatically! Mr. Johns," continued the attorney, turning to the president's assistant, "I want to congratulate you, as a lawyer, upon your thorough grasp of this most difficult branch. In my opinion this instrument is unassailable. It will hold in the highest court in this State."
"That is what we want—your honest opinion," said the president. "You have given it, and we are much obliged to you, and shall be pleased to have a bill for your service. My dear sir, the highest court in the State declared this lease null and void last week, and we have lost a ten-thousand-dollar suit upon it!"
Both the business man who drew the
lease and the lawyer who approved it
were mistaken. They believed in themselves,
but a higher tribunal showed
their fallibility.
(2861)
SELF-CONFLICT
A friend once asked an aged man what
caused him to complain so often at eventide
of pain and weariness. "Alas," replied he,
"I have every day so much to do. I have
two falcons to tame, two hares to keep
from running away, two hawks to manage,
a serpent to confine, a lion to chain and a
sick man to tend and wait upon."
"Well, well," commented his friend, "you are busy, indeed! But I didn't know that you had anything to do with a menagerie. How, then, do you make that out?"
"Why," continued the old man, "listen. Two falcons are my eyes, which I must guard diligently; the two hares are my feet, which I must keep from walking in the ways of sin; the two hawks are my hands, which I must train to work, that I may provide for myself and those dependent on me as well as for a needy friend occasionally; the serpent is my tongue, which I must keep ever bridled lest it speak unseemly; the lion is my heart, with which I have a continual fight lest evil things come out of it, and the sick man is my whole body, which is always needing my watchfulness and care. All this daily wears out my strength."—Du Quoin Tribune.
(2862)
Self-conquest—See Victory in Defeat.
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS
Some young Christians are timid and self-conscious,
and can not help it; what is to
be done then? We once knew a child who
was so painfully bashful that anything that
called attention to herself was a positive
torture to her. So simple an act as to step
across the aisle and hand a hymn-book made
her heart beat wildly. Then one day she
saw a report of an organization which was
called "A Bridge from the Island of Supply
to the Island of Want." Her mother, who
saw that her little girl's usefulness in life
would be greatly curtailed if she yielded to
her foolish fear, talked to her seriously and
said: "Don't think of yourself as yourself,
but think of yourself as God's bridge. Whenever
He gives you an opportunity to do anything
that would help any one, or a thought
that would make any one happy for you to
tell it, just say, 'Now, I'm not anybody in
myself; I'm just God's bridge, and I must
let Him pass over me to this service.' If
you see the need and have the supply, no
matter what it is, then you are God's
bridge, and you must be a strong bridge so
that His path may not be broken." She soon
learned to forget all about herself in her
own personality, and forgetting herself, forgot
her fear. (Text.)—May F. McKean,
Zion's Advocate.
(2863)
SELF-CONTROL
The name of Charles E. Hughes, Governor of New York, is deservedly held in esteem for the many admirable qualities of character possest. That the child is father to the man is shown in this incident which exhibits an unusual power of self-control in one so young.
For five years, until his tenth year, he
studied at home. His mother taught him
the primary studies, as well as French, German,
and mathematics; his father, Greek
and Latin. That mastery of self which Mr.
Hughes afterward manifested he also taught
himself as a child. He always recited his
lessons standing, and, like most children, had
at first considerable difficulty in keeping still.
He evidently thought the thing all out for
himself; and one day, with no suggestion
from his mother, who was then hearing his
lessons, he announced that he had found a
method of controlling his rebellious members.
He selected a seam in the carpet,
placed his toes firmly against it, shut his
