When you boys and girls get older and further along in school, you will
probably learn of a famous Greek whose name was Ulysses. He was noted as
a heroic seaman, who travelled over dangerous seas and into unknown
lands.
In one of the seas where Ulysses sailed was an island known as the Isle
of the Sirens. The sirens would attract sailors to their shores by
beautiful music. But when the sailors drew near the land they would
irresistibly cast themselves into the sea, to their destruction.
Now Ulysses had heard of the sirens through Circe, and he wanted to hear
the maidens sing, but he did not want to come within their power. So
this is the way he managed it. One day he put wax in the ears of all his
sailors, so that they could not hear the music, and then had himself
strapped to the mast. Then he ordered the sailors to row near enough to
the island for him to hear the music. In this way he heard the singing,
but did not get caught.
That was a clever way of getting tempted, and yet not getting caught,
was it not? But someone has said in a joke it would have been better if
Ulysses had had an orchestra on board which would have made better music
than the sirens. Then neither Ulysses nor the sailors would have been
tempted to go too near the dangerous isle.
That is a pretty good way of dealing with all kinds of temptation,--not
by trying to keep temptation out, but by putting something more
attractive in its place. If you are tempted to go to the moving
pictures, when you were told not to, do not simply stand around outside
the place with nothing else to do. Go off and play something which will
be more attractive than moving pictures. If you are told that you must
not go fishing, don't sulk around wishing that you could go. Just go at
baseball or something else, and soon you will have forgotten about the
other thing.
Always put something else in the place of the thing you are not to do,
and it will help you to overcome temptation.