A boy named Eric was coming home from school. There were two ways that
he could take--one was a path through the fields, and the other was a
winding road. It was winter time, and there was snow on the ground. Eric
chose the field path, for it was the shorter of the two, but he had not
gone far when it began to snow very fast. The snow-flakes were so large,
and fell so quickly, that there was very soon quite a thick carpet on
the ground, and before long Eric found that he could not see the path,
and he scarcely knew where he was. If he had only turned round just
then, he could have seen his own footprints in the snow, and following
them, would have got back to the road safely, but he did not want to do
this, so he went on and on until he was lost entirely, and had not the
least idea as to which was the way home.
Then he determined to turn back, and try to reach the road, but where
are his footprints? All covered up with snow. Eric felt ready to cry,
but he struggled on as long as he could, and then a great drowsiness
came over him, and he fell down in the snow.
It is just like that with wrong-doing, if we do not turn back at once,
it becomes more and more difficult to find the path, and sometimes the
wrong-doer loses it altogether.
When Eric did not come home from school his parents became very anxious,
and his father accompanied by the dog went out to seek him. First he
took the way by the road, then he came over the field-path, and the dog
ran sniffing about in the snow, until he came to what looked like a
white mound, and there was Eric half-buried in the snow. You can imagine
how pleased the father was when he had his boy safe in his arms, and how
gladly he carried him home, for if Eric had not been found quickly, he
must have died. Remember Eric in the snow, and
(Blackboard.)
When you have gone Wrong, Turn Back at Once.