NO one can truthfully say "I have no friends." If you do say those
words, you are mistaken, because I know your friends so well, I can
shut my eyes and count ten of them without stopping, because all boys
and girls have ten good and helpful friends. These ten friends are
never failing friends. They say to you "I'll stand by you, and perhaps
I can make you rich and great some day." We must all depend on these
ten friends, and they will never fail us. Now hold up both hands, open
wide the fingers and say "These are your ten friends. They are your
ten friends, and they are your ten best friends. They are ten obedient
friends. They always do just what you tell them to do. They are never
disobedient. They never refuse to work for you. They never go on a
strike." A little boy selling newspapers on the streets of London,
overheard a kind lady make the remark, as she looked at him, "Poor
boy! how sad and lonely that poor little boy looks." He replied to the
remark, by saying "I am not a bit lonely, good lady, because I always
have lots of company, as I have these ten friends of mine ever with
me." And as he spoke, he held up both his little hands. He was right.
He was not lonely, because he had his ten faithful friends ever with
him. Having these little working friends we should always work with
them. Many a little boy has worked himself up the ladder of success by
the aid of these ten friends. Give them something useful to do every
day. They will do it for you and some day your friends may make the
world watch you and your company of ten, doing things. The Bible says
that "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." That
is what the Bible says about your ten friends. When our ten friends
all cuddle up together, as if hugging each other, then we have a
strong weapon to defend us, then we can strike with the strength of
the arm. These ten friends helped the boy David, as they clinched the
cords of the sling, and brought the giant down. They go to war for us,
and every last one of them fights bravely. An old college chum of mine
was helped through school by these ten friends who worked hard for
him. These friends paid his way through school, for he worked his way
through by the labor of his hand. Sometimes the errand boy of the
store has been helped so well by these ten friends that they helped
him to a place in the firm, and he became part owner of the store.
Sometimes these ten friends are bad little friends, they strike little
sister, they steal things from shops, sometimes they lift strong drink
to our lips and do lots of evil things but we must always remember
they are only doing what we tell them to do. We are responsible for
all the evil they do, for they only do as they are told. We should
train them only to do well, and then they will only do well. There was
a little boy in the great city of Philadelphia, that never knew the
name of his father and mother, who was one day left on the doorstep of
a stranger. The good lady who lived in the house, had pity upon the
little stranger and took him in. They called him "George Washington,"
for they found him on Washington's birthday, and they called him
"Child" for his last name. So his full name the good lady gave him was
"George Washington Child." He and his ten friends sold papers on the
streets of Philadelphia. His ten friends worked so hard and well that
afterward he became the owner of the great _Public Ledger_ of
Philadelphia. Thus we see how much a poor boy and his ten friends can
do when they all work together and for each other. These ten friends
can work for God also. They can give a cup of cold water to the
thirsty, and Jesus says it is giving unto Him. These ten friends can
lead other little boys and girls to the church where they can hear
about Jesus and be saved. Hold up the left hand and give the fingers a
letter. Call the little finger "W," the next "O," and the next "R,"
and the following fingers "K" and "S"--"WORKS" is the name of the left
hand. Now hold up the right hand and spell out the word "F.A.I.T.H."
"FAITH" is the name of the right hand fingers, so working with both
hands, these five friends called "WORKS" and these five called "FAITH"
we can do wonders. Faith and Works can conquer the world. So our ten
friends are an army of conquerors.
=CHAPTER XXV
HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES=
_Objects: 12 Prepared Envelopes_