XV

SELF-CONTROL

(1) Control of temper; (2) anger; (3) avoidance of hasty words; (4) thinking twice before speaking; (5) self-restraint when tempted; (6) selfrestraint under provocation; (7) "He that ruleth his own spirit is mightier than he that taketh a city."

The one who does himself control
Will have sound body and pure soul.
To anger such an one is slow,
And hasty temper will not show.
He always thinks before he speaks,
And reason for his words he seeks.
He hardships bears without complaint;
When tempted he has self-restraint.
When troubles thick upon him pile
He views them with so brave a smile
They melt away, yea every one,
Like morning mist before the sun.
His passions and desires he rules,
And all excesses leaves to fools.

Engagements by the clock he'll keep;
Has hours for work and play and sleep.
Like Washington and Franklin, too,
He is to self and others true.
Because he rules himself aright,
To honor him all folks delight.
So I will be to self a king,

And rule myself in everything.

Have the children tell stories and incidents illustrating self-control.

XVI

HONOR

(1) To honor one's self-to be worthy of honor; (2) to honor one's family; (3) to honor one's friends; (4) to honor one's home; (5) to honor one's country.

We must two meanings honor give:
It's what we get and what we live.
The former is the rich reward
We get from other folks' regard;
The other grows up in the mind
And is by far the better kind.
It makes us love the good and true,
And scorn ignoble things to do.
So honor with ourselves begins
Before the world's regard it wins.
And first, we must our bodies give
Due honor in the lives we live,
By keeping them at all times clean
And free of actions low and mean.
Our lives must be as pure as light
If we our bodies honor right.

And we must honor soul and mind
By making both the highest kind.
The soul toward God must ever rise;
The mind become, through learning, wise.
And so with bodies strong and clean,
With souls above all that is mean,
And minds with wisdom richly stored,
"Tis only then we may afford
To take the honors men can give
And with an easy conscience live.
"Twas thus that Lincoln's honors came;
An honest life gained honored name.

Have the children tell stories and incidents illustrating honor.

XVII

COURAGE

(1) True courage-daring to do right and defending the right; (2) in bearing affliction; (3) in bearing unjust censure and unpopularity; (4) in danger or misfortune; (5) heroism.

Whoever dares to do the right,
However hard may be the fight,
Will never lack for courage true
In anything he wants to do.

Such courage makes one answer no,
When tempted in wrong ways to go.
However hard desires insist,

Unholy pleasures he'll resist;

For well he knows that they by stealth,
Pollute his mind, destroy his health.
In speaking truth he is so brave
He would not lie himself to save.
He is to right so brave a friend
He'll risk his all it to defend.
He meets misfortunes with a smile
But bravely fights them all the while.