pre- vailed, and there was plainly to be | seen, ex- | pressed in the countenance of each of the | sons, his | hopes of 1 being the lucky re- | ceiver of the de- | sired | prize. | The | old | man | put his | tremulous | hand | into the | hat, and drew out the name of | Anta- | nacio, |the | friends, I hardly | know | how | the new | scene which | then broke second son! My in upon me! Anta- | nacio, upon | hearing his | 7 | name called, | broke into | praises | to the Om- | niscient for ac- cording him | such a | boon. With his | hands clasped, and eyes di- | rected to | heaven, he repeated over and | over his | thanks, | then | fell upon his | knees before his | venerable | parent, and bathed his sandaled | feet with | tears of | frantic | joy. The | | 7 | other | brothers | followed his ex- | ample, and em the feet of the | good old | patriarch, | braced who re- | mained to | which like a statue, op- | pressed with e- | motions he knew not how to | give | vent. a the Such a scene | melted | all who | witnessed it, mong whom were the lieu- | tenant of police, Al- calde | Don Al- | tano, | and | some | other | friends. | The brothers | then re- | tired, but | soon re- | turned with a fresh de- | mand, which | was, that | I could not be de- | prived of the | pleasure of | taking | out the old man to | walk, by | turns, in the | after- | noon; | which order I gave magis- | terially, in | order to | simple, | honest | people, and they | then gratify these This | humble | family, of MINOR MORALS. that "the | most | solemn Ir has been truly | said and | fearful | interests of | life | de- | pend on | things in them-selves | slight. The greatest | man that | ever | | | lived | was de- | pendent for | character and | happiness | far more upon his | little | acts, than upon his | great a-chievements." The | principle | here | stated |will ad- | mit of various illus-trations. The unspeakable | worth of little | things in | conduct and | character, the mischief of disregarding their im- | portance in our i- | deals of | happiness, | and | in our en- | deavors after | moral and re- | ligious | progress, will readily appear from a | few con- | sider- ations. Generally speaking, | happiness de- | pends | more attention to small than to great things. on Want of self-con- | trol in | trifles, the sensitiveness of | | vanity, ❘ petty | passions, | habits of o- | mission, | rather than of | actual | wrong- | doing— these, per- | haps, | more than what are called | great | trials, | trouble our Crimes cause | less | misery than do serenity. ! people constantly | fall, | Who does not | know that | one may | never | violate | one of the ten com- | mandments, and yet be constantly the cause of an- | noyance to | all con- | nected with him, | by thoughtless | disre- | gard of their | feelings, |by| careless speech, an un- comfortable temper, an | |◄ in-ordinate | self- | love, | by | meanness in | trifles, by slight de- | partures in these and | other | ways | from the strict law of | justice and | good | feeling? |111 | 1 How many more | little | stings there are darted | than there are heavy | blows | struck at our every day | comfort and enjoyment! | On | what | small | things does the happiness of | home de- | pend! | If they be | lacking, how poorly do such things as competence, respectability, culture, health, sup- ply their | place! An in- | creased | modicum of | patience | under the minor | ills of life; a firm re- | solve | not to | let these vex him so much; a gentler | tone; a | | readiness to do un- | asked | some little | favor, | make | is it well for my | character, to say nothing of | others' comfort, that all the ar- rangements and | there were no others to be con- sulted? too much to say, that, in | many | cases, Is it a cor rection in even | one of these mi- | nute par- | ticulars, | would bring a | bout | that which the | man or | woman | feels the want of most- 7 a | covets | most, happy home. 77/771 | | The greatest | obstacles which | hinder re- | ligious at- | tainments and progress, are a- | mong | small | things. To say nothing of the | truth, that the most flagitious crime, the lowest | depths of | evil, | had | a be- | ginning in | what was | trifling, the | bad ef- | fect in- | dulgences, | carelessness, | It would seem as | to | reach a | certain | point There is a certain | general which con- | sists in ex- | emption from what is | heinous, positively im- | moral in | conduct, which many | reach. But how | few go | beyond it! How | few | are there whose | lives are a con- tinual | progress in the di- | vine | life; | | a | gradual, per- | haps, but | none the less | certain ad- | vance in | love to | God and man. Perhaps the | very | narrow | defi- | nition of the | single word "sal- | vation," | has something to do with Many | seem con- | tent with saving them- | | | this. selves from what they deem the | retri- |butions of a | thoroughly evil and sinful | life, for- | getting that ¡ sal- | vation, in the | large, | true | sense of the | term, | means growth, progress, de- liverance from all that is | not in | harmony with the | heavenly | and the di- | vine. 1771771 The truth is, our | characters | suffer | more from | what we | think | trifling o- | missions, than they do from what we call the com- | mission of | great of | fences. | The former | eat into | character, as | tiny | insects | do into the large tree, | drying up its | sap, | hindering its growth. 11 We | speak of the | slave of in- | temperance or other | sensu- | ality, | bound in the | chains of his evil habit. || Are we not, | all of us, ❘ more or less bound? Not so much, how- | ever, by | strong | chains, | but, | like | Gulliver in the | tale, | by a | multitude of threads which | still keep us | down-1! tiny | cords of de- | tention, their | number | making | up for their | indi- | vidual | insig- | nificance, | and | which would | not have been | fastened on our | strength | if we | had not | fallen a- | sleep a- | mong our | Lilli- | putian | adversaries. Great duties, great sacrifices | even, are often | much says: easier than | small ones. As | Fenelon | well "How many are willing to die for | Christ; | able to | live | like him!" | how | few are So true is this, that it is un- | doubtedly the case that many an | one has | died a | martyr, | who would have | been en- - | tirely un- | able to | meet, in a | Christian | spirit, | the vexations which | come a- | mid | life's | ordinary circumstances. The occasions for | striking, roic, | virtue | seldom oc- | cur; what ad- dresses | selfishness, for he- | but | every | day, a- | mid or love of gain, |or| |