“ I find them busy at work."
Shocked at the circumstance not merely of a parcel of boys being so employed on a Sunday evening, but at that effrontery, which, unmoved, could be guilty of such a practice, in the immediate neighbourhood of a town, and in the presence of a person actually passing at the time; and having been long a convert to the axiom, that "It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them," I felt a strong inclination to exert myself on this occasion, in order to check such early blossoms of wickedness in the bud. ”

“ What fellow was that, I pray, who talked so lustily, and, by his defiance of fate, seemed to 'mouth the heavens;' yet fled at my approach; nor looked behind him, though there was neither thunder nor lightning at his heels.
Doubtful seemed lost in thought, and was too much taken up with his own situation to make an immediate answer; gave me to understand that the name of the runaway was Thomas Bragwell; that he was the son of an industrious mechanic, but one of those easy sort of creatures, who do not love to be hard upon their little ones ”

“ I resumed, "that you should have been found by Bragwell in such a situation as this.—A situation of idleness is the most dangerous in which a young man can be placed,—you have ho doubt heard the proverb, that, ‘when the devil finds a man idle, he generally sets him to work’—it was no wonder, then, that your depraved associate, who seems to be too much under the influence of the evil one, found you in this situation, an easy prey to his deceitful wiles." For it appeal's Tom had not the hardihood to propose the Bean Expedition all at once ”

“ Sometimes, he observed, the old man will break out into the most frantic lamentations, taking the whole blame upon himself, that by his want of firmness in correcting his son, he was brought to the unhappy situation he was in.—He had every reason to believe, that the old man would not live to be informed of the last moments of his son, as he was apparently sinking, with increasing celerity, under the load of his accumulated griefs, and it was in vain to hope, that any relief could be derived from medicine, to a mind diseased like his. ”

“ We are also told in the New Testament, that 'he that cometh to GOD must believe that He is,’ as well as that 'he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Indeed, what can be expected from the conduct of those, whatever other useful knowledge they may have acquired, who have not been taught, that, when out of sight of their parents, guardians, or friends, an All-seeing Eye still watches their motions, an Omni-present Ear still hears their words, an Omniscient God still knows the secret thoughts and most hidden intents of their hearts. ”

“ Fly idleness, and the haunts of idleness, as places of the greatest danger; and should you ever again be overtaken in any of these, through any inadvertency, let the recollection of that saying of Mackintosh, as a friendly monitor, come to your aid,—'that South Bridge has been my ruin!'
"Disobedience to Parents, David," turning to Doubtful, "is perhaps a more serious crime than you imagine. ”

“ No Wonder, then, that this hopeful plant, nurtured in such a bed, after having arrived at sixteen years of age, vexed the spirit of his grey-headed parent, by refusing to settle at any employment. He had not been accustomed to put his hand to the smallest job as he grew up, and now that idle habits were formed, the old man found it was difficult to drive them from him. ”

“ The approaches to vice are easy and almost imperceptible. A boy begins by stealing a marble from his play-fellow—his plea is the same as yours, it was only a marble!—this passes without detection, and he next proceeds to carry off trifles from his parents, and divides them with his school-fellows:—they, in their turn, do the same, and they have a joint stock of juvenile plunder;—With his little associates he next sallies out into the open fields, where they fill their pockets with turnips or beans:—one degree farther, and doors and walls are not proof against their depredations ”

“ So dangerous is it "to stand in the way of sinners," that it is often, (as here it was proved to be,) but one step to a higher degree of wickedness (illegible text) the "walking in the counsel of the ungodly"—What an awful lesson to parents?—I mean to all who unconcernedly suffer their children to loiter idly about the streets at any time, but especially on a Sunday evening. ”

“ You must know that there is an express command to guard against it, with a promise of long life annexed, to those who attend to it, which, doubtless, implies the threatening of death to its breakers;—but, that you may be perfectly satisfied of the importance of this precept, the wise man says, 'The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pluck it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. ”

“ I didna mind that, after what Bragwell had said." Alas! David," I replied, "your ideas on this point are still very imperfect; you cannot think of breaking the Sabbath, but you forget to pay proper attention to one of the weighty matters of the law—Justice. Mind, my lad, the words of a rule, which justly merits the appellation it has obtained, and deserves, indeed, to be recorded in letters of gold:—
"Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them ”

“ D’ye mind Tam what a fright ye got yon Sunday forenoon when we war gaen to the turnips?" "O! aye," said Bragwell, "but ye ken I had a sair fit that time; but this is a fine night, Wull, an’ there’s nae fear o’ thun’er an' lightning either, ma man ”

“ Having heard this account of the matter, I could not help looking upon Bragwell as a most detestable character, and therefore pointed out his cowardly conduct in running off, and leaving them in the scrape into which he had brought them, (as is usual with such characters,) as one mean to induce his companions to avoid his company in future.
"But what," addressing myself to Candid, "did you mean by attempting to frighten Tom with thunder and lightning? "O! ”