Truth

How important it is to be truthful and one who may be relied upon! We rely on our watches and clocks being right, being truthful. What a muddle we should be in if our clocks were never reliable. We would never be at school at the correct time, would be constantly missing trains, and meal times would be all wrong. Suppose railway signals were untruthful, and not to be relied upon, the result would be numerous accidents, injuries, and most likely death to many people. Someone has said that boys and girls who are not truthful are like signposts which have been tampered with, so as to point in the wrong direction. Lies produce similar results to those which are caused by incorrect clocks, viz., confusion and trouble; and like an incorrect signal, bring about a terrible "crash." People who are untruthful never produce anything real, useful, and valuable, but invariably cause pain, injury, trouble, and disaster to others as well as to themselves.

A boy saw a notice in the window with these words written on: "A boy wanted." He entered the shop for the purpose of applying for the position. The shopkeeper asked him several questions, and at length said: "Do you like work?" "No, I do not," replied the boy. "Well," said the man, "I do not want a lazy boy. I want one who likes work." The man was surprised to receive the boy's reply: "There are none." "What do you like, then?" "I like games, sweets, my chums, my mother, who is ill, best of all, and because I have no father I want to work to help her." This remark touched the heart of the shopkeeper, and in a changed tone of voice he said: "I believe that you are honest; you are certainly frank, and I like a boy who thinks about his mother. You are the kind of boy I want. You can start to work at once."

Everybody likes a boy or girl that is truthful and can be trusted. An untruthful person can never be relied upon. I have read somewhere that to trust a lie is like leaning on something that is not there. Boys and girls, kill the first lie that shows its head, for one lie always leads to another, and then follows trouble, pain, and disaster. Tell the truth whatever it may cost you. You will be able to do this if you keep in the company of Him who is "The Truth."