AN ANECDOTE FOR CHILDREN.

BY HENRY C. WRIGHT.

A Kiss for a Blow.

I ONCE lived in Boston, and was one of the city school committee. I used to visit some of the publie schools of the city almost every day, and spend a few minutes in each school talking to the childreu on peace and temperance. The children understood that, when I came into the schools, they were at liberty to ask me questions pertaining to temperance or peace. They generally had some questions to ask.

One day I visited one of the primary schools. There were about fifty children in it, between four and eight years old.

"Children," said I, "have any of you a question to ask to-day?"

“Please tell us said a little boy, "what is meant by ' overcoming evil with good' ?”

"I am glad,” said I," you have asked that question; for I love to talk to you about peace, and show you how to settle all difficulties without fighting."

I went on, and tried to show them what the precept meant, and how to apply it, and carry it out. I was trying to think of something to make it plain to the children, when the following incident occurred.

A boy about seven, and his sister about five years old, sat near me. As I was talking, George doubled up his fist, and struck his sister on her head, as unkind and cruel brothers often do. She was angry in a moment, and raised her hand to strike him back. The teacher saw her and said, "Mary, you had better kiss your brother." Mary dropped her hand, and looked up at the teacher as if she did not fully understand her. She had never been taught to return good for evil. She thought if her brother struck her, she, of course, must strike him back. She had always been taught to act on this savage maxim, as most children are. Her teacher looked very kindly at her, and at George, and said again," My dear Mary, you had better kiss your brother. See how angry and unhappy he looks!" Mary looked at her brother. He looked very sullenand wretched. Soon her resentment was gone, and love for her brother returned to her, heart. She threw. both her arms about his neck, and kissed him! The poor boy was wholly unprepared for such a kind return for his blow. He could not endure the generous affection of his sister. It broke his heart, and he burst out crying. The gentle sister took the corner of her apron and wiped away his tears, and sought to comfort him, by saying, with most endearing sweetness and generous affection, "Don't cry George; you did not hurt me much." But he only cried the harder. No wonder. It was enough to make any body cry.

But what made George feel so bad, and cry? Poor little boy! Little did he dream that his sister would give him such a sweet return for his wicked blow. Would he have cried, if his sister had struck him back with her fist, as he had struck her? Not he. He

would rather she had beaten him black and blue than kiss him as she did; for striking him back again would not have made him feel sorry at all. It was that sweet, sisterly kiss-that gentle wiping away his tears with her apron-that generous and anger-killing affection, that led her to excuse him, and seek to comfort him by saying, "Don't cry George; you did not hurt me much." These were the things that made him cry. So it would break any body's heart, and make him weep, to receive such kind and generous treatment from those whom he had injured. No man could withstand it.

A KISS FOR A BLOW! All the school saw, at once, what was meant by overcoming evil with good; and they neededno further instruction on the subject. They never will forget it. Had Mary struck her brother, there had been a fight. It was prevented by her kiss. When others strike you, or do any thing to you which you think an injury, always do as sweet little Mary did, and give a kiss for a blow, and there will be no trouble. They will take care how they wrong you, in any way, when they are once sure that the injuries they do you will not be returned. Though George was the oldest and the largest, and could strike the hardest, yet Mary conquered him. The large, strong body of George, his muscular arm, and hard blows, were not a match for the strong love and sweet kiss of Mary. If George had had the body of a giant, or the strength of a million of men in his arm, Mary's sweet love and kiss, that clean, soft apron wiping away his tears, and those gentle, but heart-piercing words, "Don't cry, George; you did not hurt me much," would have conquered them all. What could poor George do? If he bad had all the arms and soldiers in the world to help

him in his attack upon Mary, armed with her sweet love and kiss, and clean, soft apron, and gentle words, she would have conquered them all.

Dear children, arm yourselves with Mary's weapons; throw away your anger, your sullen looks, your provoking nicknames, your clenched fists, and furious blows, and take the sweet love, and kiss, and soft words, of little Mary; then go forth to meet your enemies, and you may be sure of an easy and bloodless victory.

There ought to be a school in every family to teach children how to use these weapons. Parents ought to be the teachers. I have often thought, if the nation would furnish us the money to establish schools to teach all our children how to conquer their enemies with these powerful but gentle weapons, which it now furnishes to establish schools to teach them how to fight and kill them with swords and guns, our property, liberty, and lives, would be safer; and it would not cost half so much to keep safe. But now, instead of being taught to meet their enemies and subdue them with love and kindness, they are taught to meet them with deadly weapons, and to "kill, slay, and destroy" them. Children never will be safe-parents never will -towns, cities, states, and nations never will till all these murdering instruments are thrown away, and children are taught NEVER TO HUNCH THOSE WHO CROWD, and always to give-A KISS FOR A BLOW!