The Glory of a Stainless Life
An Arabian princess was once presented by her teacher with an ivory casket, not to be opened until a year had passed. The time, impatiently waited for, came at last, and with trembling haste she unlocked the treasure; and behold—on the satin linings lay a shroud of rust; the form of something beautiful, but the beauty gone.
A slip of parchment contained these words: “Dear pupil, learn a lesson in your life. This trinket, when enclosed, had upon it only a spot of rust; by neglect it has become the useless thing you now behold, only a blot on its pure surroundings. So a little stain on your character will, by inattention and neglect, mar a bright and useful life, and in time leave only the dark shadow of what might have been. Place herein a jewel of gold, and after many years you will find it still as sparkling as ever. So with yourself; treasure up only the pure, the good, and you will be an ornament to society, and a source of true pleasure to yourself and your friends.”
A slip of parchment contained these words: “Dear pupil, learn a lesson in your life. This trinket, when enclosed, had upon it only a spot of rust; by neglect it has become the useless thing you now behold, only a blot on its pure surroundings. So a little stain on your character will, by inattention and neglect, mar a bright and useful life, and in time leave only the dark shadow of what might have been. Place herein a jewel of gold, and after many years you will find it still as sparkling as ever. So with yourself; treasure up only the pure, the good, and you will be an ornament to society, and a source of true pleasure to yourself and your friends.”