Be thrifty but not covetous; therefore give

Thy need, thine honour, and thy friend his due.
Never was scraper brave man. Get to live;

Then live and use it; else, it is not true
That thou hast gotten. Surely use alone
Makes money not a contemptible stone.

-GEORGE HErbert.

A great fortune is a great slavery.

The egg of to-day is better than the hen of to-morrow..
-ARABIC PROVERB.

A feather in hand is better than a bird in the air.

-PROVERB.

Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

"BIBLE-PROVERBS."

Midas was permitted, according to his request, to turn whatever he touched into gold, and found his very food become gold, and therefore uneatable.*

Crave not for wealth. There is sorrow in gold;

A canker corroding the bloom of the heart.
Love in its presence grows selfish and cold,
While pride and display their fevers impart.
The cares that preserve it, the fear of its loss,
O'ershadow the pleasures that spring in our way;
Enough for our comfort is all we require;

How small is the portion we truly enjoy!

From Rev. Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.

COVETOUS MAN.

In the full flood stands Tantalus, his skin
Washed o'er in vain, for ever dry within.
He catches at the stream with greedy lips-
From his touched mouth, the wanton torrent slips.
Change but the name, this fable is thy story :
Thou in a flood of useless wealth dost glory,
Which thou canst only touch, but never taste.

-COWLEY.

O brother! be not covetous, for this
The cause of man's disgrace and ruin is.
List to this short advice, if thou would'st fain,
From life its vintage of delights obtain.
'O'er thine own feet contentment's border fold,
And thy desire from others' wealth withold.'

-"ANVAR-I-SUHAILI." *

THE GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN EGGS.

Once on a time there was a man who had a goose

of which he thought a great deal. for this was the most wonderful lived.

And well he might, goose that had ever

"There is nothing Ah! but the eggs

Every day she laid an egg. strange about that," you will say. this goose laid were of gold. Think of that!

Day after day the strange bird lay a shining golden egg for her master. That was why he liked the goose so much. You may be sure he did not sell the eggs in the market. Not he he hid them away carefully in a great iron box.

Translated by Eastwick.

Every day he found a bright golden egg in the goose's nest, and added it to the pile. He was so wishful to get it, that he could hardly wait for the night to pass and the morning to come. Each day seemed as long as a week to him.

When he saw the pile growing higher and higher in the iron box, he rubbed his hands with joy. “Ah! said he to himself, "if it were only full, I should be the richest man in the world." He could think of nothing but of his golden pile. At last he grew so greedy that he wanted all the gold at once. He thought he would find plenty of eggs in the goose's body, and not have to wait and wait and wait any longer.

So one day he killed the wonderful bird. But when he came to look for more eggs-why, there were none to be found. Foolish man! He had killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.

*

THE POOR MAN AND THE GHOST.

There was a poor man who wanted some money, and, somehow, he had heard, that if he could get hold of a ghost or some spirit, he could command him to bring money or anything he liked; so he was very anxious to get hold of a ghost. He went about searching for a man, who would give him a ghost, and at last he found a sage with great powers, and besought this sage to help him. The sage asked him what he would do with a ghost. "I want a ghost to work for me; teach me how to get hold of one, Sir, I desire it very much," replied the man. But the sage said, "Don't disturb yourself, go home." The next day the man went again to the sage, and began to weep and pray, "Give me a ghost; I must have a ghost, Sir, to help From The New Royal Readers, No. 1.

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me." At last the sage was disgusted and said, "Take this charm, repeat this magic word, and a ghost will come, and whatever you say to this ghost he will do. But beware; they are terrible things, and must be kept continually busy. If you fail to give him work he will take your life." The man replied "That is easy; I can give him work for all his life." Then he went to a forest, and after long repetition of the magic word, a huge ghost appeared before him, with big teeth, and said:"I am a ghost. I have been conquered by your magic. But you must keep me constantly employed. The moment you stop I will kill you." The man said, "Build me a palace," and the ghost said, "it is done; the palace is built." 'Bring me money," said the man. "Here is your money," money," said the ghost. said the ghost. "Cut this forest down, and build a city in its place." "That is done," said the ghost: "Anything more?" Now the man began to be frightened and said :-"I can give him nothing more to do; he does everything in a trice." The ghost said: "Give me something to do or I will eat you up." The poor man could find no further occupation for him and was frightened. So he ran and ran and at last reached the sage, and said, "Oh Sir, protect my life!" The sage asked him what was the matter, and the man replied: "I have nothing to give the ghost to do. Everything I tell him to do he does in a moment, and he threatens to eat me up if I do not give him work." Just then the ghost arrived saying, “I'll I'll eat you up," and he would have swal

eat you up, lowed the man. The man the sage to save his life. you a way out. Look at that dog with a curly tail. Draw your sword quickly and cut the tail off and give it to the ghost to straighten out." The man cut off the

began to shake, and begged The sage said :-"I will find

dogs tail and gave it to the ghost, saying, "Straighten that out for me." The ghost took it, and slowly and carefully straightened it out, but as soon as he let go, it instantly curled up again. Once more he laboriously straightened it out, only to find it again curled up as soon as he attempted to let go of it. Again he patiently straightened it out, but as soon as he let it go, it curled days and days until he

never in such trouble

up again. So he went on for was exhausted, and said, "I was before in my life. I am an old veteran ghost, but never before was I in such trouble. I will make compromise with you," he said to the man. "You let me off and I will let you keep all I have given you, and will promise not to hurt you." The man was much pleased and accepted the offer gladly.*

THE COVETOUS MAN PUNISHED.

Mick Purcell was reduced by was reduced by a succession of bad harvests to take his only cow to market for sale. On his way he meets with-or is overtaken by a strangelooking little grey man, who gives him in exchange for his cow a bottle, which, the little man assures him, would make him rich in a very short time: all he had

to do was to go home, make his wife sweep the floor, spread a clean cloth over the table; then set the bottle on the ground, saying these words, "Bottle! do your duty" and he would see the end of it. Mick goes home accordingly, and having strictly followed the little man's instructions, he had no sooner said, "Bottle! do your duty," when "two tiny little fellows rose like light from the bottle, and in an and in an instant covered the table with dishes, and plates of gold and silver, full of the

* From A Class Lecture delivered in America by Swami Vivekanand, from The Awakened India.