330

THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

Tommy and his Papa.

 

BY E. H. KENNEDY, M. D,

 

. pon’ think, papa, that I under-
stand the meaning of this word.”

“ What is it, Tommy ?”

“Tye often met with it, and
it’s one of those kind of words that a body
has a sort of half an idea of what it
means; but yet I can’t say what it is,
though I know it means something good.”

“But you haven't told me the word,
my son.”

“ Well, sir, the word is magnanimity.”

“ Aevery good word it is, and you are
right’in saying that it means something
noble and excellent. Can’t you analyze
it ?—let us try.”

“Magnus is the Latin for great: this
much I know; but what the root of the
word comes from, I’m sure I can’t tell.”

“Suppose, Tommy, it were animus ?”

“©, sure enough, papa, that’s it—now
don’t tell me any more, and I'll find it all
out for myself. I'll write it down—mag-
nus means great, and animus is the Latin
for mind, and ty at the end is the suffix
of a noun: greatness of mind is the mean-
ing of the word—isn’t it, papa oi

“Yes—you have derived the word
properly, and have given it its true mean-
ing; but I wish I could impress upon
your mind, my son, its weight and im-
portance, as well as its mere meaning.
Magnanimity is one of the very noblest
traits of character a man can possess.”

“Qan’t you give me, papa, something
more particular, so as to make me know
it? I can’t still get hold of the idea of
what it does mean.”

“Suppose you should have a falling out
with some one of your schoolmates, and

 

a coolness should arise between you for

some time after; and that your school-

fellow, being influenced by an evil and
malicious heart, should seek to injure you,
what would you do?”

“T can’t exactly say so well for myself,
papa; but I know very well what Jim
Herrin, and Joe Briggs, and Sam Green
would do.”

“They would fight, I suppose ?”

“Yes, sir, they would; for I heard

them say so, again and again, and that
nobody should impose upon them without
giving back just as good as they got.”

“Tommy, take that Testament lying

upon the desk there, and turn to the fifth
chapter of Matthew, and read from the
forty-fourth verse.

(Tommy reads :) “ But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse

you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you
and persecute you; that ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heav-
en: for he maketh his sun to rise on the

evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust.”

“ That will do: What does this teach
you?”

“Tt teaches us to forgive one another.”

“So it does, Tommy ; and do you think
that Jim Herrin and Sam Green, that you
were talking of, as so ready to ‘smite with
the fist of wickedness,’ were under the in-
fluence of the spirit of the Gospel ?”

“JT should think not, sir.”

“Well, then, tell me what would you
do, in such circumstances as I have de-
scribed—supposing some one of the boys