192 THE LAND OF PLUCK

reading well, Andif you read books that do not make you
more intelligent, more sunny, more charitable and high-
minded than you otherwise would be, you are reading
very badly indeed. If you sit reading for hours, selfishly
neglecting some duty, and filling your mind with false ideas
of life, and arousing thoughts that in your secret heart
you know are not good for you, you are doing an injury,
not only to yourself, but to others with whom you hence-
forth may be brought in contact.

But if at seasonable times, and after proper intervals of
play or bodily exercise, you read in an inquiring, sincere
way books that entertain or instruct the best part of you
(we all soon find out what that best part of our nature is),
and that have been selected under guidance of some one
competent to help you, then you ae doing good to others
as well as to yourself, by reading. You hardly can go up or
down stairs when in the mood such reading engenders with-
out doing somebody good. If it is only the cat on the land-
ing, she “ll get the benefit of it somehow. A sunny, healthy
mind sheds beams of lght unconsciously ; and then there
are the cheery word, the pleasant smile, the ready spirit
of fun, the thoughtful question or answer, the entertaining
bubbles of talk that rise to the surface of a mind set
sparkling by good books worthily read. You will soon
find the value of it all—or some one else will.

It is not so much what good thing we do, though that is
of great consequence, but how well we do it that deter-
mines our success. A pragmatic, conceited manner, or a
too selfish eagerness, will spoil any pursuit. There is such
a thing, you must know, as being unpleasantly pleasant,