Willie Brown had very kind parents, who aimed to set a good example, and to bring him up in the love and fear of God.

Instead, however of profiting by the lessons he received, he often caused his parents much unhappiness by his naughty conduct. He was idle and disobedient, did not always speak the truth, and several times took what was not his own.

His father was very anxious to impress on his mind the danger of forming sinful habits, which would grow with his growth and strengthen with his strength, until they would bind him, as with iron chains. At last he thought of a plan by which he hoped to teach his son this important lesson.

In the orchard, not far from Mr. Brown's house, there was a young tree so very crooked, that he had more than once determined to cut it down. Close by were some young trees which were remarkable for their straight and beautiful appearance.

Mr. Brown directed his men to take an ax, with some stakes and ropes, and go down into the orchard, to see if they could not straighten the crooked tree. He told Peter, the gardener, to go down at the same time, and put some more fastenings upon the pear trees. He object in all this was to teach Willie a lesson.

After they had been gone a short time, Mr. Brown saw Willie running from the barn to the house, and he called to him. "Come, Willie my boy, let us go down to the orchard, and see how Peter and the men get on with their work: we shall have time enough before school begins."  

When they arrived at the orchard, they first saw Peter tying cords round the pear trees, and fastening them to the stakes, which were driven into the ground by the side of the trees. It seems that when they were little trees, they were fastened in this way near the ground, to keep them straight. As the trees grew up they were fastened in the same way, higher and higher, till by-and-by, they were strong and firm enough to need no such stay.

Some of them were so much inclined to grow crooked that they had to put three stakes down and fasten them on all sides; but by beginning early, and keeping a constant watch, even these were kept straight.

"The pear trees seem to be doing well, sir," said Peter "we have to train them up pretty close to the stakes; for it is the only way. They must be taken near the ground, when a bit of twine will hold them, and followed up till they are safe."

They went on a little further, and there were the men at work on the crooked tree. They had a long stake at this side, and a short one on that; hear a rope and there another; but all to no purpose. Indeed, they were very surprised that Mr. Brown should send them to do such a piece of work.
When Willie and his father came to the crooked tree, one of the men was just saying to the other, "It will never do: you can't straighten it, and so you may as well let it alone." - "Ah!" said Mr. Brown, "do you give it up? Can't you brace it up on one side, and then on the other?"

"Oh no, sir," said one of the men, "it is too late to make any thing of it. All the rigging of the navy could not make that tree straight." - "I see it," said Mr. Brown, "and yet a bit of twine applied in season, would have made it as straight as the pear trees. Well, men go to your mowing."

"I did not expect them to do anything with that tree, my son," said Mr. Brown, turning to his little boy, "but I wanted to teach you a lesson. You are now a little twig. Your mother and I want you to become a straight, tall and useful tree. Our commands and prohibitions are the little cords of twine that we tie around you to gird you up."

"Prisons and Penitentiaries are the ropes and chains upon crooked trees, which were not guided wisely when they were twigs. If not kept straight now, you certainly will not be likely to grow straight by-and-by. If you form evil habits now, they will soon become too strong to break. If while you are a green and tender sprout, we can not guide you, we surely can not expect to do it when you become a strong and sturdy tree. But if we do all we can to guide you in the right way now, we may hope that when you will have grown old, you will not depart from it."
End

This story is compliments of Catholic Heritage Curricula, for information on the complete book of stories please contact CHC at www.chcweb.com

Picture of God

I heard a story recently about a grade-school class who were given an assignment to draw a picture of God. When the teacher has collected the pictures and was reviewing them she noticed that many of the little children had drawn a picture of their own father. Because in their hearts and minds their father was the closest representation of God on earth. If we take a minute to ponder this fact we realize that it is imperative that we try each day to live up to this image of God as a loving, kind and gentle father.