A whole town were once horrified by the confession of a mere boy that he had killed his playmate. He seemed to have no fear or sorrow because of the act, but his mother said when he was a small child he would catch the flies and pull their wings off, and smile as he noted the suffering of the fly. First it was the wings of a fly, at last it was the murder of a playmate. Weeds are not good things in a garden. They are not good things in the heart, Watch them when they first show their little heads. Close the door at once, they soon turn to poison and death in the soul. Then again the weeds say to me: "My real name is Determination. I will come in, and you will have a hard time to get rid of me." They are determined to stay. It is no use to pull off their leaves, but pull them up by their roots and cast them into the fire. Just as soon as an evil thought comes into our minds, kill it at once. Cast it out of our thought. Don't talk about it, or it will drive its roots down deep, and will come to stay. Evil-thought weeds come from everywhere; some from far-off lands, others are carried in our mail, and in our schoolbooks. Some are passing tramps, but they come and take us unawares. Soon evil acts follow naturally and as certainly as day follows night. Fill your mind full of good thoughts, and don't look on evil weeds. Solomon said, "Look not on the wine." This was good advice, for looking upon evil creates the longing for it. Let Jesus come into the mind as well as the heart, and he will cast out the evil thoughts, because he cannot stay with the weeds of sinful thoughts. Let your daily prayer be, "Take away all the ugly weeds from my heart, O Lord, and plant beautiful thought flowers there, that it may be always sweet for thee." In delivering this address display the weeds in separate bunches. Put them in a number of glasses and put all in a row on the front of the table so all the class may see them. After the lesson gather them into one bunch and cast them aside (or out of door or window). This is what God does with the _thorns_ and _thistles_. These are Bible names for _weeds_. =9 THE SWORD OF -- OBJECTS: A Small Sword with the Name of "Benaiah" Written on the Blade= I hold in my hand a small sword. It belongs to a great soldier whose name is mentioned in the Old Testament in 2 Samuel 23. I find his name on this sword. I don't think you have ever pronounced it. If you have, you have forgotten it, yet the soldier whose name is written here was great and brave and full of kindly deeds. It is too bad his name has been forgotten. I will tell you about his deeds, and then, I hope, after I have told you his name you will never forget him.