I have here an illustration of work. Here are four nuts, a brazil nut, an almond, a walnut and a pecan. Each morning as you go to school you pass through the park. There in the park the squirrels are always to be seen, and to you they seem to be ever at play. There are days, warm spring days, lovely autumn days, when you do not like to go to school, and I hear you say, "I wish I could be like these squirrels, playing around all day long." But the squirrels do not play around all day long. They are at work, gathering nuts and storing them away for winter use. If I should give these nuts to the squirrels they would have to work to open them. All that is good in life comes through work. God wants us to work as well as play, and play as well as work. MEMORY VERSE, _Matthew_ 21: 18 "Son, go work to-day in my vineyard." MEMORY HYMN [422] _"Work, for the night is coming."_ THE BIG STORE Many of the girls and boys who read this little book live in or near one of the great cities where they have huge department stores. I love to visit a big store. I have spent hours, more likely days, if I should count up all the time, in Wanamaker's in New York and Philadelphia, Marshall Field's in Chicago, Hengerer's in Buffalo, and Eaton's in Toronto. Any season of the year, and almost any hour of the day, these stores are thronged with people, for people like to go to the big store. Now I am thinking of another big store, a truly big store, the great big store of Life. We have to visit at this store whether we want to or not. It is not a matter of choice but of necessity. Every morning you visit the big store of Life. Every evening you return home with what you have bought. Not only must you visit this store but you must also buy. When you visit Wanamaker's you do not have to buy unless you choose. In the big store of Life, however, you have no choice in the matter, you must buy. What must you buy? Well, you may buy anything you choose. This is the beautiful thing about the big store of Life--while we are compelled to buy we are permitted to choose. We must also pay. "Good morning, John, what would you like to buy this morning." "I think I'll buy a good geography lesson." "All right, you can buy that, but you must pay the price." "What is the price?" "Study, earnest study. Never leave the preparation until the last minute or trust to luck." Yes, it is true, right on through every department in the big store of Life, you can buy whatsoever you choose, but you must pay the price. MEMORY VERSE, _Philippians_ 4: 8 "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ... think on these things." MEMORY HYMN [332] _"Thou my everlasting portion."_ BREAD