AMY: And Mr. Blank is such a big man he must have strong muscles. MOTHER: To be big is not to be strong. It is well to have some soft cushions of fat between the muscles, but, as a rule, those who have much fat are not as strong and well as those who have less fat and more muscle. Whisky does not make the muscles grow, nor does it make any one strong. Would you like to have me tell you why this is so? ELMER: Please do, mother. MOTHER: Do you remember when we were driving up that long hill yesterday how tired the horse seemed till he was struck with a whip? After that he went much faster, and did not seem tired at all for a little while. The whip was a stim´u-lant to the horse. Whisky and beer are stim´u-lants, too. Mr. Blank works till his muscles are tired, and then, instead of giving them food and rest, he gives them beer, which makes him think he is stronger when he is really weaker. The whip made the horse forget he was tired, but don’t you think if he had rested an hour and eaten some good oats and sweet hay, he would have had more strength than he had after he was struck with the whip? PERCY: I think so; for if we had given the horse no rest and had kept whipping him, after a time he could not work at all. [Illustration: “_LIFT, BROTHER, LIFT._”] MOTHER: And that is just what happens to the man who drinks beer. Perhaps you have seen a man stumbling along the sidewalk. He is first on one side and then on the other, and we say he is drunk. This means that the alcohol he has taken has poisoned his body so the muscles will not do their work properly. The man can not make his servants do as he tells them; for he has made them all sick, and _he_ is sick. It is a sad sight to see any one drink this poison, and make himself helpless. AMY: I never knew before that strong drink hurt the muscles. MOTHER: And there is another poison about as bad for them, and that is tobacco. If a boy wishes to grow to be a large, noble man, with an active mind, a clean mouth, sweet breath, clear eyes, and strong muscles, he will not touch tobacco. In some countries there is a law against boys using it, because it does them so much harm. Tobacco makes the muscles weak and unsteady. Like alcohol, it makes a person _feel_ stronger when he is really weaker. WEATHER-BOARDS AND ROOFING MOTHER: After your father had filled the framework of his house with bricks, can you tell me, Elmer, how the outside was covered? ELMER: The walls were covered on the outside with boards, and the roof with shingles. MOTHER: That would do very well for a wooden house, but for one that can walk, run, jump, and skip about, such a stiff covering would be sadly out of place. We sometimes smile because the snail carries his house around on his back; but the house we live in must move itself and carry the one who lives in it. How are boards and shingles fastened onto common houses so they will stay? PERCY: With nails.