While he was a young man, he was appointed by Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, to the command of a body of troops, and sent on some duty in the western part of that state. A part of these troops was composed of friendly Indians. There was no chaplain in that little army, and so Washington used to act as chaplain himself. He was in the habit of standing up, in the presence of his men, with his head uncovered, and reverently asking the God of heaven to protect and bless them in the work they were sent to do. And no doubt, the great secret of Washington’s success in life, was his habit of prayer. He occupied many positions of honor and dignity during his useful life. But, never did he occupy any position in which he appeared so manly, so honorable, and so truly noble, as when he stood forth, a young man, in the presence of his little army, and tried to lift up their thoughts to God above, as the one “from whom all blessings flow.” “Praying Better Than Stealing.” A poor family lived near a wood wharf. The father of this family got on very well while he kept sober; but when he went to the tavern to spend his evenings and his earnings, as he did sometimes, then his poor family had to suffer. One winter, during a cold spell of weather, he was taken sick from a drunken frolic. Their wood was nearly gone. After dark one night, he called his oldest boy John to his bedside, and whispered to him to go to the wood wharf and bring an armful of wood. “I can’t do that,” said John. “Can’t do it—why not?” “Because that would be stealing, and since I have been going to Sabbath-school, I’ve learned that God’s commandment is, ‘Thou shalt not steal.’” “Well, and didn’t you learn that another of God’s commandments is—‘Children, obey your parents?’” “Yes, father,” answered the boy. “Well, then, mind and do what I tell you.” Johnny was perplexed. He knew there must be some way of answering his father, but he did not know exactly how to do it. The right thing would have been for him to say that, when our parents tell us to do what is plainly contrary to the command of God, we must obey God rather than men. But Johnny had not learned this yet. So he said: “Father, please excuse me from stealing. I’ll ask God to send us some wood. Praying’s better than stealing. I’m pretty sure God will send it. And if it don’t come before I come home from school at noon to-morrow, I will go and work for some, or beg some. I can work, and I can beg, but I can’t steal.” Then Johnny crept up into the loft where he slept, and prayed to God about this matter. He said the Lord’s prayer, which his teacher had taught him. And after saying—“give us this day our daily bread;” he added—“and please Lord send us some wood too, and let father see that praying is better than stealing—for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”