Mr. John started a school for poor little children; he paid a teacher to teach them, and bought clothes for the boys and girls whose parents could not afford to buy them. Once a little girl from the school called to see Mr. John. It was a cold winter's day, and she was very poorly clad. "You seem half starved, dear," he said; "have you nothing to wear but that cotton frock?" "No, sir," she answered; "this is the only frock I have." Mr. John put his hand into his pocket, but, alas! he found no money there, it had all gone. Just then he caught sight of the pictures on the walls of his room, and he thought: "How can I allow these beautiful pictures to hang here while Christ's poor are starving?" We are not told, but I think we can be quite sure that the pictures were sold, and that the little girl got a warm winter's frock. Mr. John was just as careful of his time as his money, he never wasted a moment. He believed in the proverb you have often heard: "Early to bed and early to rise." Some people say: "Get up with the lark," but I think Mr. John was always up before that little bird even awoke. Every morning when the clock struck four he jumped out of bed, and began his work. Wasn't that early? I wonder which of us would like to get up at that time? And he did not do this only when he was young, he did it all his life, even when he was an old, old man. I told you these "Methodists" made rules for themselves. One of them was to set apart special days for special prayer for their friends and pupils. And another one which we all should copy was: NEVER TO SPEAK UNKINDLY OF ANY ONE. The Bible was their Guide Book, and it told them, as it will tell us, all they ought to do, and all they ought not to do. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER IX. A long walk.--More persecutions.--Mr. John's illness.--Not afraid to die.--Mrs. Wesley scolds.--Home again.--A proud father.--Mr. Wesley's opinion about fasting.--At Wroote once more.--Mr. Wesley's "Good-bye." WILL you look on your map of England and find London? Now find Oxford. The two places are a long way apart, are they not? Well, do you know Mr. John and Mr. Charles Wesley used often to walk all that long way to see a friend. You know there were no railways in those days, and to go by coach cost a great deal of money. This friend's name was Mr. Law; he was a very good man, and encouraged and helped the two brothers very much. He taught them that "religion is the simplest thing in the world." He said: "It is just this, 'We love Jesus, because Jesus first loved us.'"