“Jesus wants all the boys and girls to be watchful of the snares of life and to live so truly that they will easily escape the temptations which abound everywhere.  ‘Take heed,’ he said, ’Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things.’”

THE MASK
    —­Sincerity
    —­Truth

Let Us Ask Ourselves Earnestly if We Are Guilty of Wearing It.

THE LESSON—­That the world honors and respects an honest man, one who does not fear the opinion of those about him.

We recall the words of Jesus, who, in His Sermon on the Mount, warned his hearers to “beware of false prophets which come to you in sheeps’ clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves,” and we reflect how applicable are the words in modern times.  Everywhere, one must beware the snares and deceit of the servants of Satan, who, with pleasing outward appearance, entrap their victims.  It is a delight and a satisfaction, then, to find real truth and sincerity in the earth, and it is to be found if we but look for it.

The Talk.

“It is said that when a thief wants to rob a house, he tries to find the home of an honest man.  Why?  Because he thinks that the honest man, who never takes advantage of his fellowmen, will be least apt to suspect that anyone will take advantage of him.

“But the same truth holds good when one honest man seeks to deal with another honest man.  A true man, when he comes to us with any plan of work or investment may be relied upon to say just what he thinks and believes.  He is dependable.  It is a pleasure and a satisfaction, when we are listening to the words of another person, to know that that other person is speaking the truth.  But not everyone is to be depended upon in this way.  There is another kind of man who tells you something in apparent sincerity, but when he calls upon the next person he may tell the story in an entirely different way.  Why?  Because he believes that the second person will be better pleased with the revised version.

[Illustration:  Fig. 82]

“How often do we find an attractive face which gains our entire confidence, a face, pleasant to see and agreeable in every way. [Draw face, completing Fig. 82.] And then, how often are we pained and shocked and disappointed when something happens which allows us to look into the real character of the person and we find that his real self is anything but agreeable and worthy of confidence. [Draw lines to complete Fig. 83.] Such a discovery, however, should not cause us to lose faith in our brothers.  Truth, character, and a splendid degree of manhood abound everywhere.

[Illustration:  Fig. 83]