PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Joseph was watching Grandpa putting on his shoes. 'Why do you always turn your shoes over and shake them before you put them on, Grandpa?' he asked. 'Do I?' replied Grandpa. "Why, yes, you shook them just now but I didn't see anything coming out. I have to shake my shoes sometimes to get the sand out.' Grandpa laughed. 'I didn't know that I shook my shoes, Joseph.'

'I must have formed the habit of shaking my shoes every time before I put them on when I was in the military service in the jungles.' 'Why did you do it there?' 'Oh, to shake out any scorpion, centipede or other vermin that might be hiding in them.' 'But you don't have to do it here. We don't have such things here.' 'I know,' said Grandpa, 'but I had formed the habit and now I do it without thinking.'

'Habit is a queer thing, isn't?' said Joseph. 'It is a very strong thing,' Grandpa replied. 'A habit is a chain that grows stronger and stronger every day. A bad habit will grow just as strong as a good one. If you want to have good habits when you are old, you would better form them when you are young.'

'When we have practised good actions a while, they become easy; when they are easy, we take the pleasure in them; when they please us, we do them frequently; and then by frequency of act, they grow into habits.'