FORFEITS.

New Zealand Graphic, 20 December 1894, Page 23

FORFEITS.

Christmas is not the only time of the year that we play at forfeits. Life, you may say, is a constant succession of forfeits. It is the negligent, idle, stupid, careless portion of mankind that has generally to pay the most for these forfeits, which, we need not say, is to them a losing rather than a winning game. We will first dip our hand into the stores of our

recollection, and try to bring up a tew bright examples. For instance— If you come in late for dinner, and it is all gone, and you find that you are compelled to go without any, that is already a Forfeit. If you do anything to offend your wife, or neglect taking her to see the opera, or forget to make arrangements that she and ‘ the dear children ’ shall have their autumnal run out of town, the chances are that you lose her good esteem ; and you must be a hardened criminal

indeed, or corrupted beyond hope of cure or remedy by your bachelor friends, if you do not consider that a Forfeit. If you allow your children to have their own way, and never check them, and always let them have an unlimited supply of money, and permit them to run riot as they please, never correcting them, never pointing out to them the right path, never exercising your parental authority, we should say that there would be every promise, according to the strict nature of things, of your

losing the obedience and respect that a child should pay to its parent ; and that is a Forfeit the most difficult of all to win back again.

ERRATA. The picture of Christmas at Rotorua on page 12 is wrongly credited to Mr Ryan. The artist of this picture is Mr Kenneth Watkins.