[This is a famous old story, with an important addition to fit it to our present purpose.]
Once upon a time there was a blacksmith who had, to help him, a lazy boy called Billy. One day the blacksmith saw that he was out of horseshoe nails, and he sent Billy in a hurry to the nearest town to buy some.
But Billy was never known to be in a hurry. He loitered along the road, playing games and talking with all the boys he met, and at last, coming across Jack Emptyhead, his boon companion, he so far forgot his errand as to accept Jack’s invitation to go fishing with him.
In the meantime, there came to the blacksmith’s shop a cavalryman riding a horse that had cast his shoe. The horseman was a very important officer, and was riding very fast to reach the army before a certain great battle that was soon to be fought. His horse had begun to limp, however, and he saw that, unless something was done, the battle would be ended before he could catch up with the army.
You may imagine his despair when he found that our blacksmith had no horseshoe nails. He was compelled to plod on as best he could, for there was no other blacksmith shop for miles around. But his horse grew lamer and lamer, and the battle was over long before he reached the spot.
Now this officer was so very important that because he was not there his side lost the battle. And because the battle was lost, the country was lost for which his army was fighting. So you see that because of the disobedience of a single little boy the officer was kept from joining his army, and the army was kept from winning the battle, and the great country was lost to its rightful king.
Do you think this a strange story? It is a very true one. To be sure, just these things may never have happened, but just as important things are coming to pass every day from some one’s obedience or disobedience in very small matters. The world is all so closely bound up together, my boys and girls, that you never can guess how much misery may be caused by the very smallest little fault committed by the very smallest little boy or girl.