The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing it off all the time.  His pride hindered his usefulness as a fisherman.  The farmer’s boy had nothing to show off; so he kept himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in fishing.

“The Thames’ Tunnel Teaching Humility.”  Most strangers who visit the great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river Thames.  This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river.  It is one of the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.  The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of England.  His name was Sir Isambard Brunel.  He was so humble that he was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm.  These worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.

One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard.  An old ship was on the dry-dock getting repaired.  A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been taken out from her sides.  He picked up one of these pieces of timber, and saw a worm at work, boring its way through.  If he had been a proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said—­“Get away you poor little worm.  I am a great master builder.  You can’t teach me anything.”  And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames would probably never have been built.  But Mr. Brunel had learned the lesson of humility.  He was willing to learn from anything that God had made, however insignificant it might be.  So he sat down and watched the worm at its work.  He studied carefully the form of the hole it was boring.  The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel would be, that was made in the shape of this hole!  And when he was asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the Thames, he said he thought it could be done.  He undertook to build it.  He succeeded in the work.  But, in accomplishing the great undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.

And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves:  “This mighty tunnel is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us useful.”

“George Washington and His Humility.”  Here is a story connected with the great and good Washington—­“the Father of his country,” which illustrates very well this part of our subject.

During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military works which they were engaged in repairing.  It was hard work to get the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to time, “Push away, boys!  There she goes!  Heave ho!”