If  I  Were  a  Boy  Again
If  I  were  a  boy  again,
I  would  practice  perseverance  oftener,
and  never  give  up  a  thing  because  it  was  hard  or  inconvenient.
If  we  want  light,
we  must  conquer  darkness.
If  I  were  to  live  my  life  over  again,
I  would  pay  more  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  memory.
I  would  strengthen  that  faculty  by  every  possible  means,
and  on  every  possible  occasion.
It  takes  a  little  hard  work  at  first  to  remember  things  accurately;
but  memory  soon  helps  itself,
and  gives  very  little  trouble.
It  only  needs  early  cultivation  to  become  a  power.
If  I  were  a  boy  again,
I  would  look  on  the  cheerful  side.
Life  is  very  much  like  a  mirror  if  you  smile  upon  it,
it  smiles  back  upon  you;
but  if  you  frown  and  look  doubtful  on  it,
you  will  get  a  similar  look  in  return.
Inner  sunshine  warms  not  only  the  heart  of  the  owner,
but  of  all  that  come  in  contact  with  it.
“Who  shuts  love  out,in  turn  shall  be  shut  from  love.”
If  I  were  a  boy  again,
I  would  school  myself  to  say “No ”oftener.
I  might  write  pages  on  the  importance  of  learning  very  early  in  life
to  gain  that  point  where  a  young  boy  can  stand  erect,
and  decline  doing  an  unworthy  act  because  it  is  unworthy.
If  I  were  a  boy  again,
I  would  demand  of  myself  more  courtesy  towards  my  companions  and  friends,
and  indeed  towards  strangers  as  well.
The  smallest  courtesies  along  the  rough  roads  of  life
are  like  the  little  birds  that  sing  to  us  all  winter  long,
and  make  that  season  of  ice  and  snow  more  endurable.
Finally,instead  of  trying  hard  to  be  happy,
as  if  that  were  the  sole  purpose  of  life,
I  would,if  I  were  a  boy  again,
try  still  harder  to  make  others  happy.