"I'm selling garden hose," said the little boy. "It's ten cents a foot."

"Wonderful," said the neighbor, "I'll take thirty feet."

"Alright," said the little boy, who began to measure the amount of hose with his own feet.

"Just a minute, son," said the neighbor. "You need a ruler or a tape measure."

"No," said the boy, "I use my own feet to measure with. I make more money that way."

There are many men in business who find ways to give 9 1/2 pounds of potatoes in a 10 pound bag or get an extra bag of strawberries out of a crate by repacking them. The steel industry and others also have their ways. The automotive business with its extra charge for accessories all scheme to make things look different than the original measurement.

Many church goers also report their giving in relationship to income tax by a different standard than that which appears in the reports of church treasurers. We cheat ourselves out of the Kingdom of Heaven by dishonest measurements.

It was good that the neighbor pointed out the boy's mistaken way of measuring; but he also was buying the hose at a bargain price without inquiring where the hose came from.

Happy living depends upon a sound standard and generous giving in substance, in service, in friendship and in loving.