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diff --git a/old/52296-0.txt b/old/52296-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2199197..0000000 --- a/old/52296-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5462 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Deaf Shoemaker, by Philip Barrett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Deaf Shoemaker - To Which Are Added Other Stories for the Young - -Author: Philip Barrett - -Release Date: June 10, 2016 [EBook #52296] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEAF SHOEMAKER *** - - - - -Produced by Lucinda Forest from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - - - - The Deaf Shoemaker - and - OTHER STORIES - - by - PHILLIP BARRETT. - - [Illustration: A SABBATH IN THE COUNTRY, page 190] - - M. W. DODD, 506 BROADWAY. - - - - - THE DEAF SHOEMAKER. - - BY - PHILIP BARRETT, - AUTHOR OF “FLOWERS BY THE WAYSIDE.” - - TO WHICH ARE ADDED - Other Stories for the Young. - - - ’Tis RELIGION that can give - Sweetest pleasures while we live; - ’Tis RELIGION must supply - Solid comfort when we die. - - MRS. MASTERS. - - - NEW YORK: - PUBLISHED BY M. W. DODD, - No. 506 BROADWAY, - 1859. - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1859, by - - M. W. DODD, - -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for -the Southern District of New York. - - - EDWARD O. JENKINS, - Printer & Stereotyper, - No. 26 Frankfort Street. - - - - - TO - REV. ERSKINE M. RODMAN, - RECTOR OF CHRIST’S CHURCH, NORFOLK, VA., - This Little Volume is - INSCRIBED, - AS AN HUMBLE TESTIMONIAL OF THE FRIENDSHIP AND ESTEEM OF - PHILIP BARRETT. - - - - -PREFACE. - -MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: - -ENCOURAGED by your kind reception of my former little volume, I have -gathered together my scattered sketches with the earnest wish and -heart-felt prayer that they may be instrumental in leading you to -childhood’s best and truest friend—the blessed SAVIOUR. - - Your attached Friend, - PHILIP BARRETT, - _Rural Retirement, Va._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - JOHN McDONOUGH 9 - - MARY AND HER DRAWER 14 - - “IT IS I!” 18 - - THE ORPHAN 22 - - THE RECORDING ANGEL 26 - - THOMAS WARD 29 - - THE ROSE 34 - - THE LANTERN 38 - - THE DECISIVE MOMENT 43 - - THE ALARM WATCH 46 - - “CONDEMNED” 51 - - “I WANT TO BE A MINISTER” 55 - - RUFUS TAYLOR 60 - - JAMES JONES 63 - - GERTRUDE MASON 68 - - THE DEAF SHOEMAKER 71 - - NORMAN HALL 77 - - “DELAY NOT” 80 - - THE SAVIOUR 85 - - AUTUMN 89 - - NERO 94 - - THE RAILROAD 100 - - A TRUE SKETCH 104 - - “THE LAST NIGHT OF THE SEASON” 108 - - HUGH MILLER AND THE PRECIPICE 112 - - THE HOME OF ST. PAUL 116 - - HOME 121 - - TO MY SABBATH-SCHOOL CLASS 128 - - HALF AN HOUR IN BAD COMPANY 131 - - THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR 134 - - THE YOUNG MAN WHO WENT TO SLEEP IN CHURCH 138 - - MARGARET WILSON 140 - - GILBERT HUNT 145 - - SKETCHES FOR YOUNG MEN 155 - - THE LAMP AND THE LANTERN, No. 1 157 - - ” ” No. 2 159 - - ” ” No. 3 164 - - “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” No. 1 169 - - ” ” No. 2 172 - - ” ” No. 3 174 - - THE POOR CONSUMPTIVE 181 - - “WHAT I LIVE FOR” 184 - - THE LAST SERMON OF THE SEASON 186 - - “WILL NOBODY SAVE ME?” 188 - - A SABBATH IN THE COUNTRY 190 - - THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN’S DEATH-CHAMBER 196 - - WHAT PRAYER DOES 202 - - “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING” 204 - - APPENDIX 207 - - - - -JOHN McDONOUGH. - - “JESUS, lover of my soul, - Let me to Thy bosom fly, - While the raging billows roll, - While the tempest still is high. - - “Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, - Till the storm of life is past - Safe into the haven guide; - O receive my soul at last.” - - -“JOHN MCDONOUGH! who is _he?_” my young reader will doubtless exclaim. - -It is true, his name is not written in golden letters on the pages of -History,—no Senate chamber has resounded with his eloquence,—the -conqueror’s wreath has never encircled his brow; but John McDonough has -performed a deed which posterity, to the remotest generation, can never -forget. - -But a few weeks since, the steamer Northern Indiana was burned on one -of the Northern lakes, and then and there it was, that this noble and -gallant deed was performed. - -You who have never seen a ship on fire can form no idea of the awful -horror of such a scene. All was wild excitement and mad confusion. The -flames spread like a whirlwind over the noble ship, and soon wrapt it -in their withering embrace. Every heart was lifted to God in prayer; -every voice was joined in supplication; mothers were clasping their -infants to their bosoms; husbands endeavoring to save their wives; -fathers encircling their sons in their strong and unfailing arms; the -waters were a mass of living, immortal beings, struggling for life. - -Amid the hissing of the flames, the pale glare of the atmosphere, -and the wild shrieks of hopeless agony that arose from the sinking -passengers, John McDonough might have been seen, calm and composed, -struggling nobly with the swelling waves, and bearing in one hand -_life-preservers_ to the perishing souls scattered over the surface of -the lake, which, to many, was destined soon to be the winding-sheet of -Death. - -How noble the action! How my heart swells within me when I think of the -gallant and fearless conduct of such a man! - -When despair clothed every brow, fear paled every cheek, and the wild -cry—“Save, Lord, or I perish”—echoed in the ears of the drowning, -his lofty brow showed no signs of fear, his eye beamed with hope. He -still struggled on, and on, till many and many a soul was rescued from -a watery grave. - -I had rather be the brave, the dauntless, the self-sacrificing John -McDonough—the humble laborer on the ill-fated Northern Indiana—than -Alexander the Great weeping because there were no other worlds for him -to conquer. - -God bless thee, noble John McDonough! - -Though no eulogy be pronounced at thy death, no booming cannon thunder -over thy grave, no proud monument mark thy resting-place, yet there -will be erected in the hearts of thy countrymen a monument more lasting -than marble, more enduring than brass. May thy name live forever! - -My young friends, do you not also see, concealed as it were by the -terrible grandeur and painful horror of the scene, a beautiful and -important truth displayed in the conduct of this noble-hearted man? - -We are all embarked in a ship. The destination of that ship is -_Eternity_. The voyage is tempestuous, and when we least expect it, the -fires of hell may take hold upon us. But, thanks be to God, there is a -Great Life-preserver always at hand. That Life-preserver I now extend -to you: reject it if you dare; destruction is the consequence. Accept -it; and you will soon be landed on the blissful shores of Heaven. That -Life-preserver is - - CHRIST. - - * * * * * - -CHRIST THE ROCK OF AGES. - - “ROCK OF AGES, cleft for me, - Let me hide myself in Thee; - Let the water and the blood, - From Thy wounded side which flowed, - Be of sin the double cure; - Cleanse me from its guilt and power. - - “Not the labor of my hands - Can fulfil the law’s demands; - Could my zeal no respite know, - Could my tears forever flow, - All for sin could not atone, - Thou must save, and Thou alone. - - “Nothing in my hand I bring, - Simply to Thy cross I cling; - Naked, come to Thee for dress; - Helpless, look to Thee for grace; - Vile, I to the Fountain fly, - Wash me, Saviour, or I die. - - “While I draw this fleeting breath, - When my heart-strings break in death, - When I soar to worlds unknown, - See Thee on Thy judgment throne,— - Rock of Ages, cleft for me, - Let me hide myself in Thee.” - - - - -MARY AND HER DRAWER; - -OR, NOTHING MADE BY GETTING ANGRY. - - I CANNOT curb my temper, - I might as well have tried - To stop, with little pebbles, - A river’s rapid tide. - My good resolves I hardly form, - When trifles raise an angry storm. - - CHILD’S CHRISTIAN YEAR. - - -THE church bells were sending forth their merry chimes, and hundreds of -children were wending their way to the Sabbath-school. Mary was late -that morning, and ran very quickly to her drawer, in which were kept -her gloves, hymn-book, catechism, &c., and endeavored to jerk it open -at once; but in so doing she got it crooked, and it would move neither -way. - -Being in a great hurry, she began at once to fret and blame the drawer -for not coming out. She soon became quite angry; her check flushed, her -eyes sparkled, and with a violent effort she pulled the drawer out, -emptied its contents on the floor, tore her dress, disfigured her -hymn-book, and almost ruined the drawer itself. - -Her father was patiently waiting in the hall for his little daughter, -when the accident occurred, and asked her what was the matter. Her -instant reply was, “Nothing, Father; you go on—I will overtake you -presently.” - -Little Mary did not overtake her father, and he looked in vain for her -at the Sabbath-school. - -Her dress was so badly torn that she could not go to Sabbath-school, -and with tears flowing down her cheeks, she sat down and thought -soberly over her conduct. - -She doubtless felt very sorry for her anger, and the unnecessary damage -she had done. - -No one, when the family returned from church, said a word to her, but -left her to her own reflections. When her father had taken off his hat -and seated himself, she modestly approached him, threw her arms around -his neck, and said,— - -“Father, do you know why your little Mary was absent from -Sabbath-school this morning?” - -“No, my child,” he replied. - -“I was in a very great hurry, and attempted to pull my drawer out very -quickly, and got it fastened so tightly that it would move neither one -way nor the other. I tried and tried, but it would not move. I then -got angry with the drawer, pulled it very hard, and not only scattered -its contents over the floor, but hung the knob in my dress and tore it -so badly that I could not come to the Sabbath-school.” - -Her father told her he willingly forgave her, and that she must also -ask God’s forgiveness, for she had committed a sin in giving way to -her anger. He also told her to remember that nothing was ever made by -getting angry. If she ever tried to do anything, and could not do it at -once, she must not get angry, but be patient and calm. - -I hope this little thing taught Mary an important lesson—and may it -teach you the same, dear little reader. _Nothing was ever made by -getting angry, but something always lost._ - - * * * * * - -AGAINST YIELDING TO TEMPTATION. - - MY love, you have met with a trial to-day - Which I hoped to have seen you oppose; - But alas, in a moment your temper gave way, - And the pride of your bosom arose. - - I saw the temptation, and trembled for fear - Your good resolutions should fall; - And soon, by your eye and your color, my dear, - I found you had broken them all. - - Oh, why did you suffer this troublesome sin - To rise in your bosom again? - And when you perceived it already within, - Oh, why did you let it remain? - - As soon as temptation is put in your way, - And passion is ready to start, - ’Tis then you must try to subdue it, and pray - For courage to bid it depart. - - But now you can only with sorrow implore - That Jesus would pardon your sin, - Would help you to watch for your enemy more, - And put a new temper within. - - JANE TAYLOR. - - - - -“IT IS I!” - - “CLAIM me, Shepherd, as Thine own, - Oh, protect me, Thou alone! - Let me hear Thy gracious voice, - Make my fainting heart rejoice.” - - -THERE was once a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. - -The wild winds howled, and the furious waves rose almost mountain high. - -There was a small vessel in the midst of this storm, and in this vessel -were some of Christ’s disciples. - -When the storm had reached its utmost fury, and certain destruction -seemed to await those who were in it, a man was seen walking on the -water towards the vessel. - -The disciples were at once struck with wonder and amazement. They were -doubtless somewhat superstitious, and supposed it to be a spirit; -for they were well aware that nothing having flesh and blood like -themselves could walk on the surface of the water without sinking. - -But whose familiar voice is that, heard even above the roar of the sea, -and the noise of the winds? Who is He that dares approach their vessel -on such a night? - -The voice is the voice of their Saviour; and He who dreads not the -rage of the billows, is He whom “the winds and the sea obey.” What are -His words? They are few and well chosen—such as were best suited to -the occasion: “It is I; be not afraid!” Oh, how welcome the visitor! -How delightful that familiar voice! How the downcast hearts of the -disciples throb with joy when they welcome their Saviour to their -bosoms! How their hearts gush forth in thanks when they see the raging -billows become, at His command, as gentle as a lamb, and the furious -winds as innocent as a little child. - -Children, do not we gather some important truths from this Scripture -narrative? In the storms of adversity and sadness, affliction and -bereavement, ought we not hear Christ saying to us, “It is I; be not -afraid?” - - * * * * * - -CHRIST STILLING THE TEMPEST. - - THE beating rain in torrents fell, - The thunder muttered loud, - And fearful men with deep grief dwell - Before their Saviour bowed. - The billows lashed the rock-bound shore, - The howling winds roared by, - While feeble cries rose on the gale, - “Christ, save us, or we die.” - - Upon a bed of sweet repose - Our blessed Saviour lay, - While round Him played the lightning’s flash - From out a frowning sky. - And feeble cries of grief and woe - Were heard around His bed,— - “Oh! Jesus, wake—we perish now, - Our courage all has fled.” - - The lightnings flashed, the thunder roared, - The foaming waves rolled by, - And Jesus calmly rose and said, - “Fear ye not; it is I.” - Loud roared the winds in wailing notes, - The night was cold and chill, - And to the raging storm He said, - “Hush, ye winds; peace, be still.” - - The winds were stilled, the sea was calm, - The clouds soon passed away, - And sunny skies, with golden gleams, - Beamed on the face of day. - “What man is this,” the seamen cry, - “That e’en the sea ’ll obey? - He only whispered, ‘Peace, be still,’ - And darkness passed away.” - - WESTERN RECORDER. - - - - -THE ORPHAN. - - “AN orphan in the cold wide world, - Dear Lord, I come to Thee: - Thou, Father of the fatherless, - My Friend and Father be!” - - -“COLD is the world without a father’s arm to shield, and a mother’s -heart to love. The sun shines but dimly on the head of the orphan, -for sorrow claims such as its own, and no earthly power can release -from its embrace. When a father dies, and she who ‘loves with a deep, -strong, fervent love,’ is laid in the grave, then is the brightness of -earthly existence extinguished.” - -Children, how accurately do the above lines describe the lonely and -forsaken condition of the orphan! - -Have you never felt your little hearts throb with sorrow when you saw -the children of the Orphan Asylum walk quietly down the aisle of the -church and seat themselves in regular order in the front pews? Did not -their plain dress speak to you in language which you were obliged to -hear? Did not the prayer arise from your breasts, that God would be a -Father to the fatherless, that He would watch over, guide and protect, -throughout the journey of life, that helpless little band of fatherless -and motherless children? - -How lonely must their condition be. No father to counsel, no mother to -love, no home beneath whose shelter they may rest, but dependent upon -the cold charities of a colder world. - -He who would treat unkindly, or wound the feelings of _an orphan_, is -worse than the brute of the field. - -My young orphan friends, there is but one source to which I can direct -you; there is but one friend who will never desert you; there is but -one house whose door will never be closed against you. - -That source is God; that friend is Christ; that house is one not made -with hands, eternal in the heavens. God will counsel you; upon the -bosom of Christ you may “lean for repose;” and the angels of heaven -will ever welcome you to their blest abode. - -The kind father and the loving mother, from whom you have been -separated by death, you shall meet again, if you are Christians. - -And to you, dear little readers, who know not the length and breadth -and depth of a Saviour’s love, let me say one word: THERE IS NO -ORPHANAGE LIKE THAT OF THE SOUL WHICH LEANS NOT UPON CHRIST AS ITS -SAVIOUR AND REDEEMER. - - * * * * * - -LAMENT OF AN ORPHAN. - - “HOMELESS, friendless, for many years - I’ve wandered far and wide, - With none to wipe away my tears, - And none to be my guide. - - “No gentle word to soothe my grief, - Words so harshly spoken; - No tender hand to give relief, - And now my heart is broken. - - “I sigh to think in former days, - When by my mother’s side - I watched the sun’s last golden rays - As they sank at eventide. - - “Oft I’ve played beside the brook, - My brother’s hand in hand, - As each did seek his favor’d nook, - Then we’re a merry band. - - “I have no friends—my mother’s gone, - She is far, far away; - I sit beside her lowly stone, - And sing my plaintive lay. - - “I pray that God will take me home - To that bright world above; - There we shall meet to part no more, - In that heaven of love. - - “Death has marked me for its own, - And I no more shall rove; - God has called the orphan child - To praise with Him above. - - “Can you hear my prayer, Mother, - In yonder region bright? - I’m coming to you now, Mother, - Earth’s but a dismal night.” - - - - -THE RECORDING ANGEL. - - “AMONG the deepest shades of night - Can there be one who sees my way? - Yes, God is as a shining light - That turns the darkness into day.” - - -WE are told, that during the trial of Bishop Cranmer, in England, he -heard, as he was making his defence before the judges, the scratching -of a pen behind a screen. The thought at once arose in his mind -that they were taking down every word he uttered. “I should be very -careful,” thought he to himself, “what I say; for the whole of this -will be handed down to posterity, and exert an untold influence for -good or for evil.” - -Do you know, my young friends, that there is a Recording Angel in -heaven that takes down not only every wicked word you utter, but the -very thoughts of your minds and desires of your hearts? - -Remember, that though your actions are not all seen by men, nor your -thoughts known to your companions, yet every action, thought and word -is carefully recorded in the Book of God’s Remembrance. - -How chaste, then, should be your conversation, how guarded your -conduct, how pure your every wish! - -At the day of judgment, how full will the pages of that book be of -your unkind treatment of some poor, forsaken little wanderer; of your -revengeful feelings towards your schoolmate for his little acts of -childish thoughtlessness! - -But is there not some way to blot out these dark sins from the Book of -God’s Remembrance? Yes, there is. Christ has _died_, that you might -_live_. He assures you that though your sins are “as scarlet, they -shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall -be as wool.” - - * * * * * - -THE EVER-PRESENT GOD. - - “IN all my vast concerns with Thee, - In vain my soul would try - To shun Thy presence, Lord, or flee - The notice of Thine eye. - - “Thy all-surrounding sight surveys - My rising and my rest, - My public walks, my private ways, - And secrets of my breast. - - “My thoughts lie open to the Lord - Before they’re formed within; - And ere my lips pronounce the word, - He knows the sense I mean.” - - - - -THOMAS WARD; OR, THE BOY WHO WAS ASHAMED TO PRAY. - - “COME, my soul, thy suit prepare, - Jesus loves to answer prayer; - He Himself has bid thee pray, - Therefore will not say thee nay.” - - -EARLY one morning, in the month of September, 184-, Mr. Ward’s family -were assembled around the family altar for prayer, to implore the -blessing and protection of our Heavenly Father in behalf of their only -boy, who was about leaving his home for a distant school. - -Thomas, a boy of about twelve summers, was deeply affected by the -solemn services, and as he arose from his knees his eyes were filled -with tears, thinking, perhaps, that he might never be permitted to -enjoy that delightful privilege again. His father prayed particularly -that God would take care of his boy during his absence from his -parents; that He would preserve him from all dangers; that He would be -near him in all his temptations; and, if they should not meet again -on earth, that they might all—father, mother and son—meet where the -“wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.” He endeavored -to impress upon his mind the necessity of prayer, and that he should -never neglect it, under any circumstances. _Don’t be ashamed to pray, -my son_, said his father. - -The ringing of the car-bell announced that in a short time he must -be off. The most trying point had now come,—he must bid his parents -farewell. Clasping his arms around his mother’s neck, he said: “Oh, -my Mother, my Mother, shall I ever see you again?” and with a kiss to -each, bade his affectionate parents adieu, and, valise in hand, walked -hastily to the dépôt. - -Having procured his ticket, he seated himself in the cars, and in a -few moments left the home of his childhood for the P—— H—— school, -at B——. His heart was sad, as he thought of the many happy hours he -had spent “at home” with his kind parents, and a tear stole silently -down his cheek. These sad and melancholy thoughts, however, were soon -banished from his mind by the magnificent scenery of the country -through which he was passing. - -He thought “the country,” as it was called in town, was the loveliest -place he had ever seen. Thomas’ mind became so much engaged with the -picturesque scenery—mountains, lakes and valleys—that he reached his -place of destination ere he supposed he had travelled half-way. - -He met the principal at the dépôt, awaiting his arrival, and in a few -moments they were on their way to the school. Nothing of interest -occurred during the remainder of the day, with the exception of the -boys’ laughing at Thomas, calling him “town boy,” etc.; “initiating” -him, as they termed it. When the time for retiring to rest drew near, -and one after another of the boys fell asleep, Thomas was surprised -that not one of them offered a petition to God, asking Him to take -care of them during the silent watches of the night. He knelt beside -his bed, and attempted to offer a short prayer; but his companions -were laughing and singing, and he arose from his knees, wishing that -he was at home, where he could, in his quiet little chamber, offer up -his evening devotions. Some of the boys were actually so rude as to -call him “Parson Ward,” and ask him if he intended holding forth next -Sabbath? - -The next night Thomas felt so _ashamed_, that he determined _not to -pray_, and laid his head on a prayerless pillow,—a thing he had not -done since he was able to say, “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” The last -words of his father, “_Don’t be ashamed to pray_” came to his mind; but -thinking about them as little as possible, he soon fell asleep. - -In a short time Thomas became the ringleader of the gang in all that -was bad, and soon learned to curse and swear worse than any of his -companions. - -On a beautiful Sabbath morning, instead of going to church, he wandered -off, and finding nothing to engage his thoughts, determined to take -a bath. He had scarcely been in the water five minutes, when he was -seized with cramp, and sunk to rise no more. The last words that -lingered on the lips of the drowning boy were, “Oh, my mother!” - -The awful death of Thomas speaks for itself. May it serve as a warning -to those who violate God’s holy commandment, and are _ashamed_ to -_pray_. May it also teach us how quickly one sin leads to another. -His _first_ sin was neglecting to pray; his _second_, profanity; his -_third_, Sabbath-breaking, which terminated in his death. - - * * * * * - -NOT ASHAMED OF CHRIST. - - “JESUS, and shall it ever be, - A mortal man ashamed of Thee? - Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise, - Whose glories shine through endless days! - - “_Ashamed of Jesus!_—Sooner far - Let evening blush to own a star; - He sheds the beams of light divine - O’er this benighted soul of mine. - - “_Ashamed of Jesus!_—Just as soon - Let midnight be ashamed of noon; - ’Tis midnight with my soul, till He, - Bright Morning Star, bid darkness flee. - - “_Ashamed of Jesus!_ that dear friend - On whom my hopes of Heaven depend! - No, when I blush be this my shame, - That I no more revere His name. - - “_Ashamed of Jesus!_—Yes, I may, - When I’ve no sins to wash away, - No tear to wipe, no good to crave, - No fears to quell, no soul to save. - - “Till then—nor is my boasting vain— - Till then I boast a Saviour slain; - And oh, may this my glory be, - That Christ is not ashamed of me.” - - - - -THE ROSE. - - “There is no rose without a thorn.” - - -THERE are few lovelier things than the rose to be met with along the -pathway of life. - -There is something about it so meek and modest, that I love to look at -it; and what is sweeter than the mellow fragrance of a beautiful rose? -It always reminds me of that beautiful country where, we are told, -never-fading flowers continue to bloom forever. - -The Church of Christ is compared, in the Bible, to the Rose of Sharon; -and it seems to me that the inspired penman could not have found, -throughout the length and breadth of the world, anything better suited -to convey the idea of gentle lowliness and meek humility, than the rose. - -Its fragrance can be enjoyed by all. It is not sweeter to the king than -to the peasant. So with religion. It is a fountain from which all can -drink. - -There is another thing about the rose which should teach us a lesson. -As there is no rose without a thorn, so there is no enjoyment without -some pain connected with it. There are many children who are always -discontented; they are never pleased with any thing, but are always -looking out for what is disagreeable, and not for what is pleasant. -What is this, but forgetting the delightful fragrance of the rose, -and piercing our fingers with the few thorns which are about it. Our -blessings are much more numerous than our cares and troubles. Why not, -then, clip off the thorns, and keep merely the fully opened rose? - -As the leaves of the rose wither and die, so must we. - -Let us always remember this, and also live in such a way, by shedding a -sweet fragrance about our pathway, that all who know us will love us, -and forget the few thorns of evil which may be found in our characters. - - “How fair is the rose! what a beautiful flower, - The glory of April and May; - And the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour, - And they wither and die in a day. - - “Yet the rose has one powerful virtue to boast, - Above all the flowers of the field: - When its leaves are all dead and fine colors lost, - Still how sweet a perfume it will yield! - - “So frail is the youth and the beauty of man, - Though they bloom and look gay like a rose: - But all our fond care to preserve them is vain,— - Time kills them as fast as he goes. - - “Then I’ll not be proud of my youth or my beauty, - Since both of them wither and fade, - But gain a good name by well doing my duty; - This will scent like a rose when I’m dead.” - -[Illustration] - - * * * * * - -CHILDREN AND THE FLOWERS. - - “‘FLOWERS, sweet and lowly flowers, - Gems of earth so bright and gay, - Is there nothing you can teach us, - Nothing you to us can say? - - “‘List, and ye shall hear our voices - Speaking to you from the sod; - List, for we would lead you gently - Upwards from the earth to God. - - “‘Children, as ye gaze upon us, - Think of Him who, when below, - Told you well to mark the flowers, - How without a care they grow. - - “‘Children, know that like the flowers - You must quickly fade away: - Life is short; improve the hours— - You may only have to-day. - - “‘We were once but seeds, dear children— - We were placed in earth, and died; - You must die; but trust in Jesus— - Fear not, but in _Him_ abide. - - “‘We proclaim the resurrection, - How the dead in Christ shall rise; - Incorruptible, immortal, - They shall reign above the skies. - - “‘Farewell, children, and remember, - When our forms shall meet your view, - That the Lord, who clothes each flower, - Will much more provide for you.’” - - - - -THE LANTERN. - - GENTLY, Lord, O gently lead us - Through this lonely vale of tears— - Through the changes here decreed us, - Till our last great change appears. - When temptation’s darts assail us, - When in devious paths we stray, - Let Thy goodness never fail us— - Lead us in Thy perfect way. - - SP. SONGS. - - -THE sun had disappeared behind the western hills, and darkness was -fast covering the face of nature, when a little girl, who had been to -a distant city, commenced retracing her steps homeward. A kind friend -handed her a lantern, and told her if she followed the road on which -the lantern shone, it would certainly direct her home. She started -with a light heart and joyous spirits, much delighted with her journey -beside the still waters, and through the green pastures. - -By and by she came to a certain place where two roads branched off. She -did not know which one to take; but soon found that her lantern shone -very plainly on the one beset with thorns and briers. She concluded to -disregard the advice of her friend, and took the opposite road, as it -seemed so much more pleasant than the one on which her lantern shone. -At first her pathway was bordered with roses of the sweetest fragrance, -and with everything calculated to make a young person happy. Finally -she reached a point in her journey where she knew not what to do. She -had no lamp to direct her; no kind friend to whom she might look for -directions; all around her was dark and dismal. Wherever she trod, her -steps seemed beset with troubles of every kind. - -At last a friendly voice whispered in her ear, and said: “Stop, my dear -child—stop and think. You know not whither you are going. You are in -the road to death. Stop, before you further go.” - -She determined to turn her course, and retraced her steps with a -heavy heart, determined thereafter always to follow the road on which -her lantern shone. She soon reached the place where she had left her -lantern, and found its rays still brightly shining on the same road. - -She continued her journey onward, and found, though it was rough at -first, the farther she proceeded, the better was she pleased. When -she reached her home, she found her friends anxiously awaiting her -arrival. They all greeted her with a kiss, and welcomed her back again. - -Children, the little girl about whom I have been telling you is the -young Christian, commencing her journey from the city of Destruction -to the New Jerusalem. The journey is her Christian life; the two roads -are the long and narrow road to Heaven, and the broad road to Hell; the -kind friend is some fellow Christian, and the lantern is God’s Holy -Word. The thorns in the one road are the trials of a Christian; while -the roses in the other are the allurements placed there by the Wicked -One, to ensnare the careless and inconsiderate. Her _home_ is _Heaven_. - -Young Christian, learn a lesson from the conduct of this little girl: -Never pursue the course which seems most pleasant, but the one laid -down in the Bible. - -“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” - - “‘Whither goest thou, pilgrim stranger - Wand’ring through this lonely vale? - Know’st thou not ’tis full of danger, - And will not thy courage fail?’ - - “‘Pilgrim thou hast justly call’d me, - Passing through a waste so wide; - But no harm will e’er befall me - While I’m blessed with such a guide.’ - - “‘Such a guide!—no guide attends thee, - Hence for thee my fears arise: - If some guardian power befriends thee, - ’Tis unseen by mortal eyes.’ - - “‘Yes, unseen, but still believe me, - I have near me such a friend; - He’ll in every strait relieve me, - He will guide me to the end.’” - - * * * * * - -HEAVEN IS MY HOME. - - “I’M but a stranger here; - Heaven is my home: - Earth is a desert drear; - Heaven is my home: - Danger and sorrow stand - Round me on every hand - Heaven is my fatherland, - Heaven is my home. - - “What though the tempests rage? - Heaven is my home: - Short is my pilgrimage; - Heaven is my home: - And time’s wild wintry blast - Soon will be overpast; - I shall reach home at last. - Heaven is my home. - - “Therefore I murmur not; - Heaven is my home: - Whate’er my earthly lot, - Heaven is my home: - And I shall surely stand - There at my Lord’s right hand: - Heaven is my fatherland, - Heaven is my home.” - - - - -THE DECISIVE MOMENT. - - “THERE is a time, we know not when,— - A point, we know not where,— - That marks the destiny of men - To glory or despair.” - - -NOT many years ago, when the H—— river was very much swollen by the -spring rains, and the water had nearly reached its highest point, a -lumberman was seen in the midst of the stream, attempting to secure a -lot of timber which had broken loose from its fastening. - -In his deep interest to secure the timber, he went too far out into the -current. His little bark was caught by the rapid tide, and borne along -with almost lightning rapidity. - -There he sat, motionless as a pillar, not knowing at what moment he -should be swallowed up by the roaring and foaming stream. A friend -on shore sees his critical situation, mounts his horse, and rides, -courier-like, to a neighboring bridge which spans the river. On and -on he speeds; now the rider and the boat are side by side; anon the -boat passes him, but he spurs his noble animal onward, reaches the -bridge in time, seizes a rope and throws it over the arch, awaiting -with breathless suspense the approach of the pale and fear-stricken -lumberman. - -The boat passes immediately under the arch, the boatman grasps the rope -with death-like earnestness, and is _saved_. - -One moment’s delay of the rider, or his failure to grasp the rope, -would have sealed his doom forever, and the noble H—— been his grave. - -My dear young friends, how often do we see persons, in their mad -attempts to procure the filthy lucre of this world, go too far into the -current of Sin, and are swept wildly over the cataract of Destruction, -not knowing, or not desiring to see, that the rope of Salvation is -within their grasp! Children, Christ bids you come, _now_. If you delay -another moment, your destiny for despair may be sealed. - -How bitter will the thought be, when you come to die,—“I might have -been saved, but I neglected the golden offering of mercy, and therefore -must be consigned to a never-ending eternity of misery and suffering!” - - * * * * * - -THE VALUE OF TIME. - - IF idly spent, no art or care - Time’s blessing can restore; - And God requires a strict account - For every misspent hour. - - Short is our longest day of life, - And soon the prospect ends; - Yet on that day’s uncertain date - Eternity depends. - - POEMS FOR THE YOUNG. - - - - -THE ALARM WATCH. - - BUT if we should disregard - While this friendly voice doth call, - Conscience soon will grow so hard, - That it will not speak at all. - - JANE TAYLOR. - - -A YOUNG lady, who was very much given to the habit of sleeping late in -the morning, purchased a small alarm watch, hoping that it would be -the means of breaking her of a practice not only troublesome to those -around her, but really a sinful waste of time. At night, on retiring -to rest, she so adjusted the watch that it would awaken her at five -o’clock the next morning. The watch, with a punctuality worthy to be -imitated by all of us, not only at the appointed hour, but at the _very -minute itself_, commenced such a whirring noise, that the sleeper was -immediately awakened, arose at once, and prepared herself for the -duties of the day. - -The day passed away very pleasantly. She was at prayers and breakfast -at the appointed hour, and everything moved quietly and pleasantly on -throughout the entire day; and when the shadows of evening darkened the -face of nature, she felt that it was the most pleasant day she had ever -spent. - -She retired to rest, the next night, with the same resolutions; but -when the morning came and her watch commenced its rattling noise, she -thought it was not worth while to get up then, but would lie in bed -only fifteen minutes longer. The expiration of the fifteen minutes -found her sleeping soundly, and she did not awake till the sun had -risen far above the tree-tops, and the laborers were busy at their work. - -The next morning she heard her watch at its accustomed noise, but came -to the conclusion that getting up ahead of the sun was all a humbug. - -The next morning she slept so soundly that she scarcely heard the watch -at all; and that night concluded not to wind it up, as she had no idea -of having her morning’s nap disturbed by such a disagreeable noise as -that. Thus did she return to her former bad habit, and “her last state -was worse than the first.” - -Each of you, my dear young friends, has an alarm watch in your breast. -The moment you disobey your parents, utter an untruth, use a profane -expression, or break God’s Holy Day, you hear the busy fluttering of -that watch whispering in your ear, “_you have done wrong_, YOU HAVE -DONE WRONG.” The first time you did wrong how loudly did that little -watch whir and buzz! You turned pale, and your heart throbbed so -violently that you could almost hear it. - -The next time its noise was fainter and fainter; and at last it grew so -feeble that you could not hear it all. - -Then it was that you could swear so boldly, utter an untruth without -your cheek coloring, and break the Sabbath without one painful thought. - -My young reader, you know too well what that alarm watch is, whose -ticking you so frequently hear in your breast. It is your CONSCIENCE. -And oh, how I tremble when I think of what an awful thing it is to -endeavor to drown the voice of that conscience! - -Day after day, since your early infancy, your conscience has been -begging, entreating you to come to Christ and be saved. Its voice has -been unheeded. Beware, O young man or young woman, how you trifle with -your conscience! Its voice, once stifled, will be hushed forever. - -Like the young lady about whom I have been telling you, if you do not -obey its summons at once, but keep on putting it off and off, it will -leave you in the awful embrace of that sleep “which knows no waking” in -this world, and you will only be aroused by the piercing notes of the -Archangel’s trump,—“Come to judgment.” - -Conscience, my young friends, is “the fire that is not quenched,” -and “the worm that dieth not,” which shall continue to burn, yet not -consume, to gnaw and not diminish your immortal soul, if you do not -obey its whisperings by coming to your Saviour, now, in the morning of -life. - -How awful! oh, how awful will it be, to hear the voice of your -disregarded conscience ringing throughout the dark, deep caverns of -hell:— - -“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, -and no man regarded: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock -when your fear cometh; when _your fear cometh as a desolation_, and -your _destruction cometh as a whirlwind_; when distress and anguish -cometh upon you.” - - * * * * * - -CONSCIENCE. - - WHEN a foolish thought within - Tries to take us in a snare, - Conscience tells us “It is sin,” - And entreats us to beware. - - If in something we transgress, - And are tempted to deny, - Conscience says, “Your faults confess; - Do not dare to tell a lie.” - - In the morning, when we rise, - And would fain omit to pray, - “Child, consider,” Conscience cries; - “Should not God be sought to-day?” - - When within His holy walls, - Far abroad our thoughts we send, - Conscience often loudly calls, - And entreats us to attend. - - When our angry passions rise, - Tempting to revenge an ill, - “Now subdue it,” Conscience cries; - “Do command your temper still.” - - Thus, without our will or choice, - This good monitor within, - With a secret, gentle voice, - Warns us to beware of sin. - - But if we should disregard - While this friendly voice doth call, - Conscience soon will grow so hard - That it will not speak at all. - - JANE TAYLOR. - - - - -“CONDEMNED.” - - “NOW, despisers, look and wonder; - Hope and sinners here must part: - Louder than a peal of thunder, - Hear the dreadful sound—‘Depart!’ - Lost forever! - Hear the dreadful sound—‘Depart!’” - - -I SAW, not long since, a man busily engaged in branding, with a red-hot -iron, the word - - “CONDEMNED,” - -on a large number of barrels of flour. - -On asking him what it meant, he informed me that the flour was not -sound, and he was instructed to brand all such “_Condemned_.” - -How forcibly, my dear young friends, did it remind me of the situation -of sinful persons—those who have no part nor lot in Christ’s kingdom! -What a melancholy spectacle would your Sabbath-school present, if -your Superintendent were instructed by a Divine command to brand all -the bad boys, and girls too—for we often find little girls as bad as -boys—“_Condemned!_” What would be their feelings while undergoing -such a painful and disgraceful operation? Yet God says those who -believe not on Christ are condemned already, and you know “His Word -is truth.” There is one, and only one, way by which this word can be -effaced from your guilty and sin-defiled hearts; and that is by the -purifying and sin-cleansing blood of Christ. - -Then pray that He will “Create in you clean hearts, and renew right -spirits within you;” so that you may love Him better and serve Him more -faithfully in the future than you have done in the past. - - * * * * * - -THE SPIRIT QUENCHED. - - THERE is a line, by us unseen, - That crosses every path; - The hidden boundary between - God’s patience and his wrath. - - To pass that limit is to die, - To die as if by stealth; - It does not quench the beaming eye, - Or pale the glow of health. - - The conscience may be still at ease, - The spirits light and gay; - That which is pleasing still may please, - And care be thrust away. - - But on that forehead God has set - Indelibly a mark, - Unseen by man, for man as yet - Is blind and in the dark. - - And yet the doomed man’s path below - May bloom, as Eden bloomed; - He did not, does not, will not know, - Or feel that he is doomed. - - He knows, he feels that all is well, - And every fear is calmed; - He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell, - Not only doomed, but damned. - - O where is this mysterious bourne, - By which our path is crossed? - Beyond which God Himself hath sworn, - That he who goes is lost! - - How far may we go on in sin? - How long will God forbear? - Where does hope end, and where begin - The confines of despair? - - An answer from the skies is sent: - “Ye that from God depart, - While it is called TO-DAY, repent, - And harden not your heart.” - - DR. J. ADDISON ALEXANDER. - - - - -“I WANT TO BE A MINISTER.” - - LIVES of great men all remind us - We can make our lives sublime; - And, departing, leave behind us - Footprints on the sands of Time. - - LONGFELLOW. - - -MORE than a century ago there lived in England an orphan boy of no -ordinary promise. From his early childhood, “I want to be a minister,” -was his chief desire. Being deprived not only of the counsel of a -father and the affection of a mother, but also of the necessary amount -of money to carry out his cherished desire, his youthful spirit was -bowed to the earth, and his noble heart throbbed only with feelings of -bitter disappointment and despair. - -But a brighter day dawns. There is a prospect for his ardent desire -to be gratified. A wealthy lady kindly volunteers to pay all of his -expenses at the University of Oxford, if he will become a minister of -the Church of England. - -But he is a Dissenter, and his noble spirit refuses to sell the -religion of his father and mother for the perishable riches of this -world, and he most respectfully declines the proffered kindness. God -bless thee, noble youth! Wait patiently—don’t despair—_never give -up_. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The path of Duty is always -the path of Right. - -Not long after this occurrence, a poor boy, dressed in the garb of -poverty, presented himself at the door of a celebrated minister, and -asked to have a private interview with him relative to studying for -the ministry. The minister listened patiently to the recital of his -many difficulties and numerous trials, but told him that he thought it -entirely unheard of, for a youth like himself to think about entering -upon so high and responsible a calling. He advised him to think no more -of preaching, but to choose some other calling. - -Disheartened at himself, discouraged by his friends, poor, penniless -and forsaken, he knew not whither to go. No smile of encouragement met -his eye; no voice of approval sanctioned his noble endeavor. There was -one Friend, however, who had never forsaken him; who had never turned -a deaf ear even to his smallest desire; who had ever loved him with -fatherly affection and motherly tenderness. To that friend he then -betook himself, and when engaged in fervent prayer, a postman knocked -at the door, and handed him a letter from an old friend of his father, -informing him of his willingness to take him under his care and assist -him in his studies, if he was still intent upon studying for the -ministry. “This,” he exclaimed, “I look upon almost as an answer from -Heaven, and while I live I shall always adore so seasonable an opening -of divine Providence.” - -The wishes of the poor orphan boy were thus gratified; and before -many years had passed away, under the guidance and instruction of his -friend, he became a bright and shining light on the walls of Zion. - -Youthful reader, this orphan boy was PHILIP DODDRIDGE—the pious and -devoted minister of Christ, the beautiful writer, the faithful pastor, -the brilliant Christian. - -If there be any one into whose hands this little article may fall, -who, like Doddridge, “wants to be a minister,” and is prevented from -accomplishing his desire on account of want of means, let me say one -word—_never despair!_ If God wants you to be a minister, He will -provide the means. Wait patiently, and pray earnestly. - - “Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; - The clouds ye so much dread, - Are big with mercy, and shall break - In blessings on your head.” - - * * * * * - -TRUST IN PROVIDENCE. - - “ON a bridge I was standing one morning, - And watching the current roll by, - When suddenly into the water - There fell an unfortunate fly. - - “The fishes that swam to the surface - Were looking for something to eat, - And I thought that the hapless young insect - Would surely afford them a treat. - - “‘Poor thing!’ I exclaimed with compassion, - ‘Thy trials and dangers abound, - For if thou escap’st being eaten, - Thou canst not escape being drowned. - - “No sooner the sentence was spoken, - Than lo! like an angel of love, - I saw to the waters beneath me - A leaflet descend from above. - - “It glided serene on the streamlet, - ’Twas an ark to the poor little fly; - Which soon, to the land reäscending, - Spread its wings in the breezes to dry. - - “Oh, sweet was the truth that was whispered, - That mortals should _never_ despair; - For He who takes care of an insect, - Much more for His _children_ will care. - - “And though to our short-sighted vision - No way of escape may appear, - Let us _trust_, for when least we expect it, - The help of ‘_our Father_’ is near.” - - - - -RUFUS TAYLOR. - - Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is - well-pleasing unto the Lord.—BIBLE. - - -ON an evening in July, 18-, as several youths, from twelve to eighteen -years of age, were standing at the corner of a street in the little -village of B——, Rufus Taylor, one of their companions, came up -to them and said, “Come, boys, let’s go and take a cool bath—’tis -terribly warm.” - -Rufus had been positively forbidden by his parents to go bathing -without their consent; but, thinking they would never know anything -about it, he came up to the group of boys and made the preceding -proposition. - -They all, with one consent, agreed to it, and soon were on their way to -the bay. - -Arriving at their famous bathing spot, and undressing in a few moments, -they soon plunged into the cooling water, and swam to an island, a few -hundred yards distant. - -Rufus alone remained on the shore. - -He was afraid to attempt swimming such a long distance, as he had -but recently learned to swim. But, collecting all his courage, he -followed his comrades, and cried out that he would overtake them or be -_damned!_ What an awful word to proceed from the lips of a boy twelve -years old! He had not swum more than fifty yards, when his strength -failed, and he sank beneath the blue waves of the roaring ocean. Every -effort was made by his friends to save him, but they were all in vain. - -Let his untimely end be a solemn warning to boys who are in the habit -of disobeying their parents. - -May it teach a lesson, also, to those who indulge in the use of profane -language. Rufus did not think that his _damnation_ was so near at hand, -when he uttered that awful curse. - -He was hurried into the presence of his Maker without one moment’s -warning, and with the profane expression still lingering on his lips. - -Who can tell the unutterable anguish of his parents when the -intelligence of the death of their only son—their disobedient -boy—reached their ears? His father, on being told that his son was -drowned, exclaimed, “_Oh, my disobedient son! I told him not to go -bathing without my consent. Would to God I had died for him!_” - - * * * * * - -OBEDIENCE TO PARENTS. - - “LET children that would fear the Lord, - Hear what their teachers say; - With reverence mark their parents’ word, - And with delight obey. - - “Have you not heard what dreadful plagues - Are threaten’d by the Lord - To him that breaks his father’s laws, - Or mocks his mother’s word? - - “What heavy guilt upon him lies! - How cursed is his name! - The ravens shall pick out his eyes, - And eagles eat the same. - - “But those that worship God, and give - Their parents honor due, - Here on this earth they long shall live, - And live hereafter too.” - - - - -JAMES JONES; - -OR, THE LITTLE GAMBLER. - - “MAKE us unguarded youth - The objects of Thy care; - Help us to choose the way of truth, - And fly from every snare.” - - -“WHAT can be meant by ‘the little gambler?’ I never heard of a boy’s -gambling in my life!” my little reader will, no doubt, exclaim. Though -it may seem very strange, yet such things often occur. I will relate to -you an incident that occurred in my school-boy days, which, perhaps, -may bring to your recollection the fact that you have indulged in it -yourself. Boys as well as men are frequently found to be gamblers, -though, of course, on a much smaller scale. - -At the corner of a street in the city of —— was a gaming house, -kept by a boy not more than twelve years old. It was one of the most -beautiful and pleasant places I ever saw, well calculated to entice -within its polluted walls the heedless and inconsiderate youth. Here, -after school hours, quite a number of boys were accustomed to assemble -and spend their evenings. - -Passing near the above place one pleasant evening in May, I saw a -youth, whom I shall call James Jones, who seemed to be intently engaged -in the issue of a game. He was successful; and when he gathered up the -“stakes,” a smile of exulting joy passed over his face. I saw nothing -more of James till some eight years after the above occurrence. I was -standing in the court-room one morning, when I heard the clerk read out -a charge against James Jones for forcibly breaking into the trunk of a -certain gentleman, and stealing therefrom the sum of $500. - -On examining the appearance of the young man more closely, I found him -to be the same youth whom I had seen in the “little gambling house.” A -widowed mother sat by his side, weeping most bitterly. His appearance -had altered very much. Long confinement had turned the healthy, robust -man into a mere skeleton. His countenance was haggard, his cheek -sunken, his eye dim, his step tremulous. - -He was found guilty, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in the -State Penitentiary. When he arose to receive the sentence the most -perfect indifference was manifested by him, while his poor mother -seemed as though she would die beneath the weight of such heavy -affliction. - -She informed me that James, at a very early age, became fond of bad -company, and would often steal away at night, and spend the time -allotted to rest in the most dissipated assemblies. He finally became -involved in debt, and determined to get out at all hazards. He was thus -almost forced to commit a deed which brought the grey hairs of his -mother in sorrow to the grave, and ruined him for life. - -Doubtless, you would like to know what was James’ first act in his -downward career. It was betting at the “_little gambling house_.” There -he learned to do evil rather than good. - -I have neglected to explain to you what the _gambling house_ was. It -was a wide-spreading elm tree, beneath the hospitable shade of which -the boys of the neighborhood were accustomed to meet and play marbles -for _have-ance_; that is, each boy kept all the marbles he knocked out -of the ring. - -Have any of you ever been guilty of this? If so, then you were -gambling, and, unless you stop it at once, the gallows or the -penitentiary may be your end. Do not gamble with marbles; it may be -your ruin. Truly, “The way of the transgressor is hard.” - - “Placed on the verge of youth, my mind - Life’s opening scene surveyed; - I viewed its ills of various kinds, - Afflicted and afraid. - - “Oh, how shall I, with heart prepar’d, - Those terrors learn to meet? - How from the thousand snares to guard - My inexperienced feet? - - “Let faith suppress each rising fear, - Each anxious doubt exclude; - My Maker’s will has placed me here, - A Maker wise and good. - - “He too, my every trial knows - Its just restraint to give, - Attentive to behold my woes, - And faithful to relieve. - - “Though griefs unnumbered throng thee round, - Still in thy God confide, - Whose finger marks the seas their bound, - And curbs the rolling tide.” - - * * * * * - -TAKE HEED. - -“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” - - “LET him who thinks he stands secure, - And in self-confidence is sure - He shall unto the end endure, - ‘Take heed.’ - - “Let him who fears not Satan’s art, - Nor dreads temptation’s fiery dart, - But says he’s safe in every part, - ‘Take heed.’ - - “Let him who sees his neighbor wrong, - And makes those faults his daily song, - Blasting his fame with thoughtless tongue, - ‘Take heed.’ - - “Let him whose heart is lifted high, - Who’ll pass an erring brother by, - Or bid him from his presence fly, - ‘Take heed.’ - - “Who feels not his own strength is small, - Nor lifts to heaven an early call - For daily grace, lest he should fall, - ‘Take heed.’ - - “By faith in ‘Christ our strength’ we stand, - He keeps by His almighty hand, - Those who obey His wise command: - ‘Take heed.’” - - - - -GERTRUDE MASON. - - “COME, children, come! - God bids you come! - Come and learn to sing the story - Of the Lord of life and glory; - Come, children, come!” - - MRS. BROWN. - - -GERTRUDE MASON was a sweet little girl of about ten summers, with rosy -cheeks, and bright, sunny hair. - -She did not live in the city, like a great many children, but she lived -at a quiet little cottage in the country, which she called “Rose Neath.” - -Gertrude was a good child. - -She loved everybody, and everybody seemed to love her. - -She was meek and gentle, and was always willing to do any thing she -could to minister to the wants of the poor and needy. - -Gertrude had a beautiful Newfoundland dog, named Rescue, and wherever -she went, her friend Rescue was always at her side. She loved him very -much, and used to give him part of her meals every day. One lovely -Sabbath morning, when the sun was shining brightly, and the little -birds singing sweetly from the boughs of the trees, Gertrude, dressed -neatly and tidily, hymn-book and catechism in hand, started off for the -Sabbath-school. - -She had not gone very far, when she came to a creek. - -Thrown across this creek was a log, on which persons were in the habit -of crossing. - -It had rained the night before, and the log was very slippery. Gertrude -did not think of this, and was about crossing over, when her foot -slipped, and she was thrown headlong into the swollen current. - -She would have been drowned, had it not been for her faithful friend -Rescue, who swam in and brought her safely to the shore. - -Thus was the life of this lovely girl saved by her affectionate dog. - -This little story should teach us two lessons. - -_First_, if we wish persons to love us, we must be kind and attentive -to them. - -_Secondly_, the pathway of life is very slippery, and many of our -companions fall into very great sins, and it is our duty, like Rescue, -to save them from destruction. - - * * * * * - -“REMEMBER THY CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH.” - - WHILE in the tender years of youth, - In nature’s smiling bloom, - Ere age arrive and trembling wait - Its summons to the tomb, - - Remember thy creator, God, - For Him thy powers employ; - Make Him thy fear, thy love, thy hope, - Thy confidence, thy joy. - - He shall defend and guide thy course - Through life’s uncertain sea, - Till thou art landed on the shore - Of blest eternity. - - Then seek the Lord betimes, and choose - The path of heavenly truth: - The earth affords no lovlier sight - Than a religious youth. - - GIBBONS. - - - - -THE DEAF SHOEMAKER. - - TOILING—rejoicing—sorrowing, - Onward through life he goes, - Each morning sees some task begun, - Each evening sees its close; - Something attempted, something done, - Has earned a night’s repose. - - LONGFELLOW. - - -BENEATH the scorching rays of a blistering summer’s sun, or chilled by -the piercing blast of winter, a puny, sickly youth might have been seen -daily ascending a ladder, bearing on his head a heavy weight of slate. -There is nothing about his appearance but his feeble step and emaciated -frame, calculated to attract the attention of the passer-by: a closer -observation, however, will show that he possesses an eye which bespeaks -an amount of patient perseverance but seldom known. - -On one occasion, when about twelve years of age, while engaged in -his accustomed labor, his foot misses the round of the ladder which -he had so long ascended, and the infirm youth is thrown a distance -of thirty-five feet on the hard stone pavement beneath. In a state -of perfect insensibility he is taken up and borne to the arms of -his afflicted friends. For two long weeks he remains in a state of -unconsciousness, not knowing the nearest and dearest of his relatives. - -At the expiration of this time his mind begins to revive, and his -feeble eye wanders about the room with listless indifference. -Recovering from his attack, he immediately inquires for a book in which -he had been deeply interested previous to the accident which came so -near terminating his earthly career. - -No one seems to answer his inquiries. “Why do you not speak? _Pray let -me have my book!_” Still no one replies. At last some one takes a slate -and writes upon it that the book had been returned to its owner. - -“Why do you _write_ to me?” exclaimed the sufferer—“speak, _speak_! -SPEAK!” Again was the pencil taken and the three words—_you are -deaf_—written. - -How severe the affliction! No more can that ear drink in the sweet -melody of the little warblers; no more listen to those words of -affection which make home the brightest and happiest spot in the -world; no more hear the gentle notes of the “sweet singer of Israel,” -or gather the soul-stirring anthems that echo and reëcho through the -vaulted roof of God’s sanctuary. - -As his father was very poor, he was placed in an almshouse to keep him -from starvation. - -He was soon removed, however, from his lonely prison home, and placed -under a shoemaker, but was treated so unkindly that his friends found -it necessary to have him again put in the poorhouse. - -His studious habits and intellectual qualities soon attracted the -notice of the officers of the almshouse, and he was treated with marked -kindness and attention. While others were wasting the golden moments -of youth, the _deaf shoemaker_ was busy garnering his spare minutes, -and storing his mind with information which was destined to exert an -influence throughout the world. - -In a short time he was removed to the London Missionary Society, whence -he went to Malta as a printer. - -Here he studied very closely, and, after returning to London, -accompanied Mr. Groves in a tour through Russia, Georgia, Armenia, -Kurdistan and Persia. - -During this tour he gathered a vast amount of information relative -to Eastern manners and customs, which rendered him one of the most -instructive and interesting writers in the world. - -He published, as the fruit of his arduous toil during this journey, -quite a number of books, which have been greatly sought after both in -Europe and America, and have made him a welcome guest at thousands of -happy firesides. - -His toilsome and unceasing labors for the cause of truth and religion -were too severe for so feeble a frame, and at an early age, not fifty -years old, JOHN KITTO—the deaf shoemaker of Plymouth—gently fell -asleep in the arms of his Saviour—beloved and respected by all who -knew him, and honored by those who had become familiar with him from -his deeply interesting and invaluable productions. - -In speaking of Kitto, a clergyman of considerable distinction uses the -following beautiful language:— - -“Rarely have we read a more touching record of heroic struggle than -the toilsome ascent of the deaf boy of Plymouth to the lofty position -of the world-famed Editor of the Biblical Encyclopædia, the Pictorial -Bible, the Daily Bible Illustrations. He reached, through incredible -difficulties, a position that few attain under the most favorable -circumstances, and has left behind him nearly fifty volumes, some of -which take high rank as works of critical authority. Truly the heroic -ages have not yet ceased, and there is a heroism of the solitary -student that is a nobler thing than that of the warrior on the field of -battle; and such heroism is seen in the life of Kitto.” - -My young friends, how touchingly beautiful and highly instructive is -the brief but brilliant life of John Kitto! Do not - - “Lives of _such_ men all remind us - We can make our lives sublime, - And, departing, leave behind us - Footprints on the sands of Time— - - “Footprints, that perhaps another, - Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, - A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, - Seeing, shall take heart again?” - - * * * * * - -THE CHILD OF POVERTY. - - LORD, I am poor, yet hear my call; - Afford me daily bread; - Give me at least the crumbs that fall - From tables richly spread. - - Thou canst for all my wants provide, - And bless my homely crust; - The ravens cry, and are supplied, - And ought I not to trust? - - Behold the lilies, how they grow, - Though they can nothing do; - And will not God who clothes them so, - Afford me raiment too? - - O may I heavenly treasures find, - And choose the better part: - Give me an humble, pious mind, - A meek and lowly heart. - - JANE TAYLOR. - - - - -NORMAN HALL; - -OR, THE BOY AND THE ROCK. - - “BLESSINGS, Lord, vouchsafe to give - On the teaching I receive.” - - -NORMAN HALL was what most of us would call a “dull boy;” that is, -though he studied hard, yet he was never ahead in his classes, and -could not master his lessons as easily as a great many other boys. He -was respected and beloved not only by his teacher, but also by the -scholars. His father and mother both felt very sad because their only -boy did not rank among the first in his class, and knew not how to -account for it. - -One Friday, Norman missed nearly all of his lessons, and was so much -discouraged that he almost determined to quit studying entirely and go -to some honest trade. He left the school-room with tears in his eyes, -thinking that he had entered it for the last time. As he was going -home, he saw a large and deep hole in a rock, which a small stream, by -continually falling in the same place, had worn. It was the very thing -he needed, and suited him exactly. The thought at once arose in his -mind, if a little stream, so soft in itself, can make such a deep and -lasting impression on this hard and flinty rock, I am sure, by hard -studying and close application, I can make an impression on my mind, -which certainly is not as hard as this rock. - -He returned to school on Monday, and studied more diligently than -he had ever done before; and as he grew in years, he grew in -understanding, and at length became a learned man. - -Remember, “That a drop hollows out the stone not by force, but by -falling often; so you will become learned, not by a violent effort, but -by frequent reading.” - - * * * * * - -THE SLUGGARD. - - ’TIS the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain, - ‘You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again.’ - As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed, - Turns his sides and his shoulders, and his heavy head. - - “A little more sleep, and a little more slumber;” - Thus he wastes half his days, and his hours without number; - And when he gets up, he sits folding his hands, - Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands. - - I passed by his garden, and saw the wild brier, - The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher: - The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags, - And his money still wastes, till he starves or he begs. - - I made him a visit, still hoping to find - He had took better care for improving his mind; - He told me his dreams, talk’d of eating and drinking; - But he scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking. - - Said I then to my heart, “Here’s a lesson for me,” - This man’s but a picture of what I might be; - But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding, - Who taught me betimes to _love working and reading_. - - WATTS. - - - - -“DELAY NOT.” - - “DELAY not, delay not, O sinner, draw near; - The waters of life are now flowing for thee; - No price is demanded, the Saviour is here, - Salvation is purchased, redemption is free.” - - -THE sun was hanging low in the West; dark and threatening banks of -lead-colored clouds were moving slowly across the heavens; the distant -muttering of thunder, and quick and piercing flashes of lightning, bade -me prepare for the approaching storm. In circumstances like these, I -was riding slowly along the banks of a canal, when my attention was -attracted by the appearance of a small house, which sat just above my -head, on a little eminence. Seeing the storm was rapidly approaching, I -thought it would be a good shelter from the rain. - -The unhinged shutters, the broken panes of glass whose places were -supplied by dirty rags, the large cracks between the logs, all told -too plainly that withering poverty had there an abode. After repeated -knocks at the door, a woman made her appearance. Such a human being I -had never seen. She looked more like a fiend from the regions of the -damned, than a living and immortal soul. Her cheek was sunken; her -eye dim and staring wildly about; her hair thrown loosely over her -shoulders; her feet uncovered; and her person clad in the most filthy -and disgusting manner. - -She did not seem accustomed to seeing strange faces, and gave me such a -wild stare that my very blood chilled in my veins. There we both stood. -For some moments not a word was uttered by either. I was waiting to see -if she would ask me to take a seat. This she did not do; and feeling -that I had a matter of more importance than politeness to attend -to—_her soul’s welfare_—I sat down on the remains of what was once a -chair, and commenced the following conversation: - -“Are you a Christian?” “No.” “Do you ever expect or hope to be a -_Christian_?” “No.” “Have you ever felt the workings of God’s Spirit -upon your heart?” “Never, since a child.” “Have you at any period -in your past life ever read your Bible?” “Yes, I read it when a -school-girl.” “Did you not see a peculiar beauty and simplicity in -it?” “I did not.” “Do you believe in the Bible?” “Yes,” she angrily -replied, “_I believe it to be a lie from beginning to end_.” “Have you -ever read any other books besides the Bible?” “I have read Bunyan’s -Pilgrim’s Progress, and believe that he was as complete a liar as ever -lived, and never experienced one feeling described in that book, but -wrote it only to deceive the foolish common people.” “Are you, in your -present situation, willing to die?” “_Yes, and willing to go to hell, -and stay there forever and ever!_” - -Giving her several tracts on infidelity, which she contemptuously threw -on the floor, I invoked a Father’s blessing on her, and departed—never -to meet again till we stand around the judgment-seat of Christ. - -The clouds which were wandering over the heavens when I entered the -house, had collected in a mass, and produced one of the most awful -storms I ever witnessed in my life. The wind blew most furiously; the -rain poured in torrents; peal after peal of the most deafening thunder -echoed and reëchoed among the mountain crags; and flash after flash -of piercing lightning darted across the heavens. But, my dear young -friends, this storm did not compare, in its madness and fury, with that -still more awful storm of despair and hopeless agony which was raging -in the breast of her from whom I had just parted. - -Dear young friends, do not put off till to-morrow the eternal interests -of your immortal souls. Remember—oh, remember the terrible condition -of the woman about whom I have been telling you. - - * * * * * - -THE DANGER OF DELAY. - - WHY should I say, “’Tis yet too soon - To seek for Heaven or think of death?” - A flower may fade before ’tis noon, - And I this day may lose my breath. - - If this rebellious heart of mine - Despise the gracious calls of Heaven, - I may be harden’d in my sin, - And never have repentance given. - - What if the Lord grow wroth and swear, - While I refuse to read and pray, - That He’ll refuse to lend an ear - To all my groans another day! - - What if His dreadful anger burn, - While I refuse His offer’d grace, - And all His love to fury turn, - And strike me dead upon the place! - - ’Tis dangerous to provoke a God! - His power and vengeance none can tell: - One stroke of His almighty rod - Shall send young sinners quick to Hell! - - Then ’twill forever be in vain - To cry for pardon and for grace; - To wish I had my time again, - Or hope to see my Maker’s face. - - WATTS. - - - - -THE SAVIOUR. - - ONE there is, above all others, - Who deserves the name of Friend. - His is love beyond a brother’s, - Costly, free, and knows no end. - - NEWTON. - - -A MOTHER with three children was once returning home, at a late hour of -the night, through one of those dark and lonely passes which abound in -the Alps mountains. - -The night was so very cold that she drew two of her children close to -her side, and clasped the youngest to her breast, in order to keep them -from freezing. - -They thus journeyed on, drawn rapidly over the smoothly beaten road by -their faithful horse, dreaming only of the warm fire and affectionate -welcome which awaited them at their mountain home, little thinking of -the danger which lurked so short a distance behind them. - -Presently she heard in the far-off distance the faint howl of a wolf. - -In a few seconds that of another, and another, fell upon her ear. - -The sound grew louder and louder, and the number seemed to increase -every moment. - -The thought at once flashed across her mind, that a pack of -half-starved wolves was in hot pursuit of herself and darling little -ones. - -The noble horse knew too well the danger that awaited himself and his -precious burden, and with renewed speed hastened rapidly onward. - -But his strength was not sufficient to rescue his mistress and her -little ones from the jaws of twenty hungry wolves; for their fearful -yell rang louder and louder on the midnight air, till, on looking -behind her, the affrighted mother beheld them within a hundred yards of -the precious laden sleigh. - -Their blood-shot eyes glared fiercely, and their tongues hung far out -of their mouths. - -There was no escape—destruction was certain. Yes, there was one means -of escape, and only one; that was, to throw one of her children to the -wolves, and while they were satisfying their hunger on its body, she -and the other two might safely reach their home. Awful thought! She -looked into their cherub faces, kissed by the soft rays of the silver -moon, with that tenderness which a mother only can feel, and her loving -heart shrank back with horror from such a fiendish deed. - -Not a moment was to be lost. The yelling wolves were within a few -steps of the sleigh—she felt their heated breath warming her cheek. -One minute more, and herself and children would be devoured by the -bloodthirsty beasts. Love for her children prevails, she throws herself -a sacrifice to the hungry pack, and soon breathes her last, surrounded -by the growls of devouring wolves, and the mournful dirge of the -mountain winds. - -Children, was not that loving mother the SAVIOUR of her tender -offspring? - -And now I ask you,—Will you, can you, reject that dear Saviour -who suffered, and bled, and died on Calvary, to save you from a -never-ending destruction? - - “Oh! that all might believe, - And salvation receive, - And their song and their joy be the same.” - - * * * * * - -THE STRAYED LAMB. - -Matt. xviii. 12, 13. - - “A GIDDY lamb, one afternoon, - Had from the fold departed; - The tender shepherd missed it soon, - And sought it, broken-hearted; - Not all the flock, that shared his love, - Could from the search delay him: - Nor clouds of midnight darkness move, - Nor fear of suffering stay him. - - “But, night and day, he went his way - In sorrow, till he found it; - And when he saw it fainting lie, - He clasp’d his arms around it; - And, closely shelter’d in his breast, - From every ill to save it, - He brought it to his home of rest, - And pitied, and forgave it. - - “And so the Saviour will receive - The little ones that fear Him; - Their pains remove, their sins forgive, - And draw them gently near Him; - Bless, while they live—and when they die, - When soul and body sever, - Conduct them to His home on high, - To dwell with Him forever.” - - - - -AUTUMN. - - SEE the leaves around us falling, - Dry and wither’d to the ground; - Thus to thoughtless mortals calling, - In a sad and solemn sound. - - On the tree of life eternal, - O let all our hopes be laid; - This alone, for ever vernal, - Bears a leaf that shall not fade. - - HORNE. - - -TO me, no season of the year brings with it so many solemn and -instructive reflections as Autumn. When I look around me and see -everything looking so barren and desolate, I cannot help feeling sad. -The fields which a few months since looked so gay and beautiful, with -their flower-dressed meadows and waving grain, are now parched and -dead. The busy scythe of the reaper has laid many a proud stalk level -with the ground, and the frugal husbandman has gathered his abundant -harvest into his garner, or left it carefully stacked in the field to -breast the storms of the approaching Winter. The variegated blossoms of -the apple-tree have matured, ripened, and fallen to the ground. The -garden which, a short time since, sent forth such delightful fragrance, -now lies barren and bare. The leaves have fallen one by one from the -sturdy oak, and left it in its lonely barrenness to battle with the -piercing winds and howling tempests of the winter king. I have sat by -my window and seen the green leaf of Summer first fade into a pale -amber color, grow darker and darker by degrees, till it finally turned -to a beautiful russet, and then flutter to the ground. When I first -noticed the tree, it was covered with a heavy foliage. In a few days it -became thinner and thinner; in a few more days a few leaves lingered on -its topmost boughs, and at last they, too, fell to the ground, and left -it perfectly solitary. - -Children, can you look upon such scenes as these, and not feel that -they were intended by God to teach you many important truths? Does not -the barren field remind you of that soul from which the light of God’s -countenance has been withdrawn? The gathered harvest of that great -harvest of mankind which shall take place at the judgment day? Does not -the oak teach you, if you wish to encounter the trials and tempests of -the world, that you must lay aside everything, however small it may -seem, which will enable those trying tempests better to uproot your -faith and cast you headlong into destruction? May you, like it, the -more violent the storm, the deeper penetrate the roots of your trust -into the soil Christ Jesus. - - “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, - _I will not_—_I will not_ desert to his foes; - That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, - _I’ll never_—no, _never_—no, _never forsake_.” - -When we look upon the fading leaf and the withering flower, may we feel -that “We all do fade as a leaf,” and that “All flesh is grass, and the -goodness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, -the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” How -frequently do we see it the case, that those whom we consider friends, -when the sun of prosperity shines brightly upon us, cannot be drawn -away; but, like the leaves of the forest, as soon as the pinching -frosts of adversity begin to wither our hopes and blast our cherished -expectations, they can nowhere be found, but have left us to struggle -against difficulties, when we most needed their advice and counsel. -Let us not, then, put too much trust in an arm of flesh, but always -rely upon God, who will never desert us or leave us to the mercy of our -enemies. As the leaf falleth to the ground, and moulders into dust, so -does the body of man; but his spirit returneth to God who gave it, and -shall spend an eternity amid the joys of Heaven or the woes of Hell. - - * * * * * - -THE VOICE OF AUTUMN. - - THERE comes, from yonder height, - A soft repining sound, - Where forest leaves are bright, - And fall like flakes of light - To the ground. - - It is the autumn breeze, - That, lightly floating on, - Just skims the weedy leas, - Just stirs the glowing trees, - And is gone. - - He moans by sedgy brook, - And visits with a sigh, - The last pale flowers that look - From out their sunny nook - At the sky. - - O’er shouting children flies - That light October wind; - And, kissing cheeks and eyes, - He leaves their merry cries - Far behind, - - And wanders on to make - That soft uneasy sound - By distant wood and lake, - Where distant fountains break - From the ground. - - No bower where maidens dwell - Can win a moment’s stay; - Nor fair untrodden dell; - He sweeps the upland swell, - And away! - - Mourn’st thou thy homeless state, - O soft, repining wind! - That early seek’st, and late, - The rest it is thy fate - Not to find? - - Not on the mountain’s breast, - Not on the ocean’s shore, - In all the East and West; - The wind that stops to rest - Is no more. - - By valleys, woods, and springs, - No wonder thou shouldst grieve - For all the glorious things - Thou touchest with thy wings - And must leave. - - W. C. BRYANT. - - - - -NERO; OR, CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. - - I WOULD not enter on my list of friends - (Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, - Yet wanting sensibility,) the man - Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm. - - COWPER’S TASK. - - -ABOUT fifty years after the birth of Christ there lived a Roman -Emperor whose name was Nero. He was one of the most cruel and -unmerciful men whose lives are recorded in history. He put to death -many of the noblest citizens of Rome upon the very slightest and most -unfounded charges. The most bloody and brutal act of his life was the -persecution of the Christians in and about the city of Rome. He set -fire to the city in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of seeing a -conflagration similar to that of a great city which had been destroyed -many years before. To silence the report of his having set fire to -the city, the base Nero laid the guilt of it upon the new sect of -Christians, whose numbers were rapidly increasing in every part of the -empire. The death of these poor harmless Christians was aggravated with -sport; “for they were either covered with the skins of wild beasts, -and torn to pieces by devouring dogs, or fastened to crosses, or -wrapped up in combustible garments, that when the daylight failed they -might serve, like torches, to illuminate the darkness of the night.” - -He not only inflicted upon them every manner of torture and suffering -which his wicked and depraved mind could invent, but he also took a -great delight in seeing the poor innocent creatures suffer. Sometimes -he drove a chariot among the sufferers, and at others he stood among -them as a spectator of scenes which would make the coldest heart melt -with sympathy, and the eye of the most unfeeling shed tears of sorrow. - -Such was the character of one of the most cruel and merciless wretches -that ever lived. And to what thing do you suppose, dear reader, his -cruelty may be attributed? To the great delight which he took, when -a child, in inflicting pain on the harmless and inoffensive little -insect. It was his delight to extract from it cries of sorrow, and -to tread upon the worm in order that he might witness its painful -writhings. As he was in childhood, so was he when he became a man. -As in childhood he caught the fly and pierced its body through with -pointed instruments, so in manhood did he cause his fellow-man to -suffer every pain which his corrupt heart could wish, or his sinful -mind invent. - -Whenever I see a little boy or a little girl catching flies and pulling -their legs and wings off, or piercing their bodies, I always think -_there_ will be a _second Nero_, if that disposition is not changed by -God, or a check put upon it by some kind friend. - -Children, be kind to every thing around you, particularly the dumb -brute. Do not throw stones at the harmless little sparrow, or the -pretty little snow-bird. Life is as precious to them as it is to you. -Doubtless they have feelings of love and tenderness for each other, -and why do you wish to destroy their happiness? Even if they had ever -wronged you, it would be your duty to return good for evil; and how -much more is it your duty _not_ to _injure_ them, since they have never -harmed you in the least. It always pains me very much to see a little -boy throwing stones at every cow, horse, or hog that passes along -within striking distance of him. Oh how unkind! How unlike Him who went -about doing good! - -I once saw a boy throw a stone at a beautiful young horse. He did it -thoughtlessly, and did not intend hurting the animal; but the stone -struck it in the eye and destroyed its sight forever. - -Dear reader, if you had seen the agony and heard the screams of -suffering which that _one_ stone caused that harmless horse, I am sure -you would never throw another stone at a bird or beast as long as you -live. The boy, when he saw the pain which he had caused the innocent -colt, went off and wept most bitterly; and I am certain, learned a most -instructive lesson. Children, - - “Let love through all your actions run, - And all your _deeds_ be _kind_.” - - * * * * * - - “SWEET it is to see a child - Tender, merciful, and mild; - Ever ready to perform - Acts of mercy to a worm; - Grieving that the world should be - Thus a scene of misery; - Scene in which the creatures groan - For transgressions not their own. - - “If the creatures must be slain - Thankless sinners to sustain; - Such a child, methinks, will cry, - ‘Treat them gently when they die; - Spare them while they yield their breath; - Double not the pains of death; - Strike them not at such a time, - God accounts the stroke a crime.’ - - “God is love, and never can - Love or bless a cruel man; - Mercy rules in every breast - Where His Spirit deigns to rest; - We ourselves to mercy owe - Our escape from endless woe; - And the merciless in mind - Shall themselves no mercy find.” - - * * * * * - -SPARE THE INSECT. - - “OH, turn that little foot aside, - Nor crush beneath its tread - The smallest insect of the earth, - That looks to God for bread. - - “If He who made the universe - Looks down in kindest love, - To shape an humble thing like this, - From His high throne above— - - “Why shouldst thou, then, in wantonness, - That creature’s life destroy? - Or give a pang to any thing - That He has made for joy? - - “My child, begin in little things - To act the gentle part; - For God will turn His love away - From every cruel heart.” - - - - -THE RAILROAD. - - “For we are sojourners, as were all our fathers.”—BIBLE. - - -THE cars were crowded. In one corner sat the grey-haired grandfather; -by his side, the gay, thoughtless maiden; farther on, the youthful -aspirant after the world’s honors; and at his elbow, the stern, -thinking business man, intently engaged in reading the morning’s Prices -Current, thinking only of Profit and Loss, and the rise and fall -of articles for which he trafficked, forgetting, not the _almighty -dollar_, but his _immortal soul_. - -We started. On and on the fire-breathing iron horse drew us along:—now -hurrying around the sweeping curves; now ascending some steep -acclivity; now rattling through dark, dungeon-like tunnels; anon -speeding with almost lightning rapidity over the smoothly laid track. - -None seemed to fear. All was happiness and joy. One was thinking of -the joyful welcome that awaited him at his happy home; another of the -pleasure he expected to meet with from the friends of his childhood, -from whom he had been separated many a long year; others were perfectly -indifferent—no trouble to cloud their brows, no care to harass their -hearts—gazing, with countenances of delight, on the fair fields of -nature which stretched out before them, the mirror-like lake, or the -cloud-capped mountain that lifted its proud head far above the bustle -and confusion of the world. - -None thought of danger. None thought that the next moment might find -them a mass of bruised and mangled corpses, or struggling for life amid -the waves of some roaring river. The engineer was at his post; the -conductor would see that no harm should befall them. - -My young friends, as I sat in that crowded car, many were the thoughts -that rose in my mind. I thought this life was but a railroad; we the -passengers. Some of us are thoughtful and considerate; many gay and -inconsiderate. The railroad of life has many curves, to avoid the -current of sin, or the pit of destruction; many a high acclivity of -difficulty; many a dark, lonely tunnel of doubt and uncertainty; many a -deep cut of affliction, from which the light of God’s countenance seems -entirely withdrawn. The route lies along the flower-dressed meadows of -happiness, and through the dark, dismal morasses of poverty and want. -At one moment all is beauty, loveliness and grandeur; at another, the -clouds of God’s wrath gather thick and heavy around us. Some of us are -journeying to our heavenly home; others, far from that home, in search -of what the world calls enjoyment, but, like the apples of Sodom, -bitterness and remorse. - -My young friends, if Christ be our engineer and God our conductor, we -need fear no evil. All will be well; our journey safe and pleasant: -and we shall safely reach a glorious home in Heaven, and there spend -an eternity of blissful happiness in the company of the loved and lost -who have traveled this road, and reached, without any collision or -accident, its termination. - - * * * * * - -THE SPIRITUAL RAILWAY. - - “THE line to heaven by Christ was made; - With heavenly truths the rails are laid; - From earth to heaven the line extends; - To life eternal—there it ends. - - “Repentance is the station then, - Where passengers are taken in; - No fees for them are there to pay, - For _Jesus_ is Himself the way. - - “The Bible is the engineer, - It points the way to heaven so clear; - Through tunnels dark and dreary here, - It does the way to glory steer. - - “God’s love—the fire, His truth the steam - Which drives the engine and the train; - All you who would to glory ride, - Must come to Christ—in Him abide. - - “In the first, second, and third class, - Repentance, faith, and holiness, - You must the way to glory gain, - Or you with Christ can never reign. - - “Come, then, poor sinners, now’s the time, - At any place along the line; - If you repent and turn from sin, - The train will stop and take you in.” - - - - -A TRUE SKETCH - - “LET us be patient! These severe afflictions - Not from the ground arise, - But oftentimes celestial benedictions - Assume this dark disguise.” - - LONGFELLOW. - - -A VENERABLE minister of Christ left his home one bright, beautiful -Sabbath morning, for the house of God. He was riding a restless, fiery -mountain colt, but had no fears of his ability to manage him, as he had -been raised from early childhood, as it were, on a horse’s back, and -feared the wildest animal as little as he did a playful kitten. - -He had gone but a short distance on his way, when the horse, becoming -frightened, made a sudden leap, and threw his rider headlong against -the projecting points of a large rock lying near the roadside. The -rock entered his skull, and in a few moments that aged father in -Israel breathed his last, with no kind friend near to whisper words -of consolation in his dying ear, or wipe the sweat of death from his -patriarchal brow. - -The anxious congregation waited long and impatiently for the appearance -of their much-loved pastor, but he came not. His spirit had winged its -way to that bright, happy land, - - “Where congregations ne’er break up, - And Sabbaths have no end.” - -A portion of the congregation determined to find out the cause of his -long, unusual delay, and accordingly set out along his accustomed road. -After travelling several miles, what was their surprise and sorrow to -find their grey-haired shepherd, who had so long and so cheerfully led -them “beside the still waters, and through the green pastures,” who had -taken the lambs of the flock in his bosom, and protected their tender -little feet from the thorns which strew the pathway of childhood, lying -stretched on the cold ground, a lifeless corpse. Many were the tears -that moistened the noble brow of this man of God; bitter were the -throbbings of stricken hearts that stood around the body of him who, -Sabbath after Sabbath, had broken to them the Bread of Life. - -There anxiously kneels at the side of her sainted father a little girl, -whom they have failed to notice. What is she doing there? Come, gather -closely around this scene, children, and look at one of your number. -She heard the clattering of the horse’s feet as he hurried wildly from -the spot where lay his lifeless corpse; she hastened quickly towards -the church and reached her father only in time to hear the death-rattle -in his throat, and see his brains all scattered over the ground. What -does she do? She gathers them up, places them once more in his skull, -and with her little hands endeavors to hold the shattered fragments -together. But it is too late now. Dear, loving little Mary can’t recall -the spirit of her departed parent back to earth; and the sorrowing -members of that shepherdless flock bear her away to a home, around -whose bright fireside and at whose morning and evening altar shall -never again be heard the voice of one whom none knew but to love. - -My young friends, I have witnessed and heard of many touching scenes, -but for child-like innocence, and tender, loving affection, this -surpasses them all. - -I now leave you to learn the many lessons of affection and love this -hasty sketch teaches, and hope you will not throw the book carelessly -aside, and forget all about it; but think if you love your parents as -fatherless little Mary loved hers. - - * * * * * - -THE SPIRIT OF THE DEPARTED. - - I KNOW thou art gone to thy home of rest; - Then why should my soul be sad? - I know thou art gone where the weary are blest, - And the mourner looks up and is glad; - - Where Love has put off, in the land of its birth, - The stain it had gathered in this, - And Hope, the sweet singer that gladdened the earth, - Lies asleep on the bosom of bliss. - - HERVEY. - - - - -“THE LAST NIGHT OF THE SEASON.” - - “HASTEN, O sinner, to return, - And stay not for to-morrow’s sun, - For fear thy lamp should cease to burn - Before the needful work is done.” - - -“THE LAST NIGHT OF THE SEASON,” stood forth in bold prominence from -mammoth posters at every prominent place in the city. - -“_The Last Night of the Season_” headed an advertisement in every daily -paper. - -“The Last Night of the Season,” was echoed by thousands of handbills. - -“The Last Night of the Season,” lingered on the lips of nearly every -passer-by. - -At night, thronging crowds, with hurried step and anxious heart, -pressed earnestly into the accustomed entrance—then too narrow to -admit the greatly increased numbers—of a large and brilliantly -illumined building. - -Do you know, breathed in quick succession from one to another, it is -“The Last Night of the Season?” - -Fellow traveller to the bar of God, “I have somewhat to say unto -_thee_.” - -Has not this sentence already gone, like an arrow, to your heart? Do -you not feel that perhaps you have seen the last night of the season of -salvation? - -Oh! it is an awful thought. Yet, thanks be to God, there is still -another opportunity of being saved. I now present you that opportunity. -Will you, can you, refuse? It may be the last night of the season. God -only knows. - - “Delay not, delay not, O sinner, to come, - For mercy still lingers and calls thee to-day, - Her voice is not heard in the vale of the tomb; - Her message unheeded will soon pass away.” - -Fathers, mothers, friends, relatives, brothers, sisters, those that -love you tenderly, dearly, Christian ministers, the writer of this -little article, all join in the earnest entreaty, “COME TO JESUS!” - -He is a precious Saviour. - -He is a loving Saviour. - -He is a willing Saviour. - -He is an able Saviour. - -Then, will you not come and cast your burden upon _Him?_ - -He has never turned away _one_ soul. - -The thief on the cross,—poor, weeping Peter—Mary Magdalene, with her -seven devils,—all found Him such a Saviour as I have described. - -Young man, in the morning of life, you whose brow no cloud of sorrow -has ever darkened, will _you_ not come to that Saviour? - -Young lady, will _you_ not come to that Saviour? Will _you_, whose sex -was the last at the cross, the first at the sepulchre, stay away from -that Saviour? The daughters of Jerusalem found Him an all-sufficient -Saviour, and will _you_ not come, like Mary, and - - “——fall at His feet, - And the story repeat, - And the lover of sinners adore?” - - * * * * * - -MARY AT JESUS’ FEET. - - TO hear the Saviour’s word - The gentle Mary came; - Low at His feet she sat and heard - Sweet mention of her name. - - She chose the better part, - The one bright pearl she found: - May we, with Mary’s constant heart, - In Mary’s grace abound. - - Like her, we look above, - To learn our Saviour’s will; - The droppings of His lips we love, - And would His word fulfil. - - Speak, as to Mary Thou - Didst speak in Galilee; - Call us by name, our hearts shall bow, - And melting, flow to Thee. - - E. M. C. - - - - -HUGH MILLER AND THE PRECIPICE. - - “HEAVEN above and hell below, - Pleasure, pain, and joy and woe, - Repeat the words in accents slow, - _Stop and think!_” - - -THE celebrated Hugh Miller, when a boy, was in the habit of scaling -giddy precipices, either in search of some peculiar specimen of rock, -or some unknown species of bird. - -On one occasion he saw a raven’s nest far above the ground, snugly -fixed on a very high cliff, which had never been scaled by the foot of -man. From below it was a matter of impossibility to reach it, for it -was more than a hundred feet above the level of the sea. He therefore -determined to make an attempt from above. Creeping carefully along, now -holding by some protruding rock, now clinging to some slender shrub, he -at last found himself within six or eight feet of the desired prize. -There he stopped and hesitated. Beneath, the raging surf roamed and -boiled. One misstep would launch him into eternity. - -His foot was stretched out to take the first step, when he observed, -as the sun burst suddenly from behind a cloud, the light glisten on -a smooth surface of chlorite, slippery as glass. He at once saw the -consequences of such an attempt, retraced his steps, and was, in God’s -providence, spared to exert an influence for good, the extent of which -will never be fully known. - -Reader, have you ever attempted to perform some act which no one else -was able to accomplish, and been on the very brink of destruction, when -the Sun of Righteousness shone on your pathway and revealed to your -darkened understanding the imminent danger of your position? - -Young man, you that are anxious to write your name high above that -of your fellow-man, beware how you step. The ocean of a never-ending -eternity is roaring beneath you. You, perhaps, do not see your danger, -yet it is there. If you are seeking only the riches of this world, -which perish with their using, and endeavoring to do what no one else -has done, pray that God will show you the peril of your position, -retrace your steps, and remember the sad end of him “who layeth up -treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12: 21. - -The sequel to this little sketch is very, very heart-rending. - -Not long after the above occurrence a youth named Mackay made a similar -attempt; paused even for a longer time; then trusting himself to the -treacherous chlorite, his foot slipped, and he fell headlong over the -precipice. His head striking violently against a projecting rock, his -brains were scattered over a space of ten or twelve square yards in -extent. - -The rock doubtless yet remains—a lasting monument of the sinful folly -of man. - - * * * * * - -A FEW SHORT YEARS—AND THEN.— - - “A FEW short years—and then - Our young hearts may be reft - Of every hope, and find no gleam - Of childhood’s sunshine left! - - “A few short years—and then, - Impatient of its bliss, - The weary soul shall seek on high - A better home than this! - - “A few short years—and then - The dream of life will be - Like shadows of a morning cloud, - In its reality! - - “A few short years—and then - The idols loved the best - Will pass in all their pride away, - As sinks the sun to rest!” - - - - -THE HOME OF ST. PAUL. - - I NEVER left the place that knew me, - And may never know me more, - Where the cords of kindness drew me, - And gladdened me of yore,— - But my secret soul has smarted, - With a feeling full of gloom, - For the days that are departed, - And the place I called my home. - - TUPPER. - - -WHO is there that can stand beside the simple stone which marks the -birthplace of GEORGE WASHINGTON, or enter that plain cottage in the -slashes of Hanover, or walk the halls of Monticello, and not feel -arising in his bosom feelings of pleasure and delight? Such feelings -are natural; and I hope, dear reader, you will ever cherish them for -the memory of such men as Washington, Jefferson, Clay, and the host -of others who have done so much for our common country. If we love to -visit the birthplaces and homes of men who have preferred death to -bondage, how much greater must be the love with which we look upon the -home of him who suffered and bled and died for the liberty of the soul -from the powerful bondage of sin and Satan—the home of Saul of Tarsus, -the scholar of Gamaliel. - -That Tarsus was the birthplace of Saul is not very certain, as no one -informs us of the fact; but one thing is certain, it was there he spent -the hours of his childhood, there he was taught to reverence God’s -Word, and there his tender mind received those impressions of love to -God and his fellow-man, which followed him throughout his interesting -and eventful life. - -Tarsus, at the time of Saul’s residence, was one of the largest cities -in Asia Minor. It was beautifully situated on the river Cydnus, in the -midst of a most fertile and picturesque valley, and was the capital of -Cilicia. On the one side a lofty peak of the Taurus mountains lifted -its hoary head, and stood like a sentinel, to watch over and protect -the city which lay in such calm quietude at its base; on the other lay -the lovely valley of the Cydnus, interspersed with beautiful groves -of palm trees and luxuriant gardens, through the midst of which the -silver stream wound its way till it was lost in the Mediterranean sea. -Over this plain, happy cottages were scattered like stars in the blue -canopy of heaven. Above the city, about a mile distant, were the falls -of the Cydnus, whose sullen roar added no little to the grandeur of -the scenery. Such was the nature of the country in which the youthful -Saul spent the days of his childhood and youth. Tarsus, as Saul himself -says, was “no mean city.” It was no less remarkable for the beauty of -its situation, than as a seat of learning and wide-spread commerce. - -There is something about the word Home, which in itself is pleasant. -How delightful is it to him upon whose locks have fallen the snows of -many winters, and whose brow has been furrowed by the hand of time, -to look back to the home and friends of his childhood! Every thing -about the old homestead is interesting to him. Here, surrounded by -kind friends and dear relatives, he spent the happiest hours of his -life. Every spot has some attraction. In one he once was rescued from -danger; in another he used to indulge in those sportive games which -afford so much pleasure to the young beginner of life’s journey; beside -some murmuring stream he often strayed, and stole the nimble trout from -its crystal home, or rested his weary limbs beneath the wide-extending -branches of the aged oak which overhung the gushing spring. - -Such, doubtless, were the feelings with which the great “Apostle of -the Gentiles,” when his mind was “burdened with the care of all the -churches,” visited his native city. And now how changed! An English -writer thus describes the present condition of that once prosperous -city: “It is now a Turkish town, greatly decayed, but still of some -relative importance, and carrying on a somewhat active commerce. The -population is about 6,000.”—However the works of _man_ may have -decayed in and around Tarsus, yet the works of _God_ remain almost -unaltered.—“The rich harvests of corn still grow luxuriantly after the -rains in spring; the same tents of goats’ hair are still seen covering -the plain in busy harvest. The same sunset lingers on the pointed -summits. The same shadows gather in the deep ravines. The water-falls -of the Cydnus still break over the same rocks.” - -Who would not like to visit a city once hallowed by the presence of one -of the greatest and best of men? - - * * * * * - -THE WANDERER’S RETURN. - - I LEFT my home in childhood, - The beautiful green spot, - Where I used to sport among the leaves, - Around my native cot. - - My heart was full of happiness - Among the woods and hills, - And I heard the voice of hope and love - Sing gayly in the rills. - - Each lawn and sunny meadow, - Each tree and flower was dear— - And I left them full of sadness, - With childhood’s flowing tear. - - And after years of roaming - I sought again the scene— - I stood within the cottage door, - And looked upon the green;— - - But my heart within me died away— - For time had trod the lawn, - And change had passed o’er field and cot, - And those I loved were gone! - - The earth was full of beauty, - There was balm upon the air, - But the feelings of my childhood - I found no longer there. - - C. W. THOMPSON. - - - - -HOME. - - I AM not one of those who wander - Unaffection’d here and there, - But my heart must still be fonder - Of its sites of joy or care; - And I point sad memory’s finger - (Tho’ my faithless foot may roam) - Where I’ve most been made to linger,— - To the place I called _my home_. - - TUPPER. - - -THOUGH many a long year has passed away since I mingled in the pleasant -enjoyments and childish sports of my native home, yet I look back with -feelings of the deepest sorrow, and sincerely wish that I could again -spend those hours which afforded me so much innocent delight. It is -true, that I had a home only for a very few years, for I had scarcely -learned to love my mother and feel the worth of my father, before the -clods of the valley rumbled over their coffins; yet those years were -the happiest of my life. - -It is in the family circle that we are taught so many lessons of -kindness to our fellow-men, and it is there we are fitted to enter upon -the stern realities which await us in the busy world. There, and there -alone, are the seeds of truth and morality sown by the affectionate -hand of an attached mother; and a loving sister entwines her affections -around the heart of a thoughtless brother, and frequently keeps him -from houses “which are the way to hell,” and from a drunkard’s grave. - -Blot out of existence the thousands of Christian homes in this land of -ours, and you will destroy the very _corner stone_ of this happy and -prosperous country. - -It was around the fireside that such men as Patrick Henry, Henry Clay -and Daniel Webster first learned those lessons of wisdom and unwavering -devotion to their country. - -Well has it been remarked, “There is no place like home.” - -I had rather part with my right hand or my right eye, than to be -deprived of those simple truths taught me by my sainted mother when -I was scarcely old enough to lisp her name. How indelibly are they -impressed upon my mind! And those simple prayers which she taught -me—shall I ever forget them? No, never. They will go with me to my -grave. And when I was sick, how she watched over me, nursed me, and -prayed for my recovery! - -My home! How thoughts of the loved and lost arise in my mind at the -mere mention of the name! That dear father, that more than sainted -mother, where are they? Gone, gone forever! - -It is customary with many heathen nations, when any one of their number -is thought to be dying, to place him upon a narrow couch, set by his -side a small portion of bread and water, and permit him to draw his -last breath with no friend near to whisper words of consolation in his -dying ear, or shed a tear of regret at his departure. - -How different in the Christian family! Nothing can equal the tender -care and soothing attention paid to him whose sand is well nigh run -out. And when he is gone, how fast do tears of bitterness flow from the -eyes of those who loved and watched over him even in the hour of death! - -William Jay, in speaking of domestic happiness, uses the following -beautiful and touching language: “Oh! what so refreshing, so soothing, -so satisfying, as the quiet joys of home? Yonder comes the laborer;—he -has borne the burden and the heat of the day; the descending sun -has released him from his toil, and he is hastening home to enjoy -his repose. Half way down the lane, by the side of which stands his -cottage, his children run to meet him. One he carries and one he -leads. See his toil-worn countenance assume an air of cheerfulness. His -hardships are forgotten—fatigue vanishes—he eats and is satisfied. -Inhabitant of the lowly dwelling! who can be indifferent to thy -comfort? Peace to thy house!” - -But, children, that pleasant home cannot always be the abode of -happiness. - -Since sin entered into this world of ours, and death by sin, man can -never be perfectly happy. - -Sooner or later some member of that family will be locked in the cold -embrace of Death; and sadness will follow in the footsteps of joy. -There will be a vacant chair, and a deserted hearth-stone, ere many -more days shall have passed away. That dwelling in which pleasure and -happiness now reign, shall soon echo with the sobs and lamentations of -those who have parted with perhaps a father, a mother, a fond sister, -or a loving brother. He who to-day resides in the costliest mansion, -may to-morrow be an inhabitant of a hovel. That father who to-day bowed -before the family altar, and asked a Heavenly Father’s blessing upon -his children, may be wrapped in the winding sheet of Death to-morrow. - -How important then is it, that we should look forward to a home in -that house not made with hands, whose builder and maker is God. There -father and mother, husband and wife, brother and sister, shall meet to -part no more. There shall be no night there. Pain and anguish, sickness -and sorrow, affliction and disappointment, shall be feared and felt no -more for ever. How happy the scene! How joyful the meeting of friends -and relations! How delightful will it be to meet with that father and -that mother who have gone before, and feel that we shall never be -separated again! - -Children, if you wish to meet your departed relations, who have died -trusting in Christ, in Heaven, beware how you trifle away your inch -of time. If you die in your sins, you can never be with them in that -“happy land;” for to a sinner _Heaven_ would be the worst _Hell_ into -which he could be placed. Then, “Seek the Lord while he is near, and -call upon Him while He may be found.” - - * * * * * - -MY OLD DEAR HOME. - - “BETWEEN broad fields of wheat and corn - Is the lovely home where I was born; - The peach-tree leans against the wall, - And the woodbine wanders over all; - There is the shaded doorway still: - But a stranger’s foot hath crossed the sill! - - “There is the barn—and as of yore - I can smell the hay from the open door - And see the busy swallows throng, - And hear the pee-wit’s mournful song: - But the stranger comes—Oh, painful proof— - His sheaves are piled to the heated roof! - - “There is the orchard—the very trees - Where my childhood knew long hours of ease, - And watched the shadowy moments run, - Till my life imbibed more shade than sun; - The swing from the bough still sweeps the air, - But the stranger’s children are swinging there! - - [Illustration] - - “There bubbles the shady spring below, - With its bulrush brook where the hazels grow; - ’Twas there I found the calamus root, - And watched the minnows poise and shoot, - And heard the robin lave his wing: - But the stranger’s bucket is at the spring! - - “Oh! ye that daily cross the sill; - Step lightly, for I love it still; - And when you crowd the old barn eaves, - Then think what countless harvest sheaves - Have passed within that scented door, - To gladden the eyes that are no more. - - “Deal kindly with those orchard trees, - And when your children crowd your knees, - Their sweetest fruit they shall impart, - As if old memories stirred their heart:— - To youthful sport still leave the swing, - And in sweet reverence hold the spring. - - “The barn, the trees, the brook, the birds, - The meadows, with their lowing herds, - The woodbine on the cottage wall,— - My heart still lingers with them all:— - Ye strangers on my native sill, - Step lightly, for I love it still.” - - - - -TO MY SABBATH-SCHOOL CLASS. - - - LEWISBURG, Va., July 31st, 1858. - -MY DEAR SABBATH-SCHOOL CLASS:—I have been intending to write you a -short letter ever since leaving home, but have been so constantly -engaged that I have not found an opportunity. - -A great deal of interest has transpired since the commencement of my -mountain trip, of which I should like to tell you, but must defer -doing so until we meet, which, if God spares our lives, will be in a -few weeks. I know you would like very much to leave the hot and dusty -streets of Richmond, and come out and enjoy the pure mountain air -and health-giving water. My own health has improved very much, and -I do most earnestly pray that it and my life may be precious in the -sight of God, and I may yet ere long enjoy the greatest of earthly -privileges—preaching the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I -have very often thought of and frequently remembered you at a throne -of grace. Oh! you know not how much pleasure it would afford me to see -you _all_ professors of religion. You know I told you before leaving, -if any of you should _perish_—I feel sad to think of such a thing—I -hoped it would not be my fault, for I had endeavored, feebly and -imperfectly though it was, to lead your youthful feet in the ways of -righteousness—the paths of peace. - -I feel constrained to urge you once more to _come to Jesus_. We may -never meet again on earth, and I do so sincerely desire to meet my -Sabbath-school class in heaven. Suppose _one_ of you should be missing, -which will it be? May each one of you ask himself the question, “_Lord, -is it I?_” - -And then, my dear young friends, we want ministers so badly. Where -shall we get them? Do I not hear at least _one_ of you say, “_Here am -I; Lord, send me?_” Think of that shepherdless and sorrowing flock, -that vacant pulpit, that newly made grave, in Amelia county! think how -fearlessly and faithfully the lamented S. HAMNER DAVIS stood up for -Jesus, and how triumphantly he died! My dear scholars, will not _some_ -of you, would it be too much to say _all_ of you, dedicate yourselves -to the work of the blessed ministry? I know it has not a great many -earthly attractions, but there is something cheering in the thought of -living for the benefit of your fellow-men. I had rather be the humble -instrument, in the hands of God, of saving one soul, than be worth all -the riches or obtain all the honors which the world can furnish. - -May the Lord abundantly bless and preserve you all, while we are absent -from each other, is the prayer of - - Your affectionate Teacher, - PHILIP BARRETT. - - - - -HALF AN HOUR IN BAD COMPANY. - - “Separate from sinners and unspotted from the world.”—BIBLE. - - -A YOUTH was once unintentionally thrown into the company of some half -dozen young men of very immoral character. Their language, their jests, -were of the lowest order. Indecent expressions, vulgar anecdotes, -heart-defiling oaths, characterized their conversation. It was evident -there was no thought of God in all their hearts. - -He left them and went to his room. It was time for retiring to rest. -He opened his Bible and attempted to read its sacred pages; but he -could not confine his thoughts. The low, vulgar anecdotes of that -godless party were continually flitting across his mind. Their hollow -mockery of God still rung in his ear; the thought that perhaps there -was no God, no heaven, no hell, disturbed his hitherto pleasant -evening meditations; but that kind, friendly voice within, the lives -and death-beds of parents whom he had loved only to lose, told him -too plainly there was a God above, of tender and forgiving mercy, -there was a heaven of bliss and joy, there was a lake whose waves of -fire and brimstone were never quiet. He knelt down to pray, and the -profane jests of that God-rejecting company intruded themselves upon -his thoughts; he retired to rest—they haunted his slumbers; he awoke -in the morning—they still lingered in his mind. Year after year has -passed away, but that half an hour in the company of the profane, the -wicked, still exerts its injurious influence upon the heart of that -young man. It will never leave him. Wherever he goes, whatever he -does, it will remain in his mind to the last day of his life. It may -be forgotten for a time, but, like the serpent concealed in a bed of -violets, it will again and again come up to pollute his best and purest -thoughts, to poison his sweetest affections. - -My dear young friends, particularly boys, write this as your motto -upon the fly-leaves of your books—write it on the walls of your -rooms—write it in your copy books—write it on your hearts—KEEP OUT -OF BAD COMPANY. - - * * * * * - -THE BIBLE A GUIDE TO THE YOUNG. - - HOW shall the young secure their hearts - And guard their lives from sin? - Thy word the choicest rules imparts - To keep the conscience clean. - - When once it enters to the mind, - It spreads such light abroad, - The meanest souls instruction find, - And raise their thoughts to God. - - ’Tis like the sun, a heavenly light, - That guides us all the day, - And through the dangers of the night - A lamp to lead our way. - - Thy word is everlasting truth; - How pure is ev’ry page! - - WATTS. - - - - -THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR. - - ’TIS greatly wise to talk with our past hours, - And ask them what report they bore to heaven, - And how they might have borne more welcome news. - - YOUNG. - - -ANOTHER year, with its fond anticipations and blasted hopes, its scenes -of joy and its seasons of sorrow, its days of rejoicing and its nights -of weeping, has been laid in the grave of the past. - -Many a bounding heart that welcomed us a year ago, now lies beneath -the clods of the valley: many a cloudless brow which then met our eye, -now meets it no more for ever; many a manly form which then walked the -streets of our city, now walks the golden streets of the New Jerusalem. -The young man, before whom the future stretched in scenes of brightness -and beauty; the young lady, whose glowing cheek and brilliant eye -bespoke a long life of joy and happiness; the father, whose presence -cheered and whose counsel guided his little flock; the mother, whose -yearning heart seemed to throb only for the dear little one whose -cherub arms clung so lovingly around her neck; the young minister, -whose hopes of wide-spread usefulness gladdened his lonely hours of -toil; the venerable man of God, whose golden virtues, mingled with his -silver locks, won the love and admiration of all who knew him;—these, -all of these, have been laid in the cold and silent grave, during the -year that is past and gone. - -Over some of their graves the green grass is not yet growing, and -stricken hearts are now bleeding for loved ones, with whom we had -expected to walk hand in hand during the year which has so beautifully -dawned upon us. - -During the past year we have permitted many a golden opportunity for -doing good to pass away unimproved; we have failed properly to use -many a precious privilege; and does it not then become us, to-day, -to implore forgiveness for the past, and unreservedly to dedicate -ourselves and all we have and are, to the service of our blessed -Redeemer? - -Let us determine that this year shall be a year of entire consecration -to God’s service; that our places at the Sabbath-school, in the house -of God, at the Wednesday evening lecture, at the prayer-meeting, shall -be less frequently vacant than they were during the past year. - -That this shall be a year of prayer—earnest, importunate prayer. -That we will especially pray for those who are bound to us by ties of -affection and love, but who know nothing of the warm affection and -tender love of a Saviour’s heart. - -That it shall be a year of heart-searching. - -“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: -and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way -everlasting.” - -That it shall be a year of unremitting prayer for the outpouring of -God’s spirit, not only upon the church with which we are connected, but -throughout the length and breadth of His vineyard. - -And, in conclusion, that we will endeavor so to live and act, that -whenever the summons comes to call us hence, our lights shall be -burning, our lamps trimmed, and we shall hear the welcome invitation, -“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you -from the foundation of the world.” - - * * * * * - -THE SWIFTNESS OF TIME. - - “SWIFT as the wingèd arrow flies, - My time is hast’ning on; - Quick as the lightning from the skies - My wasting moments run. - - “My follies past, O God, forgive; - My ev’ry sin subdue; - And teach me henceforth how to live, - With glory full in view. - - “Thanks, Lord, to Thine unbounded grace, - That in my early youth - I have been taught to seek Thy face, - And know the way of truth. - - “Oh! let Thy Spirit lead me still - Along the happy road; - Conform me to Thy holy will, - My Father and my God.” - - - - -THE YOUNG MAN WHO WENT TO SLEEP IN CHURCH. - - “WHEN to the house of God we go - To hear His word and sing His love, - We ought to worship Him below - As saints and angels do above.” - - -THERE is but one instance mentioned in the Bible in which a person went -to sleep during religious service. It was at night. Paul, the eloquent -preacher, with his usual burning zeal and strong enthusiasm, had -enchained the attention of his audience till a late hour—12 o’clock. -On the morning he was to leave them, His hearers were hanging with deep -sorrow on his parting words, for they felt “they should see his face no -more.” There was, doubtless, many a quivering lip, many a tearful eye, -many a throbbing heart. - -In the midst of such a scene, beneath the preaching of so gifted, so -talented a man as Saul of Tarsus, there sat a young man unmoved by the -tears of the listeners, unaffected by the sermon of the minister. Deep -sleep fell heavily upon his slumbering eye-lids; his dull ear was -closed against the touching appeals of the fervent speaker. - -The house was no doubt crowded; for the young man was sitting in a -window; “and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and -fell down from the third loft, and _was taken up dead_.” (Acts xx. 19.) - -Sleeping, slumbering souls in the church of God, beware least you fall -asleep and _be taken up dead!_ - - * * * * * - -SLOTHFULNESS LAMENTED. - - “MY drowsy powers, why sleep ye so? - Awake, my sluggish soul; - Nothing has half thy work to do, - Yet nothing’s half so dull. - - “We, for whom God the Son came down - And labored for our good, - How careless to secure that crown - He purchased with His blood! - - “Lord, shall we lie so sluggish still - And never act our parts? - Come, Holy Spirit, come and fill - And wake and warm our hearts.” - - - - -MARGARET WILSON. - -A COVENANTER SKETCH. - - O FEAR not in a world like this, - And thou shalt know ere long, - Know how sublime a thing it is - To suffer and be strong. - - LONGFELLOW. - - -ALMOST two hundred years ago there lived in Scotland a girl whose -name was MARGARET WILSON. She was a covenanter; that is, she belonged -to that noble band of Scotch Christians who claimed the right of -worshiping God according to the teachings of their own consciences. - -About this time a violent persecution was commenced against these -quiet, inoffensive and pious covenanters. The officer who commanded the -King’s (James II.) forces in Scotland was named CLAVERHOUSE. He was a -man of violent temper, and possessed a heart as hard as adamant. The -mere mention of his name would cast a gloom over many a happy home, -and mothers would clasp their children closer to their bosoms whenever -the news of his approach reached their ears. He drank in iniquity like -water, and breathed out bitter persecution and death against God’s -servants. The poor covenanters were driven from their peaceful homes -by his troopers, and forced to seek shelter in the rugged sides of the -mountains. There they were hunted and shot down like wild beasts of the -forest. Homeless, poor, despised, forsaken of man, day after day, and -night after night, they wandered through the pathless woods without -clothing to protect or food to nourish them. From many a mountain top, -from many a barren heath, in the silence of the night, the fervent -prayer and the wild warbling notes of some simple Scotch hymn went up -like incense before the face of Jehovah. It is true “they were stoned, -they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; -they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, -afflicted, tormented; they wandered in deserts and mountains, and in -dens and caves of the earth.” (Acts xi. 37, 38.) They were imprisoned -by hundreds, and hung by scores. Corpses were seen dangling from trees, -and the atmosphere itself was tainted with death. The blood-thirsty -troopers spared neither age nor sex. The prattling babe and the hoary -head were alike disregarded. - -The severity of the persecution only made them cling more closely to -their religion, and a mighty army of martyrs went up from Scotland to -join the ranks of the great captain of their salvation—Jesus Christ. - -The noble courage with which MARGARET WILSON suffered death rather -than forsake the religion of her childhood, has made her name to be -held in lasting remembrance. She was quite young, but showed a degree -of calm composure and unshaken faith worthy of much riper years. On -being seized by the troopers, she was told that her life would be -spared if she would give up her religion. This she positively refused -to do, and was sentenced to be drowned. She was alike unmoved by the -fierce countenances of the brutal soldiery and their horrible threats. -Her heart was fixed. She was as firm as a rock. Finding her still -unyielding, she was taken to a place where the Solway overflows twice -a day, and securely fastened to a stake fixed in the sand between high -and low water mark. Presently the tide commenced coming in. At first -it played around her feet; by and by it rose higher and higher; at -last the waves approached within a few inches of her lips. Still she -remained unmoved. Her unclouded brow looked serene and happy. Her cheek -was pale, but not with fear. Her thoughts were wandering by the banks -of the river of the Water of Life; she seemed to be listening to the -angelic notes of the heavenly choir. - -“Will you deny now your religion?” demanded the cruel soldiery. - -“No, never; I am Christ’s; let me go,” she gasped out, her voice choked -by the gurgling water, and the waves closed over her for the last time. - - * * * * * - -“THE NOBLE ARMY OF MARTYRS.” - - THEIR blood is shed - In confirmation of the noblest claim— - Our claim to feed upon immortal truth; - To walk with God; to be divinely free. - Yet few remember them. They lived unknown - Till persecution dragged them into fame, - And chased them up to heaven. Their ashes flew - ——No marble tells us whither. - - COWPER. - - * * * * * - -THE DAY OF LIFE. - - THE morning hours of cheerful light, - Of all the day are best; - But as they speed their hasty flight, - If every hour is spent aright, - We sweetly sink to sleep at night, - And pleasant is our rest. - - And life is like a summer day, - It seems so quickly past; - Youth is the morning bright and gay, - And if ’tis spent in wisdom’s way, - We meet old age without dismay, - And death is sweet at last. - - JANE TAYLOR. - - - - -GILBERT HUNT. - - TOILING, rejoicing, sorrowing, - Onward through life he goes; - Each morning sees some task begun, - Each evening sees its close; - Something attempted, something done, - Has earned a night’s repose. - - LONGFELLOW’S VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. - - -THERE lives in the city of Richmond, Virginia, a very venerable and -highly respected negro blacksmith, named Gilbert Hunt. For more -than three-score years he has pursued his humble calling; and even -now, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years, the merry ring of -Gilbert’s anvil is among the first things that break the stillness of -the morning. His shop is situated on one of the most busy streets in -the city; and long before the stores are opened, or the busy hum of -human voices heard, the lively glow of the blacksmith’s fire and the -unceasing blowing of his bellows, whisper in the ear of many a tardy -young man—_Be diligent in business_. - -Thus has he lived and labored through the weary days of many a long -year. Though time has plowed many a deep furrow across his dusky brow, -though his head is covered with the almond-tree blossoms of age, -though those that look out of the windows are darkened, though the -doors are shut in the streets, though the silver cord has been worn -almost to its last thread, yet Gilbert Hunt remains still healthy and -robust, retains the cheerfulness of youth, and seems to feel that his -work on earth is far from being accomplished. - -His dark countenance, while in conversation, is lighted up with a -happy smile, and you cannot help feeling, as you look upon the old -and grey-headed man, what a precious promise that beautiful old hymn -expresses when it says, - - “E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove - My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love; - _And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn, - Like lambs, they shall still in my bosom be borne_.” - -The eventful life of this aged blacksmith, together with his vivid -remembrance of bygone days, renders an hour spent in his company very -pleasant. - -’Tis true, his name is unknown both to fortune and to fame; for but few -stop, in this cold world of ours, to pay the deserved meed of praise to -humble, unpretending merit. - - “Far from the madd’ning crowd’s ignoble strife, - His sober wishes never learned to stray— - Along the cool sequestered vale of life - He kept the noiseless tenor of his way.” - -But to return to our first intention. Gilbert Hunt was born in the -county of King William, (Va.,) about the year 1780; came to the city -of Richmond when seventeen years of age; learned the trade of a -carriage-maker, at which he worked for a considerable length of time, -and by constant industry and close economy laid by a sufficient amount -of money to purchase his freedom of his master. In 1832, he determined -to emigrate to Liberia; and in February of that year, left Virginia. -He remained in Africa eight months, and having travelled some five -hundred miles into the interior, returned to the coast and embarked for -home. His reception, on arriving at Richmond, was one which would have -done honor to any conqueror or statesman, so highly was he respected -by the citizens. “When I reached Richmond,” to use his own language, -“the wharves were crowded with all classes and conditions of people; -I was invited to ride up town in a very fine carriage, but preferred -a plainer style, and came up in a Jersey wagon, seated on my trunk.” -Since that time, nothing of special interest has transpired in the -life of this truly remarkable man. “Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing,” he -has followed with unpretending simplicity of character his accustomed -labor. Success seems not to make him proud, nor failure to discourage -him. He has made a sufficient amount of money to enable him to spend -the evening of his life in quiet retirement, but his place at his shop -is seldom, if ever, vacant. - -For more than half a century he has been a consistent member of the -Baptist Church; thus teaching us, would we have the needed blessings -of life added to us, we should seek first the kingdom of God and His -righteousness. - -The event which invests the name of Gilbert Hunt with more than -ordinary interest, is the active part which he took at the burning of -the Richmond theatre in 1811. - -We add a brief account of this sad occurrence, as related by Gilbert -himself, feeling there are but few eyes which can read it without -moistening with tears. - -“It was the night of Christmas, 1811. I had just returned from worship -at the Baptist church, and was about sitting down to my supper, when -I was startled by the cry that the Theatre was on fire. My wife’s -mistress called me, and begged me to hasten to the Theatre, and, if -possible, save her only daughter,—a young lady who had been teaching -me my book every night, and one whom I loved very much. The wind was -quite high, and the hissing and crackling flames soon wrapt the entire -building in their embrace. The house was built of wood, and therefore -the work of destruction was very short. When I reached the building -I immediately went to the house of a colored fiddler, named Gilliat, -who lived near by, and begged him to lend me a bed on which the poor -frightened creatures might fall as they leaped from the windows. This -he positively refused to do. I then procured a step-ladder and placed -it against the wall of the burning building. The door was too small -to permit the crowd, pushed forward by the scorching flames, to get -out, and numbers of them were madly leaping from the windows only to -be crushed to death by the fall. I looked up and saw Dr. —— standing -at one of the top windows, and calling to me to catch the ladies as he -handed them down. I was then young and strong, and the poor screaming -ladies felt as light as feathers. By this means we got all the ladies -out of this portion of the house. The flames were rapidly approaching -the Doctor. They were beginning to take hold of his clothing, and, O -me! I thought that good man who had saved so many precious lives, was -going to be burned up. He jumped from the window, and when he touched -the ground I thought he was dead. He could not move an inch. No one -was near that part of the house, for the wall was tottering like a -drunken man, and I looked to see it every minute crush the Doctor to -death. I heard him scream out, ‘_Will nobody save me?_’ and at the risk -of my own life, rushed to him and bore him away to a place of safety. -The scene surpassed any thing I ever saw. The wild shriek of hopeless -agony, the piercing cry, ‘Lord, save, or I perish,’ the uplifted hands, -the earnest prayer for mercy, for pardon, for salvation. I think I see -it now—all—all just as it happened.” And the old negro stopped to -wipe away a tear which was trickling down his wrinkled cheek. - -“The next day I went to the place where I had seen so much suffering. -There lay a heap of half-burnt bodies—young and old, rich and poor, -the governor and the little child—whose hearts were still fluttering -like leaves. I never found my young mistress, and suppose she perished -with the many others who were present on that mournful occasion. _I -thought there would never be any more theatres after that._” The old -man was silent; his tale was told; tear-drops were standing in his eyes. - -Should any of my readers desire to learn more of the history of this -venerable old negro, the simple sign of - - +———————-+ - | GILBERT HUNT, | - | Blacksmith, | - +———————-+ - -which still hangs over his door, will direct them to his lowly shop, -and guarantee a warm welcome at his hands. - - * * * * * - -THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. - - UNDER a spreading chestnut tree - The village smithy stands; - The smith, a mighty man is he, - With large and sinewy hands; - And the muscles of his brawny arms - Are strong as iron bands. - - His hair is crisp and black and long, - His face is like the tan; - His brow is wet with honest sweat, - He earns whate’er he can, - And looks the whole world in the face, - For he owes not any man. - - Week in, week out, from morn till night - You can hear his bellows blow; - You can hear him swing his heavy sledge - With measured beat, and slow; - Like a sexton ringing the village bell - When the evening sun is low. - - And children coming home from school - Look in at the open door; - They love to see the flaming forge, - And hear the bellows roar, - And catch the burning sparks that fly - Like chaff from a threshing floor. - - He goes on Sunday to the church, - And sits among his boys; - He hears the parson pray and preach, - He hears his daughter’s voice - Singing in the village choir, - And it makes his heart rejoice. - - It sounds to him like his mother’s voice - Singing in Paradise! - He needs must think of her once more, - How in the grave she lies; - And with his hard, rough hand he wipes - A tear out of his eyes. - - Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, - Onward through life he goes: - Each morning sees some task begun, - Each evening sees its close; - Something attempted, something done, - Has earned a night’s repose. - - Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, - For the lesson thou hast taught: - Thus at the flaming forge of life - Our fortunes must be wrought; - Thus on its sounding anvil shaped - Each burning deed and thought. - - LONGFELLOW. - - - - -SKETCHES FOR YOUNG MEN. - -NOTE. - - -FINDING in my portfolio a number of sketches not considered entirely -suited to the class for whom my little volume is intended, I have -determined to add them in the form of an appendix, with the hope that -they may prove interesting and instructive to persons of maturer years. - - THE AUTHOR. - - -SKETCHES FOR YOUNG MEN. - - * * * * * - -THE LAMP AND THE LANTERN. - -No. 1. - - -IT has long been a mystery to us that the Bible is so little read, -so poorly appreciated. A few hurried snatches in the morning, the -shortest psalm in the evening, to a very great extent constitute the -Bible reading of many who even profess and call themselves Christians. -The prolific press is daily pouring forth issues of aids to Scripture -reading; the most gifted intellects, both of this and other lands, -are using all their powers to make the Bible the text-book of the -age; but in vain. There seems to have arisen, in the minds of many, -an insatiable desire for something new, something stirring, something -calculated to arouse their stupified faculties. - -Persons will pore, hour after hour, over the pages of some trashy -novel, while the Bible—_its_ pages glittering with golden truths—its -chapters glowing with a Saviour’s love—lies unopened for weeks, yea, -months; its clasps blackened by canker—its cover thick with dust. - -They will nestle in their bosoms the sin-stained pages of Byron—not -knowing his slime is polluting, his poison infecting, the purest -affections of their hearts, while a stream of living water is gushing -from this ever full and overflowing fountain of Truth. In the one -are found waters of Marah; in the other, sweet, soul-inspiring, -soul-cheering streams, whose supply is never wanting, whose freshness -never departs. - -You cannot inflict greater punishment on some persons than force them -daily to read a portion of God’s word. To them it is as a root out of -dry ground, having no form or comeliness. Notwithstanding this, we -find in the Bible every thing that is attractive and lovely. Viewed -as a literary production, _aside from_ its inspiration, there is no -work, ancient or modern, which is marked by such variety of style—such -beauty of diction—such sublimity of sentiment. Its writers are taken -from all classes and conditions of life—from the shepherd boy that -watches his father’s flocks on the grassy hill-sides of Judea, to the -king, the golden magnificence of whose court, and unerring wisdom, -attracted the notice of Arabia’s queen—from the humble fisherman who -mends his nets on the shores of “deep Galilee,” to the talented scholar -of the learned Gamaliel. - -The rich and the poor, the aged and the young, the wise and the -ignorant, the pastor and his people, can all discover in its pages -something to suit their respective situations. In fact, from Genesis to -Revelation, it is filled with truths simple enough for the prattling -child—deep enough for the profoundest scholar. - -What sublime simplicity characterizes the Pentateuch! what melodious -notes fall upon the ear, like “sweet music from some far-off isle -enchanted,” as the sweet Psalmist of Israel sweeps the chords of his -thrilling harp! what rapt, impassioned eloquence bursts from prophetic -souls as they picture the future glory of Immanuel’s kingdom, or paint -the awful scenes of that wrathful day, - - “When, shrivelling like a parched scroll, - The flaming heavens together roll; - When louder yet, and yet more dread, - Swells the high trump that wakes the dead!” - - RURAL RETIREMENT, Va. - - * * * * * - -THE LAMP AND THE LANTERN. - -No. 2. - - -TURN to the New Testament. How touching those simple narratives! Hard -indeed must be the heart of him who can read without deep emotion, -that truly affecting account of the return of the prodigal son to the -father of his early love, the home and scenes of his childhood. - -Behold that aged man, as with tottering step, forgetful of the pressing -weight of his many years, he _runs_ to meet his poor wayward boy, -clasps him to his yearning bosom, falls on his neck and kisses him. - -Stand beside the grave of Lazarus; look at those loving sisters of -Bethany, as with throbbing hearts and swollen eyes they gather around -the last resting-place of that much-loved and only brother. Is your -heart more unfeeling than the heart of Him of whom it was said, “Behold -how he loved him?” If not, then moisten his grave with a tear of -sympathy for those heart-stricken sisters; for it is not unmanly to -weep,— - - “That noble gift! that privilege of man.” - -Let us leave these scenes, so well calculated to sadden the heart and -moisten the eye, and turn to others of a far different nature. - -Look at that stranger standing on Mars Hill. ’Tis true he is not -commanding in person; neither is his speech in itself eloquent; but -there is an electric current which continually passes from his soul to -his eye, making it to flash with dazzling brilliancy. - -With the deep blue sky as his canopy, and standing where Socrates once -stood, he begins one of the most highly finished and closely argued -orations on record. - -With kindling features and burning ardor, he enters at once into the -mysteries of his subject,—_The nature of God_. What eloquence! - - “It wields at will that fierce democracy.” - -John Milton has truly remarked: “There are no songs comparable to the -songs of Zion; no orations equal to those of the prophets; no politics -like those which the Scriptures teach.” - -But there is another feature in this precious Book to which we would -briefly direct your attention. - -THE CHARACTERS.—A young man, dressed in the plain garb of a -husbandman, is wandering over the rugged sides of mount Ephraim in -search of his father’s cattle. Exposure to wind and storm has rendered -his frame robust, his tread firm and steady. Fearless courage sits -enthroned on his peerless brow; stubborn resolution, untiring energy, -prompt decision, all beam from a countenance, which, though bronzed by -the ardent frown of the summer’s sun, yet is none the less attractive -for the noble qualities which it so plainly displays. But it is the -commanding appearance of his person, the symmetry of his form, which -first unconsciously draws the attention. As the oak of the forest lifts -its head far above the surrounding trees, so does the dauntless crest -of this choice young man rise head and shoulders above his companions. - -Such is the person and character of him who was chosen as the first -king of Israel; and as Pallas, “over the head and shoulders broad” of -Ulysses, - - “Diffused grace celestial, his whole form - Dilated, and to statelier height advanced, - That worthier of all reverence he might seem - To the Phæacians,” - -so God endowed the son of Kish, in order that he might better -command the respect of those over whom he was called to preside. - -Time does not suffice to notice in detail his anointing by the -venerable Samuel, nor the swelling tide of human beings which rolled -along the streets of Mizpah, on the day of his proclamation, nor how -the enemies of Israel were swept before his stalwart arm, like chaff -before the whirlwind. - -Thus far Saul presents one of the noblest specimens of filial -obedience, of daring bravery, of unreserved submission to the will of -God, to be found in sacred history. - -But his heart becomes elated at his unparalleled success, and the -remainder of his life is a series of heaven-daring presumption, -of flagrant disobedience, of detestable faithlessness, of unmanly -cowardice; his bosom swells with arrogant pride—that invariable -precursor of destruction—which paves his way to the most ignominious -of deaths—that of a cowardly suicide. - - “Then wish not o’er his earthly tomb - The baneful night-shades’ lurid bloom - To drop its deadly dew; - Nor oh! forbid the twisted thorn, - That rudely binds his turf forlorn, - With spring’s green swelling buds to vegetate anew.” - -But only remember that _one_ act of indiscretion will blast a lifetime -of virtue and usefulness; and remember also how essential it is that we -be true to our God, true to our country, true to ourselves. - - RURAL RETIREMENT, Va. - - * * * * * - -THE LAMP AND THE LANTERN. - -No. 3. - - -THERE is one other character, noticeable for none of those traits which -mark the life of Saul; yet of an order to which no one, we think, will -be unwilling to pay deserved tribute,—which next claims our attention. - -Two men—the one in the prime of manly vigor, the other has passed -the ordinary limits of human life—are standing on the banks of the -Jordan. The one is arrayed in royal garments, the other in a pastoral -garb,—for during many a long year has he led his flocks beside the -still waters, and made them to lie down in the green pastures of Gilead. - -The snows of four-score years have fallen softly upon his head, and his -“brow has grown wrinkled like the brown sea sand from which the tide -of life is ebbing.” The friends of his youth are _asleep with their -fathers_; the playmates of his childhood have also been laid in the -cold and silent sepulchres of Nebo or Pisgah. With the Poet he exclaims, - - “They are all dead now: - I’m old and lonely.” - -_He is blind._ - - “Thus with the year - Seasons return. But not to him returns - Day, or the sweet approach of ev’n or morn, - Or sight of vernal bloom or summer’s rose, - Or flocks or herds, or human face divine.” - -To him taste has lost its sweetness; music, its melody. - -David—for it is he who wears the robes of royalty,—insists on his -aged friend accompanying him to Jerusalem. - -Noble-hearted old Barzillai replies, that he will go a little way with -him beyond Jordan, but adds, “Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back -again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried in the grave of -my father and my mother.” - -How beautiful! how touching! how true to nature! - -The winter of age is not severe enough to wither the blossoms of -youth!—— - -A storm is raging on the sea of Galilee; the heavens are black with -clouds; the moaning of the billows, as they dash against the sides of -the vessel, falls on the ear with a peculiar loneliness; the winds -are howling fearfully through the rigging; an occasional flash of -lightning, as it darts athwart the waters, reveals to the eye many a -face pale with fear, and many a form struggling nobly with the furious -elements. - -There is on that vessel an old weather-beaten sailor, whose home is the -bosom of the lake. Hardship and exposure have rendered him perfectly -reckless as to danger. His brow shows no signs of fear; his noble heart -throbs only with emotions of fearless daring. - -A familiar voice is heard above the fury of the winds, the roar of the -waves. - -The practiced ear of the sturdy old sailor quickly catches the sound, -recognizes it as his Master’s voice, and with impetuous zeal and -unshaken confidence, makes an attempt to rush into his embrace. - -Though this Galilean fisherman doubtless possessed a rough exterior, -yet his heart was easily warmed into expressions of the deepest love, -and quickly melted to tears. - -At one time we behold him, with that quick impetuosity which so -peculiarly distinguished him, cutting off the ear of a high priest’s -servant; at another, going out into retirement, and weeping with -intense bitterness. - -In no instance is his ardent temperament more plainly shown, than -the one in which Christ appears to His disciples by the dim twilight -of morning on the shores of Galilee. It is he who hastily girds his -fisher’s coat about him, casts himself into the sea and swims with -longing earnestness to the shore. - -It is true there are some acts in this noble apostle’s life over which -we should like to throw the mantle of forgetfulness; yet there is much -worthy of admiration and imitation. - -No one ever suffered more than he on account of his errors; no one -of the apostles labored with more self-denying application for his -Master’s cause; and we are sure no one received a richer reward. - -We know not with any degree of certainty how he died, though tradition -informs us that he was crucified, with his head towards the earth, thus -showing he never forgot, to the last hour of his life, that one act of -denial which caused him so many bitter tears, such intense anguish of -spirit. - -There are many other lovely characters which, did time permit, we -should love to dwell upon. - -Let us read God’s word with more diligence and greater earnestness in -the future than we have in the past: let us lay its sacred truths up in -our hearts, and practice them in our lives. - -Oh! let us rejoice, that this lamp does not shed its light on a -chosen few, but that its rays have penetrated many a land of darkened -ignorance and fiendish cruelty, scattering joy and happiness in -habitations where sorrow and misery once had their abode. - -Let us thank God, that leaves from this Tree of Life have been wafted -by propitious breezes throughout the length and breadth of the world. -They are to be found in the hut of the Esquimaux, the hovel of the -African, the wigwam of the Indian, in the cottage of the laborer, in -the palace of the lord, floating on the surface of the Ganges, fringing -the borders of the Nile. - - ’Tis a fountain ever bursting, - Whence the weary may obtain - Water for the soul that’s thirsting, - And shall never thirst again. - - ’Tis a lamp forever burning, - By whose never-dying light, - Sinners, from their errors turning, - Are directed through the night. - - ’Tis a mine of richest treasure, - Laden with the purest ore; - And its contents, without measure, - You can never well explore. - - ’Tis a chart that never fails you, - Which God to man has given, - And, though rudest storms assail you, - Will guide you safe to heaven. - - ’Tis a tree whose fruits unfailing, - Cheer and stay the fainting soul, - And whose leaves, the nations healing, - Scatter joy from pole to pole. - - ’Tis a pearl of price exceeding - All the gems in ocean found;— - _To its precepts ever listening, - In its truths may I abound_. - - RURAL RETIREMENT, Va. - - * * * * * - -“WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” - -No. 1. - - -A TEACHER of great wisdom is seated in the midst of a class of -students, who long have hung with breathless silence on the wonderful -words which fall from his lips. His class is composed of persons from -nearly all conditions and callings of life. Some have been nurtured -on the bosom of the deep; some dwelt from early childhood under the -shadows of venerable mountains, and caught from them true nobility -and loftiness of soul; others, doubtless, spent their days in the -peaceful pursuits of husbandry; while one, at least, has lived amid -the active duties of public life, demanding, perhaps, with Shylock -relentlessness, the uttermost farthing from the hand of his debtor. - -As they sit at the feet of their instructor, what diversity of -disposition meets our eye. One is impulsive, ardent, passionate; by -his side sits another, of fervent love, gentle mildness, unshaken -confidence; another is evidently very skeptical—sometimes doubting the -truthfulness of his own vision; by his side is one whose heart is as -guileless as that of a little child; while not far off, is another, of -calculating mind and heart, as black as night with vile hypocrisy. - -What is the question which has so deeply absorbed their thoughts?—It -is one which they have been discussing by the wayside—for their cheeks -would burn with shame did they think their Master suspected such -feelings ever throbbed in their bosoms. It is this:— - -“WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” (Mark 9: 34.) That this is still an -absorbing thought of mankind, may be seen from the anxious brow and -hurried step of the merchant, the feeble frame and the hollow cheek of -the student, the brawny arm and vigorous tread of the laborer; yea, -the skeleton fingers of the lowly seamstress, as she mingles her very -life’s blood with her daily toil, and sings alike the “Song of the -Shirt,” and the Dirge of the Sewer. Neither is it alone common to the -city of the living; its intrusive front has even invaded the solemn -silence of the city of the sleeping dead. - -Though prattling childhood and hoary-headed age, the lordly rich and -the needy poor, there dwell side by side, how great is the contrast -between the places of their abode! Over the one rises the proud -monument, on whose cold front are written in letters of gold the names -and deeds of the dead. The simple rose, with its blushing purity, -planted by the hand of affection, and watered by the tears of love, -sweetly blooms above the other. In what beautiful numbers has the poet -sung: - - “Nor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault - If Memory o’er their tomb no trophies raise, - Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, - The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. - - “Can storied urn or animated bust, - Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? - Can Honor’s voice provoke the silent dust, - Or flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death?” - - * * * * * - -“WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” - -No. 2. - - -MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the -eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their -learning. - -How fond we are of the notice of the rich! How we strive to win their -approbation! How we labor to gain their interest! How highly prized, -how exaggerated, how boasted of, their slightest attentions. We will -lick the very dust from the feet of _wealth_, and refuse to shake the -honest hand of _poverty_. With what amazing sycophancy do we bow our -heads at the footstool of him who has been mighty in battle, or great -in the councils of the nation! And then the learned! How we out-Boswell -Boswell himself, in picking up the crumbs which fall from their tables. -In their august presence the world-worshipper prostrates himself in the -dust of humility, and looks up to them for a smile with that air of -servility with which the dog turns his face to the eye of his master -for a crust of bread. - - _Men are Ambitious of Wealth._ - -The son of some poor cottager is charmed by the glitter and glare -of riches. His father’s cottage soon becomes too small for his -accommodation; the narrow confines of the little farm cramp too much -his swelling expectations. He leaves the home of his childhood, the -friends of his youth, and enters the busy, bustling marts of commerce. -No stone, however heavy, is left unturned; no task is too burdensome, -no difficulty too great, for the accomplishment of his heart’s desire. -Toilsome labor, assiduous application, penurious economy, a heart -steeled alike against the cries of want, the claims of his Maker, are -called into requisition for the furtherance of this one mighty object. -Visions of beautiful and boundless fields—of coffers overflowing with -gold, of princely mansions, flit across his disordered imagination -during the silent watches of the night. The more fuel he adds, the -stronger the passion burns. - -As the shipwrecked mariner, driven at the mercy of the winds and waves, -seeks to quench his burning thirst by drinking the briny element -which surrounds him, only to find that his thirst is increased rather -than diminished, so does man find his desire for wealth increase with -each successive gain. Soon his ledger becomes his Bible, his bank his -sanctuary, his gold the god at whose shrine he bows morning, noon and -night.—When he has reached the dregs of his existence, when his body -is wasted by disease, weakened by age, when enfeebled Reason sits -tottering on her throne, how bitter must be his thoughts when they -revert to the hearts he has left all crushed and bleeding, to the -homes all deserted and destroyed.—He then begins fully to realize -the fact that he has been in the constant pursuit of an ever-receding -_ignis-fatuus_, which dazzled only to destroy him. He has betrayed the -noblest principles of the human heart for the sake of filthy lucre: -like Judas, madly dashes the occasion of his misery to the ground, and -frequently goes forth and hangs himself. - - * * * * * - -“WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” - -No. 3. - - -_Men are Ambitious of Distinction._ - -AS the child with uplifted hand and eager look chases the bubble which -its tiny lips have fashioned, only to find that it vanishes into thin -air as soon as it is grasped, so does man, seemingly but a child in -understanding, spend days and nights of laborious toil in pursuit of -the bubble Distinction. - -The heart of some youthful aspirant is fixed with a burning desire -for the gaudy tinsel of distinction, with which the name of some -hero in life’s battle is clothed. He abandons the cheerful fireside -and genial society of home, and chooses for himself some arduous -profession. Every energy is bent towards this one great object of his -life. Every faculty of mind and body is rendered subservient to this -“heart’s desire.” Hours which Nature has allotted to rest, are spent -in unwearied application. He finds himself not only burning the oil of -his midnight lamp, but the oil of the very lamp of life itself. He soon -finds that the race is not _always_ to the swift, nor the battle to the -strong—that “there is a Divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them -as we may.” - -As one competitor after another passes him, lean-faced Envy whispers -words of malice in his ready ear, so that him whom he once loved he -then despises. - -As Themistocles could not sleep because of the deserved honors of -Melviades, so do the _deserved_ honors of his rivals drive peace from -his side, repose from his couch. - -Every _laurel_ which crowns their brows becomes a _thorn_ in _his_ -pillow. Anxiety for the future, dissatisfaction with the present, -remorse for the past, embitter his lonely hours. Long-deferred hope -makes his heart sick. And then he comes to the pass of death. - - “Another followed fast, - And a book was in his hand, - Filled with the flashes of burning thought, - That are known in many a land; - But the child of Genius quailed to hear - Death’s pitiless demand. - “_Here that book cannot enter with thee, - For the bright flash of Genius is nothing to me._”” - -He presses into the unknown night alone, leaving behind him the sad -warning to those who come after him—LOVE NOT THE PRAISE OF MEN MORE -THAN THE PRAISE OF GOD. (John 12: 43.) - -It may seem that we have painted the lovers of wealth and distinction -in colors too deep and dark. They, however, are intended as the -background from which true nobility and true greatness shall stand -forth with greater beauty and loveliness. - -He who is conscious of possessing powers capable of benefiting his -fellow man, and spends his time and talents in inglorious ease, is -guilty of sinful self-indulgence. It is not ours, like the stupid -rustic, to sit still and wait until the stream passes by in order that -we may cross, but rather stem the current and breast its billows. If -we succeed, then success has been gained where it is always surest and -sweetest, in the discharge of duty. We have sacrificed no principle; -we have stooped to no mean act; our gold is not stained with the blood -of trampled-on innocence; our reputation has not been gained in the -pathway of shame. - -If we fail, then we are encouraged by the thought that we have done -what we could. (Mark 14: 8.) - -In reply to a letter from a young man in which the following sentence -occurred,— - -“If I know my own heart, I ask not wealth or honor; but to do good and -to communicate, (Heb. 13: 16) is the object of my life,”—a successful -Christian merchant thus wrote: - -“The object of your life as you explain it, is the noblest on the face -of the earth; and although it will not bring you worldly wealth and -ease, it is sure of much higher reward both here and hereafter. _Press -forward. Never lose sight of it._ Be very thankful that God has thus -called you to his service, and show Him your gratitude by consecrating -yourself wholly to Him. I think I have lived long enough to _know_ -that your choice, or the service to which you are called, is not only -the noblest, but in fact, the only service worth a man’s living for -at all. How many failures do we see in the lives of the ambitious and -the great, notwithstanding advantages of the highest distinction. _But -bankruptcy with a genuine child of God is impossible._ HIS LIFE CANNOT -BE A FAILURE. - -That there are and have been numberless persons, the object of whose -lives was to advance Christ’s Kingdom and add to the happiness of -their fellow-men, we have abundant testimony. The names of Howard, -of Wilberforce, of McCheyne, of Henry Martyn, of Hedley Vicars, of -Brainerd Taylor, of Harlan Page, of noble-hearted Daniel Baker, the -pioneer of the cross in the wilds of Texas, of many others, of whom the -world is not worthy, stand out in the boldest prominence. Yea, such -men are to be seen around us every day. In the pulpit, at the bar, in -the counting-room of the merchant, in the shop of the mechanic, at the -bedside of the sick and dying, fearing neither the death-breathing -pestilence, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday. - -Shall it not, then, be ours to follow in their footsteps? Is there any -pleasure so great as the pleasure of doing good? - -_Who shall be the greatest?_ Not in worldly honors, but in the -measureless wealth of disinterested kindness, and the unfading honors -that cluster around the Cross of Christ. - -Longfellow beautifully sketches the upward and onward career of a youth -who, despite the warnings of the aged, the entreaties of the young, -wound his weary way up the steep sides of one of the Alps mountains -only to make his grave beneath the cold snow of the topmost peak. - - The shades of night were falling fast, - As through an Alpine village passed - A youth, who bore, ’mid snow and ice, - A banner with the strange device, - - EXCELSIOR. - - “Beware the pine tree’s wither’d branch - Beware the awful avalanche!” - This was the peasant’s last good-night,— - A voice replied, far up the height, - - EXCELSIOR. - - At break of day, as heavenward - The pious monks of St. Bernard - Uttered the oft repeated prayer, - A voice cried through the startled air, - - EXCELSIOR. - - A traveller, by the faithful hound, - Half-buried in the snow was found, - Still grasping in his hand of ice - That banner with the strange device— - - EXCELSIOR. - - There, in the twilight cold and grey, - Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay, - And from the sky serene and far, - A voice fell, like a falling star, - - EXCELSIOR. - - * * * * * - -THE POOR CONSUMPTIVE. - - * * * * * - -A COLPORTEUR SKETCH. - - “IS this the place where a princess dwells, - A favored daughter of the King of kings? - Within their humble and contracted cells, - Do heavenly spirits wave their guardian wings?” - - -STRETCHED on a bed of painful sickness there lay a woman in the last -stages of consumption. Pale-faced poverty was an inmate of the hovel in -which she dwelt. The broken panes of glass, the bare floor, the large -cracks in the wall, the scanty covering, carefully thrown over the bed, -all plainly bespoke the absence of the very necessaries of life. As I -entered the door, my heart throbbed hurriedly when my eyes caught the -destitution, the misery, the wretchedness, which surrounded me. Several -children, from six to fourteen years of age, were in the room—some -of them lying together on the floor, others seated on the remnant of -a chair, while one little fellow, with matted hair and unwashed face, -scowled at me from behind a door, as if he thought me an unwelcome -visitor. The children had evidently been long neglected. No voice of -love had often fallen on their ears; no smile of affection had cheered -their loneliness. Their lives had been made up with scenes of want and -wretchedness. Their minds were like gardens all overgrown with noxious -weeds. But few seeds of truth had been sown in their little hearts by -the hand of kindness, and their little voices had never sung the sweet -notes of “Happy Day,” or “The Sabbath-school.” - -But let me not forget the quiet sufferer, who, with such calm -composure, has all this time been lying in unbroken silence. Her -days are almost numbered. Consumption, that fell destroyer of human -hopes, has long been gnawing at her heart-strings. The cord of life -is worn almost to its last thread. Her hollow cheek, her wasted form, -her sunken, death-glazed eye, all tell me that the cold, clammy hand -of Death is gradually chilling her life-blood. She breathes with -difficulty, for her lungs are too far gone to perform their functions. -Now and then a hacking cough seems as if it would rend her frail -chest to pieces. In her feeble hand she holds a fan, with which she -is endeavoring to cool her burning brow. Its faint fluttering is but -the counterpart of the almost fainter fluttering of life, as it hovers -round her heart. - -I sat for several moments quietly gazing on the wan and wasted features -of the poor sufferer, before I could summon the resolution to say a -word. I finally broke the solemn silence which filled the desolate -chamber, by telling her that I sympathized very deeply with her in the -suffering through which she had to pass. - -I then asked her, if God should see fit to call her away from earth, -did she think she was prepared for so awful a change. She feebly -whispered “Yes.” - -“What is then to become of your unprotected children?” - -“God will take care of them.” - -“Do you think it right that _you_ should suffer so much, while others -are in the enjoyment of countless blessings?” - -“Perfectly.” - -“Shall I read a portion of God’s Word, and pray with you?” - -“If you please, sir.” - -She reached her arm under the pillow and drew forth a Bible. Oh! how -precious a thing it is, in the hour of death, to pillow one’s weary -head on the precious promises of that blessed Book! - -I slowly turned its sacred pages till I reached the fourteenth chapter -of John—that chapter of blessed memory, which has soothed the troubled -spirits of so many dying souls—after reading which, I knelt at her -bedside and united with her in prayer. When I arose from my knees, her -eyes were melted to tears, and a calm and holy peace rested on her pale -and emaciated face. - -Reader, it was a precious season to my own soul. God grant that the -influences of that scene may never depart from me. My heart was -cast down in humility, in penitence, as I remembered how often I -had rebelled against God’s holy law. The unbidden tear was quietly -trickling down my own cheek as I left that Bethel—that house of God. - -Since writing the above, “The Poor Consumptive” has sweetly fallen -asleep in Jesus. - - * * * * * - -“WHAT I LIVE FOR.” - - “I LIVE for those who love me, - For those who know me true; - For the heaven that smiles above me, - And awaits my spirit too; - For the cause that lacks assistance, - For the wrong that needs resistance, - For the Future in the distance, - _And the good that I can do_.” - - -WE are told that a word, when it has fallen from the lips, never dies -away; that the sound goes on widening and widening throughout the -immensity of space. - -Such are our lives. The acts which we do, the words which we utter, -are exerting an untold influence for good or for evil. They are -moulding, silently but certainly, the character of those by whom we -are surrounded, for weal or for woe. Their influence extends even to -eternity. - -Fellow Christians! impressed with this solemn thought, let our heart’s -desire be to minister to the wants of the sick and dying, to carry -the glad tidings of salvation to the hovels of ignorance and poverty, -to cheer the homeless orphan, to console the friendless widow; for by -so doing, we shall surely gain our reward both in this world and that -which is to come. Let us do what we can to dry the tear of sorrow, to -gladden the heart of the laborer in his long hours of lonely toil; do -what we can by precept, by prayer, by example, by toilsome labor, to -win souls to Jesus Christ. Who had not rather be the means of saving -one soul, than obtain all the riches or receive all the honors the -world can furnish?— - - * * * * * - -THE LAST SERMON OF THE SEASON. - - -“WHAT a thought! The last opportunity I shall ever enjoy of making my -peace with God; the last time I shall ever listen to the glad tidings -of salvation; the last time I shall hear from the sacred desk the -earnest entreaty, Come to Jesus; the last time I shall ever sing the -songs of Zion!” - -Such were the thoughts which rushed wildly through the mind of a young -man as his unwilling feet lingered on the steps of the house of God. He -was leaving that house with a heart at enmity with his heavenly Father. -Again and again had he put off for a convenient season the eternal -interests of his never-dying soul. Long, long had Satan pacified his -restless conscience by whispering in his ear that to-morrow would be -time enough. To-morrow after to-morrow had come and gone, yet he was -farther from salvation than he had ever been. - -The minister’s earnest entreaty, a conviction of the awful eternity -which awaited him if he died in his sins, pressed with burning weight -upon his thoughts. He seemed to be held fast by some resistless power. -“Perhaps it may be the last night of the season of salvation; God only -knows. I will arise and go to my Father,” thought he to himself. He -sought the minister; went with him to his study; and there, by the aid -of God’s Spirit, trusts he gave himself to his Saviour. - -Fellow sinner, this may be the last night of the season of salvation -to you. Will you not come to Jesus? Father and mother, brother and -sister, those that love you tenderly, all join in the entreaty, _Come -to Jesus_. He is a precious Saviour; he is a willing Saviour; he is an -able Saviour. Then will you not come and cast your burden of sin upon -him? He has never turned away one soul. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, -come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; -yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” - - * * * * * - -“WILL NOBODY SAVE ME?” - - “NOTHING in my hand I bring, - Simply to thy cross I cling; - Naked come to thee for dress: - _Helpless_, look to thee for grace; - Vile, I to the fountain fly; - Wash me, Saviour, or I die.” - - -DURING the burning of the Richmond theatre, in 1811, a gentleman who -had nobly endangered his own life in endeavoring to rescue others from -the jaws of the devouring flames, was seen to leap from one of the -topmost windows to the ground. So severe was the fall, he was unable -to move an inch. Above him stood the tottering wall, ready to fall and -crush him to death. He looked around him; not a soul was near. From the -depths of his agony, he cried out, “_Will nobody save me?_” The cry -fell on the ear of a sturdy negro, who rushed to him, and bore him away -in his strong and brawny arms to a place of safety. - -Such is the case with the sinner. When he finds that of himself he can -do nothing, that God’s angry vengeance is tottering above his head, -that no one is near to save him, then it is that he cries, “_Will -nobody save me?_” The cry comes to the waiting ear of his blessed -Saviour, and He bears him away in His arms of love to His Father’s -bosom. - - * * * * * - -A SABBATH IN THE COUNTRY. - - -THERE is something to me peculiarly pleasant in a country Sabbath. No -rattle of carts, no bustle of crowds, no hum of voices, disturb the -calm and holy quietude of the hallowed day. Cattle are quietly grazing -on grassy meadows, or sleeping in the refreshing shade; the irregular -tinkle of the sheep-bell falls sweetly on the ear; the plough stands -motionless in the unfinished furrow; the little songster trills from -some swinging bough its morning song. The household dog seems to know -it is a day of peaceful rest. His voice is hushed in silence. The -clouds glide calmly across the heavens; the rays of the Sabbath sun -rest sweetly on the face of nature. A dreamy, delightful serenity -hovers over all the land. The incense of prayer rises from many a -family altar, and the accents of praise tremble on many a lip. - -Let us go up to the house of God. How different from our city churches! -Perhaps it is some venerable building whose foundation was laid by men -to whom the faces and forms of a Samuel Davies, or William Wilson, were -familiar; perhaps remains of the foundation erected for the protection -of God’s people against savage cruelty still linger around it; perhaps -marks of the Indian’s bullet have not yet been effaced from its rude -stone walls. Let us cross its threshold. No stained glass softens the -rays of light, no cushioned pew invites you to a seat, no costly pulpit -meets your eye; no beautiful fresco will draw your attention from the -minister or the word of God. Every thing is as plain, as practical, as -solid, as the men who first worshipped beneath its roof, but who now -sleep beneath the waving grass of the adjoining cemetery. - -One by one the congregation begin to enter and take their seats. They -reverently bow their heads and seek the aid of God’s Spirit to enable -them rightly to understand and apply the truths to which they shall -listen. Many and varied are the personages which draw the attention. -One is a venerable elder: time has not dealt gently with him; his brow -is furrowed, his cheek wrinkled, and he totters feebly to his seat -beneath the weight of many years, and a life of laborious toil. Though -the fires of life are well nigh gone out, hope burns brightly in his -heart, and beams forth from his eye. The assurance that his Redeemer -liveth, is the rod and staff on which he leans for support. Another is -a young man. His step is firm, his frame robust. He has not seen the -snows of more than twenty winters. His countenance wears a thoughtful, -solemn air. He is thinking of God, of heaven, of eternity. He has not -come to the house of God because it is his custom, to see a friend, -or to while away an hour. His is a nobler object. It is to worship -God, to obtain instruction which shall lead his steps in the ways of -righteousness, the paths of peace. At his side sits his mother—“he is -the only son of his mother, and she a widow.” - -But another form, of dignified, yet gentle, demeanor, enters the door. -The placid features of his face, the mildness of his eye, point him -out as “the man of God.” His appearance is such as at once to attract -the attention. He is very tall, perhaps above six feet. His person is -quite spare. He is slightly bowed with age, and as he feebly walks -down the aisle, you almost involuntarily rise from your seat as if to -do him reverence. He has long been a laborer in his Master’s vineyard. -For more than half a century has he proclaimed the glad tidings of -salvation from the same pulpit which he now occupies. His mind easily -reverts to the time when the whistle of the red man’s bullet was liable -at any moment to disturb the worship of God’s people; when the hardy -pioneers of Christ and His kingdom came up to the house of God with -muskets lashed to their backs. The thriving village in which he now -resides was then almost a wilderness; cattle grazed, and corn grew in -the fertile valleys from which now rises the populous city. The wild -Alleghanies, then the home of the beasts of the forest, now daily echo -with the rattle of the stage coach; and the shrill whistle of the -locomotive has made the panther and the bear to seek shelter in the -more distant West. He is one of a very few of the links which bind -the Virginia of the present with the Virginia of fifty years ago. His -few remaining silver locks are combed back from a forehead of fine -proportions. He enters the sacred desk; bows his head and supplicates -the assistance of God’s Spirit. He rises; “Let us worship God,” falls -tremblingly from his lips, and the whole congregation rise to their -feet. With earnestness, with simplicity, he invokes the presence of Him -with whom is the residue of the Spirit. He then slowly turns to that -beautiful old hymn, so dear to God’s people— - - “Whilst Thee I seek protecting power! - Be my vain wishes stilled; - And may this consecrated hour - With better hopes be filled.” - -So distinct is his enunciation that his voice falters on every -syllable. Every heart trembles in unison with his, and many an eye is -dimmed with the unbidden tear. From almost the entire congregation -rises up a united song of praise. One voice after another catches it -up, till there is scarcely one which does not join in the melodious -hymn. - - “They chant their artless notes in simple strain, - They tune their hearts, by far the noblest aim; - Perhaps Dundee’s wild, warbling measures rise, - Or plaintive martyr’s, worthy of the name; - Or noble Elgin beats the heavenward flame; - The sweetest far of Scotia’s holy lays: - Compared with these, Italian trills are tame; - The tickled ears no heartfelt raptures raise, - No unison have they with our Creator’s praise.” - -“_This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ -Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief_,” is -announced as his text. - -Such a sermon I never heard before; such an one I am afraid I shall -never hear again. His voice, at first weak and tremulous, strengthens -as he progresses with his subject. His eye burns with a new lustre; his -frame becomes more erect, his features kindle with animation, as with -pathetic eloquence he dwells on Christ’s mission to this sin-stained -world of ours. And then, his invitation to those who know Him not. -How simple, how sublime, how earnest! His whole heart is full of the -deepest emotion struggling for utterance. As he looks anxiously on the -waiting congregation, and in accents of melting tenderness, says, _of -whom I am chief!_ the hot blood rushes unbidden to my face, and the -briny tear trickles unconsciously down my cheek. - -I shall never forget that Sabbath, that sermon, that minister. They -will go with me to my grave. When I am earnestly engaged in other -pursuits, ever and anon visions of them flit across my mind, and awaken -emotions of the most delightful nature. - - * * * * * - -THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN’S DEATH-CHAMBER. - - “WHY lament the Christian dying? - Why indulge in tears or gloom? - Calmly on the Lord relying, - She can greet the opening tomb.” - - -EVERY voice was hushed; every step muffled. The soft rays of an April -sun kissed, with a lingering affection, the pale cheek of a young lady, -the tide of whose life was fast ebbing away. - -She was the child of Christian parents, who had faithfully endeavored -to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. At an -early age she was deprived by death of her sainted mother; and before -many years had elapsed, she was called to mourn the loss of a father -upon whom every affection of her young heart was centred. To the -_bitterness_ of orphanage was added the loss of the greatest blessing -on earth—health. The rose of Death was long blooming on her cheek, ere -her nearest friends were aware that she was falling a victim to the -flattering and insidious attacks of consumption. - -She had not neglected the early instructions of her pious parents, and, -when very young, made a profession of her faith in Christ. For several -years previous to her last sickness, her mind, at times, was clouded -with doubts, and she occasionally seemed to suffer unutterable anguish -at the absence of God’s Spirit from the heart. A few days preceding -her death, these doubts and fears were all entirely removed, and she -seemed to enjoy, to the fullest extent, the light of God’s reconciled -countenance. It was indeed beautiful to see her, who, but a few weeks -before, was so cold and indifferent, now wholly absorbed in the great -and glorious truth of salvation through Christ. She was frequently -engaged in earnest secret prayer, and never allowed anything to be read -in her presence but the Bible, or some of those sweet and touching -hymns so soothing to the troubled heart of the dying Christian. No -moment was to be lost. During the silent watches of the night, she -would frequently call her brother to her bedside, and say, “T——, read -to your dying sister some of those beautiful passages in Revelation -which our dear father used to love so tenderly, and caused to be read -when dying.” “How beautiful! how grand! how sublime!” she would -exclaim, when the book was closed. - -Reader, come with me and stand beside the bed of this dear, dying -young Christian, and see how calmly, serenely and happily a Christian -can die. Contrast _her_ death-bed with that of Hume or Voltaire, -and tell me if there is not something in religion they knew nothing -about—something that fits a man for _life_, and especially for death; -listen attentively to the few words which drop from her faltering -tongue; treasure them in your memory, and so live that your last end -may be like hers. - -The devoted Pastor of the —— church had frequent and delightful -interviews with her. In one of them the following conversation -occurred: “Miss M——, you doubtless are aware that you can be with -us but a few days more; are you _perfectly_ resigned to God’s will?” -With calm and sweet composure, she replied, “Yes, Mr. M——, perfectly, -_perfectly_, PERFECTLY; I long to be with my Saviour; earth has no -charms for me now.” - -After reading the beautiful 14th chapter of St. John, Mr. M—— -extended his hand, and was about bidding her, what seemed to him, a -last farewell, when she made the following remarks: “Perhaps this will -be the last time we shall ever meet again on earth: I wish you to -preach my funeral sermon in the old R——n church—the church of my -father and my mother, where first I listened to the glad tidings of -salvation; preach it from the text, “In the way of righteousness is -life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death”—Prov. xii., 28. -Preach to the living—to the living—to the living! And I want the -congregation to sing that delightful hymn, beginning, - - ‘God moves in a mysterious way—’ - -Good-bye.” The Sabbath previous to her death, several of her friends -united in singing that beautiful old hymn, - - “Rock of ages,” &c. - -When they had completed the 3d verse, and were just beginning the last— - - “While I draw this fleeting breath, - When my heart-strings break in death, - When I soar to worlds unknown, - See Thee on Thy judgment throne,— - _Rock of Ages, cleft for me, - Let me hide myself in Thee_”— - -she, with a sweetness and heavenly melody which beggars description, -joined with them and sung the entire verse _alone_,—as the voices of -all in the room were so much choked with emotion they could not utter -a word. Oh, what a scene! That feeble, faltering voice spending its -“last lingering breath” in singing her Redeemer’s praise! I felt as if -I was standing in the very vestibule of heaven, catching some of those -sweet accents of devotion warbled by immortal tongues. Such composure, -confiding trust, holy resignation! - -When her brothers and sister stood around her bed to receive the dying -embrace and last fond kiss of their dear sister, she made them kneel -down at her side, laid her feeble hands on their _orphan_ heads, (yea, -_doubly orphan_, since she was about leaving them,) and gave them a -sister’s dying blessing. She then remarked to her younger brother:—“My -brother, you _alone_, of the three which will be left when I am gone, -are not a Christian. My brother—my young, fatherless, motherless, -almost sisterless brother—_be a Christian!_” - -A few moments before her death, a new and unusual lustre shone forth -from her eyes, a beautiful glow mantled her hitherto pale and wan -check, and in accents of the most touching and rapt eloquence, her -voice rich and full, she gave utterance to the following sublime -sentiment, which should live forever, and be proclaimed wherever the -Gospel of Christ is preached:—“I have tasted of Racine; I have dipped -into Voltaire; I have read Tom Paine; I have had the daring audacity -to study Hume; I have attempted to form a Philosophy myself—but have -found them all”—not one exception—“FALLACY, FALLACY!” - -With these words lingering on her lips, she calmly and resignedly fell -asleep in Jesus. O for the death of those that die in the Lord! - -The devoted Mr. M—— complied with her minutest requests; and when -he informed the congregation that he preached to them from the text -selected by his departed sister in Christ, and that she urgently -requested him to preach to the _living_, there was not a dry eye in the -house. Many a soul left that old time-honored church, feeling that “IN -THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIFE; AND IN THE PATHWAY THEREOF THERE IS -NO DEATH.” - - * * * * * - -WHAT PRAYER DOES. - -“PRAYER moves the arm that moves the world.” - - -HEROD Agrippa, finding that the death of the Apostle James pleases the -Jews, has seized the venerable Galileean fisherman and thrust him into -prison. Four quaternions of soldiers are guarding him. He is chained -by each hand to a Roman soldier—soldiers who know that, to sleep at -their post is to die. Thus guarded, the doors and windows and gates -all bolted and barred, he lays himself down to sleep. His sleep is -doubtless sweet and refreshing. His faith is strong in the promises of -the Lord. To human eyes, death seems certain. On the coming morrow, -this veteran soldier of the cross must lay his life down for Jesus. -Tears, hot and bitter, will be shed by God’s people over the lifeless -form of him who once so fearlessly breasted the strong waves of Galilee -to meet his Master. - -But we are told that the Church “made prayer unto _God, without -ceasing, for him_.” And even while he is quietly and sweetly sleeping, -there is going up from an inner chamber on one of the dark and -unfrequented streets of Jerusalem, a fervent, importunate prayer in his -behalf. - -During the prayer, an angel of the Lord descends and stands by the side -of the slumbering apostle. A heavenly radiance lights up the dark cells -of the dismal prison. The heaven-sent messenger arouses the sleeper, -and the chains fall from his hands. No sound of footsteps is heard; no -rattle of chains breaks the solemn silence. There is no hurry. Peter -slowly girds his coat about him, and binds on his sandals. He then -throws his rough cloak around him, and follows the angel. They pass, -unheard and unseen, through the wards of the prison; the massive gate -moves on its hinges, and opens wide at their approach. At last he is -safe—safe from the wrath of his enemies. All—all of this accomplished -through importunate intercessory prayer! - -Christian, I care not how lowly your situation, never say again, “_I -can’t do any thing for Jesus._” YOU CAN PRAY. - - * * * * * - -“PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.” - - -DURING a great outpouring of God’s Spirit at —— college, my attention -was called to the case of a young man of the most wicked and immoral -character. It is true, he was the son of a godly father and a praying -mother; but this, rather than softening, seemed to harden his heart. -It was one of the most copious outpourings of God’s Spirit I ever -witnessed. The windows of heaven were indeed opened, and God was -pouring out such a blessing that it seemed there could not be room to -contain it. The dry bones of the valley had been breathed upon by His -Spirit, and hearts once dead in trespasses and sins were awakened to a -new life, and rejoicing in the blessed hope of salvation through Jesus -Christ. - -Nearly every student seemed to feel the need of a Saviour. Every -countenance was marked with concern; every heart lifted to God in -prayer for mercy and forgiveness. Rooms which once resounded with -drunken revellings, were now Bethels of the living God. Lips which -once profaned Jehovah’s name, and joined in singing lewd and vulgar -songs, now trembled with the accents of prayer, and sung the songs of -Zion. It was a delightful season—I shall never forget it. - -Amid such scenes as these, there was one whose hard heart was steeled -against the influence of God’s awakening Spirit. It was A. M——, the -son of pious parents. Many and fervent were the prayers which ascended -in his behalf, but they seemingly were of no avail. The more Christians -prayed for him, the more hardened he became. The campus, time and -again, resounded with his awful profanity; and even the most obdurate -would stop and wonder that man, “whose breath was in his nostrils,” -could call upon God so frequently and earnestly to _damn_ rather than -_save_ his soul. - -Such was the extent to which his God-defying; wickedness went, that -frequently, when the Christian students were engaged in the exercises -of a prayer-meeting, he gathered together a few of his sinful -comrades and held a _mock prayer-meeting_ in an adjoining room. Is -it not wonderful that God did not cut him down in the midst of such -heaven-daring presumption? But, like Paul, he was a chosen vessel. God -had yet a great and glorious work for him to perform. - -During one of those meetings which he was in the habit of holding, the -arrow of conviction pierced his flinty heart, and laid him low and -bleeding at the foot of the cross. - -Great was the joy among the students, when the glad tidings flew from -lip to lip that A. M—— had come to Jesus and fallen at His feet. Old -men wept with delight, and yearning hearts throbbed with inexpressible -pleasure. - -The “tidings of great joy” soon winged their way to the ear of the -young man’s mother. Her heart overflowed with rejoicing, and tears of -exultation flowed in quick succession down her furrowed cheek. Said she -to a friend, “_I have never bowed my knee without beseeching God to -convert my poor wayward boy; and now my prayer is answered. Joy, joy, -joy!_ Now let thy servant depart in peace. My son is a Christian.” - -This wayward boy is now a devoted minister of Christ, and has gone far -hence to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to the hundreds of -settlers scattered along our western territories. Christian fathers, -Christian mothers, Christian brothers, Christian sisters, _pray without -ceasing_ for those who are near and dear to you. Your prayers will be -answered. - - - - -APPENDIX. - - * * * * * - -Letters from Staunton, Va. - - -NO. 1. - -INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND. - - - _Staunton, Va._, May, 1859. - -THE Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, situated at this place, -is a building of very attractive and beautiful appearance. Occupying -an eminence to the right of the Virginia Central Railroad, it is among -the first things that attract the attention in your approach to this -beautiful mountain town,—for we believe it has not yet risen to the -dignity of a city. - -The style of the building is Doric; the entrance being a large portico -supported by six massive pillars. On each side of the portico are two -attractive wings, used for the reception of visitors and recitation -rooms;—in the rear are several other apartments, all large and well -arranged, appropriated to the different purposes of the Institution. - -The building is situated in the midst of quite a number of stalwart -mountain oaks, and the yard is beautifully diversified by various -kinds of shrubbery and winding graveled walks. There is an absence -of everything like studied formality in the arrangement of both -the shrubbery and the walks, and the eye is at once struck with -the peculiarly easy and natural appearance of the building and its -surrounding ornaments. - -On entering, you are at once pleased with the neatness and beauty of -the internal arrangements. A very polite and attentive gentleman meets -you in the reception room, and inquires if you wish to look through the -Institution. On replying affirmatively, you are first ushered into the -apartment for - - THE BLIND. - -The scene is one which awakens mingled feelings of pleasure and pain; -of pleasure to see so many afflicted little ones, for most of them are -young, led by the hand of kindness in the pleasant and peaceful ways of -wisdom; of pain, when you behold them rolling wildly their sightless -orbs, and seemingly endeavoring to gather in some few straggling rays -of the cheerful sun, or to look out upon the beautifully draped fields -of nature, and know that all these things, so attractive to us, are -midnight darkness to them. - -One of the scholars, a little girl about ten years old, read several -passages from various books for me, and then pointed out on a large -map of the United States, Pittsburg, and told me at the junction of -what rivers it was situated, Richmond, Staunton, and many other places, -with an ease and accuracy really astonishing. Two other girls, somewhat -older, sung, and played on the piano “Do they miss me at home?” As -I listened to the sweet melody of their well-tuned voices, I, for a -moment, forgot their blindness, and felt tears dimming my eyes as my -mind wandered back to the two near and dear ones at home, and I thought -to myself, “Do they miss ME at home?” I then listened to the reading of -several passages in French by a young lady of about sixteen. It really -was surprising to witness the fluency with which her delicate fingers -glided over word after word, and sentence after sentence. - -In all these cases the reading is done by passing the fingers over -raised letters. - -The sweetness of expression, the amiability of character, the flow of -spirits which characterized one of the little pupils, Bettie Archibald, -engaged my attention, and enlisted my affection. On being asked if she -would be blind in heaven, she very sweetly and quickly replied, “No, -sir.” - -Quite a number of the male pupils are daily instructed in instrumental -music, and many of them display more than ordinary talents. It was -quite a treat to hear the little fellows play “Yankee Doodle:” their -faces were soon lighted up with smiles, and they played with as much -life and animation, as if they were leading an American army on to -victory. - -We now wend our way into the apartments for - - THE DEAF AND DUMB. - -A large class, consisting of boys and girls, is seated in regular -order opposite their instructor, who is also deaf and dumb. At a given -signal, they all devoutly rise, and with eyes fixed on the fingers -of their teacher, follow him in his devotions, as he leads them to a -throne of grace. It is the most touching scene I ever witnessed. There -is but one person (he, your correspondent,) in that large assembly can -utter a syllable, or distinguish a sound. Not a sound is heard; the -stillness becomes painful—deathlike; the devotion seems to grow warmer -and warmer; the prayer is concluded; the seats resumed; all of this -gone through without the utterance of _one_ word. - -What a lesson should it teach us! How true is it that we shall not -be heard for our much speaking! Leaving the chapel, we enter the -recitation room. Each pupil is standing opposite a black-board, with -his eyes turned to the teacher; questions and answers are written -by the instructor, and then copied by the pupils. In this room are -assembled classes, each under the charge of a separate teacher, -studying geography, grammar, history; and in one room is a small class -just beginning to read. The chirography of some of the pupils is really -beautiful; and we leave the room feeling that though God has deprived -them of two senses, yet, in his loving kindness, he has bestowed upon -them unusual capacities in the others. It may be a fact worthy of -mentioning, that the deaf and dumb do the printing (raised letters) for -the Blind: such is the economy of the Institute. - -The number of pupils in the departments is at present sixty-nine. - -In conclusion, I would express my especial thanks and obligations to -Assistant-principal Mr. COVELL, Mrs. COLEMAN, of the Blind, and Mr. -FINK, of the Deaf-mute Department, for their extreme kindness and -attention. - -In my next, I shall give you a sketch of the Lunatic Asylum, also -situated at this place. - - Yours, truly, - PHILIP BARRETT. - - -No. 2. - -THE LUNATIC ASYLUM. - - STAUNTON, VA., June, 1859. - -THE sun was hanging low in the west, when we stood at the gateway -of the Staunton Lunatic Asylum. His rays were gilding with a golden -lustre the hoary summits of the Blue Ridge, as they printed their bold -outlines on the cloudless evening sky; and as a few beams fell here -and there on the graveled walks, the flower-crowned terraces, and -verdant shrubbery of the beautiful greensward which stretches forth in -front of the Asylum, we could but thank an ever-gracious and ever-good -Providence, for His inestimable gift to mankind—the bright, sparkling, -joyous sunshine. - -A moment’s glance at the general appearance of the buildings convinces -the beholder that they are not as beautiful nor as commanding as -those of the Blind Institute; though much taste is displayed in the -arrangement of the walks, and selection of many and choice specimens -of rare and beauteous flowers and shrubbery. You enter the main -building, after ascending a flight of granite steps, through a portico -of Ionic architecture, supported by four graceful pillars. The first -apartment which we enter is the _chapel_. On either side of the pulpit -are painted in beautiful gilt letters, the Ten Commandments; in the -opposite end of the room stands a large and handsome organ; the dome -and walls are beautifully frescoed. The pulpit is occupied every -Sabbath evening by some one of the ministers of the various evangelical -denominations worshipping in Staunton. All these bespeak that these -poor demented creatures are not forgotten on the Sabbath; and even -where a few sparks of intellect linger amid the ashes of minds once -proud and noble, it is interesting to see how those sparks are kindled -anew by the light of religion. - -After wending our way through various other portions of the buildings, -and stopping here and there to bestow a hasty glance at one and -another rare specimen of curiously carved workmanship, by some lunatic -genius, we find ourselves gazing through iron bars at a scene which -would cause the most unfeeling heart to shudder with horror. There are -grouped together, in the narrow confines of four tall brick walls, not -less than a hundred patients in the very worst stages of lunacy. It -seems that the darkest cavern in the regions of Despair could present -no more heart-rending picture. - -The wild glare of the piercing eye, the dishevelled locks; the -meaningless gibberish; the incoherent babbling; the fiendish ravings -that rent the silent air, together with numberless other acts which -constitute the sum of a poor maniac’s life, have left an impression on -our mind that will go with us to our grave. - -How true are the words of the poet— - - “Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! - The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s eye, tongue, sword; - The glass of fashion, and the mould of form, - The observed of all observers, quite, quite down.” - -We willingly leave such scenes, and turn our ready steps to an -observatory which crowns the main building, and commands one of the -loveliest views we ever witnessed. - -Let us forget the painful sights we have just beheld, and drink in the -resplendent beauty of nature as she stands robed in the crimson folds -of evening— - - “For the west yet glimmers with some streaks of day.” - -Beneath us are the various buildings of the Asylum, glittering, like -burnished gold, in the rays of the setting sun. To the north rise the -graceful proportions of the Blind Institute, nestled in its grove of -wide-spreading oaks; to the west are seen the heaven-pointing spires -and beautiful residences of Staunton; to the east is the graveyard of -the asylum, with its plain, upright marble slabs, marking the spot -where slumber the remains of many a friendless maniac; to the south -is one wide-extended view of sloping hills, smiling valleys, sunlit -streams and snow-white cottages, dotted over the scene like stars in -the blue canopy of heaven. - -Who can look upon such a prospect and not feel his thoughts turn from -nature to nature’s God? - - “All things are calm and fair and passive; earth - Looks as if lulled upon an angel’s lap, - Into a breathless, dewy slumber: so still - That we can only say of things, they be.”—FESTUS. - -The gathering darkness reminds us that we have trespassed too long on -the kindness of the gentleman who has so cheerfully shown us through -the many apartments of this truly noble institution, whose object is to -ameliorate the condition of the suffering maniac. - -We bid her, her directors and her officers “God-speed” in their noble -enterprise, and earnestly pray that they may continue “blessing and -being blessed” until the light of reason shall be shed abroad in the -darkened intellect of every lunatic in our land. - -There are many other points which we might mention; but they are of -such a nature as only to sicken the heart, and we pass them by in -silence, simply remarking that if there be one crowning blessing for -which our hearts should ever be outgushing in grateful thanks to our -Heavenly Father, it is REASON. - - PHILIP BARRETT. - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -APPENDIX has been added to the Contents. Punctuation has been -standardized, and spelling and hyphenation have been retained -as they appear in the original publication, except as follows: - - Page 23 - but dependant upon the cold _changed to_ - but dependent upon the cold - - Page 30 - he seated him self in the cars _changed to_ - he seated himself in the cars - - Page 38 - this lonely vale of of tears _changed to_ - this lonely vale of tears - - Page 39 - and with everthing calculated _changed to_ - and with everything calculated - - Page 131 - their was no thought of God _changed to_ - there was no thought of God - - Page 138 - many a quiverering lip _changed to_ - many a quivering lip - - Page 145 - one of the most business streets _changed to_ - one of the most busy streets - - Page 159 - cords of his thrilling harp _changed to_ - chords of his thrilling harp - - Page 168 - ’Ts a mine of richest treasure _changed to_ - ’Tis a mine of richest treasure - - Page 173 - soon becomes two small for his _changed to_ - soon becomes too small for his - - Page 173 - only to find that his hirst _changed to_ - only to find that his thirst - - Page 177 - “The object of your life as you explain it - Unmatched quotation mark retained as printed - - Page 196 - - the child of christian parents _changed to_ - the child of Christian parents - - Page 215 - dotted over the scene liks stars _changed to_ - dotted over the scene like stars - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Deaf Shoemaker, by Philip Barrett - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEAF SHOEMAKER *** - -***** This file should be named 52296-0.txt or 52296-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/2/9/52296/ - -Produced by Lucinda Forest from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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