Once again your old friend, the Editor, wishes you a very 'Happy New Year!' Once again we commence a new series of Friendly Leaves, with the hope that we may be able both to interest and instruct you in the coming months of our new friend, the year 1880. For my own part, I cannot help feeling that our magazine forms a very real link between myself and its readers, both Associates and Members of our Society. And to you, dear young people, maidens of our friendly band, I would say a special word of greeting here, asking you to join me in thinking not only of the year that is to come-bright as it looks perhaps to your young, hopeful hearts-but also of the year that is past. Do you remember those solemn words in the Bible, 'Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap?' Let us think what we have been sowing during the past year-what seeds of kindness, gentleness, and love? What of our prayers, our thoughts, our words? Have they been earnest, and pure, and helpful? If not, you may depend upon it that some time or other we shall have to reap the harvest whether we will or no. That unkind word said to your friend in a moment of passion has left a wound, perchance too deep for any but God's healing. Those fretful looks that greeted father or mother when weary with their hard day's work, ah! how you will wish some day that they had been smiles instead. Those jealous feelings nursed in your heart against some companion, how they may have poisoned the fountain of your thoughts before you were aware of it. Those wandering thoughts not fought against in prayer, how they will come back and haunt you when perhaps you would give all the world to pray in earnest. Do you say that these thoughts are too solemn for the joyous New Year time? Nay, but while we look back on the past with earnest prayer for God's forgiveness, we must also look forward. We must look to the seed we are going to sow this year, and pray that God will bless and purify each thought and word and deed that they may bring forth fruit to His glory. Every year, as our dear Friendly Society increases in strength and numbers-and it has greatly increased this year-I feel more deeply what a responsibility rests upon our Members; and I want you to remember it too. Just think if every one of our 35,000 Members were working for our Master, witnessing for Him in their daily lives, sowing seed for His harvest, what might they not do? I would speak especially to the older Members of our Society-so many of you in business, in the shop, the warehouse, or the factory-think what you might do to help those younger than yourselves, how you might tell them of the Saviour you have learned to love, humbly and tremblingly perhaps, but yet truly and faithfully. And you also who are daughters at home, you who should be father and mother's best help and comfort -how we should like to know that our Friendly Girls' always shone brightest in their own homes and made home happy for the dear ones there. God has blessed us much this year in every part of our friendly work. There is our Home of Rest at Sunning Hill, with its bright welcome for tired Members, our Central Lodge and other Lodges too, always open and always occupied ; our Central Library sending forth useful and pleasant books; there was our beautiful service at St. Paul's Cathedral last June, where the prayers of so many hundred Associates and friends of our Society went up together to ask our Father's blessing. There was that very encouraging competition amongst our Members for the Scripture Questions; which shows what we so love to see-a desire to study the best of books-our precious Bible. And yet all this outward success is as nothing compared with the testimony that may be borne by one Member's life; unnoticed and unknown she may be, but the influence is the same. Dear girls, we pray that the true object of our Society may be fulfilled in you, helping you to become better and holier, not for the sake of the Society, not even for the sake of those you love in it, but 'most for Jesus' sake;' because we are 'our Father's' children, members of one family in Him, because we serve the same Master, because we are running the same race, and need all the help that friendship, and sympathy, and mutual encouragement, can give us on the way; because we are looking forward to the same joy of seeing one day that Master whom we have loved and served so imperfectly on earth; looking forward to that happy time when in the Better Land we shall be all one in Him and with Him for 'Love, rest, and home, sweet hope; Lord, tarry not, but come !' ever. M. E. T. Talks about Words. BY MRS. FETHERSTONHAUGH. I-INFLUENCE. HE meaning of this word is: 'flowing in.' You hear it often used-‘A person of great influence.' 'So and so has had a very bad influence in our parish, or village, or school,'-or, 'Her gentle influence has done wonders among the girls of her class.' But, you will say, 'I do not understand how the word can mean 'flowing in' in these sentences.' I will explain to you by a simple illustration. Suppose you have a little water at the bottom of a bowl and a bottle of ink. Take the bottle and gently pour the ink on one side of the bowl. Watch it flowing in,' and gradually tinging the water till it becomes a sort of ink, no longer pure water. The inflowing or influence of the ink has done this. Now, on the contrary, suppose you have a little ink at the bottom of a bowl, and pour water gradually in from one side, you will see the reverse take place. At length, if you pour in water enough, the bowl will no longer contain ink, but water; not pure, but still you would call it water and not ink. But, to understand what it really is, you should watch where a stream of water, coloured by some factory (perhaps dye-works), comes flowing down, and then mark how the resistless power of a clear river's inflowing, fed continually from its sources in the cloudcapped mountains, triumphs over the stain of the impure tide; and purifying it with its bright water, sweeps it on, clear, and sweet, and uncontaminated. Or, you may see a sparkling rivulet, leaping and dancing down its course, till it meets with a muddy stream and is lost-brightness and sparkle swallowed up by the influence of the foul river-and so you would see what is meant by good influence (or inflowing) and evil influence. There was a time, in Paradise, when the newborn stream of human life flowed clear and fair. Our first parents were happy in simple obedience to the will of God. In an evil hour the poison of Satan found its way into their lives through the weakness of Eve. On it flowed, staining the bright waters with its foul impurity, till it became a mighty torrent of wickedness, defiling the whole carth. Then there came the healing waters of another stream-the pure river of water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The Life and Death of Our Blessed Lord, and the Holy Ghost the Comforter, who 'Came sweet influence to impart A gracious, willing Guest, While He can find one humble heart Since then these two influences have been struggling in the world's history, now good triumphs, now evil; but, thank God, the power of good is the strongest; and will prevail, according to His promise. Each one of us carries about a portion of either good or evil influence. We cannot help it; our daily lives, our commonest conversation, our expression of countenance, all help one or the other, according to whether in our secret thoughts we keep up a communication with God or with the devil. Which do we listen to? Do we indulge thoughts of Faith, Hope, Love, and Purity; or of Pride, Vanity, Sloth, Anger, and Sensuality? We may try to seem different to what we really are, but our influence will always be found to work on the side of our thoughts. The First Number on New Year's Day. The First Part on January 26. THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER. A NEW ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE, CONDUCTED BY THE EDITOR OF THE 'BOY'S OWN PAPER.' HE want of a pure and elevating Magazine for Girls has long been felt, and in response to many suggestions on the part of those interested in the welfare of the Girls of this country, the publishers of the BOY'S OWN PAPER' have decided on issuing a companion Magazine, to be called the 'GIRL'S OWN PAPER.' This new Magazine will, as far as possible, be to its readers a Counsellor, Playmate, Guardian, Instructor, Companion, and Friend. Literary and artistic talent of the highest order will be brought to bear upon the work, and it is therefore hoped that it will receive the hearty support of our British maidens, and of those, also, who desire to further their best interests. Orders for 'THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER' (First Weekly No. with Presentation Plate, 1d., ready January 1st; First Monthly Part with Presentation Plate and Coloured Frontispiece, ready January 26th, бd.) are now received by all Booksellers and Newsagents. Copies of this Prospectus will be forwarded post free. THE 'LEISURE HOUR' OFFICE, 56 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. FRIENDLY LEAVES. THE GIRLS' FRIENDLY MAGAZINE. One Penny Monthly, 24 pp. fcap. 4to. Illustrated. 30,000 printed monthly. The 1880 number, Edited by M. E. TOWNSEND, will contain the following:- PLAIN WORDS TO YOUNG WOMEN. By the BISHOP OF BEDFORD. FRIENDS FOR LIFE. A Story. By Mrs. MASSEY, Author of 'The Inner Life,' &c. TALKS ABOUT WORDS. By Mrs. FETHERSTON HAUGH. CHAPTERS ON PLANTS-(Continued). By FREDERICK TOWNSEND, M.A., F.L.S. HALF AN HOUR WITH MY MAIDS. By A. E. I. THE MARTYR BISHOP. By the Author of 'Noble Lives. HOME COMFORTS. By Mrs. WIGLEY. QUESTIONS ON THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. AND OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST. Terms of Subscription for a Year, including postage, payable in advance : Is. 6d. 1877 Vol., paper, 1s. 6d.; cloth, 25. Nine THE G. F. S. ADVERTISER, 8pp. 4to. price 1d. extra monthly, will contain Advertisements for Servants and Situations, Diocesan and other Notices in connexion with G. F. S. Work, &c. Advertisements to be seut to the General Secretary, 245 Vauxhall Bridge Road, by the 23rd of the month. |