gentleman,' one of the olden time, when open heartedness, open house, loving kindness, and charity in all its forms were the rule rather than the exception or indeed to the handsome old dame of ninety who with white natural hair, and a full cap and silk dress, rested on a gold headed cane, whilst with the other hand she prepared to take a pinch of the reviving mixture her little gold box contained!

Such a picture as this was presented to us not many years ago, and we often enjoyed the privilege. of conversing with the old lady in question "who could a tale unfold," and whose memory green as need be, travelled back with fluent words through an age that more than doubled our own!

The old people of the time to come will we suppose chatter away about railways, telegraphs, balloon travels, electricity, telephones, and torpedoes -as well as the toryism, rinks, radicalism, and ritualism of their day-chartism being exceeded-but whether such narrative will then be interesting to the more juvenile auditory or not we cannot foretell -for our own part we should after all be inclined rather to listen to the yarns of the old 'main top-sail sheet-blocks' of Nelson's time, when "Hearts of Oak" and "All in the Downs" had the stern vocal power of a Braham to immortalize them, or indeed to hear the stories of those days when the old fashioned national sports and and pastimes of Old England and the upright and downright doings of our forefathers would stand a test with the present.

But let us proceed to consider the evidences of advancement, the past to the present and the future.

"Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise," and "A little learning is a dangerous thing" are not only mere sayings but literal proverbs-and have become a type of civilization, inasmuch as the results of education, and the spread of instruction, theologically incomplete, fully bear out both the proverbs.

One might suppose that the acquirements consequent on those increased opportunities, the diffusion of knowledge as afforded to this and recent generations, would have led to an universal improvement of ethics as well social as otherwise-yet what do we constantly see, more especially when political disruptions take place culminating as they sometimes do in open revolution and broken heads.

That highly polished community on the other side of the channel for example, whose well bred and courteous refinement has ever been held up to the world as the acme of perfection, whose beautiful arts and delicate handicraft have adorned modern science, and whose military prestige and bravery have been no less admired-how did the civilizing influences over that race exert themselves during the many years of peace and plenty! How and in what form did civilization so called, present itself or rather burst forth to the world during the last revolution of that unhappy nation?

Did we not read of, did we not see persons holding different positions in society, lower themselves in the scale of humanity to an ultra grade beneath that of the very brutes of creation, and at last violently adopt all the vilest fiendish propensities it is possible to conceive that the very devils themselves could invent, for the maiming and destruction of one another!-nay, the dark savages of Africa or the Fiji Islands in their state of nature would blush, could we but see the suffusion, and would not, at least without education, be qualified to invent the hideous things that were done in the charming city of Paris in 1870.

England the harbinger of peace' enjoys the reputation of being the great propagator of the seeds of civilization! How is it then we so frequently see the retrograde?

Is the educated man, whose very acquirements qualify him to perform a series of intricate swindlings so cleverly that it sometimes takes years to discover the fraud, to be called a "civilized" member of society? And on the other hand, is the same man who, repentant in his prison life, conducts himself so favorably as to merit and obtain ere his sentence expires, a ticket of leave, a "civilized" member of society?

Whether in this latter condition he is, or is not, it is clear that the surveillance of the police being upon him, he remains degraded in the eyes of the public, and as a rule can get no decent employment.

Being so, if we carry this further, may we ask whether this unforgiving, uncharitable public is itself entitled to the privilege of being considered "civilized"?

'Nay' as the Yorkshire lad says, we are wading through a difficult subject!

We have spoken of the commune in Paris and of the deeds done there during its reign of anarchy, and we have referred briefly to our Sister Isle, but depend upon it we in England are not wanting, in our manufacturing districts at least, in all the horrible ingredients that go to make up the venomous concoction of revolt!

A circumstance arose some very few years back and will be as fresh in the memories of many of our readers as it is in ours, which opened our eyes and gave us an indication of the capabilities of the ouvriers de l'Angleterre-it was unmistakeable, and as in order to ascertain which way the wind blows, all that is necessary is to throw up a feather, so was it made apparent to us what things were possible, had the area of the performance been less limited, or the outrage less susceptible to check. We allude to the riots which took place in the cotton districts. The dissatisfied, disaffected people refused work and made demands that were not granted-the hands accumulated, assembled in masses until surging mobs taking possession of the streets, highways and byways entered private premises, threw out of window the elegant and costly furniture of mansions, and after pouring combustible substances on it, set fire to it on the lawns in front. One day a close

carriage appeared-a rush was made and the rioting mechanics, a grade be it remarked above the labourer, flushed with gladness on seeing it was their employer's, fell upon it eagerly, and would have had their master's blood too, with equal delight, had he been there,-fortunately he was not there but had effected his escape from his family residence, on whose destruction he knew their minds were bent —his wife was in the carriage and after ejecting and roughly handling her, they turned the vehicle topsy turvy and set fire to it utterly destroying it-thence they went forward to the residence which with its contents was soon ransacked or in flames.

Added to these cowardly outrages mill after mill, those vast piles of English industry, were fired with ruthless hands, but the scoundrels shortly received a check they did not expect, the Lancers and other military were upon them—the ringleaders were captured as might be anticipated, and the disgraceful disturbance, one of the advanced nineteenth century, was ended!

Nevertheless during the progress of this riot, the particular acts done both by men and women vied with the fanatical amazons of the Commune, whose hands red with blood, poured boiling oil upon their enemies from the upper stories!

In the manufacturing parts of England, education so far certainly as reading is concerned, has always had the pull over the people in the agricultural districts.