stopping to excuse herself, or throw blame upon others. Nothing is more mean, and ill-natured, than to try to bring the faults of others to the light, when it can answer no good purpose. Never tell a lie to screen your companions, or any one else, from punishment; because we must obey God rather than man, and a dreadful doom awaits liars hereafter: but never speak of the faults of others, in order to hide your own, or from mere idle talk.

What will Sarah become if she lives to grow up with her present bad disposition? She will be sly and cunning; no friend will love her, neither will any one believe what she says. She will always be suspected of making the best of her own story, and will get that sad character of a tale-bearer. Oh, guard against this evil, and let this golden rule be ever stamped upon your hearts: Do unto others as you would they should do unto you.

Sarah was never heard to acknowledge that she was in fault. "I could not help it;" "I am sure I was not to blame;" were her usual replies. When I hear a young person express herself in this way, it grieves me; because it shows so much dreadful pride in her heart. And pride will sink the soul to hell, if it be not subdued. It is far better to bear more blame than we deserve, than, by false excuses, to screen ourselves, and condemn others.

WHAT is the evil spirit which some persons show when their faults are pointed out to them? Who first set the bad example?

Relate the story of Sarah.

K

How ought Sarah to have acted?

May we tell a lie to screen our friends?
Why not?

How then should we act?

What will Sarah be called, if she does not change

her ways?

What should Sarah pray for?

Who can give this?

Does not every one need this change?

THE POTTERY.

THE place where cups and saucers, jugs and plates, and other things of the same kind, are made, is called a pottery. As I have lately been at a pottery, and seen how these things were made, I will try to describe it to you. Most English potteries are in Staffordshire and Worcestershire; but this one is in Cumberland.

We first saw some very coarse pots made, such as brown jars for sugar, milk pots, and common basins. These are made of a light yellow-coloured clay, found near the place. It is first mixed with water, till it is about as thick as cream; it is then boiled, which makes the water fly off in the form of steam; then it is crumbled into powder, and passed through a sieve, to take away any small pieces of sand or gravel after this it is mixed with water, and beaten and kneaded for a long time, to remove all the air which is found in bubbles or blisters, and to make it very stiff and fine.

It is then brought to the thrower: this is the name given to the man who forms the pots. He

has two persons to help him, generally boys or women: one turns a wheel, and the other gives him pieces of clay, and takes away the pot when it is formed. The thrower sits upon a high seat, and has a little round stone table before him, which is turned by the wheel. He puts the clay exactly in the middle of the table, and while it is moved very rapidly, he pulls it out, and forms it into the proper shape. It is quite wonderful to see how quickly he does this, and you can hardly understand it perfectly without seeing it done. The pots are then placed in a very hot room to dry, and are afterwards baked.

After seeing these coarse articles made, we proceeded to the place where finer ones, such as cups and saucers, and plates, are made. The clay of which they are formed is quite white: it is brought from Derbyshire; and, after it arrives, it is prepared in the same way as the yellow clay. The work of the thrower is exactly the same in both parts of the business. We saw him make some basins, and cups, and a saltcellar. These things were taken from the thrower into another room, to a man called a turner. He stuck them upon a short pole made to fit, and while it was turned round very quickly, by a girl who moved the wheel, he pressed a sharp instrument against it, so as to make the surface quite smooth; and, in the same way, he also cuts out rims and little ridges, so as to make a pattern. On some of the basins he put rows of white-looking paint, which, after they had been fired, would turn blue.

We went next into a room where plates were

made. They are not formed by a thrower, like
basins and cups; but little bits of clay are
pressed out, like paste, into flat round cakes.
These are put upon a block of the proper shape,
and finished by a sharp instrument, which cuts
off all little corners, and also presses the plate
into the right form. Saucers are made in the
same way. Some jugs are made by throwing:
but many are formed in a mould, first one half,
and then the other; afterwards the two sides of
the mould are fastened together, and a bottom is
added to it.
jug is dry.
moulds.

The mould is not taken off till the
Many other things are made in

When all the various articles have been dried

in a hot room, they must then be fired. For this purpose, they are carefully packed in large coarse pots, the shape of a fish kettle. These pots are piled one above another, in a sort of large oven, with a furnace beneath, and many holes for the fire to come through. The fire is made exceedingly hot, and kept burning for fifty hours, that is more than two days and two nights. When the pots are taken out, they are quite hard, but they are rough. Something more must be done to make them smooth and shining. But first we must see how all these pretty pictures and figures are made upon our plates and dishes. This is done in two ways; by printing, and by painting.

We saw the printing first. There was a man who had a large flat plate of copper, upon which was marked one of the patterns we so often see on blue plates: he covered the copper with some thick paint of a lilac colour, and then

wiped it carefully off, only letting it remain in all the marks of the pattern: he then laid it upon the press, and placed a piece of thin wet paper upon it: then he turned a wheel, and a heavy roller, quite hot, rolled over the paper, and pressed it very closely to the copper. When he took it off, it was marked with the pattern that was on the copper. The printer gave the paper to a woman, who cut off the square corners, and divided the rim of the pattern from the middle, and gave them to another woman, who was sitting at a table, and pasted them on a plate. After it was dry, the paper was taken off, and the pattern was left on the plate. It was a lilac pattern, but after it was again fired in the oven, it became blue.

We next went into the room where the painting was carried on, and saw some large oak leaves painted on basins. There were four

women doing it. Each had one colour, and when she had put on her part, she gave it to the next, who added her colour, and so on, till it was finished.

The next thing which must be done to all the pots, is glazing. The glaze is a mixture of lead and some other things: when it is burnt, it turns to glass. The pots are washed over with it, and then burnt again in the oven: this turns the glaze into a very thin coat of glass all over the pots, which makes them smooth and shining. After being taken out of the oven the last time, they only require to be sorted, and are placed in the wareroom for sale; or are packed up and sent to different places to be sold. These goods are chiefly sent from Cumberland to Ireland.