ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. THE UPBURST OF LIBERTY.-Artesian wells are sunk through the sod of the prairies, through the loam, through the gravel, through the hard-pan, which is almost granite, until at last one thousand, or one thousand five hundred feet, beneath the surface the hand of man reveals a deep and rapid river, coursing through those solitary, sunless depths, at a speed of ten miles the hour; swifter than the Ohio, or Mississippi, or Hudson, or any of the bountiful and imperial streams of America, flowing, as they do, through a picturesque mountain scenery, stately forest, or enamelled meadow, amid towered cities or cultivated fields. And when the shaft has reached that imprisoned river, and the rent for the first time has been made through its dungeon wall, the waters, remembering their august source on far distant mountain-tops, whence ages ago they fell, leap upward to the light with terrible energy, rising in an instant far above the surface of the earth, and pouring forth their healthful and fertilizing current to delight and refresh mankind. And with even such an awakening are we gladdened when half-forgotten humanity bursts from time to time out of the depths in which it has pursued its joyless, sunless course, moaning and murmuring through long centuries, but never quite forgetting its divine and distant origin. Such was the upward movement out of intellectual thraldom which we call the Reformation, when the shaft of Luther struck the captive stream. Such an awakening, but a more significant and hopeful one, was heralded for the American Republic, east and west, north and south, and for all humanity, by the triumph of the right in the recent four years' conflict, in which all have been the conquerors.-J. L. Motley. PURE IN HEART.—A little girl having one day read to her teacher the first twelve verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, he asked her to stop and tell him which of these holy tempers, said by our Lord to be blessed, she would most like to have. She paused a little, and then said with a modest smile, "I would rather be pure in heart.' Her teacher asked her why she chose this above all the rest. "Sir," she said, "If I had a pure heart, I should have all the other graces spoken of in the chapter.' THE LAW OF CHRIST, is like a mirror, clearly reveals our characters; but too many keep this mirror in their parlours to be seen only on special occasions, often forgetting what manner of persons they are or ought to be. The true saint will always "keep the Lord before him," and will have frequent sorrows that he is no more like his Saviour, while false professors go carelessly along the road the destruction. 66 FAITH.-One evening Martin Luther was looking out of the window, and saw a little bird perching himself on a bough and making himself comfortable for the night. 66 Ah," said he, see how that little fellow preaches faith to us all. He just takes hold of a twig, tucks his little head under his wing and goes to sleep, leaving God to think for him.” THE FIRESIDE. COMFORT IN TROUBLE.-I wonder many times that ever a child of God should have a sad heart, considering what the Lord is preparing for him. When we shall come home and enter into our kingdom, and when our heads shall wear the eternal crown of glory, and when we shall look back on pains and sufferings-then shall we see life and sorrow to be less than one step or stride from the prison to glory; and that our little inch of time-suffering is not worthy of a thought when compared with our first day's welcome to heaven. TEARS AND LAUGHTER.-God made tears and laughter, and both for kind purposes; for as laughter enables mirth and surprise to breathe freely, so tears enable sorrow to vent itself patiently. Tears hinder sorrow from becoming despair and madness; and laughter is one of the many privileges of reason, being confined to the human species. THE SOFTEST ROAD is not always the best road. It is on the smooth ice we slip; a rough path is usually safer for our feet. Our difficulties make us watchful. They plainly show us our weakness, and send us to Christ for help. They humble us before God. BEAUTIFUL ANSWERS. A PUPIL of Abbe Sicord gave the following extraordinary answers :Q. What is gratitude? A. Gratitude is the memory of the heart. Q. What is hope? A. Hope is the blossom of happiness. Q. What is the difference between hope and desire? A. Desire is a tree in leaf, hope is a tree in flower, and enjoyment is a tree in fruit. Q. What is eternity? A. A day without yesterday or to-morrow, a day without end. Q. What is time? A. A line that has two ends-a path that begins in the cradle and ends in the grave. The Fireside. THE LAST DANCE. DURING the occupancy of the city of Moscow by the French army, a party of officers and soldiers determined to have a military levee, and for this purpose chose the deserted palace of a nobleman. That night the city was set on fire. As the sun went down they began to assemble. The women who followed the fortunes of the French army were decorated for the occasion. The gayest and the noblest of the army were there, and merriment reigned over the crowd. THE PENNY POST BOX. During the dance the fire rapidly approached them; they saw it coming, but felt no fear. At length the building next the one they occupied was on fire. Coming to the windows, they gazed upon the billows of fire which swept the city, and then returned to their amusements. Again and again they left their pleasures to watch the progress of the flames. At length the dance ceased, and the necessity of leaving the scene of merriment became apparent to all. They were enveloped in a flood of fire, and gazed on with deep and awful solemnity. At last the fire, communicating to their own building, caused them to prepare for flight, when a brave young officer, named Carnot, waved his jewelled hand above his head, and exclaimed-"One dance more, and defiance to the flames." All caught the enthusiasm of the moment, and "One dance more, and defiance to the flames," burst from the lips of all. The dance commenced; louder and louder grew the sound of music, and faster and faster fell the pattering footsteps of dancing men and women, when suddenly they heard a cry-"The fire has reached the magazine! Fly-fly for your life!" One moment they stood transfixed with terror; they did not know the magazine was there, and ere they recovered from their stupor the vault exploded; the building was shattered to pieces, and the dancers were hurried into a fearful eternity. The Penny Post Box. DON'T FRET. DON'T fret; for a fretful Christian is likely a prickly pear, bitter within and irritating without. God says, "Cast all your care on me, for I care for you. "No, you don't," says the fretting Christian, “and so I'll fret over my cares." Don't fret; for you are a witness for Christ. What is your testimony worth if your fretting contradicts His words-" My yoke is easy, and my burden light?" Don't fret; for fretting, instead of relieving from trouble, will lay on you heavier burdens. As fear slays more persons than cholera, so fretting kills more than care. Thus Don't fret; for God's providence governs all things. Consider the hairs of your head, the fowls of the air, the lilies of the field. stay your heart on God, and thou shalt have perfect peace. One of Cromwell's friends was a fretting Christian, to whom everything went wrong, and portended disaster. One day when unusually fretful his sensible servant said:" Master, don't you think that God governed the world very well before you came into it?" FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. “Yes; but why do you ask?" "Don't you think He will govern it very well when you are out of it?" "Yes; but why do you ask?" "Well, then, can't you trust Him to govern it for the little time you are in it?" -That shot killed his fretfulness. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. ARCTIC VEGETATION. Birch trees grow further north than the coniferæ. Bilberries, bogberries, and cranberries hang on the bushes from September until the snow melts the following June, and so give food to flocks of water-fowl. The forests of high latitudes look young. This is owing to their being covered up from the cold blasts by the snow. The forests harbour no noxious plants; thorns and prickles are of rare occurrence. The Arctic storm, however furiously it may blow, awakens no echo in the dismal shades of the pinewoods of the north. On the banks of the Great Bear Lake, four hundred years are necessary for the formation of a tree trunk no thicker than a man's waist. Beyond the northern forest line there is a treeless waste called tundri. Dingy mosses and grey mosses are the chief vegetation of the tundri, with a few scanty grasses or dwarfish flowers. Hints. Attempts at wit often show the need of attempts at wisdom. He who never looks up to an excellence higher than he has yet attained, will never rise high. Two things a man should never be angry at: what he can help, and what he cannot help. Always speak well of your friends; but of your enemies speak neither good nor bad. A little sprig of the herb called content, put into the poorest soup, will make it as rich as the Lord Mayor's turtle. Only let God love us, and then nature will encompass us about like a cloud of Divine witnesses. Consult duty, and not events. Gems. Righteousness troubles the wicked; wickedness troubles the righteous. Adversity overcome is the brightest glory; and willingly borne, the greatest virtue. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of the bread, but few to the drinking of His cup. Self-deceivers among so-called Christians are more like the moon than the sun. They have little light, little heat, but many changes. The living spring is not diminished by giving, nor the stagnant waters by withholding. To have no holiness is bad enough; but to pretend we have it is a double impiety. He is not only idle who does nothing, but he is idle who might be better employed. POETIC SELECTIONS-THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. Poetic Selections. CHILDHOOD'S JOYS. OH, give me back the dear old woods, The valleys, with their cosy nooks I love the beauteous flowers which bloom Its wild-wood flowers the best. The earnest trust, the sacred vow, All, all are clustering round me now I long, as when a child, to kneel, Ere one bright dream was riven, And all my heart's deep love to seal With perfect trust in heaven. The sweet child-joy, the care-free hour, JUST AS GOD LEADS. JUST as God leads me I would go: Just as God leads, I am content; I would that He should yet fulfil, In living or in dying. Just as God leads me, I abide In faith, in hope, in suffering, true; Can aught my hold on Him undo? Just as God leads I onward go, Oft amid thorns and briers keen: The Children's Corner. 66 'MUST PRAY IT ALL OUT." CONFESS to God every day, and you can't sin half so easily. Some bad boys tried to persuade a little boy to play truant. "No, no, I cannot,” said he. "Why? now why?" they asked. "Why?" answered the boy, "because if I do, I shall have to pray it all out at my mother's knee to-night." "O well," they said, "in that case you had better not go." |