upon yourself an irreparable mischief.

Nor can we, without mischief, reverse the divinely established order of procedure in pursuing this excellence. Deity puts moral excellence first; and he who puts it second will sooner or later convict himself of folly. Submit, my young friends, to the teaching of infinite wisdom in this as in every instance. Let the subjugation of passion, the rectification and purification of the heart, be ever in the front of your aims. The testimony of a man of large experience, and who made no pretensions to religion, will have more influence with some readers possibly than would that of a Christian minister. Hear then the testimony of Sir Walter Scott:-"We shall never learn to feel and respect our real calling and destiny, unless we have taught ourselves to consider everything as moonshine compared with the education of the heart." If you engrave that sentiment upon your soul, young man, it will prove of priceless value. Intercourse with the wise and good will convince you that valuable as is knowledge, and still more valuable as are a sound judgment and a reflecting mind, sterling and exalted excellence of character is incalculably the most important. Seek, then, to attain,

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in the universal action of the soul, to conscious harmony with God and the creation, an alliance of love with all beings, a sympathy with all that is pure and happy, a surrender of every separate will and interest, a participation of the spirit and life of the universe, and entire concord of purpose" with the glorious Being who has revealed Himself as Light and Love.

Cultivate firmness of character. Write down the two or three great principles which you feel every man ought to make his pole-star. First, that inclination shall not override judgment that as a rational creature you will be able to render a sufficient reason for all you do. Secondly, That as evil communications corrupt good manners, your

companions shall be such as will aid rather than hinder your aspirations and purposes. Thirdly, That as God's creature you will practicallyrecognize Him as your Master and Lord in your daily life. Having adopted

these principles, adhere to them. If you maintain them they will support you. You will probably be taunted by your shopmates for being in awe of your parents and master. You had a thousand times better be taunted for that, than forfeit your self-respect and arm your conscience with a sting. The early sneer your firmness may excite will soon be exchanged for respect and esteem. Dread being a fickle, purposeless youth. If you do not, you will become "a companion of fools," and "be destroyed."

Cultivate force of character. You are not to infer that because possibly you are naturally wanting in courage and energy, that therefore it was designed you should not possess them. If you need them-and who does not ?-that need is God's voice summoning you to their acquirement. Take encouragement from John Hessel. "Fear I shall not be able to introduce the subject; I cannot overcome my reserve," is one of his earlier records. "I have seen very few of the people yet," he writes, at Driffield. "I am so shy that I scarcely know how to introduce myself. I cannot yet throw off this boyishness." He lived but four years and a-half after this, and who that knew him during the latter half of that time could have believed what he here states? No one could readily have imagined that reserve," and "shyness," and "boyishness" had so recently formed part of his character. What he effected in this respect is attainable by you. If you would not be a cypher, cultivate force of character. Be not content to slip along through the world like a footman or a spy, escaping by his nimbleness and apologies as many knocks as he can; be a brave and upright man, who must find or cut a straight road to everything excellent on the earth.

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Not only go honourably yourself, but make it easier for all who follow you to go in honour and with benefit." Do not, however, sacrifice courtesy and kindness to force. "Some men have the organ of combativeness, and seem to take pleasure in conflict. They are hard and rough, and suffer nothing in wounding others. Such firmness is often a vice. The combination of energy with sweetness is the perfection we must strive for."

Nobleness of character must be sought. Be argus-eyed to discover excellence, and in whomsoever seen appreciate, and be ready to commend it. Let not suspected or known hostility prevent you from cordially avowing admiration of it. With what true nobility does this record stamp Sir James Macintosh! ". has, I think, a distaste for me, which I believe to be natural to the family. I think the worse of nobody for such a feeling; indeed, I often feel a distaste for myself. I am sure I should not esteem my own character in another person. It is more likely that I should have disagreeable qualities, than that he should have an unreasonable antipathy." This sentiment had impressed Mr. Hessel, I judge. Several instances fell under my own observation in which, so far from indulging in malevolence toward those who betrayed unkind feeling toward him, he intimated that it was more probable there was some cause for it in him, than that it was the result of pure malignity. True nobility of soul is evinced in this record by Dr. Channing: "In conversation, let me feel that I shall gain more by candour than by victory." Discussion conducted in this spirit will issue in enlargement of view and the propagation of truth. An ignoble soul seeks to shine in the social circle, a noble one to furnish means and opportunity for others to shine. An ignoble soul renders services for the sake of securing praise or avoiding censure, a noble one from the promptings of benevolence, or from a loyal regard to the authority that appointed them.

How noble of the gallant young Hodson, when unjustly removed from his Indian command, to say, "I strive to do my appointed work resolutely and to the best of my ability, satisfied that there is a reason for all; and that even irksome duties well done bring their own reward, and that, if not, still they are duties." An ignoble soul exhibits palpable condescension in intercourse with inferiors, a noble one seeks to make them feel he is their brother. An ignoble soul seeks influence and power for the sake of attracting attention to himself, a noble one values them only for the good they enable him to do.

LITTLE JAMES.

A TRUE NARRATIVE.

there

ABOUT twenty miles from is situated, in a beautiful valley, the thriving village of R.

Among the children of this place is James B, a little boy of about ten years of age. His parents are old, and poor, but James is without doubt a great comfort to them. Some of you may remember that beautiful chapter in the Bible which begins with these words, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." The little boy of whom I am speaking remembers his Creator, and loves his Saviour. His mother desired him, a little more than a month ago, to go upon an errand for her;

and I propose now to relate to you part of a conversation which took place between a Sunday-school teacher and him, in the hope and with the earnest prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead some of the children who read this, or hear it read, to give their hearts to God, after the good example of the little boy James. After some conversation respecting the errand upon which he had been sent by his mother, of whom he spoke with great affection, and expressed a desire to do something for her support, the following dialogue took place:

Teacher." Well, James, do you

T-"Do you ever pray to God, and how often?"

J.-"Yes, Sir; three times a day." T-"Why do you pray to Him in secret ?"

J.-"Because God says, if I do, He will reward me openly.

T.-"Do you pray with your heart, as well as with your lips?" J."Yes, Sir, for if I pray only with my lips He will not hear me.'

T-Well, James, you told me a little while ago you thought you were a Christian; what makes you think so?"

J-"Because I feel that God has forgiven me my sins, and blessed me. Before I got a new heart I used to gabble over my prayers as fast as I could, so that I might go to bed."

T-" Does Satan ever tempt you to sin ?"

J.-"Yes, Sir, he tempted me to steal; but I did not do that. Last summer, as I was coming home from meeting in a wagon, he tempted me to get out and steal some fruit."

T-"What do you say to him when he tempts you?"

J.-"Get thee hence, Satan." T-"Well, suppose some boys should beat and abuse you, could you forgive and pray for them?"

J.-"I think I ought; for my Saviour was beaten, and spit upon, and crowned with thorns, and He forgave His enemies."

T-"Now, my dear boy, you must live near to God, and not nèglect to pray to Him."

MAKING A NEEDLE. I WONDER if any little girl who may read this ever thought how many people are all the time at work in

making the things which she every day uses. What can be more common, and, you may think, more simple than a needle? Yet, if you do not know it, I can tell you that it takes a great many persons to make a needle, and a great deal of time too.

Let us take a peep into the needle manufactory. In going over the premises, we must pass hither and thither, and walk into the next street and back again, and take a drive to a mill, in order to see the whole process. We find one chamber of the shop is hung round with coils of bright wire of all thicknesses, from the stout kinds used for codfish hooks to that of the finest cambric needles. In a room below, bits of wire, the length of two needles, are cut by a vast pair of shears fixed in the wall. A bundle has been cut off; the bits need straightening, for they just came off from the coils.

The bundle is thrown into a redhot furnace, and then taken out and rolled backward and forward on a table till the wires are straight. This process is called "rubbing straight." We now see a mill for grinding needles. We go down into the basement, and find a needle pointer seated on his bench. He takes up two dozen or so of the wires and rolls them between his thumb and fingers, with their ends on the grindstone, first one end and then the other. We have now the wires straight, and pointed at both ends. Next is a machine which flattens and gutters the heads of ten thousand needles an hour, Observe the little gutters at the head of your needle. Next comes the punching of the eye, and the boy who does it punches eight thousand an hour, and he does it so fast your eyes can hardly keep pace with him. The splitting follows, which is running a fine wire through a dozen, perhaps, of these twin needles.

A woman with a little anvil before her files between the heads, and separates them. They are now complete needles, but rough and rusty, and what is worse, they easily bend. A poor needle you will say. But

the hardening comes next. They are heated in a furnace, and when red-hot are thrown into a pan of cold water. Next they must be tempered, and this is done by rolling them backward and forward on a hot metallic plate. The polishing still remains to be done. On a very coarse cloth needles are spread to the number of forty or fifty thousand. Emery dust is strewed over them, oil is sprinkled, and soft soap is dashed by spoonfuls over the cloth; the cloth is then rolled up with several others of the same kind, thrown into a wash-pot, to roll to and fro for twelve hours or more. They come out dirty enough, but after a rinsing in clean hot water, and a tossing in sawdust, they look as bright as can be, and are ready to be sorted and put up for sale. But the sorting and doing up in papers, you can imagine, is quite a work by itself.

SALE EXTRAORDINARY. PUBLIC attention is pressingly invited to the following desirable and invaluable commodities, securities, hereditaments, &c., part to be entered upon immediately, and the remainder in due time, presenting an opportunity and offer which may never occur again. Among them the following are specially particularised:

1. Food and Provisions.-These were originally made by the King of kings for the celebration of His Son's marriage, consisting of oxen and fatlings, the bread of life, water of salvation, wine of the kingdom, meat for the strong, and unadulterated milk for babes. The quality is unparalleled, and with regard to the quantity, there is

"Enough for all, enough for each,

Enough for evermore."

2. Raiment and Accoutrements.The following white and beautiful garments will be found among them; namely, the Wedding Garment, without which none are welcome to the great Gospel feast; the Robe of Righteousness, justifying from all things, and surpassing what

an

But

archangel wears; and the Garment of Salvation, a wrapper, large, glorious, and joyful to put on. in this military age, special attention is invited to the accoutrements, the whole armour of God, the Sword of the Spirit, the Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Helmet of Salvation, with all prayer, so that a man may be well equipped to fight the good fight of faith in the holy war, under the Captain of salvation, and so as to come off more than conqueror.

3. Rights and Privileges.-A share in that Gospel common, called the "Green Pastures, beside the still waters," secure from all desolating floods and storms, with immediate possession, constant liberty, and a good title.

access, full

4. Building and Property.-These are first-rate; the highest, safest, best, and most enduring, consisting of a "house not made with hands,' forming a part of the New Jerusalem in the heavenly Paradise, together with an inheritance, a kingdom, a throne, a crown, &c.

***For further particulars and specifications of time, place, terms, &c., see the Holy Scriptures generally, but especially the following parts and passages: Ps. xxiii. 1, 2; Isa. xxv. 6, and lv. 1, 2; Luke xiv. 15-24; Matt. xxii. 1-13; 2 Cor. v. 1; Eph. vi. 13-18; Rev. xxi. and xxii. J. M. L.

HOW ARE YOU DOING IN THE WORLD?

Some are doing well for both worlds. -They fear God, love Christ, and walk in the way to heaven. Temperate, industrious, provident, they "seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness," and the promise of godliness relating to this life and that which is to come, is largely In fulfilled in their experience. every respect they are doing well. Some are doing well for this world, but not for the next.

They have health, position, property, and worldly prosperity; but no grace, piety, or good hope of