out Christ," they are "without any good hope in the world."

2.-Because nothing but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is adapted to their case, or effectual for their enlightenment and salvation. But this is universally adapted, and as extensively effectual as it is faithfully proclaimed and cordially received.

3. Because the will and word of God, both in the Old and the New Testament, require the universal propagation of Christ's holy and everlasting Gospel. It is "the joyful sound" from "the great trumpet," that all the ends of the earth may hear and be saved; and it must be preached "in all the world, and to every creature."

4. Because this Gospel has proved the power of God unto the salvation of multitudes both in primitive times and in later days, multitudes of British villagers, Indians, Negroes, Hottentots, and South Sea Islanders, even the most ignorant, heedless, hardened, wicked and wretched, and it may and must be so to multitudes and millions more. To help in this great work, therefore, must be a duty, a privilege, and a blessing.

a child, a tract to a peasant, a testament to a heathen, may be to the salvation of the soul.

8. Because a strict account of every talent must be given to God on the day of judgment. It will then appear how every farthing has been expended; how much has been laid out on self and sin, and what amount has been given to God, to His cause, and to the world's salvation. The gracious plaudit, "Well done!" will then be pronounced upon the faithful, but the unprofitable servant will be cast into "outer darkness, where there is weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth."

9.-Because the joy of usefulness, by the blessing of the Lord, now is exquisite, and hereafter will be infinitely great and everlasting. To see children collected and instructed, congregations gathered, and attentively listening to the preaching of the Gospel, converts calling upon the name of the Lord, and sitting at His table; sin and idolatry banished, and many gathered around the throne of God in glory, to all of which our contributions have usefully and happily conduced, must be a luxury of the sublimest character, and for which a world of wealth might well be freely given.

WHAT SOME VIOLETS SAID.

"OH dear! oh dear! I wish it wouldn't rain," said Minnie for the twentieth time. She had climbed up into a chair, and was frowning at the rain-drops, as they chased each other past the window. The drops did not care for her frowns or words, but only kept on their merry race as before; for they had something to do besides fretting. Each had a mission of its own; some were on their way to fill the brooks and springs, so that they might go laughing over the stones all summer. Others would be sipped by thousands of little grass blades. But Minnie did not care for the brooks or grasses just now; she only wanted the ride promised her, if the day were fine; and so clouds had chased the sunshine all away from her brown eyes.

"Minnie, do you know that the grass in your little garden, and in the meadows, is drinking up all these tiny rain-drops ?" said a low,

sweet voice.

"Then I wish they'd get through drinking. They've been drinking all the morning," said the child.

"But

"They will when they have had enough," said her mother. come here and look at my violets. They have something to say to you."

Minnie jumped down from the chair, and walked slowly towards her mother's couch.

The brown eyes grew dark with wonder, as the child said, "Violets cannot speak?" "Not aloud. Not so that you can hear," and the mother smiled to see her child bend close to the flowers and listen.

Upon a small stand in a delicate china vase were some sweet spring violets, brought by the loving hand of one who knew how flowers" whispered hope" to an invalid.

"Shall I tell you what the violets have been saying to me while your little voice murmured-Oh dear! oh dear!"

"No, my darling, you can hear nothing; but look at their blue eyes; take one and smell of it, while I tell you what, if they had a voice like yours, they would say.'

""

Gladly the little child obeyed, and nestling close to her mother, listened with a smile.

"Hark, sister! how softly and pleasantly the rain-drops fall. Those younger sisters of ours will look up with eyes wide open, to-morrow. The crocuses, too, our neighbours, will be all out calling with their spring hats. There is to be a wedding. Miss Lilly Crocus, in white of course, and her cousins in blue and pink. There is some hope that the charming May Flowers will be there; but that will depend on the weather. All the Grasses will come, of course, for they never wait for invitations, nor mind the weather one bit. It was kind in the Flower King to send his servants the drops to-day to prepare for the wedding. To-morrow he will send the sunbeams to give a grand illumination."

Minnie did not once take her eyes from her mother's face till she ceased speaking.

Then she said, "I'm glad God made it rain for the flowers, but I did not think about that."

THE KINDNESS OF DEATH. THE following lines are from a poem on the "Death of a Young Lady," by Hartley Coleridge:

"As round the rose its soft perfume,

Sweet love around her floated; Beloved she grew, while mortal doom Crept on, unfelt, unnoted.

"Love was her guardian angel here; But Love to Death resigned her: Though Love was kind, why should we fear

But holy Death is kinder ?"

DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

MY YOUNG FRIENDS,-You have no doubt heard of America. A relative, a family friend, an acquaintance, or a neighbour you knew, may have left Old England for North America, South America, or the United States, &c., and a thought rises in your mind as to that distant land-the 66 new world," as even now sometimes called. Well, it is somewhat more than three centuries and a half since these vast regions were discovered by the son of a weaver. The discoverer, Christopher Columbus, was born at Genoa, in Italy, and from his youth was given to deep thought and research. He studied geography, geometry, astronomy, and all descriptions of the earth and seas which came in his way. It had been discovered in the 13th century that if a certain ore of iron was suspended on a point, and allowed to turn itself at pleasure, it would always point to the north. Now, this loadstone, or magnetic needle, is carried with every ship, placed in a frame, and covered by a glass; beneath it, in the frame, are marked the thirty-two points of the compass-the principal of these are the four cardinal points, East, West, North and South. By watching the needle, the seaman is enabled to distinguish the course of his ship, and to conduct it with precision from port to port across vast seas, on which he sails for many weeks together without a sight of land; whereas, formerly, ships scarcely ever ventured out of its sight, and if they did, the mariners despaired of regaining it. Columbus travelled by sea to nearly all parts; and the idea became fixed in his mind that there must be land beyond the sea, on the west side of Europe; nor could he be dissuaded that it was so. He applied to the King of Portugal, then the principal maritime country, and to others, for the necessary means of exploration, and treated as a visionary; but he still held to his opinion, and for eight years importuned Spain for assistance. At length three ships were

was

equipped and placed at his service by Ferdinand and Isabella; and he and his brother, with their crews, sailed from Palos, in Spain, on the 3rd August, 1492. At the end of 65 days they discovered land, October 8th. This land, one of the Bahama Islands, West Indies, he called San Salvador, the first land discovered in the new world. He also discovered the islands of Cuba and St. Domingo, and returned to Spain in March, 1493. In September of the same year he went out again, and made more discoveries. In his third voyage, 1498, he discovered the great continent, and ran down the coast of South America; and in a fourth voyage, 1502, he pushed still further. He made his last Atlantic voyage (from St. Domingo) September 12th, 1504, anchored, worn out in body and mind, at St. Lucca, a city of Italy, on the 7th of November, and died May 20th, 1506, at the age of about 70 years. The ocean, with all its inland bays and seas, covers an area of 147,800,000 square miles, or three-fourths of the surface of the globe; and supposing its mean depth to be about two miles, its cubic contents will be 300,000 square miles. In square miles the Atlantic Ocean is 25,000,000; the Antarctic Ocean, 30,000,000; the Arctic, 8,400; the great Pacific, 50,000,000; the Indian Ocean, 17,000,000; the Mediterranean, 1,006,600; Caspian Sea, 160,000; Black Sea, 950,000; Baltic, 175,000.

The circumference of the globe is 25,000 miles; the diameter about 7,958 miles. Captain Cook, who began life as a common sailor, made three voyages round the globe. Drake and Anson were three years sailing round it; but so great are the modern improvements in navigation that the voyage is now frequently performed by merchantmen in eight or nine months.

The habitable globe contains 37,673,000 square geographical miles, of which 20,000,000 are available for the subsistence of the human race. The population of Asia is reckoned at 550,000,000; of Europe,

260,000,000; of Africa, 150,000,000; of America, 48,000,000; of Australasia, 3,000,000; and of Oceania, 20,000,000.

In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland there are 91,000 square geographical miles, and on them food is raised for 30,000,000 human beings. If the whole world

JAMES was the eldest boy of a large family, and son of a clergyman. He was anxious to study, but his health was not thought sufficiently good, and he abandoned the idea. When his son was about sixteen, he went to B, for the purpose of entering a dry goods store. His father gave him a letter to a minister of his acquaintance there; he also gave him money enough to take him to B-, and to pay his board for two weeks, till he could obtain work. He had arrived in B-, and was on his way to deliver his letter as directed, when he was accosted by a young man who asked him where he was going, on learning which, he said,

"Go with me, and I will help you to get work."

Where are you going?"

"I am going to the theatre, and I will there introduce you to persons who will help you."

were peopled in the same proportion as the British Islands, there would be in all 220 times as many inhabitants as there now are in the United Kingdom, or the globe would contain six thousand six hundred millions, being about eight times its : present population. Here is work for thoughtful boys. W. L.

"I can't go-1 promised my father I would not go to a theatre."

Just as the noble boy said this, an elderly man passed him on the sidewalk, and heard the remark. He stopped, and said,

"I am glad to see a boy who remembers his promise to his father. Who are you, my lad?"

James told his name and errand. "Well, go with me, and I will help you."

And where are you going, Sir ?"

"I am going to a prayer-meeting. The minister whom you are seeking will probably be there also, and after the meeting is over I think I can help you to work."

James went with the gentleman to meeting, after which he was introduced to the clergyman to whom his father had written. While he was presenting his letter, the gentleman who brought him there was talking to another man-his partner in business. Then turning again to James, he said,

"Come to our shop to-morrow, and if you hold out as you have begun, you shall never want for friends or employment."

The minister advised him to go, telling him it was one of the best business firms in the city. James went, and was at once received. His strict integrity, industry, and faithfulness endeared him to his employers. He steadily rose from one place to another still higher, until he became a partner in the firm. He still maintained his integrity, walking in the fear of God, and now, after many years, continues to be greatly respected by all who know him, and greatly blessed in all his business relations. He often says he owes all his prosperity to that promise made to his father.

Will our young men take heed to this lesson?

H.

LITTLE MARIE.

LITTLE MARIE was an orphan; a woman had the care of her, but she was hard and unfriendly to the child, and made her work very hard, so that she grew unhappy, and often wept, and longed to be with her father and mother in heaven.

In winter, Marie was compelled to go to the forest to gather wood, and if she did not bring enough to the house, the bad woman received her with harsh words, and often beat her. Once Marie was obliged to go out in the forest, and she went weeping on her way, for although the winter was nearly over it was still cold; and Marie's clothes were scanty and much worn, for since her parents died she had received no new ones. When she came to the forest she sought diligently for the dry boughs, bending hither and thither, till her little hands could grasp no more. Now she wished to go to the house, and came to an open space in the forest; there she saw under a tree a snowdrop standing, and because she was so tired from stooping and running, she sat down beside it, and laid her bundle of wood near her. As she sat there she looked at the flower, and thus addressed it: "What a lovely green garment hast thou, dear snowdrop! that adornest thyself so beautifully; wilt thou not also freeze, as I, poor child, shall in my torn garments? And such a beautiful white cap as thou wearest I will never receive from the bad woman."

So speaking, she laid her head upon the bundle of wood, and began again to weep bitterly, till at last she fell asleep. Then she dreamed that a slight wind moved the snowdrop, and she heard it begin to ring and tinkle softly. Then little Marie perceived the snowdrops that yet sleep in the earth rub the winter sleep from their eyes, stretch their limbs, and come forth to the daylight, open their cups, and begin to ring lightly, lightly, with silvery tones, so that it re-echoed very wonderfully. But Marie never awoke from that

beautiful dream, but went dreaming to heaven, and to her father and mother.

When they sought her on another day, they found her dead, surrounded by the blooming snowdrops, who covered her even in death with their green leaves.

LITTLE EDDIE; OR, "PRAY GOD."

EDDIE was a fine boy of two years old. His father was an eminent minister of the Gospel, and his mother had taught him, even thus early in his life, the name of God.

He was a very intelligent and lively little fellow. Busy as a bee all day, cheeked like rosy apples, and full of health and frolic-he was the joy of the household.

At family prayers he would sit upon his mother's knee and listen to his father-whom he loved-as if he understood every word. We don't know how much even little children gather up, when we think they are inattentive, or that what we say is above their comprehension. At least, it happened that little Eddie, with a child's faith, rebuked, on one occasion, both his father and mother.

For, upon a time, this dear boy was taken suddenly and alarmingly ill. He complained that he could not swallow, that he could scarcely breathe. His father was sent for; and general consternation prevailed. No physician was at hand, and the malady waxed rapidly worse. One remedy after another, such as were suggested to the parents and family, were tried, and all without avail. It appeared certain that the darling sufferer must soon die, unless relief was speedily obtained.

The poor little fellow well knew two things all this time,-that he was in great pain, and that every effort was making for his relief. He could see also, perhaps, though so young, that his parents were much alarmed. He was their darling, and they were at their wits' end.