"He would not hear my voice, fair child!
He would not come to thee;

The face that once like springtime smiled,
On earth no more thou'lt see.

"The rose's brief, bright life of joy, Such unto him was given;

Go, thou must play alone, my boy!

Thy brother is in heaven.'

And has he left his bird and flowers?

And must I call in vain ?

And through the long, long summer hours,
Will he not come again?

"And by the brook, and in the glade, Are all our wanderings o'er?

Oh! while my brother with me played,

Would I had loved him more!"

MRS. HEMANS.

CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.

JESUS, tender Shepherd, hear me !

Bless thy little lamb to-night!

Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Watch my sleep till morning light!

All this day Thy hand has led me,
And I thank Thee for Thy care;

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me-
Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven!
Bless the friends I love so well!
Take me, when I die, to heaven,
Happy, there with Thee to dwell!

SOMET

GOD CARETH.

NOMETHING round which it mav twine
God gives every little vine.

Some little nook or sunny bower
God gives every little flower.

Some green bough or mossy sward
God gives every little bird.

Night and day, at home, abroad,
Little ones are safe with God.

A

UNKNOWN.

GRASSY mound, a simple stone,

And but the single word, "Unknown*

Unknown perhaps to some sad heart,
Who's waiting still so far apart,
And longing for the day to come

When they shall meet again at home.
Unknown to all who pass it by,

Unknown to loving ones who sigh

And think of some dear friend who died,

Pernaps just by the sleeper's side.

"Unknown" to earth, but up on high
No hero doth "unknown" e'er lie,
No life is ever spent in vain.
Each sacrifice its crown will gain.
Upon the angel's golden book,
If we some day be blest to look,
We'll find each noble deed writ down.
Each resting place to them is known,
And when the silver trumpet calls,
They'll take their place on Heaven's walls.

WILLIAM H. GARDNER

THE MASTER'S TOUCH.

N the still air music lies unheard;

rough unseen:

To wake the music and the beauty, needs
The master's touch, the sculptor's chisel keen.

Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hand;
Let not the music which is in us die;
Great Sculptor, hew and polish us; nor let
Hidden and lost Thy form within us lie.

Spare not the stroke; do with us as Thou wilt;
Let there be naught unfinished, broken, marred;
Complete Thy purpose, that we may become
Thy perfect image, O our God and Lord.

BONAR

THE BIBLE AND THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

N dealing with the liquor traffic there are three

and the government; and first, let us dwell briefly upon the drinker, because the drinker is referred to here. "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”

You will see, in the first place, that this was a time when they had no distilled liquors, or what is commonly called to-day" alcoholic liquors." You will see also that wine came first; that the world commenced on its road to drunkenness on the lighter drinks, and you will see away back in these Bible times that the Lord pronounced a woe, not only upon the men who drink, but woe upon all who tarry at the wine.

If I had the power to blot out one class or the other -I mean the lighter drinks or the strong drink-and was not possessed of the power of blotting both out, I would blot out the wine and beer, and let forty-rod whisky remain, for it is the wine and the beer which constitute the A B C's in the lesson that leads to drunkenness. The wine and the beer bear the same relation to dissipation and to drunkenness that the Sabbathschool bears to the Church-one is the recruiting service for the other; and God, thousands of years ago, pronounced His woe upon the wine and the beer drinker. Let me tell you, it is not the strong drinks upon which bur young men commence a life of dissipation. They

first drink the beer and the wine, and that creates a condition physically which demands strong drink.

But the Lord did not stop there. They seem to have had some sellers in those days, too, for you will find, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink."

I do not know who could be meant there except these fellows that are taking out license here to-daythese fellows who sell. Let me say to you that I make it a rule never to abuse a man for engaging in a lawful business; besides, I believe that the saloon-keepers are morally and socially just as good and just as pure as are the saloons they keep; and the saloons they keep are morally and socially just as good and quite as pure As is the law that authorizes them to keep the saloon; and the law which authorizes them to keep the saloons, in the sight of God is just as good and just as pure as the church-member who votes for that kind of a law.

But the Book says something more. It not only speaks of the seller, but it speaks of all the people, for

it says : "Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!" How plain that is! Anybody can understand it. "Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward." Woe unto the nation in which we live, that takes a reward from the saloon-keepers of this country! Woe unto the man who will justify this business by voting in favor of it, or by staying at home and playing the part of a coward! What is to be done to the people who justify the wicked for reward? What is to become of the money?

"They should cast their silver in the streets"—this