The sim require a certain wooing on our part to retain them to our aid. 1 Yet this truth, without the presence of true living faith, is mere words; Faith, the all-powerful! by which many have subdued kingdoms, but not such as the ambitious worldling would subdue; secured to themselves crowns, not of fading laurels, but crowns of glory, such as Christ the righteous Judge shall give. May we all, dear readers, be included in the number of those, to whom this blessed archangel ministers; for with her we have a legion of comforters, and can say with Elisha, when in the midst of surrounding foes: " Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." THE MORNING OF LIFE. BY THE EDITOR. Some years ago, an eminent royal ambassador, from a remote heathen nation, visited our country. The Government paid him all the attention due such a distinguished personage. After travelling over many States, visiting public libraries and museums, and forming the acquaintance of men celebrated in Church and State, he returned to New York. On a certain Sunday afternoon, a friend invited him to visit one of the large Sunday-schools of that city. He listened, with mute admiration, to these hundreds of tidily-clad children, repeating passages, whose wisdom far surpassed any thing he had ever read in the writings of Confucius. Then, with voices sweet as angels use, they warbled hymns of praise to their loving Father. At a given signal, they all rose to their feet, folded their little hands, closed their eyes, and prayed with loud and united voices to the Supreme being. Tears stood in the Pagan's eyes. Walking away from the school with his frieud, he remarked: "Of all the wonders I have seen in this wonderful country, this is the most wonderful." Beautiful is the sea of upturned faces in such a school. Like flowers in a fertile garden;-in the morning they all open heavenward-turn their hearts towards the dew and sun. In the evening, alas! many turn their hearts towards the earth. Those who improve the morning well, will retain the cheery love of children till the eventide of life. All others must surely wilt and bend earthward. Life's morning is its loveliest season. "Heaven lies about us in our infancy! 6 Every word and action receives a beauteous hue from the fresh breath and dew of early day. It is the time to sow good seed into the heart's wheat-field. The season to lay foundations; foundations of the body, by temperate, virtuous and industrious habits; foundations of the mind, by studious discipline; foundations of the soul, by learning the Scriptures and forming habits of devotion and purity of life. He is an unwise builder, who attempts to push the foundation under his house after the roof has been put on. Youth is the time to make beginnings and "resist beginnings ;" to begin the right, to resist the wrong "the first approach of sin." Why? The hearts of the young, if the children of Christian parents, possess a peculiar religious aptitude. The nearer infancy, the nearer Christ. The heart is still tender, unspoiled by sinful habits. The mind is not burdened with the thousand cares and drawbacks of later life. The memory is retentive. Truth easily takes root, and takes it deep and durably. The prayers of childhood are not yet forgotten. And these are the most heavenly we ever learn. The youth are still under the care and counsel of their pious parents. These provide them with every thing for the body, and lead them by the hand to Christ, the provider for and protector of the soul. They know what they need-what is best for them. Once they get beyond the hearth of their parents, who will care for them-will lead and love them as a father or a mother can? Wonderful is the love which Christ has for children- for the young. He takes them in His arms, and presses them to His warm heart. To children He points us for our best examples-our models of piety. Are they without sin? Alas! no. But the evil is held in subjection, is undeveloped; the good and pure predominate. A child loves Christ with as unquestioning simplicity as its does its mother. It is as easy for it to pray as it is to eat. Those were touching and true prayers some of us learned in childhood. The lips that taught them to us are silent in the grave, but their prayers live on in us and others forevermore. We have learned many others since; have tried to improve in this heavenly art of praying. Alas! we have gained nothing since then; rather, lost. The forms of childhood's devotion we may repeat in later years, but to put our hearts into them as then, is not so easy. These prayers, and verses of hymns and of Scripture, are the most precious inheritance which childhood bequeaths to mature life. "Long, long be my heart with such memories filled; Lord Shaftsbury stated, at a public meeting held in London, that he had ascertained, from personal observation, that of the adult male criminals of that city, nearly all had fallen into a course of crime between the ages of eight and sixteen years; and that if a young man lived a pious life up to twenty years of age, there were forty-nine chances in favor, and only one against him, as to an honorable life thereafter. The Jews were taught the importance of early piety. They were commanded to teach the law to their children as soon as they could speak. At twelve and thirteen, they were examined by the doctors of the Law, ES was Christ, in the temple. If their knowledge of the Law was sufficient, they were admitted into full fellowship with God's people, and were called "sons of the Law." Thenceforth, it was their duty to attend the Feasts at Jerusalem, and the other ceremonies of the Jewish Church. From the early Church down to the present, the young have been in the habit of consecrating themselves early and publicly to Christ, by confirmation. In Catholic and Protestant Germany, as a rule, all the youth are instructed in the doctrines of the Bible, and confirmed before the age of eighteen; the most at fifteen or sixteen. The young men are confirmed before they learn a trade. The foundation of a religious life is first laid. There the first duty of parents is not to prepare their sons for business, but for a pious life. For what avails the most successful business, if the soul is lost? No man, whose character has not a religious and gracious basis, is fitted for the duties and trials that await him. Life is a warfare. Its battles no one can evade. Its foes all must face. The question is, Who shall conquer? The only way to avoid an inglorious defeat, is to prepare for the fight. And this needs drilling-needs timely preparation. Without this you may have a "needle-gun" and Damascene sword, and a bulletproof armor, and yet fall. Many an old, habitual sinner, turns to the Bible, when distress and death push him into a corner. But the whole armor of God sets very awkwardly upon him. The "sword of the Spirit" he has never learned to use. An old man of seventy, with brittle bones, and unbending muscles, and stiff joints, and dim sight, and dull hearing, is a poor student of military tactics. The best and most successful warriors in Christ's army are those who enter it young. "The saints in all this glorious war, Shall conquer, though they die; Life is a race. Those that ran in ancient times, were trained to it from childhood. Even their diet was regulated with a view to their training. They had to be "temperate in all things." Think of a man of sixty entering the list, who cannot even walk fast, much less run. He is past the training time. Every one is challenged to "run the race set before us in the Gospel." Can we conceive of any thing more unreasonable, than to put off our preparation till we have spent the half or whole of our life in sin? his own. A man of sixty-five once belonged to our flock. He had been a hardworking man from his youth. He was old and feeble, yet had no home of The rent of his small log house gave him no little trouble. He might have had a house of his own, had he not been so fond of liquor. The troubles of age brought him to reflection-we trust, to sincere repentance. He was devout, and regular at church. And prayed often. But in spite of all, his old habits would sometimes get the better of him. Once, on the eve of a communion. He had a desire to go. We spoke kindly to him, but advised him not to approach the altar. We shall never forget the grief with which he obeyed our counsel. He fought manfully; alas, not always successfully, because he began too late. He was taken ill. As we entered his little room for the last time, he had his open prayer book at his side, on the bed. A few days after he fought his last battle. We hope he was saved,-if so, it was "as by fire." Among our catechumens last spring, was a young lady of sixteen. Her Christian parents had taught and trained her piously from a child. She learned her Catechism well, and was earnest and devout. After her confirmation, she took a class of poor boys in one of our mission schools. Though feeble in health, she was eager to do something for Christ and poor souls. She became an excellent teacher-courteous, prayerful, regular, and instructive A few months ago disease kept her at home. She still thought tenderly of her scholars. They had no warm clothing for winter. Must they be again cast off? She made clothing for them in her sick room. A few weeks ago she fell asleep. We prayed and spoke with her the day before. She was scarcely able to speak. Whilst standing on "Jordan's stormy banks," a sweet smile beamed through her countenance. Her poor boys came to see her die. They grieved as over their best friend. Her end was peace. The smile remained when a corpse. At her grave stood three poor boys, with patched garments, but tender, grateful hearts. she not a good teacher?" they said to us, with moistened eyes. for the one to be saved! How hard for the other! "Was How easy Nearly all the prominent pious characters of the Bible began early. Look at Samuel, when but a child; David, when a shepherd boy; good Josiah, wearing the crown at eight years of age; Daniel and his three ruddy companions, and the "Son of David." We earnestly admonish all our young readers to give to Christ the morning of their life. To-day, make sure of your salvation,-to-morrow it may be too late. Time is flying apace. Your life is shortening. Your hearts are hardening. The probabilities of your salvation are daily diminishing. "The longer wisdom you despise, The harder is she to be won." FEMALE POLITICIANS, Women are not a separate class; they are not antagonistic, unless as the present effort on the part of some few of them tends to put them in that attitude; they are not unrepresented, like the condemned victims of caste. There is no true and vital interest of the women of this land, that is not dear to the men of this land, taken collectively. There is no probability of any retrogradation in this respect; society is advancing, instead of losing ground in its estimation of the female sex. At all events, the argument drawn from this consideration yet stands. It never has been answered, and we firmly believe, that, if it were put to the intelligent female vote itself, this claim of suffrage would be decided in the negative by a majority that would settle the question forever. The second and purely political reason against female voting arises directly from the divinely ordained idea of society and the state, whatever outward form the latter may assume. It comes from the intimate and essential connection between the family and the state as composed of families. Why should not women vote? Since they are governed, why should they not have a share in the government? These questions are the offspring of the sheerest individualism. They come, too, from an entire misconception of what is meant by representation in the state. Why are they thus shut out? The answer is direct and sufficient: they are not shut out; they do vote; they are represented, and that too in the safest and most effectual way. The state, instead of disowning, holds them as its choicest treasure, as lying nearest to the very heart of political society. They vote as all our people vote for President. They choose their elector, or he is provided for them by one of the most precious ordinances of God and nature. The husband deposits the ballot for the wife; the father does the same for his unmarried daughters, as he does for his minor sons. They may differ from him, it may be said they may not trust him. That may be so in exceptional instances, but woe to the families of the land when this is generally the case, and woe to the land composed of such families. With a domestic foundation thus rotten and undermined, it would matter but little what form of government or mode of administration might be preferred. Now, what would be the effect, in this respect, of woman's voting? Would it make the family more peaceful? Would this extreme individualism which some are advocating tend to the purity and harmony of this sacred elemental structure? Would the real influence of the wife and daughter be, in that case, either as healthful or as potent as it now is? These are the questions for the philosophic statesman. In regard, however, to this analogy between white women and black men, the settlement of such questions either way would make no difference. Let black women be thus represented, let the same precious privilege of oting through their "next friends" be extended to the black wives, and the black daughters, and the case, as far as the parallelism is copcerned, is fully settled; the inconsistency which the ultraist, whether Democrat or Radical Republican, is so zealously charging, utterly disappears. To the case of unmarried women living by themselves, this second class of reasons, or the purely political, does not appear applicable; though the first is all sufficient. In respect to widows who are heads of families, it may also be said, and with still more force, that there is no reason, drawn solely from their relation to the state, why they should not vote. That, however, which we have called the social or the personal reason still retains all its force; and the only question, therefore, would be, whether the protection of their property and other interests, or any danger to it from their male neighbors, furnished an argument sufficient to outweigh it. We do not think that any one can contravene the fairness of this statement of the case, or present a reason against it, in its general aspect, that would not tend, if carried out, to undermine the deepest foundation of the political, as well as the social structure. This deepest foundation is the family; and all the reasoning for female suffrage comes from an ignoring of the peculiar character and divine sanction of the domestic institution as the real elemental unit of the state, and the ground-work of all healthful human society. This, however, demands a treatment by itself, and may therefore be deferred to another occasion. It involves the idea of household suffrage as offering one solution of a much debated and exceedingly difficult question.-Prof. Taylor Lewis. |