of his position, leaped upon the man's back, cleared the wall, and made off.

Scrofula.-In the last lecture at St. Thomas's Hospital, Sir Astley Cooper said, in part of his lecture on this complaint

Children with scrofulous affections, or even those predisposed to them, should take a great deal of exercise in the open air; more, however, in the way of play than as a task. At schools in general too little exercise is taken by the scholars. Boys, however, have it; but not so the girls: they are frequently compelled to sit from morning till night, engaged in learning music, dancing, geography, French, and Italian, without paying the slightest attention to the preservation of their health, and thus impairing constitutions which might have been rendered strong and robust. It is not my wish to discourage the cultivation of the human mind in any degree, nor even to prevent the fairer sex from attaining accomplishments; but I think it the extreme of folly to compel children to pass hours over pursuits for which they have no taste, while their health is neglected and constitutions are ruined by the confinement to which they are subjected. The mischiefs thus arising from the false system of education at present pursued in this country, so frequently come before my notice, that I wish what I have said to be generally known, in order that future misery may be prevented, and the physical education of our youth be better directed. Exercise should not be taken so as to fatigue the body; when children felt themselves weary they should rest a little till they recover.— When the state of the weather prevents them from taking exercise in the open air, they should play in a large airy chramber, taking care that the perspiration excited should not be checked by any improper means, as is too often done with thoughtless and giddy children; and by this means they will be brought up with constitutions invigorated so as to ward off the attacks of a disease to which they were pre-disposed. I do not exaggerate when I say, that within this last year, I have seen five hundred cases of scrofulous affections; never a day passes over my head without my seeing a case, and frequently three or four. This very day I have seen more; and if asked how many were boys among them, I should answer not one. What is the reason of it? Why, boys will take exercise, and thus are less liable to the complaint; whilst girls are not allowed, and if pre-disposed to it, are almost always attacked by it.

It is a mistake to suppose, that the air of the coast in the wet and cold seasons is of any advantage to scrofulous children; it is only in warm and dry weather that any benefit will be obtained. Extreme cold suppresses the progress of scro fulous complaints; but in moist weather the symptoms re

turn. In the latter part of the spring and autumn, the seacoast is desirable; but in cold weather it is not. The bleakness of the air on the sea-shore is unfavourable to the constitutions of children tainted with scrofulous complaints. Air, exercise, and nourishment, are the three great points to be kept in view in the treatment of scrofulous affections. But what, will you say nothing about medicine? Gentlemen, you may lay it down as an axiom, that there is no specific for the cure of the scrofula; and he who says that there is, attempts to gull mankind by the assertion of what is not true. Medicines occasionally given with a view to improve the digestive powers and regulate the secretions, are good; but attention to the three points I have just mentioned are of primary importance. From the Lancet.

We do not suppose that our cottage readers are likely to get into the error above described, of confining their children in the house that they may learn accomplishments. They will, however, see the opinion of one of the most eminent surgeons in London as to the best means of preserving the health of their children-attention to air, exercise, and diet. The children of country labourers are, however, generally more healthy than any others; and the reason probably is, that they have more air and exercise. Many of them, indeed, go to school for several hours in the day, and this is good and excellent, but they have still plenty of time left for play and exercise in the open air.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

WE have received the communications of T. B. P.; J. W. B. ; Magister; Josiah Williams; E. M.; E. W. B.; Reflections on New Year's Day; E. O.; Regulations for Charity Schools ; N. C. T.; Remarks on the Index; and Veritas.

"A Lover of Truth" will, on reflection, be of opinion that we could not, with propriety, give publicity to his Letter.

We shall be glad to accept N. C. T.'s obliging offer.

We believe that the parochial libraries to which a Correspondent alludes were intended solely for the use of the poorer Clergy, and therefore not applicable to our Cottage readers.

Nothing has yet appeared in the "Visitor" on the subject which E. W. B. alludes to. We shall be obliged by the information which he is able to give us,

THE

Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

DECEMBER, 1824.

REMARKS ON THE TWENTIETH AND TWENTYFIRST CHAPTERS OF GENESIS.

(Continued from Page 487.)

IN nothing is the difference between religious and irreligious persons more easily seen, than in the different eyes with which they look upon the sins of others, especially of those who are thought to be religious. An unholy person looks on the failures of the righteous, and he triumphs; for he sees in them an excuse for his own iniquities, an occasion for representing religion as vain and ineffective, and the profession of it as hypocrisy he shuts his eyes to the general tenor of a righteous man's life, turns away from considering the nature and strength of that principle by which he is usually enabled to resist temptation, and, opening them only to any instance of failure, takes occasion from it to endeavour to persuade himself and others, what all the time he knows to be false, that there is no reality in religion, and that religious men are, in the main, much like others. A truly religious person, on the other hand, looks upon the sins of others, and he blushes, for he sees in them our common nature, he sees what he himself might do if not withheld by grace: he looks at them, and he says to himself, be not high-minded, but fear." He feels for the dishonour done to God, and for what must be the NO. 48.-VOL. IV.

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sufferings of the offender when brought to repentance. "Who is weak," says the Apostle, "and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?"It is with such feelings that we approach to consider another instance of that dissimulation in Abraham which we noticed in Chapter xii.

V.2. "And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister," &c. We are astonished at this second instance of equivocation in Abraham: but two circumstances deserve to be remarked; and they apply not only to this offence of Abraham, but to other instances of gross sin, which we meet with in the patriarchs of the Old Testament. In the first place, the tone of morals, the prevailing ideas of right and wrong, were much lower than they are in Christian countries. Among heathens, who have not the Word of God in their hands, many things are scarcely thought wrong which every body in a Christian country knows at once to be so. Recollect how the Apostle warns his new converts from Paganism against practices which seem to have been common in the heathen world : (Col. iii. 5-9.) and Abraham's mind would be in continual danger of being influenced by the faulty opinions of those around him. It is a great blessing to live among watchful Christians, and it helps much to keep us on our guard. Let any one, who has been used to such a society, be placed among those who have been brought up without care and without instruction, and he will soon find the dif ference, and learn the meaning of the Apostle's exhortation, "Ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men." In the second place, the extreme impartiality with which the sacred historians write, should be taken into the account. They do not, as is sometimes done, set off the best parts of a character to advantage, and gloss over the rest; all is brought forward. And how would it be with any one of us, if we were

produced in the same manner, and if all those errors and inconsistencies which are known only to God, or our own family and intimate friends, were brought into view? Look back only on the past week: would every word and action stand the scrutiny? And recollect, too, that Abraham's temptation to swerve from the truth was no common one : he imagined his life to be in danger. The sins of good men are not written to encourage us in what is wrong, but to warn us against it.

V. 3." And God came to Abimelech," &c. A father's heart is such towards his child, that he will acknowledge him under circumstances in which any but a parent would disown him; and, as a father pitieth his own children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him :" and thus did Abraham find favour.

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V. 6." Withheld." How great an evil is sin! Abimelech was withheld from it; probably at the expence of pain and sickness, which yet is represented as a special favour and blessing.

V.11. "I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place." It is an error which we are all apt to run into, to imagine the fear of God to be confined to our own little circle. Surely, we say, the fear of God is not here. But a little more observation shews us that many who say but little on religious subjects, are still willing to listen, and desirous to learn, and are really anxious to improve in the knowledge of God, and to increase in his love.

Remarks on the 21st Chapter of Genesis.

V. 2." For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son," &c. "Through faith, also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised *.

*Heb. xi. 11.

Let