The time has come when Providence is about to make justice pronounce the last word that the Old World used to pronounce by force. Gentlemen, this is not the first day that mankind are on this providential course. In our ancient Europe England made the first step and by her example, before us now for ages, she declared to the people, "you are free." France took the second step, and answered to the people, "you are sovereigns." Let us now make a third step, and all simultaneously, France, England, Germany, Italy, Europe, America, let us proclaim to all nations, "you are brothers."

CHRISTMAS BELLS

BY ALFRED TENNYSON

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year
is dying in the night ;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife ;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.

The Holy Supper is kept indeed

In whatso we share with another's need;
Not what we give, but what we share,-
For the gift without the giver is bare ;
Who gives himself with his alms feeds three,
Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.

A CHRISTMAS HYMN

BY ALFRED DOMETT

He was born in 1811 and

Domett was an English poet. died in 1887. This is his best-known poem.

It was the calm and silent night!

Seven hundred years and fifty-three
Had Rome been growing up to might,

And now was queen of land and sea.
No sound was heard of clashing wars —
Peace brooded o'er the hushed domain;
Apollo, Pallas, Jove, and Mars

Held undisturbed their ancient reign,
In the solemn midnight,
Centuries ago.

'Twas in the calm and silent night,
The senator of haughty Rome
Impatient urged his chariot's flight,
From lordly revel rolling home;
Triumphal arches, gleaming, swell

His breast with thoughts of boundless sway;

What recked the Roman what befell

A paltry province far away,
In the solemn midnight,
Centuries ago?

Within that province far away,

Went plodding home a weary boor;

A streak of light before him lay,

Fallen through a half-shut stable door