in a most ill-natured manner, and it is plainly rendered evident that, were she not a moneyed body, she would be quickly relegated to a position which she is perhaps much more fitted to adorn than she is that which she occupies.

contemplates taking to himself a wife, she imagines that he should first procure her opinion upon the subject. If Miss Florry buy a mantle or a dress she is offended if her judgment is not consulted in the matter. And so on ad libitum. It is Generally, the conduct of the maiden principally her nephews and nieces who aunt offers many openings for hostile are brought within the sphere of her incriticism. Notably, she often affects a fluence. Almost, in many instances, from singularity of attire and an eccentricity of the day when they can understand articudemeanour which are calculated to attract late speech, the latter are instructed to unfavourable notice. To those who feel pay court to their rich maiden aunt, in the compelled by the strongest of all motives, hope that she will "do something for viz., that of self-interest, to ostentatiously them." They are taught to put their likes recognize the maiden aunt and claim rela- and dislikes upon one side, and simulate tionship with her, all this is apt to prove affection, though they feel it not. The peculiarly aggravating. Young Spriggs, nieces are prompted to make many little who is a bit of a dandy, feels mortified trifles in the way of needle-work and emwhen any of his friends meet him with a broidery, and to present them to her. woman who is either a complete dowdy The nephews are shown that it is to their or a dressed-up "guy," exhibiting fash- interest to devote themselves chivalrously ions which are, alternately, greatly in ad- to her service and make a great pretence vance and greatly in the rear of the age. of courting her society. Whether ail this Young Spriggs's position is not rendered leads to satisfactory results is more than more comfortable by an unflinching doubtful. Certainly children are not imdetermination on his aunt's part to assert proved by the spirit of humbug and hyhers. It may be a grand thing for peo-pocrisy being infused into them at an ple to have convictions of their own, but early age. Their moral characters must it is on that account none the less un- be greatly deteriorated by their being subpleasant for those most nearly concerned jected to the treatment indicated. They to hear the maiden aunt defying contra- are taught to believe that it is quite diction and enunciating sentiments which proper for them to advance themselves make all those who hear them open their by other means than legitimate labour. eyes very widely. It is one of her most Certainly it does not improve the maiden strongly marked characteristics that she aunts, for they fail to see people as they has persuaded herself that she has thought really are. They are, moreover, denied upon every subject, and come to correct that opposition and shielded from those conclusions thereon. Indeed, it may be rude rebuffs which tend to make men and said that she flatters herself that she women better than when they have everyknows more about almost every matter thing their own way. Thus they become than does any living person. There is captious and impatient of the opinions of some excuse for this. Those who are others. Of the morality of teaching young brought into closest communication with people to act towards the maiden aunt so her are careful to avoid contradicting her. as to receive pecuniary reward we say They coincide with most of what she nothing. It would be simply impossible says, and, when disputes arise, give in to to write anything favourable. Of course, her "superior judgment." Thus she is what we have printed does not apply in unconsciously led to place greater im- all cases, but it does in a very great many. portance upon her own talents and powers This is cause for regret. Granted that generally than, under ordinary circum- this is a mercenary age, there should be stances, she might be induced to do. some check put upon the pounds, shillings, Upon the principle that despots crave for and pence spirit. The typical maiden even more power than they possess, she aunts should not be treated simply as obgrows tired of controlling those merely jects from which so much may be drawn, who voluntarily place themselves under nor should they be accorded a deference her thumb and endeavours to dictate to to which their intellectual and moral atall who cross her path. tainments do not entitle them, because they happen to possess a little money and have not many apparent ways of disposing of the same.

The interference of the maiden aunt is
not always a thing to be courted. She is
apt to lose her temper if her suggestions
be not acted upon.
If young Spriggs|

From Chambers' Journal.
THE POPE AT HOME.

twelve there was a stir; some one collected from us our invitations, which At last the hour of eleven arrived, and were not again returned; a throng of we drove to the Vatican, where the fa- velvet-clad prelates appeared at the door; mous Swiss Guard - lanky, ill-shaped then at last, surrounded by cardinals and men, it must be confessed, in yellow and monsignors, these in purple, the cardiblack trousers, with long dark-blue coats nals with little caps on, he all in white, -pointed out our way. Their hideous Pio Nono sailed in. All but the heretics costume is said, of course, to have been knelt. The heretics bowed. A Spandesigned by Michael Angelo; and an iard, who had brought a cross to be American traveller gave us the myth blessed, knelt down, prostrated himself which has grown up round its origin. upon the ground, and rubbed his fore"I will tell you," he said, "the secret head upon the foot of the pope. All the history of the uniform of the Swiss visitors had been ranged in line; and Guard. In early days the brave and fa- the pope passed along the line, giving to mous Swiss Guards were not so sedulous each person his ringed hand to kiss, the in their attendance to duty as might have whitest, plumpest little hand it had ever been expected. The soldiers of a pope been my fortune to see. He asked us in are but men after all, and just as Knights- French if we were Americans, expressed bridge Barracks are said to supply the his delight at being answered in Italian, British housemaid with many an Adonis, and pronounced the blessing, from which, so when a Swiss had failed to answer to by a polite but expressive gesture, he the roll-call, he was often found to have seemed to exclude us who were not of been detained by some trans-Tiberine the faithful: "Benedictio Dei OmnipoVenus. Thereupon, Michael Angelo in- tentis descendat super vos et maneat semvented this uniform. It is considered to per, in nomine Patris, et Filti et Spiritûs be the greatest triumph of his genius, Sancti." Then he passed into the next and he vindicated its place among the room, and we trooped into the anteforemost creations of art by the complete- chamber, to see him again as he came ness with which it fulfills its purpose. out. Ladies, and gentlemen who brought Since this uniform was invented, no ladies, had been received in the second Swiss Guard has at any time excited the room; and we met a friend who had esmost transient feeling of admiration in corted, besides an English lady, the any female breast." We reached on foot | daughter of the landlord of his lodgings. a great court-yard, to which the cardinals' Through his landlord's interest with the carriages are admitted; and after some prior of a convent he had that morning trouble in discovering the door, we found obtained admission. That is how we ourselves within the private dwelling of saw the pope. No questions had been His Holiness. Our letter was inspected asked about religion, nor, as far as we by a person who appeared to be His could ascertain, about social standing, Holiness's butler, and we were ushered The pope receives constantly, and is said through several rooms into a splendid to enjoy the proceeding very much, probchamber hung with tapestry designed by ably taking as a tribute to his sovereignRaphael. We talked a little to the offi- ty what is often nothing more than curicer of the guard who was waiting there, osity. Curiosity is sometimes not temand who spoke nothing but Italian. A pered with much respect; and we met private soldier whom we afterwards ad- at Naples two young Englishmen fresh dressed knew no language except Ger- from Eton, who, having received tickets man, and it became matter of wonder- for an audience held on Thursday, ment to us how the corps could under- left on Wednesday, after returning stand the orders of its commanders. their invitations, in order not to miss After this, Monsignor Stonor come, and, the fine weather. It may sound ungratelearning that we were Englishmen, en- ful in our mouths to say so, but it seems tertained us with a few minutes' conver- to us that the easy kind of introduction sation; then half a dozen other visitors upon which the pope grants audiences entered the room, some bearing cruci- has a tendency to make him what is exfixes and rosaries which were to receive pressively termed "too cheap." the pope's benediction. A little after,

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From Blackwood's Magazine.
FRENCH MARRIAGE.

erations of a varied nature, which justify and sometimes even require the intervenONE of the effects of the individual tion of parents and families. But the self-confidence which is so general an French carry this intervention to a length attribute of us Anglo-Saxons, is to in- which we could not support: they leave cline us to face marriage without calcu- no liberty and no action to the coming lating its cost. We do it because it couple: the whole thing is taken out of tempts and interests us at the moment, their hands: they are treated as if they trusting to luck and to our strong arms were incompetent in the question: their for the means of keeping our wife and parents undertake the negotiation for children. There is something manly and them, and handle it as governments deal vigorous in this way of acting of course with international treaties. Glaringly eviit is rash and dangerous, of course it dent as are the emotionality and the mooften leads to all kinds of worry, and it |bility of the French in other phases of sometimes ends in downright misery; their conduct, they have no application but there is a pluckiness about it which here. They find their use abundantly in commends itself to our natures. Political superficial sentiments, in the forms and economists and philosophers go on at- thoughts and words of outside existence, tacking it with unavailing arguments and in the manifestation of already existing unconvincing proofs. Right as they may affections; but, with rare exceptions, be in theory, they do not influence our they have nothing to do with the preparapractice; "improvident marriages" are tion of a marriage. Their place is taken, as numerous as ever. We are not a pru- on that one occasion, by a dry, arithmetident people in this respect, and neither cal computation of practical results, with earnest books nor eloquent discourses no excitement and with no distractions. are likely to change our tendencies. Most of us believe, in varying degrees, in our own innate power of overcoming obstacles as they arise. We do not shrink from matrimony because it may involve us in risks and difficulties; we rush at it because it attracts us at the moment, and because we are surrounded by crowds of people who have done the same before us, and have struggled somehow through the consequences of their hurry or their

error.

Where we so ordinarily listen to what we understand by love, to the temptations of the young heart in all their forms (however transitory), to our individual impressions and to our own opinions, the French consult fitnesses of relative situation, reciprocities of fortune and position, and harmonies of family intercourse. They seek to insure the future, in some degree, in its social as well as its pecuniary forms. They lay it down that passion is no guide to permanent satisfaction, and that other people than the two directly interested have, both in law and reason, a right of judgment in so grave a This does not absolutely mean

The process of the French, on this point as on so many others, is in absolute contradiction with our own. Where we decide and act, they weigh, and calculate, | case. and hesitate, and consider. They reach that pre-existing sympathies are considno resolve until they fancy they have ex-ered to be unnecessary for marriage in hausted the measurement of advantages France; but it does mean, in the disand disadvantages, until they have pon- tinctest language, that such sympathies dered over probabilities and possibilities, alone are not admitted there as a suffiuntil they imagine they have united as cient motive for an association which is many elements of success as human fore- to last till death. Sympathies wear out sight can collect. It can scarcely be said sometimes; new ones grow up from that even in England marriage is re- other contacts; eternal attachments are garded as a purely personal arrange-very rare between people who have not ment, concerning only the two immediate managed to get married, and have not parties to it. We admit, in our upper the aid of the wedded tie to hold them classes at least, that it involves consid- steadily together: but the necessities of