most in him. Still, however, as far as he went he was right. He alighted at the great town, and we parted. V. ON TEMPERANCE. THE following texts of Scripture are selected from a number of others with which we have been favoured by a correspondent, who has, in an excellent manner, arranged the practical duties of Scripture under separate heads. Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whoso is deceived thereby is not wise. Prov. xx. 1. Be not among wine-bibbers. Prov. xxiii. 20. The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty. Prov. xxiii. 21. Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. Eph. v. 18. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. Rom. xiii. 13, 14. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal. v. 21. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night till wine inflame them;-they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hand. Isaiah v. 11, 12. Take heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Luke xxi. 34. Thus plainly do the Scriptures declare that intem perance is contrary to the commands of God, that gluttons and drunkards are not walking in his ways, but are in the way to destruction. We are aware that some poor people say that the Scriptures speak not much against drinking in general, but only against drinking "wine."-They should however recollect that the usual drink of the ancients was different from ours. The strong drink, as it was called in their days, was made chiefly from the juice of the grape, and was, therefore, wine such as is drunk now by many nations in the world, where they have no beer, or spirits, as we have. Their wine is a new fresh sort of liquor made from the grape. But whatever it is that causes drunkenness, or leads to intemperance, may be considered as forbidden to be largely partaken of by Christians. The usual drink of the working people in former times, and the soldiers, was a sort of cool refreshing beverage, something like vinegar mixed with a good deal of water, which, when they were really thirsty, they were glad of; when they were not thirsty, they were better without any thing. And these people, without beer or spirits, were the strongest people upon earth. It is good food that nourishes men, not drink. Drinking has ruined half the working men in England: it ruins them in body and soul. There is more wickedness going on round an alehouse-fire in England than I can find words to describe :-and these men will talk of "Reform.” I wish there was a Reform, and a good one: but no reform will do good to such persons until there is a thorough reform among themselves. To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR, I WISH you would devote some pages to a common, but very dangerous practice; I'allude to a custom of giving stimulating improper medicines to babies.-Now St. James's Saving Club. 231 these medicines are not given as physic to cure the child of any disease, but generally to lull its senses, and make it sleep. Surely, if nature cannot be left to itself in infancy, without the aid of what may be considered drams, there can be little hope of health in after years; and I feel persuaded that many a poor woman materially injures her child's constitution by giving it, what she calls "cordials," as a baby-now most likely, instead of doing good, the cordial would be truly named poison, from its effect. Surely if mothers could be persuaded of this, they would leave off this habit. Castor oil, rhubarb and magnesia, are innocent medicines, but of a quite different nature to the drugs taken to quiet a screaming child; if any hot cordial or spiritous drink is ever good for a baby, surely the infant must be so ill, that a doctor's advice should be asked, before trying any such remedy. I shall rejoice if I have called your attention to this subject-it is repeatedly brought to my mind by instances of the mischief done by what I must call, these pernicious mixtures. March 6, 1831. A FRIEND TO THE COTTAger. RULES FOR THE MEMBERS OF ST. JAMES'S SAVING CLUB. To be opened on Monday morning, April 4, 1831, at half-past eight o'clock; and on every succeeding Monday, at the same hour, until the end of October, at 6, Hopkin Street, back of Berwick Street chapel. 1. Members will be bound by the following rules. 2. They will pay into the Club any sum not less than sixpence nor more than three shillings, and on such Mondays as may be most convenient, taking a check for the same. 3. They will withdraw their money whenever they please (but without increase) on returning their checks, and giving eight days' notice in writing. ac 4. If they shall not withdraw their money, but shall have paid in thirty shillings during the summer, cording to Rule 2, they will be entitled to orders for clothing or fuel, to the value of thirty-five shillings, and on the last Monday in October they will give in a written account of what they wish to have. 5. To prevent mistakes, which took place last year, the increase will not be given in money, for rent or bills, but a contract will be made with tradesmen, to supply coals and clothing of good quality, at a wholesale price. 6. No increase is promised on a larger deposit than thirty shillings in amount; nor to more than one member of the same family, but deposits will be received from every one who likes to make them, and thus provide against the wants of winter. Rectory House, St. James's, J. G. WARD, Rector. WONDERFUL AND BENEFICIAL USE OF MACHINERY. OUR Cottage friends are aware that our sailors, while they are on board ship, are fed with biscuits instead of bread and our sailors, I dare say, know that sometimes this biscuit has not been so good as they could wish, from having been made a long time, and the materials perhaps not quite so good as they ought to have been. In order that the flour should be purer, and the biscuits better, steam-mills for grinding the flour were, a few years ago, erected at Deptford and Portsmouth, and it was wished also to manufacture the biscuits there to prevent any adulteration; but the impossibility of accommodating and superintending the multitude of bakers that would have been required to Wonderful and Beneficial Use of Machinery. 233 knead the dough, and make it into biscuits at these establishments, would have been likely to have put a stop to the scheme, had not the ingenuity of Mr. Grant, storekeeper of Portsmouth, obviated the difficulty by the invention of a machine, by which the flour is kneaded and cut into biscuits, with an expedition inconceivable. By it 160,000 pounds of biscuit can be manufactured in twenty-four hours, constituting a day's ration for the crews of twenty sail of the line. About 5,000. has been expended on this useful machinery, but this sum will be saved to government during the first year of its employment; and this saving is not the only benefit, the biscuit being free from flintiness, and in every respect better and more wholesome than that made by hand. From the quickness with which it is made, more need not now be baked than is required for immediate use, so that our sailors will now have fresh baked biscuit, when, on the old plan, it was often mouldy and worm-eaten. The first bags of biscuit of this manufacture having in addition to the usual king's mark of the broad arrow, the word "machinery," stamped in large characters upon them, this new symbol at once struck the eyes of the superstitious tars as something very mysterious; and many were the solutions attempted of the enigma; until one, more deeply read than the rest, dropping on one knee, and rolling his quid round and round in his mouth, while tracing with his finger, and spelling and respelling over and over the ominous word, at length started up from his reverie, and exclaimed "Why, it arn't only the name of the swab of a baker-Mac Henry, Mac Henry, that's all that's in it!" And the machinery biscuit is now, consequently, known among the tars by the name of " Mac Henry's biscuit." (Chiefly extracted from the Literary Gazette.) |