The Rick Burners. 89 was said by his tempters seemed to be right; his heart was filled with discontent at his own station, he was sullen and uncivil to his master, and at the same time very full of misery himself, he listened with such ruinous attention to the wicked arguments of mischievous men, and was so led on by the temptations of the devil, that he lost all regard for the life and property of others, and at length actually set fire to his master's barn, and brought the farmer and his family to ruin, and caused the death of the farmer's wife, who had many a time shewn him marks of great kindness in the hour of sickness and distress. The farmer did not know who had done him this injury; but having lost his property he became a beggar: and all the men that he had employed, of course lost their employment. Ned the labourer left that country, and got out of the sight of all those scenes which he could not look at without affright and misery. But a man cannot fly from his own conscience. He was tormented in his thoughts, sleeping and waking; and, when a fever raged in the village where he had gone to live, he was seized with it, and laid on his bed. Then came his past crimes into his mind with increased torment. The clergyman of the parish visited him; and sought to lead him to such reflections as his case required. One day, whilst the worthy minister was discoursing with him, a poor beggar came to the door; this was the ruined farmer himself, he who had been Ned's master, and had been ruined by him and his wicked companions; but the beggar did not at first know his former labourer. The death of Ned is described in a manner truly awful, and the rage and bitterness of his soul in the midst of his fears, may be conceived by those who know the horrors occasioned by a raging fever working upon a conscience stung with guilt. The whole of the tract is well worth reading, and is likely to be productive of much good. May God lead us all in HIS WAYS, and keep us from the temptations which would lead us to sin. V. LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE have met with a very nice little book, called "Uncle Newbury's Maxims." It contains twelve moral maxims, which Uncle Newbury was in the habit of repeating to his boys, as a set of short rules, which he exhorted them to keep in mind. These short rules are brought out in the little book, for practical purposes, in a very lively manner. The first maxim is "Pick your road;" that is, look and consider well what you are doing and whither you are going, and ask yourself, whether you are proceeding in that Christian course which will bring you to that happy home to which you ought to be aiming. We may probably find some future opportunity of giving our readers a few specimens of the lively style of instruction used by Uncle Newbury, in his address to his boys. At present our eyes are directed to the sixth maxim "Look on the other side." A gentleman was looking for the sign of the Green Dragon; and he went up the street and down the street, backwards and forwards, but no Green Dragon could he see. He enquired of a porter where the sign of the Green Dragon was,-" Look on the other side," said the man and there, sure enough, was the sign staring him in the face. The gentleman had only looked on one side of the street. We all know the story of the two knights who killed each other in a quarrel about a shield, one declaring it was gold, and the other silver. If they had each "looked on the other side," they would have known that one side was gold and the other silver, and their lives would have been been spared. (This story is in our 1st volume, page 29.) The gentleman got a card from the Green Dragon, about the coaches that go from the inn; but be could not find the information that he wanted. He went back to the coach-office to Look on the other side. 91 learn all the particulars. "Look on the other side, sir," said one of the clerks; and there, on the other side of the card was printed all that he wanted to know. He went away smiling at his own simplicity, and determined in his mind from that moment, whatever question was before him, to "look on the other side." The same gentleman remembered, too, that, when he was a boy, somebody had set up a frightful figure on one side the road, and he tried in passing it, to get as much on the other side as he could, and he walked into a deep muddy ditch: we cannot wonder that he should be brought to a resolution of always looking on the other side." 66 It would be well for us all if we would imitate him in this, and make as good a use of the rule as he did. Whatever strong declaration is made to us, we may be pretty sure that there is something to be said on the other side; and we shall show but very little wisdom, if we form our resolution before we have taken time to consider both sides of the question. 1. ONE SIDE. Many parts of the country are in a grievous state, and many workmen shew a savage and wicked disposition, and have no regard for the rights of others, injuring and burning their property, and shewing a complete ignorance of the cause of their sufferings, and bringing destruction not only on others but on themselves. LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE. Many of the labouring people in England are well instructed in the truths of religion, and are contented with their lot, and thankful for the blessings which they have in this country, far beyond what any other country could give them; and they know that much of the present distress arises from there being more workmen than can be profitably employed: but they know that this is not the fault of the government or of the landholders, and they moreover feel that nothing should induce them to join in those outrages which are now so common: they know they are "to do to others what they would wish others to do to them." 2. ONE SIDE. The wages are lower than they were a few years ago; and the farmers will not employ all the hands, and raise the wages enough. LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE. The farmers will always employ as many men as can bring profit to them; and no other rule can ever be acted upon for long together; but, if a farmer can afford to pay eight men 12s. a week, he can only give 8s. if he is required to take twelve men. 3. ONE SIDE. A machine puts many people out of work. LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE. But it puts many people into work, and it does the work so much faster, that things can be sold a great deal cheaper for it: a shirt or a pair of stockings can be got now by a labouring man for half what they cost, before improved spinning and weaving machines were introduced; and, as machinery for printing and for making paper having been introduced, a book may be now got for a few shillings which formerly cost more than a hundred pounds. Those whose trade it was to copy out books with the pen, were at first greatly injured when the machinery for printing was introduced; but thousands more of people are now employed in book-making than were before employed in copying: and so it is in every branch of trade. Machinery makes more demand, and therefore, in the end, employs more people, though a few are at first injured. 4. ONE SIDE. Jack Sims, the carpenter, says he does not see why the squire should have a large estate in land, and the Look on the other side. 93 poor should have none: it would be better to have it divided equally. THE OTHER SIDE. Hold your tongue, for a blockhead, said Will Soams, the butcher. If all the land in this kingdom were divided amongst all the people, we should none of us have more than about the worth of six pounds a year a piece, and that would give us about 2s. 3d. a week; that would be a capital change to be sure!why both you and I get more out of the squire than that; and many labourers get out of him five or six times as much already, and we spend it among the neighbours, and so it goes round and does good. Your plan would ruin us all in six months! 5. ONE SIDE. I don't see why the clergyman need be paid so much. THE OTHER SIDE. If a clergyman takes pains to teach us what is good, I never would be mean enough to grudge him all that he gets. But, even if I learned nothing from the sermon, I could have no comfort if I could not go every Sunday to join in the worship of God in prayer. But without saying a word about this, the clergyman, you know, spends his money among us; the produce of his land or his tithes is spent, and we are all the better for this, at any rate. Besides, neither you nor I pay any thing to the clergyman: some part is paid by land left many years ago: some farmers pay tithes, but they pay less rent for it; and the squire is the chief loser. But our squire bought the land for less, because it was not tithe-free, and so he cannot and does not complain. A rich merchant left the estate to the great grandfather of the last squire; but he bound him down to pay a tenth part of the produce for the support of a parish minister; and this is the way that most churches are supported, without the present people being required to maintain them. |