Do you know that there are a great number of bad thoughts determined to do all they can to lead young people astray. The first thing they do is to get into the heart; sometimes through the, eye, sometimes through the ear, and often through the mouth, by the help of the tongue. When once they get into the heart it is a very difficult matter to get them out again. gant to say, that the restraints of human | you could get for a hundred pounds. governments might, in no very long time, be almost entirely dispensed with. But in the way of the attainment of an end at once so important and desirable, there are serious difficulties. One is to know in detail precisely what is meant by the expression train up a child in the way he should go.' And another is, having to do with corrupt and degenerate human nature, to carry this knowledge into practise, under the almost infinite variety of circumstances which are liable to arise. And these are difficuities it must be confessed, of no trifling magnitude. But if they cannot he entirely overcome, those who have the most earnest desire to know their duty, and are the most faithful in its discharge, feeling most deeply their dependence on the divine assistance, will be likely to make the nearest approaches to it. How deep, then, must be the responsibility of those who have committed to their charge the moral and intellectual training of the young, even when we have reference to the present life alone. For the best hopes of society are not founded upon human governments, except so far as they are reformatory in their operation; for a perfect system of penal enactments, even if such a system were a possible thing, would after all be but a choice of evils-a capitulating to one enemy to avoid falling into the hands of another and more formidable one; the infliction of a positive injury upon an individual to protect the community of which he is a member from a greater. Nor yet are they founded upon public opinion as expressed by the action of human societies, for these do but lop off, here and there a luxuriant branch, while the main roots of the tree of evil remain entire. But eminently and em phatically, they are founded upon the ef forts of the nursery and the school, for these are competent if rightly directed, to extinguish the very seeds of evil, before they shall have had time to germinate. THE SEVEN THOUGHTS. WHETHER you are a little boy, or a little girl, listen to me, for I am about to tell you something worth knowing. Listen to me, I say; for if you take my advice, it will do you more good than There are so many of them that I will not pretend to tell you their names. All that I can do is, to tell you how seven of them, the other day, deceived a foolish little girl, and led her into a great deal of trouble. Their names are, 1. Very nice; 2. Nothing so easy; 3. No one sees me; 4. Only this once; 5. Nobody will know; Never mind; and, 7. Ï don't care. 6. The little girl-I will not tell you her name, for I have some hope that, in future, she will act a wiser part, and set her face against these bad thoughts, that took such advantage of her. The little girl happened to be left alone, in a room in which was the cupboard where the sweetmeats were kept. She turned her eyes toward the cupboard, and began to think of the sweetmeats. The bad thoughts that I have mentioned were buzzing about, and Very nice, who well knew of what she was thinking, whispered that the sweetmeats in the cupboard were the nicest things in the world, so that she longed to taste them. He kept on saying 'Very nice, very nice,' till she looked at the cupboard harder than ever. But the little girl knew that the sweetmeats were kept on the top shelf, higher than she could reach, and perhaps this would have prevented her thinking any more about the matter, had not Nothing so easy pointed out to her that there was no difficulty in the matter, for the stool on which she was sitting was just the thing for the purpose; it almost seemed as if it had been made for the occasion. The little girl took it so kind of Very nice and Nothing so easy, to help her as they did, that she let them get into her heart without any trouble. She laid hold on the stool to carry it to the cupboard, but her heart failed her, and she began to tremble. At that moment No one sees me, came to encourage her. He reminded her that the door was shut, that her mother wuold not come back again for some time, and that, being alone, she was quite safe, for that no one in the world could see her. All this helped her on greatly, and she again laid hold of the stool, when the thought struck her, that if she were to go many times to the cupboard, the sweetmeats would get less and less, and she would be found out. 'Not at all! not at all!' whispered Only this once; 'for you never need go again, and then what you take will never be missed. Remember, it will be only this once.' But suppose any one should ever know it,' thought she, 'what would become of me? I should be in a sad disgrace. I really must give up the sweetmeats.' 'But why should you give them up?' whispered, Nobody will know; you will never have such another opportunity. It is now or never. You need not be frightened, for on my word and honour, nobody will know.' The little girl was now half-way to the cupboard; for she had let No one sees me, Only this once, and Nobody will know, into her heart; so that she felt strong in her resolution, at least, to taste the sweetmeats, if she did no more. Before, however, she had placed the stool to get upon it, she heard, or fancied she heard a noise. At that moment she certainly would have given the matter up, had not Never mind, and I don't care, both whispered in her ears together. You foolish girl,' said Never mind; 'there is nothing to fear. You have not half spirit enough. What is the use of making such a fuss about taking a little sweetmeat? I would never mind any body.' ་ Very good advice,' added I don't care; a faint heart never did any good yet, and never will; the way to go through the world is to care for nobody. If I were you, I would never lose this opportunity of having a treat. Just mount on the stool, and you will be able to reach down one of the jars directly.' The five bad thoughts that had got into the poor silly girl's heart kept the door of it ajar, and at last flung it wide open, when in entered Never mind, and I don't care, at the same moment. The poor silly girl then placed the stool just right, mounted hastily upon it, and was in the very act of reaching up to a pot of preserves, when the foot of her mo ther made the boards by the door creak, and so frightened her that she lost her balance; the stool slipped on one side, and down she came. I will not lengthen out my story further; but only tell you, in few words, that the foolish girl strained her ankle, and terribly bruised her arm; that she had a dozen leeches to suck away the black blood, kept her bed a fortnight, taking nauseous physic all the time, and then for a month hobbled about the house with a crutch. Had this foolish little girl been in the habit of praying to God to keep her from temptation, how differently she would have acted! Not one of these bad thoughts would she have allowed to get possession of her heart. She would have turned her back on Very nice, and not listened to him for a moment. She would have told Nothing so easy to take himself off, for though it might be easy to steal, it would be very hard to bear the consequences. She would have pointed out the falsity of No one sees me, by telling him that God sees every body in every place. She would have sent Only this once about his business, well knowing that if she were tempted to do wrong once, she would be sure to do it again. She would have stopped the mouth of Nobody will know, by telling him that God knows all things. And she would have assured Never mind, and I don't care, that though they had wickedly led hundreds of young people into sin and misery, they should not do so with her; for that she would have nothing to do with them. In one word, she would have run away from the sweetmeat cupboard to her mother, and escaped the temptation. TO MY SON. My little boy! I love to see Thy restless limbs, thy earnest gaze! My little boy! I love to hear Oh! what, dear boy, in future years A moment's space let dreams like these May Christ, my son, whose child thou art, And late, or soon, heaven's joy to win! MILLENNIAL VOICES. Hark! what melodious sounds are they? Across the ocean's foam. They are not like the battle cry Nor come they with the sad complaint Nor with the lonely voice, and faint, But sweetly, like the swelling notes The tuneful gondolier. They come from Europe's polished throng; From isles, whose rocky caves prolong From many an Asiatic town, Or mines of rich Peru; They are the notes of grateful praise; Among whose fallen altars shines The dwellers on the mountain brow While cities swell the sounds that flow SONNET ON THE RECENT MOVEMENTS IN FAVOUR OF PAPACY. Shall we not battle for the holy faith By Jesus left us? Shall the Jesuit guile On, to the conflict; let believing prayer Of papal ignorance-its yoke to tear From those whom it enslaves-that earth may be REVIEW. HAPPY EVENINGS; or, the Literary Institution at Home. By CLARA LUCAS BALFOUR, Author of 'The Women of Scripture,'' Moral Heroism,' &c. Houlstone & Stoneman. 12mo. pp. 320. THE book before us suggests one of the various means which may be employed to make home happy, and that is, by every member of the family seek. ing to contribute his share of interest and instruction for the benefit of the rest. The thread by which the various parts of the volume are bound together is the following: a small family, consisting chiefly of intelligent and well disposed young persons, with one or two advanced in years, resides in a dull, sequestered place, where there is no society, public library, literary institution, &c, and is thrown on its own resourses for the interest and enlivenment of the long winter evenings. They agree to form themselves into a kind of literary association, and to occupy two or three evenings in the week while gathered around their social hearth by the reading of a paper, produced by its various members in succession, and the conversation or discussion arising out of it. The plan is tried and is found to answer well. One topic suggests another, and thus every one gives the result of his or her reading and observation, and all are innocently and usefully engaged, and in reality instructed and improved. The aged as well as the young contribute to the general benefit, and none of the ordinary engagements or duties of the family are suspended or interrupted. Mrs. Balfour has claims on our gratitude for suggesting so rational and useful an idea as this, even if the book itself had no other merit. It is easy to conceive that many a family circle in this land is fully competent to profit by it, and that the attempt to act upon it would in most cases succeed, would increase the attractions of the home circle, and tend to general good. But the book has a value in itself. The papers supposed to be read, and the observations upon them, are interesting, and valuable. Bound together as they are with a kind of narrative, when the reader has entered on the perusal of them he is insensibly led on from one evening to another, so as, at length, to wish he had been one of the happy family, and to feel that he is willing to make the experiment himself of promoting domestic and social enjoyment. The evenings given are twelve or fourteen. The subjects are 'Small means and great ends,' prejudice, credulity, chivalry, poets, oddities, domestic morals, female letter writers, &c., DIVINE PROVIDENCE considered and illustrated. By CHARLES HARGREAVES. Ward & Co. 12mo pp. 232. THIS Volume contains a series of essays which are well deserving a close perusal. The subject of Divine Providence is broad and deep, and though there are many mysteries connected with it, and many events occur which are inscrutable to us short sighted mortals, there will ever be that which will furnish materials for profound and useful reflection to the devout and observant mind. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein,' is language applicable as well to the providence as to the creation of God. We have had much pleasure and profit in the reading of these judicious and well written essays. The subjects are,-The existence of God. The providence of God. The wisdom, the goodness, the equity, the mystery, the uncontrolableness of Providence. Providence overruling accidental events, operating by simple means, fulfilling prophecy, effecting conversion, answering prayer, and interposing in extremity. These various topics are unfolded at length. Numerous facts are brought forward to illustrate the principles which are advocated, and the holy Scriptures are constantly appealed to for their support. We have met with no work on this important subject more suitable to put into the hands of the young and inquiring. THE CORE OF CREEDS, or, St. Peter's, THE HISTORY OF GREECE from the earliest THIS small volume consists of a series of discourses on Matt. xvi. 13-19. The propositions discussed are: that the right idea of Christ is the most important element in human creeds-that the idea of a redeeming God is an element in human blessedness-that it is a subject of divine communication-that it is fundamental to all true association-that it qualifies for the highest office. The writer is evidently a man of a vigorous and independent mind. He is fond of enunciating great principles, and fearless in his mode of doing so. We doubt, however, whether the style of preaching which they exhibit is adapted to win or to convince. The whole discourses have the peculiarity of presenting old truths in so singular a garb that they seem to be new, and are some time before they are recognized. We have seen this style of pulpit address greatly commended: but should hesitate to join in such commendation. ANECDOTES, Moral and Religious. Alphabetically arranged, and interspersed with Similies, Proverbs, and Poetry. By MATTHEW DENTON. Second series. Ward & Co. 12mo pp. 232. THE anecdotes are gathered from all quarters. They have evidently been the accumulation of years, and have been picked up in conversation as well as in reading. Some of them are avowedly 'altered,' and others have become so mutilated by passing. through many hands that they would scarcely be recognized by those with whom they originated. While the book is readable, and may be useful, it furnishes a curious illustration of the little dependance that can be placed on any traditional testimony, as in some cases it is clear that the prime point of the anecdote has been lost. period to the Roman conquest; with a sketch of its modern history to the present time. Adapted for schools and families. By MISS CORNER, author of the History of Rome, of Italy, and Switzerland, &c., &c., &c. With questions to each chapter, a full chronological table and a map. 18mo pp. 232. Dean & Son, Threadneedle-street. THIS is a very useful compendium. The leading events in the history of this classic country and people are presented in a lucid style; and with the questions and tables, the work is very suitable for its purpose. PAPA AND MAMA'S EASY LESSONS IN GEOGRAPHY; or, the elements of Geography in a new and attractive form. By ANNA MARIA SARGEANT. Thomas Dean and Son. pp. 90. THE various wood cuts with which this little book is embellished, of islands, peninsulas, continents, mountains, bays, friths, seas, &c., will add to its interest and instructiveness to the juvenile pupil. The form in which the elements are given is that of a familiar conversation. It is a very pretty book for children. THE PUBLIC GOOD, a monthly magazine. Office, 20, Paternoster Row. THE POETIC COMPANION, for the fireside, the fields, the woods, and the streams. Lowells Court, Paternoster Row. THESE are excellent periodicals; both published at the same price, two pence. The former has eighty columns of interesting matter. We are the more pleased with it as it displays a becoming regard for revealed religion, of which Chambers,' Howitts,' &c., are apparently oblivious. |
