out interfering with regular duties; and if it attempts to intrude itself upon the wrong day, it is told to 'bide its time.' "But the "ill health" you mention?' Yes, that is a drawback, yet not entirely so. It is certainly true, that I have sometimes risen from my bed to attend the meeting; but then I always tell the mothers so, and appeal to their compassion; reminding them, that though I cannot speak loud, they can be quiet; though I cannot enforce order, they can maintain it; and I really believe that the secret of our so soon getting into order was the working of the spirit of sympathy with me. As soon as they felt that something depended upon them, they set about it in good earnest. But that I But that I may not by this convey to your mind any wrong idea of the kind of discipline necessary, I will just say that such an appeal must always be made to them as a company; that anything approaching to a monitorial system would be ruinous in such a meeting, since nothing requires more watchfulness than to keep down the spirit of jealousy. A good presiding officer must be really absolute, though as little apparently so as possible. "Long as this letter is, I will not apologise for it. I feel that to you there is no occasion for apology; for I have perfect confidence in your sympathy. I could write another still longer; and it would give me far more pleasure to do so than this has given. It would be full of incidents, showing how the sunshine of kindness will bring to life that which, having been so long covered up by the frost and snow of neglect, had been supposed to be extant. "But adieu, my dear friend, "Yours, most affectionately, } DIFFICULTIES. "Be useful where thou livest, that they may Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still. GEORGE HERBERT. SOME time ago, I received a letter, in which the following remark occurs :-" Amongst the number of women whom you have had to do with in this society, you surely cannot always have escaped meeting with, what we call, queer characters, even if not desperate ones. There is a class of unmanageable women in the world, of whom I am more afraid than of anything else; and the very thought of them has deterred me from commencing a society open to any one, and, consequently, open to such as I have referred to." The difficulty mentioned here will generally be experienced to a greater or less extent, at the commencement of these societies; and in the establishment of them it should by all means be anticipated and considered. But, after a time, when the greater part of the members have conformed to law and order, the general disposition will be manifested so strongly in the right direction, that the rebellious individuals will either make up their mind to conform, or to leave. There is a quiet way of meeting sauciness, which very soon disarms it. It is some trouble to be saucy; and when nothing is gained by it,not even amusement,-the attempt is generally relinquished as not worth the effort. I think it was the second winter after we were established, that a fine, tall woman presented herself, and said that she wished to be admitted. I told her of our usual arrangements, and asked her if she would like to have some material for work. She said "No; not that night. She should look about her, and see how she liked it." She took a seat just before me, sat with her arms crossed, and hardly kept her promise of looking about her, as she stared at me all the time. In about half an hour she got up, and said she should go, as it was duller than she expected. The next week, to my great surprise, she came again. She said that she wanted some material for work; and asked if we had anything good enough for her. She was supplied with what was required, and she took it away to her seat; but brought it back again in a few minutes, saying, "It wasn't such stuff as that she wanted." I took the flannel from her, put it back into the box, shut the box, and went on reading, leaving her standing at the table; while every one else was quietly working and listening. She looked at me steadily for some minutes, in the hope of my "having a row with her;" but as I took no kind of notice, and continued to read without even raising my voice, she presently walked across the room, upsetting a few things in her way, opened the door, and, bouncing out, banged it after her, so as to shake the whole room. During the next week I made a few inquiries about her, and was told she was "the best hand in the Potteries at a row." "Law, ma'am ! have you got Mrs. Aamong you? Why, she'll soon upset you all. Why, when she goes with the men into the public-house, they're all afeared of her. There's never no peace where she is." This account quite confirmed the opinion. which I had formed, that she was a woman |