immediately directed to visit her, and relief supplied. Surely this poor woman, who had paid rates and taxes for thirtysix years, was a deserving object for parish relief.

While my friend went to the parish authorities, I went to examine into the pledge ticket affair, and, to my astonishment, she showed me a large bundle, over due and running due. I took a note of those things she most needed, and went a begging for her. I got enough to buy her a bedstead, take some bedding and several articles of apparel out of pledge, and left her, when compared with the state in which I found her, quite comfortable. I visited her recently, and

found her happy and comfortable in her mind, but sorely perplexed to make her small pittance last her through the week. After securing her permanent relief, I began to think what could be done to rescue the daughter from her misery and degradation; and I am happy to say I succeeded in getting her a comfortable situation.

Thus, in God's providence, this poor woman, whose age is 71 years, was found in the last extremity, without a morsel of food or a sixpence to buy any, yet happy in the love of God, having Christ in her heart, the hope of glory. I am, sir, yours, very truly, J. D. W. Bristol.

66

THE TEACHER'S TEMPTATIONS. THE saying that the teacher's calling is surrounded with difficulties, is as true as trite." It has connected with it, its perplexities, in common with all the honorable avocations of life. We feel no inclination to magnify either the trials or the joys of teaching. So far as our observation goes, there is no calling worthy to be followed which does not furnish opportunities for the exercise of those virtues that adorn the character, as well as occasions for the exercise of those passions that deform our natures.

There is a class of temptations to which the teacher is peculiarly exposed, and to which we wish to call a thought or two.

1st. The teacher is tempted to become tyrannical. We have no sympathy with that class, who declare all wholesome restraint despotism. We know there are those who confound liberty with license. By such, a person possessed of decision of character, is called a despot-one who carries out his plans, a tyrant. But still, there is a liability on the part of the teacher to lose sight of reason, and depend more upon impulse than justice. The teacher can be a tyrant, and the possibility ought to make him guarded. Those by whom he is surrounded cannot always vindicate their own cause. His will is law. If that will be not always governed by truth, the law must be wrong.

2nd. The teacher is liable to become dogmatic. He is seldom opposed by his equals. He seldom finds "foemen worthy of his steel." His opinions are not questioned. His mistakes are seldom ridiculed. He is not required to state the grounds of his opinions, and consequently forms the habit of asserting without proving. We ought to guard against those habits of thought or conduct that tend to dogmatism. Let us often examine the ultimate truths upon which ought to be based all our teachings. Let us be especially careful lest we find among them our own infallibility assumed. ought, when it is not manifestly improper, to bring everything down to the comprehension of our pupils. "Prove all things," is a good old rule.

We

3rd. The teacher is tempted to become petulant. A thousand little things are constantly transpiring to irritate. Parents are indifferent or unreasonable. The teacher's motives are misunderstood-his acts misrepresented. Eyeless rumour with her thousand ears and tongues makes him her sport. He often violates those physiological laws that are essential to his happiness. He looks for results too soon is disappointed if he fails to find the fruit at the time he has fixed upon. Tares spring up where he feels sure he has sown good seed. He wishes to cut down and cast into the fire before time of harvest.

4th. The teacher is tempted to become cruel. We feel an influence to inflict pain on one who has injured us. The teacher can often do so with impunity. The little sufferer is helpless. The teacher is blinded by passion. No eye, save one, sees the unmanly deed-it is past-forgotten-but it has made an impression on the teacher's heart that tears will not efface. His heart is harder. We ought to guard against all tendencies to cruelty. In the ordinary intercourse with our pupils, let the hand never touch them save in kindness. Unenviable must be the feelings, or hard the heart of him, who notices his pupils shrinking from him, from fear of pain, at his approach. Above all, we ought never to strike the head of a child. Of all modes of torture invented, we know of none more fiendish than that of pulling the hair or ears. Let us beware of giving way to this impulse of revenge. this spirit rules, all is flowerless—not a virtue can grow on its cold, barren soil. It begets a host of meaner passions in the breasts of those towards whom it is exercised. The child must believe the teacher incapable of it, or his confidence in him is shaken.

Where

In

Now it is possible for a teacher to fail in securing the asscnt of the pupil's conscience in favor of a certain measure, although the measure may be right. such a case he has done violence to the pupil's conscience, and consequently has injured him. This should be avoided. The teacher ought never to commit an act, the reason for committing which will not be apparent to the unprejudiced part of his school. Is it said, "There is no conscience to appeal to ?" We answer,' the germ must be there-if it has not grown, let the teacher pour upon it the rain and the sunshine--let him devote all his time to this, until there is a growth sufficient to create a public opinion in the school, that shall be on the side of virtue. Were I in a penitentiary as overseer, I would never exact that of an offender which his conscience does not approve, except in cases of moral insanity. Teachers ought to keep the conscience of the school on their side, otherwise the peace that reigns is desolation.

These are a few of the evil habits that may grow in the teacher's heart; but there are virtues that may bloom there also. We believe that there is no profession more favourable to the growth of all that ennobles and refines character than ours. If we are watchful, prayerful, and workful, flowers will spring all "around our path." Life will not be a dull, dreary round of blasted anticipations and unrealised hopes.-Sunday School Teachers' Magazine.

down the weapons of their warfare, and "henceforth there is laid up for them a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to them at that day; and not to them only, but to all them also who love his appearing." The ranks that are being thus daily thinned, want replenishing by the acquisition of young and promising champions of the truth; and for this purpose "the Lord hath need of thee."

In the morning of youth he seeks his servants, while their energies are fresh and vigorous, while their hearts are impressible and their affections strong; when our Saviour prepared to make his public entry into Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples, saying, "Go ye into the village over against you, in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat; and if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him." And this is an apposite illustration of what the Lord requires of you. He hath need of you, to carry on the great work, which he began, while you are uncontaminated with the pernicious influences that flow upon you from every side.

Your best energies are now greatly needed, for Satan is practising all his subtle ingenuity to undermine the strength of the armies of God, by sapping the very foundations of their allegiance. He attacks with the greatest ease and success the youthful portion of the Lord's host. His pleasures and allurements are for them. Everywhere he has established places, into which the foolish and unwary youth may he drawn, and securely enlisted in his service. He baits the hook with tender and delicate morsels, and presents food adapted to excite the cravings of the heart's sinful appetites. Very often (alas, too often!) he clothes himself as an angel of light, and veils his hideous deformity with the cloak of sanctity. He invites the unwary and heedless to the banquet he spreads out for them from night to night; and when the Sabbath, with all its solemn and holy associations, appears, he caters for their amusement, by providing for them a treat of "sacred (!) music," that he may draw them from the court of the Lord's house.

Never was scheme concocted with such demoniacal subtlety as this. He spreads pitfalls over with flowers of loveliest hue and sweetest perfume, and then, with hypocritical philanthropy, eajoles the heedless pleasure-seeker to tread among them, saying, "Come, and see what mine hands have prepared for thy pleasure;" and the foolish listener is drawn to the place where stands

"The stately tavern, with unholy light Glaring athwart the shadows of the night, The sickening scene of drunkenness and din, Where song and music minister to sin." These are Satan's recruiting stations, where the unconscious youth accepts the hellish enlistment fee, puts on the armour of Apollyon, and goes forth to fight against his God; where Satan strips off the last remnant of the badge of the Lord's host; and raises in lieu thereof the standard of rebellion and open revolt.

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." And what a great and soul-exalting privilege it is, to be permitted to fight on the side of Christ; to be one of the defenders of the cross against the attacks of its most fierce and virulent enemy; and to do this under the omnipotent power and guidance of that God who has promised to be "as a wall of fire to them that put their trust in him."

66

As Satan seeks to recruit his army, amongst the young, so the Captain of our salvation calls his champions from among you. The proclamation has gone forth, and is now being made known by hundreds and thousands of voices, that of such as you "the Lord hath need." Then gird up thy loins like a man, and come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Put on the whole armour of God: and, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the paration of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And thus equipped for the struggle, go forth, to the battle of the Lord, and put to flight the armies of the aliens.

pre

your abilities, do what you can. Do not neglect any apparently trifling act that may do good, for "trifles," said Michael Angelo to one of his pupils, "trifles make perfection, but perfection itself is no trifle."

There are two huge mountains upon the earth, whose proportions as they vary greatly affect the aspect and condition of the whole world. And if, actuated by love to God, and consequent love to man, you strive to wipe away a tear, repress a sorrowing sigh, or relieve a pressing necessity, you take away a grain from the Mountain of Misery and

augment the Mountain of Happiness. To do this, Christ came down from heaven to earth. To alleviate and lessen the amount of human misery, he preached his divine sermon on the mount. For this purpose he sent out his disciples into all nations to preach the glad tidings of the gospel. And, for this purpose, "the Lord hath need of thee." In doing these things you are fighting the Lord's battles. This is one portion of your spiritual warfare. The exertion may be small, yet the present pay is good, and the prospective reward glorious.

DR. CLARKE ON MATTHEW i. 23.In what sense could this name Immanuel be applied to Jesus Christ, if he be not truly and properly GOD? Could the Spirit of truth ever design that Christians should receive him as an angel or a mere man, and yet, in the very beginning of the gospel history, apply a character to him which belongs to the Most High God? Surely no. In what sense, then, is Christ GOD with us? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation. God united to our nature -God with man-God in man. God with us, by his continual protection. God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit-in the holy sacrament-in the preaching of his word-in private prayer. And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us, and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity.

PROVIDENCE-He who the most attentively marks providences will have the most providences to mark.-Flavel.

ASK COUNSEL of both times of the ancient time what is best, and of the later time what is fittest.-Bacon.

VEGETATION IN THE AIR.-The idea, not long since, occurred to a French gar

dener, that the development of the more delicate blossoms is essentially modified by atmospheric pressure; accordingly, he tried the experiment of attaching pots of violets to little balloons, and securing them by long cords to the earth, sending them to bloom far up amid the fields of ether; the violets thus expanding in the upper air, proved of incredible size.

MONEY.-Those who think that money will do anything, may be suspected of doing anything for money.

THE CHRISTIAN'S RULE.-The only rule for a Christian is the Word of Christ; the only pattern for his imitation is the example of Christ. He should not compare himself with others; they are not his standard. Christ hath left us an example that we should follow his steps.-Dr. Adam Clarke.

A GEM OF THOUGHT.-Religion is the final centre of repose; the goal to which all things tend; apart from which, man is a shadow, his very existence a riddle, and the stupendous scenes of nature which surround him as unmeaning as the leaves which the sibyl scattered in the wind.-Rev. Robert Hall.

IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES.-The wisest and happiest man is he, who, by constant attention of thought, discovers the greatest opportunities of doing good, and with ardent and animated resolution breaks through every opposition that he may improve these opportunities.-Dr. Doddridge.

ASTRONOMY.

THE Sun rises on the 1st at London and Greenwich at forty-one minutes past seven; on the 15th at sixteen minutes past seven; and on the 28th at fifty minutes past six; and he sets on the same days respectively at thirteen minutes before five, thirteen minutes after five, and thirty-six minutes after five. The day lengthens during the month one hour and forty minutes. The distance of the Sun from the earth on the 1st of February is 235,000 miles greater than on the 1st of January.

The Moon is full on the 8th at seven minutes before midnight, and new on the 24th at two minutes before noon. On the 1st she shines until eighteen minutes past midnight, on the 8th she rises at twenty minutes past four in the afternoon; on the 15th at midnight; and on the 22nd at forty minutes after six in the morning. On the 25th her beautiful crescent will be visible two hours after sunset. Mercury is unfavourably situated for observation.

Venus shines with increasing brilliancy, setting on the 1st at nine o'clock, and on the 28th at ten minutes past ten. On the 12th she is very near to Jupiter, the two most brilliant of the planets forming then a conspicuous constellation in our western sky. Venus and the Moon will also be near together on the 27th. These occasional groupings of planets with each other and the moon, as affording opportunities for noticing their relative apparent motions, are exceedingly interesting both to the astronomer and the casual observer.

Mars sets on the 1st at eighteen minutes before eight in the evening, and on the last at three minutes before eight. In the early part of the evening, therefore, he may be seen at the same time as Venus and Jupiter, setting an hour and a quarter before the former on the 1st of the month, and thirty-seven minutes before the latter on the 28th, when he and Jupiter are both in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).

Jupiter sets on the 1st at eight minutes before ten, and on the 28th at twenty-six minutes before nine, Venus having passed

him in our apparent heavens between the 11th and 13th.

Saturn shines all night, being on the meridian a few minutes before ten on the evening of the 1st.

Between six and eleven o'clock on the evening of the first, the following principal stars pass the meridian in the order named:-Alpha Ceti; Alpha Persei ; Pleiades; Aldebaran; Capella; Rigel; Beta Tauri; Alpha Orionis ; Sirius ; Castor; Procyon; Pollux.

OBSERVATIONS ON NATURE.

FEBRUARY.

"Praise God, ye servants of the Lord! praise God,

Ye angels strong! praise God, ye sons of men ! Praise him who made, and who redeemed your souls

Who gave you hope, reflection, reason, will; Minds that can pierce eternity remote, And live at once on future, present, past." FEBRUARY returns again with its usually changeable weather. Although the sun's rays have gained considerable power, and the average temperature has advanced several degrees, yet snow, rain, hail, frost, and thaw succeed each other every week, and sometimes the whole within twenty-four hours. Of how many beautiful and interesting phenomena atmospheric vapour is the source? How often during this month and the next we may see the trees, bushes, and herbage completely encrusted with frosty spiculæ, so that each twig or stalk becomes enlarged to double its usual thickness. A mist, or different stratus, in the early morning, while the temperature is below the freezing point, is generally the cause of this deposition. The mist disperses, ascends, and forms clouds of various modifications,-the frosty rime vanishes, is taken up and absorbed by the air, and in an hour or two not a particle of hoar frost remains on herbage or plants. How little do we understand respecting the atmosphere? Although in this country hail storms are neither so prevalent nor injurious as during the summer months, yet, in tropical climates, they are at this period very common, and often most destructive in their effects, and are so unlike any thing of the kind that we are accustomed to witness here, that a