Looking before and after, is not fashionable: leaping first (the Irish fashion), very. Well may it be asked, when our Blessed Redeemer makes His final audit, will He find faith on the earth? Our loyalty to truth will not suffer it to be darkened by frauds and craven fears. It is high time, we humbly think, that the line of demarcation should be better defined between the Christian and the non-Christian, the children of darkness and the children of light. Assuredly the people of this generation are far wiser in worldly policy (even the 19th century), than the children of light. Nothing more common than tendering indirectly premiums for sin, of course in a courteous and polite way, as our fashionable umpires direct. Here we are to be moulded, if plastic enough, by the pet theory of the lord who happens to be in the ascendant; whose hypothesis embraces a portion of the truth, which he substitutes for the whole truth. The dying man or woman is not to be revived by a new garment, however graceful. Justice may be administered without a wig, and the executive function without a crown or sceptre; so nobility of soul may be administered in more natural and less formal ways than are intended to be taught in the artificial pages of Chesterfield. His yoke is a heavy one; it crushes at once the germ of all the elevated, lofty, and pure virtues; places superficialism upon stilts; inculcates gross vices; shocks morality in short, its products are weeds. Precepts for uniting wickedness with the graces, are infinitely mean, grovelling, and worthless. What is politeness when mechanically exercised? A vapid mawkishness-a mere senseless mannerism, which an automaton might be taught.

The beau ideal of gentility is to be seen only in a cultivated intellect, and in combination with a high sense of moral rectitude. Then, this kind (of politeness gives a true dignity to him who possesses it, and imparts to his demeanour an irresistible charm which fascinates all who come within the sphere of its influence. Dr. Johnson says

"Take the immorality out of Chesterfield's book, and it should be put into the hands of every young gentleman."

CHAPTER XVII.

CAUSES OF

CRIME.-REFORMATORIES.-OUTCASTS OF SOCIETY.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH OUR CRIMINALS?-REMARKS UPON DOMESTICITY.

"MISFORTUNE is, in the Babylon, a frequent and fertile source of crime; and there are many persons who are criminal, because the world will not suffer them to be virtuous; that steal, because society says to them in a voice that never lies-the voice of deeds, 'If ye be honest, you shall surely die; if ye be virtuous, then perish in your virtue.' I mention not this as any plea in favour of guilt, or even of the guilty; but I do mention it as a stigma on society, which, whilst it squanders so much on the worthless, is yet so constituted as that it will not suffer some of its members to be virtuous."

When will society awake to this important truth, and place finger-posts at the beginning of the way, instead of gallows at the end? Sir J. Pakington has remarked that Parliament was partly unable, and partly reluctant, to deal boldly with the subject of Education. Could not America, and some countries in Europe, have said to us with truth

"You bid us follow your example, you bid us copy your model institutions; but we have settled this subject long ago; we have established a perfect system of education,

and every citizen has the means of elementary instruction at his door: whilst we find your boasted Parliament baffled by faction, a thing we have disregarded altogether." Education (says Brougham) is connected with the prevention of crime: but the care of education, and the limits of state interference, and other similar questions, must be a separate subject of inquiry. The great difficulty they found in making a logical division of their work, was from the intimate connection of all sciences with the interest of mankind; all were bound together in one tie, and owned the natural affinity of kindred.

A word on Reformatories. Reformatory movements are connected with criminal law. This work of love progresses, and we trust it will progress: it is truly something like beginning at the beginning. Why not have a wellorganised system of training girls for domestic servants? This is truly one of the greatest wants of the age. It is now universally remarked by observers of men and manners (including the secondary formations), that the upper classes of servants are proud, conceited, and extravagant, almost beyond belief; half educated and untrained, except by tradition and imitation, they are only fit for the places they have, where wealth is combined with aristocratic leniency. The middle class of servants are the best,-the servants of tradesmen and well-to-do placemen; but even these are, as a rule, very inadequately fitted for their duties, and when they are qualified, it is the result of years of correction of faults, which would never have been acquired had the girls been properly educated and trained for servants in their earlier years. This omission is per

fectly staggering. Is it not likewise too true that mistresses are sometimes unreasonable, exacting, and selfish: and a bad mistress will always have a bad servant, for a good servant, in fact, will not stay with a bad mistress. To prevent the multifarious lapses of servants before entering on their thorny path, why not teach them household work, in which there is as much to learn as in any trade all the world over? In the Rev. Mr. Pollok's admirable address, given at the close of the session of the Church Education Society's Training School, domestic economy forms an important part of the instruction communicated to the female teachers. Among the questions put in this department, were-Write a lesson on the duties of a thorough servant, for a class of girls varying in age from 12 to 15 years: state the different ways in which potatoes may be cooked, the best mode of doing so, and the reason? Other extracts might be given, which could not but prove interesting, and their results satisfactory.

We can but echo the recommendation of this subject to the ladies. They at least ought to feel the justice of these remarks, which like many benevolent hints addressed to the softer sex, will, we fear, have as much weight as the feeble flappings of the bat upon the eternal granite. Ixionlike, many still prefer embracing clouds.

"If they will-they will, you may depend on't;

If they won't-they won't, and there's an end on't."

Then do not be surprised at our avowing the startling heresy, that purgatory commences on this side the grave.

"THE OUTCASTS OF SOCIETY.-(From the Morning Chronicle.)— We dare neither uphold nor palliate the practice of any vice; we