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A Prince on His Knees.

BY THE EDITOR.

Our readers know that William, the venerable Emperor of Germany, has a son called the Crown Printz, known by the soubriquet of "Unser Fritz." He is to succeed his father as Emperor. "Unser Fritz's" eldest son, Prince Frederick William, is fifteen years old. At this age the young men of Germany are received into full membership of the Church by the rite of confirmation. For a long while this youth has been taught the Catechism, and on the 1st of September last he was confirmed. The ceremony took place in the Friedens Kirche, in Potsdam, the summer residence of the Emperor. The church was tastefully decorated for the occasion. A large part of the congregation was composed of members of the royal family. These came into the church, led by the stately, tall form of old William, on whose arm his daughter-in-law, the young prince's mother, was leaning He was followed by the venerable Empress, leaning on the arms of her son, "Unser Fritz," and the Prince of Wales. These were followed by the children of the Crown Prince, and the royal relatives. It is said the ladies were dressed with unusual plainness; the mother of the young prince was dressed in black. After the congregation had been seated, the Crown Prince brought his son, the youthful catechumen, from the sacristy and placed him before the altar, and then withdrew; the boy looked pale, and well he might. Many who read these lines remember, with what a trembling heart they stood before the whole congregation, when, with an audible voice, they vowed to be on the Lord's side:

"That, long as life itself shall last,.
Ourselves to Christ we yield;
Nor from His cause will we depart,
Or ever quit the field."

Young Frederick William stood alone before his parents, and grand-parents, and all the great people-stood alone too before his Saviour, to whom he was to promise, on bended knee, to be His faithful child forever. After the Prince had taken his place at the altar steps, the Choir sang the 100th Psalm, followed with Luther's battle hymn:

"Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," sung by the whole congregation. The Prince had been instructed for some time past by Pastor Persius of Potsdam, and during a few weeks previous, Court preacher Heym had prepared him more fully for confirmation.

The latter officiated, too, on this occasion. In a short address to the Prince he explained the meaning of the rite of confirmation, the solemn obligations of a responsible member of the Church, and exhorted him to cultivate the habit of devout prayer. The Pastor then examined him on the central doctrines of the Christian religion, asking him some thirty questions, all of which he promptly and correctly answered, besides reciting many Scripture verses which he had committed to memory. After this he recited several verses of the Te Deum Laudamus:

"We praise Thee, O God."

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The Prince then read a short statement of his faith, wholly written by himself. With a clear ringing voice, and in plain earnest words, he "professed a good profession before many witnesses.' With tender thankfulness he told how God had watched over and safely kept him from a child; to this hour had richly bestowed upon him bodily and spiritual blessing. He professed his faith in God the Father Almighty, and in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Ghost, and in the Holy Catholic Church. He said that he knew that severe and trying duties awaited him in his coming life, but that this should not weaken his courage or faith, but nerve him for a brave and faithful performance of the same; that his prayer should be for grace to love God and the brethren, and to promote and support every good cause.

Pastor Heym then preached a sermon on 1 Timothy vi. 12:

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many

witneses."

The preacher assured him that he never could be happy as a man and as a Prince, unless he would be a faithful Christian; and that every Christian was a warrior, enlisted in the service of Christ, and bound to battle valiantly for Him through life.

After the Prince had recited the Apostles' Creed, he answered to the following questions with an emphatic yes: "Dost thou, with all thy heart, consent to the Christian Apostolic Creed, and dost thou desire to be confirmed on this basis in the Church of believers, and especially in the communion of our Evangelical Church?"

"Dost thou promise, by the help of God, to

continue true and steadfast in this faith, fearlessly to confess and obey it in purity of heart and habit of life, and remain faithful unto

death ?"

"Dost thou promise, in order to grow in the Knowledge of the Truth and in godliness, faithfully to use the Christian means of grace?"

Then the pastor laid his hands upon him and said: "Receive thou the Holy Ghost, the shield and hiding-place from all evil, the strength and help to all good, from the merciful hand of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The blessing of God abide with thee forever. Amen."

In conclusion, the pastor gave the Prince a Scripture motto, as a guide through life, from 2 Peter i. 5–7:

"And, besides this, giving all diligence, add

to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness: and to brotherly kindness, charity."

After the close of the service, a touching scene presented itself. In pious German families, the confirmation of a child or grand-child, is an important event, an occasion for gratitude and congratulation. Friends and relatives embrace and kiss the catechumen, who has renewed the vows made in his stead

in baptism, and has been guarded and spared to engage in this solemn act of personal consecration to Christ. On this occasion many were moved to tears, as they beheld the aged Empress long embracing her son, the father of this youth, and pressing many affectionate kisses his face.

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In the rear of these royal personages stood three men, who felt a warm interest in the ceremony. They were Gen. Von Gottberg, Dr. Hintzpeter, and Pastor Persius. The two former were his private tutors, the latter his religious instructor. With deep gratitude the Prince and his wife stepped back to Emperor and Empress, and the Crown them, each grasping each warmly by the hand, and thanked them for the faithful labor and pains which they had bestowed upon the young catechumen.

After the congregation had withdrawn, the young Prince partook of the holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper, no one being present but his parents and grandparents, and the officiating minister.

Among a certain class of young people there is a silly prejudice against committing the Catechism and Scripture verses to memory, and many are too lazy or stupid to do it. Some fancy this committing to memory to be a work for children, but not suited for older people. Here is the heir of a great empire, who studies the Catechism and the Bible diligently for years, and is not ashamed to recite and profess what he has learned before a large congregation.

Very touching is the tearful, tender gratitude of these royal parents and grandparents, for the merciful Providence which has kept and blessed their boy; blessed their instruction and training, and fitted him to "profess a good profession," and given him a pious

heart.

A rich reward is bestowed on these

teachers of the Prince through the grateful words of his friends. And well did they deserve it. None but the conscientious minister knows how much anxiety and care he bestows on his catechumens. forget to thank the pastor for his work, Alas! how many parents

and thus cheer him in his toilsome duties!

HE that will keep his heart, must have the eyes of his soul awake, and open all the disorderly and tumultuous. stirrings of his affections; if the affections break loose, and the passions be stirred, the soul must discover it, and suppress them before they get to a height.

Christmas in Spain.

There is no civilized country on earth in which children are not made happy by the promise of the coming of Christmas. But in every country the festival is called by a different name, and its presiding genius is painted with a different costume and manner. You know all about our jolly Dutch Santa Claus, with his shrewd, twinkling eyes, his frosty beard, his ruddy face and bag of treasures with which he comes tumbling down the chimney, while his team of reindeer snort and stamp on the icy roof. The English Christmas is equally well known, and the wonders of the German miracle-tree, the first sight of which no child ever forgets. But you are, perhaps, not so familiar with the spirit of the blessed season of advent in Southern Europe, and so I will tell you some of the pleasures and fancies of the Spanish

Christmas.

The good cheer which it brings everywhere is especially evident in Spain. They are a frugal people; and many a good Spanish family is supported by less than the waste of a household on Murray Hill. But there is no sparing at Christmas. This is a season as fatal to turkeys as Thanksgiving in New England. The Castilian farmers drive them into Madrid in great droves, which they conduct from door to door, making the dim old streets gay with their scarlet wattles, and noisy with obstreperous gabbling. But the headquarters of the marketing during these days are in the Plaza Mayor, where every variety of fruit and provision is sold. There is nothing more striking than those vast heaps of fresh golden oranges, plucked the day before in the groves of Andalusia; nuts from Granada, and dates from Africa; every flavor and color of tropical fruitage; and in the stall beneath the gloomy arches the butchers drive their flourishing trade. All is gay and joyous-chaffering and jesting, greeting of friends and filling of baskets. The sky is wintry, but the ground is ruddy and rich with the fruits of the summer. At night the whole city turns out into the streets. The youths and maidens of the poorer class go trooping through the town with tambourines, castanets and guitars, singing and dancing. Every

one has a different song to suit his own state of mind. The women sing of love and religion, and many of the men can sing of nothing better than politics. But the part which the children take in the festival bears a curious resemblance to those time-honored ceremonies we all remember. The associations of Christmas eve in Spain are all of the Gospel. There is no northern St. Nick there to stuff the stockings of good children with rewards of merit. Why, then, on Christmas do you see the little shoes exposed by the windows and doors? The wise kings of the east are supposed to be journeying by night to Bethlehem, bearing gifts and homage to the heavenly Child, and out of their abundance, when they pass by the houses where good children sleep, they will drop into their shoes some of the treasures they are bearing to the Baby Prince in Judea. This thought is never absent from the rejoicing of Christmas-tide in Spain. Every hour of the time is sacred to Him who came to bring peace and good-will to the world. The favorite toy of the season is "The Nativity." It is sometimes very elaborate and costly, representing a landscape under a starry night; the shepherds watching their flocks; the magi coming in with wonder and awe, and the Child in the stable, shedding upon the darkness that living light which was to overspread the world.-St. Nicholas.

How to Pray.

An article, found among the unpublished papers of the late Dr. J. A. Alexander, on "Circumlocution in Prayer," closes with the following practical suggestions to young men who are forming their habits in respect to prayer. They are equally applicable to all who pray in public, and especially those who pray in the Sunday-school :

1. Let your prayers be composed of thanksgiving, praise, confession, and petition, without any argument or exhortation addressed to those who are supposed to be praying with you.

2. Express your desire in the briefest, simplest form, without circumlocution.

3. Avoid the use of compound terms in the place of the imperative mood.

4. Hallow God's name by avoiding its unnecessary repetition.

5. Adopt the simple devotional phrases of Scripture; but avoid the free use of its figures, and all quaint and doubtful application of its terms to foreign subjects.

6. Pray to God, and not to man.,

Flowers.

BY REV. P. S. DAVIS, D.D.

beginning of the nineteenth century This was called the imperial secret, because the Emperor Ferdinand III. purchased it of a foreign chemist at a very high price.

And yet the fact that men have failed to extract the elixir of life from the rose is no objection to Botany, any more than the failure of the old alchemist to find the philosopher's stone is an argument against chemistry, or any more than the failure of the old school-men to determine how many angels could stand upon the point of a needle, is an argument against Theology.

My Professor of Natural Science at College gave me credit for being the best ground squirrel catcher that be- But independent of the classification. longed to our botanical class. That was of plants and the uses to which they the only compliment the conscientious may really be put by the man of science, man could ever pay me; for during all every little incense-breathing floweret our rambles over hill and through dale, has a rich store of joy for any man who I had no sympathy with a science that will but study it closely. For example, made the rose a monster, and the most I have copied before me an extended beautiful varieties of that queen of flow-statement by a distinguished man in ers mere hybrids. So I further concluded that pulling plants to pieces and counting the petals was like the child's play of breaking the drum to see where the sound came from; and that chasing "chip-monks" was more refreshing. I have changed my opinion on the subject as the hairs on my head have become less. And although I know nothing about Botany, I have long since coincided with wiser men, that the science of plants opens a vast field of useful and delightful knowledge to those who press their inquiries on her domain.

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True, science has sometimes "run mad." There have been botanical fools as well as chemical and theological fools, in the times that are past. Mary Howitt, to whom I am indebted for some facts, speaks of a very curious book published about 1631, by a German, on the rose, in which two hundred and fifty mortal pages are devoted to the curative properties of that flower in every disease-making it a universal panacea. The author also claims for it supernatural powers, particularly in driving away evil spirits. He also speaks of the reproduction of the rose, as something that could be effected from its own ashes, like the fabled Phoenix, an idea which is gravely produced in a French work published as late as the

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regard to the tiny flower known as the Daisy, in which he shows that this little beauty, so small and delicate, contains between two and three hundred flowers; that every leaf and stamen and pistil is itself a perfect flower, having each its corolla, stamens, pistil and fruit, so that we can see how much is compressed into the calyx of that one little gem; and I cite the instance to show how our pleasure may be increased by a close examination of these things.

But flowers afford pleasure to those who may see and handle and trample on them all their lives, without ever suspecting the multiplied glories revealed by a minute examination of their structure. Poor Burns appreciated the wee crimson-tipped daisy he turned down with his plowshare, more than Rousseau, to whose description I have just referred. There are no grotesques in nature, no ridiculous fancies made merely to fill up space, and God has scattered His beauties for men who cannot, like Solomon, discourse on all the plants, from the cedar of Lebanon even to the hyssop on the wall. Our Divine Redeemer did not address a Botany class when He said, "Consider the lilies of the field." Indeed the multitude of men must be satisfied to use and enjoy what the few are given to know and understand. I know nothing of materia medica. I apply an arnica plaster and take senna and Peruvian bark, when

my physician says I ought to do so, and | angel, and that the Rosa centifolia (our in this I show more faith than some common hundred-leaved rose) is consepeople when they listen to their preach- crated to an arch-angel of the highest ers. In fact it is a law of our being that order. The Turks suppose that the we must use and may delight in most rose owes its origin to the perspiration things, before it can be expected that that fell from the brow of Mahomet, we should come to any proper under- and they never tread upon a rose leaf standing of them. The man who would nor suffer one to lie on the ground. The refuse food until he knew all about Rosa Damascena (Damascus rose) was albumen and how much is in his bread brought from Syria by the Crusaders, and potatoes, would be set down as a and it would be impossible for us to say fool, deserving to starve, as he surely here, how fully flowers have entered would have done before he was old into the history of heraldry: that is, enough to make the inquiry. when used as devices on standards and banners as the symbols of heroes, families and nations, in their struggles for honor, fame and power. The lilies of France, and the red and white roses of the houses of York and Lancaster during the thirty years' war in England, are good illustrations of this.

The same truth holds good when we leave the sphere of the strictly useful, and go out into the realms of what men call the purely beautiful. We opine that Noah never thought of analyzing the hues of the rainbow, and yet the old patriarch doubtless had more delight in it than Humboldt had in anything he ever found while studying the cosmos.

The use I would make of this general fact in its application to the world of flowers, is to show that the masses of men who can never expect to have any scientific knowledge of it, or even to be close observers of the wonderful organization found there, may yet find great and varied enjoyment in it. And in this connection it may be well to call attention to the fact that men have almost everywhere and always obeyed the promptings of nature, and used flowers for the purposes of ornamentation. I was astonished some time ago to see it stated by Mrs. Gore, that there are roses indigenous to the extreme Arctic regions. "Not only do they unfold their pink corollas there, but the Esquimaux decorate their hair, the reindeer and the sealskins in which they are clothed, with the beautiful blossoms." Indeed the whole world seems to have said with Solomon, "Let us crown ourselves with rose-buds before they wither." A few facts in regard to this may not be uninteresting to the reader.

The cultivation of flowers for ornaments is mentioned in the oldest Coptic manuscripts, and the celebrated hanging gardens of Babylon, built by Semiramis one thousand two hundred years B. C., in which the choicest plants were raised, are familiar to you all. All the Eastern nations had a superstitious regard for flowers. Zoroaster tells us that every flower is appropriated to a particular

Among the Greeks, whose idea was that the highest good culminated in the beautiful, there are many references to flowers. This idea entered into their mythologies, and all their historians and poets constantly refer to flowers. Every school-boy who has had his ears boxed over Homer, knows how he describes Aurora with rose-tipped fingers filling the air with their perfume.

The Romans, however, carried the luxurious use of flowers to the greatest height, covering the couches of their guests and their banquet tables with them. Some of the Emperers scattered the halls of their palaces with them. When Cleopatra went to Cilicia to meet Mark Antony, she gave him a succession of festivals which displayed a royal magnificence. On the fourth day the Queen carried her sumptuousness so far as to pay a talent for a quantity of roses, with which she caused the floor to be covered to the depth of eighteen inches. But the greatest profusion of flowers mentioned in ancient history, and which seems scarcely credible, is that which Suetonius attributed to Nero. This author says that a fete which the Emperor gave at Baise the expenses incurred for roses alone were more than 4,000,000 sesterces, which equals £20,000, or nearly $100,000. At this, or some other reception at Baix, when the entertainment was given on the water, the whole surface of Lake Lucina was covered with roses.

At first, the Romans brought their

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