THE BOOK OF BOOKS. dodges besides, as I should tire you to mention of There's onelegged men, as we calls timber-toes,' which I works to perfection, and one-armed Jacks, they'll be coming in by the dozen. Charity wants a precious lot o' stirring up now-a-days, and we meets it 'ow we can, of course. I've been a thinkin' of trying the 'spectacle workman; it's a pretty safe caper, only you see there's so many of the real thing out o' work just now. The get up don't cost much: there's the white apron and choker, and a band round your hat with 'Remember the poor working man.' And Nancy, she's promised to lend me her kid, little mealy-faced Bill, as is a treasure, an' cries to melt the 'art of a churchwarden, he do, indeed. Nancy would jine company herself with the baby in a shawl, but she's goin' along with Tom, the tinker, among the outsiders. Such a whine as she have got!" There was a time when the beggars of London had a regular club, in a portion of St. Giles's now pulled down. In this place, it is said, miracles were nightly performed, miracles that it was well the charitable hearts of London did not witness. The lame suddenly walked, the blind began to see, legs were reproduced, arms grew by magic, and filled with solid flesh the before empty sleeve, disease vanished from the cheek, sores were healed and the glow of health sprang up, casting aside its veil of chalk. Here hypocrisy threw off its mask, and danced a merry measure to the time of the clinking silver with which an inconsiderate charity had filled its many pockets. These street itinerants are not always of the lowest stamp. There are bands that it is really a pleasure to hear, organs that lighten the solitude of many an hour, and now and then a rare voice that would not seem out of place in the queen's concert rooms. There is also here and there a blind beggar who does not see the difference in the coin that is given him. THE BOOK OF BOOKS. It is true OTHER books compared with this are of no account. they hold the thoughts of men in "formal ink," and we may while away our solitude in making their acquaintance, in travelling over the past-over the scenes through which other minds have been, for amusement or improvement, but the Bible THE BOOK OF BOOKS. contains the thoughts of God respecting man-his condition, duty, and destiny. It teaches him that he is lost-that a refuge is provided for him in Christ, and that he has something to do in order to be saved. He must flee to the refuge-he may believe in Christ, and by a life of faith and obedience secure the favour of God here, and an entrance into heaven hereafter. It is the privilege of all our readers to study this book, and it is the work of their lives to practise its instructions. Our advice is, attend to this business faithfully-do this work well, whatever other work you may be obliged to neglect. "Most wondrous book; bright candle of the Lord; By which the bark of man could navigate And on its dark and troubled billows threw a ray -Pollok's Course of Time. Two men came one night to a missionary in Madagascar. They had walked a hundred miles out of their way to visit him. Have you the Bible?" asked Mr. Ellis. 66 "We have seen it, and heard it read," one man said; "but we have only some of the words of David, and they do not belong to us; they belong to the whole family of us." "Have you the words of David with you now?" asked Mr. Ellis. They looked at each other and would not answer. Perhaps they were afraid; but Mr. Ellis spoke kindly to them. Then one of the men put his hand into his bosom, and took out what seemed to be a roll of cloth. He unrolled it; and after taking off some wrappers, behold! there were a few old, torn, dingy leaves of the Psalms, which had been read, passed round, lent, and re-read, until they were almost worn out. Tears came to Mr. Ellis's eyes when he saw them. "Have you ever seen the words of Jesus, or John, or Paul, or Peter?" asked the missionary. 66 Yes," they said; "we have seen and heard them, but we never owned them." Mr. Ellis then went and brought out a Testament, with the book of Psalms bound up with it, and showed it to them. 66 Now," said he, "if you will give me your few words of David, POETRY. I will give you all his words, and all the words of Jesus, and John, and Paul, and Peter besides." The men were amazed and delighted; but they wanted to see if the words of David were the same in Mr. Ellis's book; and when they found they were, and many more of the same sort, their joy knew no bounds. They willingly gave up their poor, tattered leaves, seized the volume, bade the missionary good-bye, and started off upon their long journey home, rejoicing like those who have found great spoil. Poetry. THINE. LITTLE to me it matters If in the burning desert Or the pastures green I'm fed,- For my hand is in Thine, my Father; And it shall not cause me sorrow, And the calm content, are mine. Neither shall I be anxious For the dear ones whom I love; But others are only strangers, And know not the perfect peace Are finding their sorrows cease. ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. They are away in the darkness, And welcome them into the light. So, then, it will not matter, And in darkness, or gloom, or tempest, แ Anecdotes and Selections. PREJUDICE.-We often hear people speak of prejudice as though it were a virtue to be commended on the part of the entertainer. Even ministers of the gospel have been known to utter the same idea and to advocate it, and to offer it as a justification for doing or not doing thus and so. There is a prejudice against such a cause or such an individual, and therefore they turn away and refuse to see or listen. Now do such know that the sin of prejudice is all on the part of him who entertains it? What is prejudice? Here is the definitionPrejudice is a judgment formed without due examination of the facts and arguments necessary to a just conclusion." If that be the true meaning of the word, then can we entertain the sentiment at all without blame on our part? Much less can we hold it up as an excuse or a justification for not giving "due examination of the facts and arguments necessary to a just conclusion." Will not this make it a double sin on our part? SYMPATHY.-He who has had experience of great and sore trials, and has borne them well, is the most cheerful companion to a sorrowing heart. Having sounded the depths of affliction, he can best guide his friend in them. Desponding Christian, in the river of Death, said to Hopeful, "I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head; all his waves go over me." Hopeful said, "Be of good cheer, my brother; I can feel the bottom, and it is good." Having partaken of the affliction and of the consolation, such a one can bring a smile of peace and even joy upon a careworn soul, when prosperous friends would only deepen the gloom. Let the angel of the Lord encamp around me to deliver me, but give me the "Man of Sorrows" for my friend. I want a friend who has been "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. MOUSE POWER.—A gentleman in Scotland has trained a couple of mice, and invented machinery for enabling them to spin yarn. The work is done on the treadmill principle. It is so constructed that the common house mouse is enabled to make atonement to society for past offences by twisting and reeling from 100 to 120 threads per day. To complete this the little pedestrian has to run 10 miles. This journey it performs every day with ease. An ordinary mouse weighs only half an ounce. A halfpenny's worth of oatmeal, at 1s. 3d. the peck, serves one of these treadmill culprits for the long period of five weeks. In that time it makes 110 threads per day, being an average of 3,850 threads of 55 inches, which is nearly nine lengths of the reel. A penny is paid to women for every cut in the ordinary way. At this rate a mouse earns 9d. every five weeks, which is one farthing per day, or 78. 6d. per annum. Take 6d. off for board and 1s. for machinery, there will arise 6s. clear profit from every mouse yearly. The mouse employer is going to make application for the lease of an old empty house, the dimensions of which are 100ft. by 50ft., and 50ft. in height, which, at a moderate calculation, will hold 10,000 mouse mills, sufficient room being left for keepers and some hundreds of spectators. Allowing £200 for rent and taskmasters, £10,000 to erect machinery, and £500 for the interest, there will be left a balance of £2,300 per annum. DR. BLAIR AND DR. WALKER.-Dr. Hugh Blair, the celebrated rhetorician, and his colleague, Dr. Robert Walker, were respectively the most eloquent exponents of the theories of works and grace as the essential doctrines of Christianity. One Sunday, Dr. Blair, warming in his presentation of his favourite theme, thus apostrophized virtue: "O Virtue, if thou wert embodied, all men would love thee!"-Dr. Walker, in the afternoon, in the course of his sermon, rejoined as follows: "Virtue has been embodied. Did all men love her? No; she was despised and rejected of men, who, after defaming, insulting, and scourging her, led her to Calvary, where they crucified her between two thieves." WHAT WILL YOU SAY, SIR? While Hopu, a young Sandwich Islander, was in America, he spent an evening in a company where an infidel lawyer tried to puzzle him with difficult questions. At length the native said "I am a poor heathen boy. It is not strange that my blunders in English should amuse you. But soon there will be a larger meeting than this. We shall all be there. They will ask us all one question, namely, 'Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?' Now, sir, I think I can say, Yes. What will you say, sir?" DR. CHALMERS beautifully says-"The little that I have seen in the world and known of the history of mankind, teaches me to look upon their errors in sorrow, not in anger. When I take the history of one poor heart that has sinned and suffered, and represent to myself the struggles and temptations it has passed through; the brief pulsations |