that city, a distance of one hundred miles, in one and a half hours. Audubon, the naturalist, mentions the fact of a bird being found near New York with its crop full of rice, which could not have been obtained nearer than the rice fields of Georgia or the Carolinas. The digestive powers of the carrier-pigeon being very strong and rapid, the inference is that the bird must have flown that immense distance in a very few hours.

The use of the carrier-dove as a messenger dates from remote times. Sir John Mandeville mentions their use by the Chinese and the Romans. They were employed during the crusade under St. Louis; and Tasso, in his "Jerusalem Delivered," makes Godfrey defend one of them from a falcon. The most remarked instance of their use in modern times is afforded by the siege of Paris. By their services on that memorable occasion they proved not only their great utility, but also their necessity in times of war, when the telegraph lines and railroads are in possession of the enemy. The pigeons used during the siege of Paris were sent out of the city by means of balloons, and in due time returned to their accustomed cotes.

The arrival of a pigeon was an event of great interest. The letters which they carried were written in very small characters and on very thin paper. The paper was rolled up tightly and enclosed in a quill, and the quill was fastened under the wing of the pigeon. In this way important messages were safely conveyed to the besieged city. Sometimes a whole newspaper was photographed on a minute scale and delivered by the aerial postman. When received it could be read only with the aid of a powerful magnifying-glass. Sometimes the besiegers tried to bring down the birds with their rilles; but they seldom succeeded, so high and so swiftly

do these birds fly. Once or twice, however, the little letter carrier arrived with its feathers ruffled and stained with its own blood. Thus, all through that terrible winter, often in the midst of blinding storms and over fields of carnage, was the gentle dove the bearer of messages of love and hope between anxious friends.

With this simple exception, the carrier-pigeon in modern times has figured only in racing trials. Breeding societies in Belgium have made the cultivation and speeding of pigeons a favorite amusement, and of late years the same sport has been introduced into the United States, where it bids fair to soon become very popular.

COMPOSITION.

Describe the arrival of a carrier-pigeon into the besieged city of Paris, from the following notes:

A snow storm prevails. Amid the white specks a very large one is seen. It is examined. Powerful glasses are brought to bear upon the fast moving object. A general cry is heard: "The carrierpigeon." The bird descends. Around its neck a string; under its wing a quill. In this quill "news from other lands." The bird is petted, fed, and delivered to its cote.

AN UNKNOWN SISTER OF CHARITY.

UNKNOWN to fashion's tinsel throng,

The soulless and the vain;

Unknown where ringeth folly's song,
And pleasure's siren strain.

Unknown where fickle fame bestows
Her evanescent crown,

While, for a fleeting instant, glows
The light of earth's renown.
Unknown in life, unknown in death,
Thus would she live and die-
She needed not the trumpet's breath
To waft her deeds on high;

But where the plague, at noonday, trod
O'er earth his fatal way,

And where, beneath his blighting rod,
The stricken thousands lay;

Where fiercely burned the fever flame,
And rung the dying groan,

Full well the Sister's holy name

And gentle face were known.

And while life's latest murmur breath'd

On her its blessings fond,

Her fadeless coronal was wreath'd

The "jasper walls" beyond.
She saw, in every tortured one,

Her anguish-laden Lord;
For him her holy work was done,

From him it claimed reward.

What though no flaunting banners wave, Where mercy's martyr sleeps;

What though above her nameless grave No earthly mourner weeps;

When soared her soul, on eager wing,

Beyond the gates of pain,

The white-robed legions of the King

Were her triumphal train.

And where love wrote her blessed name

Above his radiant throne,

In heaven's light of fadeless fame

She lives, forever known.

COMPOSITION.

Take a short selection from "The Sister of Charity," and write it in your own words, in two forms. Give three historical instances of queens or other distinguished ladies who became nuns. Relate any circumstances you may know of where sisters have distinguished themselves on the battle field or in the sick room. Consult Longfellow's "Evangeline" for points.

TRUE AND FALSE SUCCESS.

IT should be remembered that success in life is to be regarded as a means and not as an end; and that therefore there is such a thing possible as unsuccessful success-such a thing as gaining every end, while the whole life has been a failure. "What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" This is the final test of the value of earthly prosperity, and unless our lives be guided by the spirit of these memorable words, we shall have lived in vain. Viewed in the light of the Evangelist's words, many a career that the world deems a brilliant success, is a most miserable failure; and many a life that the world considers commonplace and humble, is crowned with an enduring triumph.

Better and

Why were you sent into this world? clearer than all the high-sounding phrases of philosophers comes the simple answer of the catechism"to know, love, and serve God in this world and be happy with him forever in the next." To this end must you make tend every action of your life; and whatever success you may attain in your chosen calling, must be looked upon as a God-given means of contributing to

his glory, to the good of your neighbor and to the happiness of your immortal soul.

This alone is true success, and it is attainable in the humblest as well as in the most exalted position; for in every station of life will you find the opportunity of loving God, of practising virtue and of edifying others. The meanest calling can be positively ennobled by cheerfully and honestly performing the duties which belong to it.

"Honor and shame from no condition rise.

Act well your part, there all the honor lies." God has given every man a mission to perform in this world, for which his talents precisely fit him; and, having found what that mission is, he must throw into it all the energies of his soul, seeking its accomplishment, not his own pleasure.

As has been wisely said, "Man is not born to solve the problem of the universe, but to find out what he has to do, and to restrain himself within matters that he understands." Having found out what you have to do-whether to lead an army or to sweep a crossing, to harangue senates, or address juries, or prescribe medicines do it with all your might, because it is your duty.

Are your intellectual endowments small, and are you despondent because your progress must be slow? Remember that if you have but one talent, you are responsible only for its wise use. If you cannot do all you wish, you can at least do your best; and, if there be one thing on earth which is truly admirable, it is to see God's wisdom blessing an inferiority of natural powers, when they have been honestly, truly and zealously cultivated. Remembering that the battle of life cannot be fought by proxy, be your own helper, be