be false. Opinions and inferences may always be innocently formed and expressed, but it should be remembered that opinions and inferences are not facts, and should never be stated for facts. Tell them that the youth, who allows himself to lie, even in jest, or for the purpose of making sport, will very soon be found to lie in earnest, and is in a fair way to become an habitual liar. Remind them that there are in the world self-styled philosophers, and loose religionists, who will try to shake their love of truth by confounding the distinction between figures of speech and lying. That such men, to justify their own deceitful sayings and doings, will represent the hyperboles, the ironies, and the parables of Scripture as lies.

An effectual means of exciting a reverence for truth, is early to impress the minds of our children with the precepts, the illustrations, and the sanctions of the Bible upon the subject of lying.

As soon as a child can comprehend any thing, the great fundamental truth should be graven upon his mind and heart, that the Bible is the infallible arbiter of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, and from it there is no appeal. Collect together and present all that the sacred volume utters upon the subject of truth and falsehood. Let children know that the obligation to speak truth is universal, and that it is not, and cannot be limited to time, place, or circumstances. That when we are forbidden to bear false witness against our neighbour, though testimony in the court-house is included, the precept is as binding out of the court-room as in it. That the obligation to observe strict truth is as binding without the ceremony of a judicial oath as with it, and that the

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obligation is not heightened, in the least degree, by the presence of judges and jurors, of counsellors and sheriffs. That under all conceivable circumstances, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, and a guileless tongue is his delight.

Do children demand evidence that the law of truth is anything more than a dead letter a lifeless, powerless declaration? Turn them to the history of Gehazi, and give them a glimpse at the liar's fate, in the brief account of Ananias and Sapphira. Illustrations are worth more than arguments to children, and, in fact, to all

undisciplined minds. Over and beyond this, show them that God's book decides of all liars that they are the children of the devil; and of impenitent liars, that they shall be excluded from heaven, and shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.

PLEASURES OF HOME.

THE beneficent ordination of divine Providence is, that home should form our character. The first object of parents should be to make home interesting. It is a bad sign whenever children have to wander from the

parental roof for amusement. Provide pleasure for them around their own fireside, and among themselves. The excellent Leigh Richmond pursued this plan: had a museum in his house, and exerted every nerve to interest his little flock. A love of home is, one of the greatest safeguards in the world to man. Do you ever see men who delight in their own firesides, lolling about in taverns and saloons? Implant this sentiment early in a child: it is a mighty preservative against vice.

"ONLY THIS ONCE."

ONE lovely summer's evening, as I was resting my horse at the little inn in the romantic village of A- in Westmoreland, and was seated at the window, enjoying the exquisite scenery around, my attention was diverted for a time by the arrival of a carriage, out of which stepped a lady and gentleman, and two lovely children—a boy and a girl, whom I supposed to be about seven or eight years of age. I was regretting the too hasty

glance that I obtained of their smiling faces radiant with the sunshine of health, of contentment, and joyfulness, when their little quick pattering tread, and the merry sound of their voices, was heard upon the stair, and they were shown into a room which was only separated from mine by a movable partition, which in the event of acountry ball, a meeting of the justices of the peace, or a public dinner, was taken away, and two or three small rooms thus thrown into one. "Tell the ostler to have a pair of good horses ready in an hour's

time," said the gentleman, as the waiter shut the door. I was at first inclined to be annoyed at the interruption to my reverie; but the sweet prattling voices of the children soon drew my attention, and I became deeply interested in my unknown friends. I could not see all their winning ways, but I soon perceived by their conversation that they were the children of Christian parents; and I almost wished the envious partition away which separated me from any of God's people, and prevented me from making more intimate acquaintance with the little strangers. Not wishing, however, to take advantage of my position, I did all I could to intimate to my fellow travellers that they were overheard: a slight cough, a creaking of the boots while walking up and down the room, soon gave the intimation I wished; and I could perceive that the hint was taken, for the gentleman and his lady now spoke in a lower tone, and the children's loud mirth was occasionally checked, by reminding them that they must not disturb other people. Their merry voices, however, were still heard asking a hundred questions about the country, the road they were going, the place where they would sleep; and at last the beseeching tones of the little boy's voice arrested my attention, as he was evidently trying to work upon his mamma to grant him some great favour which she had evidently refused, but which he hoped by a little quiet coaxing importunity to obtain. Only this once, dear mamma; indeed I promise you I won't ask again, just this once." "No, my dear Freddy," replied his mamma, "I have already told you that I did not wish you to go; and you should not ask again. If I thought it right for you I should not need so many earnest petitions, for you know I love to please you; but as I do not think it right, I cannot let you do it even this once."

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There, thought I, is a judicious parent; and oh, how much misery would be spared in after years if parents would only adhere firmly to what they believe to be right, and not be tempted in their foolish and mistaken fondness to yield to the solicitations of their children against the decision of their own better judgment, under the specious dangerous plea of only this once! Alas! upon that once may hang the momentous concerns of eternity.

The words of the merry little stranger, with his beseeching, pleading tones, still rung in my ears; and I was unconsciously almost to myself repeating, "This once, only this once," while the words led to a

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train of solemn reflections in my mind. I sat down again at the open window, and I observed two men standing at the door of a public house on the other side of the road. The one, in the garb of a sailor, was trying to persuade his friend, a young man of healthy, prepossessing appearance, to go in with him and take a glass. "No, no," said the young man, "I will not go; I was the worse of it the other day, and it is as much as my place is worth." "As much much as your soul is worth," said I to myself. Oh, come along, Jem," said the other," come this once; I shall be away, man, to-morrow, and it is the last drop we can take together; come, come, just this once-only this once, and I am gone." So saying, he slipped his arm into that of his friend, and almost forcibly dragged him in. My heart bled for the poor youth; and I determined to watch for his coming out, and if possible to put a little tract into his hand, or to speak a word to him in the way of warning; but, alas, I watched for a whole hour, he never made his appearance; another hour elapsed, and he came out, evidently too much intoxicated to be able to walk without his friend's arm. There, thought I, is probably a good place forfeited a decent, hale-looking young man thrown out of employment-perhaps a wife and children reduced to beggary-and the soul, the immortal soul, placed in imminent jeopardy by listening to the plea of the tempter, "Only this once.'

"Only this once," said a loud voice, which was heard even above the rattling of dice and the noisy profane language of a party gathered round a billiard table, where they were laying their well-concerted schemes for the ruin of a fine promising young man, of large fortune; "only this once; you cannot refuse us the chance of beating you. It would not be handsome to fill your pockets, and then refuse to give us another chance."

"Well, I will play this once," said 'only this once," said he to himself, "and, then I'll never, never play again." He sat down; he staked a large sum, he lost it; he played again, again he lost; once more he played, hoping to be more fortunate; once more, and he had lost his all, and rushed out of the house a ruined man, and returned home to tell his wife that she was penniless, his children beggars.

"I will go this once," said Eas she put on her bonnet, with the intention of going, unknown to her parents, to meet a young man who had been paying her much attention, but whose addresses were not sanctioned by her father and mother, be

cause they knew him to be a man of no principle, without religion, without profession, without the means of providing respectably for a wife. "I will meet him this once, and only this once," said E"and I will bid him good bye for ever." An idle excuse was framed for going out; she left her parents' roof with the intention of returning in the course of an hour. Alas! that one meeting was fatal to the peace of parents and child. The young man was importunate; he rested not until he had persuaded her to accompany him to his friends, where they were married, and in a few months E- found herself deserted, forsaken, and obliged to return to her heart-broken parents, thankful even to obtain the shelter of that roof, but wholly unable to restore to them the peace of which she had robbed them; and unable to regain her once former, peaceful, happy state of mind whilst fulfilling her duties in the domestic circle, and endeavouring to serve God in the station which he assigned her. Often did she think of the fatal night when, without any intention of yielding to the voice of the tempter, she had nevertheless been beguiled into the fatal snare, and determined upon once, and only once more, indulging in that which she knew to be

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inconsistent with her duty as a child and as a Christian.

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Oh let the young reader beware of listening to the voice of the tempter. Only once" did the devil tempt our first parents to eat of the forbidden fruit; but upon that once, oh, what a world of sin and misery has followed! Sin entered by that one temptation, and death by sin: and unless washed in the precious blood of the Lamb of God, unless by his obedience unto death we are made righteous, eternal death, eternal misery must be the consequence of that one sin. Then listen not to the souldestroying plea, Only this once; listen rather to the solemn word of warning-to-day, while it is called to-day, listen to the invitation of the gospel. The voice which is now sounding in your ears may soon be lost in the stillness of death. Only this once may the solemn warning be given, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?" Only this once may the gracious invitation of your Saviour be heard, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden." Only this once-refuse, turn a deaf ear, and it may be too late; eternity may have opened upon you, and the door of mercy be shut upon you.

WITHIN a lowly half-built shed
The homeless wand'rer lay,
Her wakeful eyes upturn'd, as tho'
Their tears-their looks would pray.

Softly she spoke, in broken words,
She breath'd as she were sighing;
Two babes close nestled by her side
Dreamt not that she was dying.

The moonlight fell upon her lips,
Upon her cheek and brow,
And on her mean and tatter'd dress,
It hung like flakes of snow.

At length her wan lips ceased to move,
Her breast no longer heav'd;
The night wind sigh'd-alas! it was
The only thing that griev'd.

Then creeping thro' the fern-clad roof
It kiss'd her sable tresses,
As tho' 'twould woo her spirit back
To life by its caresses.

And still the children slept, nor woke
Till hunger bade them wake,
Then-then alas! no mother's voice
In cheering accents spake.

In vain they wept their childish tears,
For tho' she still seem'd near them,
They learnt in truth, her soul had stray'd
Too far away to hear them.

Again they laid their pallid cheeks
Upon her marble breast,

Tho' cold and breathless, still it lulled
Their sobbing hearts to rest.

LET a man have all the world can give him, he is still miserable, if he has a grovelling, fettered, undevout mind. Let him have his gardens, his fields, his woods, his lawns, for grandeur, plenty, ornament, and gratification, while at the same time God is not in all his thoughts: and let another have neither field nor garden; let him look at nature with an enlightened mind-a mind which can see and adore the Creator and His works-can consider them as demonstrations of His power, His wisdom, His goodness: and in all his poverty, he is far happier than the other in his riches. The one is but a little higher than a beast; the other but a little lower than an angel.

A WOMAN is often praised; but never sufficiently valued. When a man sees a woman, what ought he to see in her? His nurse, his guardian, his mistress, his wife, his unceasing friend-his comforter in sickness-the being that gave him his first life-that affords him his first food-that is the creator or promoter of every pleasure he enjoys during life, and whose tender attention can alleviate the dreadful pangs of approaching dissolution. Young, she is beautiful; old, she is good; one grateful word overpays her. Old women are fit for a number of things, which young ones are incapable of performing, either from ignorance or because they will not take the trouble. An old woman is never tired of any thing; I am old, Sir, and know my value in society.

THE BLOOM OF AGE.-A good woman never grows old. Years may pass over her head, but if benevolence and virtue dwell in her heart, she is as cheerful as when the springs of life opened to her view. When we look upon a good woman, we never think of her age; she looks as charming as when the rose of youth first bloomed on her cheek. That rose has not faded yet: it will never fade. In her neighbourhood she is the friend and benefactor. In the church, the devout worshipper and exemplary Christian. Who does not respect and love the woman who has passed her days in acts of kindness and mercy-who has been the friend of man and God-whose whole life has been a scene of kindness and love, a devotion to truth and religion? We repeat such a woman cannot grow old. She will always be fresh and buoyant in spirits, and active in humble deeds of mercy and benevolence,

If the young lady desires to retain the bloom and beauty of youth, let her love truth and virtue; and to the close of life she will retain those feelings which now make life appear a garden of sweets-ever fresh and ever new.

NIGHT is beautiful in itself, but still more beautiful in its association; it is linked, as a day is, with our cares and with our toils-the business and listlessness of life. The sunshine brings with it action; we rise in the morning and our task is before us-and night comes and with it rest. If we leave sleep and ask not of dreams forgetfulness, our waking is in solitude, and our enjoyment is thought. Imagination has thrown her glories around the midnight; the orbs of heaven, the silence, the shadows, are steeped in poetry. Even in the heart of a crowded city, where the moonlight falls but upon the pavement and roof; the heart would be softened and the mind elevated, amid the loveliness of night's deepest and stillest hours.

GREAT men, like comets, are eccentric in their courses, and are formed to do extensive good by modes unintelligible to vulgar minds. Hence like those erratic orbs in the firmament, it is their fate to be miscomprehended by fools, and misrepresented by knaves: to be abused for all the good they actually do, and to be accused of ills with which they have nothing to do, neither in design nor execution

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own. But the great man is he, who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps, with a perfect sweetness the independence of his character.

A REFLECTION.-It should be remembered that every loathsome inmate of penitentiaries and state prisons, was once a gentle, inoffensive, and prattling child; and that every criminal who has expiated his crimes upon the gallows, was once pressed to a mother's heart, and drew his life giving nourishment from her bosom. Bad moral training, wrong influences and debasing examples do their work, and transform endearing offspring into ferocious men, who shock humanity by the foulness of their guilt, and the monstrous audacity of their crimes.

Printed by JOHN KENNEDY, at his Printing Office, 35, Portman Place, Maida Hill, in the County of Middlesex, London.-July, 1851.