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Home My WebLink AboutThe Exeter Times, 1887-1-27, Page 6eletetreetelleiteitailleilleleeettliallianatellaileearealleateeateeletensaleaateleSteentelelleelailfillalleateleattalieellekteRalidenettilleflafeleielfileeletelleslieleatelielleenteeffeellineelialeieneelee LITH ELLIO A PROPHECY FULFILLED. A TALE OF SOCIAL LIFE IN CANADA. BY W. E. BI FART IV. " $1troy 0,904ne,4 Atia troy ehall felkw nq*A the days of my life.—Vs. xxxiii. " 'unseen tMgale hi my daily petite attend Unewervieg,, from the eradle to the grere, ultpowered but for uw wilfulness, to eave My feet, my hands, my toilette, from every mid Of error, Sild of sin, to \Odell they Walla,— Alike most loving, tender, true, tualbrave, Aud M whose high companionship 1 have Thls only pain, that 1 their greet) offend, How cift clo they their silvery bowers leeve, To come to succor us that succor want How oft do they with gelden plutons (leave The flitting skies like flying, pursuivant, A e.inet foul fiends to aid us kant: 'hey for us fight, they watch and duly ward, And their bright squadrons round about tle plant And all Mr love, and nothing for reward; Oh, whyishould Hoven for men 111).VQ such regad ! And still I offend, how oft—I eanuot to myself confess, Nor dere 1 think how pure in God's pure view; Whose faithful angels all my steps pursue, Their sweet names being Afereyai,ctGoudnev, Five years have elepseelesince the death of Arthur Blackstone, and the lovely young widow as she sat ou a beautiful Sunday afternoon in July at the organ, singing tend playing. her favorite hymn, Lead Kindly Light," with her sweet little blue-eyed, golden -haired daughter of six summers play- iug at the parlor window looking out on the front—looking her best, more rosy, more youthful and beautiful than ever. "Oh, mamma, here comes Mr. Bendy up the walk, and he's got Carlo with him. 1'11 run and meet them, can't I, Mam- ma ?" And before Mamma could reply she was out of the door and down the path to meet Mr. Bendy and her friend Carlo. Carlo was a very pretty spaniel dog that little Florence took great delight in playing with, and the dog seemed to be much attached .and greatly pleased with his little friend. Mr. Beatty made much of the child, for he knew that was the easiest avenue through -which to win the mother's heart. Ruth rose from the organ and was stand- ing iu the door ready to welcome her devot- ed friend and ice er—for he had. never mar- ried. He had been absent over five years ill foreign parts, but, always a true friend, he had never ceased to love her, and haviug re- turned within the past year and renewed his suit for her affections, was now iter accept- ed and acknowledged lover. It was a pretty sight for the now happy mother as they came along, Mr. Bently taking Florence's hand and she leading the dog by a stick in his mouth. The mother's face beamed with joy as they approached, and ere they had ascended the last steps her hands were ou Mr. Bentley's shoulders, and with a gentle chiding for being so late she held up her sweet face to be kissed. "Wait," she said, "until I get my sun- bonnet and we will go ClOWIIIIIthe grounds; it is much nicer outside than in the house these lovely summer afternoons." She was not long in finding it, for she was an orderly housekeeper and had a place for everything and everything in its place ; and taking his arm and Florence by the hand, they sauntered down the serpentine walk to their favorite retreat where the clustering vines, overhanging the lawn seat, t placed against the foot of the great spread- ing Gilead tree that stood at the end of the walk on the brink of the steep declivity overlooking the valley that stretched away . to the south, with its green fields and ivied- 1 ing river glistening in the sunbeams; and quiet farm houses in the distance; making • it a, veritable paradise for love. I s tittle Florence and Carlo gamboled on the green, while Ruth and Herbert Bently opened their happy hearts to one another, While their tongues, set free, grew eloquent f with love's impassioned tale, and eyes r "spake love to eyes that spalse again." Their's was a love founded ou esteem. 1\1. caloulation to come et, a little more delicate than bargains an stooks au d bonds." "On, Come 110W, deux, leave stocks and bonds out a sight for one day and try to drink in the sweet delights of eeture,by which we are surrounded. Look. at that buSuble bee there, how active he is as he elbubs ht and out of eaob flower or scrambles over a head a sweet clover, all the while keeping still AS a mute, until he starts ou his jouthey, svhen he strikehumming note as A warning of his approech ; some say it is caused by the beating of his tetugs iu the air. What- ever is the cause of that sound it seems to me that S11.111111er would not be summer with- out the presence of these inutunerable elsoris- ters who enliven their work with song." "Oh yes," he replied, "1 love nit-W.1'0'S music, and your conversation recalls those pretty lines of Baldwin's :— " There's music in the pitying voice of WOUteatt soft mil and d. There's music in the prattle sweet of every MU 'eellaiiiuen th id; There 10 in voice of youth and of the riper sage, There's iauues.ic even In the shrill and quivering Yoke og There's music in the murmuring shells upon the rocky shore, There's music in the flap of sails and in the dripping oar. There's music in the wavelets white that flash upon the strand, And with a thousand furrows line the smooth and yellow sand. There's umeic in the song of birds, the restling of the leaves; And in the nodding of the ears amid the harvest sheaves. Sweet tender songs of nature's voice that like some soothing spell, Our hearts enthrall and ever in our fondest memory dwell," "The other clay," said Ruch, "1 was gathering violets down by the brook in the meadow yonder where they grow in such profusion—violets are iny favorite flowers —and the scene and the circumstance re- called these beautiful lines :— "Down where the river, and little brook meet Under it tuft of bright green grass, Hidden away from the wandering feet Of any one who chanced to pass, Nestles it lot of violets blue That bathed in the sun and drank In the dew, And saw in the river their own rare hue Reflected as if in glass. They bloomed in the sunlight, so waren and gay, And smilingly welcomed each passing shower; They laughed at the brook as it ran away And passed their little bower. They loved the soft breath of the balmy air, And breathed out a frageuke rich and rare, So subtle it was—and it was not there— in the heart of each sweet flower. No rude hand plucked them out of their place Away from that cool shady spot, But the soft wind kissed them with soft embrace, To show they were not forgot, And day after day the song of the bird And the cry of the chirruping cricket was heard And the heart of each blossom with joy was stirred And blessed its ouiet lot." 'Do you often go botauizing thus ?" he asked. " Not often," she replied, "but it is of thrilling interest to me, for it does seem as if each moss, each shell, each crawling in- sect, holds a rank important in the plan of Him who framed this scale of beings ; hold a rank which, lost, would break the chain and leave behind a gap, which Nature's self would rue." "To my mind Nature is still, as ever, the thin veil which half reveals, and half con- ceals the faces, and lineaments supernal of our King. There are frequently lumters of botanical specimens hovering round, and I always welcome them as my friends; be- cause we worship at the same shrine, think the same thoughts and are interested in imilar things. The botanists I like best are Asa Gray,- Chas. H. Bessey, Dr. Spottou and Mr. Lincoln." "Take mosses, for instance; how beautie ul and how interesting," replied he. Have you ever studied them ?" "She that would raise a noble love must find Ways to beget a possion for her mind; She must be that which she to be would seem ; For ail true love is grounded on esteem. Plainness and truth gain more a generous heart Than all the crooked subtleties of art." This was a favorite retreat of Ruth's In the quiet sununer afternoons; and here In e the shelter afforded by the spreading vine she would spend an hour or two with her favorite authors undisturbed. And here, as if by a natural instinct, the lovers sought' the seclusion that love delights in. And here they would sit together, sometimes for, t hours, lover -like, talkmg of each other, or , t the beauties of natural objects around them, f without weariness, dreaming the happy e hours away,' until the ringing of the silver e tea -bell would call them 'back from the t Land Elysian' to partake of refresh"Is not this a lovely spot ?" she asked. I t ment. "How sweet the perfumes which mine I floating on the breeze, The new mown hay. t how I love it odour. And sometimes after t a shower, the perfume from these Gilead f trees, mingling with the roses and lilacs of / "There is a fresh and lovely sight, A beauteous heap, it hill of moss Just half a foot in height. All lovely colors there you see, All colore, that might ever be, And mossy net -work too is there As if by hand of lady fair The work had woven been." "1 have ofteu studied the mosses as I have climbed the mountain heights or visit - d some moss -covered ruin in the Old World. All travellers do, more or less ; for, as you ascend from height to height, the varieties change. Some are simply wonderful to see; words fail to describe them. They reminded me of what Ruskin says of them. He calls hem 'meek creatures ; the first mercy of he earth, veiling with hushed softness ruitless rocks ; creatures full of pity, cov- ring with strange and tender honor the carred disgrace of ruin—lying quiet upon he tumbling stones to teach them rest.' No words that I know of will say what hese mosses ave; none are delicate enough, none perfect enough; none right enough o describe them. Strong in lowliness, hey neither branch in heat, nor pine in rost. To them, slow fingered, cotstantly ar e , is intrusted the heaving of the ark, eternal aperies of the hilis ; to hem, slow -pencilled, Iris -dyed, the tender rainiflg of their endless imagery. Sharing the kit f th i the garden, makes the air as redolent with s perfumes as it now seems resonant with the • t subdued murmurs of a thousand musical f t " "You are fond of flowers, Ruth, I eaer- ceive by the large collection of exquisite annuals, perennials, and exotics that adorn your garden?" "Oh yes, Herbert, they are my friends and constant companions, and they seem to smile for me and speak to me of heaven: "For who shallsay that flowers Dress not heaven's own bowers Who its love without them can fancy, or its floor "'Who shall ever dare To say they spring not there Arid come not down that love inlet bring One piece of heaven the more. "Oh pray believe that angels From those blue dominions Brought them in their bright laps Dowu 'twixt their golden pinions." "Oh, there, you are sentimental. I have heard that people in love are thus affected," "'Well, be it so," she replied. " Yes, in love, I am, with nature—sweet, beautiful nature. The world's a paradise to me with its beautiful birds and flowers, and as man is lord of creation, you know, I most in - chide him, in the catalogue, and I'm i11 love with one, too, but be' e one after Burns' own heart. Yoti'll find his descrippon 111 the poem Anna's a man for a' that. He's gold that needs no guinea, stamp to snake hien-pass current," "Yea surprise rae with your eloquence. This, then, is youi• favotite theme ?" Yes ! Oh 1 see that lovely hamming bird," she exelaimed, "as he flits from flower to flower s what pretty things there are in nature, , Do you ktions, sometimes when I sit here it this secluded .spot watch- ing that little creature, lee -andel -how tnany timet a minute those tiny wiags move." "Ah," said he, "that would be a, nice ness o eun mpaasioned rock, they share also its endurence ; and while the winds of departing spring scatter the white hawthorn blossoms like drifted snow; and the summer dims on the parched meadow the.droppings its cowslip -gold ;—far above among the mountains the silver lichen sports star -like on the stone ,• and the glittering golden tinges upon the edges of the distant western peaks, reflect the sun- sets of ten thousand years." "Yes," she said, "that is a trip I should like to make, taking in dear old. England my father loves so evell,—Erance, Italy, Switzerland and the Alps; to climb t, St. Gothard or Mt. Riga rest at the Kuhn or Eagle's Nest' (6000 feet high) and far above the fleecy clouds; rising at early. peep of day to witness that wonderful sunrise so many rave about. "Tell me something of your travels, Mr. Bently," said Ruth. "You ha,ve been abs sent for -five years—sad and eventful years to me—you have drifted with disabled steamers itt the North Atlantic, have been cast away among the Shetland Mee, have seen the midnight sun and the Laps with their reindeers harnessed at North Gape in Norway. 'Srou have seen Venice, Genose and Lucerne, home dimbedthe Rigi and seen. that gorgeous sunrise far above the cloudst and high up the slopes of the Wengen Alps, have witnessed. the descending evalaiiche from the lofty Jungfra,u with. its crown of perpetee snow, crashing all before it in its death -dealing, progrees down the opposite side. You have visited Rome with its re, lies? Egypt with its Pyramids, Persia with its indoletee, India, with its magnificence profuse Wealth and or eous temples, China with its strange pee*, the Yosemite and • the towering Rookiee on thie eontieeet :se sem retuthed; towstell lee, of all yo e saw, what pleased or impreesecl, you tnoet " Well, the mit profound impression remember to have tett was. sellea the dm broke and WO foetal hareelyea iterift itt heavily laden °eon steamer, distints stormy seesou in. the Notati Atlantic, •Nrore three weens out before We were fowl min towed lute Liverpool by aaother of th asempauy's line. It is sues tie thelieg lielpIess lielplessnese, eons° sense akin t despair. A pessing steamer is signalled an told to say we are disabbsci, but all sigh shaft broken, and under sail. I WAS amuse at a Wind elergyinatt, On board, who, grow. ing impatient, troubled the captain a pod dee, aud also ceimpleued of the wen swear- ing. 'Well,' seidthe Capteim long es you hear them sweeriug there is no danger,' end inunediately he went imam(' to betels, and retarued, sayiug, Thank God, they are swearing still.' was much impressed by the strange phen,omenon ot the midniglit sun ha Norway. I felt, standing on North Cape, as if I were standing on oue edge of an egg- shaped body eud coidd watch the sun iss ins entire eireuit. There is no. sunset there, during the six months the sunis north of the equator. The :British meseutu, West- minster Abbey, St, Paul's Cathecirel, and the Houses of Perth:mica in London, among other things, pleesed and impressed me with their grandeur. But the Louvre of Paris, with its sixteen separate museums, aseonish- ed ine beyond anything I had ever fancied the art of man could have attained to. To enumerate the wonderful productions of painting and art that are to be semi there woeld in itself 'Weary you • and the : stories of the estates of the Grand Hotel and Grand Magasins de Lotivre are the finest in the world and' occupy an entire square. The old Louvre is connected wide the Tuilleries by the new Louvre and is considered in au architectural point of view to be unequalled iu palatial beauty. The theatres are very fine and the actingalways of a Mgh order. The hacks are cabriolets and remmcled me of the calashes of Old Quebec. To a woman Paris is centre of the world, for here fashion takes its cue, and everything that can be devised to attraot and captivate a worates fancy is to be seen in the magnificent shop win- dows and fronts, or =gams, as they are called. In Switzerland the scenery is over. whelming in its grandeur,—the mountains are lofty and ascended by rail, but the sun- rise on the Rigi is something to be remem- bered for a lifetime. Away above the clouds —earth like a dark mist below—the sun- burst forth with a grandeur peculiar to it. self, that impresses one as nothing else does. I could think of nothing to so aptly express the wonder it creates in the issind so, truly as Moore's poem, .beginning " Thou art, 0 God, the life and light Of all this wondrous world we see, And we could almost think we gazed Through golden vistas into Heaven." "But talking of impressions, there is no- thing to compare to the solemnity and awe - like feeling that is felt on entering the great St. Peter's or the Vatican at Rome. No feel- ing impressed me but grandeur on visiting the Pyramicls. and Mausoleums of Egypt— or of magnificence in viewing the vast mar - Isle temples of India. But in Rome one enters the great St. Peter's and feels as if overshadowed by a long Past, a living Pre- sent and an eventful Future." 'Enter! Its grandeur overwhelms thee not; And why 1 It is not lessened ; but thy mind, Expanded by the genius of the spot. Has grown colossal and can only find A fit abode wherein appear enshrined Thy hopeof immortality. Thou art in Rome 1 a thousand busy thoughts Rush on my mind, a thousand images, And I spring up as girt to run a race. Thou art in Rome! The city that so long Reigned absolute the mistress of the world; The ,nighty voice that prophets saw and trembled; There as though, Grandeur attracted grandeur, are beheld All things that strike, ennoble—from the depths Of Egypt, from the classic fields of Greece, Her ...roves, her temples—All things that inspire Wonder, delight,—whowould not say the forms Most perfect, most divine, had by consent Flocked thither to abide eternally. Within those silent chambers where they dwell In happy intercourse." (TO BE CONTINUED.) LORI) 19 ITE RI Neueiteleakt meet,- er 'lite Great lell>iontnt'i, Rale In !Nadia, ft Lord Defferie has now boon two yoars In e India, ele his health is suffering, under the is pressure oe barn work and an lltifaVOttrahle e climates there is some talk of his seedy re d tura td lihnneed, .where, perbespe, in the O field of polittea he may be of even more use of to the I!Impire than he it itt the distant de - o peixlemoy. Afeaewhile the press is niscus. d sing the value of his services ELS an Indian t, administrator. It seems to be the geneval d Opinicai teat Lord Dufieria hiss been as skit, fel as fk despot as he Was 48 ma constitutional rater itt Canade and as a diplomat at St. Petersburg or Constentinople ; end it is declared tleet when he bids farewell to India he will leave behind Lim evidences of his geniue in the thieve of itchninistretive re- forms and meterial improvements, by which among Qum who femur Britiat rule he will ever be gratefully remembered, On his ar- rival in India Lord Dufferin at once set himself to work to deal with domestic questious. His first essay was with the zeraindary system of Range. This system was a legacy left by Lord Cornwallis eighty years ago. 'Under it the zetninclars, or lendlords, were given permanent rights in the soil, sobject only to it rent to the Gov - eminent. These men re -let their holdings to the ryots or peasants. Owing to the growth of population reutelspayable by the mi ryots have ereased, but, n consequence of the aeraugement made wider Lord Corn- wallis, the tax payable to the Government has remained stationary. The zemindars have therefore enjoyed rather a valuable privilege at the expenee of the ryots, And they have extracted every cent possible under it, the unfortunate peasants having been compelled to suffer a species of racne renting ssisioh would make an Irish landlord blush. Lord Darer% has dealt with this system, and has secured for the ryots fixity of telnu'e and fair rents, There has also been a land settlement he Oude, and ekes are being made to effect similar reforms throughout the Empire. Attention has been paid to the Civil Ser- vice. Formerly the comfortable salaries obtainable in this branch of Government were the spoils of the English viotors t but now natives are admitted to some of the sweets of office. For this the Indians have long struggled. The principle was conceded inpart uuder formervIceroys; but under Lord Dufferin it has been se extended that natives are eligible for any minor office, and a cer• ten number are annually drafted into the service without examination. The cost of the service has also been considered, and there is a report before the Viceroy looking to a reform under which £700,000 a year will be saved. Railway extension has been pushed vigorously; one of the more impor- tant roads being that into Afghanistan. This has had its influence upon the trade of the country. The boundary between India and Afghanistan has been defined, and Burmah has been annexed. In the management of the princes of the feodatory states Lord Dufferin has been very success- ful. If there is one thing more than another that a native prime demands it is a due observance of all the formalities connected with his office. Those who know how defer- ential the Viceroy could be to a Canadian deputy reeve when occasion required, can well understand that his conferences with Indian princes have not been wanting in that respect. As a result of his good man- agement, the native states are said to be favorably dispossd towards British rule. But all this is but one side of the Indian pte- ture. Despite Lord Dufferin's skilful admin- istration, everything is not serene. The people are poor uithe extreme. The average annual income of two hundred millions of them is only £2 14s_ ,. or say 813. The taxation is high. A huge civil list and a costly military establishment, the latter en- larged last year by the addition to it of 10,000 English troops and 53,000 native troops, make an enormous revenue neces- sary. Further, there is a pension list of considerable length, the names upon which are those of Englishmen noW residing in comfort at home. The operation of this list is regarded as a drain upon the re- sources of the people. Then the natives complain bitterly of their exclusion from the higher offices and from any part in the legislation awl administration of the coun- try. They also declare that the taxes are levied, contrary to their wishes, in such a mentor as to be oppressive in the extreme. The feeling of dissatisfaction, it is said, has grown of late. It has been voiced by the native press, and has been echoed in the national conventious. According to the London Times, the country, despite Lord Dufferin's skilful administration, and his many reforms, is in a critical state. There is just one thing that will satisfy it, and that is to give kvhat the English wilI be loath to accede to a larger measure of control to the native population. A TOBOGGANING SONG. BY JOliN IMRIE, TORONTO. 'Tis "Hurrah ! hurrah !" and away they go, Like an avalanche o'er the crispy snow 1 With a rush and abound they clear the ground, While the snow, like spray, dashes all around! They think not of death, Yet they hold their breath,— Now in a hollow 1—now cresting a hill !— Now guiding the craft to prevent "a spill !" See! the fresh warm blood to their faces rush As they peep from the robes with roses' blush! In the clear moonlight, What a beppy sight,— As the maiden clings with a tender fear To the kind loving arm that holds her near! Through the clear .cold air of the frosty night The twinkling stars seem to dance with de- light 1 With speed of the w•ind— Learns all behind— Boys. Two English teachers were in conversa- tion, and, of course, they were talking of their experiences in seisms/. One was an old man, who, besides having served as mathematical master at Eton for thirty years, had been for another long period master of a great school at Windsor. The other was a much younger man though at the head of en important institution. The younger man said, "I shall not live to be as old as you are. The boys will kill me before I reach your age" They rush to the plain with a shout of glee, The old man r,eplied, "It is the boys As merry and happy as hearts can be who keep mealive. ' One of these teachers enjoyed what wor- ried and exhausted theother,and any one • The Three Angels. BY' MACTDB L. BADBORD. Three angelsbovered in the'air, And to each other spake "Three Visits to moetaIs," said they, "We immortals will make." * * * * * A proud lady sat by her harp, Ami sang a lovely tithe Of sweetstnelling flowers, and birds, And the lovely month of June. And the angels murmured down from Heayen, • "To you talents rich and rare are given," ' A strong man in the forest, plied A bright axe manfully, Felling many a tough bush, and Many a noble tree. Ahd the angels whispered down from Heaven, "Unto you the gift of strength is given." A pretty, simple, village maid, With eyes of heavenlyblue, Thought, as she hummed a little tune, Of her lover SO true. And the angels whispered down Prom Ileaven "Unto you the gift of love is given." And these words came to the maid from above, The best of God'S gifts, is the gift of love. , Too Par Ahead, " What do you want ?" she snapped, as she :held the ,front' door open about three inchee. remembers is se oolelife can give a pretty good guess at the reason. In a, school of a hundred boys, at least ninety are usually so well-disposed that they give little wearing trouble to a faithful and in. telligent teacher. The distress and exhaus tion are caused by the remaining ten, some of whom are stupid, others careless, others merely nervous and restless, and, perhaps, so or three really depraved. Th of governing m a sc e consists chiefly in knowing what to do with the low. es ten, and it is just that part of the art which is least capable of being conunOnicat- ed. Every boy is a new case, requiring speeial. study and peculiat treatment. Yet it is the ninety good boys who emu most readily influence the others. Not long ago four or Ave of the lower ten were engaged in the rnean sport of making fun of it poor old woman who lost her nsind many years ago by the eticklen loss of her children, She was a hermlees, good creature, who went about chattering words without mean- ing, and these thoughtless, cruel boys were pullingher d 'es 1 1 h' t her, One of the epper ninety mine along, He clid nothing violent, tor did he ihdulge in ndignant speech. He merely " Fel- oevs, it is mean to treat this old woman so." That was all, afid it was enough They de- leted, and the poor woman \vett het 'way Peace. • When the ninety act in . that gnanner tlitoug ou , willteenot kill t seir tth ee. ere, and they themselves will probably es - cape hanging. The worst boy dare net feese the peblie epiiie. inof ids school, if it is ee. PresSed so that he know e what it is. Woede Well Used, Some expreesions are so happy that they stick in the memory like burrs, r.rIxey are epigrams born like bubbles, and eeteetilues hardly longer lived than bubbles, )20 never- th§leS5 as trey feriae of art as are those laboriously evolved In the closet. Some elle wad of Thore:su, expesi- eneed nature se meet people experience reli- gion," What otsuld give one a more em- phatic impression el the inen's strews per. sonality Rufus Choate was oonstantly throwiug off apparently careleee utteranees will& held the germs of goehis, In speaking of John Quiney Adam's relentlessness as a debates', he said, "He had en Inatinet for the jugu- lar vein end the parotid artery as unerring as that of any caruiverous mumal." Of a lawyer who was as contentiotte as ne was debwitted, he declared, He is A bull dog with confused. ideas," The courts oace demanded thee heshoucll fincl a preeedent for a course ef action lie had proposed. "1 will look, your Honor," he returned, with his peculiar courtesy of manner, "and endeavor to find a precedent, if you require it, though it seerns to be allay that the court should lose the honor of being the first to establish so just a rule." Of an ugly artist who bad painted a par. trait of himself Ise declared, "It is aficserant likeness." His casual criticisms were full of meaning. After looking through mm vol- ume of " Poetry of the East," he said,— "The Oriental seems to be amply cone - potent to metaphysics, wonderfully compo. tent to poetry, scarcely competent to ler- tue, and utterly hicorapetent to liberty," Tills was expreasion treetecl as a flue art, but those of us who are not geniuses might make it ma finer art than we do. The Breton's Prayer. BS E. d. CREIGUTON. [The Breton mariner offers up a beautiful prayer when he puts to sea. It is this: "Keep me, my God, my boat is so small and Thy ocean is so wide. j On to the other side my journey Iles, Appalled! I gaze upon an angry sea; High overhead are no propitious skies, While waves are sporting with my boat and me Alone, I brave the tempest and its strife, Alone, to guide through billows my frail bark; Alone, to trust my all, my dearest life, Alone, amid the waves, it desert derk. My sight quite fails to scan the vast expanse, No will the helm my nerveless arm obey ; My helplessness each terror does enhance As in their might against me their array. Still madly on through waves, my little craft, Groans dismally, as gallantly she strives; My aching eyes keep looking fore and aft ; Until submerged, alas ! Hope in me dies. The raging, forces will not brook control, No skill of mine can maks my heart feel brave; The wonders of the see apall my soul, As yawns its depths, a veritable grave. "Keep me, my God," I cry in my affright, Send Thy fl.00d angel soon to take the helm ; No compass have I here, no lamp alight; And rushing waters will my boat oerwhelni. " Out of the depths" ascends the solemn prayer, "Keep me, my God" If Thou art by my side Though waves like mountains rise up everywhere, VII bide in peace, though on Thy ocean wide. " Keep me, my God," surge on thou Angalry sea, 'And thunder storms majestic o'er it re, Safely through all shall pass my boat with me Gtudecl•by Thee upon "Thy ocean wide." Eighty Years a Soldier. On the first of the present month the venerable Etnperor of Germany celebrated the eightieth anniversary of his entry into the Prussian army. His has had a remark- able career. He was born in 1797 just as the fame of the first Napoleon was begiuning to impress itself on the Continent. This Hohenzollern prince was born before the close of Napoleon's second campaign against Austria. At the age of nine he saw his own country baffled and beaten on the field of Jena, mid when he joined the army the power of Napoleon was at its height. Eu- rope was at his feet, while his puppets re- echoed his commands from a dozen different thrones. But the star of Napoleon WAS rapidly setting. The Spanish campaign re- sulted disastrously to the anise of France. Misfortunes never cotne singly and such was now the case. In the campaign of 1814 and 1315, which resulted in the complete overthrow of Napoleon, William took part. He has lived to see the work of the Corsican undone, and the prestige of his own Father- land more than restored. As a monarch he has been better than a great many ex- pected, and although ambitious his am- bition has been to benefit his country. The quarrel with France was one with the Bona - partes rather than with the French people, and the victory of Sedan cleared away the one aggressive dynasty which was vitally interested in keepieg Germany divided. Laughing to the Death. Zeuxis was one of the most celebrated of painters. His last great work was the pio. ture of an oldwoman. The face of the anti. quated dame displayed alhof the deformities and defects which make age deplorable. The form was lean and shrivelled. The eyes were bleared and ,the cheeks hung ghostly on the cheek bones. The gums displayed were toothless. The mouth was sunken and the chin was far protruding, These great de- formities were presented in a style of such ludicrous combination that when Zeuxis, as is usual with artists who have completed a reat work drew back to contem late the offspring of his fancy, he was excited. to such an immoderate fit of laughter that his joy was turned to pain and Ise died on the spot. Wren the famous comic poet Philemon reached a very thivaneed age he happened • one day to see an ass eat up sense figs Which a boy hacl left upon the ground. The boy returned and stood wondering what had bo - come of the figs. • "The ass has eaten them" said the aged saud " 'Went to clean the snow off yer side- 1 walk," he replied. :But it is clean," " Theis I want to ,etigage to seev some i ; woods fon you met summer. The exigencies / ef bhe pase dntinda get hold of some breakfast somehow or otliet right off" wit ; "go now and fetch it some water to drink." The old man was so tickled with the fancy of his own jest that, if we may place any re- , Bailee on history, he also died of laughing. The cream of this jest consisted of its being "Ay 1 There's the Itod," Yonthful scion ef a noble house : have oome to ask for the hand of your daughter, (lodes. 1" Fashionable physician : " Yott I have ?" ' Youth : "Yee, doctor. I have enough ef this -world's goode to support her in comfort, even in luxury," Physician t "Yes, I aen aware of that ; but will You treat her kindly ? Can I depend upon your making her it good husband ?" Youth : "Doctor I swear—." Physician: "Oh, tever ; mind swearing, my young friend 1 Your intentionare all night; but I must be sure I that you won't worry her life out after you get her, Take off your coat, anti let me sound you to see whet coeditton your hver is in," MEN AND 1V41111EN. A yoneg Buddhist prieet from Japatt Jaas arrived io Ceylon to etnely Southein Bad. dhiete, which is regersled as the sewer eyatem of that feith, whiei counts eo many million bel Lev ore in AMA. :Nth ashingtoll 11. Connor wants a yaelit that will make elneteen miles an hour, with- out regard to oat ; and the English build era to whole be has applied, are veining to try for it, Mine. Adeliee r4tti is one of the most urs gracious of womeu in granting nor autograph ranking next to Mine. Wllann in title male tor ; liut she is a colleetor herself ancl has magnideent .411ennt The friends of Joaq,uiss Miller are suggest.itg that the name of Goat blend in San Feanciseo Bay should be changed to Miller or jonquila leland out of regard for the poet's services in securing tlie obeervauee of eSabor Day. On the ocourrence of the three hundredth anuivereaay of the execution of Mary Qaeen of Scots, which will ocour on Febru- ary 8th next, will, not improbably, be given a memorial oelebration of'apubIio charts°. at Peterborough and Fothe Mr, John Jacob Astor, CI gh not fami- liar with all the minutesf details of the work of cataloguing the Astor Library, is entirely oonversant with the fact tliat he has to pay a, good many bills for the institu. tion, and hopes that the reading public is well served by it. The first license ever granted to a woman to run a steam-engine was obtained a few days ago by Miss Mary 8. Brennan, of Cincinnati. She has long been a student of meehenies and a frequenter of the boiler - them, and would be delighted to clevOte her whole time to boilers and. machinery. The Rev, Mr. Harris, a missionary who has just returned from Japan, declared in an address iu San Francisco that Christianity had made remarkable progress in the land of the Mikado. He predicted that by the close of this century Japan would accept Christianity as its national faith. In Hong -Kong recently a little Chinese boy of seven years was sold into bondage, like Joseph of old, by his elder brother, who reeeived $26 as the price of his crime. The British authorities were warned, and the result was that the unnatural brother, with three others who assisted him, will spend ten years in jail. It is authoritatively stated that at last the Mozart monument in the St. Mark's Cemetery, Vienna, is to be transferred to the new municipal graveyard (the Central Friedhof), and will there be plaoed next to the tombs of Beethoven and Schubert. It will be recollected that the resting -place of the composer's remains never has been nor canbe identied with precision. Comstock, the discoverer of the rich Com- stock Lode, which has made millionaires of a half-dozen Californians and broken-down gamblers of as many thousands, lies buried in the outskirts of Bozeman, Montana Ter. ritory. He discovered five of the richest silver mines in Nevada, yet he sold his pro- perty for it trifle, and, like most prospectors, Ise lived a llfe of "exposure and hardship, and died in extreme poverty. , One at the few persons on the Pacific coast who take a real interest in the Indian is Mrs. General Bidwell, of ChisemSalifornia. Her husband owns one of therltrgest ranches in California, on which is a Digger Indian vil- liege, or rancheria. Mrs. Bidwell, ten years ago, opened a school for these Indians, and smee then she has taught regularly three hours every day: On Sunday she preaches a 'simple sermon, So much aptitude for,, music has been shown by the men that a brass band has been organized, while the women and girls have been taught to sewer and to cook. So great is Mrs. Bidwell's in- fluence over these Indians, and so thorough- ly has she wen their confidence, that they refer all (enamels to her and abide by her decision. Not long Env Mrs. tone was visiting a country house, and t e first evening at dinner wore a blaelt lace scarf wrapped around and around her hody in the most ex- traordinary style. Everybody wondered at this amazing costume. Going up to the drawing -room after dinner, something struck sharply against the stairs at every step she took. "1 know what it is," she calmly re. marked. " Wheal dressed I could not find the waist of my gown, so I wrapped this scarf around inc instead. My maid in pack- ing sometimes pins the waist inside the skirt." And stooping down, sure enough it was the missing link of the costume. .Mrs. Gladstone retired and reappeared, having laid aside her grotesque substitute in favor of the conventional waist, and all with the most complete nonchalance. With the Queen. Sir Henry leads the way to Her Majesty's private drawing -room, and the visitor finds himself in the presence of Royalty, it may be for the first time. He is soon reassur sured, and unless he is a stammering churl, who would be ill at ease in any lady's com- pany, he soon fees at hoine. He is sure to I be a celebrity, and the Queen's kindly ques- tions as to the "forte" which has made him famous, send Min away quite happy after the ten minutes' interview to while away the time till dinner. This he can do in his own apartments or in the salon of the ladies and gentlemen in waiting, as he , pleAseeshinner itself is rather more trying. To begin with, it is not served until nine ' o'clock, so that the visitor, if it be his first visit, will be blessed with an alderman's ap- petite by the time he finds himself in the reception room, or rather corridor, adjoining the private dining -room in the Victoria Tower, Mr. Gladstone and sseveral other old stagers always provide themselves with sandwiches, which they eat in their rooms. The Queen enters at five minutes to the hour, says a word or t,wo torp., guest, and then .evi en pilots the way to tie, , dinner -table. t Here the nervous visitor's& lePiness depends greatly on his luck. ,If by any chance Princess Christian happens to be dining at the Gude and he sits next her, he is sure to have a good time, Princess Louise, the Duchess of Connaught, the Duchess of Al- bany, are all the best of company. On the other hand, the Princess of Wales, though her manner is charming, is, from her deaf- ness, rather a tryiug neighbor to it 1101TOUS visitor, while Princess Beatrice is so quiet mao lo givef 'gist d strangcr & juite roneous impression of hauteur, The Queen addresses, In the course of the meal, one sentence to eath guest, which he is expect- ed to answer briefly and well, all other con- versation ceasing during the dialogue. There is no slitting over wine by the gentle- men, and in one hour they are all in the reception room again. The guests do not sit, but advance in turn and say a fo* words to Her Majesty, who then, bows to the company and retires to her private apartments, Next morning the guests breakfast ein their own rooms, and are etc' pecteci to leave by half -past ten. They do 11ote eenin3 xcepttiititathrn1, e °48! 6f 14i/deters, see the Qu