noble heart was moved by the impulses of natural affection to forgive their awful crime, nnd receive them to his bosom. There is nothing upon the pages of fact or fiction, that is more ennobling and glorious than this. It awakens the sentiment of approval in every breast, however untrue itself to the demands of the fraternal relation. It imparts superlative lustre to the character of Jos.ph, as similar fidelity will cer tainly do to that of any brother on the face of the earth.

Much might be written concerning the power of brothers' and sisters' influence over each other, and many facts might be cited by way of illustration. But we quote the following only. "That man," said a keen observer of human nature, pointing to a stranger in the crowd, "has been brought up in the society of intelligent and virtuous sisters." "Whence do you infer that?" said the person addressed. He replied, "because he exhibits that gentleness and delicacy of feeling, which result only from the influence of intelligent and virtu ous sisters." The gifted Irving said, "often have I lamented that Providence denied me the companionship of sisters. Often have I thought, had I been thus favored, I should have been a better man." Though the above testimony relates only to a sister's, yet, the remarks would be equally true if spoken of a brother's influence.

Although these pages were not penned especially for the eye of childhood, yet, this chapter contains much which the child can understand. Before leaving the subject I would address myself briefly to any child whose cye may chance to fall upon these paragraphs. It is pleasant to see a family of little children dwelling together in love to know that they are kind, and strive to make each other happy. All hearts are pained to witness strife, and hear complaints, hard words, and accusations among little children, especially if they belong to the same household. Dr. Watts wrote the following beautiful verse upon this matter,

"Birds in their little nests agree;
And 'tis a shameful sight,
When children of one family

Fall out, and chide, and fight."

I doubt not that every young reader agrees with Dr. Watts. And if so, they will strive to cultivate as

ng an attachment to brothers and sisters, as did the little girl who is spoken of in the following incident. A little girl in the island of Jamaica, where our good people d missionaries to teach the children, was in the school of Mr. Thomas Knibb. Her brother, a very active, but guish boy, violated the rules of the school by swearing, and, of course, had to be punished. His punishment was confinement in the school-room some hours after the other scholars were dismissed. While Mr. R. was locking him in, his sister, of whom we have spoken, went to him, with her eyes brimful of tears, and begged that she might receive the punishment, and that her brother might be released. Wishing to sce whether the little girl was sincere, Mr. R. consented; and, sure enough, she immediately took his place to receivo the punishment! "What a kind, excellent little sister," say all my young readers. Will you not love your brothers and sisters as ardently?

May every youth who reads these page, have sufficient regard to his own пONOR, if not to the comfort of his parents, to lead him to be true in the fraternal relation. Reproach is cast upon the memory of the brother or sister who is known to disregard these important claims. They are less loved and respected. And so faithful has an observant public been in honoring the faithful in these endearing bonds, that even history makes a record of their virtuc. It is recorded of Timolcan, the Corinthian, that he was a noble pattern of fraternal love. He contended on the battle field with the Argives, and when his brother received a fatal

wound and fell to the earth, he leaped over the dead body, and with his shield protected it from insult and plunder. He was sadly wounded in the undertaking, but would not retreat until his friends had borne the corpse to a place of safety. We would not join the multitude to swell the cry, brave Timolcan! but, with a consistent posterity, we would do honor to his name, by joining the acclamation, EVERFAITHFUL Timolean! Youthful reader, if any truth is learned from the history of the past, it is that men will honor those who honor the fraternal relation!

A word to brothers and sisters in age! Time multiplics changes in the household group, and after a few years of carthly intercourse the parents pass away, while the children are married and become the heads of rising families. All the ties that remain of the original family are the fraternal. How proper that brothers and sisters, though living in different quarters of the earth, and having families of their own, should still maintain the same strong attachment to cach other! How fit that the same kind expressions and offices of love should characterize their intercourse, and show a devotion which time nor age can obliterate! Darius, kingof Persia, passed sentence of death upon Intaphemes, to-gether with all his children and his wife's brother. His wife subsequently appeared before the royal palace, exhibiting every mark of inconsolable grief. Her repeated visits, from day to day, awakened the sympathy of Darius, who thus addressed her, in the person of his messenger: "Woman, king Darius offers you the liberty of any individual of your family whom you may most desire to preserve." To this she replied: "If the king will grant me the life of any oneof my family, I choose my brother in preference to the rest." The king was so astonished at this announcement that he sent a second message to her as follows: "The king desires to know why you have thought proper to pass over yourchildren and your husband, and to preserve your brother,

who is certainly a more remote connection than your children, and cannot be so dear to you as your husband." She answered thus: "O king! if it please the Deity, I may have another husband: and if I be deprived of these, may have other children; but as my parents are both of them dead, it is certain that I can have no other brother." The sentiment commended itself to the king, as it does to every adult reader embraced in the family circle.

In conclusion, God will be more likely to honor the fraternal relation by a spiritual blessing, when its important claims are observed with fidelity. In such a family Christ will find His trophies. When clothed in flesh, and exccuting His merciful crrand on earth, our Savior honored an humble, but united family of Bethany with a visit. And, probably, in all the land, there was not another family, in which the fraternal duties were more faithfully discharged, than in that same family, consisting of Martha and Mary with their brother Lazarus. May we not regard the incident in the light of a sacred symbol, pointing brothers and sisters to those spiritual visits which the Savior now vouchsafes to make them, when their attachments are strong, and their harmony unbroken?

"Iail, Sabbath! thee I hail, the poor man's day:
On other days the man of toil is doomed

To eat his joyless bread, lonely—the ground
Both seat and board-screen'd from the winter's cold
And summer's heat, by neighboring hedge or tree;
But on this day, embosom'd in his home,

He shares the frugal meal with those he loves."

GRAHAME.

MARRIAGE was the first fundamental institution which God ordained in Paradise the union of two hearts and destinies as the basis of the family relation. The second was the glorious SABBATH of rest one-seventh portion of time to be sacredly redeemed from worldly cares and pursuits, and devoted to the worship of God. The fact is preg nant with meaning. That God should ordain the SABBATH immediately after the institution of MARRIAGE, implies a connection between the two, which may suggest its impor tance to the weal of the family. SIX DAYS OF SPECIAL

TOIL FOR THE HOUSEHOLD—THE SEVENTH A DAY OF REST

AND DEVOTION! If He, who created all things, has wisely adapted cach object and ordinance to the place. it occupies, then we must hail the SABBATII as the harbinger of timely good to the family.

Some of the delightful appellations which human genius has applied to this day are as follows-"Help meet for the Family"-"Torch of Time"-" Light of the week"

"The poor man's Friend"—"licaven's Antidote". "Pearl of Days." They are not the epithets of extrava