Our Children and Our Servants. WOMAN'S BENEVOLENCE. The celebrated traveller Ledyard, writes: "I have observed that women in all countries are civil, obliging, tender, and humane. I never addressed myself to them in the language of decency and friendship, without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man it has often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of inhospitable Denmark; through honest Sweden, and frozen Lapland; rude and churlish Finland; unprincipled Russia, and the wide-spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, the women have ever been friendly to me, and uniformly so; and to add to this virtue, so worthy the appellation of benevolence, these actions have been performed in so free and kind a manner, that if I was dry, I drank the sweetest draught; and if hungry, ate the coarsest morsel with a double relish. MAUD, QUEEN OF ENGLAND.-She was the wife of Henry the First, was so affable, humble, and pious, that she relieved the poor with her own hands, dressed their sores, and washed their feet. When repri manded for it by a courtier, as not agreeable to her royal dignity, she answered, "that she followed the example of our blessed Saviour, and the precepts of the Gospel; and that the brightest jewels in the crown of majesty were affability and courtesy." QUEEN ANNE BOLEYN.-She was provided daily with a purse, the contents of which were entirely appropriated to the poor, justly thinking no week well passed which did not afford her pleasure in the retrospect. She insisted that all her attendants should employ their leisure in making clothes for the poor, which she took care to see properly distributed. ELIZABETHA. She was daughter of the king of Hungary, and wife of Lewis, Landgrave of Thuringia. When with her maids she wore the meanest apparel, saying, "She would never use any other ornament whensoever the good and merciful Lord should put her into a condition wherein she might more freely dispose of herself." At church she sat among the poorer sort of women. She built an hospital, and therein made herself an attendant upon the sick and poor. THE PHILANTHROPIST'S WIFE.-When Howard, on settling his accounts one year, found a balance in his favour, and proposed to his wife to spend the money on a visit to the metropolis, "What a beautiful cottage, for a poor family, might be built with that money," was the benevolent reply. The hint was immediately taken, and the worthy couple enjoyed the greatest gratification. THE CHRISTIAN MOTHER REPROVED. One day, while the lady of Sir Stamford Raffles was almost overwhelmed with grief, for the loss of a favourite child,-unable to bear the light of day, humbled upon her couch with a feeling of misery,-she was addressed by a poor, ignorant, uninstructed native woman, of the lowest class, who had been employed about the nursery, in terms of reproach not to be forgotten. "I am come because you have been here many days shut up in a dark room, and no one dares to come near you. Are you not ashamed to grieve in this manner, when you ought to be thanking God for having given you the most beautiful child that ever was seen? Did any one ever see him, or speak of him, without admiring him? And, instead of letting this child continue in this world till he should be worn out with trouble and sorrow, has not God taken him to heaven in all his beauty? What would you have more? For shame! -leave off weeping, and let me open a window?" WESLEY WHEN A BOY. Under the judicious instructions of his excellent mother, he became the subject of religious impressions, and at eight years of age he began to receive the Sacrament. When nearly nine years old he had the small-pox, together with four others of the children. His father was then in London, to whom his mother writes thus:-" Jack has borne his disease bravely, like a man, and, indeed, like a Christian, without any complaint; though he seemed angry at the small-pox when they were sore, as we guessed by his looking sourly at them, for he never said anything." In 1714, he was placed at the Charter-house, and became distinguished for his diligence and progress in learning; so that, in 1719, when his father was hesitating in what situation he should place Charles, his brother Samuel writes thus of him:-" 'My brother Jack, I can faithfully assure you, gives you no manner of discouragement from breeding your third son a scholar." Two or three months afterwards he mentions him again, in a letter to his father:-"Jack is with me, and a brave boy, learning Hebrew as fast as he can." MAXIMS FOR YOUNG MEN. Employ leisure in study, and always have something in hand. Keep your temper. Persevere against discouragements. Be punctual and methodical in business, and never procrastinate. Never be in a hurry. Rather set than follow examples. Preserve self-possession, and do not be talked out of a conviction. Rise early, and be an economist of time. Maintain dignity without the appearance of pride; manner is something with everybody, and everything with some. Be guarded in discourse; attentive, and slow to speak. Be not forward to assign reasons to those who have no right to ask. Think nothing in conduct unimportant or indifferent. Practise strict temperance; and in all your transactions remember the first account. THE RELATION OF SERVICE. It A state of society, says Spence, in which every man shall be a master, and no man a servant, is a dream of folly and fanaticism. There must be service. The religion of Christ recognizes this relation, and directs it Our Divine Lord took upon himself "the form of a servant," yet his religion throws no obstacle in the way of any man to rise from service to authority. It af fords, in fact, the highest stimulus to selfrespect, and persevering industry. Nevertheless, while man is a servant, it speaks to him as such, and inculcates a spirit, and a deportment becoming his situation. forbids all eye-service, or mere men-pleasing, and enjoins an honest and sincere obedience to the master, a cordial attention to his interests, and a right-hearted care for the prosperity of his affairs. It merges the service of man in the service of God, and makes the one, with its heavenly attractions and rewards, to adorn and sanctify the other; Eph. vi. 5, 8. In this way, it exercises a reciprocal influence, directing the master, and guiding the servant with that wisdom from above, which teaches that their true interests are really identical. A SERVANT'S CONFESSION. I was a proud, thoughtless girl, fond of dress and finery. I loved the world, and the things of the world. I lived in service among worldly people, and never had the happiness of being in a family where worship was regarded, and the souls of the servants cared for. I went once on a Sunday to church, more to see and be seen, than to pray, and hear the word of God. I thought I was quite good enough to be saved; and disliked, and often laughed at religious people. I was in great darkness, and knew nothing of the way of salvation; I never prayed, nor was sensible of the awful danger of a prayerless state. I wished to maintain the character of a good servant, and was much lifted up when I met with applause; but I was a stranger to God and Christ, and had I died in that state, hell must, and would justly have been my portion. But I was led to see my lost estate as a sinner, and the great mercy of God through Jesus Christ. And, oh! what a Saviour I have found! He is more than I could ask or desire. In His fulness I have found all that my poverty could need; in His bosom I have found a resting-place from all sin and sorrow; in His word I have found strength against doubt and unbelief. The world appeared all vanity and vexation of spirit. I found it necessary for my peace of mind to come out from among them, and be separate. I gave myself to prayer, and many a happy hour of secret delight I enjoyed, in communion with God. EXERCISE IN THE OPEN AIR. Moderate exercise in the open air, for the purpose of assisting the various secretions, is another essential requisite for the production and maintenance of good health. None can neglect this rule with impunity; but a sedentary life is certainly not so detrimental to those who live on vegetable diet. Unless sufficient oxygen be supplied to the lungs by daily exercise in the open air, the products of decomposition will fail to be removed in sufficient quantities for the maintenance of a healthy state; and the assimilation of new matter is impeded. Without exercise also, the contractile power of the heart and large arterics is feebly exerted: and though sufficient to carry the blood to the ultimate tissue, it is, nevertheless, not strong enough to carry it through with the rapidity necessary for health. The ultimate tissue being thus filled faster than it is emptied, congestion takes place in those delicate and important vessels which compose it, as well as the large veins, the office of which is to convey the blood from the tissues to the heart. One of the chief conditions of the body, in that general ill state of health denominated "indigestion," is congestion of the blood in the ultimate tissue of our organs, the brain, the lungs, the spinal marrow, the stomach, the ganglionic system, the liver, bowels, and all the organs concerned in the nutrition of the body. When the system, therefore, undebilitated by discase, will admit a good supply of oxygen, muscular exercise is the best means of diminishing the amount of venous blood, and, in conjunction with a legitimate supply of proper food, of increasing the amount of arterial blood; and, in proportion as the latter preponderates over the former, shall we possess health and muscular strength, as well as elasticity of mind, Natural Bistory and Philosophy. THE EARTH A PREPARED HABITATION FOR MAN. THE Constituent materials of our earth are not uniformly continuous in all directions over large areas. In one district we trace the course of crystalline and granitic rocks; in another, we find mountains of slate; in a third, occur alternately strata of sandstone, slate, and limestone; in a fourth, beds of marl and clay; in a fifth, gravel, loose sand, and silt. The mineral contents of these formations are not all alike. Here, we meet with veins of gold, silver, tin, copper, lead, zinc; here, beds of coal welcome our industry; here, again, we find salt and gypsum; in another series are beds of freestone, fit for architectural purposes; or of limestone, useful at once for building and as cement; or of clay for bricks and pottery; and almost in all series that King of Metals, IRON. All the phenomena of physical geography-the grand distributions of the solids and fluids of our globe; the disposition of continents and islands above and amidst the waters; the depth and extent of seas, and, lakes, and rivers; the elevation of hills and mountains; the extension of plains and prairies; the excavation, depression, and fracture of valleys-in whatever secondary causes they may have originated, bespeak our interested attention to them as a "part of God's ways for the use of his redeemed creature, Man. These arrangements present ultimate proofs of design and method, evinced by the uniform laws of matter and motion, regulating the chemical and mechanical forces by which the God of Nature produces these great and interesting effects. Under this Divine superintendence, each phenomenon has contributed its share of effects to render our earth a convenient and delightful residence for man, and for the multitudes of living creatures that, with him, are tenants of the great globe on which we live. Some of the most familiar are also some of the most interesting instances in point, in what geologists call the transition series: remains of vegetable existence have been accumulated in prodigious quantities, and have been preserved in a condition, not only illustrating the history of the earliest vegetation upon our planet, but also affecting, in a very pre-eminent degree, the actual condition of the human race. The strata in which these vegetable remains are so abundant, constitute the great coal formation, or the carboniferous order of rocks. Besides the coal, many of the strata belong er to this order contain rich beds of iron ore, which, from its proximity to the coal, is rendered easy of reduction to a metallic state; this process being still further facilitated in consequence of the neighbourhood of the limestone, which, as a flux. is necessary to effect the separation of the metal from the ore, and which, by the good providence of God, usually abounds in the carboniferous strata. It is obvious that a formation, at once the treasury of three such valuable productions as coal, iron, and lime, assumes a place of the first importance among the sources of benefit to mankind, administering to the supply of our daily wants, and giving every individual man an immediate and inseparable interest in the ancient vegetation of our globe. The trees of its primeval forests have not, like more modern woods and copses, undergone decay, yielding back their constituent elements to the soil and the atmosphere; but, treasured up in subterranean storehouses, they have been converted into immense beds, in Germany of forty and sixty feet in thickness, of coal, which is now to man his main source of light, of heat, of wealth, of laboured and of well-rewarded industry. The fires of this metropolis and its provinces are burning with the fuel, our streets are shining with the light of gas, derived from the beds of coal that for ages have been buried in the deep and dark recesses of the earth. Our food is prepared, our forges and furnaces are maintained, with their steam-engines and machinery, by means of plants, the species and even genera of which, in some instances, have become extinct. The penknife on our desk, the scissors and needle in the hands of our wife, the adze of the carpenter, the axe of the woodman, the spade of the gardener; all our instruments of cutlery, all the tools of our mechanics, all the machinery of our mills, and factories, and mines, and pits, and railroads, and steam-vessels, are derived from ore coeval with, if not more ancient than, the fuel, by means of which we reduce that ore to a metallic state, and then apply it to its innumerable uses in the economy of human life. Thus, from the wreck of forests that waved upon the surface of the primeval lands, and from the ferruginous mud that was lodged at the bottom of the primeval waters, and from the calcareous coverings of countless numbers of extinct animals, man derives his chief supplies of coal, iron, and lime-those essential elements of art and industry which, more than any other mineral productions of our earth, contribute to increase the wealth, to multiply the comforts, to ameliorate the condition, and to add to the employment and give scope to the industry, skill, and taste of mankind. The argument in favour of the beneficent providence of God in preparing the earth as a habitation for man does not end here. The principal materials of all strata of the earth are three-flint, clay, lime. Each of these alone, and in a state of purity, is comparatively barren. The admixture of a small proportion of clay gives tenacity and fertility to the sand; while the further addition of calcareous earth produces a soil the most fertile, and of the highest advantage to those who, like Abel, are tillers of the earth. Where the natural proportions are not adjusted in the most beneficial manner, room is given for the skill of the agriculturist to make such artificial improvements of his lands, that though, like Adam in Paradise, he is not permitted to lead an idle life, he shall realise Solomon's aphorism, that "To all labour of the field there is profit." These various strata are so wisely arranged, that the limestone and sandstone, that readily absorb water, alternate with beds of clay or marl, which are impermeable to this invaluable fluid. The rain, descending on the earth's surface, passes through the permeable strata, descending until it is arrested by a bed of clay, where it aceumulates, forming extensive subterranean reservoirs; the overflowings of which, on the sides of valleys, supply our springs and rivers, or furnishing the means, in a more level district, of sinking a well that reaches to the hidden waters. We will add but another illustration. Muriate of soda-common salt- is diffused through large portions of what is geologically called the secondary series of rocks, particularly the new red sandstone. Behold herein, and admire the beneficent providence of God! Had not the Creator laid up these stores of salt within the bowels of the earth, the distance of inland countries from the sea would have rendered this article one of prime and daily necessity-unattainable to a large proportion of mankind. Under the wise and gracious administration of Him, "whose offspring we are," the presence of mineral salt, in strata generally dispersed over the interior of our continents and large islands, is a Bource of health and of daily enjoyment to the inhabitants of almost every region of the globe. And is all this chance?--a fortuitous concourse of atoms? Philosophy -is she satisfied with the assigned cause when informed that since some arrangement must have been, this arrangement might just as well have been as any other? Oh, no! Science and piety alike unite to proclaim that "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord," and that "His delights are with the children of men.' Praiso ye the Lord! His works praise him, and his saints bless him! July 2, 1852. ANIMALS MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE. MOLE. An animal that lives under ground, with small eyes that are hid in the fur, a nose sharp and bony, well fitted for boring, while its fore feet are admirably adapted for digging. The skin is extremely tough, and the fur softer than velvet. BEE. A little industrious creature, found in every region of the globe, whose form, propagation, economy, instinct, and ingenuity, have attracted general attention. It collects its honey from the juices of flowers. The bee has four eyes, a double stomach, baskets on the thighs for carrying the pollen, hooked feet, a sting of great chemical and mechanical perfection, organs of progressive motion, and great muscular strength. Different sorts of bees inhabit a hive, and compose the most perfect form of insect society: their multiplication is rapid, and their transitions from the egg to the perfect insect, various. Their architecture, upon the principles of the most refined geometrical problem; their street, magazines, royal apartments, houses for the citizens; their care of the young, consultations and precautions in sending forth a new colony; their military powers, fortifications, and discipline; their attachment to the liege and common interest, yet patience under private wrongs; and their subdivision of labour, are all extraordinary. SCORPION. It is about two inches in length, and much resembles a lobster: has several joints in its tail, and at the end of it a small, curved, pointed sting. The effects of its poison is terrible, Rev. ix. 3. The white scorpion is very like an egg, Luke xi. 12. Some are yellow, others brown, and some black. They delight in stony places and in old ruins. DRAGON. This animal is frequently mentioned in Scripture, and is supposed sometimes to mean the crocodile, and sometimes a great serpent. FOX. A lively, crafty, mischievous animal, well known. It will eat flesh of any kind, but prefers that of hares, rabbits, and poultry; it will also feed on crabs, shrimps, muscles, and other shell fish. It does great damage to vineyards, by feeding on the grapes, of which it is extremely fond, Cant. ii. 15, and often robs the stores of the bee. The fox sleeps much by day, and actively roams in search of prey by night, in securing of which its cunning is extraordinary. Samson fastened 300 foxes in pairs, with firebrands tied to them, and sent them among the corn of the Philistines, Judges xv. 5. The Psalmist lxiii. 10, says of the wicked, "They shall be a portion for foxes;" that is, be left unburied. False prophets, because of their craft, are called foxes, Ezek. xiii. 4, and our Lord gives the same name to Herod, Luke xiii. 32. Christ also affectingly alludes to the holes which foxes dig in the carth, Luke ix. 58. Some suppose that the fox so frequently mentioned in Scripture is the jackal, an animal between the wolf and the dog. The fox in this country is generally of a tawny red; the eyes of a lively hazel colour, and discovers the different emotions of love, fear, or anger, very sensibly. It greatly admires its bushy tail, and will amuse itself by endeavouring to catch it as it runs round. In cold weather it folds it about its head. Poetry. LINES SUGGESTED BY THE PERUSAL OF THE MEMOIRS OF How chequer'd the pathway reveal'd on each Which Clarke in the days of his pilgrimage So rugged in youth, and so toilsome in age, A stranger he came from Hibernia's soil, His purse was but light, and his friends were but scant; Still his generous purpose no hardships could foil, Though he met with rude insult, oppression, and want. But a far brighter dawning upon him arose, Where'er for the truth he unflinchingly stood; With meekness and wisdom he vanquished his focs, And boldly declared "the whole counsel of God!" In the arduous conflict how noble he stood, Love stronger than death, and diffusive as Held over his spirit an absolute sway; Up learning's famed steep what a height he How vast were the fields to his vision disclosed; Like an eagle, a king on the mountain he reign'd, In the glorious sunlight of Truth he reposed. 'Mid labours abundant of mind and of pen, His sympathies were not inactive and dead; CLARKE. The Friend of the Stranger, his name among men, Shall live, while a stranger has sorrow to plead. The water of life, so refreshing and clear, Delighted he gave to the weary and faint; the saint. The poor felt his bounty, the sick had his prayers, Wise counsel who needed they ask'd not in E'en diffidence lost its embarrassing fears, Though Royalty held a firm friendship with And made him a guest 'mong the learned and great; Its tinsel and pomp were but hollow and dim, The man was the gold" 'mid the splendour of state. Him the sea-beaten sons of poor Shetland shall bless, And grateful remember his labour and care; The children of Erin revere him no less, They too, of his love had a bountiful share. Yet stronger affection was cherish'd at home, As he who was Husband, and Father, and At length he has enter'd the haven of rest, And the voice of the tempest he heareth no more; His heritage now is a home with the blest, His employment to wonder, to praise, and adore! • Dr. Adam Clarke was the founder of "The Benevolent Stranger's Friend Society." Elmwood Grove, Leeds. JAMES KIRKBY, |