POETIC SELECTIONS.-THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. For they are waiting for the spring, The promise of the year; And though so cold and dark, they wait Waiting to hear her welcome voice, The maple and the sturdy oak, For buds are waiting on each bow Then come, O sunbeams warm and bright, Dissolve the chains which bind my flowers, THINE. LITTLE to me it matters Or the pastures green I'm fed,- For my hand is in Thine, my Father; And it shall not cause me sorrow, Neither shall I be anxious; For the dear ones whom I love, Thou reachest them from above; But others are only strangers, And know not the perfect peace And welcome them into the light. So, then, it will not matter, And in darkness, or gloom, or tempest, The Children's Corner. BAD BARGAINS. ONCE a Sabbath school teacher remarked that he who buys the truth makes a good bargain, and inquired if any scholar recollected an instance in Scripture of a bad bargain. "I do," replied a boy. "Esau made a bad bargain when he sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.' A second said: "Judas made a bad bargain when he sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver." A third boy observed: "Our Lord tells us that he makes a bad bargain who, to gain the whole world, loses his own soul." I have seen a good many boys in my time who have made bad bargains. Some change the Sunday school for the street, and home for wicked company, and the Bible for bad books, and health for tobacco. They always get the worst of it. Boys, look out for these bad bargains. LASSOING A BEAR. THIS very novel method of capturing the bear has been usually omitted in those compilations of bear stories common to school readers and books of adventure; but an incident is very graphically related by Mr Ross Browne in his " Crusoe's Island,” a book of adventures in California and Washoe. He was crossing the valley of Santa Marguerita, which he describes as follows: "Enclosed by ranges of blue mountains were broad rich pastures covered with innumerable herds of cattle, beautifully diversified with groves, streams, and shrubbery; castellated cliffs in the foreground as the trail wound downward; a group of cattle grazing by the margin of a little lake, their forms mirrored in the water; a mirage in the distance; mountain upon mountain beyond, as far as the eye could reach, till their dim outlines were lost in the golden glow of the atmosphere. I had passed, he says, nearly across the valley, and was about to enter upon an undulating and beautifully-timbered range of country extending into it from the foot-hills, when a dust arose on a rise of ground a little to the left, and about half a mile distant. My mule, ever on the alert for some new danger, pricked up his ears and manifested symptoms of uncontrollable fear. The object rapidly approached, and, without further warning, the mule whirled around and fled at the top of his speed. Neither bridle nor switch had the slightest effect. In vain I struggled to arrest his progress, believing this, like many other frights he had experienced on the road, was rather the result of innate cowardice than of any substantial cause of apprehension. One material difference was perceptible. He never before ran so fast. Through brush and mire, over rocks, into deep arroyas and out again, he dashed in his frantic career, never once stopping till by some mischance one of his forefeet sank in a squirrel hole, when he rolled headlong on the ground, throwing me with considerable violence several yards in advance. I jumped to my feet at once, hoping to catch him before he could get up, but he was on his feet and away before I had time to make the attempt. It now became a matter of personal interest to know why he was running. Upon looking back, I was astonished to see not only one object, but four others in the rear, bearing rapidly down toward me. The first was a large animal of some kind-I could LASSOING A BEAR. not determine what-the others mounted horsemen in full chase. Whatever the object of the chase was, it was not safe to be a spectator in the direct line of their route. I cast a hurried look around, and discovered a break in the earth a few hundred yards distant, toward which I ran with all speed. It was a sort of mound rooted up by the squirrels or coyotes, and afforded some trifling shelter, where I crouched down close to the ground. Scarcely had I partially concealed myself when I heard a loud shouting from the men on horseback, and, peeping over the bank, saw within fifty or sixty paces a huge grizzly bear, but no longer retreating. He had faced round toward his pursuers, and now seemed determined to fight. The horsemen were evidently native Californians, and managed their animals with wonderful skill and grace. The nearest swept down like an avalanche toward the bear, while the others coursed off a short distance in a circling direction to prevent his escape. Suddenly swerving a little to one side, the leader whirled his lasso once or twice around his head, and let fly at his game with unerring aim. The loop caught one of his forepaws, and the bear was instantly jerked down upon his haunches, struggling and roaring with all his might. It was a striking instance of the power of the rider over the horse, that, wild with terror as the latter was, he dared not disobey the slightest pressure of the rein, but went through all the evolutions, blowing trumpet-blasts from his nostrils and with eyes starting from their sockets. Despite the strain kept upon the lasso, the bear soon regained his feet, and commenced hauling in the spare line with his fore-paws so as to get within reach of the horse. He had advanced within ten feet before the nearest of the other horsemen could bring his lasso to bear upon him. The first throw was at his hind legs--the main object to stretch him out-but missed. Another more fortunate cast took him round the neck. Both riders pulled in opposite directions, and the bear soon rolled on the ground again, biting furiously at the lassos, and uttering the most terrific roars. The strain upon his neck soon choked off his breath, and he was forced to let loose his grasp upon the other lasso. While struggling to free his neck, the two other horsemen dashed up, swinging their lassos, and shouting with all their might so as to attract his attention. The nearest, watching narrowly every motion of the frantic animal, soon let fly his lasso, and made a lucky hitch around one of his hind-legs. The other, following quickly with a large loop, COMFORTERS. swung it entirely over the bear's body, and all four riders now set up a yell of triumph, and began pulling in opposite directions. The writhing, pitching, and straining of the powerful monster were now absolutely fearful. A dust arose over him, and the earth flew up in every direction. Sometimes by a desperate effort he regained his feet, and actually dragged one or more of the horses toward him by main strength; but, whenever he attempted this, the others stretched their lassos, and either choked him or jerked him down upon his haunches. It was apparent that his wind was giving way, partly by reason of the long chase, and partly owing to the noose around his throat. A general pull threw him once more upon his back. Before he could regain his feet, the horsemen, by a series of dexterous manœuvres, wound him completely up, so that he lay perfectly quiet upon the ground, breathing heavily, and utterly unable to extricate his paws from the labyrinth of lassos in which he was entangled. One of the riders now gave the reins of his horse to another, and dismounted. Cautiously approaching, with a spare riata he cast a noose over the bear's forepaws, and wound the remaining part tightly round the neck, so that what strength might still have been left was speedily exhausted by suffocation. This done, another rider dismounted, and the two soon succeeded in binding their victim so firmly by the paws that it was impossible for him to break loose. They next bound his jaws together by means of another riata, winding it all the way up around his head, upon which they loosened the fastening around his neck so as to give them air. When all was secure, they freed the lassos, and again mounting their horses, soon succeeded in bringing their captive into camp. My mule I afterwards found regaling himself a mile or two away. COMFORTERS. "WHY did God let sin and trouble come into the world?" I often hear that subject discussed. Why did he allow it to come into this world, so very fair and beautiful at the start? Oh! it was a grand world as God made it! Why not keep it so! It cost God no more to make a rose than a thorn. Why more thorns than roses? God can make a good apple tree as well as a crab apple tree. Why were there any crab apple trees? God can make a well man as easily as a sick man. Why any sick and tussle for livelihood? COMFORTERS. 66 66 ones? Why not have a whole race in leisure, instead of this tug Oh!" you say, we must keep busy to keep out of mischief." But, if there were no sin, there would be no tendency to mischief. Why not every sound music? Why not every scene beautiful, and all ages joyful with sinless men and women? Well, I'll tell you-when I get on the other side of Jordan, if we meet there, and God grant we may all meet there and talk over these mysteries! But while here, we must accept the fact without any explanation, that God did let down the bars, and whole herds of wolves have come in and trampled down everything good. One sword at the gate of Eden, and a sword at every gate. There are more people under the ground than upon it. Graveyards are in the majority, with countless millions of millions of dead; six thousand winters making more scars than all the summers that come after can ever cover up. Trouble has taken up the great heart of the world in its two hands, and pinched it till all ages have wailed with the agony; trouble coming to beautiful homes where everything is pleasant, and taking every blessing and in one hour dashing it to splinters, never to be gathered up again in this world. If the graves that have been made were placed side by side, you could step from mound to mound and go all around the world without treading on any other ground. Why is it so? Why has God let sin and trouble come? I can not tell. But I can tell, in such a world as this, the grandest work that man or woman can do is condolence. I think we all need to study this art, this science of sympathy. There are comparatively few people that understand it, and sometimes a man in trouble can look around on all his friends, although they are all well-meaning people, and say, "Miserable comforters are ye all! You don't touch the sore spot, you don't know how to sympathize" Loquacious people are unfit for this work. Bildad and Eliphaz came to Job, and they talked, talked, talked; almost bothered his life out with words. And you know as well as I know people who, when others have trouble, come in and talk, talk, talk, and tell all their own sorrows, and say to the afflicted: "It is hard for you, now, but you will feel worse when the visitors are gone, and you are left alone." Silence! How dare you with such miserable court-plaster try to heal a wound that has gone down to the depths of the soul! Walk gently around a broken |