THE PENNY POST BOX. sion of their eye-sight. The statistics given show that near-sightedness steadily increases from the lower grade of schools to the higher ones. Not only does the number of short-sighted cases increase from one class to the other, and from one grade of school to the other, but also the degree of short-sightedness. Among the chief causes of near-sightedness, Dr. Cohn considers the construction of the desks and chairs, and the manner in which school-rooms are generally lighted. Scholars but too easily accustom themselves to bend forward too closely over their books. This involves greater activity of the muscles of the eye, producing an increase of hydrostatic pressure in the back part of the eyeball, and a prolongation of the axis of the eye, which, by long continuance, becomes a permanent condition. On the other hand, the bending forward occasions a rush of blood to the eyeball, also increasing the pressure in the back part of the eye. These two causes combined, Dr. Cohn says, produce near-sightedness. The Penny Post Box. ABOUT MARRYING. OCCASIONALLY young men of good character indulge in gloomy doubts concerning the average English women; but such doubts can easily be traced to disappointed affection. Marriage is sanctioned by God and common sense. It is the only means whereby a young man in this age and country can hope to lead a respectable and cleanly life. But there are two classes of persons who are exempt from its joys and sorrows. If you, young man, are deaf, dumb, lame, blind, and idiotic, and if your ancestors have been such, or if you are so mean that your life is that of a friendless, snarling cur, and you feel that you could not be anything else, even to your wife, you can stand aside. 66 If you, young man, have conceived that ambition so common now-adays, of being a fast man;" if you have made up your mind to keep a fast horse and a concubine; if your idea of happiness is to have your hands full of cards and your stomach full of oysters; if you, in short, have made your arrangements to go straight to perdition, without change of cars, you'd better not marry. You will spend the money that the honorable man lavishes on a home and its "light and life," on painted creatures who drag your polluted name through every sink in the land-who will display the jewelry and gifts you have bestowed on them, and curse you with a glib, round oath for a spoony and a fool. You, too economical to marry, will have plenty to spend on long-haired cut-throats, who will leave you at last, it may be, to die wifeless, amid the dust and cobwebs of the garret.-Fanny Fern. FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. A walnut tree, eight feet across, petrified into soapstone, was lately discovered one hundred and seventyfive feet deep in an Illinois coal mine. There are 2,415 cotton factories in the United Kingdom, employing 152,656 men, and 204,396 women. The woollen factories give work to 52,000 men, 5,000 women, and number 1,420. Nearly 600 silk manufactories employ 12,000 labourers. The total number of workmen employed in England and Wales in factories of apparel is 278,788 men, and 380,880 women. In Scotland there are 507 factories, giving work to 30,000 men and 82,000 women; in Ireland 198 factories, with 22,622 workmen and 50,301 women. The temperature of the human body has a diurnal variation, according to some experiments recently made in Europe. From six p.m. to midnight it increases, from three a.m. to nine a.m. it decreases again. The amount of the variation is .49 of a degree. Jesus, in His death, appears loveliest of all. On one side a thief, on the other side a thief; below, a howling mob; above, the lowering darkness. Singing is not a noise that we make for the purpose of covering up other sounds that might be disagreeable to our ears. Christianity does not undertake to pitchfork people into heaven, and it would not succeed if it did. Even nature, in her every phase of grandeur and loveliness, is whispering the name of Jesus, The first steel pen was invented by James Perry, an English schoolmaster, who grudged the task of whittling quills for his scholars. It was known as the Perryan pen, and he succeeded To measure the world's moral adin establishing the manufacture on a remunerating scale. One Josiah Ma-vance, take one of the best tests-the treatment of enemies. son, having effected an improvement which cheapened them, entered into partnership with Perry, which brought wealth to both. The phrase, "robbing Peter to pay Paul," originated in England in 1550, when the estates of St. Peter's Cathedral were appropriated to the repairing of St. Paul's Cathedral. Love is not wisdom; but love must act according to wisdom, in order to succeed. To earn the blessings of those whom the world curses is one of the chief victories possible to human endeavour. The great mass of people will always be governed less by logic than by sympathy, hope, fear, or expectation. POETIC SELECTIONS.-THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. Poetic Selections. PATIENCE. THERE goes a quiet angel He leads thee always truly He turns to tender sadness The heart that strives in vain. He chides not at thy weeping, And when, while storms are raging, In silence, sweetly smiling He has not to each question Prompt answer for thine ear; PEACE. FIERCE were the wild billows, Then said the God of God, Ridge of the mountain wave, Be thou at rest! Peril can none be, Sorrow must fly, When saith the Light of Light, "Peace! It is I." Jesus, Deliverer, Come Thou to me; Soothe Thou my voyaging Over life's sea! Thou, when the storm of death Whisper, O Truth of Truth- The Children's Corner. A LORD IN THE FAMILY. -Saint Anatolius. A POMPOUS School-boy was one day boasting how many rich and noble relations he had; and, having exhausted his topics, he turned with an important air, and asked one of his schoolfellows,— "Are there any 'lords' in your family ?" Yes," said the little fellow, "there is one, at least; for I have often heard my mother say that the Lord Jesus Christ is our elder brother." The boy was right; and as he grew up it was his privilege to know more of this elder brother, and to tell the perishing multitudes the tidings of His grace. Blessed are they who have one Lord in the family, and who know Him as their elder brother and their everlasting friend. TATTLERS AND TATTLING. THE disposition to pry into the privacy of domestic life is, unfortunately, very common, and is always dishonorable. The appetite for such knowledge is to be regarded as morbid, and the indulgence of it disgraceful. A family have a sacred right to privacy. In guarding the delicate relations of the household, secrecy becomes a virtue. Even if by chance the private affairs of the household are laid open to a stranger, honour will require him to turn from them-they should be locked in a sacred silence. A double obligation of silence and secrecy rests upon one who is in the family. The turpitude of a betrayal of family history by a visitor is far greater than theft would be. To pocket half a dozen silver spoons would do far less damage, produce far less suffering, and be less immoral, than tale-bearing. It is a thing so scandalous that it should degrade a person, and put him out of society. To betray household secrets is not only an odious immorality, but it is a sin and a shame to be on good terms with those who are known to commit such outrages. They are miscreants. They put themselves out of the pale of decent society. They should be treated as moral outlaws. These hungry-eyed wretches, who sit in the unsuspicious circle of parents and children, treasuring their words, spying their weaknesses, misinterpreting the innocent liberties of the household, and then run from house to house with their shameless news, are worse than poisoners of wells or burners of houses. They poison the faith of man in man. If one opens his mouth to tell you such things, with all your might smite him in the face. There are two actions which justify you in instantly knocking a man down; the one is the act of pointing a gun at you in sport, and the other is the attempt to tell you a secret which it is disgraceful for you to hear. Make no terms with such people. Tale-bearers have no rights. They are common enemies of good men. Hunt, harry, and hound them out of society. They are the worst of pests, save one, and that is the listener to the tale-bearer. There could be no tattling if there were no one to hear. It takes an ear and a tongue to make a scandal. Greedy listening is as dishonorable as nimble tattling. The ear is the open market where the tongue sells its ill-gotten wares. Some there are that will not repeat again what they hear, but they are willing to listen EXPLORATIONS AT JERUSALEM. to it. They will not trade in contraband goods, but they will buy enough of the smuggler for family use. These respectable listeners are the patrons of tattlers. It is the ready market that keeps tale-bearing brisk. It is a shame to listen to ill of your neighbours. Christian benevolence demands that you do not love ill news. A clean heart and a true honour rejoice in kindly things. It should be a pain and sorrow to know of anything that degrades your neighbour in your eyes, even if he is your enemy; how much more if he is your friend! EXPLORATIONS AT JERUSALEM. THE first operations were commenced on the western wall, at a point near what is known as Wilson's Arch. It receives this name from the fact that it was first discovered by Captain Wilson, who had not the means, however, to prosecute any mining operations. Captain Warren's explorations proved this arch to be one of a series forming a viaduct which led from the Temple toward the palace of Herod on the western hill, and constituting perhaps the very bridge across which Jesus was conducted from Pilate to Herod on the day of His trial. The remains of a winding aqueduct, cut in the solid rock beneath this bridge, were also discovered. Part of this bridge has fallen, and broken and buried the aqueduct in its fall; and the original pavement of the ancient road in the valley itself is now forty-five feet below the present surface formed by the ruins of the ancient walls and houses. Nor is this all. A perfect net-work of subterranean chambers was also disclosed, some of which were probably used for the storage of food, and others as aqueducts and cisterns. And the whole result more than confirms the ideas of Jewish architectural grandeur which the books of the Bible and the pages of Josephus combine to give, but which have hitherto been regarded by many sceptical minds as apocryphal. Along the southern wall his discoveries were scarcely less interesting. Here he found a double pavement, one twenty-three, the other forty-three feet below the present surface of the ground. Here also he found some curious remains both of Hebrew and of Christian origin. The following description of his explorations at this point, taken from one of his letters written at the time, will afford the reader a more graphic picture of the difficulties and dangers which attended his investigations than can be given by any general description : |