o doubt our young friends sometimes hear their grandfathers and grandmothers tell how different things are now from what they were when they were children. Sixty years ago there were no railroads, no steamboats, no telegraphs, and no gas lights. At that time there were scarcely any books or magazines written for children; neither were there any toys such as most children now have. We have no doubt there are many of our readers who have heaps of toys. The boys have toys of various kinds-hoops, whistles, whips, Noah's arks, tool chests, boxes of bricks, and we know not what besides. And as for the girls, their dolls are endless. We were staying at a friend's house the other day where there were four girls, and amongst them they had thirty-nine dolls-only think of it, nine-and-thirty dolls! Some of them were fine ladies dressed in silks, and satins, and furbelows, according to the latest fashion; while others were plain and homely, and I must say rather shabbily dressed. Well, it is quite right that children should have playthings. But they should learn to take care of them, and to put them away when they have done with them. We have seen

boys playing at bricks, and when they were tired they neglected to put them away. Some of the bricks were left on the table, some on the floor, and their sister or the servant had to pick them up and put them in the cupboard. And then we have seen boys playing at bricks, and just as they have been finishing a wonderful house, their little sister has, by accident, shook the table, and down all the bricks have tumbled, whereupon the builders have gone into an angry temper with their little sister. We have also seen boys wanting to set out their Noah's ark when they ought to be studying their lessons; and we have seen girls nursing their dolls when they ought to have been practising their scales, or committing to memory those horrid verbs.

Now, as we have said, it is right to have playthings, and it is right to have times for play; but duty first, work first, lessons first, and then play. This is the right order. And then do not go into bad tempers; do not always want your own way; strive to please others in your play, and then you will be loved by your playmates, and God's blessing will rest upon you, both at work and at play.

OM CALDWELL threw a stone at Deacon Ulster's horse as the old deacon was riding by the other day. The stone struck the horse. The horse kicked off into the mud, and the deacon himself came very near being thrown. Tom did not exactly mean to do it, although he did cast. the stone and did join with the rough boys in laughing heartily at the sad plight into which the deacon was put by his reckless

ness.

"Good for you, Tom!" said a red-vested

DOLLAR.

and red-nosed horse-jockey, who stood by the livery-stable door, and saw the catastrophe to Deacon Ulster. "Here'a a dollar, Tom. It's worth that to see pious pride put into pickle. And the jockey reached out a gold dollar and offered it to Tom, Tom was surprised. He hesitated a moment, but could not resist the prize, and so pocketing the dollar, joined in the jockey's jolly laugh at the deacon's expense, and then walked on, feeling a little ashamed of himself, and yet covering his conviction with

the thought of how many nice things a gold dollar would buy.

Tom had gone but a few steps when he heard a voice on the other side of the street calling to him. He raised his eyes, and saw Dr. Maybin, an old Quaker, standing in his office, and beckoning to Tom to come

over.

"What did the fool pay thee for thy folly, Thomas?" asked the old man.

Tom blushed. His fingers fumbled in his pockets, and the gold dollar seemed to burn them more than the hot blushes burned his cheeks and brow. He answered nothing. What could he answer?

"Didst thou sell thyself, Thomas," asked the old doctor.

Still the condemned boy was speechless. "Thoughtlessly thou didst a foolish thing. Mischievously thou didst laugh with fools at thine own wrong. Cowardly thou didst shrink from confessing thy wrong. Covetously thou didst accept a bit of gold for a

bad and contemptible deed; and canst thou now rejoice in gold thus ill-gotten from base hands?"

The scarlet face was turned upward, and Tom's blue eyes, brimful of tears, gazed into the white face of the indignant old man. "I am ashamed of thee !" said the doctor. "I despise myself," said Tom, flinging the gold piece to the pavement, and bursting into tears.

"Then pick up that gold, and go to the giver; place it again in his hand and say, 'I blush that I dared to touch it;' go then to Deacon Ulster's, and confess thy wrong."

All this will I do," said Tom, as he picked up the coin and hurriedly left the doctor's presence.

And Tom did as the doctor advised and as he promised. And on his way from Deacon Ulster's house to his own home, Tom said to himself, "The reproofs of the wise are sweeter than the rewards of the wicked."-Angel of Peace.

NE short winter's morning a little girl was late at school, and the girls all said she would get a good scolding.

This frightened Sarah Jane; her heart went pit-a-pat, and she wondered what excuse she could make. Satan is always on the watch to make people tell everything but the truth, and so he put the spirit of excuse into little Sarah Jane's mind. "Tell the truth, dear child," whispered a still small voice; "for God's Word, in the verse you learned at the Sabbath-school, says, 'Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight;"" and the little girl remembered all her dear teacher said about dealing truly. "I will deal truly," she said.

RUTH.

The school-mistress called her up, and spoke in a sharp tone, which sounded angry to Sarah Jane's ears. Perhaps it was not angry. I sometimes think school-mistresses would save their little scholars many a heartache if they always used a kind tone.

"What made you so late this morning?" asked the school-mistress, looking down from her high chair on the trembling child.

"I overslept myself this morning, mistress. I ran and ran, and I couldn't get here," said Sarah Jane, turning up her truthful, sorrowful face to the teacher, who could not see that face without believing in it.

"Oh, well, little girls will sometimes oversleep themselves," said the mistress kindly; "try and wake up next time, Sarah Jane.'

Second: See how many things there are left to enjoy.

And lastly: Do all you can to make other people happy.

Jennie began by amusing her little brother, who was crying. By the time she had him riding a chair and laughing, she was laughing too. After that she found many a pleasant amusement, and when bed-time came she kissed her uncle good-night, and was even far more happy than if she had spent the day in playing on the grass and gathering wild flowers. But that was not all. She dreamed that night that Uncle Jack had built a great house, and put a sign over the door which read: "SUNSHINE FACTORY." She made her uncle laugh when she told her dream; but she never forgot what you must remember: A cheerful heart makes its own sunshine. A cheerful heart is one in which the Saviour dwells. If you follow Him, all days and all duties will be bright.

ONTENTED! said the tortoise; "what a dull idea to be just contented! I am contented myself, after a fashion; but you are trying to seem happy, and that is a very different thing."

66

'Well, but happy; I am happy," persisted the robin.

"That must be then because you know nothing of what is coming," suggested the tortoise. "As yet, while the open weather lasts, you can pick up your favourite worms and satisfy your appetite. But when the ground has become so hard that the worms cannot come through, or your beak get at them, then what will you do?"

"Are you sure that will ever happen?" inquired the robin.

"Oh, certainly, in the course of the winter; indeed, it may happen any day now,

which makes me anxious to be asleep and out of the way."

"Oh, well, if it happens now I shall not mind it a bit,” cried the robin; "there are plenty of berries left!"

"But supposing it should happen when all the berries are gone ? said the tortoise.

"Nay, but if it comes to supposing," exclaimed the robin, "I shall suppose it won't, and so I shall be happy still."

"But I say it may happen," shouted the tortoise.

"And I ask, will it ?" rejoined the robin. "Which you know I cannot answer," retorted the tortoise. "Nobody knows exactly about the weather or the berries beforehand."

"Then let nobody trouble himself beforehand," said the robin.

Why, mother, one of the boys said I darn't jump into the creek, and I tell you I am not to be dared."

Now, was it courage that led George to do that? Some boys would say it was; and that he was a brave and courageous boy. But no, George was a coward; and that was a very cowardly act. He well knew that it was wrong for him to jump into the creek with his clothes on, but he was afraid the other boys would laugh at him if he should stand and be dared.

Edward came strutting along up to James, and, putting his fist in his face, said: "Strike that if you dare!" just to

COWARDICE.

see if he could not get him into a quarrel. Now, which could show the most real courage, for James to give him a hit and have a brutal fight, and both get wounded, or to say, as he did, "Edward, if you want a quarrel you have come to the wrong boy. I never fight, because it is wrong. You may

call me a coward, if you will, but I will show that I have courage enough not to be tempted, by your ridicule, to do what I know is wrong?" That was brave and

A good definition of courage is "not to be afraid to do what is right, and to be afraid to do what is wrong. The stories of Daniel and his three friends, and of Joseph, give us fine examples of those who possessed true courage; who were not afraid to do what was right, and who were afraid to do what was wrong.

They do you Be thankful

Be thankful to your parents. a thousand acts of kindness. to your kind friends, and neighbours, and relatives; it would take us a long time to mention all the kind actions some of these do for you. Be thankful to your teachers. I don't mean yonr school teachers merely, but everybody that teaches you anything good. It is a grand thing to be taught anything good. If you have a good schoolmaster, a real right-down good teacher, it is better for you than a pocketful of money or a basketful of oranges. A good idea, a well-informed and well-trained mind are worth more than their weight in gold. If you have been blessed with teachers who have really taught you, be thankful to them; and especially if they are Sundayschool teachers, who, out of pure love, have come and turned your thoughts to God. But, above all, be thankful to God; for it is He who gives us all the rest. parents, friends, and teachers.

He gives us

say. Well now, I did not say be thankful for everything, but in everything, and that is what St. Paul says: "In everything give thanks." If your tooth-aches, be thankful, not for the pain, but because you have only the tooth-ache; if you are sick, be thankful for all the kind friends that are around you; if your friends die and go to heaven, be thankful that you have had them so long, and that they have so lived and prayed, that you have reason to believe they have gone to heaven. Paul and Silas, when they were in prison at Philippi, sang praises to God, not because they were in prison with bleeding backs and their feet in the stocks; but they praised God that while they were in prison they were honest men, and God was with them. There is scarcely an event happens to us in life but what we see might have been far worse. This should make us thankful in everything.

Sometimes the very trials and losses about which we fret and grumble so much prove to be the best things for us. It is said that when good old Bernard Gilpin was summoned to London, where he expected to suffer death for his religious opinions, he fell from his horse while on the journey, and broke his leg. Those who accompanied him ridiculed him when he said, "All things work together for the good of them that love God." However, Gilpin's broken leg saved his life, for before it was better the monarch died, and a change of religion took place in the country, and he was liberated. Many a time we see that, instead of murmuring, we ought to be thankful for little inconveniences, for they bring us great blessings.

Be thankful for small mercies. There are some people who, if they had no butter to their bread, would not be thankful for the bread itself. Remember that the bread is very often more than we deserve. Don't