relative to bodily and social conditions-food and raiment, and the good things of this life. His blessings and rewards come in the same form, a long and happy life, followed by a timely and peaceful death. And then look at the experience of His people, as we now term it. We find their anxieties awakened by fear of loss of earthly good or the suffering of earthly evil. They pray for the things needful for the body, and when bestowed recognise them as God's gift; but when withheld they submit to the privation as a chastisement from Him. Take the Book of Psalms as an illustration. Those psalms are spiritual songs, devout exercises of the heart; but they are not originated by an act of will, they are not wholly etherial and metaphysical; they are spiritual exercises incited by temporal conditions. Some physical affliction awakens grief and sorrow, some physical blessing enkindles trust, and thankfulness, and joy. There is the 107th Psalm, with its oft-repeated refrain of "Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and His wonderful works to the children of men." That is a picture of human life we delight to contemplate and to believe in, for it makes God to be God to us, a God nigh at hand and not afar off, a present help in time of need.

We

And was not this the doctrine of Jesus Christ with respect to God? Why has He taught us to call God Father, and pray to Him as our Father? Is it to mock and tantalise us? That we cannot think. Jesus taught us to call God Father because He is our Father. are His offspring, and there is with Him, towards His offspring, the bowels of a father and tender compassion. Talk not of Him never overlooking mistakes or checkmating us without remorse. He is loving to us all if we look to Him with filial trust and obedience. I repeat it, Jesus gives God the name of Father because He has the heart of a father. Yes, He knows what things we have need of; if He clothes the lilies of the field He will much more clothe us; if He feeds the sparrow He will much more give us our daily bread. He has said, and said it about temporal supplies as well as about spiritual succours, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!" Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure." "My God shall supply all your need." As you enter on or engage in the struggle of life take to your heart the comfort of the assurance that the highest power in the universe is on your side-God will not withhold from you His help.

66

THE HOMES OF OUR CHILDREN.

SAMMY'S HOME.

NE of the most striking appeals by beggars to the passing public in the streets which I have known made was by a beggar some years ago in our town. He cried out almost incessantly, It's a horrible thing to be poor!"

If the visitor does not use the language of the beggar when visiting the homes of the poor, he is very

apt to think, at any rate, that the places' are horrid. Sammy's home was certainly such a place.

A large ashpit serving about eight families on the top of a steep bank, the top landing to a lot of wretched houses on its side. The first house below, and almost underneath the accumulation of filth, was Sammy's home.

Calling one day to have a little conversation with the person, whoever it might be, that lived in the place, after knocking at the door and being bid to come in, our conversation took the inquiry form after the family.

The father, a little old man with bald head and white hair, sat across a stool, making clothes pins of the old fashion, made by hand and fastened by tin.

"Well, how are you to-day ?". "Well, thank you, sir, I'm pretty well."-"I see you are busy!"-"Yes, I am just making a few clothes pins to get a living." He then told in his own way how that he had lost his wife. She had gone out, as was her custom, to gather coals upon a railway after the waggons had passed laden with them, and one day, while in the act of picking up some coal, a train came up and she was run over and killed.

With marked feelings of pain at the recollection, the old man silently for a time cut and trimmed the wood for his clothes pins. He had a great heap of sticks sawn the length needed lying by his side on the floor.

Taking them up singly, and running a sharp knife over them, he put the blade of the knife to one end and slit it about halfway up the length of the stick, then turning the blade quickly brought it down again in a slanting direction, thus cutting the wood out of the centre of the stick and forming the pin. As fast as you could count three he had a pin ready for the tin. On the floor of the room a quantity of tin clippings were lying that had been got from the tinner's shop.

After trimming the bits of tin with a pair of large scissors, he punched a hole in one end, lapped it round the wood, drove in a small nail, and the clothes pin was made. And when Sammy goes round to the houses of people selling his father's goods, we seldom think of the poverty that surrounds poor Sammy, and the difficulties that lie in his way to do well.

After a brief silence, during which I looked round and saw the operation performed which I have described, the old man looked up and directed my attention to the room. There was a bed in the corner for four of them; the work-stool served as a table when at meals, they sitting on the floor or a stool, or standing, as they pleased. He said in wet weather the filth of the ash-pit above soaked through the wall into the oven, or ran down into the fire and over the floor, at the same time showing me the rust-marks upon the metal of the fire range. And this was Sammy's home. About three months ago, while Sammy was playing on a riverside tramway, he also was run over and killed.

A WALK AMONG THE ENGLISH LAKES.

T Coniston the rainfall is perhaps greater than at most of the lakes. It is well therefore to expect a shower. After paying your bill-about three shillings and sixpence for bed and breakfast-without ascending the " Old Man," as the mountain-head is called, you take the road north, walking about four miles round the base of a mountain called Tilberthwaite, where there is a fine view of a range of mountains running parallel with the road.

On the left Langdale Tarn is seen, another little lakelet which adds variety to the striking scenery all around.

Turning to the right, eastward, and then north, the road leads, after two or three miles' more walking, betwixt other two small lakes, called Elterwater and Laughrig Tarn, over another mountain ridge, and then on the left you see Rydal Water and Grasmere Lake. About this place all travellers make a point of halting for a time. There is a village, and also beautiful hotels where the hungry and the thirsty may be refreshed. Often, too, by calling at any farm on the way you may have a good bowl of milk kindly given, for it may be said that throughout the whole district nothing but kindness is met with by the stranger, and the cup of milk is often given in the name of a disciple of Jesus.

On the east side of the latter lakes is Rydal Mount, with the house of the poet Wordsworth. The whole district is sacred to his memory and that other notable poet, Coleridge; here they lived, and now lie buried in the little churchyard of Grasmere; Wordsworth with his wife and children; and a few feet further off lies Coleridge.

Rather

The church is about 800 years old. It has been enlarged in breadth, and the side of the old church forms the centre of the new. odd! The wall is arched, and they have built an arched wall on the top of it, so that the sound of the preacher's voice may be heard. The pews all face the end, and for the inconvenience of the people the pulpit is at the side-one of the old and stupid customs of Popery.

There is a fine medallion of Wordsworth here. The font seems to be very ancient; it is the shape of a wine glass, the inside lined with lead, and very much bruised at the rim. The font is of stone.

There is also a poor box a hundred years old, made by a clergyman of that day.

Leaving this interesting place for Whyburn, which lies at the foot of the highest mountain in Cumberland, called Helvellyn, you may rest there for the night.

The people are very obliging, and the hotel is very clean and comfortable, only the rooms Nos. 2 and 3 are not good to sleep in, because you may hear your neighbours during the night snoring.

Here a heavy shower fell, and the mountains seemed to smoke again. A bright flash of lightning and a heavy crash of thunder sent the signal far and wide; the mountains re-echoed, and the scene of

Israel before Sinai, when they said, "Let us hear no more of the voice of God," came vividly to our minds.

The morning dawns beautifully; the clouds like snakes are winding and twisting up round the mountain peaks.

After paying about six shillings for tea, supper, bed, and breakfast, you wend your way by the enchanting lake of Thirlmere. Near the centre of the lake is a little rustic bridge, and, according to the map, there is a road from it on the opposite side over the mountains; but we learn there is no road proper, and this we found was true. However, up the mountain side and over the top we went, removing both shoes and stockings on account of the water and bogs, which is much the pleasantest way to travel over these Watend lath Fells. The Vale of Borrowdale lies on the other side, leading straight to Keswick. Nothing but great mountains meet the eye everywhere.

:

From the top of Barrow Common, standing on a precipice about 300 feet in height, over the edge of which you can look and tremble, one of the finest views in the whole of the lakes may be had :Derwentwater Lake lies below studded with enchanting islands; the falls of Lodore to the left, of which Southey wrote, and who now lies buried in Keswick Church; pretty summer boats are plying in all directions, the mountains towering up in front; and beyond lies the Lake Basenthwait. The two lakes show a stretch of water about seven miles long. From this height the road leads to Keswick, the largest town in the lakes. Most of the travellers feel inclined to do a mountain before leaving the district, and here is Skiddaw, the highest but one, being 3058 feet high.

The best road is by the station over the brow of Latrigg, through two gateways, and by the dyke-side; passing down a sort of gorge, you at once take the mountain-side of Skiddaw. Now, for a mile and half, the ascent is steep enough, and makes one pant and gasp for breath. Refreshments can be had at a hut on the way, consisting of lemonade. After reaching the top of this part of the mountain there is a plateau of about two miles in extent, from which is obtained a delightful view of Derwentwater and the Borrowdale. Up again over a slate-covered road, and then over granite, after a four miles' ascent you reach the top and rest behind the Cairn. From this a view of the Irish Sea and Isle of Man and a splendid panoramic view of the surrounding country can be had when the weather is favourable.

After resting for the night in the town, the next morning we started for home, moving around the base of Skiddaw, by Basenthwait Lake, over by the village of Treby, near which you can see the Solway Forth, and the Criffle Mountains, in Scotland, and so on to Wigtown, and train to Carlisle.

Through the whole region a religious influence pervades all classes of society. One gentleman not many miles from Carlisle has opened his mansion for religious services, his lady driving around the place for miles inviting the poor to come. R. R.

THE EDITOR'S TABLE.

NSTEAD of answering questions this month we have a few books lying on our table to which we wish to call the attention of our readers.

Our young friends, we trust, have the advantage of going to school; still, if they are taught by others they must also seek to teach themselves, or they will never make much progress in learning. And for self-tuition good suitable books are essential. Everyone who means to pass through life creditably should determine to acquire that knowledge of his native language which will enable him to speak and write it with correctness. Here, then, are two books which will greatly help him to do this if he will properly use them for that purpose.

The first is a "Comprehensive Manual of Spelling; Explanatory, Etymological, Scientific, and Commercial," by Dr. T. Austin Bullock; price 1s. 6d. These who go through this book with anything like care must be great dunces if they do not thereby learn to spell words correctly, and are not also furnished in their memory with a collection of words most valuable to them, either for the simple embodiment of their thoughts or for the communication of them to others.

But we have not only to learn the meaning of words and how to spell them-we must further know how to form those words into sentences. As a valuable aid to the art of sentence-making, we can recommend Mr. Duxley's "New English Grammar of School Grammars; with Composition, Derivation, and Analysis of Sentences." It also contains rules and tables for ascertaining the origin of the vast majority of English words as coming from the AngloSaxon, Latin, Greek, and French, as well as copious exercises and questions for examination. The price is 2s.

While we wish our young readers to acquire a proper knowledge of language, we are yet more anxious that they should be correct in their religious knowledge. We have pleasure, therefore, in bringing to their notice two little books which we can recommend as safe theological guides. One is "The Theological Instructor; or, a Scriptural View of the Evidences, Doctrines, Morals, and Institutions of the Christian Religion," by the Rev. Richard Prichard. This excellent work was written in Welsh, and has been translated by the Rev. John Hugh Morgan, Wesleyan minister. It is in the form of question and answer, and is intended for young students in theology. We know of no book of the kind so comprehensive in plan and so excellent in execution. The price is 2s.

The other is entitled "A Pocket Compendium of the Doctrines, Institutions, Duties, and Evidences of Christianity." The author is a missionary, and was led to write the book to aid him in the prosecution of his duties, especially in connection with the religious education of the young. The Rev. G. T. Perks, Secretary of the