POETRY.-ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. Poetry. THE PRESIDENT'S HYMN. GIVE THANKS, ALL YE PEOPLE. By Dr. Muhlenburg, writer of the hymn, "I would not live alway." Transmitted to the President, requesting that it should be styled "The President's Hymn." Consent was given. GIVE thanks, all ye people, give thanks to the Lord, Let the East and the West, North and South, roll along, Sea, mountain and prairie, thanksgiving and song. CHORUS Give thanks, all ye people, &c. For the sunshine and rainfall, enriching again For the skies beaming vigour, the winds breathing health! For the nation's wide table, o'erflowingly spread, In the domes of Messiah, ye worshipping throngs, Our guilt and transgressions remember no more; Anecdotes and Selections. THAT FASHIONABLE LIE, "NOT AT HOME."-"I never," says a lady, "sent this message to the door but once, and for that once I shall never forgive myself. It is more than three years ago, and I told my servant to say that morning 'I was not at home' to whomsoever might call, except she knew it was some intimate friend. I felt my cheeks tingle, and the girl's look of surprise mortified me exceedingly. But she went about her duties, and I about mine, sometimes pleased that I had adopted a convenient fashion by which I should secure more time to myself, sometimes painfully smitten with the reproaches of my conscience. Thus the day wore away; and when Mr. Lee came home ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. he startled me with the news that a very dear and intimate friend was dead. 'It cannot be,' was my reply, 'for she exacted of me a solemn promise that I would sit by her dying pillow, as she had something of great importance to reveal to me. You must be misinformed, no one has been for me.' 999 Here, suddenly, a horrible suspicion crossed her mind. "She sent for you, but you were not at home,' said Mr. Lee, innocently; then he continued, I am sorry for Charles, her husband, he thinks her distress was much aggravated by your absence, from the fact that she called your name piteously. He would have sought you, but your servant said she did not know where you were gone. I am sorry. You must have been out longer than usual, for Charles sent a servant over here three times.' Never in all my life did I experience such loathing of myself, such bitter humiliation. My servant had gone further than I, in adding falsehood to falsehood, and I had placed it out of my power to reprove her by my own equivocation. I felt humbled to the very dust, and the next day I resolved, over the cold clay of my friend, that I would never again, under any circumstances, say' Not at home.' JOHN BUNYAN introduces his "Pilgrim's Progress" under the similitude of a dream. But once he had a real dream. When in Bedford prison the gaoler permitted him to go out sometimes. This being known to some of his persecutors, they sent an officer to talk with the gaoler on the subject; and, in order to discover the fact, he was to reach the gaol in the middle of the night. Bunyan was at home with his family, but so restless that he could not sleep; he therefore acquainted his wife that, though the gaoler had given him his liberty to stay till morning, yet, from his uneasiness, he must immediately return. He returned, and the gaoler blamed him for coming in at such an unseasonable hour. Early in the morning the messenger came, and interrogating the gaoler, said, "Are all the prisoners safe?" "Yes." "Is John Bunyan safe? "Yes." "Let me see him." He was called, and appeared, and all was well. After the messenger was gone the gaoler, addressing Mr. Bunyan, said, "Well, you may go in and out just when you think proper, for you know when to return better than I can tell you." THE CAPTAIN'S ORDER.-"My lads," said the captain, on taking command of the ship, "I have one order to make to which I hope you will all agree. It is this: that you allow me to swear the first oath in this ship. No man on board must swear an oath before I do: I am determined to swear the first oath on board. What say you my lads; will you grant me this favour? The men stared, and stood for a moment quite at a loss what to say. "They were taken," one said, "all aback." "6 'They were brought up," said another, "all standing." The appeal seemed so reasonable, and the manner of the captain so kind, that the ship's company burst out with "Ay, ay, sir," and their usual three cheers; and swearing was abolished in the ship. THE FIRESIDE. WRONG PREACHING.-"I preached earnestly eight years," says a minister, "and not one of my hearers was converted. I had set them to save themselves, and they could not; but as soon as ever I preached Jesus Christ, and faith in his blood, then believers were added to the church; then people flocked from all parts to hear the glorious gospel, some coming six, others eight, and others ten miles, and that constantly. The reason why my ministry was not blessed, when I preached up salvation partly by faith and partly by works, was because that doctrine is not of God. THE MAINTENANCE OF PIETY.-He who would be saved must not only enter upon the christian pilgrimage-the king's highway—but must continue therein to the end of his journey. It will not answer to enter the straight gate, go a short distance in the path to heaven, and then stop. He must continue on the way he first set out through light and shade, joy and despondency, never turning aside, or halting, until he reaches the celestial city, and passes through its portals. "He that endureth unto the end the same shall be saved." GRATITUDE TO GOD.-A good man, when near the end of a long life said: "I have met trials as well as others; yet so kind has God been to me, that I think, if he were to give me as many years as I have already lived in the world, I should not desire one single thing in my lot changed, except that I had less sin. It might be written on my coffin, ' Here lies one of the objects of Providence, who early wanted both father and mother, and yet never missed them.'' The Fireside. ON SAVING SOMETHING. I WAS, one Saturday night, waiting for my turn to be shaved in a barber's shop. Several working-men were talking about saving. Of course they were not agreed. Some said a working man could not save at all. Others mentioned how some men they knew had saved much out of littles. The next day I met with these remarks:-"There are few people that cannot at some period of their lives be able to save a trifle from their weekly earnings. A youth just beginning to earn money should be encouraged to set apart a sum, no matter how small, say a penny or twopence a week, to be increased as his wages increase. Few would be unable to spare for their deposit sixpence or a shilling a week for five years before the time when it would be prudent for them to marry. We happen to know that is no uncommon thing among the working classes to which we now refer for a young couple to undertake the responsibilities of married life without having THE PENNY POST BOX. anything more to depend on than the man's weekly wages, without any but the most scanty furniture, which is left to be supplied as occasion offers, and which occasion does not in many instances offer at all. They often lodge in the cottages of others, and so those become crowded; and being for the most part ill-ventilated, the result is often disease and death to the occupants, or at least a great wear of their strength and constitution, which sends them to the workhouse, their only refuge, years before their time. These people start behindhand with the world, and are seldom or never able to make it up. The experience of every village beer-shop-keeper shows that mere maintenance and clothing does not exhaust even their scanty wages, especially those of the single men. If these could be induced to save a part of what they spend at the public house they might start fair with a cottage comfortable furnished, and a small fund in hand, and thus have a better chance." The secret of the whole thing is, getting into the habit of saving. When once started the engine will move along smoothly enough. The Penny Post Box. AMERICAN SLAVERY AND THE WAR. THE great law which has never ceased to be at work in our world's history is the law of retribution, whether to individuals or nations. For the past three years we have seen this law at work on a large scale -the most horrid slavery system in the world having brought about the most horrible war the world ever knew. All this might have been expected-was expected-by all good men who believed in the good old Book-they believed an awful retribution would come, and it has. The Rev. John Angell James, writing (May 9, 1857) to the Rev. Dr. Patton, of New York, soon after the now celebrated Dred Scott decision under the Fugitive Slave Law, expressed himself in the following strain of sagacious warning:- "This decision of your Supreme Court fills us with astonishment, horror, and indignation. It is, indeed, the most terrible outrage upon humanity that has been perpetrated for ages, and will do more to lower the moral character of your country than even the present system of slavery. All Europe and the whole civilized world will blush for you. It is the first time that I know of when a whole race was put without the pale of social life on account of the colour of their skin. Will your country submit to it? Can it be conceived that the descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers will bow to so horrible a rebellion against the precepts of Christianity and the dictates of reason? What are the Eastern States about, that they do not rise en masse against this dictum of a few men upon the bench? However there is one hope. It is so bad-shows so clearly the advance of the FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. slaveocracy in your country-that it must help on eventually the cause of abolition. The American Union of the states appears to me to be becoming an idol, before which your people are willing to make the most costly sacrifice of moral principle. Anything so that the Union be preserved! If it is attempted to be preserved in this way, God, with one of the thunderbolts of his vengeance, will by and by shiver it to pieces."-Life of John Angell James. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. NATIVE WIT. AN Irishman thus describes his cold reception by an old friend :-"I saw Pat Ryan t'other side of the way. I thought it was Pat, and Pat thought it was me; and when I came up it was neither of us." A lad was sent with a note, and a basket containing some living partridges. On the way, tempted by curiosity, he peeped into the basket, when the partridges flew away. Much perplexed was he; but after a little consideration he reclosed the basket, went on his way, and delivered the letter with his best bow. Well, my lad," said the gentleman on reading it, "I see there are some live partridges in this letter." "O," says Paddy, "I am glad of that; for they flew out of the basket." 66 and versatile eloquence of his country. A gentleman and lady-young, gay, and handsome, with that peculiar look of gratified and complacent consciousness which indicates the first few weeks of married-life-crossed the bridge. They regarded not the petitions of the beggar; so, just as they passed him, he exclaimed, "May the blessing which brings love, and joy, and wealth, and a fine family, follow you all the days of your life!"-a pause-the couple passed heedlessly on-and the beggar, with a fine touch of caustie humour added, "and never overtake you!"-North British Review. Hints HOW MANY THINGS are there which we have done and are sorry for, but which we can never mend. ILL-GOTTEN GAIN only builds its houses on the sand, soon to tumble down. Honest industry builds her's on a rock. A poor Irish labourer had an impediment in his speech, and could not pronounce words beginning with the let- FRETTING never brings us a blessing. ter P without stammering. A neigh-It is only a foolish way of increasing bouring gentleman, seeing him digging our troubles. potatoes, and wishing to make him ridiculous, said, "What do you call these things you're digging?" Sir," says poor Pat, "I don't call them; when I want them I fetch them." 66 A poor old Irish cripple sat begging at a bridge, urging his appeal to the charity of passengers with the eager TIME IS PROPERTY.-He who wastes his own time or the time of others is a spendthrift, wasting what is more precious than silver, and what gold cannot buy. A CONTENTED SPIRIT is thankful for small favours, but a discontented one is not satisfied with large ones. |