Vol. VI, No, .41.-= r Whole No. 300.
Nottrg.
(For the American Presbyterian.)
" Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee :—Who
knoweth not in all these that , :the hand of the Lord
hath wrought this? Jon zit. 8, 9.'1
Divan's beauty in the morning's dawn,
When dew-drops deck the verdant lawn,
And gladly falls the sun's first beam
On mountain, valley, hill and stream.
There's beauty in the Western sky
When gorgeous clouds are rolling by.
When fades the soft and summer light
Before the dark approach of night.
There's beauty in the midnight hour,
When deepest gloom would round us lover;
Were not yon moon and silvery star
All brightly gleaming from afar.
Time, on its swiftly flying wings,
No scene, no season to us brings,
That doth not in each aspect wear
The garb of all that's bright and fair.
Thus let me still in all my ways
Declare my glorious Saviour's praised
Let every look, and act, and thought
Show forth the work
.whioh he bath , wrought:
A work so fair, though but begun—
A soul set free, its race to run,
Till, in the kingdoni Of His-grace,
It finds its hoped-for restintplace.
APRIL, 1862. •
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.
.Bible Circulation in India—Murder of Mis
sionaries-=Madagascar and Radama
Progress in Italy—Human Instrumental
ities too much Exacted—Ratazzi Pio
Nono and hia Rebellious Children—France.
and Protestantism-Death of. Austria's
Tyranni—lhnument to alluin--English
Parliament—Education and Church Rates
—Free Church--- Stirling Tract; Enter,
prise—Prayer for Ainerica l etc.
THE EAST.
SlNen I last wrote, cheering tidings have
reached us from the. East, well calculated to
invigorate the faith, and hope, and love of all
who are longing to see the saints of the Most
High possessing the kingdom over all the
earth. Bible circulation has been steadily
increasing in India—the Bombay Presidency
—for several years. The last report on the
subject says, there " is no doubt that a larger
number of copies of the Word of God has
been circulated in ,the Presidency this year
than for several, years pasf." As _closely
allied with this, I may: mention that a tran
slation of the Old and NeW Testament Scrip
tures in the Gujarati hakbeen com . pleted, and
is now in circulation in that missionary' pro
vince, iheraa markeliOhimige4s takinglArheftY
unfaVorable to: easte•dignity, which, as Spur
geon said of a minister he described, might
"die of, dignity." One missionary says in a
letter lately received,. "inany,of the lighest
caste sit with the' lowest in the third class
railway carriages," which, I think, is more
than some of the pro-slavery Americans would
do with the poor men whose misfortune it is
to have a blaok•skin. If the idols 'of India
are to• be, dethroned and . demolished, it shall
surely belly the instrumentality of the Bible,
as Dagon fell before the ark of God. There
fore all Christians should rejoice to hear of
increased' Bible circulation, and should, -61 -
God speed to the noble and beneVolent cause
in a practical way.
The intelligence from China is of a min•
gled character—painful and pleasing. The
Rev. Dr. Parker, and the'Rev. J. H. Holmes,
both Amefiean missionaries, have been ,mur
derail:by a party of rebels in the district of
Shantung. It may be—we hope it shall be
—though it is dark avenue to a bright fu
ture, that their blood shall eloquently and
successfully preaoh the Gospel for which they
" fighting fell." Under the righteous reign
of our enthroned Redeemer, who orders the
-destinies of a universe whose kings are only
ministers of His, the old traditional policy
has been discarded as a bad servant, and ,a
new policy adopted, under the leadership of
Prince'Kung, whose political views are-said
to be very liberal and enlightened, for-China.
His accession to power seems very providen
tial, for the settlement of Dr. Lockhart in
.Pekin, where he (Dr. L.) reports his prospects
to be discouraging.
The bloody Ranavalona, Queen of Mada
gascar, and an enemy of all good, has ceased
from - troubling Israel. She has gone, shall .
X say ? drunk with, the blood of the saints to
the judgment seat; and her son, and succes
sor on the throne, Radama 11, as inaugura
ted a liberal reign, by opening the prison
doors and setting the captives free, by strik
ing the fetters from the, enslaved, and recall
ing the persecuted refugee to his peaceful
home, and by granting Europeans access to
his kingdom, which was almost as churlish
as Japan .used to be. „Education and com
merce are to be encouraged, and religious
toleration secured, so thatthe natives friendly
to Christianity, are beginning : , to breathe more
freely, and to emerge: item a forced obscurity .
A. Protestant minister from Mauritius, with
an interpreter and twenty marmites, native
porters, two Amish. Priests, and four sisters
of charity, have arrived in the capitol. Pro
bably ere this, Mr. Ellis, aniither Protestant,
has reached the island. What are these
among so many? Surely protestants who,
for yearsl have been looking to Madagascar
with weeping eyes, shall not be slow to go in
to possess the land, and sow the wheat, so
that the emissaries of Rome shall find their
unwearying propagandism for once outdone.
Let Christians remember to pray that Rada
ma 11, who has , begun so well may not be
hindered, but guided of God to the knowledge
of the truth which is the - basis of all sound
Ebert-y r and the most powerful ally. of any
goverianent. •
THE CONTINENT.
The amazing progress made for a time in
the liberation of Italy from a dark despotism
that devoured its own children as fast as
theymere born, and the consolidation of the
new Italian kingdom under good Victor
Emmanuel, has been Checked. Many months
have passed, and very few visible'advantages
have been gained. No dottbt , there may have
been—perhaps I should.say, there , has been
—a strong under-current of progress, undis
covered by the most clear-headed and keen
sighted politicians of the day. -Why the
Lines.
surface check ? is a question for the thought
ful. I shall attempt to reply, only by asking
another question. • May it not be the doing
of the Lord to 'foam' us against Unduly. ele
vating Creature instrumentalities, and to
, bring more prominently before the public
mind the fact that the battle is -not man's;
but God's ? We praise a.-Garibaldi, extol a
Cavouri arid eulogize - a.Ricasoli- ' when we
should, magnify the name. of the Lord, who
has but to stand aloof fora moment, and the
whole machinery of any movement is at a
stand-still—in a dead lock. Here I cannot
help turning aside, and asking, is Gird ac
knowledged and honored. as he should be, by
the Northerns, in the present American civil -
war, which appears as unreasonable and ab-•
surd, on the part of those who made the quar
rel, as if the right and left sides;of a man
should commence a campaign that must end
where it began, not in, the destruction of
both, but in the peace-breaker submitting, or
being subdued, and gonsenting to act in har
mony with the other side, and under the
, same head ? Is not too much expected from
President, and Secretary, and General, and
army, and too little from Goa.? Tice sinews
of Fear are worth very little without the G-011
of battles. To return from this digression:
Ricasoli, the genuine and tried friend, of re
ligious liberty, has resigned, and Ratazzi has
succeeded him in the- administration. The
policy of the present administration is pro
nounced to be 'procrastination. This does
not look ; and the hopes of the friends of
Italy buil). not so brightly since the change.
They should, however, brighten 4 - the
thought that ifmay be with Ricasoli, as it
was with Cavour,Who, after his resignation was
shortly appointed. again. It is highly pro
bable that this change of ministry is just one
of the empiricism of statesmanship which
abound in the history of even the oldest, go
vernments. It should never be lost sight of
by the true, friends of Italy, that "God often
works by means which Apisear to us inade
quate while in His band they are .64Pcient.
-Therefore, we have i nb fear for the issue of
Italian struggle, no matter who the
may be, so.long at these Words are in the
Bibre, the Lord reignetk. The enemies of
the temporal power of the Pope are becoming
more numerous every day, and they' hate it
with a cruel hatred. SeVenty priests and
monks lately signed a protest against it
What dutiful conduct—the children literally
-rising up against the-father ! - There is - every
reason to believe, Pio Norio' Could get his
brigands to serve these seventy traitors, ,as
Jehu served the sons of Ahab,, he would make
old St. Peter's ring with a 'ire /hum, as the
reigning Pontiff did, when' he heard of the
bloody scenes of St. Bartholomew's day . .
There was a frightfutexplosion in the Freneh
Senate some weeks ago, occasioned by a
speech of Prince Napoleonani the temporal
power of the Pope. The Prince boldly de
clared that the Roman- question should be
settled without delay ; and insisted on with
drawing,the. Trench„tramps from,. Voine im—
mediately, and, leaving -the Italians to do
their own business. He produced documents
at least two hundred years old, to prove that
the temporal power of the Popes has been
deplorable. He, however, would guarantee.
the financial and spiritual independence of
his Holiness. The speech produced - a per
fect hurricane of angry confusion in the Se
nate-house, and called forth, some highly
seasoned replies, in defence of the assailed
and asperied dogma which is to the Bishop
otßome what a wife is said to be to her hue
..band—his better half..
Protestantisin has increased amazingly in
France during the last half century—in
creased extensively—in breadth and numbers
—and intensively in vigor and power. In a
recent article from the pen of Dr. F. IVlonod,
it is shown that in 1807 ,there were but three
pastors of the Reformed Church in Paris, and
bnt two places of worship; in each of which
there was but one sermon every Lord's day.
What is the 'state of Matters 'there now ?
There are forty-eight pastors of different de
nominations, thirty-one" places of worship,
and eighty-three' sermons weekly, with about
fifty prayer meetings • and thirty Sabbath
schools. As %to , the whole of France;=ln
1807-there were five hundred and fifty-one
:pastors in the Reformed Church, and four
hundred and. eighty' in the Lutheran.' These
were located in many parts that are not now
French territory, 'so that in the calculation
we may not repkon on more than four hun
dred and fifty pastors in all, of these two de
nominations, settled in France proper. In
1861 the numbers were—of the Reformed.
Church, six hundred and fiftY-three pastors ;
of the' Lutheran, four hundred and five. In
1818 they had one Protestant religious jour
nal ; now they have twenty-one, such, not in
cluding those which come from other coun
tries. At the thought of these numbers,
which are so many vouchers for substantial
progress, we may exclaim, What hath God
wrought?
Austria, hussia, 'Greece; tarkeY,l-o landand- Hungary are said to be 'in: en unsettled
state, as if their foundationa were shaking.
Anstria has, at last; granted religious liberty
in her borders, and proclaimed that creed
shall not be a qualification or disqualification,
for office:' Wehave a saying in :Ulster, 'which
is applied ,to a miser who may have unac
countably given a donation. to a friend in
need, or to a religions object, that he has not
Zang to Zive. Withont exposing myself to the
charge of being superstitious, I think -I
may say, this last deed Hof Austria is - an un
failing premonition of the death of her hoary
tyranny at no distant day. My heart's
desire andprayer is, that it may be eo. The
state of religion in Sweden is greatly im
proved. The fruit of the awakening is abid
ing. The ministry is becoming more ell
cient, and discipline is restored—the Sali
bith is better obseried, and new Tract So
cieties have been fou.nd. The "Ice Palace,"
as the State Church has been called, is be
ginning to look like a warm and comfortable
house,. in which. living lawn_.enjoy them:
selves, while they worship God in Spirit and
in truth.
It had been spoken" of at the last meeting
of the Evangelical Alliance, in Geneva", that
a monument should be erected to Calviw in
1864—=the three hundredth' Tear after his
death. An earnest appeal comes from the
living historian of the Reformation, for world
wide support in carrying out the, suggestion.
It is a noble object, and one which should be
generously subscribed to by all who love
with all their heart the glorious 'doctrines
Calvin held and taught. D'Aubigne, and
those who act with him in geneva,.propose
to build " a hall for public meetings, and for
PHILADELPHIA, TAU
the preaching
,of the Gospel to the lower
orders. This is a much more sensible styla
of monument thin a statue of the great -Re
former, or anything of that kind, and one to
which the Christian public will more liberally
subscribe. ".
TilE UNITED xm.GDom.
. The meeting of Parliament, this year, has
been characterized by the introduction of
several very important bills, or motions rela
tive to important bills. The' Revised Code
of Education for-England will most probably
pass both Houses, and it is predicted by its
Supporters that it will confer great benefits
upon the'youth of England. A new system
of National Education for Scotland is to be
proposed by the Lord Advocate on an early
day. The voluntaries are mustering Tor, a
Church. Rates' campaign ; and a Mi. Whalley
has risen up to take the place of the 'indefati
gable Spooner on the Maynooth Grant, While
Sir Hugh Cairns has brought 'in anew bill'
on Marriages in Ireland, which, if it become
a law, will prevent Romish priests from cele
brating clandestine marriages, and remove
certain grievances ,that, - at present, press
on several of the smaller Protestant com
munions. Some of the Irish Roman Ca
tholic members took exception to a portion
of the Queen's Speech, which referred to the
general prosperity of her Majesty's` subjects,
The said Irish orators rung the changes on
the (fabricated) Irish famine I wrote of in a
former letter. Sir Robert Peel dashed to
atoms-the atrocious misrepresentations of `the
objectors to the Queen's Speech. In his ad
dress he described a late repeal meeting in
bublin as composed of " manikin traitors
who were determined to rival, the cabbage
garden heroes of ,1848." A member of the
House, the O'bonoghue who occupied the
chair at that meeting,' felt insulted by this
language r and sent Sir Robert a challenge to
a duel, a short rand easy method` of - - settling
Aisputes, happily almost unknown.noW.- For,
this breach of the rules ,o the House„ the'
would-be-duelist _clumsily,aporogized, roher,
t4n take .free lodging& in the Tower .for
Like the Gunpowder plot this Pauline ,
plot was. blown up before it did anyharm.
Guy Fawkes was taken with the match in: his
hand, and hence the rage of the disappointed
puppet who danced a&-tbe crafty priests pull
ed the String. - Oelierns has got few sops of
late, and yet he growls .not more loudly than
*hen they came , ciery day.
The following statistics concerning the Free
.Church of. Scotland may_not be uninteresting
;to your.readers. She has 800,places,of wor-
ship, 565 manses, and 620-schools. Besides
these she hag places of Worship, manses and
schools erected by private individuals, at a
cost of X 50,000- She has 3 colleges, and an
Assembly hall. The total cost'of her huild
ingB is estimated at X 1,422,364. Her yearly
income is X 264,000, of which £38,000 go to
Verily 'the Lord has prospered'
missions.
her way.
it j~l
bnilding for the Stirling Tract. Enterprise, at
an outlay of £5OOO. It is, fourteen years
since he publishe.d-..-first,--tract on -" The
Sabbath," and now the thirty-third million
oftracts; on various subjects,,ls issuing from
the press. At present, the Baitisklifessenger
has a circulation of 100,000 copies monthly.
None should deiplie the day= of Milan
things," who. knows anything_of the origin
and, deVelOpMellt Of the Stisling•Tract Enter
prise. _ _ -
Gospel work goes on in London, without
any relaxation, and results reported are
most cheering—particularly this which ap
plies to many Christians in both this country
and Scotland—" no 'Dian has a right to be
-idle." 0, that all believers felt this more,
and actedunder it more ! Then the power of
God's fellow workers on earth would. be in
creased- to an indefinite • extent. Reader,
what art thou doing for thy fellowmen ?. Ad
vise and, see what answer thou art - prepared
to give, in presence of the Lord. If uncon
verted, thou art doing nothing for Him. - To
continue where and as thou art, is to work
thy way to hell. Turn, turn, and serve the
Lord with all'thy heart, and so thou shaltbe
happy here and hereafter.
• The recent intelligence from_America con
cerning the important victory gained by the
North, was " long looked for come at last,"
and it made many hearts rejoice: Surely the
South has been fatally wounded by this blow,
and, cannot hold out much longer, except it
be like the Hydra, HercUles'slew with his clUb
—gain two heads for every one cut off.
Many• Christians in these, lands are, crying
unto. God night_ and day to bring the heart
rending war to an end speedily, and to-es
tablish a sweet and permanent peace in which
all anirnosities shall be forgotten, all wrongs
forgiven, and all breaches heale4se that - the
United States shall rise to the dignity and
duty of their position, as great Christian.
nation, in the evangelization of the world
now lying in, wickedness..'
DISCEDE, )1108ikTOR.
Tun excavations at the buried _citiek of
Pompeii,, Herculaneum, Tozzerol and Capua
are going,on with renewed vigor, under the
stimulus - of an appropriation of money feit the
purpose from theitalian Govetnment.Alere
tofore Naples hid the,work under its exclu
sive care and control, •At Pompeii new fres
coes have been discovered, and there is an
'inscription on the Wall of what was probably
a workshop of some kind, as follows s "Otiosis
Mc locus non est. Discede, Ilforator." This
May: be , translated , " This place is noS for 'the
lazy. Loafer depart." This inscription is
as good-for industrial- establishments, of mo
dern times,
as it was for , those of ancient
Pompeii. Its discovery is interesting from
the fact that it shows that human nature was
the kame eighteen centuries ago in Italy, as
it is now in America ; that there were lazy
folks and loafers - who would intrude into
workshops and waste the time or divert the
attention of the workmeni- and that it became
necessary to put up inscriptions, giving a:ge
neral warning to all such to depart.—Eve.
Pardon is God's familY blessing and the
peculiar mercy of his choicest darling ; he
hands out other things to wicked men, but
he deals out this only to his children.
Everyconversion of a'great sinner is a new
copy of God's love; it is a repeated procla
mation of the transcendency of his grace.
THOUGHTS are the words of the wind.
(comuuma
ANnorapp%llENEFlTtir OF OUR NA
TIONAL TRTAO:
WE do well to nerve our t'o r rtitude for the
endurance of our afilictions i lby reflecting on
the happy results of them..ti...Vcotnpensation
that shall correspond with site magnitude of
our present domestic and p*blic trials, must
be great indeed. I need not, attempt tulle
-
pia them. I will only endesivor to reconcile
us to them by glancing at slime of the bene
fits which _we may hopeful* anticipate as
their sanctified effects.
1. A revived and lasting - recognition of
the Divine control over our d;stiny. .In ohr
exaltation we were, ai a tation, forgetting
God, and ignoring his goverinnent of hulnan
affairs. We were idolizing our proud, tower
ing - Union, and failing to :give :glory- to God,
,the once acknowledged. ant* of our distin
znished--blessings. We wertOlitrishing an
almost atheistical indely.., s - ' , ~
We evidently needed 'jug,. `such an- inter
ruption to our deterkirating bus
we have
experienced, to bring-us rto-our moral senses.
We had to bodriven to an extremity of per
plexity and distress, where God could have
a fit opportunity of reasserting ;his supre
macy to advantage. , 1 )
, Now we trust that the &pendetice which
our rulers and representativiii have 'been Con
strained to publicly and . _ solemnly acknow
ledge, will continue to MN felt and humbly
confessed, to the honor of otO justly offended
yet merciful Sovereign. - ,
.., -.-
This change a christianna t tion must realize
td be an incalculable be:nefif.
2. We shall undoabiedlY have a better
i,
appreoiation of our civil goVilirnment and pay
more faithful attention to i administration
in consequence of this ten' e` struggle -
We`had so long enjoyed thout Interrup
tion and without much etWe, our precious
l
ill
_birthright, that . w.-e li :li zed its value.
.Threatened destrned .
~,,,npneseary—to
awaken sS4S9. 9f its w4 l l, . - *to make the
people &soaves what they k eso frequently i
expressed of late, that o urs s tic best gcv
' erninent on earth. '.' _ '?;
:We shall now prize ourtitutions more
lighly, as we shall be all ed to expend so
tic
inh 'treasure and- . billodifo their.preserva
tion. A great national dobgto be borne and
liquidated by the Citizens, may give a very
hbalthy exercise. lt Anan.Prove to be the
burden of wings with. xhick i to rise.
;had not. befqre; a snfficient, personal
pecuniary interest ;in -politipal concerns to
induce due attention to thenit. Our govern-
Ment seemed , alinOst Self-sustaining—a kind
of automaton, which" requiretinct our special
1 •
contributions and supervision to sepport and
regulate its movements, aii i .d,ive`fiact become
extremelyeareless about.;thetihonesty4ndin
tegrity of_ the'men whd, went_ entrusted. with
its -administration. - By< isdering ;corrupt
office-seekers to handle t affairs of state ,
welia44teler.t ge - cf-retifit -
Ambitious, designing men, Wilk were aiming
only at selfaggrandizement, hail been allow : .
ed to hold responsibleiand lucrative offices
without the fear of being' called to a' strict
account:for their delinquencies and fronds:
.Now we shall <feel:the, impulsed very
strong motives for.leolting; after the character
of - our Tublic,.servants.l feet the
importance of vigikkee to,, save the common
wealth from destruction, and. to save . Unne
cessary expenses. When our revenue was
deriVed from a tariff on importeik goods, and
from the sale of Immense public lands, we
scarcely felt the burden 'of sustaining the
national government, and we were little con
cerned about the , dishonesty,prodigality, or
embezzlements of which - public functionaries
might be guilty.
An overflowing treasury and an indifferent
people really tempted unprincipled men to
do what they Otherwise would be restrained
from doing. Now,, we umrehond, good men
w 0 repent of - their neW6V-Fascitizens of a
republic—they will see le if that, reliable can
didates be elevated to' office; and with un
wonted fervency will they - pray for our rulers.
3. The habits and hatnness of the people
maybe much improved by the burdens which
this'occasion will require them to bear. In
dustry-and economy, temperance,, health and
virtue may be yromoted by the demands of
the times. Injurious Itixuries, inviting vice
and producing dissipation and
. effeminacy,
will not be so much indulged in when they
are heavily taxed. A little return to fruga
lity will be a wholesome
Under. these circumstances we shall be
more likely to look after those sources of
public expense which, in
our prosperity,_iwe_ too .much disregarded.
Particularly shall: er feel the importance of
AliatiTiglitc„nui4nee of retailing intoxicating
liquors as a beverage. The tax:for support
ing paupers and criminals proditeed by the
pernicious rum-traffic,,..has been -borne Without
'much coinplaintXecause it has been difficult
to induce the-peoPlebY theiMcuniary argu
nzent; to procure and'execute hzprohibitory
law. But now, wheivanother enormous tax
is imposed on the:community, to defray the
expenses, z of the mar, file inconsiderate may
be brought to listen; with „favor, to the elk
peals of temperande advocates. ' •
-The , people will hardly be satisfied with:-
the fact that the , rum and , rum-vender, by
paying .
into the pubhe treasury twenty dol
lars, shall have license to subject the public
ton, tax of twenty 'hi/Jared "dollars: If the
wants of the-times:ilia close - up bar-rood:is,
and seal the fountains of corruption and' de*
of infamy -in our we`may be. thankf4.
for a large impressine-publie debt.
4. If the evil read' slivery which poisons
the moral sentiments,,and Corrupts the hearts
and habits of our Southern fellow citizens- 7 ,
makes them domineering, and disqualifies
them for.republican insiitutions—if this root
shall be eradicated by= our present struggle,
we shall beCome a , homogeneous happy peo
ple, exalted 4 by 4 riglite'ousness. .To receive
such a benefit, we May well afford- to endure
great trials, and we 'gladly anticipate such a
result, for 'we think that-the ; indications .of
Providence point it out to our .view.,
Finally ;
Firally, the benefit of our struggles to our
posterity, and to the oppressed nations of the
earth, may reconcile us to our
,endurance.
This trial will preclude any subsequent
attempt at rebellion It will work for'the
cure of nullification and secession. The pro . -
blem of onr''permaneni eiistence as a free
nation will be solved; and its influence on the
liberties 'of mankind will be most salutary.
Our republic Will prove itself be, to not a
floating, bursting bubble on the waves of the
,Y APRIL. 3, 1862.
political ocean, but a rock against which the
tuthUltuous billows of popular commotion,
-which shake and shatter the thrones of Eu
rope, may dash _in vain. Calling on the
Lord in the day of trouble, we shall be deli
vered, and then we shall glorify him.
The Christian pat:Hot, *ho has trembled to
seethe, ark Of our liberties borne down, into
the rushing waters of Jordan, shall sing the
songs of triumph as he shall see it emerging
with tokens of divine preservation. If we
serve . Christ, we shall' never perish.
N. E. -
HENRY HARTYN'S INFLUENCE IN PERSIA.
" He being dead yet apeaketh.''
The News'ef the. Churekes for March, con
tains the following remarkably instructive in
cident related by Mr. Batley, of the (English)
Church Mission y - Society," who died recently
deeply 7 lamented at Ihnritzur -in the Pun,
appeared' Originally !in the Asiatic
zTournal .The
•writer had been spending ar
few.weeks at .Shiraz in Persia. Ile says :
" Having -received an invitation to dine,
or rather sup, with a Persian party in the
city, I went and found a number of guests
assembled. The conversation was varied,
grave and , gay ; chiefly of the latter corn
plexima. Poetry was often the subject, some
times Thilosophy, and sometimes politics,
prevailed. AniOng the topics dis Cussed re
ligibn was one. There are so many sects in
Persia, especially if we include the free
thinking -classes, that the questions which
grow out of such a discussion constitute no
trifling resource for - conversation. I was cal
led upon, though with perfect good breeding
and
.politeness, to give all account ef, the
tenets of my faith; and I confess mysellhome
.
times embarrassed by the pointed queries of
,
my companions. Among tne guests was a _
person,, who . took but little part in the conver
sation, and who appeared to be intimate with
- none the master of the house. He vas
a -Man below the middle. age, 'of a serious
countenance and mild depOrtment ; 'they cal
led him Mahorned Raheem. I - thought that
he frequently observed me with great aften
waitched every word I uttered—es
pecially When . the subject - Of religion was dis
cussing. Once, when I expressed myself
with some levity, this individual fixed his
eyes upon me with such" a peculiar expres
sion of surprise, regret, and Teproof, that I
was struck to the very soul, and felt a strange
mysterious: wonder. who this person;could, be.
I asked privately one of tit; party, who told'
me that he had been educated for "a, mollah,.but
had never officiated ; and', that he a was man
nin
of considerable learg, and 'Much respect:4
ed : but lived retired, and seldom visited
even fkie Meat intimate frienda. My infor
mant-added; that his only inducement to join
the party had been the expectation of meet,
ing an Eriglishmati, , a's he Was much attach
ed to the English natiob . and had studied
oar - language` and, learning; "Thiglnformi , '
tion increased my curiosity; which I deter
mined to seek an opportindty of gratifying,
by conversing with the object of it. A few
days afterviards I called upon Mahomed Ra
heem, and' found huin reading a volume ef
Cowper's poemi. This circumstance led to
an immediate discussion of • Englishipoetry;
and English literature in general. "I ; was per
fectly astonished at the clear and accurate
conception which he had formed upon these
subjects, and the - precision Niith which he ex
pressed himself in English, We discoursed
on these and congenial topics for nearly two
hours, till at length I ventured to sound his
opinions on the subject of - religion. ,
" You are a raollaii, I am informed.
said he; was educated at a Madrussa (col
lege), but I have never felt an inclination to
he one of the priesthciod.' The exposition
of your religious volume,' I rejoined, ' de r "
mands a 1) ertty close application to study, be
fore a person can, be qualified to teach the
doctrines of the K:oran. I understand.
must theroughly - examine and diaest volumes
of comments, which ascertain the sense - of
the' text and the application of its injunc
tions. This is a laborious preparation if a
man be disposed conscientiously to fulfil his
important functions.' As -he made no. re
mark, I continued, Our Scriptures are their
own expositors. We are solicitous only that
they should be read : and although some par
ticular passages are not without difficulties,
arising from the inherent obscurity of lan
guage, the faults of translations, or the error
of copyiSfS, yet it is &lir. boast that the au
thority - of the Holy Scriptures is confirmed
by the perspicuity -and simplieity of their
style; as well as precepts.' .
"I was surprised that:he Made no reply to
these observations. ,At ,the hazard of being
deemed importunate, T. proceeded to panegy
rize the leading principles
,of Christianity,
more particularly in respect of their, moral
and practical, character; and happened a 7
mong othei%refiections to suggest, that, as no
other concern was of so much importance to
the htunan 'race as religion, and as only one
faith can, be right, the -subject admitted not
of being regarded as indifferent i though too
many .did so regard it. Do not you esteem
it. so ?' he asked. Certainly not,' I replied,
Then your indifference at the table of our
friend Meerza Reeza, when. the topic of reli
gion. was wider consideration, was merely as
sumed, out of complaisance to Mussulmans,
I presume ?'
" remembered the occasion to Which he
allided, and recognised in his countenance
thessanie expression, compounded half of pity,
half Of surprise, which it then. 'exhibited.
owned that I had acted inconsistently, per.
haps-incautiously, and imprudently: but I
made the best defence I could ; and disavow
ed, in tho most solemn:manner, any preme
ditated design to contemn the religion Which
I profess.
"'I am heartily glad I was deceived,' he
said ; for sincerity in religion is our pia
mount duty. What we are, we should never
be ashamed of appearing to be.' ' Are you
a sincere Miissulthan, then ?' I boldly asked.
An internal struggle_ seemed, for an instant,
to agitate his visage : at length he answered
mildly, 'No I" You are not a sceptic or a
free-thinker ?' 'No ' indeed, I onnot
'What are you. then ?be yen sincere. Are
you a Christian? 'Tam, he replied.
" I should vainly endeavour to deacribe
the astonishment which seized me at this de
claration. r surveyed 'Mahon:Cad Raheein at
first, with a look which, judging from itare
fleotion from his benign countenance must
lia,ve.betokened suspicion or • even contempt.
The consideration that he could have no mo
tive to deceive me in this disclosure, which
was of infinitely grefter seriousness to him
self than to me, speedly restored me to recol
lection, and banished every sentiment but
joy. I could not refrain from pressing silent
ly his hand to my heart.
" He was not unmoved at this transport,
but he betrayed no unmanly emotions. He
told me that T had possessed myself of a se
cret, which, in spite of his opinion that it
was the. duty of every one to wear his reli
gion openly, he had hitherto concealed, ex
cept froth a few who participatea in his own
sentiments.' -
" And whence came this happy change ?'
I asked. ' I will tell you,' he replied. 'ln,
-the year 1223 (of the Ilejira) there came to
this city an Englishman, who taught the re
ligion of Christ with a. boldness unparalleled
in Persia, in the midst of much scorn and ill
treatment from our mollahs, as well as the
rabble. He was a beardless youth, and evi
dently enfc.ehled by disease. He dwelta
mangst nefor more than a'year. was then
a decided enemy of infidels, as the Christians
are.termed -by the followers of Mahammed;
and I visited this teacher of the despised sect,
with the declared object of treating him with
scorn, and exposing his doctrines with con
tempt. Although I persevered for some time
in this behaviour toward him I found that
every interview not only increased my res
pect for the individual, but diminished my
confidentc in the faith in which I 'As edu
cated. His extreme forbearance towards the
violence of his opponents, the calm and yet
convincing manner in which he exposed the
fallacies and sophistries by which he was as
sailed—for he spoke Persian excellently--
gradually inclined me to listen to his argu
ments, to inquire dispassionately into the
subject of them, and finally to read a tract
which be had written in reply to a defence
Of Islamism by our chief mollahs.
~Need I
detain you longer ? the result of my examin
ation was a conviction that the
,young dis
putant was right. Shame or rather fear,
withheli me from avowing this opinion. I
ever avoided the society of the Christian
teacher, - though - he remained in the city so
long. Just. before he quitted= Shiraz I could
not refrain from.paying him a farewell visit.
Our conversation—the memory of it will
never fade from the tablet of my mind—seal
ed my conversion. He gave me a book—it
h - as' ever been my constant companien, the
study of it has formed my most delightful
occupation—its contents have often consoled
me.'
. .
.., .
" Upon this, he put into my hands a copy of
the New Testament in Persian,
_on one of the
blank leaves was nrritten.: 'There is . joy in
heaven over on one-sinner that repenteth.—
TIMMY MARTYN.' " - _
(COMIIINICATED.)
LE NOIR FAINEANT,
OR THE ‘BLACK •SLUGGARD.
"At once, this knight seemed to throw aside his
apathy, when. he discovered the leader of his party so
hard bested ; for,' setting spurs to his horse, which
was quite fresh, he came to his assistance like a thun
der-holt, exclaiming in a voice like a trumpet call,
!Desdichado, to the rescue' !ll—lveamon.
WHEN the news :of what transpired some
weeks ago. at Fortress Monroe, reached the
nation, an indescribable emotion thrilled ev
ery heart. The sight of that iron-clad mon
ster creeping out of her lair at Norfolk, and
eating up our mighty ships of war, as if they
had been so much bread, filled us with
_ap
prehensions; but the providential arrival of
another iron combatant, which entered into
the conflict, standing. up _like some giant
boxer against the beast and'her. cubs, and
after giving and receiving blows, that weuld
have annihilated ordinary. fighters,:. beating
them off and remaining master of her posi
tionthis intervention relieved our fears and
raised up our hopes of safety, as the Monitor
advised the foe, that to them, was,not confined
the prowess arising from ingenuity, andUliort
• Nee& 'this - dolt an adventure as this com
bat I .On either side was, put• forth - the
strength of ten thousand mailed-warriors of
the olden time. Iron balls of.two hundred
pounds, weight, hurled with proportionate
force, had no apparent effect against their
scaly sides ; the most effectual shot from, our
wooden ships was like pelting the, iron sheath
ing of the eiteiny with pebbles, and when the
two monsters came close enough to touch
each other, and gave forth their Most enor
mous efforts, on one side, at least, no' serious
damage was inflicted The living leviathan
of Job (Chap. xli.) seems anticipative of this
day,: " Canst thou fill 'his skin with barbed
iron, or his head with fish spears.? Who can
open,the doors of his face ? His teeth are
terrible. His scales are shut up together, as
with a close - seal, - that no air can come be
tween them. They stick together, that-they
cannot be sundered. His breath kindles
coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
The sword of him that layeth at him cannot
hold; the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as
rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him
flee ; sling-stones are turned into stubble.
He laugheth at, the shaking of a spear, He is
King over all the children of pride."
Before our help arrived, with what sorrow
did we contemplate our noble vessels over
whelmed and our-brave sailers killed, drown
ed or captured ? One, after being placed in
the most desperate crippled condition, was
obliged to, surrender the other, showing the
true Anterican mettle,: told the enemy they
would never give up, but go to the bottom
first;'who kept firing, and went down hurrah
ing for the Union, - with flags flying. And
there, over the bloody waters of the James
river, although the " Stars and Stripes" were
submerged, the pennant „may still be seen
floating from the topmast.
The Monitor was evidently, under r God,
our deliverance from a greater calamity, and
from her unexpected appearance to all—par
ticularly to the eneiny,—as well as her prow
ess, we have given her the name of "Le Noir
_Faineant, or the Black Sluggard.'
Si oE Mary kept and pondered the short
sayings of' our Saviour in het heart, corn
tnitting and fitting them, as it were; in her
commonzplice book ; why should not we also
preserve 'the whispers of that Spirit, who re
ceives from the same mouth and hand what
he both speaks and shows to us? •
Free grace is God's darling, which, he
loves to advance; and it• is never more ad
vanced than when it beautifies the most rais
shaped souls.
GENESEE. EVANGELIST.---Whole No. 828
ORIGIN OF. SPECIES.
I=l
The domestic animals, with their nume
rous breeds, are constanty adduced as evi
dence of the changes which animals may un
dergo, and as furnishing hints respecting the
way in which the diversity now observed
among animals nas - already been produced.
It is my conviction that such inferences are
in no way sustained by the facts of the case,
and that, however striking the differences
may be between the breeds of our domesti
cated animals, as compared with the wild
species of same genus, they are of a pe
culiar character, entirely distinct from those
that prevail among the latter, and are alto
gether incident to the circumstances under
which they occur. By this I do not mean
the natural action of physical conditions,
but the more or less intelligent direction of
the circumstances under which they live.
The inference drawn from the varieties in
troduced among animals in a state of domes
tication; with reference to the origin of *-
cies, is usually this : that what -the farmer
does on a small scale, nature may do on a
large one. It is true hat man has been able
to produce certain changes in the animals
under his care, and that these changes have
resulted in a variety of breeds. But in do
ing this he has, in my estimation, in no way
altered the character of the species, but has
only developed its pliability to the will of
man, that is, to a power similar inits nature
and mode of action to that power to which
animals owe their very existence. - The in
fluence of man upon animals is, in other
words, the action of mind upon them ; and
yet the ordinary mode of arguing upon this
subject is, that because the intelligence of
man has been able to produce certain varie
ties in domesticated animals, therefore phy
sical causes have produced all the diversities
among- - Wild ones. Surely the sounder logic
would be to infer that, because our finite in
telligence can cause the original pattern to
vary by some slight shades of difference,
therefore an infinite_ intelligence must have
established all the boundless diversity of
which our boasted varieties are but the faint
est echo. It is the most intelligent farmer
that has the greatest success in improving
his breeds; and if the animals so fostered
ate left 'to themselves Without that intelli
gent care, they return to their normal condi
tion. So with plants : the shrewd, observing,
thoughtful gardener will obtain many varie
ties from his flowers ; but those varieties will
fade out, if left to themselves. There is, as
it were a certain degree of pliability anedo
cility in the organizdtion both of animals and
plants, which may be developed by the fos
tering care of man, and within which he can
exercise a certain influence ; but the varia
tions which he thus produces are of a pecu
liar kind, and. alo not correspond to the dif
ferences of the wild species.
* * * * *
In fact; all-the variability among domesti
eafed.species is due to the fosteriugea.re, or,
in its more extravagaiiffinika, tntheihncies
of man, and it his never been obserlved in
the• wild species, where,-on the contrary,
everything Shows the closest adherence to
the distinct, well-defined, and invariable
limits of the species. It surely does not
that because tlae_Chinese can, under ab
normal conditions, produce
.a variety of fan
tastic shapes in the Golden Carp, therefore
water, or the physical conditions established
in the water, can create a fish, any more
than it follows that, because they can dwarf
a tree, or alter its aspect by stunting its
growth in one direction and forcing it in an
other, therefore the earth, or the physical
conditions connected with their growth, can
create a pine, an oak, a birch, or a maple.
I confess that in,.all the arguments derived
from the phenomena of domestication, to
prove that all animals owe their origin and
diversity to the natural action of the condi
tions under which they live, the conclusion
does not seem tome to follow logically from
the premises. And the fact, that domesti
cated animals of all races of men, equally
with the white race, vary among themselves
in the same way and differ in the same way
from the wild species, makes it still more
evident that domesticated varieties do not
explain the origin of species, except,. as I
have said, by showing that the intelligent
will of man can produce effects which physi
cal causes have never been known to pro
duce, and that we must therefore look to
some cause outside of nature, corresponding
in kind, though so different in degree, to the
intelligence of man, for all. the phenomena
connected .with- the existence, of animals in
their wild state. So far from attributing
these original differences among animals to
natural influences, it would seem that, while
a certain freedom of development is left,
Ifithin which man can exercise his intelli
gence and his ingenuity, not even this super
ficial influence is allowed to physical condi
tions unaided by some guiding power, since
in their normal state the wild species remain,
so far as we have been able to discover, en
tirely unchanged; maintained, it is true, in
their integrity by the circumstances that
- were established for their support by the
power that created both, but never altered
by them. Nature holds inviolable the stamp
that God has set upon his creatures; and if
man is able to influence their organization in
some slight degree, it is because the Creator
has given to his relations with the animals
he has intended for his companions the same
plasticity which he has allowed to every
other side of his life, in virtue of Which he
may in some sort mould and shape it to his
own ends, and be held responsible also for
its results.
- The common sense of a civilized commu
nity has already pointed out the true dis
tinction in applying another.word to the dis
crimination of the different kinds of domes
ticated animals. They are. called breeds,
and breeds arninig animals , are the work of
man; species were created by God.
- —Agaesiz in the Atlantic M 664.
A STONE, if thrown upwards a thousand
times, will fall backward, hecauee it is a
forced motion ; 'but if the nature of this stone
were changed into that of fire, it would mount
as naturally upwa,rd as before it sunk down
ward. You may force some thoughts to
ward heaven sometimes, but they will not be
natural till nature be changed.
• Creating power 'drew the world out of nOth
ing, but converting power frames the new
creature out of something worse than noth
ing. • •