iflif familii (filth. PAITH AND SIGHT Ilf 1 THE LATTEB DATS. ‘lprae: sequar. ’ Thou sayst, ‘ Take up tliy cross, 0 Man ! and follow Me: The night is black, the foot are slack,, fet we would follow Thee; 1 1 ’ ■ ’’ i But 0, dear Lord, we cry, That we Thy face could see! . . Thy blessed face one moment's' spac'd— Then might we follow Thee 1 Dim traots of time divide’' -<>•; Those golden daysfrom me,; Thy voice comes strange o’er years of change flow can I follow Thee? * s . \ < '; f■■ ! Coinedfai|(t and fnr'Thy .Vpice From valeß of Galilee ; Thy.yision fades in. ancient, spades; , , . - 1 jffowsfiodli'we’jSllow Thee’? '- ■ : - - ' —Ah, sense-bound heart a'nd blind! :.i " Is naught- but. what .we see? , ~ undo what oncre,.was true , Can we not follow Thee? TJnelianging law binds all, " And Nature, all we.-se'fe:.; r. ■ Thou art a star, far off, too far, Too far to follow Thee! Is what ,we trace of law ' The whole of God’s decree ? Does our brief span grasp Nature’s plan, y ' And .bid ?( ) r >< *; j f 0 "heavy cross^—Of faith' In what weipannot seeH >; ; As once of yore, Thyself restqre And help to follow Thee ! ‘ ' ’ If not. as once Thou cain’st. In true humanity, Come yet as guest within the breast That burns to follow Thee. Withinour heart of « .... >. In nearest neariiesstbfe;'. . • -1-,,.r Set up Thy,throne, within Thipe own : . Go, Lord; r we,follow iheel. . : '| ’ , ■ ; —Francis Turner Fahjrav'c. JESSICAS pATER. „• , IX. THE.. FIRST PRAYER ANSWERED. i Tli6 barefooted and bareheaded child might be every ,SundaY ev.enipg,, advancing confidently',up to]the 1 chapel, where;rich,and fashionable-people .worshipped God;., hut, bp; fore talcing ehe arrayed herself : in a little ’elbak'aWd bofi'Be't/wbich -bach once belonged to the .minister’s elder daughter, ! and whibk’ iwhsf kept/w.ith ' Daniel’s serge gown, gp.that.phe pres.epted a somewhat more respectable 1 appbarance'in ’the ' eyes of the congregation; ’ The minister had no lis tener more’ attentive; iand r be .would jhaye missed the pinched, earnest dittle dace if it were not to be seen, in the seat just under < the pulpit,, At the close of each service he spoke to her, for a minute or two in; his ves 7 ; try, often saying no more than a single sen tence, for the day’s labor had wearied him. Thq whiph'was r he dhimrtby-piece', placed there 'by Jan'e'and l sipnyjjin spurns, -was immediately-handed over, according,to,promise,.to jjaniel, as she left the ehgp.el, a,h(l .so/‘Jessica’s breakfast was provided for her 'wCek after week. But at last there came a Sunday evening when'the minister, going up into his pulpit, did miss the wistful, hungry face, and the ihilling lay unclaimed upon the vestry chim ney-piece. Dani.ol looked out for her anx iously every morning; but no Jessica glided into his secluded, corner, to sit beside'him with her breakfast on her lap, and with a number of strange questions to ask. He felt her 'absence more keenly than- he; could have expected. The child was nothing to him, he kept "saying to himself; ahdyet he felt that she was something, and that he could - not help bdittg’uneasy and' anxious about her. 1 Why had he never inquired where she lived? The minister knew,'dnd for' d'mihutfe' Daniel thought he would go and ask him, but that might awaken suspi cion." How could he account for so much anxiety,* when, he-was.supposed oniy-toiknow of her absence .from chapel one. Sunday eve ning? It would -be running i-a- risk, and, after all, Jessica was nothing to him. - So he went home and looked over, his savings’ bank book, and counted his money, and’ he found to his satisfaction that he had gather -sejd, together ; ,nparlypbur hundred poupds; and was adding more every week. ' i ' ‘'' ’ But when upon 1 the'next Sunday Jessica’s seat was, again empty,, the anxiepy of .the solemn chapelykeeper overcame his,prudence and;his feaps.y'The , minister hadiratjred to his vestry, and was standing with his arm restingjippn'the chimney-piece’iapd.Ms*eyes fixed uppn .the unclaimed .shilling, which Winny.; had.: laid thei;e[ before. thq service, when there was.a.tap at the door, and Dan iel entered with a respectful but hesitating air. “Well, Standring?” said the minister, questioningly. vu.- ... g.. jsv.v. “Sir,” he said, “I’.m uncomfortable about that little girj, and I.knQjW .you’ve been once to see aftersher.; she told! me l about it; and so I make bpld tos a§b- you. w t here she lives, and l’li see what’s become of her.” , “Eight, Standring,” answered the minis ter; “I,am troubled about the child, and sp are my little girls. I thought of going my self, but my time is very much occupied just now.” ; ; “I’ll go, sir,” replied Daniel, promptly; and,-after receiving the necessary.informa tion about Jessica’s home, he put out the lights, locked the door and turned towards his lonel3 r lodgings. Btff fflKOUgh: it was getting JateJupoti Sun day evening, and Jessica’s home was a long .way'distaritj Daniel found that his : anxiety would not suffer him to return to'his solita ry room. It was of no use to reason with himself, as he stood at the corner of the street, feeling perplexed and troubled, and promising his conscience fhat he would go the .very,.first ’thing'in, the morning after he shut.ug 3 .his ln the plim,; dusky li.gfi , t, ! ’ns; the . summer, evening drew to t a close'; he fancied he could see Jeisica’s' thin THE AMERICAN ’ THURSDAY; AUGUST 8, 1867. figure and wan face-gliding on before him, andturping'round fjrqm time, to tifiq® bojsee if he/were following!. If/was and he laughed a little at himself; but the laugh was husky,-and there was a, choking, sensation in his throat, so he buttoned his ver watch ,and. lifthg temptingly, and started off Vi; a raj Ad-pac - fortfre’-eentre of the city. < It'Wits notquitb'dark when he reached the Court,-and'stumbled 1 up the narrow’ en try leading >to it; 'but' Daniel did hesitate; when he opened the stable-door, and looked, into a blank, black:space, in which'he could discern nothing.' He-bhought he;had better, retreat while -he-could do sOßafel.y; but .as he stillistood with.his hand,,up.on .the,;rusty. latch, he heard a faint, small voice through! the ,nicks of the uflceiled, bpapding aboye his head.. y:',, • wi ~.! , “Our Father,”, said the,little voice:,; “please, to send sonipbody. to, me,,fpr Jesjis, Christ’s sake, Amen.” . , ...,, ~... ~, ... .... .... . ' “I’m Jess,"cried Daniel, with a sud den bound of his heart, such as ho had ’not' felt for years, and which .almost took away 1m breath as he peered into the darkness, until aiflast’he, discerned dimly the ladder. Which'led up into thie loft. 1 Very ' Cautiously, ‘ but 1 with' an eagern ess’ Which'sufprised'he'rsielf, he climbed‘ tip the creaking rounds of the ladder and 1 entered the 'dismal room, where the child' wab lying in ‘ desol ate darkn Css. Fortunately he‘had 1 piit his'box Of matches into his pocket,’and the end of a wax candle, 'with which ' he kindled'thc lamps,'and in another Tni'nutC"a gleam of light shone hipon -Jessica’s’ white features. 'She was stretched upon a> Scanty litter of straw under ' the roof ' where ithe tiles bad- not' fallen off-, r with her poor; flags for her bnly "Covering,y abut- as i her ~e yes looked mp irito Daniel’s face bending, over her, a bright joy'sparkledin themn ~. . Qh ! ”;iSha,,cried,.gladly, but ,ra..arfechle voice,. “it's Mr- DanfeTl Has God .told you .to. come here, Mr. Dan’el?.” , ~, , ;i . “ Yes,” said Daniel, kneeling beside her, taking hpr wasted hand in ; his,., i an,d, parting the. mattpd, hair,upon,her damp forehead. “ Whah.did He say to, you, Mr,, Daniel ? ” said Jessica . ....... , . .. .. . “He told me I was, a, great sinner,” re plied Daniel,. . “He tpld me I , loved a little bit of. dirty money better than a poor, helpless, childj whom he had sent to me, to see if I would do her a little good for His sake. He loOked at me, pr 't’he min ister did, through'and througM/Arid'He’said, ‘ Thou fool, this night thy s'oul shall be' re yqu :ask hira >to, make : y;Ou good for Jesus Christ’s sake ? ” asked the child. ... ; . ■[j . , “I can’t,” he said, “I’ve^ been kneeing down Sunday after Sunday when the minis ter’s been praying, but all the time' I was thinking how rich some of the carriage peo ple were. I’ve been loving money and'wor shippirig. money all along, and’ I’Vei nearly let you die rather than run’the irisk'of losing part of my' Parnings; ' I’m ia -very- sinful man.” - “But- yon knownwhat-the minister often says,’t .murmured Jessica. <;P not, that^we,loved God, but that.Ue loved us, and iSenfcHis Son to he the propitiatipa .fqr our sins.’,” i I’ve h' ard it so often that I, don’t feel' it,” said Dphiel,, “ liused to, like to heaE ;: t,he minister say it, ,bu't now it goes in at one ear and out at the other. My heart is very hard, Jessica,” . T o--.ii.xo 0 o' -o, . Dyi.Jhp.’f’eeDle glimmer of the'candle Dan iel saw Jessica’s wistful eyes fixed upon him with a sad and loyingjglanee; and then she lifted up her weak hand to her face, and laid jit pv§r,her closed /eyelhis, and herjfeyej-ish lips moved slowly. “God,” she said;’ “please to make Mr. Dan’el’s heiß& i fh'Pffi,Sfhb'' J’esu’sjGheist's sake, Amen.” r, ; r .jv;r She did:,not. speak nor P&niel, for some, time.. Ho took of? his' Sunday coat and laid it over the; tiny, nhivering frame, which was shaking with cold even in the Bumpier evening; and as ho did iso he ;re membered the words’ which The ‘LoVd says He will .pnofiounee at' the reckon ing,, Eorasinueh-as ye have done it unto one pf th'e," least pf these, my brethren, ye have done, it unto me.” Daiiiel Standring felt his heart turning with love, to the Sa viour, and'he bowed his head upon his hands, and’ cri dd in th e depths of his contrite spirit, “God be* merciful to .me; a sinner.’,', . j, ; X. THE SHADOW ..OF DEATH. There was no coffefestali. opened under the railway arch the following morning, and Daniel’s regular customers stood amazed as they drew near the empty corner, where they were accustomed to get their (early breakfast. It would have astonished them still more "if they could, have.jseen how he was occupied in the miserable loft. had intrusted a friendly woman r out of the court to buyfood, and fuel, and all night long fie had watchfed, beside ;3eissicajcwho, was light headed and delirious, but in the wanderings of her thoughts and words often spoke to God, and prayed for her Mr. Dan’el.' The neighbor informed him that the child’s •mother’had gone offVbme ddyl beforfe,dear-i ing that she wasdU of some infectious fever, 1 and that she, alone,-had taken a little care of her from time to time. As soon as the morning came ho sent for a doctor,;and, af ter receiving permission froin him; : he ; wrap- iped the poor deserted Jessica in his coat', and bearing her tenderly in his arms dowii ;t.he ladder, .'he carried her to a cab, which, the.neighbor brought .to the.entrance .of the icourk -If was to no other than his own soli dary-borne that he had resolved to take her; land W,hen the mistress of the lodgings Stood at her 1 door with her arm’s a-kimbo, to for bid the, admission of the wretched and neg- ; lectediehiidj.-jtier tongue..,was .silenced bythe: igleam of a half-sovereign; which'Daniel slip ped into the palm of her hard hand. : ;• 'Byith’at afternoon's pobt the minister re^ ! beiyed'the fdliovving lettbp:—‘ ' “-Reverend: Sir., '' , “ If you will’condescend to enter ble roof, you will have the pleasure of’see ing little Jessica, who is at the point of |death;unless (&od in,-His mercy restores-her. Hoping,you will excuse, this liberty; as I cannot leave the child, I remain with duty, • “ Your respectful Servant, ■" ■! -■ • ' “D.' StaWdring. “H S. Jessica desires her best loye and duty 'tp.jMiss,!Jaue apd Wihny.” . . • The minister laid' aside ;the book he was reading, and without any delay started off forjhis, chapel-keeper’s dwelling. There.was Jessica lying restfuUy upon .Daniel’S bed, hut.tho .pinched features were deadly palp, and ithe sunken eyes shpne with a, wauing light. .She was too feeble to turn her head when, the door opened, and- he' paused for a mibtftej looking at, her and at Daniel, who; sfeated at the head- of the bed; W-as turning over the papers in ‘his. desk . a'nd reckoning up pnee mpre the, sayings, of.his .lifeUnie. But when .the mini.stey ad yap pe.d into the middle of the room, Jessica’s white' cheeks flushed into a deep red.f; “Oh; minister 1” 'she cried, “God has given me* eyeiythihg I 'Wadted, exe'ept paying Mr. Dan’el for tho' cbffee he used to give me.” ’ " " . ~ ;c.'i. “Alii but God has paid; me over and oyer’ again,” |said Daniel;'rising] to.', reeeiye' the minister.' -“'He’s given me my own soul 'id exchange for it. Let rne makp bold to speak to yon this brice) sir.' You’re a very learned man, ahd !i ;a' ; great preachcrj .and many ped pie flo,ek,tp hear you,..till I’ni hard put to.’ to find seats for them at times; but all the while,"hearkening toiyou every blessed; Sab bath, I Was losing my : 8oul; and you never once said to’me, though you saw me scores and scores of times, ‘‘Standving 1 are you a saved man?’” ■’ i( Sfandrihg,” said The ml nister; In a tone of great distress hn& ’iregret, “ I always took it for granted that you were a Chris tian.” .' /, , ' “Ah',”" continued Daniel, thoughtfully, “but Hod .wanted somebody.to ask me that question, and lie did not find anybody in the congregation,-so;he sent this : po.oc little lass to me. Well,‘‘l don’t mind telliAg now, even if I lose the place; but for a long time, nigh upon ten years/ I’ve ; kept‘ a-' f eoffee-stall on week-days in the eityjflnd'Clearedj.-one week With 'another, about ten shilliDgsi. but'l was afraid the chapel-wardens wouldn’t approve of the coffee business, as low,, so I kept it a close secret,,and al ways ;shut up early of a morning. It’s mo that sold Jessica her cup of .coffee which oti, paid for, sir,” . ' “ There’s no;lt ! a : rm !: in it; 1 my good fellow,” said the .minister kindly “.you need make no secret of it.” “ Well;”' resumed Daniel, “ the ‘questions tms'ppof little creature has asked me, have gone quicker and deeper'dovrn to my con 7 science., than all. your ..sermons,, if. I may make so free as .tpjsay it,. ; She’s, cpjpe.often and often of a morningjhand looked into iny face \vit‘li’'fHbte‘ a aear'eyes of',her’s, s *iitid said, ‘Don’t you love Jesus-'Christ; Mr. Dan’el ? ’ ‘JJqpgn’t itimakp yqu very glad that God is your Father, Mr." Dan’el,? ’ .‘Are, >ve getting flpiirer t.Q heayepi every day,.Ml’. ] Dan’el?’ And one, day says, she, .‘Are .you going to give all your money to*God, -Mr. Dan’el ? ’ Ah, that question' made nie thiiik indeed, and ,it’s never been answered till th’is day. While I’ve beeh*sittirig bpslde : the bed here, I’ve counted up all my savings: 3971 17s. it isl and iL’v'ei s'a’id,! Lord it’s all thine; and I’d give,every penpy of it-rather thkh ldse/tho’child; if it be thy bleshed will to spare her life.’ ” Daniel’s voice qnayered at.the last words,; and his faee>'eank upon’ -thd pillow where Jessica’s .feeble' apd| mptipnlesp head lay-; There was!a--very sweet'yPt surprised smile upon her face, and she ; lifted her wasted fin-. .geEa‘tOjresbi.itpomtheb.owedfhead;'beside)‘h.er, while she shut her eyes and shaded them with, her other weak hand. > : - : ‘‘Our,Father,”, she, said, in a faint whis per which still reaxihed the ear's of the- min ister and the beadle', '“.L asked you, to let me come home to heaven j but if Mr. Dan’el wants me, please to let mestaya little longer, for Jesus Christ’s; sake-, Amen ” , For some minutes after Jessica’s prayer there was : a’ ‘deep and unbroken silence’in the roopi, Daniel, Still hiding, his. face' upon the pillow, and the minister, .stahdiug beside them with bowed head and closed;eyes, as if he also* were praying. When lie looked lip again at'the desolate and forsaken child; he. saw that her feeble hand hiid falleii from her face,which looked full of rest aiid peace, while her breath came faintly but regularly through her parted lips. He took her'little hand into his own with a pang Pf fear and grief ; hut 'instead'.of the mortal chiilness of death, he felt the pleasant warmth and moist ure of life. He touched Daniel’s shoulder, and as he lifted U'Dhis head in, sudden alarm, he. whispered to him, “The child is not .dead, but,is only asle'ep.”, . t Before Jessica was fully recovered, Daniel rented a .lit,tie, house .for himself and his adopted daughter, to dyrell in. He made many inq;uiries after her mother, but she never appeared again in her'old haunts, and he was well pleased that there was nobody to interfere with his .charge of Jessica. When Jeskica^ifew' strdngjfeddugh, many a cheerful walk hadrtheytog.ether, in the early mornings,. .they^yfsendqd.,their w.ay to jthe railway 5 ■briSgerwhere little girh-Ueob her place Jj'dhmdrtli'e ’Stall; an d soon "learn ed to serve l the r daily customers; and'ffiany a happy day was spent in helping to sweep and dust the chapel, into which she had crept so secretly at first, her great delight being to attend to the pulpit and the vestry, and the pew where the minister’s children sat, while Daniel and the woman he em ployed Cleaned the rest of the building: Many a Sunday also the minister in his pul pit, and his little daughters in their pews, and Daniel treading softly about the aisles, as, their, glance fell, upon Jessica’s eager, earnest; happy face, thought -of the first time they saw her sittingamongst the con gregation,- aiid of Jessica’s 1 -first p'rayeri A DI®NEB Of TONGUES. • JRsop was the 'servant- of a'philosopher darned Xanthiisi Orie’day'his master, being desirous' of entertaining some of bis friends to ! 'dinner, ordered provide the best things, he could find in, the- market. iEsop; thereupon made a large provision of tongues,, which he desired the cook to.serve up with differen t sauces/ W hen 1 dinner' cam e, thb' first - and 'second courses', the" side-dishes, and the removes, were'all tongues., ' ! , “Did'l'hot order yon,” said Xapthug, in a 'violent; passion, “to,bny the,victuals which the market afforded 1” “And ha've’l-'ndt b ! beyed'-ydhr' , 'orders ?” said,-iEsop. ; -Mis there "aDythiog'betterthan tongues ? : Is not the tongue the bond of civil society, the key of science, and Organ of truth and rehsori ?It is;by means,of the tongue., cities are . built, and governments establish,od and ndininjstere.d; with it men instruct, persuade .and'preside,in assemblies; it is the.instrument with which .we acquit ourselves of the chief of all our- duties, the praising and adoring of the Deity'.” ' '. ‘ “Well, then,” replied Xanthus, ! “go to market to-morrow, an d, buy mo the .worst things you pan find. This same cqmpauy shall dine, with-me, and I have , a mind to change rav entertainment.” ; - - i ■ ; - When'Xanthus Assembled bis' friehds the next day,’ lie' was astonished to 'Arid 1 that fEfeop had . provided nothing but ‘the ypry same dishes.. ; , „Y " ' -\ “Did I not itplii you,” said: Xantbiua ,“,to purchase, the worst, things for this day’s feabt-? How comcs itj then, that you' have placed before us the 1 saEhe kiiid" of;;fobdJ which', bhly -yesferday', ’you declared 'to be the. very best ?” T " / j iEsop,not.atall abashed, repjied: lir f he tongue is the worst, thing in the. world as well as theAesf ;,for it.is, the instrument Of all strife, and contention, the tormentor of the source Of 1 "division;'and war', the organ of error, of calumny, of falsehood and' even of profanity.” '”, i; Tiio conduct of in this affair, my friends,, is ; instructive.;. For, it is, certainly true that the tongue, .according-.to. circum stances; may be, and is thb AeS'f or ; tbe"itwrs< thing in the' world. ; 'lRightly used,'it is the the .fittest orgari of ;wisdom';wrong]'yused, it becomes the foulest, medium of fplly and wickedness. , . ‘/For,” says ,: the Bible, “ every kind of beasts, nod of'birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed; and hath been tanied of'triankirid; but the' 'tbngqb''pan rip niari tiu'ne; it is anunriiTy evil, full o'f dead,- ly, poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father.,-; [antf therewith curse we men, which are made afteivthe: similitude of God 1 . Out, of th’eisamesmorith proceedettr- blessi n'g an'd" , c‘ursing. "My brethren these •’things oiightnot so.to'be:”"" "■ ■ ■ HTJHEIOHS:; EFPEOTS )OF! TOBACCO. : “ Doctor;” we said, to a splendid specimen of the' professi on, “ cell "us’ : something about thje baneful effects of tobacco.” ; ' V ' “Jfts elfeci|, . sif i ”j i ,he,,i;eplj.e3, “ are evil andionly oyij;, ajid that .continually;, and. it is a.perfect, mystery that igentlemen of my profession ■ care so little, do- and -know ! >so iitti'e'about a poison’ that'is doing niiseHief at sp r t4’mble a 1 fate;”' ■’ ‘ r '' ’" -- f il,l 1 C the d'pctoj continued,T was on a council of physicians, the 'other day on tb <3 border pi' this townthe patient was a young man, prostrate,>by paralysis,; he was de prived of the use of his lower limbs from the abdomen to the toe; we overhauled him; .we L \y i.th drew, and, .talked: about- an teceden ts ■■. and probably causes, anebeame .to factory conclusions.' Dissatisfied and impa- 1 tientj I inquired of' his attending- physician' tyhether tiie poor fellow used tobacco. ; O,noj”ho replied, “ I'giiess' no't;” and .'with an air.pf npnehaianee, added : 'What if h;e does, that, can have, nothing to. do with his case.” ..., .... .., . “ I did.not ask you,”lreplied, “about.the effects of tobacco, b‘ut* simply if the patient used it ” .' ’ " ' ; Gi-uffly he said, “Go and See.” Stepping to his bedside, 1 said, “ My young,friend, dp.you useto.bacco .With a squealing voice, more cat-like than human, ho answered: . - “ I use a' little.” . ‘‘ How do yO'u use it ,?’* “ I smoke a littie'” . ' ‘‘ Did you smoke this morning ?” .“-Yes,,a little,,” i,. : “ Did youismoke at noon “ Yes-a- little.” “'Before I qui t’h is side-I ascertained that fie had actually consumed sixteen cigars a. day, and thp,poor fellow’s soul was So ob fuscated by smokethat h o considered .that prodigious amount;.but‘little !’’ . ’. “ This,’ -continued the doctor, ‘may seem strange but the strangest of all is the fact that ‘ his attending physician—regular and well bred—did' not know in the first' place, that his. patient used tobacco—-and second ly. jf. be did, he did not.know, that a" rank and deadly poison could have anything to dotwith his ease ?” ■ , , , - We are indebted. t‘o the'medical profession for the most effective testimony against this pop’ular.poison, ; henpe ; 'we 'have no wisht'o arraign it and denoubfahit in. Vholcsale -style. But.account for,it as we may, on the score of: selfishness,iOr ignorance, the mam body of J the profession are mournfully deiie lict in duty touching the ruinous effects of this great and fashionable narcotic. EVILS OP GOSSIP. I have known a country society which withered away all to nothing under the .In rot of gossip only. Friendship once as firm as granite, dissolved to jelly, and then ran away to water, only because of this; love that promised a future as .enduring as heaven, and as stable as truth, evaporated into a morning mist that turned to a day’s lonn tears, only because of this; a father and son were set foot to foot with the fiery breath of anger, that would never cool again be tween them, only because'’df this; and a husband and his young wifefeabh straining at the hated, leash, which in the beginning had been the golden bondage of a (God-bless ed i love, sat mournfully by the side of the grave where all their love and joy lay buried, and bejgagae of, this. ( I have seen faith transformed to mean doubt, hope.give place to grim despair, and charity take on itself the features of black malevolence, all because of the spell-words of scandal and the magic muttepingS of gossip. .... .Great crimes work; great wrongs, ( and the deeper tragedies of human life spring from its larger passions; but woful- arid most mel ancholy are the uncatalogued tragedies that issue frqm.gossip and detractionimostmourn fully the shipwreck often made of noble na tures arid lovrily lives by the bitter winds and'dead salt-waters of slander. So easy to say, yet so; hard to disprove-r-throwing, on the, innocent; and prinishittg them as guilty or unable to pluck Qrit the,stings they-never see, arid "silence the Words they never hear. Gossip and slander are .the deadliest and the crudest weapons -man has for his brother’s hurt. —All the Year Round. ; : THE AHTS TOP AEEIOA. M. Dp CHATLIic thus describes ohe of the irisect tribes of Equatorial Africa : “ This evening time'forbids that I should speak 3(t any length :of the natural history of the country. .In these equatorial l forosts there are found a, vast number of ants,, some .of, which are so terrible to man, and even to the beasts of the woods, from their .venomous bite, their fierce temper and voracity, that their path 'is frequently abandoned to them. The most remarkable and most dreaded of all is the black Bashikopy,„ Ehshikony is the name .given : it tby the,Bakalai, There are two other varieties .of the Bashikony be sides the black kind/ These black Bashikony may well be drilled" the lords ‘of the forest. It' is the most voracious creature I ever met. It is the dread of all living animals, from the leopard to',the smallest insects.:. It is their habit to march through the for ests; in 1 a; long, re.giilar lihe a]bout two inches broad, and often several , miles in length; all .along this line.are larger ants, who’ act as offioers—stand outside the ranks, arid keep this,' singular'"army in order. flf they come ’iota, place/where there are no trees, to .shelter them from .the Sun, whose heat they cannot' bear; they- immediately build an underground tunnel,'through:.which the whole army pass in columnsto.the forest beyond., When they grow hungry^: as "by a •sudderi dong''file' 'spreads' itself through the'fo.rdst; 1 J ad,vancirig • forward, at tacking arid devouring all .jivirig’,things with a furyjthat is,,quiteifresistible.j The,elephant and gorilla fly before them ;, the black men run away; every animal that' lives in their line of "march is chased! In .aft'incredibly shortjSpace .of jime that are caught are overwhelmed, ,killed, .eaten, anil only, the bare’ skeleton- remains.'" i ' They seem' to travel day and night. Many a time I have been wakened out of ,a sleep -and, obliged to rush; into the water to save myself from - them. I 'Wheti they'enter l a house 'th ey clear i t offevery living thing.' Cockroaches ar.e deybure|i ; in, an, iristanifi fats, anil mice spring round, the room, in vain. They will •not touch vegetable matter, thus : they are very 'useful, clearing the, cbfifitry’ of many insects. When on .their inarch the insect world flies before-them, and I have often had the approach of a Basliikony army heralded to me by'this means. Wherever they go they make .a, clean \gWfeppj eyen ascending to ■the top of .trees in pursuit.of their prey. Their manner of attack is animpetuousleap. Instantly the, strong, pincers are ~fastened, and they only let'‘go when the piece gives way. At subh a tirhe this' little insect seems animated by a kind, of -fury which causes it to disregard, yentirely its jown safety,. The negroes-relate that ,criminals, by .which they generally mean wizards, have some time been exposed on : the path, of the Bashikofiy ants, tied to a,. tree that they might not, escape, and they were devoured to the bones. -They are larger-than any ants we have in America. The number of "one' of' their armies is so .great that one,does-hpt'llke to enter into cal culations, but T Have seen a -continuous line passing, at a »good speed, a particular place for twelve,hohrsi ' So you may imagine how many-millions there may have, been.” 'Franklin, the' St. Benjamin of the typo graphical prbf&sSion; made one of the great est blunders on record in Mis day. ‘ In put ting to press, a “form” of the Common Prayer, the letter >“ c ” dropped out of the passage, “we shall-.all be: changed in the twinkling of ■an eye'” ! Withctat his noticing it.' When 'the bdok caine-into nse, what was the of the -vh' —‘thr po,. Ol „..e devout when . iey „read, “we shaUall ; b>e hanged.) in Ihe twink | ling: of an oyo.” ~V .. , .