r4) . t familij e.irris. [For the American Presbyterian.] I AM WAITING. I am waiting—only waiting— Till the summer shall have past ; Till the autumn fruits nave ripened, Till is hushed the wintry blast. I am waiting—only waiting— Till the sunny hours shall cease; Till the night of death close round me, Lit with stars of heavenly peace. I am waiting—only waiting— Till the patient work is done; Till the laborer takes his hire, At the setting of the sun. I am waiting—only waiting— Till the clouds shall pass away ; Till their gloom shall turn to glory, At the closing of the day. I am waiting—only waiting— By the River's swelling tide ; Till I gain the boon to cross it, Till I seek the other side. I am waiting—only waiting— Till my harvest work is o'er, And I lay my sheaves of sorrow, On the Master's threshing floor THE NEEDY GRASSHOPPER. BY ANNIE MOORE. " Good morning, sir," said an idle and unfortunate grasshopper to a very busy bee. " Can you give me a few hints as to the best way to make honey ? I suffered very much last winter from hunger, and am determined it shall not be so again. Besides I am fond of honey, and would like to learn to make it, if only for the pleasure of eating it now. What is the idea in going into flowers head first, as you do 7" "I have no time to tell you," said the bee, "and there are already too many in the busi ness. And then you are not fitted for it. Your knees and elbows are too sharp;" and he flew away. " Very polite, to make comments upon my personal appearance 1 I mean to try to make honey, at all events," said the grasshopper, watching closely another bee, who went buzzing into a flower. " I see how it is done, and I can buzz with my wings, if it is necessary." So he made a leap froth the wall where he sat into a little harebell that grew near by. The delicate flower was torn in pieces. "Poor, perishable thing!" said he, as he hopped back to the wall in disgust. Just then he saw a spider industriously spinning his web in the hedge. " Good morning, neighbor," said the grass hopper. " Good morning," said the spider, rather gruffly; for he never liked to be disturbed at his work. " I would like to ask one or two questions about making a web," said the grasshopper, " I have often watched you at your work in my leisure moments, but can't exactly see how you manage it. lam very tired of grass and things. Are flies good ?" " Rather 1" said the spider. That looks easy," said the grasshopper. " I wonder if I could do it." "Nothing like trying," said the spider. "You go backward and forward quite steadily, I see. lam accustomed to go on the jump. That would not do as well, per haps." "Go straight and keep your line taut," said the spider. " Thank you for the information," said the grasshopper. " I have a great mind to " try. " Not on this side of the hedge," said the spider; "this belongs to me." "Oh, certainly not," said the grasshopper. Then the spider went into his den, and the grasshopper hopped over the hedge and began to go backward and forward, as he had seen the spider do. A gay fly came flitting by. "If this web were only done I could catch him," thought the grasshopper; but he said, "What do you do for a living, my friend ?" "Do !" said the fly—"nothing I am a gentleman. I amuse myself." "How about the cold winter ?" said the grasshopper. " Oh, I creep into a snug hole and sleep till the warm days come again," said the fly. " That's a new idea," said the grasshop per. " Though lam afraid I could not sleep so long—l am rather nervous. Even in the short summer nights I sing as much as I sleep. But pray tell me if you see any thing like a web here. I have been going backward and forward and across, as the spider dons, for as much as ten minutes, but I fear I shall not succeed." " There is no sign of a web," said the fly, who knew all about such matters. " That reminds me ; the old spider on the other side has been making one on purpose to catch me. I must go and have a little sport with him. Did you ever try it 7 Pull at one cor ner of his web, slyly, and he comes running out of his den with his mouth open to eat yon, while you soar gracefully away." " Then you are good to eat," said the grasshopper, smacking his lips, for ho was hungry. Oh, no ! Par from it," said the fly. "It is only his whim ;" and he flew over the hedge. Then the grasshopper jumped down in iespair, and walked along the garden path, thinking what he would do next. An ant came to Her door to see which way the wind blew. A bright thought came into his head. " Good morning, madam," said he. " Yon take lodgers, I believe, I want to find comfortable quar ters for the winter, and am willing to make myself. useful." " I thought you were a. dancing master," said she. " I was , madam," said he, "but that busi ness is dull now, the times are so hard. Though perhaps you would like to learn. You have just the figure for it." THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1869. " No, I thank you," said she, " I don't approve of dancing;" and she shut the door in his face. "Of course not, I might have known it," said be; "grasshopper never found a friend in an ant since the world began." Just then be saw a notice by a doorway under the rock, " Tailoress wanted." He rapped at the door and a striped snake put his head out. "Do you want a tailoress ?" said the grasshopper. " Yes," said the snake, " the times are so hard that I mean to have my castoff snake skins mended and wear them again. A stitch in time is worth two in a bush,' you know ?" " Yes, I know it," said the grasshopper. " Are you good at the needle P" said the snake. " I am good at everything," said the grass hopper, " excepting at making honey and spinning webs. Bat I am not sure that I know exactly what you. mean by the needle.' " " Begone, then," said the snake; " I see you are an impostor." The autumn wind blew cold and sharp as the poor grasshopper turned sadly away. " Am I then an impostor?" thought he. "My father taught me no trade, and left me no inheritance. Every one else has some way of providing for himself. Even the silly fly seems to be a favorite of for tune. Well, then, if I can do nothing else, I can at least try to take a long nap as he does. Bat I will eat some poppy seeds first My mother used to eat them, I remember." So ho took a strong dose of poppy seeds, and crept into a hole in the wall to sleep away the long, cold winter, if he could.—The Children's Hour. PRAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN. A young mother made it her daily prac tice to carry her little ones in supplication to the throne of grace, and yet complained of a want of faith and definiteness in ask ing for them the influences of the Holy Spirit. "Do you pray for each child separately, and by, name ?" inquired the pastor. "No, that has never been my habit," was the reply. " I think it of much importance, as a help to our faith, and to the clearness and intensity of our desire on their behalf. You pray with them, I trust, as well as for them? " Sometimes I do, but not often." " Let me persuade you, then, to take your little son and daughter each separately to the place of prayer, and kneeling with them before the Lord, tell Him the name, the daily history, the special want of each, and see if your heart is not open to plead for them as you have never done before." Tears were in the eyes of the young mother, as she said with trembling lips, " I'll try." As evening came she had not forgotten her promise , but as she saw that Sarah, her daughter, was unusually peevish, she thought it best to take her little son first to her chamber. Willie was a bright and pleasant boy of five years, and when his mother whispered her wish to pray with him, he gladly put his hand in hers and knelt by her side. As he heard his name mentioned before the Lord, a tender hush fell upon his young spirit, and he clasped his mother's fingers more tightly as each petition for his special need was breathed into the ear of his Father in Heaven. And did not the clinging of that little hand warm her heart to new and most fervent desire as she poured forth her supplication to the Hearer and Answerer of prayer ? When the mother and child rose from their knees, Willie's face was like a rain bow, smiling`through tears. " Mamma, mamma," said, he "I am glad you told Jesus my name; now He'll know me when I get to heaven. And when the kind angels that carry little children to the Saviour take me and lay me in his arms, Jesus will look at me so pleasant and say, Why this is Willie Huston; his mother told me about him; how happy , I am to see you Willie.' Won't that be nice, mamma ?' Mrs Huston never forgot the scene. And when she was permitted to see not only her dear Willie and Sarah, but the children af terwards added to her family circle, each successively consecrating the dew of their youth to God, she did, indeed, feel that her pastor's plan was the more excellent way.' So she resolved to recommend it to praying mothers by telling them this touching in cident. ADA AND FRANK. Ada was eight, and Frank six years old, when their father bought them each a book for a New Year's gift. One book was full of pictures, and therefore better liked by both the children than the other. Now, it was to be decided who must be the owner of it. " Who shall have the one full of pic tures ?" asked the father. Ada, who was standing by her father, with her arm round her little brother, in stantly replied : " I should like Frank to have it, father." "Why my little girl ?" " Because I always feel happier when_ be gets the best things, and he always lets me have his things, when I want them." " Well, Frank, what do you say ?" "I wish Ada to have it, father; she is al ways so kind to me, and shows me her things, and lets me do just as I please with them." After a short contest, which endeared the little ones more and more to their father, it was decided that Ada should have it. Little Frank evidently felt more pleased than Ada did ; he was delighted to give the best of everything to his kind and gen tle sister. ' Ho* much happier home would be if con tests like this were more frequent 1.. If earthly parents are pleased to see their children thus contending, how much more pleasing must it be to our Heavenly Father I " Little children love one an other."—Sunday-school Visitor. LOST IN THE WOODS. Two little girls, named Carrie and Bar bara, had just made each other's acquaint ance, and they took a ramble in the woods together, to collect acorns, pine cones, and other curious and pretty things, of which Nature keeps a great store-house in the quiet forest. Barbara's mother was an igno rant and superstitious woman, and filled her children's minds with a variety of silly and impossible stories. In Barbara's belief, the tufts of beautiful moss in the woods were the green velvet cushions on which queer little spiiits called fairies were accustomed to sit, an the acorn caps were bowls out of which thiy drank. Carrie' mother was a pious and sensible woman, land her little girl, in gathering mosses, admired the wonderful neatness and beauty w th which God has formed the hum blest thipg that grows,—while, in looking at the a rn, she remembered that nothing less tha His power could cause that little nut to b come a tall and stately tree. The c ildren were so busy, and so well amused, that evening came on before they knew it, nd, while they were trying to find it t their w out of the forest, it became quite dark. Ten, more and more bewildered, the two littll girls sat down, very close together, upon' Oa roots of a huge, tree. Here and there a liroken ray of moonlight glimmered through Ithe branches above them, but, round a'iout them, all looked black and dark, an now and then, some wakeful bird gave a sirange sort of whistle, or a wild and mournfu l cry. " Oh,"lsobbed Barbara, " it's dreadful to think of aving to stay here all night I I am so afrai I My mother , tells such, awful stories a out people that have been lost in the woos:, and eaten up by bears, or wolves, or witch s that changed themselves into dreadful .easts, just to tear folks up !" Here Is e two, children involuntarily cud dled cloz.r together, but Carrie said: "Well, if there Were such things here, God could keep thein from eating us , l My mother tells abort a good man that was put right into a don of wild beasts,—great, hungry lions,—ald yet the Lord made those lions keep they mouths tight shut, and lie just as quiet asilittle kittens, until that good man was taken out of the den unhurt." After ;his, both the children were still for some moments, and then Barbara began to whimper; "There's nothing, that I'm so much afraid of as ghosts! The other even ing my mother was telling about somebody that was in some dark, lonesome place, like this, and `saw, a good way off, a blue flame, and it cane :"nearer and nearer, and there was a tall, awfully lean figure, all dressed in grave chiles, and with fire-balls for eyes!" Here Barbara became too much frightened at her oVn story to telt any more of it, and conclude k by saying: "Didn't your mother ever tellyou any such stories as that?" "No, rover," said Carrie; "but she told me abont one of the old-time saints, named Peter, that was in a worse place than the woods, firr he was in a dark, gloomy prison, with chLins on his hands and feet ; and, in the nigkt, he waked up and saw a, bright light, like sunshine, and there stood a beau tiful anwl, with her sweet, loving face, and dress of sparkling white. The Lord sent this angel to bring Peter out of prison, and, —but sde,'there's a light over there, among the trees ! Who knows but it may be an angel sent to lead us out of here ?" " Are you sure it's not a gh-gho-ghost I" faltered the trembling Barbara. " Oh t l. feel certain that it's notl" answer ed Carrie. "Now I see a rman. ' holding a lantern r but may be that's an angel with him drEssed in white. Oh,. Barbara, they are my parents, come to look for me !" And,' springing joyfully forward, Carrie was clasped to the bosom of a being but "little lower than the angels,"—a faithful Christian mother, whosp prayers the Lord had answered, by guiding her to her child.— The Airother at Rome. A DIVINITY DOOTOB. WASHING SHIRTS. Mr. Demond's Williams' College Alumni address contains this incident : "After the battle of Antietam, a gentle man passing over the field of blood, saw a man washing at a brook; as he came near he recognized a doctor of divinity, the pas tor of one of the largest churches in Phila delphia, and a delegate. Said he "'Doctor, what are yon doing?' "The doctor straightened up, and point ing with his finger, said Over yonder are six hundred wounded men; knost of them lying in the bloody shirts in which they were wounded. Our shirts :are out, aad we shall have none till to-morrow morning; so I thought I would take a. few of the worst out here, and wash and dry them in the sun. Do you think there is any harm-in it ?" Said the gentleman : "Doctor, I know God has blessed you abundantly in your work in Philadelphia, but I do not think the Master ever looked upon any act of your life with more pleas ure tbla,n upon this." "I believe it," said the doctor, and turned to his washing. Methodist. THE BETHEL SUNDAY-SCHOOL Of CiTICiDILS ti, is the largest in that city, if not in the world. Its average monthly attendance for a year past has been : 1868—March, 1,630 ; April, 1,850; May, 920; June, 920; July, 700 ; August, 750; September, 850; October, 1,250; November, 1,850) . December, 1 970 , • 1869—January, 1,940; February, 2,000. Since the Ist of November last the actual attendance of scholars has exceeded 1,800 on sixteen Sabbaths; has exceeded 1,900 on eight. Sabbaths; and has exceeded 2,000 on four Sabbaths. fThe highest attendance was on February 21st when the number of scholars present was 2,248. The "relief department" bee given away during the year 2,782 pieces of clothing, besides 1,389 yards of white cotton cloth, 3,863 yards of calico, and 804 yards of cloth or boys' wear. A sewing-school in connection with this de partment has met weekly, and has 84 mem bers. The Newsboys' Home, connected with the school, has provided 2,650 lodgings and 7,500 meals, at ten cents each, to newsboys and boot-blacks. A coffee and reading room has been patronized by 300 daily, and just paid its expenses. A new building is now erecting for the Bethel Mission, at an ex pense of $60,000, which will be the most complete hall of its kind in the country, and will accommodate 4,000 children. —The monstrous character of the Indiana divorce laws is shown by an actual case in Lagrange, where a man got a divorce from his wife without her knowledge, and even while he was sick at home and she caring for him. According to the law of Indiana the defendent in such cases must, if a resident of the State, " be notified by a formal serv ice either by reading or leaving a copy of the summons at his or her usual place of residence;" and the Sheriff, in this case, had complied with the law by leaving the copy on her kitchen table, where, however, she never saw it. That the case is much better in Chicago we should not care to assert.— Advance. (Prepared weekly for the American Presbyterian.) LESSONS IN PAUL. No. XIV, The Journey Home. Acts, 14 : 21-27. How far was Derbe from Lystra ? Near what mountain was it situated ? Which of Paul's future companions lived at Derbe ? What famous freebooter had made it his stronghold ? Why would the Apostles choose this city for a refuge ? How may we infer that they were treated here ? What was the result of their preachino'? Meaning of " had taught many ?" What would be the shortest route for the Apostles on their journey home ? What reasons may be given for their not taking it? Is it likely that Paul preached openly in Lystra ? What strange kind of encouragement did the Apostles give to their converts ? Does religion preinise freedom from trials ? Does it ever bring trouble with it ? Meaning of "confirming the souls" ? What other, means did the. Apostles use to fortify the faith of their converts ? Is there any mention made of elders previous to this ? Did the office originate in the Christian Church What is meant by "ordained" ? What duties would devolve upon these elders ? Where afterwards are elders mentioned ? What solemn observance attended on the or dination ? Meaning of " commended them"? Who is meant by " the Lord" ? What comforting thought may we derive from this? What would be the feeling,s of the Apostles as they approached different towns on their return ? What especial interest would they feel towards Antioch •? . How long probably did they remain in each city ? What season of the year was it when they re- turned to Perga ? What reason for their stopping here to preach ? From Perga witere did - they go? Row far was it How was Attalia situated? By "whom was it built? Hundreds of years later, what great army em barked here for Antioch ? What contrast's may we notice in comparing the movements of this army with the journey of the Apostles ? What contrast in their reception at Antioch? What did the Apostles do on their arrival? Meaning of recommended to the grace of God ? Give an outline of their journey mentioning the chief events? Where else is it declared that we may be . co workers with God ? How long had the Apostles been gone? Why is this journey so'important to us ? What is the " door of faith ?" Where else is the same metaphor employed? With what feelings would the Church receive the report of the missionaries ? gatittiat. LIGHTNING MOST DANGEROUS TO ANI _..MACS. The following anecdote will show, on the con trary, that the electric fluid appears to be more dangerous to animals than to men`; and that the more animated beings are exposed to it, the more refractory i their bodies prove to its passage on transmission. Lightning, says the chronicle, struck the famous Abbey de Noirmontiers, in the year 1715; it killed twenty-two horses in the stables, but it did no harm to the hundred and fifty ecclesiastics assembled'in the refectory. It, nevertheless, struck that particular part of the building, for it overturned, or caused to be overturned, the bottle which each reverend father had before him, and which contained his allowance. Certain authentic reports appear to prove that the human race is that which lives the best in the society of lightning; as if the storm were susceptible of indulgence for the being charged with formiag an opinion upon the things of this world, and with the exerci,se• of ' volition. and reason; ' ' -, • ' On the 26th of September, 1820, lightning struck a laborer whilst working hard at the plough; the shock was so violent that the two poor animals were struck dead by the sid e o f the peasant. The latter, in a little while, came to himself again, and after remaining a few minutes on the ground in utter astonishme n t rose up, safe and sound, though somewhat frightened. On the 13th of August, 1862, a farmer of St. George-sur-Sarre was driving a cart with four oxen, when lightning fell in the midst of the group. Two of the animals were killed, a third was thrown upon his side, with one-half of his body completely paralyzed. Will it be believed that the farmer, in the presence of this fearful electric discharge, capable of knocking down three oxen—three beings so slightly nervous— felt only a little giddiness ?—Frotta " Thunder and Lightning" in Scribner & Co.'s Illustrated Library of Wonders. MEDICAL EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING. As a cure for paralysis, a thunderbolt seems to be a sovereign remedy ; but the difficulty re. sides in knowing how to receive a proper dose, and not an exorbitant allowance of it. An American suffered paralysis upon one side of his body from childhood. A thunderbolt cured him entirely, and gave him the use of all his organs, after shaking him so severely, how ever, that he remained insensible for about twenty minutes. An Englishman, who for twenty long years had taken ferruginous baths during the summer, but' withoutany benefit, was entirely cured in less than a second by a flash of lightning. The same story is related of an invalid in one of the Austrian hospitals: being lucky enough one day to stand in the way of the atmospheric spark, he was enabled without delay to leave the establish ment, and resume his work. Scoresby mentions a similar fact which oc curred to a passenger on the now celebrated packet-boat New York, already alluded to more than once in these pages. Like the American just quoted, this person' favored by lightning was paralyzed for many years. He was so aston, ished at finding himself suddenly cured, that for sometime he ran about the deck like a madman. The other passengers - believed that he had lost his senses. However, they soon learned what had happened, and admired the unknown mys terious influence which had produced so marvel lous an effect. Suzanne Se,htreacht was an old maiden lady, so completely paralyzed since her childhood that she could never move a step without the aid of crutches. One day when alone in her chamber she heard a most violent clap of thunder. Much alarmed, she fell upon her knees to implore pro tection from the Almighty. At this moment she heard a knock at her door ; it was her brother who wished to see her. She recognized his voice, and immediately looked round for her crutches. Not finding them at once she pre pared to crawl towards the door—her only Means of progression when the crutches were not at hand. The fright, the shock her system had just received, had performed a marvellous cure ! Who knows but that natural electricity will be one day utilized medically in the neigh borhood of our lightning-conductors ? The marvels we have already elchibited, and those which still remain to be mentioned, are far from proving that any faith must be attached to the dreams of visionaries, but they are still further from demonstrating that it is, possible to draw any limits to the power of lightning.—From " Thunder and Lightning." COLOR-BLINDNESS. Color-blindnes is much more frequent than is generally supposed, for those who are afflicted with it are mostly ignorant of the defect, and frcquenl.y practice trades or, professions in which perfect sensibility to the different hues of color is quite indispensable. An instance of this oc curred some time since in the case of an engine driver, who allowed-his engine to run into alug gage train, through not noticing the red danger signal. At his examination it was proved that he was color-blind, and could not distinguish red from green. Partial color blindness is, no doubt, the cause of the frequent disputes that we bear about the tints of certain objects; to say no thing of the glaring instances of bad taste in the arrangement of color that are now-a-days so com mon. Out of forty boys at a school at Berlin who were examined by Leebech, he found five who were quite confused in their notions of color, and could not distinguish between ordi nary shades of the same hue. This affliction is in many cases hereditary, descending from father to son. It is singular that instances of color blindness are much, more common amongst men than amongst women, for out of over five hun dred eases there were only four in which females were the sufferers. It seems, also that persons with grey -eyes are more frequently color-blind than those whose eyes are blue or brown. To the list of great men who were color-blind, we must not forget to add ,the. celebrated Italian historian, Sismondi.—From, ( The Wonders of Optics," in. Scribner,th Co.'s illustrated Library of Wonders. THE AURORA BOREALIS. The magnificent displaY of the aurora borealis, April 15th, was first heralded by telegraph from the Northeast, and -moved southward at the rate of about 100 miles an hou'r. The telegraph line reported its progress all the way from the north eastern portion' of the continent, as far south as Wilmington, N. C. At 7P. M. it took complete possession of all the telegraph lines leading out of New York city r so that it was impossible to work •the wires for half an hour. In two hours from that time•the magnetic waves, or flashes of electric light, so to speak, reached Washington. As the . storm passed on, the wires from Wash ington to Boston were taken possession of by an auroral current, the galvanic batteries were re moved from the line by the operators, and the telegraph was then worked. from Washington to New-York, and froin New York to Boston, with out any batteries whatever. Diapatches to the Press were sent from New York to Boston with no other motive power than the magnetism which came from, the heavens. 7r -N. Y. Tribune.
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