ladder"—that is, a series of notches cut expressly for the hands and feet of poor drowning wretches like himself, to enable them to climb into a little cage placed for their reception on the top. With the help of this he now proceeded to draw himself up, hand over hand, and step by step, above the constant washing and splashing of the waves. Rising out of the cold sea, it was some time before his numb fingers could be trusted to bear his whole body's weight. Only after great exertions was he able to reach the summit and lie down to rest.

With the dawn, which was not far distant, a fisherman's boat arrived from the shore opposite Droon. When it approached near enough, greatly to their astonishment, he hailed its occupants. They were father and son, and willingly assisted him on board. As he then became almost unconscious, they carried him immediately to their home at Hargs, where, in their small but hospitable cabin, he spent a day and night recruiting his wasted energies.

People wondered at his strange tale, but had no reason for disbelieving nor means of disproving its accuracy.

At length he returned to Droon. Seated in an arm-chair by the fire, though it was summer, he related what had taken place. Little Nellie sat listening for awhile breathlessly, then fell on his neck and wept tears of mingled joy, terror, and sympathy.

FRIENDS.

s-Friends!

Ан, wherefore did we meet and greet as-
"Twas no chance knowledge this, of mine and yours,
No pleasure that a too gay laugh secures,
To fill a small half-hour that sadly ends,
Because no soul-note with its music blends;

The day brought gravest thought that now matures
Into a fixèd aim, that love insures

For coming need, and faith from death defends.
You have some empty niches heart-deep built
To shrine the statues of some cherished things,
Each claimant of one place, quite free from guilt
Of jealous envy, which a king unkings.
Give me some little nook, where tears were spilt
In bygone years-'twill fit my minist'rings.

ELLYS ERLE

RANDOM IDEAS.

I.

MODERN LANGUAGES.

SOCIETY LIBRARY

NEW-YORK

ONE may often hear complaints about the excessive and severe competition of our youths of education without fortune, for the means of decent maintenance. Earl Stanhope, in his last historical work, comparing the existing condition of society with that which prevailed in the reign of Anne, remarks that now-a-days for one vacancy in a government situation there will be scores of wellqualified aspirants-whereas under Anne their number would not have exceeded the number of vacancies as they occurred. The noble author notices this fact as an indication of the easier and more comfortable condition of the upper-middle class in the time of Queen Anne, than in the time of Queen Victoria. A similar remark would apply to other prizes in the intellectual contest. In an Assize Court, for instance, one may see perhaps fifty candidates for briefs, while the whole of the business of the circuit is in the hands of about five of the number. At our Universities, again, those young men who would participate in the revenues of learning must be possessed of at least considerable abilities, great industry, and good health. What, it is asked, is to become of all the failures or probable failures in law and in scholarship? The professions, in fact, are overstocked. So also is trade. In trade, what is to become of the poorer young men of education who propose to enter it, but who have neither family-connexion, nor what are termed business-connexions, with the magnates of commerce? The rising generation of the upper-middle class seem to be too thick upon English ground. At least a third of them might more advantageously seek their fortunes in foreign lands, where they would find those opportunities which are denied to them here. There are regions in the West, and in the East also, which offer an ample scope for the activity and enterprise of our upper-middle class youth. It must, however, be confessed that too many of these young men are still a somewhat helpless and shiftless generation. Accustomed to comfort, perhaps even luxury, under the parental roof, they can hardly believe but that their present easy circumstances are a permanent part of the established order of things. What are their resources when this dream of security receives a rude awakening? They know, indeed, some

Latin and Greek, can write Latin verses, and have that moderate acquaintance with the French language, which was begun in the school-room at home and continued under the unwelcome instructions of the much-vexed French master at a public school. Their arithmetical attainments are usually much inferior to those of the first class in a good national school. They can ride, and swim, and row, and are apt at athletic sports and exercises. Such accomplishments, however, they will find little to the purpose of pushing their way by their wits in foreign lands. They have not ordinarily the versatility, the turning-the-hand-to-anything-ness, the useful knowledge, the practical intelligence, the resource, which are to be found in adventurous young Switzers or Germans, who have received a good education in their own country. This preparatory (!) improvidence and unreadiness seems characteristic of our race from Anglo-Saxon times downwards. It is seen in all orders of Englishmen and accordingly the Americans tell us that among all the shoals of emigrants who are annually deposited on their eastern shores, the English at their first landing are among the most unqualified for useful occupations. It is the same story with our military expeditions. For a time after their appearance on the scene of action all is confusion and disaster; but we blunder and suffer, and get starved and decimated, and perhaps beaten, into ultimate order, organisation, and victory! It is singular that one of the most emigrating and ubiquitous of people should, in the knowledge of foreign languages, be inferior to most other European nations. The fact is, that the greater part of our emigrants of all classes betake themselves to countries where English is chiefly spoken. Yet even in those countries they must often meet with natives of other lands, and must accordingly find themselves much at a loss in their intercourse with them through ignorance of their respective languages. There seems, however, no reason why our educated young emigrants should limit themselves to English-speaking countries-rather there is good reason why many of them should try "fresh fields and pastures new," lands, rich in the productiveness of their soil and in minerals beneath the soil, lands, whose resources are at once great and hitherto but slightly developed. Hence it were much to be desired that, in these days of intense intellectual competition at home, modern languages should enter more largely into our liberal education. The increased inter-communion between all the nations on the earth, consequent upon the extension of steamtravelling by land and water, renders the knowledge of modern languages the more desirable, if not necessary; and has doubtless given a great impulse to the study of them, both in this and in other countries. Our schools and other places of learning must

give in more fully to this impulse. It is not very common to find an Englishman, even of fair education, who can speak with fluency and correctness even one foreign language; while on the continent of Europe, and even in some Asiatic regions, a man who is master of two languages besides his own is not regarded as possessing any unusual accomplishment. An eminent authority amongst us lately gave it as his opinion "that, if a young man of the present day wishes to advance himself, he should learn Russian or Chinese." The study of modern languages, by enabling a greater proportion of our educated young men to seek their fortunes in countries comparatively untried, would greatly tend to relieve the strain of competition which is painfully felt here in England. Fewer of these young men and their friends would then be living here in "genteel poverty," and at ," and at "agony point," in the constant struggle to maintain appearances. It is as true now as when it was said by the Emperor Charles V., "that a man who can speak two languages is equal to two men." Yet the accomplishment is rarely possessed by our educated youth; and they even learn the classical languages with a pronunciation unintelligible in foreign lands, where they might have found those languages in a greater or less degree available!

FATALISM.

Our instincts tell us that fatalism must be false, but our reason is apt to persuade us that fatalism is the nearest approach, that the present state of being permits, to a solution of the mysteries of human life.

GOVERNMENT.

Whatever be the form of government, only one man or a few men really govern. Even a democracy has been justly called an "Aristocracy of orators." In the first French Republic, Robespierre and his five colleagues of the Committee of Public Safety were the real rulers of France. A democratic revolution leads to the rule, first of a few men, and then of one. The support of the multitude is the strength of despotism.

ABUSE OF PRAISE AND BLAME.

Praise is the current coin with which society rewards the services rendered to it. He, therefore, who misapplies words of praise does his best to depreciate this coin, and render it valueless. Censure is the punishment which society inflicts upon those who do it disservice. To misapply words of censure is therefore the way to

make this punishment disregarded. The misapplication of praise and blame is one of the worst symptoms of social decay. The classical reader will remember the observations which Thucydides in the 82nd chapter of his third book makes on the deterioration of Greece, indicated by the perversion of terms of praise and of blame. Amongst ourselves this abuse of language, often from party-feeling, is but too common. Thus, the absence of moral fear is sometimes called courage, and recklessness, decision; a minister who backs up the misdeeds of his subordinates is praised as one "who stands by his friends." Nothing more clearly marks the low state of commercial morality in America than the fact that a successful rogue there is commended, and called a "cute chap!" This is truly "to put sweet for bitter, and darkness for light." One of the commonest misapplications of blame amongst ourselves is the false charge of "close-fistedness" often brought against individuals. A man who denies himself gratifications and comforts for some good purpose, known perhaps only to himself, is likely to incur this imputation. Of the frequent falsehood of this charge a notable instance was given by the example of Turner, the great painter. Having no family to maintain, he chose to live by himself in the simplest manner, with little but the bare necessaries of life. At the same time he was known to receive large prices for his wonderful paintings; and the inference was that he was avaricious and a miser. Many, however, of his finest works he refused to selland one of them in particular he grimly declared was to be his winding-sheet! This trait was put down to eccentricity. It was not till after his death that the meaning of his saving habits, and of his refusal to part with some of his best works, came out; and it was then discovered, that he was neither a miser in saving his money, nor eccentric in retaining his pictures. He left his money for the support of poor artists, and his pictures to the National Gallery; and thus proved himself to have been at the same time charitable, of princely munificence, and of sound mind!