Ruth brought in her little brother from the Infant School. The child was full of the gay thoughtlessness of his age, but he understood that he was not to make a noise, and make his mother more ill. He had many questions to put to his sister, and some favours to ask, and whenever he wished to speak he threw his arms round her neck, and put his little rosy mouth close to her ear and whispered. Ruth was very busy, and not a minute passed in which little George did not continue to interrupt her, but Ruth was never once cross, there was not one shade upon her forehead, not one impatient word upon her lip. "Can't it be done?" said Mary at length to her daughter, "What is it that Georgie is talking about, and coaxing you to do? Can't it be done, for I see you shake your head, and I think you have not yet given your consent? Come, Georgie, let me hear from you what it is, for we canot get Ruth to tell?" And then George coloured, and smiled, and told eagerly that all the children were going to the Cop Meadows to get cowslips, and that he wanted Ruth to go too, and that Mrs. White at the school had said that Ruth ought to go, for she looked so thin and so dull that she wanted a walk in the air. And then Georgie's mother looked in Ruth's face, and said, "She does look thin and dull, and you are right Georgie, a walk will do her good, so we will have tea and then you shall go with Ruth, and bring me home a bunch of cowslips, for you know we all love cowslips." "A fine evening, Edward! though the wind is getting up!-Dear me! is the man deaf, or proud, or what is the matter with him. A fine evening, Mr. Edward"-and now the little speaker raised herself on tip toe and bawled into his ear. Edward heard her now, and started, her voice was one that made itself heard with no effort, it was high and shrill, but not unpleasing. "Ah, well I see how it was," said the old woman smiling as she shook Edward heartily by the hand, "you were deep in your thoughts lad, and very fit you should be. Well, we have not met since poor old Price was buried. To be sure it was a handsome funeral, and it was a pretty sight to see his neighbours, two by two, follow the good old man to the grave. I counted fifty besides Matty and yourself. Old Rector Bradford's a dear old soul, I thought to myself, as he stood over the grave with the tears in his eyes, and now and then a shaking in his solemn voice. What a handsome suit of mourning! really, Edward, one ought to say Mr. Edward, for you are quite the gentleman, and they tell me that you are almost a rich man, and that the old gentleman has left you a power of money." There was a smile on Edward's grave face, as he assured her that Mr. Price had but little money to leave, and he had left that little to his old kinswoman. "However, there is some ground for what you have heard, for my kind old friend has left ine the house in which he lived and died, for it was his own property, but this is also left to Matty for her life, and I am going to take up my abode with Matty, as her lodger, when I come back from Wales." "Come back from Wales lad," screamed the old woman, overjoyed at the prospect of news, "what are you going to Wales for? Any money there, eh? left to my old friend, Matty, eh ?" Nothing of the sort," said Edward, "the whole of the matter is this: that I have been hired to work in the building of Sir Owen Wynn's new house. "And which way may you be walking this evening ?" said the litte talkative woman, "my way, I dare say, for I am going to see your poor sister-in-law. She was taken very bad one day last week, aud has kept her bed ever since." "Yes," I know it," replied Edward, thoughtfully, "and I am very sorry to be going away just at this time, for if Mary is taken away from her family, I dread to think what may come to them.” "I know what you mean," said the old woman, turning with a sig. nificant look to Edward, and staring him in the face, and nodding as she did so, "You are thinking of that girl whom Jared has brought to the house to do the washing, and help Ruth to take care of the younger children. She is a bold and artful hussey 66 Mary has been a kind friend to Letty Smart," said Edward, " since her mother's death." 66 ever "I know that," said Joan, "and 'tis her shame and her fault that she has not learnt to be like Mary, and to follow her good counsels. Her mother and Mary were dear friends, and this has made Mary bear with her so often. For my part, I wish her away from Rachel, for she does the girl no good." “Look, there,” continued the old woman, as they turned the corner of the street in which Jared resided, really, Edward, I'm sick of the sight of such ways: there are those two idle girls lolling and loitering about the door just when that young soldier is coming down the street. Mark my words, he'll stop and speak to them, though he is on the other side of the way. There, do you hear the loud laugh of that bold Letty, and the giggle of the other pert girl; and they have drawn the redcoat over to speak to them,-nonsense enough they are talking, I'll answer for it; and now they are coming this way along with him. Ha, they see us, and they are off and back again, and hear how they are slamming the door without a thought of th. t poor dear soul ill in bed." Mary was not in bed, but she had just gone up to her chamber, and was very ill. Joan's first enquiry was for Ruth, but she was told by Letty Smart that Ruth was gone a pleasuring she believed, and that she and Rachel were only waiting for her to come back, that they might go out for an hour with Mr. Holden. Joan hastened up stairs to Mary, and Edward finding that Ruth had gone to the Cop Meadows, went to meet her. He found Ruth half way home, getting on rather slowly, for little George, though still as happy as when he set out, was beginning to be a drag upon the gentle hand that led him. Edward took the boy in his arms, and they got on faster, though George had more to say than his uncle could manage to hear as he every now and then gave Edward a hug round the neck, or stuffed the large nosegay of fresh cowslips into his uncle's face. As they passed the corner of N- Street, Edward stopped, as if suddenly struck with the sight of some unexpected and frightful object. "What is it, uncle ?" said Ruth, to whom George had been talking over his uncle's shoulder. "What has stopped you? what do you see?" "Your sister Rachel," replied Edward with a tone of mingled sorrow and anger" is gone into the Socialist's meeting." "Gone, and gone alone?" said Ruth. "Oh no, that bold girl Smart is with her." "And no one else " said Ruth Yes," replied Edward in a low voice, "your Father. haste, Ruth," he added, "I must see about this at once. not be suffered to go a second time." Let us make Rachel must "Let us make haste," said Ruth, "my mother is left quite alone." "No," replied Edward, "I left your old cousin Joan with her." But he had hardly said this, when Joan Smatters made her appearance. "Do'nt stop me," she said, "but go home to your mother, Mary. I am going post haste to the Socialist meeting, for I suspect Jared has carried off those two girls to the vile place, and so I told Mary. I've left her in a pretty peck of troubles, I promise you, and I've promised to bring Rachel back at once. Won't you come along with me, Edward? put down that great lusty boy, he can walk as well as I." "I will follow you and wait at the door," said Edward, "but I will never enter one of those meetings again if I can help it. Still, to bring out that poor child I would go in," he said mournfully, "if I thought I should succeed; but I fear it would be useless, with her father on her side; at any rate I will follow you when I have carried George to his mother." our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” OH! what is Life?-a transient space, A bubble floating on the breeze— And what is Man? a thing of nought,' A particle of dust; A momentary vapour seen The sport of ev'ry gust! And what is Heav'n? th' abode of saints Where ev'ry ransom'd soul shall dwell And what is Hell? the dark abyss A sulphur lake, whose streams of fire Man! view the past, be wise in time, Strike at the root of sin, Hell yawns beneath; stay, Heav'n invites ! J. H. THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE'S SERMON ON SOCIALISM. WE have read with deep interest a Sermon on the progress and tendencies of Socialism, which was preached before the University of Cambridge, by the Christian Advocate, the Rev. George Pearson. "I have never thought myself justified," says the Reverend author in his preface "in noticing obscure writings of an infidel character, which might make their appearance: and which in general are confined in their circulation, and are therefore not calculated to do extensive mischief: yet it appeared to me that the opportunity had now occurred, when the public attention ought to be directed to some opinions of a low infidel description, which have been propagated with great activity, and it is to be feared with some success, principally amongst our manufacturing population; not with a view of attempting to meet them by sober refutation,-which would he unnecessary among well educated Christians;-but that the consideration of religious persons in general might be directed to the causes to which the notoriety which these opinions have obtained may be attributed; and to the remedies which appear most proper to stem their progress amongst that portion of the people where they have been propagated with greatest success." The text of this useful and excellent Sermon is the affecting declaration of our Blessed Lord.-Mat. xvii. 11. "For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost." He brings forward a bright array of those blessed words in which assurance is given to our lost and wretched race, "that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." He speaks of the value of a single soul, and he calculates that value to be infinite, by the price which has been paid for its redemption, "The blood of God manifest in the flesh." "There is no subject more interesting to the mind, than to contemplate the different fortunes of the religion of the Redeemer in the world, the corruptions, the persecutions, and the trials which have assailed it; and how it has been borne by its great author triumphant through them all, conquering and to conquer! And this observation applies with peculiar force to that pure and Apostolical church to which we belong; which by the mercy of a kind Providence has been preserved through so many trials, and may, we trust be still destined to be a blessing, not only to this country, but to the Christian world at large, and to generations yet unborn! But, in order that it may effect this great end, it is evident that its machinery must be made more equal to the demands of the population at large: and it is owing to this deficiency, that we may in some degree attribute the flagitious attempts which are at this time in the course of action in the populous and manufacturing districts of this country, by a sect of Infidels of the worst and lowest description-I allude to the persons who have designated themselves by the appellation of Socialists-to propagate principles, which are not only subversive of all religion, but of all the most sacred bonds by which society is held together. "There is no person of a serious and reflecting mind, who, amidst the pride with which we contemplate the rising splendour and the teeming population of our great cities, has not often reflected with sorrow upon the fact,-how inadequate, in these districts, the means of religious worship and religious accommodation are to the increased demands of the population; and has not breathed a sigh over the thousands, who in a Christian land are living the lives of heathens,-excluded by the great want of Churches from the house of God,-deprived of that ministerial superintendance, both in sickness and in health, of which the blessing and the benefits are so sensibly felt in the rural districts, and passing through life without the humanizing and sanctifying influence of the Sabbath to direct their minds to the concerns of another world,-without any due sense of the duty which they owe to their God and their Redeemer here, or of that state to which they are daily bastening, and which must be their portion for ever! It is not surprising that persons in this state should be the ready victims of infidel teachers; and that they should yield themselves without much reluctance to those who preach, as a part of theirsystem, the unlimited indulgence of the most corrupt passions of our nature; who deprive virtue and holiness of its most powerful incentive, the assurance of God's favour in this life, and eternity of happiness in the world to come ;-and take away the most powerful restraint from sin here, by withdrawing from it all dread of punishment hereafter. It is evident that persons in such a state are prepared for any description of iniquity. 66 "It would not have been justifiable to allude thus publicly to these opinions, unless they had been propagated with a mischievous activity in those districts of the country to which allusion has just been made, and unfortunately with too much success; and unless their promoters were making great efforts to extend their influence more generally through the land. It will be possible only just to allude to the leading features of this infidel creed-which indeed amounts to nothing less than the absolute rejection of Christianity altogether! The first and leading principle of this scheme is that of practical atheism; and consists in the assertion, that "it is irrational to believe the existence of a God, who made and who governs the universe;" and maintains, that to worship such a Being is opposed to the rational conviction of every conscientious and intelligent mind." Its votaries are instructed to disbelieve the existence of a future life and a future judgment; and consequently, they maintain that man is not responsible for his actions. They are taught that the Bible rests on no better authority than that of the Koran, and the pretensions of Jesus Christ on no better grounds than those of Mahomet. They are instructed that " no one (to use their own language) shall be responsible for his physical, moral, or intellectual organization," or "for the sensations made on that organization by external circumstances:" and therefore that man is at liberty to give full scope to the indulgence of the sensual passions: and, lastly, with regard to the sacred institution of Marriage, it is treated by them with open ridicule; and they propose to substitute for it a licensed system of adultery, such as even the worst and most corrupt ages of heathen antiquity never knew." |