FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. ABOUT FEMALE CLOTHING. WE often hear now-a-days about females taking cold, and no wonder, when we look at the clothing many will wear, even in winter. I need not make any remark respecting females of the higher classes, because they always have ample means of guarding against the changes and severities of the weather. But how is the case as it regards the wives and daughters of working men and servant-maids, in our towns and villages? How many of these classes are seen in the streets and roads during rainy weather, in tawdry cotton shawls and cotton gowns, trailing the ground, (after the example of their betters,) and with boots no stronger than brown paper; with faded and dirty bonnets, remnants of finery, garnished with flamecoloured ribbons? Even the grocer's or baker's maid-of-all-work has her net cap, with a garland of artificial flowers, blackened somewhat from frequent contact with the grate, the fire-irons, or the frying pan. With such raiment, how is it to be reasonably expected that women, who are frequently exposed to cold and amp, can avoid taking cold? We still see in the primitive parts of North and South Wales, the north of England, remote from cities, and various localities throughout all Ireland, in many parts of Scotland, and all northern France, a national and appropriate style of clothing among the lower classes of people, who have sense enough to prefer health and comfort to vain fashion; namely, woollen gowns and petticoats, and woollen plaid shawls or whittles, the materials of which they card, spin, and weave themselves;. woollen stockings, which they knit; and linen chemises which they manufacture at home. The sensible peasant woman of Wales, in spite of modern innovations, wears a jacket and short petticoat, and a whittle over her shoulder, when she goes to church and market, while a long blue cloth cloak with a hood, and frequently a beaver hat, indicate the woman of Celtic origin, whether in Wales or in Ireland; and is not such substantial dress in a variable climate creditable to them, and preferable to the ever-varying fashions of showy, but unsubstantial printcottons? And is it not much more truly economical in the end? That is a false economy which leads poor people to buy flimsy articles that will not stand wear and tear, and are very comfortless besides, merely because they are cheap. FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. REAL REFORM.-He who reforms himself does more to reform the public than a whole crowd of vain noisy empty-headed agitators. LYING is one of the most hateful vices of human nature. Yet some men delight in lying. They cannot sink themselves lower, for they are then on a level with the devil. IF A PROUD MAN keeps you off at a distance, comfort yourself with the thought that he is just as far off from you. Gems. DREADING TO DIE.-For a man of the world to dread death is only natural; for a christian to dread death is like a prisoner dreading to be set at liberty. A GREAT DELUSION is that when the devil and our own hearts would make us believe we are not so guilty before God as he says we are. Dont believe either of them, for they are both deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. "SEARCH ME AND TRY ME" is a right good prayer. For if we attempt to search and try ourselves, we shall never get to know all the evil that is in us. Only the Holy Spirit can do that for us. So pray for his help. SOME OF OUR SINS we forget, but there are sins which we do not forget or forgive ourselves for having committed them. God never forgets any of our sins, but he forgives them all when we come to him by Christ. ONLY LET A MAN know, by his own happy experience, the love of God in Christ, and he will never be fretful or displeased about anything else. THE GOSPEL is a powerful engine for lifting up fallen humanity, but God himself hath the working of it. He appoints fellow-workers, but he is always the master. Poetic Selections. THE DYING CHRISTIAN. SAY, my soul, why falls that tear, And impart his brightest beams. Cloth'd with light thy Saviour reigns, Hark! the concert is begun, Gladdens all the heavenly plains. Endless praise to Christ our King." His salvation loud proclaim. TIME COMPARED TO A RIVER. Nor heeds the pensive stranger's eye; No stay, no rest its current knows, Stream after stream still passes by: So move our ages, months, and days, Successive years still gliding on, We gaze at time, and while we gaze! That time is gone-for ever gone! O could I wisely time improve, And learn in Christ my Lord to live, Increase in all the fruits of love, Till called to realms of bliss above, I shall the end of time survive. PRESS ON! C. PRESS on Christian to the prize THE CORNER-STONE. HAD I ten thousand gifts beside, And build on Him alone; hundreds of years ago, who, not being able to write their own names, made a cross instead, as some aged people do now. Perhaps you may say, but I have not been taught, and I do not know any one who will teach me. Well suppose it is so, you may teach yourself. I have known many who were determined to learn, and they tried and tried, again and again, and they learned at last. You will if you try. The chief thing is to know how to hold your pen, and this picture will teach you how to do that. You do not know how far off you may go to live, and you wil be sorry then if you cannot write a letter and send it by the penny post to tell your friends how you are, and ask them how they do. If you can write you can then talk to your friends if they are a hundred miles off. Another thing, if you are reading a book that has in it something, in prose or poetry, you would like to remember, you may then copy it into a little book of your own, and look at it when you like. I did so when I was a boy, nearly fifty years ago; and I have those little books into which I copied them now, and when I look at them I always feel pleased. In this way I taught myself to know and remember many things which have been of great use to me all my life. So be sure you learn how to write. GREAT FOG AND FROST. THE winter of 1813-1814, was perhaps the most remarkable that can be recollected by any person now living. We very well remember it, for we were then in our teens. The preceding winter had also been remarkable in the northern parts of Europe for that extraordinary fall of snow, under which the great army of Napoleon perished-we refer to the retreat of the French from Russia. That ambitious man had forced his way through masses of Russian soldiers to the ancient capital of the Czars, and had planted his eagle standard on the towers of their Kremlin Palace at Moscow, while all the continent of Europe seemed prostrate at his feet, when God took the boastful conqueror in hand, and by flakes of falling snow, a few of which might fall harmless on an infant's cheek, he withered the mightiest host that ever was gathered by man. But we are about to tell you of the next winter in England. We have just met with a curious account of it, which we now give. The great fog which preceded this remarkable frost, commenced, in London, on the evening of the 29th of December, 1813, about two hours before Lord Castlereagh set out from London on his way to embark for the Continent. Happily, his lordship proceeded on his journey without interruption. It was not so with the Prince Regent, who, intending to pay a visit to the Marquis of Salisbury, at Hatfield House, was obliged to return back to London, after one of his outriders had fallen into a ditch on this side of Kentish Town; and which short excursion occupied several hours. 66 This tremendous fog, or darkness that might be felt!" continued till the 3rd of January. On most of the roads, excepting the great north road, travelling was performed with the utmost danger, and the progress of the mails was greatly impeded. On Wednesday, the 29th of December, the Birmingham mail was nearly seven hours in going from the Post Office to a mile or two below Uxbridge, a distance of twenty miles only. On this, and the other evenings, the short stages in the neighbourhood of London had two persons with links running by the horses' heads; nevertheless, with this and other precautions, some serious and many whimsical accidents occurred. Pedestrians even carried links or lanterns, and many who were GREAT FOG AND FROST. not provided with those illuminators, lost themselves in the most frequented, and, at other times, well-known streets. Hackney coachmen mistook the pathway for the road, the greatest confusion occurring. On the 31st of December, the state of the metropolis, in consequence of the increased fog, was at night truly alarming. It required great attention and knowledge of the public streets to proceed any distance, and those persons who had any material business to transact, were unavoidably compelled to carry torches. The usual lamps appeared through the haze no bigger than small candles. The most careful hackney-coachmen got off the box and led their horses, while others drove only at a walking pace. There were frequent meetings of carriages, and great mischief ensued. Among the passengers much caution and apprehension prevailed. Many, alarmed at the idea of being run down, made exclamations, such as, "Who is coming?" "Mind!" "Take care!" &c. Females who had ventured abroad before the fog came on, were placed under great peril; several missed their way. Such was the extreme density of the atmosphere, on Tuesday evening, the 28th, that the Maidenhead coach, on its return from town, missed the road near Harford Bridge, and was overturned. Lord Hawarden was among the passengers, and received an injury by the accident. Almost immediately on the cessation of the fogs, heavy falls of snow took place. There was nothing in the memory of man to equal those falls. After several short intervals, the snow continued incessantly for forty-eight hours, and this, too, after the ground was covered with a condensation, the result of nearly four weeks' frost. Almost the whole of the time the wind blew continually from the North and North-East, and was intensely cold. A short thaw also, which scarcely lasted one day, only rendered the state of the streets so much the worse. Hence the mass of snow and water became so thick, that it was with difficulty that hackney-coaches, with an additional horse, and other vehicles, could plough their way through. Almost all kinds of trades and callings, carried on in the streets, stopped, which considerably increased the distress of the lower orders. Few carriages, even stages, could travel on the roads, which, even about town, seemed deserted. From many buildings icicles, full a yard and a half long, were seen suspended. The house water-pipes were all frozen, whence it became necessary to have plugs in the streets for the supply of all ranks of people. |