FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. R. C. B. We have several of your papers in reserve for future use; but some you have sent will not do. Take a little more time in preparing what you write. Your thoughts are always good, but you do not always express them in the best way. We have also many other attempts at poetry by both young and old, some of which, with a few corrections, will, as we have opportunity, be inserted. But some are either on such subjects as we have had before, or are not suitable for our pages, or are too imperfect to be made fit to appear. Let none of our friends, however, be discouraged; for if they do not succeed at one time, by pains and perseverance they may at another. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. THE WORK OF ENGLISH NAVVIES.-It is difficult to form an adequate idea of the immense quantity of earth, rock, and clay that has been picked, blasted, shovelled, and wheeled into embankments by English navvies during the last thirty years. On the South Western Railway alone, the earth removed amounted to sixteen millions of cubic yards-a mass of material sufficient to form a pyramid 1000 feet high, with a base of 150,000 square yards. Mr. Robert Stephenson has estimated the total amount on all the railways of England as at least 550,000,000 of cubic yards! And what does this represent? "We are accustomed," he says, "to regard St. Paul's as a test for height and space; but by the side of the pyramid of earth these works would rear, St. Paul's would be but a pigmy to a giant. Imagine a mountain half a mile in diameter at its base, and soaring into the clouds one mile and a half in height-that would be the size of the mountain of earth which these earthworks would form; while St. James's Park, from the Horse Guards to Buckingham Palace, would scarcely SOBER THIRST is more easily satisfied than drunken enjoyment. DO AS THE SUN DOES.-In always making dull things look bright by your cheerful light shining on them. IF PRUDENCE cannot always hinder misfortune, it may often do much to mitigate its power. THERE ARE MEN who, if they have no other idea, have yet one good idea of themselves. THE TRIALS OF LIFE are tests by which may be known how much or how little sterling gold there is in us. MEN WITH EMPTY HEADS are like empty barrels; they often make the most noise. A BUDE MOB is the scum which rises to the top when the national pot boils. MONEY is often awkward to manage; for if a man does not make it his servant it will soon be his master. BY DOING GOOD WITH MONEY & man as it were stamps the image of FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. God on it, and makes it pass as current coin for heavenly merchandize. TRUE NOBILITY comes not from a man's ancestors, but from his own actions. AN OPINION should not be taken, like a wife, for better or worse. If we can find a better we are free to adopt it. TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.-Wish for them cautiously, ask for them submissively, obtain them honestly, accept them humbly, manage them prudently, enjoy them lawfully, impart them liberally, esteem them moderately, increase them virtuously, use them wisely, forego them easily, resign them willingly. Gems. A HINT TO CHRISTIAN TEACHERS. -Get for yourself and give to others right views of gospel truth. Never muddy the streams of mercy and salvation, lest the people refuse to drink thereat. CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTIANS. -Always distinguish between these, for the former is often made to bear blame for the latter. Christianity is perfect-christians imperfect. A HALF-HEARTED WORKER in the Lord's vineyard is often a hindrance, rather than a helper, of the good work. MEDITATION on what we hear or read should always follow, or we shall be more like the butterfly among the flowers which gets no honey, and not like the bee which gathers it and keeps it. HOLINESS AND HAPPINESS.-God has joined these together, and no man can put them asunder. An unholy man never can be a happy man. Trust THE WORLD IS A CHEAT. it not. It is insolvent already, and has cheated every creditor who trusted it, and it will cheat you if you trust it. YOU MAY BE MISTAKEN about many things, but of two things you never can, whoever you be; and they are these-That God loves you, and that Christ died for you. REAL RELIGION in a man's heart, that is, the fear of God and the love of Christ, is as sure to produce good works as the sun is to shed light, or a precious ointment to give forth a sweet odour. THE SABBATH is the golden clasp which binds together the volume of the week. Its leaves of days would be loose without it. Poetic Selections. SATURDAY NIGHT. BY A WORKING MAN. ANOTHER Six days' labour o'er ! Behold, the setting sun, Tells us that now another length Of life's short thread is spun. O, welcome hour! to weary man By toil and care opprest, Awhile his body rests from toil, From anxious care his breast. Thrice happy he, when silence reigns, And all around him rests, Unrobes his body, and his mind Of worldly thoughts divests. Prepares the altar of his heart Before he close his eyes, And hopes with joy next morn to raise His sabbath sacrifice. Help me, O Lord, to thy commands Always to have regard, That when I make my prayer to thee My prayer may then be heard. From vanity turn off my eyes, My steps from sin prevent; Convenient food and raiment give, Make me with them content. When life's last week-day sun shall set, I then would hail a sabbath morn THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. The Children's Corner. LETTER FROM A WORKING LAD. SIR, AS I have been a reader of the Pioneer for several years, I can say it is one of the cheapest magazines I have seen. I have been pleased to read the letters in the " Penny Post Box" from working-men, and as you say any one may write, I thought I should be as welcome as the rest. I am a working-lad, and have to work hard for my bread; but I like work, and I am always at work with my hands or my head. I am very glad that I have kind parents, who have taught me to read and write; for I know if I could not read (and many cannot) I should be very miserable. I say this, because I think it is a great blessing to be able to read. I live at a place where I have both reading and writing to do sometimes, and if I could not do them it would make things awkward. So I hope that all your young readers will strive to learn all they can; and now, whilst they are young, try to do all the good they can too, by telling others of the blessed Saviour who died for their sins, and has prepared a mansion for them that love him in heaven. Do my young friends say, "I can't take up the cross ?" Remember, "No cross -no crown." We shall all be willing to share in the joys of the righteous at last. So let us all work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. The night will soon come, and if the work allotted to us is not done, how awful will be our case! Oh! let us be up and doing, that when we are called for we may be ready to meet our Master. But I must not say more now, for it is getting late, and I must be up again early in the morning at my daily work. So I bid your young readers farewell, and I pray God we may all learn to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can save us from all our sins, and give us an abundant entrance into his everlasting kingdom, where shall be no more curse of hard labour, but rest, and peace, and joy, for ever and ever! Near Newbury. G. R., A WORKING-LAD. CURES FOR EVIL SPEAKING. BY ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON. HAVING pointed out the Sin and Cruelty of Evil Speaking, this amiable writer says: I shall now give some rules and directions for the prevention and cure of this great evil. First, never say any evil of any man, but what you certainly know. Whenever you positively accuse and indict any man of any crime, though it be in private and among friends, speak as if you were upon your oath, because GOD sees and hears you. This, not only charity, but justice and regard to truth do demand of us. He that easily credits an ill report is almost as faulty as the first inventor of it. For though you do not make, yet you commonly propagate a lie. Therefore never speak evil of any upon common report, which for the most part is false, but almost always uncertain whether it be true or not. Not but that it is a fault, in most cases, to report the evil of men which is true, and which we certainly know to be so: but if I cannot prevail to make men wholly to abstain from this fault, I would be glad to compound with some persons, and to gain this point of them however; because it will retrench nine parts in ten of the evil speaking that is in the world. Secondly, before you speak evil of any man, consider whether he hath not obliged you by some real kindness, and then it is a bad return to speak ill of him who hath done us good. Consider also, whether you may not come hereafter to be acquainted with him, related to him, or obliged by him whom you have thus injured? And how will you then be ashamed when you reflect upon it, and perhaps have reason also to believe that he to whom you have done this injury is not ignorant of it? Consider likewise, whether in the chance of human affairs, you may not sometime or other come to stand in need of his favour; and how incapable this carriage of yours towards him will render you of it? And whether it may not be in his power to revenge a spiteful and needless word by a shrewd turn? So that if a man made no conscience of hurting others, yet he should in prudence have some consideration of himself. Thirdly, let us accustom ourselves to pity the faults of men, and to be truly sorry for them, and then we shall take no pleasure in publishing them. And this common humanity requires CURES FOR EVIL SPEAKING. of us, considering the great infirmities of human nature, and that we ourselves are also liable to be tempted: considering likewise, how severe a punishment every fault and miscarriage is to itself; and how terribly it exposeth a man to the wrath of God, both in this world and the other: He is not a good christian, that is not heartily sorry for the faults even of his greatest enemies; and if he be so, he will discover them no farther than is necessary to some good end. Fourthly, whenever we hear any man evil spoken of, if we know any good of him let us say that. It is always the more humane and the more honourable part to stand up in the defence and vindication of others, than to accuse and bespatter them. Possibly the good you have heard of them may not be true, but it is much more probable that the evil which you have heard of them is not true neither: however, it is better to preserve the character of a bad man, than to stain the reputation of the innocent. And if there were any need that a man should be evil spoken of, it is but fair and equal that his good and bad qualities should be mentioned together; otherwise he may be strangely misrepresented, and an indifferent man may be made a monster. They that will observe nothing in a wise man, but his oversights and follies; nothing in a good man, but his failings and infirmities, may make a shift to render a very wise and good man very despicable. If one should heap together all the passionate speeches, all the froward and imprudent actions of the best man; all that he had said or done amiss in his whole life, and present it all at one view, concealing his wisdom and virtues; the man in this disguise would look like a madman or a fury and yet if his life was fairly represented, and just in the same manner as it was led, and his many and great virtues set over against his failings and infirmities, he would appear to all the world to be an admirable and excellent person. But how many and great soever any man's ill qualities are, it is but just that, with all this heavy load of faults, he should have the due praise of the few real virtues that are in him. Fifthly, that you may not speak ill of any, do not delight to hear ill of them. Give no countenance to busybodies, and those that love to talk of other men's faults, or if you cannot decently reprove them because of their quality, then divert the discourse some other way; or if you cannot do that, by seeming not to mind it, you may sufficiently signify that you do not like it. Sixthly, let every man mind himself, and his own duty and |