POPERY IN HAYTI.

that the priests sanction, and which "bring them great gain," which are scarcely less humiliating. I have recently made a tour of several hundred miles, and though I found the people of the north of the island more intelligent, and I think decidedly superior to the people upon this part of the island, yet they were scarcely less superstitious.

During my visit to Porte de Paix, a town of considerable importance on the north of the island, where an American mission has been established, I heard much of the movements of a priest named Massip, who was stationed at St. Louis, some ten miles distant. This priest recently came from the United States, where he had been for fourteen years. He erected a booth upon the bank of a small stream near St. Louis, placed his crosses, candles, and pictures, in it, and upon a day he had appointed, his parishioners brought together their donkeys, goats, sheep, cattle, and various other things, and he baptized them for half a Haytian dollar a head. Houses are baptized, and have a godfather and godmother, the same as a child. An American captain told me that he was once sent for to stand as godfather to a small boat that was to be baptized. Such are a few of the superstitions under which poor priest-ridden Hayti groans.

The above is taken from the "Letter of a Traveller;" and we can readily believe that such childish, nay worse than childish fooleries are practised in countries where the Romanists have it all their own way. Instead of giving the people the Bible to make them wise and intelligent, they play all kinds of mountebank tricks of this sort to make them stare with ignorant wonder. Depend upon it, popery is nothing but a system of lying wonders, cursing every country where it gets into power and authority. It cannot live where the Bible is read, and hence the hatred of the papists to the Word of God, that blessed book which is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. As for the Virgin Mary being thrust into the place of the Saviour, it is a piece of blasphemous wickedness altogether. The blessed Virgin, who was the most modest and humble of women, never dreamed of such outrageous folly and presumption.

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

POPERY AND COMMON SENSE.-Some of the Irish are so far enlightened by Sunday schools and Bible societies, that they can exercise their reason in resisting the abominations of popery. One of them being lately asked by his priest, a curate, why he did not come to confession, said to him, "Please your reverence do you ever confess ?" "Yes, I do, to the rector.". “And do you pay ?” "And to whom does the rector confess ?"

"Yes."

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"To the

"And to whom does

bishop."- "And does he pay him." "Yes."the bishop confess ?" "To the vicar-general."—" And pays him?” "Yes."-" And to whom does he confess ?" "To the Pope.""And pays?" Yes."-" And to whom does the Pope confess ?" "To Jesus Christ."-" And does he pay anything?" "Then please your reverence," said the man, "as I am very poor, I think I shall go to Christ at once."

"No."

HELP IF YOU PITY. A traveller passing over a miserable road, the wheel of his carriage stuck in a deep rut. He laboured with all his might to extricate it; but in vain. Presently some one passing said to him: "You are in an awkward situation, sir: pray how did the accident happen ?" Another came up: "Dear! dear! what is the matter? Well, what a good thing your neck was not broken! but this road ought to be indicted; there are continual accidents of one kind or another." A third addressed him: "I'm really sorry to see you so much heated and fatigued, sir; I fear, too, your horse and carriage are injured. I am very sorry." "Come then," replied the unfortunate traveller, "if you really are sorry, be so good as to put a shoulder to the wheel; a grain of help is worth a bushel of pity."

LITTLE ROBERT.-An old man, a neighbour, came frequently at leisure hours to converse with his parents. This person was harassed by doubts and fears about his interest in the Saviour. One day Robert listened while his mother argued with the poor man, and endeavoured to persuade him to dismiss his fears, and to commit himself trustingly to Christ. It was in vain. He still reiterated: "Christ will have nothing to do with me." Robert perceiving, it would seem, that the man was speaking under the influence of morbid feeling, and wilfully putting away consolation, at last put in his word. "Then what is the use of your always talking about him to my mother? If he'll have nothing to do with you, can't you let him alone?" "Let him alone, hinney," the man replied, "I would not let him alone for a thousand worlds." "O then," said the boy, "I am thinking you'll do well enough."

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

WHAT GOOD OF WAR ?-Wellington is dead. We have nothing to say in the way of finding fault with him. We believe him to have been as sparing of the lives of his soldiers as any man of his class. Neither do we hear of any acts of cruelty perpetrated by him. So let him rest, until the day when the great captains shall be called to give up their account. But what good of war? What good of Wellington's campaigns in Spain and Portugal? In forty months 33,819 of the British armies fell in battles for the liberties of Spain and Portugal, and now, after thirty years or more, they are as unsettled and unhappy, as ignorant and priest-ridden, as ever. The Bible is a greater friend to liberty than the sword. Had all the money spent in war on the Peninsula, been spent in bibles for the inhabitants, they would have been far nearer the enjoyment of enlightened freedom than they now are.

Sufferings of CHILDREN.-Till we see our children in suffering, we never fully understand the Divine comparison, so full of condescending kindness: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Our feelings then become a commentary to us, as if written on our hearts with the very finger of God, by such gracious assurances. And when little children are taken away from us, how precious are the Saviour's words, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven!" On such occasions he seems to say with the smile of pitying love: "Suffer your little children to come unto me.' Dr. Wardlaw.

THE MOTHER AND CHILD.-I revisited Greenwood Cemetery a few days ago, and found many new monuments, one of which particularly interested me, from the cheerful simplicity of its epitaph. The body of a mother and child rested beneath the marble, and on it was inscribed the words, "Is it well with thee? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well." 2 Kings iv. 26. This gives pleasant indication of real faith in immortality; like the Moravians, who never inscribe on their tombs the day when a man was born and when he died, but simply "the day he came hither, and the day he went home." Mrs. Child's Letters from New York. FAITHFUL REPROOF.-A lady came to Charles Wesley, complaining that she was the chief of sinners-the worst of transgressors utterly lost and helpless. "I have no doubt, madam," replied he, "that you are bad enough." She instantly flew into a passion, declared that she was no worse than her neighbours, scolded the preacher as a slanderer, and, it is thought, would have boxed his ears if he had not quitted the apartment.

ATHEISM.-Swift (borrowing the idea from Cicero) says, that he will no more believe that the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, than that the accidental jumbling of the letters of the alphabet can fall by chance into an ingenious and learned treatise of philosophy.

THE FIRESIDE.

BISHOP PORTEUS.-A clergyman dining once with Bishop Porteus, noticed with contempt the line of a hymn-"A sinner saved by grace alone"-expecting that the bishop would join in condemning it; but, instead of doing so, his lordship looked very solemnly at the clergyman, and said: "And pray, sir, can you tell me of any other way in which a sinner can be saved ?"

AT A CHRISTMAS PARTY one observed, that if they should ever meet again, something was to be done. Another exclaimed, “ If we shall meet!—we will meet;" but he was the only one who died in the interval!

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BE IN GOOD TIME.-Mrs. Chapone was asked why she always came so early at worship? Because," said she, "it is part of my religion never to disturb the religion of others."

The Fireside.

THE MOTHER AT HOME.

MUCH has been said and written, and much has been done, but much remains to be done, for a more general dissemination of knowledge by teaching among the children of the working classes. The christian and the philanthropist have agitated for, petitioned for, and liberally subscribed the means whereby to attain this most desirable end. Statesmen and legislators have concocted and propounded schemes, accompanied with grants of the public money, for the extension of the benefits of education throughout the land; and, when we look at the vast machinery set in motion for accomplishing educational purposes, we are apt to exclaim, with the young man in the gospel, "What lack we yet?" We answer,

that we greatly lack that which no government, however powerful -no statesman, however talented-can supply; that, without which, the best outward elements of education to which children have access lose the best part of their efficiency;--we greatly lack that most important and necessary adjunct to the "schoolmaster abroad," and that is, THE MOтher at home. Sweet is the thrill of pleasure that vibrates through the heart of the mother when the first rays of intelligence which beam from the eyes of her infant are centered in her own! With what diligent love she ministers to all his little wants! and, when he sits smiling in her arms, with what delight she points out to his eager gaze objects which please and interest him! But sweeter, holier far are the feelings of the devoted mother when, in the early dawn of her child's intellect, she beholds the bright promise of a good and useful life! With what affectionate care she selects and administers the most fitting nourishment for his young mind! and, while leading and training him "in the way he should go," points out for his imitation "whatsoever things are pure, and lovely, and of good report!"