Frances Ridley Havergal: AS A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. [We are indebted to Miss Havergal for the following interesting notes on Sunday-school teaching, which do not appear in the "Memorials" of her sister. They will be especially interesting at the present time, alike to parents, teachers, and scholars. They serve also to fix the mind upon what is so often a partly or wholly forgotten truth: our dependence upon the Divine Spirit for all truly spiritual results of Christian work. Well does the writer remember, as curate of St. Nicholas' Parish, Worcester, about the period referred to, the deep interest "F. R. H." took in the Sunday-school; indeed she was regarded throughout the parish as a sunbeam of brightness wherever she went.-THE EDITOR.] NTERRUPTIONS to Sun- "I do feel for you in your disappointment that illness prevents your taking your class. But if it was really His work you were doing, you need be under no anxiety at the interruption. Perhaps you are like a young gardener hailing the first spring beam, and hastening to plant his seed in the warm, moist soil. But the Master comes, and stays his hand, and beckons him away from his pleasant work, and his heart is sad; for he thinks that all was ready, and now the promised crop will be delayed, and it will be so long ere the sweet flowers gladden his eye; or perhaps the seed will be wasted and evil weeds spring up ere his return; and so he leaves it sorrowfully, even though it be at his Master's call. But see, the Master leads him apart a little while, and bids him eat and drink in His presence and 'rest awhile:' so that he may go forth to his labour with new strength, and bright with the smile of his Master's countenance. And perhaps he will find on his return a soft shower (sent by no mortal hand) has fallen from a cloud of blessing, and his ground shall be filled with fruitfulness from the seed which he may now bring. "Teachers do not always like taking the lowest classes; but I am delighted with my little ones. I spend about the same time in preparation for them as I did for my Bible-class. They are mostly six or seven years old, and have no books to read in. So it's all vivá voce, and I get streams of questions. It is most interesting work. "When I began they asked no questions; but six or seven Sundays made a difference. To wit, taking the Christmas subject with them, they kept up a running fire of questions for half an hour, e.g., ' How did Joseph know it was an angel that spoke to him?' 'If Joseph hadn't minded what the angel said to him and stopped in Bethlehem, would God have let the soldiers kill Jesus?' etc., etc. When children go on asking you questions I consider it very interesting work!" What is so often a forgotten truth" as to the work of God's Holy Spirit was constantly the theme of F. R. H.'s Sundayschool teaching, even in 1858. In the note-book my sister kept of conversations with her class (in the week) are the following entries: "May 21st, 1858. Mary Anne and Priscy came, saying, 'Oh, teacher, we want you to talk to us about God.' I helped them to find various texts about the Holy Spirit: Luke xi. 13; Rom. viii. 26; John xiv. 26. The subject I gave them to think about was 'The need of the Holy Spirit.'" "May 25th, 1858. Annie and Priscy came. The subject of our reading was, A WORD TO OUR HARVESTERS. "The Holy Spirit comforting and teaching.' Then I knelt down and prayed with them that God would give us the Holy Spirit." "July 17th. Selina and Annie came. Subject, Matt. xxvi. 36-46: the love and watchfulness which Christ's sufferings should awaken in us. Selina has had a severe test, and has stood it. While away at her little friend's house, her father sent 181 for her three times to go to the races (then going on). At last he came and dragged her home by force. She cried and entreated not to go, remembering papa's (W. H. H.'s) address at Sunday-school and my (F. R. H.'s) advice. The father swore she should go. At last the mother's entreaties saved her, and the father gave up the point, and my little Sunday scholar was faithful and victorious." A Word to our Harvesters. ILLUSTRIOUS ABSTAINERS," ETC. BY FREDERICK SHERLOCK, AUTHOR OF OT many years ago he would have been considered a bold man who ventured to advocate the general practice of total abstinence in the harvest fields of old England. In many localities the ingathering of the golden grain was frequently the occasion of scenes of dissipation and revelry, the evil effects of which remained as a source of regret long afterwards. The formation of numerous parochial branches of the Church of England Temperance Society has happily done much towards bringing about an improvement in this respect. Reliable information has been spread on the physical evils resulting from an undue use of stimulating liquors, and many have been led to test for themselves the gain of abstinence. One of the most useful efforts of this nature was the offering of a prize for the best paper on the special subject of "Drink in the Hay and Harvest Field." There were a large number of competitors, and the award was made to Mr. John Bailey, of Grantham. His experience deserves to be pondered by all who are brought into connection with harvest work, whether as employers or labourers. Strong men may not of course feel the ill effects as he felt them; but what so clearly injured him must certainly be anything but beneficial even to the strongest. He writes: "When engaged in the harvest field, and accustomed to drink beer, I found that I was filled with an unnatural heat. My mouth became parched with thirst, and the oftener I drank beer the more frequently I became thirsty; so that in my case beer proved itself to be useless as a quencher of thirst. Then, as to its strength-giving and appetizing properties, I found that it frequently caused a sensation at my stomach like heartburn, with a heavy weight and total loss of relish for food, followed by weakness and trembling in my whole frame." Like a sensible man, John Bailey, having thus in his own case at least traced the connection of cause and effect, soon came to the conclusion that the best thing would be to test the matter by going without his customary allowance for a few days, and taking oatmeal and water instead. We give the result of the experiment in his own words. "First Day.-I felt somewhat better, and towards night could begin to enjoy my food. "Second Day.-My appetite returned, and my strength began to increase. "Third Day.-I was quite well. "No more parched palate; for when I had taken a draught of my new drink I could 'go in' (as we termed it) for an hour or more without the least inconvenience. No more trembling limbs now; I swung my scythe from right to left, and the precious golden grain came trembling to the ground. "The burning feverish heat which had so troubled me by day, disturbed my rest at night, and caused my mouth to be so parched and nauseous in the morning, had entirely gone. I could now perform my work cheerfully, go home tired certainly, but by no means exhausted. Day by day my strength increased, and when the harvest was ended I was in such trim for work that I was only sorry there was not another harvest ready to begin. Prejudice in favour of drink was entirely routed, and my depraved appetite was no longer allowed to rule and reign over right and common sense. Another pleasing feature was, I had a good harvest and but a very small beer bill to pay, for I bought no more beer after I found out the better plan. My experience clearly proved to me that men in the harvest field need nourishment and support, not intoxicating stimulants.” It would be easy to multiply similar testimonies. The Rev. Thomas Snow, Incumbent of Underbarrow, Milnthorpe, has taken great interest in this question, and collected a number of opinions from working men in various parts of the country, whose united testimony is that hard work in the harvest field has been found much easier to them without the use of intoxicating liquors as a stimulant. It deserves to be mentioned that the men whose testimony is given are practical harvesters, some having mown sixty-three acres of grass, and others having reaped nineteen to twenty acres of corn, without strong drink. Custom has a great deal to answer for : Use, John, Use, John, winks at this abuse, John; And, when you recommend the pledge, will patch up some excuse, John: Many drink because they're cold, And some because they're hot, John, And some because they 're not, John; And some because they 're stout, John; And some because they 're out, John. Nay," John, "Nay," John, whatever they may say, John, Never touch and never taste, but always answer "Nay," John. Our illustration is an engraving of one of the finest pictures in the present exhibition at the Royal Academy. The artist, Mr. G. H. Boughton, has achieved a great success and triumph in the exquisite finish of his work. "Evangeline," we may conclude, is bearing a good supply of John Bailey's refreshing and strengthening oatmeal and water to the thirsty harvesters. We hope there will be found an "Evangeline" in every harvest field this year, and that all harvesters will at any rate "just try" for once. Some of our readers may be glad to possess the following recipe for "a drink for harvesters," given by the eminent Dr. Parkes, in his valuable little book on "The Personal Care of Health." "When you have any heavy work to do, do not take either beer, cider, or spirits. By far the best drink is thin oatmeal and water, with a little sugar. The proportions are a quarter pound of oatmeal to two or three quarts of water; it should be well boiled, and then one ounce or an ounce and a half of brown sugar added. Shake up the oatmeal well through the liquid. In summer, drink this cold; in winter, hot. You will find it not only quenches thirst, but will give you more strength and endurance than any other drink. If at any time you have to make a very long day, as in harvest, and cannot stop for meals, increase the oatmeal to half a pound, or even three quarters, and the water to three quarts. If you cannot get oatmeal, wheat flour will do, but not quite so well. For quenching thirst few things are better than weak coffee and a little sugar; one ounce of coffee and half an ounce of sugar boiled in two quarts of water, and cooled, is a very thirst-quenching drink. Cold tea has the same effect, but neither are so supporting as oatmeal. Thin cocoa is very refreshing and supporting, but more expensive than oatmeal." "My doctor's order" is sometimes, we are afraid, unduly pleaded. We hope this "order" will be both pleaded and practised in a thousand harvest fields. We are indebted to Messrs. Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, for this engraving. It is a good specimen of the character of the illustrations in their deservedly popular Magazine of Art. The Motherless Turkeys. HE White Turkey was dead! The White Turkey was dead! Of a mother bereft, four small turkeys were left, And their case for assistance was crying. E'en the Peacock respectfully folded his tail, As a suitable symbol of sorrow; And his plainer wife said, "Now the old bird is dead, And when evening around them comes dreary and chill, "Two, each night, I will tuck 'neath my wings," said the Duck, "I have so much to do! For the slugs and the worms, I have nothing to spare-for my own I must care," "How I wish," said the Goose, "I could be of some use, The next morning that's fine, they shall go with my niue "I will do what I can," the old Dorking put in, But those poor little things, they are all heads and wings, "Very hard it may be, but, oh, don't come to me!" "Half my care, I suppose, there is nobody knows,- They must learn, little elves! how to scratch for themselves, She went by with a cluck, and the Goose to the Duck Exclaimed in surprise, “Well, I never!" Said the Duck, "I declare, those who have the least care, You will find, are complaining for ever! And when all things appear to look threatening and drear, And when troubles your pathway are thick in: For aid in your woc, oh, beware how you go MARIAN DOUGLAS. |