so well, and give you picture-books and toys to play with."

Many of the natives here think that little girls should have no play, but work all day. When they are little things they make them hold the baby all day long, or carry wood and water, sometimes from a long distance. The heathen natives do not like their little girls even to learn to read, as they are afraid of them getting to know what is right, and then refusing to do the wrong things their friends often ask them to do.

A lady friend of mine in this country, who also teaches native girls, was one time across the Kei. She went with Mr. Soga to a great chief's place, and some of the girls came round this lady. She had brought an alphabet-board with her, and wanted to teach the little girls the letters. One girl especially was very eager to know them; and when the time came for the lady to go away, she took up the board in her arms as if it was a child, and kissed it. Poor girl, her friends will not allow her to go to school, and yet she is so eager to learn.

Dear young people, I hope you will give us, and the boys and girls here, a large place in your little warm hearts. If you want to grow up unselfish men and women, the way is to begin now, and share your good things with the boys and girls who have none. Believe I value your gift highly, and I now send you a very hearty "Thank you!" for it. Good-by, little friends, and try to make your little heads and hearts help us as much as they can.Yours very sincerely,

me,

JANE E. WATERSTON.*

FORGIVE AND FORGET. "I CAN forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another form of saying, "I will not forgive." A forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it never can be shown against the man. There is an ugly kind of forgiveness in this world-a kind of hedgehog forgiveness, shot out like quills.-Beecher's "Life Thoughts."

* This interesting letter was received several months ago; but, unfortunately, it somehow got into a wrong box, and so has not been printed till now. We are sorry for the mistake.-ED.

This is a very large sum, and will be a great help to the mission in China. I shall be sending it away very soon, and we must now follow it with our prayer, that our heavenly Father may bless it, and teach some of the boys and girls in China to cast their idols all away, and to love and serve Jesus.

I am sure that the missionaries will all be very glad when they hear that the little girls at home try to do what they can to help them in their work; and I must try and remember to tell you when I hear from China of any little converts that have been brought to know and love Jesus.

We are sure that when we thus labour and pray for China, the prayer will be answered. When we at home are praying for the missionaries, the work prospers; and when we forget to pray for China, the people wont listen to them, and they cannot preach so well.

I return your box with our best thanks for your valued help, and hope a rich blessing will rest upon you.-Yours very truly, C- H

LITTLE BY LITTLE.

HE who wants to do a great deal at once, will never do anything. Dr. Johnson.

"A HAPPY NEW YEAR, SIR!"

BY PASTOR ALEXANDER DJEJIZIAN, ARMENIA. ON passing along one of the streets of Edinburgh on New Year's Day, was observing the innocent enjoyments of the people who were out for a walk, and the great many children enjoying themselves with their parents, bright and cheerful.

Myself being a stranger, and a father living far from my children, I was somewhat in a depressed spirit; and in this lonely state of mind I directed my steps towards my lodging, when, to my surprise, a little girl of five or six years came towards me and said, "Happy New Year, sir!" Bright and graceful, with soft curls, she looked a "little sunbeam." My eyes kindled, and I said, "I wish you the same, my child."

I

Having had a great object before me in coming to this country, for the good of my countrymen, reflecting sadly upon the state of things in my own country, and depressed as I was, this little apparently trifling incident gave me much comfort. thanked God, and took courage. I think I ought also to have thanked her mother, who was at that time following after her, for training her children in the way of cheerfulness and politeness.

Dear young friends, taking this little incident as my text, let me speak to you a few words.

1. Politeness in children is beautiful; and it costs nothing to be polite, not only to friends, but to strangers also.

2. It is not necessary to be great or rich in order to do good. That little child was not an angel with wings, to bring blessings. A sweet, cheerful word, can make others happy. One word kindly spoken may do much good. It may be a New Year's gift to some stranger, as indeed it was in my case.

3. It is not difficult to find opportunities to do good. Some people say they have no time. It is in the power of every child to do good. When there is a will there is a way to find some opportunity. All have opportunities to do good and to make others happy.

4. There are many ways in which good children can do good, if they have only courage to do it. They can pray with their younger brother or sister, or their friends; they can speak a word to their companion or friend when they are in wrong; they can read or sing to some poor or aged person or neighbour; yea, there have been children who, by giving a tract, or speaking some word, have been the means of bringing an old sinner to Christ.

Dear young friends, "Trust in the Lord, and do good."

LANDING AT MADRAS.

THE Madras Lighthouse is sighted very carly in the morning. Soon the rising sun throws his bright beams on the scene; boats are observed to leave the shore; the catamaran rafts, composed of three rude pieces of wood, eight to ten feet long, lashed tögether, are launched, and each manned by an almost naked native. They bound over the waves, and, in their light, conical caps, convey letters from the shore. They are the first to step on board and welcome the missionary. Often visitors soon arrive, and the boats are filled; the boatmen struggle hard over the boisterous surf, yell for a few minutes tremendously, and then all are on shore.

The city of Madras contains between seven and eight hundred thousand human beings. Madras Presidency is nearly twelve times as large as Scotland, and contains fourteen times as many inhabitants.

George. Mother, mother, come here! do come here! Look at this!

Mother. Well, my son, it is certainly very pretty; but I have often seen mustard growing.

George. But, mother, how did it come here?

Mother. How came these other plants here these flowers and shrubs, of which the garden is full? The mustard grew here, of course.

George. But, no, mother, it could not have grown here by chance. Who ever knew such a thing as that to happen by chance? Mother. What makes you think it could not have happened by chance?

George. Why, look at the little plants, how they have sprouted up so as to spell my name, G-E-O-R-G-E; not a letter wanting -not a letter in the wrong place.

SMALL

NAME.

Mother. Yes, it is spelled very well; much better, indeed, than the spelling of a little boy who once wrote a letter to his father and signed his name J-0-R-J-E.

George. Oh, mother, do not tease me any more about that blunder! But, indeed, I am sure chance could not have sown this mustard-seed. See how even and exact all the letters are at top and bottom. I am sure somebody did it; and I think, mother, you did it to surprise me.

Mother. You are right. I sowed the mustard-seed, but not exactly to surprise you. I did it to teach you something which I wish you to understand.

George. What do you wish me to learn, mother, from a bed of mustard?

Mother. You did not see me, a week ago, when I formed this little plot, where you find your name in these beautiful green

letters,-how then came you to think that I had done it?

George. Oh, I knew that chance could not have shaped the letters so perfectly, and put them together so correctly;— I knew that some person must have done it.

Mother. And yet, all around us are millions and millions of things shaped more perfectly, and put together with infinitely greater skill.

George. What things? They must be very wonderful. Please show them to

me.

It

Mother. Look, then, first at yourself. You have eyes most exactly contrived to enable you to see things around you. would take hours to tell you of the wonders of the human eye. But without an ample supply of light all beautiful contrivances would be in vain, for light is required before we can see; and yonder, in the sky, millions and millions of miles off, shines a sun that gives just the kind of light to suit our wants.

You have also ears to hear sweet sounds and the voices of your friends. All the skill of man never made anything half so wonderful.

You have hands adapted to a thousand purposes, and than which nothing can be more wonderful.

Hours, and days, and weeks would not be sufficient to explain all the wonderful things about the human body.

If my dear boy thought that some one must have been at this bed of mustard, what should he think when he sees so many wonderful proofs of wisdom and goodness around him?

George. Oh, yes, mother, I understand, I see it all! I should be blind did I not see in all these things the work of ALMIGHTY GOD.

THE POWER OF CONSCIENCE. WHEN a very little boy, I remember reading about a child who was in the habit of going to an upper room or loft where there was a store of apples. She went from time to time to steal the fruit; but she met with something that greatly troubled her.

There happened to have been placed in that store-room an old oil-painting. It was a large face, the eyes of which, go to what part of the room the little girl might, seemed to follow her; and they appeared to be saying to her, as she stooped down to take up the apples, "Ah, I see you! It is very naughty. You are sure to be found out."

This so annoyed the little culprit, from time to time, that she was determined to put a stop to the threatening of these two staring eyes; so she procured a small knife, or a pair of scissors, and cut them out. Ah, but there were still the two large holes in place of them; and she never could look at them without thinking of the eyes, and what they used to say to her. She had put out the eyes, but she had not, nor could she, get rid of her conscience. Moreover, the very means she had used for sinning without rebuke only served to discover her guilt; for, when what had befallen the painting came to be found out, it led to such inquiries as at last to reveal the whole truth.-Early Days.