lution, I determined to mark with attention the evils it every day occasions.

66

Calling one day at a friend's house, I found the eldest child, a sweet little girl, about eight years old, in great distress, and though my presence made her attempt to conceal her grief, still I could not but perceive the tears often rolling down her cheek. "What is the matter, Charlotte," I said, come tell me what distresses you so much." She hung down her head, and I looked to her mamma, as fearing I might have interfered with the parental discipline which the best of children sometimes require. However, before I could speak, Maria, scarcely three years of age, rose from her little stool at her mother's feet, and looking sorrowfully in my face, said "Charlotte's canary bird is dead; it was starved."

Upon this her mamma said-"Poor Charlotte has unfortunately been reaping the fruits of forgetfulness; she had a beautiful canary given her, of which she was very fond, and which for some time was carefully fed and cleaned, but one unlucky day it was forgotten, amid her preparations for the reception of some young visitors, and I am sorry to say, starved to death." The dear child appeared so much afflicted at her loss, that I could not avoid requesting her mamma to allow me to present her with another canary bird, in the hope that she would, in future, remember to take care of it. Charlotte thanked me, her countenance beaming with delight, and promised she would "endeavour never to forget any thing again." Soon after this I took my leave of this interesting family not without having learned another important practical lesson on the subject of forgetfulness.

Being afterwards on a visit at the house of another friend, it so happened, that a letter was received, stating, that a certain sum of money had been bequeathed by an individual to his next of kin, and if my friend could by letter prove his claim on such a day, he might obtain it. On account of distance, the letter was to be answered by return of post, to arrive in time, and it was done accordingly, and committed to the care of the servant who usually carried the letters to the office, with strict orders to take it immediately. Something occurred to prevent his doing it at the moment-he laid the letter by, and forgot

to take it till within five minutes of the time for the mail's departure.

He then hastily seized it, and ran with it to the PostOffice; but when he arrived, the box was shut, and the mail gone! What could he do? He would attempt to overtake it but that was impossible! There was no alternative but to return to his master, and intreat his forgiveness. He came home, and to add to the mortification of such an event, his only excuse was, "indeed Sir, I quite forgot it." Did I not desire you to take it immediately" said my friend. "Yes Sir, but I was called away, and then it went quite out of my head."

"Was it

not your place to remember it?" "Yes Sir, I know it was, and I am very sorry I forgot it; I would not have had it happen for the world."

"Well, John," said his kind master, "your carelessness has cost me some hundreds of pounds, and I might instantly dismiss you from my service; but you are generally careful, therefore I forgive you; yet henceforth I never will, from any of my servants, accept of forgetfulness as an excuse for neglect." When not conquered, you see how great a fault is a habit of forgetfulness, and of how serious a nature, may be the consequences arising from it. Here I could not but deeply feel the evil; yet nothing is more common than to hear servants say, in excuse for negligence, "I am very sorry, but I quite forgot it," not considering that the duty of endeavouring to remember is as urgent as to do those things which are remembered.

Another instance which I may record, is that of a,youthful friend, who one day visited a poor man, labouring under the influence of a disorder which often proves fatal, but, with timely assistance, may sometimes be effectually checked. My young friend determined, immediately on his return home, to mention the circumstance to his father, that medical advice might be procured. When he arrived at home, he found some old acquaintances of the family had unexpectedly come on a visit, and in his joy at seeing them, and his participation in the general happiness, he forgot to mention the case of the poor man till too late. The poor sufferer died, and my young friend often reproaches himself for his unintentional neglect, which many of our modern casuists would soften into mere "forgetfulness."

Thus we often cover our neglected duties with the flimsy excuse, I quite forgot it;" but does not this form an additional breach of duty, and an aggravation of our guilt? It is very remarkable, that many commandments enforced in the Bible, are prefaced with "Remember," which word, by this means, becomes part of the command itself. Thus, one of the ten delivered on Mount Sinai, is, "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day," &c. Besides this, there are others, similarly worded, dispersed throughout the sacred pages; such as, to the Jews in particular, "Remember the word which Moses commanded you" and to every young person, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." Many more might be quoted, but these alone appear sufficient to show that forgetfulness, so far from excusing the breach of our duty, rather increases the measure of our guilt.

LESSON LXXVIII.

Magnitude of the Objects of Missionary Efforts.-
WAYLAND.

and

OUR object will not have been accomplished till the tomahawk shall be buried forever, and the tree of peace spread its broad branches from the Atlantic to the Pacific; until a thousand smiling villages shall be reflected from the waves of the Missouri, and the distant valleys of the West echo with the song of the reaper; till the wilderness and the solitary place shall have been glad for us, the desert has rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. Our labours are not to cease, until the last slave-ship shall have visited the coast of Africa, and, the nations of Europe and America having long since redressed her aggravated wrongs, Ethiopia, from the Mediterranean to the Cape, shall have stretched forth her hand unto God.

How changed will then be the face of Asia! Bramins and sooders and casts and shasters will have passed away, like the mist which rolls up the mountain's side before the rising glories of a summer's morning, while the land on which it rested, shining forth in all its loveliness, shall, from its numberless habitations, send forth the high

praises of God and the Lamb. The Hindoo mother will gaze upon her infant with the same tenderness which throbs in the breast of any one of you who now hears me, and the Hindoo son will pour into the wounded bosom of his widowed parent, the oil of peace and consolation.

In a word, point us to the loveliest village that smiles upon a Scottish or New-England landscape, and compare it with the filthiness and brutality of a Caffrarian kraal, and we tell you that our object is to render that Caffrarian kraal as happy and as gladsome as that Scottish or New-England village. Point us to the spot on the face of the earth, where liberty is best understood and most perfectly enjoyed, where intellect shoots forth in its richest luxuriance, and where all the kindlier feelings of the heart are constantly seen in their most graceful exercise; point us to the loveliest and happiest neighbourhood in the world on which we dwell; and we tell you that our object is to render this whole earth, with all its nations and kindreds and tongues and people, as happy, nay, happier than that neighbourhood.

LESSON LXXIX.

Anecdote of an Elephant.-LINDLEY MURRAY.

THOUGH I might sometimes be disposed, at this early period of life, to think and to act properly, I was often impelled by inclinations of a very different nature. I had a curious propensity to discover and observe the natural dispositions of animals. And this curiosity was, in some instances, so strong as to make me overlook the uneasiness which, by teasing them, was occasioned to the animals themselves. I was not naturally of a cruel disposition; but was rather pleased to see the animal creation about me, enjoy themselves. The propensity I have mentioned was, however, sometimes unwarrantably indulged so much so, as to mark a depraved turn of mind, which, even now, it gives me pain to recollect.

I ought to have reflected, that all animals have assigned to them by the Author of nature, a pleasurable existence; and that it is our duty to second his intention, as

we have opportunity; and especially to avoid all occasions of inflicting upon them unnecessary pain. An additional excitement to this duty, is, that whilst we encourage a disposition to promote the pleasures, or increase the pains, of the animals which surround us, we are cherishing the general spirit of benevolence, or its contrary; which will naturally be extended towards our fellow-creatures. In this point of view, it is of very great importance to cultivate, in young persons especially, proper dispositions and conduct towards the creatures endued with animal life.

The unwarrantable curiosity which I have just mentioned, continued to operate, in some degree, for many years; and, occasionally, showed itself long after I was grown up. I recollect a particular instance of it, which was very near proving fatal to me; and which, though a little out of the course of my narrative, may not improperly be related in this place. As nearly as I can recollect, the incident was as follows.

When I was in England, in the year 1771, I went to see the elephants, which were kept at the Queen's stables, Buckingham-house. Whilst I was gratifying myself with observing the huge creatures, and their various actions and peculiarities, I took occasion to withdraw from one of them a part of the hay, which he was collecting on the floor with his proboscis. I did this with my cane; and watched the animal very narrowly, to prevent a stroke from him, which I had reason to expect. The keeper said that I had greatly displeased the elephant, and that he would never forget the injury.

I thought but little of this admonition, at the time. But about six weeks afterwards, when I accompanied some other persons, on a visit to the elephants, I found that, though probably several hundred people had been there since my preceding visit, the animal soon recognised me. I did not attempt to molest or tease him at all; and I had no conception of any concealed resentment. On a sudden, however, when I was supposed to be within the reach of his proboscis, he threw it towards me with such violence, that if it had struck me, I should probably have been killed, or have received some material injury. Happily for me, I perceived his intention, and being very active, I sprung out of his reach. To every other