go, should for that would be beside my present purpose; I will endeavour to show you how this mother might have so arranged her matters, as to have had neither scolding nor work to do at that hour, for it was late in the afternoon. The eldest girl was assisting her mother; and I believe had the others been set to work they would have done it too. Now, had this woman sent each of her other girls to each of her neighbours, whom we visited, to assist them in their work, it would have been much for the advantage of all parties, and the boys might have been set to work in the garden, or they might have been usefully employed in many ways in the house, and thus she would have been doing good to others, and at the same time benefitting herself. Again, how often is it in your power to assist a sick neighbour! I have often seen in the cottages of the sick poor, many little things wanting to be done, which would render the sufferer and the family more easy and comfortable, and which would not take more than half, or a quarter of an hour to do; and where is the heart that can see a fellow-creature suffering, and not endeavour to relieve him? Alas, it is too often found in all classes of society, where religion has not taught the commandments of Christ; and I believe there is more sympathy among the poor than the rich, but still there is not so much as there should be. One more, among many instances, I would mention, in which you seem to forget how much good you might do. On the Lord's day how many mothers are obliged to stay from His house, and often from His table, on account of their children, who are too young to attend with the Sunday school, or to accompany them. Now if you would take it in turns to take care of each others' children, with your own, during that time, how many more might attend the house of God. A careful mother can look after and take care of several children at once; and if it were taken in turns, you might all of you attend much more frequently, and the little ones would be taught, by their parents' example, to esteem attendance at Church a blessing, and the Sabbath as a day set apart for God. I will add a few texts of Scripture, wherein this kindly feeling towards each other is set forth as a duty, and with prayer that this may be useful to some of you in pointing out your duty, and making you more comfortable, I subscribe myself Your sincere well-wisher, A COTTAGE VISITOR. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (1 Pet. iii. 8.); "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. vi. 2.); "Comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards all" (1 Thess. v. 14.); "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. vii. 12.); "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. v. 7.); "Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy: the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble" (Ps. xli. 1.); "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed towards His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and still do minister" (Heb. vi. 10.); “As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of the household of faith" (Gal. vi. 10.). DANGER FROM RUSTY IRON. MR. March, an able chemist connected with the Royal Arsenal, has discovered that it is an invariable rule with iron which has remained a considerable time under water, when reduced to small grains, or to an impalpable powder, to become red hot, and ignite' any substance with which it comes in contact. This he experienced by scraping some corroded metal from a gun, which ignited the paper containing it, and burnt a hole in his pocket. The knowledge of this fact may be useful in accounting for spontaneous fires, the origin of which has never been traced. Iron is now so universally used, as to render this discovery worthy of minute investigation, as the action of old rusty hinges bringing the corroded powder into contact with doors, or falling upon the floor, may have been the origin of many calamities attended with loss of life.Morning Post. 1 Set on fire. WEST FRONT OF YORK MINSTER. THE picture affords a faint representation of one of the most beautiful buildings ever dedicated to the service of God. It was built by the zeal and liberality of several successive Archbishops of York, assisted by the generous contributions of the rich, who in those days rightly thought that the House of God could not be too costly and magnificent. It was not fully completed, from the time of its commencement, till 250 years, but it stands upon the same ground on which a wooden church was built, about 627 A.D., by the first bishop of York, who was one of the missionaries sent to preach Christianity in England. It has unfortunately happened, that this cathedral has several times suffered severely from fire :-within a very few years two dreadful fires have occurred; the first of which destroyed the east part of it, since beautifully restored; and the second, which happened in the present year, has miserably defaced the front, which is here represented. It totally consumed the wood-work, ruined the beauty of one of the great towers, and has destroyed the magnificent window between them, filled with painted glass, which can never be imitated or restored. Although great exertions will be made to bring back its former splendour of appearance; it is to be feared that the effects of this last fire cannot be entirely removed. The works of God, when they have been injured or consumed, rise up again in their former newness and beauty; because, the same wisdom which first brought them forth, exists for ever to sustain and restore them. But the power and genius of man is so short-lived and precarious, that he never can calculate on doing a second time even what he has once completed. Although we of the present age seem to excel our forefathers in many of the arts, and in some kinds of knowledge, yet there are others in which we are quite unable to equal them; such as those connected with the building and decorating of churches. Since we are sure nothing happens without a reason in divine providence, no doubt this decay of human power is intended to humble us of these days, who are apt to cxalt our selves in our own opinion too high above our fathers. We ought to learn from it, that our knowledge and our power has, after all, a narrow limit; that God says to them, as to the sea, "thus far shalt thou go, and no farther;" and although like the sea they may sometimes make great advances and flow much farther in some directions than formerly, yet at the same time they are obliged to lose as much in other places, and so to preserve the same level and quantity on the whole. This may be the rule of Providence, designed to keep his children from trusting to the arm of flesh, and from admiring too much, things which are merely transitory and earthly. And when the men of this world boldly suppose that they make rapid advances in the scale of perfection, by the mere aid of human resources, the Christian sees that they are mistaken, and lowers his notion of the greatness of human nature to that standard, to which God in the Bible confines it. We have indeed great reason to be thankful that we are allowed to make so great improvements in the useful arts of life; but that improvement ought to occasion gratitude in us, and not pride. We should remember that our greatest works may be in an instant thrown down, and our greatest wisdom turned to folly, as they often indeed have been, for a punishment of vanity, and that God gives us all his blessings with the design, that they may be to his glory, and may rather have the effect of humbling than of exalting, the recipients of his goodness. FIFTH LETTER TO BEE-KEEPERS. MY DEAR FRIENDS,-Among the other advantages of keeping bees in double hives, is this, that the stocks are stronger, and so more sure of living through the winter. And besides this, they are in better condition to set to work early and vigorously in the spring. This is a matter of much consequence to the prosperity of the little colony. If their numbers are much diminished during the winter months, they have hard work to get on in the spring. There is a great deal to be done in the hive as soon as the weather allows them to work: and if there |