magnanimity. A man being asked to let bygones be bygones, and at least to receive another with whom he had a quarrel, replied: "Of course I will. The knife is sharpened, but not to slay the man who comes alone and of his own accord.'"

Archbishop Trench has pointed out. that many proverbs are common to all languages, dressed and coloured according to the varying climes and customs. One common proverb, for example, which speaks of falling between two stools, in China where boat-travelling is the one mode of locomotion for so many millions of her people, takes this form :

66

on remote objects, but neglect their family, are said to hang a lantern on a pole,' which is seen afar, but gives no light below."

From The Leisure Hour. TEN POINTS OF A GOOD WIFE.

ROBERT BURNS, the Scottish poet, speaking of the qualities of a good wife, divided them into ten parts. Four parts

he

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gave to "good temper; two to good sense; one "wit;" one to beauty" (such as a sweet face, eloquent eyes, a fine person, a graceful carriage); and the remaining two parts he divided amongst other qualities belonging to or attending on a wife, such as fortune, connection, education or accomplishments, family, and so on; but, he said, "Divide those two parts as you proportions must be expressed by fracplease, remember that all these minor tions, for there is not any one of them that is entitled to the dignity of an inte

One foot in this boat, one foot in that, They both push off and you fall flat. "To-morrow never comes is in Chinese "Every day has its to-morrow." The country saying that snow-drifts under hedges are waiting for more snow to join them is not unknown to the peasantry of the Flowery Land, for they say, Hsueh têng hsüeh, i.e. Snow waits for Our well-known meteorological dog-ger." Mr. Smiles, in quoting this pas

snow.

grel:

If it rains before seven,

'Twill be fine before eleven,

reappears in Chinese thus:

If it rains when you open your door,
'Twill shine when your breakfast is o'er.

Not

sage from Burns, in the chapter on marriage in his pleasant and chatty book on Character," says: "No wise person will marry for beauty mainly. It will exercise a powerful attraction in the first place, but it is found to be of compara tively little consequence afterwards. that beauty of person is to be underestiThe Chinese carry their liking for mated, for, other things being equal, proverbs, and sayings akin to proverbs, handsomeness of form and beauty of to such an extent that the most common features are the outward manifestations ornaments for the walls of their houses of health. But to marry a handsome figand temples are long strips of paper, hung ure without character, fine features unperpendicularly in pairs and inscribed in beautified by sentiment or good nature, bold characters with sentences which are is the most deplorable of mistakes." alike in meaning and construction. They This is the only comment made by Mr. have a book called Ming-hsin pao chien Smiles on the matrimonial scale of Burns, (ie. The reminding precious mirror), the proportions of which he may therewhich is filled with quotations of this fore be taken to approve. The matter is nature from the works of various writers. worth closer criticism, and it will be an In conclusion, we quote from Davis' Chi- amusing and not unpractical or unprofitnese a paragraph illustrative of a Chinese able employment of some leisure minpeculiarity, which is in some measure utes, to try, in some reader's judgment, connected with our subject:- "Some of whether any variation or improvement the ordinary expressions of the Chinese may not be made in the distribution of are pointed and sarcastic enough. A the ten points in a good wife. It will be blustering harmless fellow they call a observed at the outset that the moral and paper tiger.' When a man values him-religious element is wholly ignored in the self over much, they compare him to a estimate of the poet. Physical, intellecturat falling into a scale and weighing itself.' al, and social qualities are alone taken Overdoing a thing they call a hunch-into account; for good temper can scarceback making a bow.' A spendthrift they | ly be included among moral excellencies. compare to a rocket,' which goes off at But the problem need not be complionce. Those who expend their charity 'cated by bringing into its consideration

points of moral or religious worth. Des- ten might be allotted for their fractional ignate these under the title of "good expression. Of course there are excepprinciple," and this would demand a far tional cases and circumstances, where larger proportion of the ten points than some of these minor qualities assume the four which Burns gives to good tem- greater importance. For instance, the per. For without virtue or good princi- heir of an estate, or the representative of ple, we know that good temper, and good a high family, might consider rank, and looks, and other gifts of person, are too wealth, and education, of more conseoften dangerous and ruinous to their quence than to be represented by a de cipossessor. Rather let us assume good mal fraction. The wise Lord Burleigh, principle and virtuous conduct, founded in giving advice to his son on the choice upon true religion, to be taken for granted of a wife, said: "Let her not be poor, in the problem, as it will be certainly how generous (well-born) soever, for a deemed essential in the choice of a wife man can buy nothing in the market with by every man who makes Christian pro- gentility." The greatness of his house fession. To marry "in the Lord" is a was in his mind more than the happiness divine precept as well as a prudent reso- of his son, in giving this advice. But lution for all who seek "to live for both taking the average of men who have to worlds." Two other conditions are to consider only their own personal taste, be presupposed - a certain amount of comfort, and advantage, good temper, equality of station, as well as no undue good sense, and good health are the disparity of age. There are exceptional three primary and essential points.

cases in both respects, but in discussing general principles we have regard to the common rule, not the rare exception. As a rule, marriages of unequal caste turn out unhappily for all concerned. In the rough bush life of a new colony this may be of less moment, bnt in the ordinary circumstances of civilized life, some equality of station and of education is expected. In examining the qualities to be sought in a wife, let us therefore regard moral worth, and also suitableness of station, not as among the requisites, but as prerequisites; and then let us see how far we assent to the distribution of the ten points of Burns. The importance of good temper is great, but four out of ten seems rather a large proportion to allot to it. In describing the good qualities of a friend, or a brother or sister, or a master or servant, good temper would be a large ingredient, but in a wife, other points deserve equal if not greater note. Taking the larger view of Beauty, as including all personal qualities of a physical or material kind, form and figure as well as feature, and especially a healthy constitution, it certainly should be at least on a level with good temper. A poor invalid or cripple may have the sweetest of tempers. On the other hand, a pretty face may belong to a silly fool; which brings the point of good sense also to the front. The majority of sensible men will thoroughly agree with the poet as to the comparative unimportance of what he calls the "minor proportions," of fortune, family, accomplishments, and other accessories; and, in fact, one instead of two out of the

From The Sunday Magazine. BIBLE SYNONYMS:

PERFECT, UPRIGHT, COMPLETE, PERFECTED.

IN the Epistle of St. James, we find the exhortation - "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.' That epistle deals with the subject of endurance and obedience, and perfection in these respects is, as a rule, gained by degrees through the grace of the Holy Ghost, and the influence of Divine truth upon the mind. It is, therefore, a proper subject of exhortation and prayer "That ye may stand perfect and filled in all the will of God." Perfection is just the attainment of our telos, i.e., the end and consummation of our holy calling. Entireness is wholeness or completeness of character, not leaving any part unsanctified, or surrendering any faculty to unrighteousness, or lacking any good thing. This does not imply that all are to be filled to the same measure, or moulded to the same shape; but it means that every one is to labour and pray that his Christian life may be not only genuine but complete and consistent according to his capacity, that he be sanctified wholly by the God of peace. 2. The upright is "yashar," the man of straightforwardness, rectitude, and equity. The term indicates a tone of character which a healthy moral sense always and everywhere approves. Even Balaam, though

himself consciously, and from a selfish into them, and to them, as they dwell motive, swerving from rectitude, knew by faith in Christ. It is no more the enough of its value to cry-"Let me case of a man walking before the Lord, die the death of the yashar, and let my and, being perfect, as Noah, Abraham, or last end be like his." Moralists, who re- Job was perfect. It is the case of a man pudiate Divine revelation, must not sup-dwelling in the Lord, hidden in Him for pose that they have any priority or supe- safety, quickened in Him for life, justified riority in inculcating the virtue and in Him for acceptance, nay, filled up or strength of a sincere and upright char- completed in Him. All grace abounds acter. Holy Scripture is not entirely oc- towards the believer, and he has all-percupied with the history of Divine inter- fect resources in his Lord and Saviour. positions, or even with the salvation of He is filled, not as the vessel now and sinners. In its earlier as well as in its then dipped in the lake and carried away, later books, it inculcates, delineates, and but as the stream that receives the encourages integrity and justice; while waters of that lake in a constant living it connects these, as our Bible-refusing flow. He is filled, not as the basket into moralists cannot do, with the righteous- which summer fruit is gathered from a ness of God above, from whom all good-tree, but as the branch is supplied with ness and truth emanate, and to whom sap, and so covered with clusters of they return in the consecration of his grapes from the living vine in which it people to the Lord who loves righteous- abides. Jesus Christ being full of grace ness. 3. The expression "complete in and truth, is for us all-sufficient, and we Christ," belongs to the New Testament. are completed in Him, as we are adIn Him dwells more than a fulness of mitted into the fellowship of his Spirit, qualities and powers, such as constitutes the enjoyment of his grace, and the the consummate ideal man. It is "the riches of his inheritance, "who is the fulness of Godhood bodily." This ful- Head of all principality and power." ness is made accessible and available 4. The term "perfected" applies either to all who are his. Out of it they all re- to worship or to character. In the ceive. They are not taken up into the former sense it is true of Christians in divinity, but divinity streams upon them, their lifetime, in the latter it is not.

MT. PARNASSUS. -Dr. Schliemann, says the | table-land they had visited on the previous Pall Mall Gazette, describes in the Allgemeine Zeitung an ascent made by him last month of Mt. Parnassus. He did not see any snow until he had gained an altitude of 6555 feet; and even then only in clefts of the mountain. At nine in the evening, after repeatedly losing his way, he arrived at one of the highest of the shepherds' huts; but the place was so filthy that he preferred to sleep with his companions in the open air. This he did with comparative comfort, though when he left Delphi that morning the temperature was at 32° Reaumur, while at his sleeping place the thermometer showed 4° only. At 2 A.M. they proceeded on mules for an hour and a half, after which they had to climb with hands and feet up the Lykeri, which is the highest peak of the mountain. They reached the summit with much labor at five o'clock, just as the sun was rising. To the east they saw the green fields and meadows of Beotia, Lake Copais, Attica, the island of Eubœa and the Agean Sea; to the north the mountain chains of Othrys and Eta, Pindus, Olympus, Ossa, Pelion and Athos; to the south the high

day, the ravine of Pleistos, in which Delphi lies hidden, the beautiful plain of Krysso, the bays of Cirrha and Anticirrha, and the magnificent mountain range of the Helicon, the bay of Corinth, Acrocorinthos, the mountains of Achaia, descending precipitously to the sea, the high mountains of Arcadia, and in the background the gigantic Taygetos; to the west the mountains of Locria, Ætolia and Acarnania, and behind them the Adriatic. Dr. Schliemann adds that on the summit of the mountain he found only one kind of plant, with small thick leaves, but that at the foot of the Lykeri there were six different species, giving abundant food to the sheep. Some of the shepherds have 2000 sheep, which is equivalent to a property of 30,000 drachmas, or 7500 thalers (1100). Everywhere on the mountain tops there are high stones of various shapes, which serve as landmarks to the shepherds in foggy weather. The women carry about with them a very primitive spinning apparatus, with which they are continually spinning wool, whether they sit, stand or walk.

IV. A DREAM STORY. By the author of "Patty," Temple Bar,

V. THE EDUCATION OF WOMEN,

VI. ITALIAN POLITICS, .

VII. A MODERN DEAD LANGUAGE,

173

Nature,

185

Pall Mall Gazette,

187

Tinsley's Magazine,

189

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