Donkey Boy to the Queen.

signature

W. W. Tulloch.

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Told in Sunshine Room.]

donkey

A True Incident. By Alfred T. Story.

OOne dull though calm afternoon, when the century was younger by nearly half its years than it is to-day, two bright-faced, handsome boys, dressed in Highland costume, were quietly fishing in a mountain stream, when they were disturbed in their contemplative pastime by the piteous cries of a dog. Barely had they time to look round before a poor, miserable little cur ran past them, followed by an irate youth brandishing a stout cudgel. As the dog turned and cowered behind their creel, and seemed to crave their protection, the elder of the brothers—for such they were—stepped between the poor brute and its tormentor, asking the latter what the dog had done that it should be so ill-treated.

One dull though calm afternoon, when the century was younger by nearly half its years than it is to-day, two bright-faced, handsome boys, dressed in Highland costume, were quietly fishing in a mountain stream, when they were disturbed in their contemplative pastime by the piteous cries of a dog. Barely had they time to look round before a poor, miserable little cur ran past them, followed by an irate youth brandishing a stout cudgel. As the dog turned and cowered behind their creel, and seemed to crave their protection, the elder of the brothers—for such they were—stepped between the poor brute and its tormentor, asking the latter what the dog had done that it should be so ill-treated.

Said the lad gruffly, resenting the boys' interference:

"What's it to ye? She's ma dug, an' I'll do what I like wi' her."

"You shan't hit her with that stick," replied the sturdy youth, who, though tall for his age, was not so thick-set as his opponent, and was evidently a couple of years his junior.

"Mebbe I will, mebbe I willna," returned the lad, who, though not ill-looking, was poorly clad, and, for the time being, ugly with passion. "But I'll hae th' dug," and with the word he tried to push past the obstructer. A scuffle ensued, in which the younger boy wrested the cudgel from the dog's tormentor, but, as his share, received a blow on the nose which brought blood.

"Gie me ta stick," said the owner of the dog, surprised that he had so far underrated his antagonist.

The latter's answer was to cast it into the stream.

This still more astonished the peasant lad, who seemed as though he would again fall upon his antagonist. But there was something about the youth's straight, well-knit figure, his handsome face, and flashing eye that caused him to reflect; whereupon he lowered his fists, which had risen to the bravado of attack, and, in a less defiant tone, said:

"Weel, let me hae Meg, an' I'll say naethin' aboot ta stick."

"Promise me not to beat her then."

The young callant gave the required undertaking, and the next minute he had the shrinking little animal in his arms and was walking away with it the way he had come. But, turning round when he had gone a few rods, he saw the youth who had withstood him bending over the stream, laving his face in the cool water.

Now, for the first time, Tam, as he was called, noticed something about the boys which in his anger he had failed to mark.It was not their dress—though that betokened rank above the common; it was something more intimate than that; something in the air, in the manner, of them which made him uneasy in his mind, and caused him to steal home with lagging gait and eyes that sought the ground.

His home was a little bracken-thatched one-storey cottage, or hut, with stone walls, planted in a green oasis of a few yards square, amid a wilderness of rock and shingle, overgrown with moss and heather and other rough vegetation, from which a few stray sheep and stunted cattle gathered a scanty subsistence. These were Tam's charge. For not far from the little two-roomed cot which he called his home were other huts like it, inhabited by poor, hard-working people like his grandparents, each having a few sheep, or a cow or two, and one or another a donkey or wild-looking Highland pony; and he, having to look after his grandfather's little stock, was paid a trifle by the others to tend theirs too.

Tam Jamison had done this since he was five, at which age he was left an orphan by the death of his mother, who died broken-hearted at the loss of her husband, fighting in a distant land against Britain's foes.

He was now twelve; and though he loved the braes and the mountain streams, he was beginning to chafe at his narrow life, wanting to be off now with the drovers, now with the sportsmen and gillies, or the coachmen who drove their teams daily in the season past his grandfather's croft. It was a hard task for the old folks, Donal and Yetta Jamison, to retain him at home, impossible to make him content. They did their best to keep him under control; but it was chiefly done by coaxing, a good deal by petting. This in the end did not lighten their task. Every day Tam became more wayward and difficult; every other day there were complaints of his negligence on the one hand, of his mischief on the other; and then, to cap all, it came to the old people's ears that their Tam—it could be no other—had dared to raise his fist against one of the princes of the blood, no less than the Prince of Wales.

That very evening the news was all over the country-side. The next morning there was such a hubbub as never was heard. Everybody said Tam would certainly be sent to jail, if no worse thing befell him. Tam, braving the thing out, said he "didna mind"; but the old folks, greatly caring, put on their Sunday best, and set out to walk to Braemar to see and intercede with the Queen on the boy's behalf. They found her not at home, and so had their long trudge for nothing. However, one of the domestics drew from them what their business was; and the next day a little lady, very plainly dressed, riding on a wee, shaggy pony, stopped at the door, and, being helped to dismount by a man who was with her, entered the hut and asked for Tam's grandparents.

shaggyA little lady on a shaggy pony stopped at the door.

A little lady on a shaggy pony stopped at the door.

They were not afraid of the little lady, because she looked so good and kind, and spoke so gently, but when they discovered that she was from Braemar, and that it was to learn all about Tam that she had come, they were almost tremblingly anxious. Thinking that the Queen had sent her, they apologised very humbly for the boy's misbehaviour, saying it did not arise from any badness in him so much as from wilfulness and daring. They hoped the Queen wouldna be severe on the laddie; he was little more than a child, and though masterful and not to be said, he had not a bad heart. It was partly their fault, no doubt, as Tam, having no parents, had been left to them very young, and they, perhaps, had spoiled him just a little.

So the old folks went on, the tears often in their eyes.

In a few minutes the good lady from Braemar had made herself acquainted with all the circumstances of Tam's birth and rearing, had heard the catalogue of his faults and shortcomings, and been posted as to his restlessness and discontent. It was a long and interesting human inventory, wound up with the declaration, tearfully attested by both Donal and Yetta, that "he wasna sae bad as wilfu'"; albeit they confessed to being greatly afraid, if he went away from them, as he wished, lest his masterfulness should lead him into evil ways.

"And where is this masterful one, this Tam?" asked the Lady of Braemar. "One would like to see him."

Tam, however, could nowhere be found. The old man looked up and down for him, neighbours joined in the search; but it was only too plain that Tam had hidden himself away somewhere.

"Well," said the Lady, at length, "I cannot tarry any longer. But the boy cannot be far away; so when he is found bring him to Braemar, and we will see what can be done."

Donal and Yetta promised that such should be their care, and, as a last word, ere the Lady rode away, they begged that she would intercede on Tarn's behalf "wi' the gude and gracious Queen."

The Lady promised to do her utmost, and so departed.

The next day, the "sodger's laddie," as Tam was called, having in the meanwhile been found, the grey-headed old crofter and his wife, both of them bent with toil and drooping with care, once more made their way over the hills to Braemar; Tam, downhearted, demure, and in his Sabbath claes, padding the turf by their side.

Arrived at their destination, Tam hung a low head; for in front of the house was congregated a little party, chiefly of children, preparing to set out for a ride; among the number being the two young gentlemen whom he knew.

The elder of them, the Prince of Wales, at once recognising his antagonist of three days ago, stepped up to him and said, with a frank and kindly smile:

"Good-morning, Tam! You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

Tam uttered a barely audible "Nae."

"And you hold no grudge against me for throwing your stick in the river, do you?"

Another demure "Nae" found its way between Tam's half-closed teeth; but this time he allowed his blue eyes to meet the young Prince's in a surprised gaze.

"Then let us shake hands and be friends," said the Prince.

Tam extended his brown paw, and they clasped in token of mutual goodwill.

The little scene transacted itself almost as quickly as it can be read—so quickly, indeed, that Tam's grandparents witnessed it in mute astonishment; and before they had recovered their self-possession, the Lady who had called at the hut on Tam's account issued from the house, looking much as she had done the previous day, with the exception that a broad-brimmed straw hat covered her head in place of a sun-bonnet.

"So you found the little runagate, did you?" said she, addressing the old folks.

"Yes, madam," replied Donal. "Mister Fargus found him at night in a cave in the birch-wood above the burn."

"What made you run away, Tam?" said the Lady, turning to the youth.

Tam was silent.

"Tell me. You need not be afraid."

"I thought mebbe I had hurt him"—with a nod in the direction of the Prince.

"Oh, you didn't hurt me! You only brought a little of the red juice out of my nose, and that can hurt nobody," said the Heir-Apparent.

Prince Alfred, who was standing by, smiled at his brother's sally, as did also the Lady in the straw hat.

Tam laughed outright. He had never heard or known of a bleeding nose being treated so lightly, and at the same time so funnily. His poor grandparents, however, were shocked at his levity, and Yetta gave him a vigorous nudge to recall him to a due sense of his position.

"If you like," said the Prince, "I'll give you one of my sticks in place of the one I threw away," adding, with nice diplomacy, "but I can tell you it's too proud a stick to hit a dog."

Tam smiled, and said he would not use it in that way.

"And I think we must ask you to promise not to think of ever runningaway from your grandparents," said the Lady.

That seemed to strike Tam as a large order.

"I wouldna like to bide on the croft when I get bigger."

"Why, what do you wish to be when you grow bigger?"

"I want to be a soldier, like my father."

Yetta drew a pained breath; Donal's lips twitched.

"You would not like him to go for a soldier?" queried the Lady.

"Baith my sons focht and deed for their kintra," said Donal.

"And you would like to keep your grandson to comfort you in your old age?"

The old folks bowed; their trembling lips could hardly frame an audible "Yes."

"It is quite natural. You hear that, Tam? You would not like to go away to the wars, as your father and your uncle did, and be killed, and so grieve your poor grandparents."

"I dinna want to grieve 'em," replied Tam. "But I'd like to be a soldier and fight for the Queen."

At this answer there was more than one moistened eyelid in the little group, whereof Tam, for the time being, constituted the central figure.

After a brief pause, his interlocutor continued:

"But, my boy, there are other ways of serving the Queen than by becoming a soldier—many other ways."

That was a new aspect of things to the boy, and his eyes, when he lifted them up to meet the Lady's, contained each a large note of interrogation.

"For instance," she continued, "the Queen wants a donkey-boy now, to attend her or the children when they drive about in their little phaeton." The boy's eyes brightened, then fell.

"You think the care of a donkey beneath you?"

shake"Then let us shake hands," said the Prince.

"Then let us shake hands," said the Prince.

"Nae, but I doubt that the Queen wouldna hae me to be her donkey-boy."

"Why not?"

"'Cos I hae nae bin a donkey-boy, an' I might do things wrang."

"But you could learn—everybody has to learn. And if you did your best there could not be much fault-finding."

"I'd do my best."

"Nobody could say better than that," replied the Lady.

"Ah, if your leddyship," faltered Yetta, "could get her Majesty to mek' him her donkey-boy, or to 'point him to any sic position, he would still be near to us, an' a comfort in our old age."

"Ay, an' he would think nae mair o' running away," added Donal.

"You may be sure the matter will be taken into her earnest consideration," said the Lady. "And now, after you have had some refreshment, which I will ask them to give you, you had better go home, and in the course of a few days you will doubtless hear further."

TO BE CONCLUDED.

Jeshurun

[1]"All the tribes are here summed up in one name, derived fromjasher, righteous. All the blessings of the Israel of God are concentrated here in Him, through Whom alone we are justified before God, Christ Who is the Lord our Righteousness."—Bishop Wordsworth on Deut. xxviii. 26.

"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun."—Deut.xxxiii. 26. "Peace—upon the Israel of God."—Gal.vi. 16.

AN ORIGINAL HYMN

By theRev. S. J. Stone,Author of"Lays of Iona," "The Church's One Foundation,"&c.

Music specially composed bySir George Martin, Mus.D.(Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral.)

mfmoderato

1. On, o'er the waste, Jeshurun!Thy Help rides on the sky;On, when thy hope seems farthest,Sure that thyLordis nigh.Sure of the sacred fountain,The mystic corn and vine;On through thy "days," Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.2. All things the sun makes precious!All fulness 'neath the moon;The buds and blooms of morning,The fair fruits of the noon;All chief things of the mountains,All wealth of shade or shine;These are for thee, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.3. He is the shrine about thee,His arms beneath thee spread;His Excellence and GloryThe shield above thine head;What tempests rave around thee,What foes and fears combine—Still thou art safe, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.4. Bethink thee how from SinaiHis Law was seen as flame;How, as He shone from Paran,His saints in thousands came:How these are thine ensample,[2]Of fear and love the sign—On then, in love, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.5. Thine is sweet Hope made perfect;On thee her ends have come;Of all her silvern shiningsThine is the golden sum;The Church the vesture humanWears now the robe Divine!On through the years, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.6. O Israel ofJesus,O happy in thy King!His Righteousness thy surety,His Peace thy covering,His Grace thy Fount of cleansing,Thy food, His Bread and Wine—On to the end, Jeshurun,There is noGodbut thine. Amen.

2. All things the sun makes precious!All fulness 'neath the moon;The buds and blooms of morning,The fair fruits of the noon;All chief things of the mountains,All wealth of shade or shine;These are for thee, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.

3. He is the shrine about thee,His arms beneath thee spread;His Excellence and GloryThe shield above thine head;What tempests rave around thee,What foes and fears combine—Still thou art safe, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.

4. Bethink thee how from SinaiHis Law was seen as flame;How, as He shone from Paran,His saints in thousands came:How these are thine ensample,[2]Of fear and love the sign—On then, in love, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.

5. Thine is sweet Hope made perfect;On thee her ends have come;Of all her silvern shiningsThine is the golden sum;The Church the vesture humanWears now the robe Divine!On through the years, Jeshurun,There is noGodlike thine.

6. O Israel ofJesus,O happy in thy King!His Righteousness thy surety,His Peace thy covering,His Grace thy Fount of cleansing,Thy food, His Bread and Wine—On to the end, Jeshurun,There is noGodbut thine. Amen.

[2]Cf. I Cor. x. 1-12. From this passage it is clear that a warning, as well as an encouragement, is part of the admonition to the Israel of God.

By a Leading Temperance Advocate.

No apology is needed for opening a temperance department inThe Quiver, for in the story of the temperance reformation the name of John Cassell will assuredly always hold an honoured place. At the time when he was enlisted in the ranks—1835—as a youth of seventeen, the movement had few friends and many opponents. Having once signed the "teetotal pledge," Cassell never deserted, but, on the contrary, became one of the most persuasive advocates the cause has ever had. He itinerated through the length and breadth of the land, and, under the name of "The Manchester Carpenter," gained a large number of adherents, some of whom subsequently achieved great reputations as temperance leaders. Even before Cassell had settled down in London as a publisher, he had learnt to value the printing press as an aid to temperance work, and not a few of the pamphlets, tracts, and broadsheets which played such an important part in the early days of the propaganda, owed their origin to his enterprising initiative. By-and-by he was in a position to command his own printing machines, and as early as March, 1846, he launched theTeetotal Times and Monthly Temperance Messenger, which was followed in July, 1848, by theStandard of Freedom, of which a temperance column was a leading feature. Anyone who takes the trouble to look over these early publications cannot fail to be struck by the comprehensive and statesmanlike grip of the drink difficulty which they present. It was to John Cassell that Richard Cobden wrote in 1849:—"I don't know how it is that I have never made the plunge and joined the teetotallers. Nobody has more faith than I in the truth of your doctrine, both from a physical and moral point of view, for the more work I have had to do the more I have resorted to the pump and the teapot. As for the moral bearings of the question, it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that all other reforms together would fail to confer as great blessings upon the masses as that of weaning them from intoxicating drinks." Cassell passed away at the early age of forty-eight, on April 2nd, 1865, on the same day as Cobden himself, whose friendship he had enjoyed for nearly twenty years.

CassellJOHN CASSELL.(Temperance Leader and Founder of "The Quiver.")

JOHN CASSELL.(Temperance Leader and Founder of "The Quiver.")

JOHN CASSELL.

(Temperance Leader and Founder of "The Quiver.")

Among the important events fixed for this month may be named two meetings convened by the National Temperance League for November 2nd, in Oxford, to be addressed by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and Professor Victor Horsley, F.R.S., the distinguished surgeon. One meeting is specially intended for undergraduates, while the other will be open to the townsfolk. On November 4th by permission of the Lord Mayor of London, the Mansion House will extend its hospitality to the Police Court Mission of the C.E.T.S., and Bishops, Members of Parliament, and Police Court Magistrates will plead the cause of this deserving charity. On November 27th the Nonconformist Churches will observe their annual Temperance Sunday, and on November 30th a function anticipated with keen interest, the first Lees-Raper Memorial Lecture will take place in the Church House, Westminster.

HillsMR. A. F. HILLSPhoto: Elliot and Fry, Baker Street, W.)

MR. A. F. HILLSPhoto: Elliot and Fry, Baker Street, W.)

MR. A. F. HILLS

Photo: Elliot and Fry, Baker Street, W.)

Thanks to the munificent generosity of Mr. Arnold F. Hills, who has promised a donation of £5,000, conditional upon temperance friends making up another £5,000, a determined effort is to be made to press forward the Sunday Closing question in view of the reassembling of Parliament early in the new year. The whole-hearted ardour and enthusiasm which have marked Mr. Hills' temperance labours during the past ten years have made his name a household word. He started out with the settled conviction that the greatest need of the time was the union ofthe temperance forces; and in the face of difficulties and obstacles which would have disheartened ninety-nine men out of a hundred, he has ceaselessly concentrated his energies to this end. The United Temperance Council, with its network of county councils and district councils throughout the United Kingdom, is the creation of his active brain; while the Temperance Parliament, which has given an opportunity to all the friends of temperance legislation to discuss their various projects, is another child of Mr. Hills' parentage.

Visitors to Belfast cannot pass along the streets of this thriving, go-ahead city without being brought face to face with the practical efforts of the Irish Temperance League to counteract the public-houses. The League has set up nearly twenty attractive coffee stands in various parts of the town, and these do a very large business and are extremely popular. The movement was commenced in 1874, the first stand being opened on a site granted by the Harbour Commissioners, for a nominal rent, near to the berths of the cross-Channel steamers. As many as 10,000 persons have patronised the stands in one day. The hours of opening and closing are regulated according to the locality. No intoxicating liquors are allowed to be consumed on the premises; the best of food is provided; the most scrupulous cleanliness is observed; and no bills of any kind are exhibited, or anything likely to jar on the religious or political feelings of the customers.

coffeeSTREET COFFEE STAND, BELFAST.

STREET COFFEE STAND, BELFAST.

It will be a long time before temperance folk will forget the shock which was occasioned in May, 1897, by the sudden deaths within ten days of each other, of Dr. Lees and Mr. J. H. Raper. These two devoted workers were known in both hemispheres, and it would be impossible in such limited space to give an adequate appreciation of their marvellous gifts. Dr. F. R. Lees was ever a fighter. From his boyhood up to his honoured old age he was always eager for the fray. As a keen controversialist he was literally without a rival. The winning personality of James Hayes Raper carried all before it. He was unquestionably a platform king. Nothing could be more charming than the extraordinary facility with which he rapidly placed himself in touch with an audience; and he possessed in a rare degree the gift of being able to make an acceptable "last speech" in a programme. The Committee charged with the promotion of a memorial to these temperance worthies is to be congratulated upon having raised nearly £1,700. Of this amount, £1,500 has been invested in a terminable annuity for a period of twenty years. A Lees-Raper lectureship has been founded, and, as already stated, the inaugural lecture will be given by Dean Farrar, of Canterbury, at the Church House, Westminster, on November 30th. The Archbishop of Canterbury will preside, and the Dean has chosen as his theme "Temperance Reform as Required by Righteousness and Patriotism."

RaperJ. H. RAPERPhoto: Lambert, Weston and Son,Folkestone.)

J. H. RAPERPhoto: Lambert, Weston and Son,Folkestone.)

J. H. RAPER

Photo: Lambert, Weston and Son,Folkestone.)

leesDR. F. R. LEESPhoto: William Coles, Watford.)

DR. F. R. LEESPhoto: William Coles, Watford.)

DR. F. R. LEES

Photo: William Coles, Watford.)

BeautifulThe House Beautiful

The House Beautiful

By Orman Cooper, Author of "We Wives," Etc.

I"In the fields of taste it is always much easier to point out paths which should be avoided than to indicate the road which leads to excellence."

"In the fields of taste it is always much easier to point out paths which should be avoided than to indicate the road which leads to excellence."

Such are the words of a well-known artist of the present day. I feel them to be true as I begin this paper on the House Beautiful. Taste differs so widely that it would be futile to try to set up a positive standard of beauty. Furniture has its fashions, too, though they change but slowly. So we can only lay down broad general rules with regard to the plenishment of our homes. We cannot insist on detail.

There is no single point on which a gentlewoman is more jealous of disparagement than the question of taste. Yet it is a lamentable fact that this very quality is often—I may say generally—deficient even amongst the most cultured classes. The bubble of fashion is blown in our drawing-rooms just as surely and even more foolishly than elsewhere. Individuality is seldom seen.

In order to have lovely homes inside four commonplace walls we must remember thatsimplicityis one true element of beauty. The best and most picturesque furniture of all ages has been simple in general form. Next, good design is always compatible with sturdy service, and can accommodate itself to the most fastidious notions of convenience. Thirdly, every article of manufacture to be really beautiful should indicate by its general design the purpose to which it will be applied. In other words, shams and make-believes must be utterly tabooed.

Taking these three principles as the basis of our plans for our own particular House Beautiful, let us consider how best we may secure such. Our halls and kitchens are perhaps the best instances of simplicity of design. In them we seldom have more utensils or articles than we need. Parquetry, or inlaying with various-coloured wood, is an ideal floor covering, even for our modern narrow hall. Next to it ranks tiling, and a plain linoleum is admissible. All these secure cleanliness. Warmth must next be suggested. To obtain this, we lay down rugs of various colours and hang heavy curtains. An oak chair, solid to look at (N.B.—Curves in furniture should suggest repose, which is out of place in a passage), a chest to hold rugs and cloaks, a small, narrow mirror to lighten up the gloom, and you have all that is necessary. A few brass dishes on the wall, a tall palm by one curtain, elks' antlers, etc., are permissible where space is obtainable. Do not, however, ever be tempted to hang muslin in the alcove or to drape with flimsy materials. Leave plenty of room for visitors to pass in and out, without finding entrance or exit blocked with exasperating detail. Colour is what really redeems a hall from monotony. This the wall-paper and curtains and rugs should give without help from trivial ornamentation.

Our kitchens are perhaps the most really beautiful spots in our homes, if we take true beauty to consist of absolute fitness for the work to be done therein. The severe wooden dresser, with its wide undershelf and commodious cupboards, is as picturesque an object as can be found. From time immemorial its shape has been unaltered, and its beauty consists in its suggestions of utility. Traditional work is mostly beautiful, as evidenced by the fact that the lines of a plough have always been the admiration of artists. Plainness is not ugliness, and the dresser, glorified, is now one of the necessary beauty spots even in our drawing-rooms. Then those Windsor chairs, with their slightly sloping backs and hollowed seats, are restful to both eye and body. The bright steel or copper range fitted with necessaryknobs and useful doors is another example of the beauty of fitness. In fact, both stove and dresser are forms of truth and realism.

The two great faults to be avoided in the dining-room of our House Beautiful are dreariness and overcrowding. The Frenchsalle-à-mangeris really an ideal to work towards. Unfortunately, few of us can consecrate the parlour to meals alone; this living-room has to serve many purposes. We should have it as spacious, thou, and airy as possible. Round tables have gone out of fashion, unfortunately; yet the claw-leg pedestal table is the most convenient, and consequently the most decorative, of its kind. It economises space, and is easily beautified. I have in memory a dining-room I should like to see reproduced in many a home. Just an ordinary square chamber, with two straight windows looking out on a lawn; a round table, its centre encircled with flowers; a plain sideboard, guiltless of plate-glass, but enlivened by old silver wine coolers, napkin rings, and goblets; a wide brass-bound fireplace with hobs; a high mantelpiece, surrounded with a brazen grating; a screen, and a few fine chairs. The beauty of it—and it was very beautiful—consisted in fitness for the end for which it was designed. The walls were covered with a light-tinted background for pictures (not with ornamental garden stuff in perspective). Its heavy, rich curtains hung by visible rings from a real pole; its coal-scoop was of copper, not papier-maché tinware; its cupboards full of glass that might be wanted, and silver often called for; its napery and napkins fine and fair; its thick carpet guiltless of grating greens and crude crimsons; its windows made to open, and its iron-flanged door made to shut. There was no meaningless or characterless ornamental work about this old room; no inappropriate decoration spoiled its well-designed and well-constructedtout ensemble.

As I have sketched an ideal parlour, so would I limn a bedroom I have seen. It was a queer-shaped room, with rather high windows set over some panelling in a little, crooked, dome-shaped alcove, a tiny dressing-room opened off it. The paper was yellow; the paint all white. A bed with plain brass spindles and rails stood away from draught and light, headed with creamy chintz sprinkled with Scotch rosebuds and lined with gold. The curtains of shiny chintz hung from half-inch brass rods only to the window-sill. A wide box couch under them formed a restful seat. Crossways stood a dressing-table, its toilet glass flanked with brass candle-holders, and its jewel drawers fitted with old beaten drop handles; it, as well as the wardrobe, was enamelled white. A frame screen of the same purity, its yellow silk curtains dependent by tiny rings from tiny rods, stood before the dressing-room door, and effectually shut away all washing apparatus. The floor of this room was polished all over (kept in order by weekly applications of beeswax and turpentine). On it lay white Kurd and Scinde rugs. The mantelpiece was wooden, and the chimney corner decorated with shelves painted like wainscotting and doors. These little shelves supplied vantage-grounds for lots of blue-and-white china, and though the colour-scheme may sound monotonous, infinite variety was introduced by the etceteras of the toilette. Of course, blue or terra-cotta, carried out as faithfully, would give an equally satisfactory symphony of tint. However we may decorate our bedrooms, we must not forget that space and head-room are the two requisites for health therein. Simplicity, careful keeping, and radiant cleanliness should be the keynotes of every bedroom in the House Beautiful.

In approaching the drawing-room, I feel I am treading on difficult ground—in fact, an impossible one. Abundantly diverse in everything are some of the reception-rooms I should call beautiful. Wide-mouth pickle jars swathed in art muslin are positively wrong. So are painted rolling-pins or banjos. As to cardboard plaques representing china, and paper frills cut out to look like lace—away with them! A plain brown jug full of real daisies is far more beautiful than a glass bottle covered with varnished pictures and filled with paper or silk imitations. One bit of quaint crackle or Venetian ware on our chimney-piece is restful to the eye; highly coloured shams are distressful. "Although we may tolerate insipid prettiness in perishable confectionery, we ought not to do so in objects which become associated with our daily life." Power of design and power of imitation are the two widely divergent qualities of mind required to produce a beautiful drawing-room. Ostentation of money should be avoided here.

In concluding this paper, I should like to remind my readers that all yearnings after the beautiful are legitimate and right. God has placed a love for the lovely in every human heart. He Himself—in all reverence be it spoken—has led the way. When designing furniture for the Tabernacle built for glory and for beauty in the far-away desert, He made it in the most artistic, most serviceable, and most simple of forms. Look at the description of those golden candlesticks, with their golden almond-shaped knops and elegant branches. Think of the curtains of scarlet and blue and purple, and fine twined linen. Think of the snuffers and spoons and ouches, and bolts and rings and staves, all of pure gold. Truth and grace were evermore wedded together in these patterns of the heavenly things. "Go, and do thou likewise."

Scripture

INTERNATIONAL SERIES

With Illustrative Anecdotes and References.

November 20th.—Manasseh's Sin and Repentance.

To read—2 Chron. xxxiii. 9-16. Golden Text—1 St. John i. 9.

Manasseh, son of good King Hezekiah, yet for many years very wicked. Must have been taught to do right by his father; good seed sown, but choked by tares of sin and worldliness; a long time before bore good fruit—not till tares pulled out.

I.Manasseh's Sin(9-11). Only a boy of twelve when began reign. Many would flatter and spoil. Just an age to need good advice and guidance. But many to lead him wrong, as other kings had been led before him (xxiv. 17, 18). So he chose wrong.

Idolatry.Undid all Hezekiah's work by building up again altars for Baal (ver. 3); even set up idol in house of God itself (ver. 7), besides seeking counsel from witches, etc. (ver. 6), instead of God. Sinned worse than heathen, for he knew right, which they did not.

Punishment.God tried remonstrances, probably by prophets, but in vain. His heart and his people's hardened against God by sin; so God sent captains of King of Assyria, who took him prisoner, and carried him bound in chains to Babylon, capital of Assyria.

II.Manasseh's Repentance(12-16).The captive.The King, far from home, in strange land; what does he think about? Hisfather—how little he has copied his example; hishome—how he has forfeited it; hislife—how wicked it has been; hiscompanions—how they have led him astray; hisGod—he has sinned too deeply—can he possibly be forgiven?

The repentance.What does he do? He humbles himself—first step in true repentance, he confesses his sin as David did (Ps. xxxii. 5); he asks forgiveness; he promises amendment. Was such prayer ever in vain? (Golden Text).

The restoration.Sent back to his throne; became prosperous; fortified the cities. Best of all, put away idols, repaired Temple, offered sacrifices; did all in his power to undo effects of his former sin. Commanded the people to serve God.

Lesson.How to repent. Ask for true sorrow. Confess to God all sin. Seek grace to change life.

Repentance.A man of the world, who had spent the greater part of his life in dissipation, was converted to God. He gave up all his property, and went to live with a well-known clergyman in Cornwall. There he devoted himself entirely to the service of Christ. One day he met a miner whom he had long been trying to bring to repentance. He persuaded him to enter the church; and there, kneeling side by side, they prayed for a long time, not ceasing till the miner felt a sense of the greatness of his sin and of the pardoning love of God. Many other souls was he the means of bringing back to God. There was joy in heaven over that repentant sinner as there was over Manasseh.

A man of the world, who had spent the greater part of his life in dissipation, was converted to God. He gave up all his property, and went to live with a well-known clergyman in Cornwall. There he devoted himself entirely to the service of Christ. One day he met a miner whom he had long been trying to bring to repentance. He persuaded him to enter the church; and there, kneeling side by side, they prayed for a long time, not ceasing till the miner felt a sense of the greatness of his sin and of the pardoning love of God. Many other souls was he the means of bringing back to God. There was joy in heaven over that repentant sinner as there was over Manasseh.

November 27th.—A Temperance Lesson.

To read—Prov. iv. 10-19. Golden Text—Ver. 10.

This book, written by Solomon, contains a selection of his numerous "proverbs" or wise sayings. The early chapters are especially intended for the young, and are in praise of "wisdom," the practical carrying out of knowledge.

I.The Blessing of Wisdom(10-13).Long lifeoften promised as the result of a godly life,e.g.to those who honour parents (fifth commandment); also to those who obey God (Deut. xxx. 20).

Right paths,i.e.right dealing with men,e.g.Abraham paying for burying-place (Gen. xxiii. 13); David in all his life (2 Sam. xxii. 21).

No stumbling.Life like a narrow path. A man burdened by sin walks, as it were, with shackles on legs. A Christian is held up by God's arms (Deut. xxxiii. 27); kept from stumbling to his ruin.

Eternal life.Wisdom (i. 20) personified as Christ, the Divine Word, in Whom is all knowledge (Col. ii. 3). To know Him is everlasting life (St. John xvii. 3).

II.The Folly of Wickedness(14-17).Sin to be avoided.Remind of Eve: of Lot choosing to live in wicked Sodom. The disastrous results: Eve turned out of Paradise—Lot losing home and wife.

Sin grows.Evil takes such hold that some prefer it to good—day and night plan evil,e.g.thieves, drunkards, etc., and take pleasure in leading others wrong.

III.Results.The just.A Christian's course like the light, increasing from early dawn till full light of noon. Perfection, not all at once. Good seed brings forth fruit "with patience,"i.e.gradually (St. Luke viii. 15). Christ increased in wisdom as He grew taller and older (St. Luke ii. 52). So we must "grow in grace and knowledge." The more a Christian knows of God, the more clearly does God's light show itself in him.

The wicked.Are in darkness, and so stumble. Sin blinds their eyes (St. John xii. 35); they confuse right and wrong. Example: Saul, blinded by prejudice against Jesus of Nazareth, thought he did God service when he persecuted the Christians.

Lessons.1. Awake, thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light!

2. Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.

The Toil and Folly of Sin.There was a man in a certain town who used, till he was caught, to steal all his firewood. He would get up on cold nights and prowl around, helping himself from the well-stacked piles. A calculation was made, and it was found that he had worked harder and spent more time to get fuel in this way than if he had earned it honestly by hard work. One day he was caught in the act of theft, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. "The way of transgressors is hard."

There was a man in a certain town who used, till he was caught, to steal all his firewood. He would get up on cold nights and prowl around, helping himself from the well-stacked piles. A calculation was made, and it was found that he had worked harder and spent more time to get fuel in this way than if he had earned it honestly by hard work. One day he was caught in the act of theft, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. "The way of transgressors is hard."

December 4th.—The Book of the Law Found.

To read—2 Kings xxii. 8—20. Golden Text—Ps. cxix. 2.

Josiah, grandson of Manasseh, like him, began to reign very young (eight years), but, unlike him, began well. Now about eighteen years old. Already been two reformations since his succession (2 Chron. xxxiv. 3—7). Now Temple being repaired.

I.The Book Found(8—14).The place.Temple found in great disorder. Amon, the last King, in two years had done much evil—idolatry again. Now Temple cleansed under superintendence of Hilkiah, high priest. Rubbish turned over; large "roll of a book" discovered. What can it be? The authentic copy of Law of God,i.e.books of Moses, kept near the Ark in the Holy of Holies. What a find!

The scribes.Two scribes, readers and keepers of the Law, with Hilkiah when the roll was found. They read it themselves; one of them, Shaphan, takes it to the King; reports the collection made for the repairs, how the work is going on, and the discovery. He reads the book aloud. The King much moved by the words of the Law and God's wrath against sinners (Deut. xxix. 27). Sends to Huldah the prophetess to inquire further of the Lord. He sees how little the words of the book have been obeyed.

Lesson.The Word of God is quick and powerful.

II.God's Message to Josiah(15—20). As in time of Judges, when Deborah was prophetess (Judges iv. 4), God speaks by a woman; double message.

To the people.A terrible punishment, as foretold in the Law, because of their sin. Had forsaken God—turned aside to other gods. Had not repented, therefore His wrath kindled against them.

To Josiah.His heart was humble; attended to God's message; he did weep for the people's sin. God has heard him—he shall be spared. The judgment shall not come in his time; his end shall be peace.

Lessons.1. God ever the same. Hemustpunish sin. Hewilldeliver the just.

2. As then, so now, He sends warning by His Book, His ministers, and teachers.

3. Why will ye die? Return unto the Lord.

The Bible a Delight.One day, when walking through Wales, Mr. Hone, the author, stopped at a cottage door and found a little girl reading the Bible. He asked for a glass of water, which was quickly brought to him. Getting into conversation with the girl, he asked her how she liked learning her task out of the Bible. "Oh," she said, "it is not a task to read it; I love it." Seeing his surprise, she added, "I thought everybody loved the Bible." The arrow went home. Hone pondered over her remark and began to read the Bible for himself, and from that time read the sacred book constantly. Before long, instead of being an opponent of the Bible, he became one of its strongest defenders, for he, like the child, had learned to love it.

One day, when walking through Wales, Mr. Hone, the author, stopped at a cottage door and found a little girl reading the Bible. He asked for a glass of water, which was quickly brought to him. Getting into conversation with the girl, he asked her how she liked learning her task out of the Bible. "Oh," she said, "it is not a task to read it; I love it." Seeing his surprise, she added, "I thought everybody loved the Bible." The arrow went home. Hone pondered over her remark and began to read the Bible for himself, and from that time read the sacred book constantly. Before long, instead of being an opponent of the Bible, he became one of its strongest defenders, for he, like the child, had learned to love it.

December 11th.—Trying to Destroy God's Word.

To read—Jer. xxxvi. 20-32. Golden Text—Isaiah xl. 8.

Josiahthe last godly King. At his death Jerusalem fell back into corruption. Jeremiah the prophet warns in vain of coming destruction—is hated by nobles—imprisoned by King; bids Baruch write God's words in a roll of a book (ver. 6).

I.The Roll Read(ver. 20). Hitherto Jeremiah spoke his prophecies. Why written now? To be read in various places while he was shut up (ver. 5), and kept for our instruction. Great excitement this day in Jerusalem. Large assembly of people heard—princes heard and were afraid (ver. 16); King Jehoiachim is told of it. Courtiers round the King tell him what they recollect of the warnings; he is interested—perhaps alarmed. Sends for the roll, hidden in the council chamber.

II.The Roll Burned(21-26). Picture the King sitting in his study; bright wood fire on the hearth in the winter-house. Jehudi sent to fetch roll. Nobles and other courtiers stand around; the roll is read. The King is angry; after hearing three or four columns he stops the reader, cuts the roll into pieces with penknife, flings them on the fire. Some of princes approve; three try to stop him. The parchment crackles, roll is destroyed. Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah ordered to be imprisoned. Is all over? King could destroy roll, but not God's Word.

III.The Roll Re-written(26-32). King's efforts all in vain. Man fights in vain against God. King despises the prophecy. Another roll written; more severe judgments. God laughs him to scorn. This is his punishment:—The King shall have no heir to succeed him. He shall have a dishonoured death—no burial. The whole nation shall be severely punished. King of Babylon shall take the people captive.

Lessons.1. God's Word shall not return void.

2. The folly of trying to resist God.

3. The certainty of coming judgment for sin.

God's Word True.A man and his wife became possessed of a Bible, which they had never read before. The man began to read it, and, one night, as he sat by the fire with the open book, he said, "Wife, if this book is right, we are wrong." He continued reading, and a few days afterwards he said, "Wife, if this book is right, we are lost!" More eager than ever to see what the Word of the Lord was, he continued to study the book, until one night he joyfully exclaimed, "Wife, if this book is true, we are saved!" This is the glory of God's Word; it tells of sin and punishment, but it tells also of salvation. King Jehoiachim, hearing God's Word, tried to destroy it and was lost; but King Josiah, hearing it, turned to God and was saved.

A man and his wife became possessed of a Bible, which they had never read before. The man began to read it, and, one night, as he sat by the fire with the open book, he said, "Wife, if this book is right, we are wrong." He continued reading, and a few days afterwards he said, "Wife, if this book is right, we are lost!" More eager than ever to see what the Word of the Lord was, he continued to study the book, until one night he joyfully exclaimed, "Wife, if this book is true, we are saved!" This is the glory of God's Word; it tells of sin and punishment, but it tells also of salvation. King Jehoiachim, hearing God's Word, tried to destroy it and was lost; but King Josiah, hearing it, turned to God and was saved.

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