upon your feelings is to chill and sear them; to send you away sour and morose.

His criticisms and innuendoes fall indiscriminately upon every lovely thing, like frost upon the flowers. If Mr. A. is pronounced a religious man, he will reply: yes, on Sundays. Mr. B. has just joined the church: certainly; the elections are coming on. The minister of the gospel is called an example of diligence: it is his trade. Such a man is generous: of other men's money. This man is obliging: to lull suspicion and cheat you. That man is upright: because he is green.

Thus his eye strains out every good quality, and takes in only the bad. To him religion is hypocrisy, honesty a preparation for fraud, virtue only a want of opportunity, and undeniable purity, asceticism. The livelong day he will coolly sit with sneering lip, transfixing every character that is presented.

It is impossible to indulge in such habitual severity of opinion upon our fellow-men, without injuring the tenderness and delicacy of our own feelings. A man will be what his most cherished feelings are. If he encourage a noble generosity, every feeling will be enriched by it; if he nurse bitter and envenomed thoughts, his own spirit will absorb the poison, and he will crawl among men as a burnished adder, whose life is mischief, and whose errand is death.

He who hunts for flowers will find flowers; and he who loves weeds may find weeds.

Let it be remembered that no man, who is not himself morally diseased, will have a relish for disease in others. Reject, then, the morbid ambition of the Cynic, or cease to call yourself a man.

THE STRAIGHT ROAD.

Beauty may be the path to nighest good,
And some successfully have it pursued.

Thou, who wouldst follow, be well warned to see
That way prove not a curved road to thee.

The straightest way, perhaps, which may be sought,
Lies through the great highway men call I ought.

CAPTAIN REECE OF THE MANTLEPIECE.

W. S. GILBERT.

Of all the ships upon the blue,
No ship contained a better crew
Than that of worthy Captain Reece,
Commanding of the Mantlepiece.

He was adored by all his men,
For worthy Captain Reece, R. N.,*
Did all that lay within him to
Promote the comfort of his crew.

If ever they were dull or sad,
The captain danced to them like mad,
Or told, to make the time pass by,
Droll legends of his infancy.

A feather bed had every man,
Warm slippers and hot-water can,
Brown Windsor from the captain's store,
A valet, too, to every four.

Did they with thirst in summer burn,
Lo! seltzogenes at every turn;
And on all very sultry days
Cream-ices handed round on trays.

Then currant wine and ginger-pops
Stood handily on all the tops;
And, also, with amusement rife,
A "Zoetrope, or wheel of life."
New volumes came across the sea
From Mister Mudie's libraree;
The Times and Saturday Review
Beguiled the leisure of the crew.
Kind-hearted Captain Reece, R. N.,
Was quite devoted to his men;
In point of fact, good Captain Reece
Beatified the Mantlepiece.

One summer eve, at half-past ten,
He said (addressing all his men):
"Come, tell me, please, what I can do
To please and gratify my crew.

Royal Navy.

"By any reasonable plan
I'll make you happy if I can;
My own convenience counts as nil;
It is my duty, and I will."

Then up and answered William Lee
(The kindly eaptain's coxswain he,
A nervous, shy, low-spoken man);
He cleared his throat and thus began:

"You have a daughter, Captain Reece,
Ten female cousins and a niece,
A ma, if what I'm told is true,
Six sisters, and an aunt or two.

"Now, somehow, sir, it seems to me
More friendly-like we all should be,
If you united of 'em to

Unmarried members of the crew.

"If you'd ameliorate our life,
Let each select from them a wife;
And as for nervous me, old pal,
Give me your own enchanting gal!"
Good Captain Reece, that worthy man,
Debated on his coxswain's plan.
"I quite agree," he said, "O Bill!
It is my duty, and I will.

"My daughter, that enchanting girl,

Has just been promised to an earl,
And all my other familee

To peers of various degree.

"But what are dukes and viscounts to

The happiness of all my crew?

The word I gave you I'll fulfill;

It is my duty, and I will.

"As you desire, it shall befall;
I'll settle thousands on you all;
And I shall be, despite my hoard,
The only bachelor on board."

The boatswain of the Mantlepiece,

He blushed, and spoke to Captain Reece,

9

"I have a widowed mother, who
Would be the very thing for you;
She long has loved you from afar-
She washes for you, Captain R."

The captain saw the dame that day,
Addressed her in his playful way:
"And did it want a wedding ring?
It was a tempting ickle sing!

"Well, well, the chaplain I will seek;
We'll all be married this day week
At yonder church upon the hill;
It is my duty, and I will!"

The sisters, cousins, aunts, and niece,
And widowed ma of Captain Reece
Attended there, as they were bid;
It was their duty, and they did.

I AM NOT OLD.

I am not old-I can not be old,

Though three-score years and ten
Have wasted away like a tale that is told,
The lives of other men.

I am not old-though friends and foes
Alike have gone to their graves;
And left me alone to my joys or my woes,
As a rock in the midst of the waves.

I am not old-I can not be old,

Though tottering, wrinkled, and gray; Though my eyes are dim, and my marrow is cold, Call me not old to-day!

For early memories round me throng,

Of times, and manners, and men;

As I look behind on my journey so long,

Of three-score miles and ten.

I look behind and am once more young,
Buoyant, and brave, and bold;
And my heart can sing, as of yore
Before they called me old.

it sung,

I do not see her-the old wife there-
Shriveled, and haggard, and gray;

But I look on her blooming, soft, and fair,
As she was on her wedding-day.

I do not see you, daughters and sons,

In the likeness of women and men;
But I kiss you now as I kissed you once,
My fond little children then.

And as my own grandson rides on my knee,
Or plays with his hoop or kite,

I can well recollect I was merry as he,
The bright-eyed little wight!

"Tis not long since-it can not be long,
My years so soon were spent,

Since I was a boy, both straight and strong,
But now I am feeble and bent.

A dream, a dream-it is all a dream!
A strange, sad dream, good sooth;
For old as I am, and old as I seem,
My heart is full of youth.

Eye hath not seen, tongue hath not told,
And ear hath not heard it sung,

How buoyant and bold, though it seem to grow old.
Is the heart forever young!

Forever young-though life's old age

Hath every nerve unstrung;

The heart, the heart is a heritage,

That keeps the old man young!

COMING ROUND.--PHŒBE CARY.

"Tis all right, as I knew it would be by and by;
We have kissed and made up again, Archie and I;
And that quarrel, or nonsense, whatever you will,
I think makes us love more devotedly still.

The trouble was all upon my side, you know;
I'm exacting sometimes, rather foolishly so;
And let any one tell me the veriest lie
About Archie, I'm sure to get angry and cry.

Things will go on between us again just the same,
For as he explains matters he wasn't to blame;
But 'tis useless to tell you; I can't make you see
How it was, quite as plainly as he has made me.