smith seemed to think they were overworking themselves, and threw cold water on them. "Worork," once more sung the bellows; but the water had checked the flames, and the cinders, which had been red, now burned up with a brilliant whiteness.

was a very rich noble; nearly every house in the town belonged to him. But he persisted in his request, and his son held the hot iron with the pincers while the blacksmith struck it. Poor fellow! he did not get on very well; for he could not hold the iron tight enough, and the blows of the hammer sometimes made him shake.

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So the fire worked, and so did the men-except that while the fire and bellows sang bass, But the nobleman did not the men's working music was mind. "Hold fast, my boy!" treble. Ting, ting-ting, ting, he cried. There, that is the was the sharp merry sound way! Now, take this heavy which two hard-working-men hammer in your hand: let me made with their heavy ham-see you weld the iron yourself. mers. The bright red sparks Give it a good blow!" The danced all about to the music; poor boy was not accustomed but, the giddy things! the men to such work; but he did his did not heed them. They best, and persevered until the worked on until the hot-iron iron was nearly cold. which Dick Bird had snatched out of the fire with the pincers became a horse-shoe, fit for my pony to wear.

"Just let this lad of mine hold the pincers while you strike," said a gentleman, as he walked in with a boy about eleven years of age, one day while I was watching. As I sat in the dark corner, and saw the light of the fire shine on the boy's face, I knew him directly. It was CLEMENT LANGTON, the last new boy of our school. He had lately come home to live with his father, who was a nobleman; and he was thought to be one of the laziest boys ever seen: we often wondered what sort of a nobleman he would make when he grew up to be a man.

When the blacksmiths heard the nobleman's speech, they looked up with surprise, for he

"There!" said the nobleman, quite pleased when he saw the sweat on his son's brow. "Now I respect you!"

"Why, sir?" was the reply.

"Because," said his father, "you have helped to make a horse-shoe. At last you have done some good in this world. You are almost as respectable as Dick Bird, who blows the bellows. But you cannot be so useful as Mr. Bird himself; come, shake hands with your teacher, and let us bid him good-bye." So, bidding friendly good-bye to the blacksmith, who bowed very low to his lordship, he made his son shake hands with him, and left.

a

My pony was by this time quite ready, so I mounted him, and overtook his lordship and Clement, that I might hear what they were talking about.

"I hope, my boy," said his

lordship, when I told him I all at work. They are all had seen his son at work, "that 'ministering spirits'; their hapyou will tell all your school-piness is in being useful-in fellows what Clement has been doing good." doing. It is the first useful action I have seen him do since his return home."

"But, sir," said Clement, "I have learned a great many things at school."

"That only shows that you may be of use: you may one day do good with your learning; but, have you been able to benefit anybody with it yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

"What do you think the angels would say, if you were taken up to heaven and told to join them?"

"I don't know, sir."

After the nobleman had said this, he told us both to learn to work hard and to do good, that we might be like the angels. 'None," he said to his son,

Then, I think they would say, "Take him away; he has grown up to be twelve years old, and has not used one of the talents given him by God.' When we pick up some rotten withered fruit, we despise it, "Then let me teach you and throw it away, because it again, that although you are is useless; so might the angels my son, you are not yet as re-pity you, and throw you away spectable as Dick Bird, and as a useless thing." you never will be respectable until you are of use. No one is respectable in this world who can do some good, and does not. If you have come into this world, and think it would be well to live, and pass through it without doing any good, be sure you are mistaken! It is a sorrowful thing for me to say, but it would be quite as well if you were dead! You can labour; then you should make up your mind either to labour or to die. Better die than do nothing-better die than live to be of no use.

L. That is what our Saviour said of the barren fig-tree, papa! "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?"

P. True. Now hear the rest of the nobleman's speech to his

son.

"Depend upon it," he said, "if you could leave this world, and go up to heaven, where the angels live, you would find them

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are so noble as the 'ministering spirits'; so you will not be noble,' you will not even be 'respectable,' unless you try to copy them."

W. And did Clement learn to be industrious, then, papa?

P. He did for a time; but I am sorry to say that he forgot himself again. He was a silly, proud boy, and he still looked with contempt on those who were poorer than himself.

But on Clement's next birthday, when he was twelve years old, his father gave him another lesson. It was the middle of the month of May; there was, as usual, a holiday at the great house, and in the evening a great crowd of town people and country folks, were were

the nobleman's "tenants," were met in one of his fields to play at cricket. There were plenty of other games; plenty of refreshments were given to all who came; and all were merry, when the nobleman was seen coming, with Clement, towards the field. As soon as he arrived, all cried "Hurrah!" and waved their hats; and when Clement came round to the people, they began to make their bows to him.

But when the first man bowed the nobleman stopped him. "No!" he said, "my son is still idle; he does not work; do not bow to him. Pray, my good man, what work do you perform every day?"

"I take care of the cows, your lordship. Sometimes I helps milk 'em," was the reply.

shoes, or coat, or food, or other comfort. "You see," said his father, "what would become of you if these people would not work for you. You would die!

"And now learn, thirdly," said his father, "whoever labours to make the smallest thing

if he only take a few thin webs of silks, and weave them together to make them more useful-he produces something; he does some good; he helps to make the world better. So learn, my boy, to honour Industry, and to be of use!"

And it was proved, fourthly, that the poor men were more respectable than he. "I have made you bow to these poor people," said his father, "because they are producers, while you are only a consumer. "Then take off your cap, what a helpless thing you are Clement!" said his father; "you—you depend on them entirely. have to thank this man for the Without their labour you would milk you drink." And Clement die!" was obliged to make a bow to the man.

"What is your work?" said the nobleman to a little girl standing near.

"Sometimes I help, sir, to make cheese."

"Make a bow to her, Clement!" said his father. "Perhaps you have been eating some of her cheese."

Clement thus walked round to nearly fifty men, women, and children. He had to bow to them all, for it was proved -first, that they all were of more use than he; and, secondly, that he owed something to the industry of every one. He was indebted to them, either for his

See

Then the nobleman spoke to all his tenants, and commanded that, in future, no man, woman, or child, should ever bow down to his son, until he was known to be an industrious lad; until he could show that he had laboured, and produced something.

Soon after I left the town, but I have since heard that Clement has grown up to be of great use; and it is believed that God will bless him to do great good in this world before he dies.

I cannot stop to tell you how he is useful; but I wonder, Willie, in what way you will be useful before you die?

VERTEBRATED ANIMALS.

RECAPITULATION.

THE TWELVE ORDERS OF MAMMALS.

L. HAVE you finished the lessons on Mammals, papa? P. Not quite. We will just have two short lessons to recapitulate; and then, instead of beginning a course on Birds, you shall learn the qualities, parts, and uses of Flowers; and learn how to arrange them.

L. That is the study which is called BOTANY, I think.

P. Yes. But let me see what you remember of your NATURAL HISTORY. You have already had 104 questions (see p. 392, vol. ii., and p. 5, vol. iii.) It would be better for you to answer these once more before attending to the new ones which I am now going to give yon.

1. Name the twelve orders of Mammals.

2. I will tell you six particulars concerning an animal, then tell me its name. It burrows in the earth; it will eat putrid flesh; yet, unlike the true flesheating mammals, it has little means of defence-its only protection is its covering of bony plates; it also burrows in the ground; it has no front teeth.

5. How many different sorts of this animal have you heard of?

6. Here are four particulars. Tell me the name of the animal. It is quiet and harmless, living where vegetable food is to be had; it sits up on its hind legs and tail; its young are born in a very imperfect state; when attacked, it takes great leaps to escape the hunter.

7. In what part of the world is it found?

8. Here are three particulars concerning an animal. It has a valuable fur; it was, when first discovered, called a "woolly field-mouse"; it is one of the Rodents. Name it.

9. Here are two particulars. A certain animal has horns; with its palmated antlers it is said to clear away the snow from the earth during the dreary Lapland winter. The name of the animal?

10. Here is one fact concerning an animal. It has tufted horns. What is its name?

11. To which orders do the following animals belong? The Horse, Camel, Ass, Pig, Opos3. Where is it found? sum, Porcupine, Sloth, Sheep, 4. Give the name of this ani- Genet, Squirrel, Hyena, Hipmal. I will give you five par-popotamus, Duck-billed Platiculars. It eats vegetable food, typus, Llama, Hedge-hog, Antand sometimes other substances; eater, Dugong. its front teeth are constantly growing; it does not procure its food with its mouth, as cows and other true vegetable feeders do; it grasps its food with its nose; it is the largest of the land mammals.

12. Tell me the principal beasts of burden in Îndia, in Arabia, in South Africa, in the | Andes of South America, on the mountains of Spain. Why is the latter more useful for mountain journeys than the horse?

RECAPITULATION.

(FROM JULIUS CÆSAR TO WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.)

P. BEFORE We begin the reign | houses, so that they formed of the Tudors, I should like you small villages and towns, in to answer two series of questions what state do you say they on our old lesson. The first lived then? series will relate to the people and social events; the second series will relate to the kings, and "political" events.