SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME.

The time for hopeful labour, when the dreary winter's past,
And you see the long brown furrows, are growing green at last!
And tell our friends, we pray them to be patient in their pain,
For the good God knows our sorrows, and His promise is not vain!
A little toil,-a little care,-and in a world of bliss,

We shall forget the poverty, that parted us in this ;

How small a thing 'twill seem to us, upon that blesséd shore,

Where the "hundred thousand welcomes," shall be ours for evermore!

77

"SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME."

"Never may our hearts forget

That Heaven with infancy redeem'd is full ;

Crowded with babes, beyond the sunbeams bright
And countless! Forms of life that scarcely breathed
Earth's blighting air; and things of lovely mould,
Which, ere they prattled, or with flowers could play,
Or to the lullaby of watching Love

Could hearken-back to God's own world were call'd;
And myriads, too, who learn'd to lisp a prayer,

Bend the soft knee, and heave devotion's sigh,

Or caroll'd with a bird-like chant the psalms

Of David-with THE CHURCH IN HEAVEN are found.

For He who loved them, and on earth enwreathed

His arms around them, now in glory wills

To hear their voices, and their souls array

With beauty, bright as elder spirits wear." ROBERT MONTGOMERY.

"And they brought unto Him also infants, that he should touch them; but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein.'"-LUKE xviii. 15—17.

"FORBID them not," blest Saviour, thou didst say,
When Thou on earth didst tread thy toilsome way;
"Suffer the little ones to come to me,

S. S.-VOL. II.

Such must the children of my kingdom be."

Yes! Thou didst gaze upon their smiling eyes,-
The purest orbs, beneath these earthly skies,—
Thou stretchedst forth thy hand Divine to bless
Those young immortals, in thy tenderness!

U

Thou, Saviour! art the only lamp and light

To cheer the darkness of our mortal night;
Though fierce the storm, though wild the raging sea,
The Star of Peace shines, when we gaze on Thee.

Well knowest Thou all human grief and woe,
For Thou didst drain a bitter cup below;
Thou sharest even childish hopes and fears,
For Thou hast wept a wailing infant's tears!

Thou searchest every sad and weary breast,
Bidding it lean on Thee, and find its rest;
Thou knowest all a mother's anxious cares,
And all the weight of thought her pale brow bears.

And though long years have pass'd, and all around
Is changed, since mortal ears could list the sound
Of thy dear voice below; we still may hear
By faith, thy tender accents, calm and clear,

And thrilling as they were in days gone by,
When thou didst stand beneath Judea's sky,
Blessing those little ones of Israel's line,
And pouring forth on them thy love Divine.

We, too, may bring our children unto Thee,
And at thy footstool meekly bow the knee,
Beseeching thee to make them all thine own,
To claim and seal them for thyself alone.

So bless them, Saviour! e'en in this our day,
And guide and guard them all the darksome way;
So that at last, their earthly journey trod,
They may rest safe, at home with Thee, their God.

INTERIOR OF A HAREM.

THE country now called Circassia-a part of the ancient Colchis-has always been remarkable for the personal loveliness, and, as it is said, for the savage character, of its women. To this day the countrywomen of Medea resemble their predecessor, of murderous memory, both in beauty and in ferocity; they are also reported to possess, like her, an acquaintance with the poisonous herbs which still abound in their country; and, like her, to apply their knowledge, when tempted to do so by their interest or their passions, to the most nefarious purposes.

The Circassian women would seem to be almost without family affections or domestic attachments. A daughter, if it be her lot to possess any considerable personal advantages, is educated solely on the speculation of her subsequent profitable sale; and she not unfrequently demands from her parents, as a right, the education, if such it can be called, most likely to be conducive to this end; so entirely are all the kindly feelings of her nature extinguished, and her regards centered in herself. She may gratify the passions, but can never secure the esteem, of the master to whom she may be ultimately consigned; and such is the untamed ferocity of her character, that she generally excites fear, rather than love.

When a vessel nears their coasts for the purpose of traffic in slaves, the poor untaught maidens who had been awaiting its arrival, far from entertaining any sense of their degradation, array themselves to the best advantage, rejoicing in the bright prospect, which, as they have been taught to believe, lies before them. Mentally they contrast the reported splendour of the Harem, with the wretched huts in which they have been born and reared; the gorgeous silks of Constantinople, with their own squalid garments; and never having been imbued with the love either of their country or their family, they regard their sale to the slave-merchant as the first stone in the edifice of their fortune; their entrance into the foreign ship, as the first step into the pleasures of life.

At the outset of their career of degradation, these beautiful and unfortunate Eastern maidens are not disappointed. The vessels provided for their transportation are furnished with all possible regard to their accommodation. Their price at the mart depends upon their condition as to health and beauty; of course, therefore, the utmost attention is paid to their wants and wishes; and on their arrival at the place of their destination, the most luxurious apartments are provided for their use and enjoyment.

In some instances, the slave-merchant, who purchases these degraded beings on speculation, endeavours to cause them to acquire such slight and superficial accomplishments as he thinks likely to enhance their pecuniary value. His efforts, however, are, for the most part, ineffectual. The Greek maiden, under similar circumstances, sometimes profits by the lessons of her teachers; the poor Circassian, in her beauty and her indolence, seems incapable of any mental improvement. A little skill in