6 OH! 'SICK, AND YE VISITED ME.' THE BRITISH MOLOCH. H! wae's me for the helpless weans, Mair sad than orphaned whiles, That cower before a faither's wrath An' ken nae mither's smiles. That frae their earliest infant years Hear nocht but words o' scorn, Till ane micht deem, 't were better far The bairns had ne'er been born. I'm wae tae think upon the lot O mony a ane I see, Wi' hungry looks an' naked forms, An' them sae weak an' wee. Ane canna cleed them: tho' they could Hae them a' richt the noo, The claes wud sune be oot o' sicht An' ower their mammy's mou'. I hear the bairnies, late and sune, An' nae ane seems tae care for them I wonner what the Faither thinks, Auld Scotland, tho' you 're aye sae dear, That wi' sae little shame an' fear, JANET K. MUIR. 'SICK, AND YE VISITED ME.' T was Friday afternoon, and lessons at Miss Porter's seminary for young ladies were over for the week. Quite a crowd of well-dressed girls were issuing from the gate, laughing and chatting gaily as they consulted together and laid plans for the morrow. Slowly they dispersed till at length only two remained little girls who bore. a striking resemblance to each other. They seemed too very nearly of an age, which might be about ten or eleven. With arms lovingly entwined they lingered on the side-walk in earnest conversation. The more fashionably dressed of the two was saying, in the tone of one who will take no denial, Now, Winnie dear, I know quite well that you would like to come, and that your mamma will give you leave, so no more excuses, please, but just get ready as early as you can to-morrow, and we will have such a long pleasant day together.' Indeed, dear Lily, I am very sorry, I do so love to spend a day with you at the Hall, but to-morrow it is quite impossible as I have promised to go somewhere else.' And Winifred looked quite distressed as she thus for the third or fourth time was forced to decline her cousin's invitation. 'I don't know who you have promised to visit, but I am sure whoever it is you could easily send an apology,' persisted Lily. 'I daresay I could, if it had been only an ordinary visit,' answered Winifred; but when I have explained all about it to you I think you will agree with me that I would be very wrong did I fail to keep my appointment. It is a good many weeks now since father told us about a poor little boy who had met with such a sad accident. One day, while going his rounds, he saw a child run on the tramway in pursuit of a ball, just in front of a passing car. In an instant a boy rushed from the opposite side, seized the little girl, and exerting his utmost strength succeeded in rescuing her. He 8 'SICK, AND YE VISITED ME.' displayed under his great sufferings, learnt from his mother something of their former history.' As Lily here began to show signs of impatience, Winnie cut short her recital, only informing her cousin that every Saturday since Edward had been able to sit up she had gone regularly to see him, taking him books to read, and that finding him so anxious to learn, he having been obliged to leave school just as he had begun to get deeply interested in his studies, she had, after asking her father's permission, promised to lend him the books her brother Charlie had thrown aside on entering college, as well as to render him all the assistance she could. When Winnie ceased speaking, instead of the expressions of sympathy and approval she had expected from her cousin, Lily answered, I wonder what Jack will say when he hears that his favourite Winnie prefers the society of a poor stranger boy to that of her cousins!' 'Oh Lily!' exclaimed Winnie, reproachfully, and you never told me that my cousin Jack was at home!' 'Forgive me, Winnie dear,' she replied, 'I wished to keep the news as a pleasant surprise for you to-morrow morning. But you will relent now, I see it in your face, besides, don't you think when one party must be disappointed that it ought rather to be the stranger than friends who have known and loved you all your life?' For a moment Winifred wavered, and her face lighted up with pleasure at the thought of seeing the bright handsome boy with whom she had always been such a favourite, yet it was but for a momentshe remembered Him who said, 'I was a stranger, and ye took me in: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me. Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these, ye did it unto Me.' And answered, 'Dearest Lily, I am afraid I must still beg of you to excuse me. Will you please give my love to cousin Jack, and tell him I am very very sorry that I cannot meet him to-morrow? It would have given me so much pleasure, but,' she added, with quivering lips and in a lower tone, 'even Christ pleased not Himself, and He hath left us an example that we should follow in His steps.' The cousins here separated, Lily declaring petulantly that she had no patience with such old-fashioned notions. From this you will perceive that though so nearly related and attending the same classes, the home training of the two little girls had been very different. Their fathers were brothers, but Lily's father being the elder, was Squire Holmes of Elmtree Hall, and in the eyes of her lady mother any breach of fashionable observance was the greatest sin that could be committed. Whereas the father of Winifred was a hardworking, not overwell paid parish doctor. An earnest and humble Christian, he tried to walk in the footsteps of his great Master. Of him it might be literally said, 'He went about doing good.' And his wife was truly an help-meet for him. They resided in a populous part of a large manufacturing town, so that it was indeed a treat to Winnie when she was allowed to spend a day with her cousins at Elmtree Hall, which was a large handsome house standing in its own pleasant grounds just outside the town. No wonder, poor child, that she keenly felt the disappointment, yet it was not so much this, as the fear that she had given offence to her cousins that clouded her brow and brought the tears to her eyes on her homeward walk. Yet she knew it was wrong to feel thus, for had not Jesus said, If any man love Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and followed Me. She knew also that the approval of her own conscience was much more to be desired than that of the dearest earthly friend. Under the influence of such reflections Winnie soon regained her former cheerfulness; and it was with a very bright face that she met her mother and told her of her cousin Jack's arrival and her consequent invitation to the Hall, as well as her determination not to break her promise to poor Edward Layton. And well did she think herself repaid for her act of selfdenial by the bright-smile which lighted up the poor boy's worn features, and the warm MISSIONARIES' HOMES. hand clasp with which he greeted her appearance in his little room the following morning with the precious books. Great indeed was her happiness in being privileged to assist such an earnest and attentive scholar as Edward, and beautiful to Winnie was the selfsacrificing love mother and son shewed towards each other. The mother hiding under a cheerful countenance a heart that ached with pity for her poor maimed boy, while Edward bravely suppressed every murmur lest he should give pain to his darling mother. Perhaps it would be well here to give my readers a sketch of Mrs Layton's life as she herself had given it to Dr Holmes. Her husband, she told him, had died when Edward was a baby, leaving her, however, in comfortable circumstance, but two years ago, the bank in which her money had been lodged stopped payment, rendering her absolutely penniless, and causing her to leave her nice home, and take up her abode in the two small rooms she and Edward at present occupied. She had realised a small sum by selling part of her furuiture, and this she eked out by taking She in plain needle-work. was thus enabled to keep her son at school for a considerable time after the loss of her fortune. When at length she was reduced to depend entirely upon the work of her hands, she began to suffer actual privation. She sat at work almost day and night, denying herself at the same time even necessary food, in her anxiety to give her boy at least a fair education. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she told Dr. Holmes of her vain efforts to hide from Edward their extreme poverty. By contriving to have her own scanty meals over before he came home, she had fondly hoped to preserve any little dainty for her beloved boy. The quick eye of affection saw through each loving subterfuge, and what he thought his idolized mother did not partake of, he also left untouched. Edward at length prevailed with his mother to let him leave school and try to obtain work. After several fruitless attempts, he succeeded in gaining employ 9 ment in a warehouse as a message boy, for which he received five shillings weekly. He had been in this situation for about eight months, when the sad accident happened which we have just related. While the two children sat at lessons, Mrs Layton busied herself in preparing for them some of the delicacies that Winnie had brought in her little basket, but of which neither would partake, until she had consented to join them in their repast. When Winnie took leave of Edward and his mother, they felt as if a ray of sunshine had departed with her. As for Winnie herself, I am sure she enjoyed very much more the knowledge that she had been the means of bringing even a little pleasure into the home and hearts of these poor afflicted ones, than if she had spent the hours solely for her own amusement and gratification. Truly, It is more blessed to give than to receive.' MISSIONARIES' HOMES. NGUNA-NEW HEBRIDES. A. M. HERE were a number of nice little girls whom we were very anxious to get to come to live with us, but so long as the people continued heathen there was no hope of that. It made us very sad to see them growing up, marrying and settling down to heathen life. One of these girls and her husband are now, I am glad to say, church members, and living consistent Christian lives. When visiting one of the Mission stations, I admired the bright clean girls about the house, and asked the Missionary's wife, 'How did you get the girls to come to you?' 'Well,' she said, 'they came of their own accord.' So we returned home and prayed and hoped on till at last, nearly four years ago, two girls came of their own accord.' In a very short time we had ten girls living in a house made for them near to our own. These girls we clothed, fed, and educated. The five older ones I trained to housework with the help of Nalmahmu, an Aneityumese woman, who with her husband has been with us for seven years. She was trained by Mrs Inglis, and has been a most useful and invaluable woman. She was the devoted nurse of our three children, and when our first-born was laid in the grave, she grieved for him as if he had been her own. For years she was almost the only help I had, and now that some of the Nguna women have become Christian, and consequently willing to help the Missionary and his wife, Nalmahmu has been very active in helping to teach them to read, sew, wash, iron, etc. etc. Infanticide is very prevalent in the islands, and two of our girls were saved from being buried alive when infants; one was to be buried by her mother to save her the trouble of nursing, but another woman saved her; the other infant was to have been put alive into her mother's grave, but an old woman saved her and brought her up. Other two of the girls are chiefs' daughters. Before we left in the end of last year, three of the girls were married. A description of one wedding will serve for all. The bride's dress was made of gay shawlpatterned print, which she sewed herself, and a white straw hat trimmed with red ribbons and flowers. The bridegroom wore blue trousers and white shirt. The church was crammed inside, and numbers were looking in through doors and windows to witness the ceremony of Christian marriage. Over two hundred were present and partook of the feast afterwards. Most of the villages far and near sent representatives. Each one had enough to eat at the time, and a basketful to take away. Great were the preparations for the feast, which consisted of yains, bananas, pork, goat mutton, &c., with the addition of rice, beans, tea and biscuit. The company had all dispersed, and it was getting dark when the bride's female relatives and friends gathered round the door of the girls' house and commenced to cry; their weeping increased in vehemence as the procession formed the girls escorting the bride and carrying her possessions, viz., a box containing her clothing, bags, mats, etc., and two or three large puddings for THE BAIRNIE'S WISH. THE gloaming hour's the best for thocht, An' think the rosy clouds abune There's nae jarrin' onywhere, It's then I'll speak about the King, An' the weans wha sang His praise, An' cried Hosannas to the Lord In the sweet, auld, by-gane days. My laddie sits an' waits to hear In his strange, auld-farrant way Had ance lifted on His knee:- Would wi' a sweet music ring; |