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'I went to see a friend of mine

'Late in July last year;

NELLY'S FLOWER.

'Whose home is set 'mid sights and sounds 'You would think dull and drear.

'A faithful minister is he,

'Armed with the Spirit's sword;
'His joy to do his Master's work,
'His great and best reward.

'A gentle guide to those who strive
"To walk in virtue's track;
'A patient loving monitor
"To call the erring back.

'Nor fancy that his work has made
'His heart perplexed or sad;
'He smiled while he recounted all
'The happiness he had.

'We walked together through the streets,
'So close and dark to view;
'I think I felt, my Emily,

'A thrill of pain like you :

"To know that here were toiling folk
'Who could not see the flowers;
'Nor any of the summer sights
'In this green world of ours.

'We stopped before a narrow door,
'One, in a noisy street;

'Within we heard in murmured tones

'A cradle song most sweet.

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'A childish voice called out, come in; "

'My friend spoke low to me,

""I think a poet would rejoice

"In what we here shall see."

'A little girl stepped forth to us, 'A little modest child,

'Who when she saw my friend's kind face, 'With eager pleasure smiled.

"I just have hushed the babe to sleep," 'With quiet voice she spoke, ""Mother went out a little while,

""And when she went he woke.

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'A bright geranium glowing gay,
'One mass of scarlet bloom;
'Its grace and beauty seemed to me
'To glorify the room.

'My friend's eye too fell on the flower,
"Then as our glances met,
'He answered my enquiring gaze-
"Yes, this is Nelly's pet.'

""Will you tell all the story, child?"
'Half shy, yet self-possessed,
"The little maid looked up and said-
"I'll try to do my best."

""I did so want to have a flower
"Just to belong to me;
"But father said he could not tell
""What use a flower would be.

""But oh! I wanted something fair
""And sweet to smell and hold;
""I longed to see it day by day

"Its lovely leaves unfold.

"And one day I was crying so, "Because my mother said, "That she had barely pence enough "To buy us children bread.

""Just then he entered in-our friend,

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(For love we call him thus; ""But oh! there's no one who can tell, "What he has been to us.)

"He laid a shilling in my hand; "How can I tell my bliss; ""You may be sure I did not rest, ""Till I had purchased this.

""And I have tended it with care,

"Till it grew strong and tall; ""I place it every morning where "The earliest sunbeams fall.

"I give it water every day, ""I never can forget; ""And baby laughs to see its leaves

"All glistening green and wet. "My mother said that she was sure, "It was quite plain to see,

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"The place where such a flower could
"Must needs be orderly.
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"And so I try my best to keep
""Our room more clean and neat,
"To be a fit abiding place

""For anything so sweet.

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""But oh! the very best of all ""That my dear flower has taught, ""For very joy I scarcely can ""Describe it as I ought.

STEADY AIM.

""My father used sometimes to doubt
"If God could really care;
"Because you see, we were so poor,
""And had so much to bear.

""But day by day he watched my flower
""Unfold its scarlet bloom;
"He said it seemed to brighten up
"The darkness of the room.

""And one day, sir, I heard him say,
"If God is caring thus
""To enrich the beauty of the flower,
"He must be heeding us."

"And this thought made his heart grow ""His step more light and free- [glad, ""And when work came at last, he said,

""I was not wrong, you see."

"So is it strange that I should love ""My flower so sweet and fair? ""God sent it, I believe, to save 666 'My father from despair."

'She ceased-we thanked her for her tale, 'So simple, yet so true;

'I never could have thought before,
'How much a flower could do.

'They surely are God's messengers,
'In field, or street, or lane;
'To add fresh joy to happy hearts,
'Or soothe the mourner's pain.

"Then while we thank our God for all
'The blessings that He showers;
'Sometimes with glad and grateful hearts,
'We'll thank Him for the flowers.'

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LENGTH OF DAYS IS IN HER RIGHT HAND.

ONE

NE advantage resulting from the practice of abstinence from intoxicating drinks is to be seen in the prolongation of life. The Rev. Dr. Ingram of Unst, an abstainer for nearly half a century, affords a striking example of longevity combined with physical and intellectual vigour. Dr. Guthrie, who visited this most remarkable man in November 1871, stated at a public meeting in Berwick immediately on his return, in regard to Dr. Ingram, that 'at the extreme old age of ninty-six years he takes his place in the pulpit of his son-who is himself an old man-and preaches there with a power of intellect not the least impaired, and with a voice like that of Spurgeon. A few years ago that patriarch might be found reading the Hebrew Bible without the aid of lexicon or spectacles. Forty-five years ago, when the total abstinence movement was first emerging from obscurity, this venerable gentleman happened to hear some one read out of a newspaper, that on a man who had been the slave of drunkenness a post morten examination was made, and there was found an enormous quantity of alcohol in his brain. Dr. Ingram at once came to the determination that his head should never be made a whisky bottle, and from that day to this he had never touched any intoxicating liquor, and is a living argument in favour of total abstinence.

STEADY AIM.

HORATIO ROSS, the captain of the famous Scotch team at Wimbledon, in addressing the Lord Provost and Magistrates of Edinburgh in the Parliament House, on the occasion of the reception of the Elcho Shield, made the following statement: There is one thing in congratulating Scotland on the victory gained by her volunteers that I cannot omit to notice. I refer to the circumstance that each of the successful competitors were strictly temperate, and I never knew a good marksman who was otherwise than temperate.'

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C

SABBATH EVENINGS AT HOME.-THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

OME, children, and we will have a pleasant evening together. What is our lesson to be about to-night?'

'Do you not remember, mamma, that you promised to teach me the meaning of the references in my new Bible, and to show me how to find them, and you said that you would make that our lesson on Sabbath evening?'

'So I did, Georgie dear, and so we shall. You will find the text of the sermon we heard this afternoon in your new Bible, and it will be a pleasant employment for us all to look up the references from it.'

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Mrs was one of those wise and good mothers, who are not satisfied with merely telling their children that they ought to love the Sabbath, but who study to make it such a pleasant season for them, that they cannot

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help loving that blessed day-the best of all the seven.'

She took special care that nothing which she could prevent should deprive the children of the evening hour which she always devoted to their instruction. The little ones looked forward with pleasure to their Sabbath evening lesson from mamma, and sometimes during the week they were overheard saying to one another, I wonder what mamma will tell us about next Sabbath, or do you think mamma will read us a new story, or show us some pretty pictures? They were usually very attentive in church, for they knew that mamma would be sure to ask them in the evening about what they had heard, and that it would grieve her much if they had forgotten it all. Besides, these children loved the house of God, and

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love helps both the memory and the understanding wonderfully.

A few days before, little George's kind papa had given him a reference Bible as a birth-day gift. Little George valued his new Bible very highly, and was very happy when mamma said he should have his Sabbath evening lesson from it. He soon found the text, which was John x. 11, and read, 'I am the good shepherd.'

'Now, Georgie dear,' said his mamma, 'Do you see the small letter b at the beginning of the verse?'

'Yes, mamma, but I dont know what it

means.

"You will soon learn what it means; look on the margin and you will find another b there, and beside it some references. What is the first one, Georgie?'

'It is Isaiah xl. 11; mamma.'

'Now, find it, and you will see at once how useful the references are.'

Georgie could repeat the names of all the books from Genesis to Revelation, so he soon found the place, and read, 'He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, &c.'

'O mamma,' said Johnnie, 'that is the very verse Mr read to us in church, and he told us that it was a prophecy of the Lord Jesus, that it was written 700 years before His birth,—and that it was fulfilled when He took the little children in His arms and blessed them.'

'And do you remember what Mr told us about the Eastern shepherds and their flocks?' 'Yes, mamma; he said that an Eastern shepherd never drives his sheep as shepherds do in this country. He always goes before his flock, and he knows every sheep by name, and when he calls one it knows his voice and follows him. He told us too that often when the ground is covered with snow, the shepherd cuts down branches from the the trees, and feeds the sheep with the green leaves and the tender twigs; and when there is a feeble lamb in the flock, he takes it in his arms and carries it.'

'Quite right, dear. Now, we must find another reference, or we will not have time to get over them to-night. What is the next one, Georgie?'

'I have found it, mamma, it is Ezekiel xxxiv. 12-23.' George read the verses, and then said, 'I think Mr must have looked up all the references when he was making his sermon, for he read that one in church too, and told us the meaning of the 23rd verse.'

'No doubt our good pastor read these prophecies, and many more besides, for he knows well that there is no better way of studying the Bible than to compare one passage with another. Do you remember, Johnnie, what he said was the meaning of this prophecy?'

'He said that "My servant David," meant the Lord Jesus, because David was a type of Jesus. He was both a shepherd and a king—and all the tribes of Israel were united under His_reign; so when all nations acknowledge Jesus, there will be one fold and one shepherd.'

'I think you can now see how very useful the references are. These prophecies show that when Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd," His words meant, "I am the promised Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel;" and the Jews knew this well-and those among them who loved God, believed Jesus' words, and followed Him.

After the boys had read a few more texts, mamma showed them a beautiful picture of an Eastern shepherd carrying a feeble lamb in his bosom; and she told them a story of a dear little boy, one of Jesus' lambs, whom the Good Shepherd had very shortly before carried to His fold above. She told them how that sweet child never thought of death as the dark valley, but only as Jesus coming to take him to heaven.

Little Lizzie, who had been looking very intently at the picture while listening to the story of the little boy, then said, ‘mamma, you might sing,

"See Israel's gentle Shepherd stands.” '

While they were singing that sweet hymn, papa came in, and with a joyful heart joined his little ones in singing,

'Permit them to approach, He cries,
Nor scorns their humble name;
For 'twas to bless such souls as these
The Lord of angels came.'

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HAVING had the privilege of visiting the Colosseum at Rome, perhaps a short description may be interesting to the readers of the Dayspring.'

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It was built during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian, in the year A.D. 80, for the purpose of entertaining the people in a manner such as might be done now-a-days in a circus. Indeed, this great building was a vast circus, capable of holding the enormous number of 87,000 people at once. It is 1,616 feet round at the outside, and the smaller ring or oval which you perceive far down, was 180 feet wide by 217 feet long. From that centre oval, imagine one

ring of stone steps after another, (where all is now ruin and broken arches), until you reach the top windows to the left, and then you may form an idea of the great building restored. These steps were the seats on which the people sat, as you might see in some schools at the present day.

The Romans were very cruel, and liked to see the most terrible sights. They trained strong men called gladiators, or swordsmen. And on great holidays they would place two of these men armed in the centre of this great building, and make them try to kill one another; or they would take lions and tigers, or bears and elephants, and

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