and how infinitely multiplied, might be the moral powers of the pencil, if, as it ought to be, it were enlisted in the service of education, instead of being made, as hitherto, a mere instrument for the gratification of taste or splendour, to speak of it in the highest uses to which it has attained-for as the minister of superstition, who can approve it? and as the minister of evil how is it to be dreaded and abhorred!

The last pause we made was at the balustrades on Waterloo Bridge, where the River-the emphatic river was spread out in all its breadth, and amplitude, and majesty before us. "Tiber and Ilyssus was each but a stream to thee, thou mighty river," exclaimed the eldest of my young classics-while Edward with a finer feeling said—“ Sir, do you think this is the river from which the knowledge of the Lord is to go to the ends of the earth?"

"I hope and trust it is, my dear boy," said I, “and that thousands of the vessels which are every day buoyant on its bosom have already carried that precious freight to many a distant land."

Waterloo," said Henry, "Why have they called it Waterloo? that is but a painful recollection, when we think how many gallant soldiers fell on that field, we ought rather to wish not to think of Waterloo at all."

"The origin of commemorating interesting events," said I, "by the erection of some kind of monument, is of very high antiquity, and common to all nations in some form or other, since the days when Israel discomfited the Philistines in battle, and Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer." 1 Sam, vii.

"And Jacob's pillar, Sir," said Edward," which he set up that morning after he had dreamed a dream, and seen the angels of God- -was that of the same nature?"

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Yes, my dear," I replied, "so were the stones which Joshua pitched in Gilgal, after the passage of the Jordan. These things instruct us in the origin of national monuments, the commemoration of some great event or deliverance which has called forth the expression of a nation's gratitude to God; these are the most lasting archives of a people-more durable than tablets of brass, and which continue to relate events after

history has forgotten them; and in the lapse of ages-the change of dynasties-the vicissitudes of men and things ever bear witness to some wondrous work of old. And many a traveller doubtless pansed in Gilgal since the days of the son of Nun, saying, 'What mean these stones?' To whom the pious Hebrew would reply, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land!'”

"Then there is the arch of Titus still at Rome," said Henry, "which the Jews refuse to pass under-would they tell you the origin of that?"

"Would you ask them, Henry?" said I, "Would it be generous to ask them the origin of that?"-" No, Sir," said Henry.

"No, but it speaks in affirmation both of prophecy and history at once. Israel shall be carried away captive,' says the prophet- Titus carried the Jews captive,' says history, "in his train to Rome.'

We gave one more look to the magnificent Thames, with its wondrous scenery-the metropolis of a world reflected on its bosom; and merely glancing at what no single mind had power to grasp, the many thousand thoughts that its vast aspect inspires we retraced our steps towards the Strand, and proceeded to the place of our destination.

And what place do you think this was, my dear young friends? Why it was no other place than a great Nursery. You wonder that I carried my young gentlemen to see a Nursery-but you shall hear. The room into which we were ushered was large enough to have contained two or three hundred infants, but we found it was occupied by a much smaller number. Some of them were under two years of age, and none of them above five or six. A large planisphere, similar to those used for demonstration by public lecturers, stood in the centre of the apartment, and the walls were adorned with many a holy text, in characters so large that "he who ran might read," so beautifully appropriate, that I quote a few of them-such as,

"Be harmless as doves." "Loye as brethren." "Love

"Jesus went about doing good." "God knoweth the heart." one another."

"Be content with such things as ye have."

Speak not evil one of another."

"The Lord preserveth all them that love Him." "Blessed are they that seek the Lord with their whole heart."-Prints also on subjects of natural history, or of domestic animals, were placed against the wall, or lying about the room.

The master was busy with his interesting babes when we went in, and with great animation, energy, and vivacity, was relating to them a story out of the Bible. It was the history of Joseph, the Hebrew captive-the man that was separated from his brethren-the favorite son of his father, who was sold by his cruel brothers because they did not love him, and was cast into prison in a foreign land, because somebody said he had done a wrong thing-and who interpreted the dreams of his fellow-prisoners, the king's butler and baker; and afterwards told the king himself what was the meaning of his visions of the night. When the teacher had related the whole circumstances of this most interesting portion of holy writ to his children, he proceeded to reduce the moral lessons it was fitted to convey, and which are so abundantly scattered through it, to the capacity of his infant auditors. This he did with equal ability and simplicity, for nothing is more difficult than to instruct babes who must be fed with "milk, and not with meat." One scene of this infantine drama will give you some idea of his method.

Wishing to exhibit to his infants the nature of selfishness, as the lesson to be drawn from the butler's forgetfulness of Joseph, the master described in a kind of pantomimic manner a boy who had a selfish disposition. "This boy," said he "has got an apple, and he selfishly wishes to keep it all to himself. He does not love to give part of it to his brothers and sisters, though it is written What is written?"-he added, pointing with his hand to the wall, where verses of Scripture were exhibited-" it is written?"-The children immediately called out,

"We should love one another!"

"This boy," continued the master, going up to one end of the room and concealing himself," went into ?—into ?—” "A corner!" exclaimed the infants, 66 a corner!" And instead of saying?—to his mother-mother lend me

a knife?-"

“That I may cut a slice of the apple!" cried the babes.— "That I may cut a slice of the apple," resumed the master, "and give it to sister or brother-this selfish boy goes into the corner ?"—" And eats it all up himself."

After talking upon the unamiable nature of a selfish dispo. sition, and shewing the loveliness of the opposite quality; and quoting various scriptures to prove that God loves us to be kind one to another, he went on to enquire if all had forgotten Joseph, as well as the ungrateful butler; and uniting the holy principles of piety with that simple morality which the children were capable of receiving, he said—

"But though the selfish butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him-one did remember him-Who was that?"

Here there was a little mistake in the boy who had to answer, calling out" King Pharaoh!"-which occasioned a simper among those who imagined they could have answered bettertill the next catechumen calling out "King George!" the simper burst out into a laugh. Gravity being restored, the 'question was put in a different form, and the answers were given with a sweet and infantine solemnity.

"Who is it," said the master," that sees all the good and all the wicked in the world?”—

"God," was the reply.

"God remembered Joseph," said another-" God sees every body," said a third.

"Yes," said the master," He was looking at that little boy who when he got out of bed this morning-knelt down?—" "And prayed to God," said the babes.

"And He will look at that little boy to-night-when he goes to bed?”

"And kneels down to pray to God," said the children, again delighted to shew their knowledge.

"And He will take care of him all the night and all the day," said the master, "yes, and all his life.'

That boy will never want a friend, thought I.

"And where do all the good go to?" said the teacher. "All the good goes to heaven," said the little creatures. "And all the bad?"-"Them goes to fire!"

What ideas they had of either place cannot easily be imagined;

but the doctrine of rewards and punishments being the doctrine of the Bible, we do not profess to comprehend the nature of those systems whether of ethics or education which would exclude it from the schools either of infancy or youth.

When the master had talked some time longer to the children, he called up a little boy, and then a little girl, and desired them to interrogate the school on the subject of the lessonwhich they did accordingly, and exceedingly well; and when all was over, the little assembly clapped their " dimpled hands," and all sat down.

During the whole of the simple exhibition we had witnessed, the infants behaved with great propriety and docility. And the contentment, simplicity, and childishness by which they were characterized, shewed that they suffered no pain from the restraint which the regularity and order of a school necessarily imposed on them.

One little tiny thing, who like an incipient Red-RidingHood had got just as much of mother's old cloak for a great coat as would have served for a fashionable lady's collar, amused herself fully; more with robing and unrobing during the lesson, than attending to what was said by the master, and when school-time was over, she and many others ran and seized upon the picture-boards, and began to expatiate upon ducks, peacocks, and parrots. But with the exception of these juvenilities, nothing could be calmer, less noisy, less restless, than the state of the whole little party, considering that they were children in good health-buoyant spiritshappy-occupied-and under the operation of what might be expected to produce no small degree of excitement.

They afterwards sung a few verses in praise of the works of God in creation. All I remember of them was about a little bird. A monitor held the words before us, as we stood up to listen; and it was sweet to hear such little dear creatures singing about such little tiny things.

"Who taught you to spread out the wing,

And flutter in the air?

Who taught you, pretty birds, to sing?

He surely, who made every thing

So lovely and so fair."