NEVER YIELD TO DISCOURAGEMENT. 125 boy was greatly moved. The parent bird seemed to try to sooth them; but their appetites were too keen, and it was all in vain. She then perched herself on a limb near them, and looked down into the nest with a look that seemed to say, "I know not what to do next." But her indecision was momentary. Again she poised herself, uttered one or two sharp notes, as if telling them to "be still," balanced her body, spread her wings, and was away: again for the sea. Joseph now determined to see the result. His eyes followed her till she grew small, smaller, a mere speck in the sky, and then disappeared. She was gone nearly two hours, about double her usual time for a voyage, when she again returned, on a slow, weary wing, flying uncommonly low, in order to have a heavier atmosphere to sustain her, with another fish in her talons. On nearing the field, she made a circuit around it, to see if her enemies were there again. Finding the coast clear, she once more reached her tree, drooping, faint, and evidently nearly exhausted. Again the eaglets set up their cry, which was soon hushed by the distribution of a dinner such as-save the cooking-a king might admire. "Glorious bird!" cried the boy, in ecstasy and alone; "what a spirit!" Others can sing more sweetly; others can scream more loudly; but what other bird, when persecuted and robbed, when weary and discouraged, when so far from the sea, would do what thou hast done! I will learn a lesson from thee to-day. I will never forget hereafter that when the spirit is determined, it can do almost anything. Others would have drooped the head, and mourned over the cruelty of man, and sighed over the wants of the nestlings; but thou, by at once recovering the loss, has forgotten all. I will learn of thee, 126 MORNING PRAISE. noble bird; I will remember this, and I will set my mark high. I will try to do something, and to be something in the world; AND I WILL NEVER YIELD TO DISCOURAGEMENTS.” A TRACT IN A SHOE. A SHOEMAKER who had received a tract, without reading it, used it for the lining of the sole of a shoe. To all appearance the labour of the tract-distributor was in vain. But it was not so. The shoe was worn, and after a time was sent to another shoemaker to be soled anew, The latter, one Sabbath morning, sat down to his work. Tearing off the worn-out sole, he found the tract, and his attention was immediately arrested by the title"Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." The words were like an arrow from the quiver of the Almighty. The shoe was laid aside, and the man hastened to the house of God. He was awakened, and led to the cross of Christ, and herein found peace. There is an Eastern proverb which says:-"Thoughts are daughters of earth; but deeds are sons of heaven." A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT. (See Woodcut on first page.) WHETHER boys think it or not, it is a far more pleasant thing to go to school now-a-days than it was when some of us were boys. There is not half so much flogging and caning, and " knocking about " as there was in those days. Besides this, the books and plans of teaching are far better now than they were then, The picture on the first page represents a native school in the West Indies. The poor slaves there were so accustomed to the use of the whip, that they had an idea nothing could be done without it, A Christian native teacher once asked a missionary to visit his school. The missionary did so, and the teacher, with a large stick in his hand, commenced to give the boys a lesson. He began by saying, "What dat word, Ben ?" and, so saying, he gave the poor boy a severe blow on the head with the stick. "P-i-g, pig," says the little fellow, half-crying, and rubbing his head with his hand. Then, to the next boy, -first comes the blow, and then the question! "Stop, stop;" said the missionary, "that is not the way to teach; you should not strike the poor boys so." "How, massa," said the teacher, looking quite surprised, “We must give them some encouragement," The good missionary showed him a more excellent way, that even among Negro school-boys there was far more encouragement in a kiss than a blow. THE JUVENILE REPORTER. Ir is always a very pleasant thing for the Reporter to write good news, and if any one thinks it is a natural, and therefore very pleasant, thing for him to grumble or complain, they are greatly mistaken. Sometimes, when he has got toothache, or when people are too selfish or lazy to help in a good work, he does complain, and scold too, but it is by no means a pleasure to him, for he is never more delighted than when he has to praise for well-doing 128 THE JUVENILE REPORTER. His young friends, therefore, must not begin to supposs that he is a crabbed old fellow because he has taken the liberty to speak plainly of late. There was good reason for his doing so. Why, the juvenile contributions to the Mission were just about £100 short of what they were the previous year! If that was not enough to make him discouraged and out of patience, he does not know what would. He has lately felt this all the more on finding that, last year, while the Juvenile Fund was going back, the funds of all the great Missionary Societies were greatly increased. He does not mean to say any more about it now, however; but he will live and labour in hope that, this year, his young friends will make a noble effort to regain their good name. Shall we whose souls are lighted There is great activity amongst all denominations of Christians just now-especially for poor India. Presby terians, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Episcopalians, both in England and America, are all raising funds to send more missionaries to India. Additional missionaries have been sent off by some, and others are preparing to go. Let us pray that God may throw around them the shield of His protection, and bless their labours in leading many souls to Jesus. The Reporter takes upon himself to say, that next month, his young friends may expect a visit from his muchrespected friend and fellow-worker, Old Allan Gray. There is some one the Reporter knows who is writing some very interesting papers on the manners and customs of the Chinese, and he is not quite sure but the first one may appear next month. It isn't Albert Smith-although he is off to China to get up a panorama of that wonderful country, which he intends to exhibit in the Egyptian Hall, in London-but it is a friend who may some day become as great a favourite as the Reporter's tried and usty friend, Old Allan. THE ROCK, THE ANCHOR, AND THE CHAIN. It was afternoon in a great city. I looked a little while upon the scene of toil and care, and then turned my face away, and wished for other thoughts than those the restless city brought; and soon I thought that I was far away from all the hurry and the din of those poor weary beasts, and busy people, and children begging bread. I thought I stood on a steep, rocky shore, on a cliff that rose above a calm, blue sea. I heard the ocean's soft. ened roar as its waters gently broke for miles along that rocky beach. I watched the sea-birds glide above the bosom of the deep, then poise their snowy wings that SEPTEMBER, 1858. K |