rough which faith saw more deeply
into heaven. Then in the sorrow Christ came nearer, entering more
really into the life of the home. Prayer has meant more since the dark
days. There has been a new fragrance of love in the household. There
are many homes whose present rich, deep, quiet happiness sorrow helped
to make.

But it is not in sorrow only that religion gives its benediction. It
makes all the happiness sweeter to have the assurance of God's love and
favor abiding in the household. Burdens are lighter because there is
One who shares them all. The morning prayer of the family, when all
bow together, makes the whole day fairer; and the evening prayer before
sleep, makes all feel safer for the night. Then religion inspires
unselfishness, thoughtfulness, the spirit of mutual helpfulness, of
burden-bearing, and serving, and thus enriches the home life.

After a while the young folks scatter away, setting up homes of their
own. How beautiful it is then to see the old couple, who, thirty or
forty years before, stood together at the marriage altar, standing
together still, with love as true and pure and tender as ever, waiting
to go home. By and by the husband goes away and comes back no more,
and then the wife is lonesome and longs to go too. A little later and
she also is gone, and they are together again on the other side, those
dear old lovers, to be parted henceforth nevermore. And that is the
blessed end of a happy Christian home.

CHAPTER XXII.

GOD'S WINTER PLANTS.

"The wind that blows can never kill
The tree God plants;
It bloweth east; it bloweth west;
The tender leaves have little rest,
But any wind that blows is best.
The tree God plants
Strikes deeper root, grows higher still,
Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will
Meets all its wants."
--LILLIE E. BARR.

One of the papers tells of a newly discovered flower. It is called the
snow-flower. It has been found in the northern part of Siberia. The
plant shoots up out of the ice and frozen soil. It has three leaves,
each about three inches in diameter. They grow on the side of the stem
toward the north. Each of the leaves appears to be covered with little
crystals of snow. The flower, when it opens, is star-shaped, its
petals being of the same length as the leaves, and about half an inch
in width. On the third day the extremities of the anthers show minute
glistening specks, like diamonds