of his guilty child
deep within his heart; whilst the mother, wan, broken-hearted,
hopeless, wept in secret those tears of bitter agony whose fountain
was perpetually welling afresh.

It is "to point a moral" that we have opened these annals of the past;
and we would have the young ponder well the lesson that this history
teaches. There _is_ a danger in novel reading; it vitiates the taste,
enervates the understanding, and destroys all inclination for
spiritual enjoyment. The soul that is bound in fetters of this habit,
_cannot_ rise to the contemplation of heavenly things. It has neither
the inclination nor the power. We knew one, who, even with death in
view, turned with loathing away from the only Book that could bring
her peace and salvation, to feed greedily on the pages of a foolish
romance. It matters not that some of the finest minds have given their
powers to this style of writing; that bright gems of intellect flash
along their pages. The danger is so much the greater; for the jewels
scattered by Genius, blind even while they dazzle. "Some of the
greatest evils of my life," said a remarkable woman, "I trace to the
eager perusal of what are called 'well-written novels.' I lived in a
world of delusion. I had no power to separate the false from the real.
My Bible lay covered with dust; I had no desire for its pages." Oh,
then, if the young would reach a heavenly haven; if they would be
guided unto "the still waters" of everlasting bliss, let them avoid
the dangerous rock of novel reading, upon which so many souls have
been shipwrecked and utterly lost.

TO-DAY'S FURROW.

Sow the shining seeds of service
In the furrows of each day,
Plant each one with serious purpose,
In a hopeful, tender way.
Never lose one seed, nor cast it
Wrongly with an hurried hand;
Take full time to lay it wisely,
Where and how thy God hath planned.

This the blessed way of sharing
With another soul your gains,
While, though losing life, you find it
Yielding fruit on golden plains;
For the soul which sows its blessings
Great or small, in word or smile,
Gathers as the Master promised,
Either here or afterwhile.

BE JUST BEFORE GENEROUS.

My friend Peyton was what is called a "fine, generous fellow." He
valued money only as a means of obtaining what he desired, and was
always ready to spend it with an acquaintance for mutual
gratifica