How dim and pale the flowers would seem, The singing birds how sad How dread and cold the river's force, That once made music glad When deep amongst the broad green leaves And shuddered in the evening wind, The voice of God to hear! A thousand flowers were beautiful- Ask in thine own weak heart, my child, Dost thou not in a garden walk, With fruits and blossoms thronged? Hast thou at no time heard a voice, Tell thee the deed thine hand would do And yet thou didst forget the joys That God had blessed for thee; And cast them out like withered flowers, That was the sin our mother sinned In Eden long ago; Didst thou not feel at eventide, Her shame, and fear, and woe? H.T. TWO DAYS IN GLAMORGANSHIRE. BY A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. No. II. "His presence, who made all so fair, perceived, MY DEAR YOUNG Friends, I now purpose taking you another stage in our little excursion. In my last, I brought you to the railway station at Merthyr. On leaving the railway, I felt that I was surrounded by a number of objects of deep and peculiar interest, all to a great extent novel to me. The prodigious operations exhibited wherever I directed my eyes evidenced the immense physical and mental power in exercise, and the vast pecuniary resources requisite to keep all in proper balance and harmonious working. Every natural object here appeared to be made subservient to the wants and wishes of man, and to be almost entirely under his control. How very remarkable that all the materials necessary for the manufacture of iron should be found piled together-if I may use the expression-by the Divine Artificer ! Here the ore, and, in contact with it, or nearly so, the limestone, which acts as a flux in smelting; and, close at hand, in profuse abundance and in excellent quality, the invaluable article, coal. How striking the forethought and design; and how admirable the adaptation here apparent in the disposition of the rude materials composing the crust of the earth by the all-wise and all-powerful Architect! How highly advantageous, too, is this arrangement to the spirited and enterprizing proprietors of these immense establishments: a great advantage, also, is it to the public, both as regards the speed and cheapness with which the demand is thereby supplied. My attention was kept constantly on the stretch. At a short distance, fifteen or twenty large teams of coal were slowly passing from the mouth of a level. Nearer was an immense accumulation of refuse from the blast furnaces of one of the works, on the top of which rails were laid, and over the end were being thrown from iron waggons, large blocks of dross, in a red hot state. A little to the right was one of the largest ironworks in the world, in full operation. Close at hand was a line of rail, along which was passing a mixed train of trams, containing wood for coal-pits, &c., iron ore, hay, corn, &c., for the works of Sir J. Guest. The train stopped near to where I was, owing to some passing interruption. I went up to it for the purpose of procuring a specimen of iron ore, in the selection of which I was noticed by a man employed in weighing coal, brought to this spot from a level close by, for the consumption of the town. I found this man very intelligent, communicative, and civil, and met with a ready reply to every question which I put to him. He much regretted that his employment did not allow him then to take me into one of the mines, which, he told me, extended three miles under ground, (another person told me more); and I am sure my regret was as genuine as his. He kindly promised me some interesting specimens of ore, and of iron, in all its various stages of manufacture from the ore to its finished state, if I could have staid over the morrow; and, as I could not, he much wished me to give him my address, that he might send them to me. He told me of many accidents-harrowing to the feelings—which had passed under his notice in connection with his calling, and made many sensible remarks on the character of the workmen generally, and particularly of their recklessness in their employment, which may be termed the "jaws of death." I was just introducing a few remarks of a serious kind, bearing upon our personal state in God's sight, as a wind up to our rather long conversation, when a clamour in Welsh, among a number of women whom he had kept waiting for coal, drew him away to attend to their wants and the duties of his employment. I felt rather mortified at not having accomplished my design: and finding myself the subject of remarks in a language which I did not understand, and having spent as much time as I could afford, I quickly went away, and waited upon the person with whom I had to transact the business of my errand here; in doing which, I think I was TWO DAYS IN GLAMORGANSHIRE. BY A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. No. II. "His presence, who made all so fair, perceived, MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS, I now purpose taking you another stage in our little excursion. In my last, I brought you to the railway station at Merthyr. On leaving the railway, I felt that I was surrounded by a number of objects of deep and peculiar interest, all to a great extent novel to me. The prodigious operations exhibited wherever I directed my eyes evidenced the immense physical and mental power in exercise, and the vast pecuniary resources requisite to keep all in proper balance and harmonious working. Every natural object here appeared to be made subservient to the wants and wishes of man, and to be almost entirely under his control. How very remarkable that all the materials necessary for the manufacture of iron should be found piled together-if I may use the expression-by the Divine Artificer! Here the ore, and, in contact with it, or nearly so, the limestone, which acts as a flux in smelting; and, close at hand, in profuse abundance and in excellent quality, the invaluable article, coal. How striking the forethought and design; and how admirable the adaptation here apparent in the disposition of the rude materials composing the crust of the earth by the all-wise and all-powerful Architect! How highly advantageous, too, is this arrangement to the spirited and enterprizing proprietors of these immense establishments: a great advantage, also, is it to the public, both as regards the speed and cheapness with which the demand is thereby supplied. My attention was kept constantly on the stretch. At a short distance, fifteen or twenty large teams of coal were slowly passing from the mouth of a level. Nearer was an immense accumulation of refuse from the blast furnaces of one of the works, on the top of which rails were laid, and over the end were being thrown from iron waggons, large blocks of dross, in a red hot state. A little to the right was one of the largest ironworks in the world, in full operation. Close at hand was a line of rail, along which was passing a mixed train of trams, containing wood for coal-pits, &c., iron ore, hay, corn, &c., for the works of Sir J. Guest. The train stopped near to where I was, owing to some passing interruption. I went up to it for the purpose of procuring a specimen of iron ore, in the selection of which I was noticed by a man employed in weighing coal, brought to this spot from a level close by, for the consumption of the town. I found this man very intelligent, communicative, and civil, and met with a ready reply to every question which I put to him. He much regretted that his employment did not allow him then to take me into one of the mines, which, he told me, extended three miles under ground, (another person told me more); and I am sure my regret was as genuine as his. He kindly promised me some interesting specimens of ore, and of iron, in all its various stages of manufacture from the ore to its finished state, if I could have staid over the morrow; and, as I could not, he much wished me to give him my address, that he might send them to me. He told me of many accidents-harrowing to the feelings-which had passed under his notice in connection with his calling, and made many sensible remarks on the character of the workmen generally, and particularly of their recklessness in their employment, which may be termed the "jaws of death.” I was just introducing a few remarks of a serious kind, bearing upon our personal state in God's sight, as a wind up to our rather long conversation, when a clamour in Welsh, among a number of women whom he had kept waiting for coal, drew him away to attend to their wants and the duties of his employment. I felt rather mortified at not having accomplished my design: and finding myself the subject of remarks in a language which I did not understand, and having spent as much time as I could afford, I quickly went away, and waited upon the person with whom I had to transact the business of my errand here; in doing which, I think I was |