Toys for little Annie I purchased, will testify, he has not forgotten you," and on Christmas Eve I started for presenting her the missal as I spoke. Will Hanley's home. Annie answered "Love one another," she murmured my ring, and welcomed me right tearfully,-" that command have I disheartily. In the parlor, the little girl, obeyed."-She told me all, and said in for some undefined reason, was arrang-bitter anguish, "I was all to blame." ing a tiny stocking on the carpet. I Leaning her head upon her hands, complimented Annie on the air of she cried bitterly. Softly opening the comfort and content that nestled on door, I beckoned Will, who entered, every object in the room. I hinted and beheld with deep emotion his that the married alone are blessed, weeping wife. Bending over her, he and wished that I were in the toils of murmured, "Annie, am I forgiven?" some pretty maiden who valued heart "O Will! forgive me," she cried, more than money and good looks. A springing from her seat and embracing pretty rare specimen of the genus girl, him as of old. nowadays!-Unmindful of my rambling nonsense, her bent head drooped lower. Then she looked at me with eyes suffused with tears; she would Seeing them happy, I was happy have spoken, but could not, her heart myself. was overflowing with grief. The little mistake girl was at her side in a moment, Was. it inquiring as to papa's return. Softly child's? The little girl was too small the mother answered the childish to administer it, the angel, L fear, too queries and told her, "Papa would remote, and Annie well, woman's soon be here." whims are something "as no fellow

"Papa, tiss!" said the little girl, running to him with all the affection. of her childish nature.

In the confusion, I felt, if I not, a kiss upon my cheek. Annie's, an angel's, or the

"Have you seen him of late?" she can find out." asked.

This little sonnet I wrote in Annie's

"Yes," I answered, "and as this album the following day—

Hail, blessed love! when thou in human souls,
With influence divinely blest, dost reign;
Between them, and the outer world of pain,
A broad deep sea of Lethean virtue rolls:
And ever, through our loved ideal isle,

The music of these ever blissful spheres

Comes rippling;-and the sun-tipp'd wavelets smile,
As our light bark its fragrant harbor nears.
Ah me! if never all-redeeming love
The altars of our hearts left desolate ;—
If King alway on thy imperial throne;

The barbèd arrows of Titanic Fate,-
Not borne their sharpness by ourselves alone,
We'd blessings hail as from the hand above.

Henry has just returned. In talking | Ere the wrath of God was appeased we touched, among other topics, upon by the crucifixion on Calvary, the the melodies of Mother Goose. What souls of the departed experienced all wonderful vitality they possess! How, the sufferings of the accursed. Near as in my own case, they haunt us in their abode was a stream, a drop of maturer years! How, for passive whose sparkling water tended to natures, they preserve the crisp and alleviate their burning thirst. But vernal freshness that endeared them that drop they could not obtain. So to our childish hearts! Who, when the they called upon the birds of the air north wind comes whistling through to bring it them, and no one heeded. cranny and chink, and winter with them save the robin. He on light wing stealthy pace comes down from the dropped down, and drank of the lucid frozen north, does not remember the stream, and bearing a drop of water little ditty that occurred to me this in his little beak flew with it and morning.

"The north wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

And what will poor robin do then,

Poor thing!" Who can eat his Christmas dinner and forget that playmate of our childhood:

"Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner

Eating his Christmas pie;"

dropped it on the parched tongue of some suffering being. In this humble. way he ministered to the wants of numberless sufferers. But the flames of the sea of fire over which he had to fly to perform his good deeds, scorched his little breast and throat, and robin red breast he has been called from that day to this.

"The legend is good enough to be true, Henry, is it not?"

"Yes," he replied, "it would form an excellent text for a sermon. I was informed this evening," he continued, "that one of our late aspirants for office is doing good work among the needy poor, in distributing coal and food among them."

"An act," said I, "that reflects little credit on the giver."

or fail to renew, among these simple melodies, the acquaintanceship of "Little Bo-Peep," "Little Tom Tucker," "Billy Smart," and a host of others, with whom in childhood he was wont to keep company? Do we love them for their intrinsic worth, or for the associations with which they are connected? Do we not, when we read them, kneel again at our mother's knee, and hear from her loved lips "Ah! Barry, we must not look a the winsome sounds that solaced our every grief? Do we not tease her with numerous questions as to this stereotyped application of and that melody, ask her about a thou- which is as dangerous as it is false. sand things that have no possible Remember, Henry, the gift-horse in connection save in our little minds? the parable was not a modern There was one old legend my mother politician." used to relate about the robin, that I never shall forget:

gift horse in the mouth."
" An apothegm," I
"the

replied,

"Very true," said Henry, "but if we are to analyze men's motives, we

shall never be able to form right judg- What pledge can such men give of ments concerning them."

"As a rule," said I, "men's acts should satisfy us, but when it is notorious that they are done for a base purpose, it becomes us to inquire into and condemn, if needs be, the motives of the doer of the acts. Remember the words of the apostle; Though I deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing""

"But is it not extremely difficult," said Henry, "to discern the motives of men?"

"In some instances it is," I replied; "in others, it is matter of ordinary observation. Men there are, on whose actions are stamped so plainly the motives that inspired them, that none but the wilfully blind can fail to perceive them. So long as men continue to detract by evil the good they would have us believe they effect; so-long as they continue to deceive men by their acts into elevating them into high places, and hold those places for selfish ends, so long will every wellmeaning man continue to denounce the motives of their deceitfully gener'ous acts."

fealty to the public weal? I would have as reformers men whose lives obloquy could not blacken; whose acts not even their enemies, for shame's sake, would dare question. Men whose promises would be more than 'sounding brass and tinkling cymbal,' whose record, if such were possible, would justify injustice.”

66

All-hail," said Henry, "to your Utopia!"

"Believe me," said I "the essentials of that Utopia are in our midst." "Is it not strange they do not manifest themselves then?" said Henry.

"Is it not more strange," I replied, "that we do not perceive them? Blindly looking upon the world and seeing wrong triumphant, we straightway agree to the delusion, that man is wholly depraved, and that, to be successful, it is expedient to minister at the throne, and uphold the dynasty of evil. Did we reason calmly and with more faith on the moral nature of men, we would have initiated a crusade against the regnant vice."

"I fear," said Henry, "your crusade would be limited to a few enthusi

"What then," asked Henry, "is the asts. The great mass, while applaudprime essential of well-doing?"

ing the end, would stand aloof from the means."

"SINCERITY! Without it our actions are lifeless and hollow. It is the pinion "A more dangerous heresy could upon which good deeds ascend unto God. not be preached," I replied warmly. The modern politician has none of it. "To say that the vast majority of any "Low cunning, crafty deceit, brazen people prefer evil to good, is to assert impudence, and an illimitable con- that the nation of which they are citiscience, supplemented at times by zens, is as one of the doomed cities of ignorance, vulgarity, and a criminal the plain. Why the blatant demagague record, blended together, and you have kindles to enthusiasm his besotted the prime essentials of the lawgiver of hearers, when he gives utterance to the period. Nay more, this is the some virtuous or patriotic sentiment make-up of many of our reformers. that finds no echo in his heart. If this

the first and more numerous are those who join the movement for selfish ends; the second, and less numerous, are those who sympathize with the end in view. The latter or disinterested class are the

instinctive feeling for good manifest. "It is true," I replied, "that a viritself under conditions so adverse, if it tuous government cannot be upheld. respond so spontaneously to the mere but by virtuous men. It is true that political ranter, think you that good the majority rule. But in every mass men, did they trouble themselves so of men moving together for a common to do, would fail to evoke applause, purpose, you will find two classes: similar in import, but differing in intensity? Now, if the damagogue for expediency's sake touches the finer feelings of his auditors, why for principle's sake should not the good man do likewise? Because of this accursed minority of the majority. Honest and heresy of damning the multitude at a well-meaning, they join the movement venture. I found during the last for the general good. Selfish aims campaign occasion for these remarks. they have not, nor selfish ends. Men I saw, who, as I was informed, "Suppose on some question of vital were bound body and soul to a certain import-no unreasonable suppositionleader, sanction by applause the most the minority of the majority and terrible indictments that could be the minority of the country should drawn against him. And why? unite; what would be the result? Because of the belief they had in him Unless the majority were unusually who uttered them. But,' you say, enormous, they would carry the day. 'they were men whem honesty and Theirs would be would be a banner around religion conspired to make good.' which good men could rally; theirs Granted it avails you nothing. Thou- would be a cause in which no man sands who are included among the would be ashamed to fight. Never political outcasts of our day, are pre-sacrificing principle for the sake of cisely of the same mould." expediency, never compromising with "You convince me," said Henry, evil for the sake of good, never allow"that such a revolution is barely pos- ing personal interest to guide their sible, but unfortunately it is inex- acts, theirs would be a victory men pedient. You hold that a virtuous would applaud, and angels smilingly government cannot be upheld by approve."

immoral men. And surely the most

"Do you assert," asked Henry, sanguine believer in man's perfectness" that principle never should yield to will not assert that the majority-and expediency?" they are our rulers-are wholly vir

"I do," I replied.

"Expediency is If his people are

tuous men. Is it not therefore inex-ever the tyrant's plea. pedient to endeavor to establish, a prin- disaffected, he yields for expediency's ciple among men which they them-sake; if he robs them of their liberties, selves are unwilling to adopt? Should expediency is still the plea. Truth you attempt it, scoffing and derision and justice are set aside, and privileges would be the reward you'd receive and rights are granted or invaded, as for your pains." expediency dictates. If truth is not

true, at all times and under all circum- | whose advent is at hand, gave and stances; if good, though in doing it gives for the salvation of the world. Oh, the heavens fall, be not good still; if that men rightly valued the blessedness God, in sunshine and tempest, be not always God, then ought principle to yield to expediency, and Fate, not God, sit on the throne of heaven."

of charity! That they knew its redeeming power in the soul! So potent for good is this element of generousness in our nature, that he who bestows "One more question I would ask freely and sincerely is nearer to God in you, Barry. Is not the good done in- his sinfulness, than he who prays consincerely and for a purpose, so far as stantly, but having the ability, bestows the receiver is concerned, as beneficial not at all. Charity not only covers a as the good sincerely and disinter- multitude of sins,' but it incites thouestedly done? If the recipient derives sands to well-doing. How enviable are no more benefit from the latter than the feelings of the benevolent! A mite, the former, why should we go further freely given, fires the divine in our than the act itself to judge our fellow-natures, and sends a glow, that angels men?" might envy, through every fibre of our "Is it to be assumed," said I, "that being. Note in this blessed season of the receiver knows of the sincerity of the one, and the insincerity of the other?"

"Oh, certainly!"

sincere giving how men are glorified. Behold him who, with crabbed face and steely glance, was wont to draw his purse strings so tightly as to almost snap "Then," said I, "the latter is more them asunder, open them now with beneficial to the receiver than the willing hand, and on near and dear former. That which is given insin- ones lavish, through affection's symbols, cerely is received thanklessly, and in- the warm love of his heart. Would you cites in the recipient no warm feelings recognize in him the lean wire-drawnfor his suffering brother. That which visaged man of some months hence, who is given sincerely is received by the chuckled over his profit and lamented heart; and the command to do likewise, his loss? The crabbed countenance coming with the gift itself, is deeply has become bright and jolly; the dry, impressed on the soul of the recipient. steel-glittering eye, emits a softer and His nature is thereby softened, the a mellower glance; in its clear depths whole man is changed, and the circle are mirrored the kindly feelings of his caused by the dropped pebble, shall soul. An air of buoyant life plays widen till it reaches the brotherhood around him, his step is more elastic, I need not add that the in- because the weight of inordinate graspsincere giver merits condemnation, ing has been lifted from his heart. 'He rather than reward." has stricken,' as some one says, 'the

of man.

"Would you have none but sincere rich man's devil right between the eyes,' giving then?" asked Henry. and the stroke, like a species of moral "I would approve none other," I re- calisthenics, has added vigor to his plied. "I would have men give as freely being. The man who gives freely, as the Father gives; as freely as He, 'ministers to a mind diseased.'

It