to love and serve their Saviour. The names of these latter should be added to the roll. Let these classes meet on some afternoon when the day-schools are not in session; or, if this be not practicable, in the early evening. As a rule, ladies will be found best adapted for leading these classes. In the meetings there is no need for giving much biblical instruction-that should be left to the Sunday-school. Here teach them plain "lessons how to live;" and give them doctrinal knowledge by the systematic use of "Truth made Simple."

(6) Let the Sunday-school superintendent draw off occasionally one or two classes of scholars, and let the minister meet them in a vestry or class-room, and address them pointedly and earnestly on consecrating their all to Christ. This will often be found a more useful way of improving a minister's visit to the school than the common one of having an address from the desk. The Church should free the minister more for this work. An hour so occupied would result in more good than would be had from a sermon to a handful of people, whose just-eaten dinners have made them drowsy.

(7) Special services for the young should be held, say annually. At these efforts should be made to bring to Christ and into His fold those young people in the school and congregation who are not already, through baptism, on the Church roll; and in the case of those already regarded as probationers, to lead to a definite Christian experience any who may be found not possessing it.

(8) The next step we advocate is the formation of young people's classes-classes to be conducted mainly on the same lines as the children's meetings, but providing a more advanced instruction and training for those more advanced in age and experience. The "Larger Catechism" should be used here, and the occasional narration of experience encouraged. Into these classes young people should be drafted, on their leader's recommendation, from the children's classes below. Converts at the special services, when of suitable age, should also be placed in these classes. Financial obligations (privileges, we prefer to call them) might be named and judiciously urged in these meetings; and here, as in the junior classes, the leader should seek to know the state of each young disciple's inner life.

(9) Let the minister meet quarterly the children's and young people's classes, and give probationers tickets. The leaders should be appointed by the Leaders' Meeting, and the classes should be represented in that meeting just as ordinary classes are.

(10) Admit the young disciples publicly into full Church life, on their leader's recommendation and assurance that the candidates

proposed are consistently endeavouring to follow Christ and live His Gospel. When this step ought to be taken should be determined not by the young person's age, but by the manifestation, however early, of the indwelling Spirit's lordship of the life.

(11) It will be found that while the members of the "children's classes" will be generally willing to go up into the "young people's classes"-regarding this as a step of promotion-the members of those "young people's classes" will not be so ready to move into the ordinary classes. The wiser way is to let these youths and girls remain with the men and women who have trained them, gradually altering the character of the meeting to suit the demands of their growing Christian life. In this case, new young people's classes" will have periodically to be formed, to take the places of those which no longer bear that character. A large Church should send off "swarms in this way every year.

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In conclusion, we would respectfully ask that our Churches and Sunday-school workers will prayerfully and candidly consider these suggestions. There is nothing revolutionary about them. Some of the means suggested are already being used in places, with marked success. And we are convinced that were some such plan as that suggested to be adopted throughout our Churches, and prayerfully and perseveringly carried out, there would be such a steady and increasing inflow of devoted and cultured hearts into ou societies, that we should soon realise what the prophet foresaw : "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I, the Lord, will hasten it in His time." Birmingham.

E. FLETCHER Denton.

THE DOOR OF THE YEAR.

THE Corridors of Time

Are full of doors-the portals of closed years;
We enter them no more, though bitter tears

Beat hard against them, and we hear the chime
Of lost dreams, dirge-like, behind them ringing,
At memory's opening.

But one door stands ajar,

The New Year's; while a golden chain of days
Holds it half shut. The eager foot delays

That presses to its threshold's mighty bar;
And fears that shrink and hopes that shout aloud,
Around it wait and crowd.

CHARGE

It shuts back the unknown,

Ah! dare we truly welcome one more year,

Who down the past a mocking laughter hear

From idle aims like wandering breezes blown ?
We, whose large aspirations dimmed and shrank
Till the year's scroll was blank?

We pause beside the door,

Thy year, O God, how shall we enter in ?

How shall we thence Thy hidden treasure win?
Shall we return in beggary as before,

When Thou art near at hand, with infinite wealth,
Wisdom and heavenly health ?

The footsteps of a Child

Sound close beside us! Listen! He will speak,
His birthday-bells have hardly rung a week.

Yet has He trod the world's press undefiled,
"Come with me!" hear Him through His smiling say,
“Behold, I am the Way!"

Against the door His face

Shines as the sun. His touch is a command,

The years unfold before His baby hand!

The beauty of His presence fills all space,

"Enter through Me," He saith, "nor wander more,
For, lo! I am the Door."

And all doors openeth He,

The new-born Christ, the Lord of the New Year,
The threshold of our locked hearts standeth near.
And while He gives back love's rusted key,
Our future on us with His eyes has smiled,
Even as a little child.

-Selected.

AN OLD

CHARGE" REPRODUCED AND
RE-APPLIED.

“ARISE and be DOING," was David's charge to Solomon in reference to the house which was to be built by the latter. Doing is greatly needed at the present day. We have more than enough to talk about doing, to tell how it ought to be done, and to find fault with those who are doing the best they can; but there is a lack of doers. Would it not be well if those who are so ready to point out the defects of old methods and show the inefficiency of those people who are endeavouring to do, would take hold themselves

and Do? The actual Church may be far below the ideal Church; but will pointing out its deficiencies make it better? A., B. or C. may not be quite what they ought to be; but are they any worse than those who criticise but never help them? The sermon, prayer-meeting, class, conference may not be perfect; but will finding fault with the first, staying away from the second and third, and declining co-operation with the fourth, bring any of them up to the standard? Do more, and grumble less. Do, and cheer those that are doing, with your hearty co-operation. Consistency, zeal, purity, excellence of every kind is best exhibited by doing. Grant that little is being accomplished in comparison with what ought to be done-is not that little accomplished by the doers ?

Do; don't croak. Do; don't dishearten those that are doing. Do with your might whatsoever your hand finds to do. Everyone willing to work finds something to do, and generally has not to seek far to find it. Have you done all that you know you ought to do? If not, begin to do the first neglected duty that occurs to you. Perhaps it is to make confession of your inactivity or uncharitableness. Perhaps it is to speak an encouraging word to your pastor or brethren. Perhaps it is to be more exemplary at home. Possibly to be more just in dealing with people in your employ. Maybe you have neglected the Bible and secret prayer. Possibly you are too much given to gossiping. Possibly you leave church work-including visiting the sick, relieving the needy, attending the social meetings, contributing money to the support of the church, holding up the hands of the pastor-to others. Possibly you have thought that your mission is to talk-to tell what others ought to do. If so, you have not read the text aright. It reads, 46 ARISE AND BE DOING!"

A METHODIST CLASS-MEETING, 1884.

AMONGST intelligent and devoted Methodists, there are some who absolutely decline to be enrolled as members of society. Others again, whilst retaining a nominal membership, absent themselves habitually from the class-meeting. In justification of this attitude, some severe charges are preferred against that institution, which has been the backbone of Methodist organisation. It is alleged that class-meetings are stiff and formal, lacking the interest of variety, that members "make the same speeches" week by week, and use hackneyed expressions, which by frequent repetition

become wearisome. It is further objected that in many meetings the Bible has no place. And, indeed, there is reasonable ground of complaint if the sacred volume, filled as it is with faithfully drawn portraits, and crowded with information on the subject of religious experience, is not freely used.

But these objections do not lie against the class-meeting itself. They point out how possible it is for a great institution to lose the spirit which quickeneth, whilst retaining the letter which killeth, and they call for a wide-spread effort to give the class-meeting such a character as shall adapt it to the needs of a thoughtful and inquiring age. The object of this article is to give an account of a classmeeting in which there was no stiffness, no formality, no making of speeches, no use of hackneyed expressions, no exclusion of Scripture. It is not intended to hold this up as a model class, but simply to hint at some of the methods by which the above-named features were avoided.

A word first about the Leader. He was a man rather beyond the prime of life; a broad forehead, kindly beaming eyes, firmly cut lips, giving a severe cast to his face ordinarily, but readily relaxing into a genial smile; a slight stoop, and a slouching gait. Those were the outward features by which, having once seen our friend, you would quickly recognise him again. The leading elements in his character were strength and tenderness. He was beloved by all his members, and no wonder. He knew their homes as well as their persons. They were his jewels-he liked to acquaint himself with the setting. Often I met him in the streets: "Hallo! where

now, Mr. W. -?" Oh, I'm just going to look up one of my little flock." And often I found how helpful those homes visits of his had been, especially to the afflicted. He would not let a member long be absent from the meeting without ascertaining the reason. On first taking the class-book from another Leader, he found a Mrs. T had not attended for a whole quarter. He went to inquire the cause. Home duties and a disrelish for the meeting. "Would she come next week?" "Perhaps; she would see." She did not, of course. Another call next week, with like result. At the third week's visit she promised to come, but did not. The fourth week the promise was renewed and broken. So likewise the fifth week and the sixth. When for the seventh time her Leader went to the house, as soon as the good woman opened the door, she exclaimed at once: "Oh, sir! I really couldn't get last night; but I will come next week." She came, and continued to attend.

A word next about the class-room. It was not a dismal vestry. The Leader argued, "We seek to make our own houses comfortable,