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Our Children's Portion.

TOBACCO AND MADNESS. IF any thing can restrain our young men from the pernicious habit of tobacco-smoking and chewing, it may be such warnings as are contained in the reports of their terrible results in France. From 1832 the tobacco tax in France produced 28,000,000 franes, and lunatic asylums contained 8,000 patients. The tobacco revenue has now reached 180,000,000 francs, while there are 44,000 paralytic and lunatic patients in the hospitals; showing that the increase of lunacy has kept pace with the increase of the revenue of tobacco. These statistics, presented by M. Jolly to the Academy of Science, in connection with the closing words of his speech, contain a frightful warning to those forming the pernicious habit of smoking, now increasing so rapidly:"The immoderate use of tobacco, and more especially of the pipe, produces a weakness of the brain and in the spinal marrow, which causes madness."

Boys, never use that nasty, useless, injurious thing called tobacco.

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am not as other men." "No, I am not, but I am worse," whispered the Hottentot again. The Dutchman read: "I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all I possess." "I don't do that. I don't pray in that manner. What shall I do?" said the distressed savage. The good man read on until he came to the publican who "would not lift so much as his eyes to heaven." "That's me!" cried his hearer. "Stood afar off," read the other. "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "But smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner.' "That's me! that's my prayer!" cried the poor savage, and smiting on his dark breast, he prayed, "God be merciful to me, a sinner," until, like the poor publican, he went down to his house a saved and happy man.

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THE MISCHIEF OF PASSION. "WILL putting one's self in a passion mend the matter?" said an old man to a boy who had picked up a stone to throw at a dog. The dog had barked at him in play.

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Yes, it will mend the matter," said the boy, and quickly dashed the stone at the dog.

Theanimal thus enraged, sprang at the boy and bit his leg; while the stone bounded against a shopwindow and broke a pane of glass.

Out ran the shop-keeper and seized the boy, and made him pay for the broken pane. He had mended the matter finely indeed!

It never did and never will mend a matter to get into a passion about it. If the thing be hard to bear

THE STORY OF A HORSE-SHOE.

when you are calm, it will be harder when you are in anger.

If you have met with a loss, you will only increase it by losing your temper.

Try to be calm, especially in trifling troubles; and when great ones come, try to bear them bravely.

Above all, study the example of Jesus, and pray to God that the meek and holy mind which was in him may be also in you.

HOW BOYS GET ON.

IF one expects to get on in life and meet with eminent success, he must be ready to be useful at a pinch, and adapt himself to any emergency. Here is a good illustration:

A few years ago a large drug firm in this city advertised for a boy. Next day the store was thronged with applicants, among them a queer-looking little fellow, accompanied by a woman, who proved to be his aunt, in lieu of faithless parents, by whom he had been abandoned. Looking at this little waif, the merchant in the store promptly said—

"Can't take him; places all full; besides, he is too small.”

"I know he is small," said the woman, "but he is willing and faithful."

There was a briskness in the boy's eyes which made the merchant think again. A partner in the firm volunteered to remark that he did not see what they wanted of such a boy."

But after consultation the boy was set to work.

A few days later a call was made on the boys in the store for some one to stay all night. The prompt response of the little fellow contrasted well with the

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reluctance of others. In the middle of the night the merchant looked in to see if all was right in the store, and presently discovered him busy cutting labels.

"What are you doing? I did not tell you to work at night."

"I know you did not tell me to, but I thought I might as well be doing something."

In the morning the cashier got orders to "double that boy's wages, for he is willing."

Only a few weeks elapsed before a show of wild beasts passed through the streets, and very naturally all hands in the store rushed to witness the spectacle. A thief saw his opportunity, and entered at the rear door to seize something, but in a twinkling found himself firmly clutched by the diminutive clerk aforesaid, and, after a struggle, was captured. Not only was a robbery prevented, but valuable articles taken from other stores were recovered.

When asked by the merchant why he stayed behind to watch when all others quit their work, the reply was, "You told me

never to leave the store when others were absent, and I thought I'd stay."

Orders were immediately given once more: "Double that boy's wages; he is willing and faithful."

In a few years that boy had a salary of £500, and now he is become a partner of the firm.

THE STORY OF A HORSE SHOE. THIS is a simple legend. A good countryman was taking a rural walk with his son Thomas. As they walked slowly along, the father suddenly stopped.

"Look!" he said, 66 there's a bit of iron, a horse-shoe; pick it up and put it in your pocket."

"Pooh!" answered the child; "it's not worth stooping for."

The father, without uttering another word, picked up the iron and put it in his pocket. When they came to a village, he entered the blacksmith's shop and sold it for three farthings. With that. sum he bought some cherries. Then the father and son set off again on their ramble. The sun was burning hot, and neither a house, tree, nor fountain of water was in sight. Thomas soon complained of being tired, and had some difficulty in following his father, who walked on with a

firm step. Perceiving that his

boy was tired, the father let fall a cherry, as though by accident. Thomas stopped and quickly picked it up, and devoured it. A little further on he dropped another, and the boy picked it up as eagerly as ever; and thus they continued, the father dropping the fruit and the son picking it up. When the last one was eaten, the father stopped, and turning to the boy said:

"Look, my son! If you had chosen to stoop once and pick up a piece of horse-shoe, you would

not have been obliged at last to stoop so often to pick up the cherries."

LOOKING UPWARD. DURING Dr. Payson's last illness, a friend, coming into his room, remarked familiarly, "Well, I am sorry to see you lying here on your back."

"Do you not know what God puts us on our backs for ?" said Dr. Payson, smiling.

"No," was the answer. "In order that we may look upward."

His friend said to him, "I am not come to condole, but to rejoice with you; for it seems to me that this is no time for mourning."

"Well, I am glad to hear that," was the reply; "for it is not often that I am addressed in such a way. The fact is, I never had less need of condolence, and yet everybody persists in offering it; whereas, when I was prosperous and well, and a successful preacher, and really needed condolence, they flattered and congratulated

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Remarkable places.

ROME, ANCIENT AND MODERN.

As the Pope is now holding a General Council in Rome, a brief description of that city will doubtless be acceptable to our readers. Rome was once a most splendid city, and had four millions of inhabitants, but it is now reduced to a fourth or fifth rate city. When the mighty Cæsars reigned there in imperial power, it had no rival. Augustus used to say that he found it mud, but made it marble; and assuredly it did abound with most magnificent structures. We shall notice a few of them.

By far the most magnificent palace was the Domus Aurea, or the Golden House, erected by Ñero. In the vestibule was his own colossal statue, which was 120 feet high. The building was on so large a scale that it had a triple portion of a mile long, also an immense pool like a sea, enclosed by buildings, presenting the appearance of towns. There were, moreover, grounds laid out for tillage, and for vineyards, and for pasturage and woods, and stocked with a vast number of every description of cattle and wild animals. In other respects everything was overlaid with gold, embellished with gems and mother-of-pearl. The ceilings of the banqueting-rooms were fretted into ivory coffers, made to turn, that flowers might be showered down on the guests, and were furnished with pipes for discharging perfumes. The principal banqueting-room was round, and by a perpetual motion, day and night, was made to revolve after the fashion of the universe. There were baths streaming with salt and sulphurous waters.

The temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus was one of the largest and most splendid in the ancient world. Its roof was of burnished gold, the pavement of the finest materials, the columns were of precious marbles, the doors of bronze overlaid with gold, the statues of ivory; and many other objects of surpassing costliness and art embellished the whole interior. In the centre of the temple was the statue of Jupiter Capitolinus, seated on a throne of gold, with Juno on his left, and Minerva on his right side.

There was also the mighty Colosseum. This stupendous building was erected by Vespasian and Titus, on the spot which had previously been covered with the pools belonging to the Golden House of Nero. This was the place where public shows, such as fighting with wild beasts, were exhibited, and here many martyrs were torn to pieces by wild animals, amid the shouts of thousands of excited spectators. It has been calculated that this immense place would contain 80,000 persons seated; but taking into account the upper gallery, and the number of persons necessarily engaged

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