ringing, and clear, and decisive in its tones. Now and then he promises to surpass all ordinary Christians in the race of life. His zeal is irrepressible; his prayers are fluent, loud, and long; his reproaches to lukewarm Christians are bitter and stinging; but in a short time he is as dull and dead as the worst in that class. He is like a clock, which at times takes a fit of striking, and not content with striking twelve, strikes a score or more, and shortly will not strike at all. His virtues are like the cheap prints seen in drapers' windows, and sometimes made into summer dresses; the colours are very bright and flashy, but they are not "fast" colours. They won't stand rain. The first shower washes them out, and causes them to run into each other. Now he If a moral thermometer could be applied to his soul on one occasion you would see his feelings at "96"-that is, blood heat, but at no distant period you might see them at 32°"-that is, freezing point. Catch him in the first mood and you would think it impossible for his class ever to be neglected. But it has been neglected, and when he has been visited about his absence his excuses have been most lame and unmanly. One Sunday he was not very well. Another Sunday some friends called to see him; then he went to see some friends. Another Sunday was very wet. slept too long, then he went to hear a popular preacher. Besides all this, the scholars were not attentive, his labours not appreciated by the other teachers and by the officers. Mr. Wavering has been a great trouble to the superintendent. He is at a loss what to do with him. He does not want to strike Mr. Wavering off the roll, but he wishes he would either be steadfast or give it up altogether, for he takes more looking after than he is worth. It is a great pity that a man with the fair abilities and the grand opportunities of Mr. Wavering should throw himself away. His life is almost a failure. His friends scarcely trust him when he means well, for he has so often disappointed them. His labours have produced little good. His prayers have not been answered because he has not asked "in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Such a man is the friend whose carte has for some time had a place in our "Sunday-School Album," whose example I entreat you to shun. It is amazing how much may be done by a feeble and lowly worker who labours with steadiness and pertinacity, through cloud and sunshine, in loneliness and in company, amid defeat and victory, keeps "pegging away." who 6 The Famine in Samaria... | 2 Kings vii. 3-20 13 Jehu the King 2 Kings x. 18-36 2 Kings xiii. 10-25 Golden Texts for Repetition. 1 Cor. xi. 26. Golden Texts for Repetition. Luke xviii. 27. PUZZLES FOR CHILDREN. BY UNCLE GEORGE SCRIPTURAL ENIGMA. 1. A WOMAN who accompanied her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. 2. A stone by which David hid himself. 3. A kinsman of St. Paul. 4. A stone in the high priest's breastplate. 5. A seer who recorded the events in the life of Solomon. 6. That which Paul left with Carpus. 7. An elder upon whom the spirit of prophecy fell. 8. A country from which a great multitude followed Jesus to the sea. 9. That in which a wicked servant placed his pound. 10. That upon which Ezekiel was told to pourtray the city of Jerusalem. 11. A grandson of Anah. 12. The son of Baasha. 13. One of the twelve Apostles. 14. A tree mentioned in the Bible. 15. A great city between Nineveh and Calah. 16. That by which the sin of Judah was written. 17. A prophetess who gave thanks at the coming of the Lord. 18. A city where Peter healed the sick of the palsy. 19. That which Laban changed ten times. 20. The captain of Saul's army. 21. That which Solomon says" pacifieth great offences." The initials of the answers form an exhortation of Paul. ANSWER TO ENIGMA IN FEBRUARY. 1. A-donijah, 2 Sam. iii., 4.-2. D-orcas, Acts ix., 36.-3. 0-mri, 1 Kings xvi., 23.4. N-athan, 2 Sam. xii., 13.-5. I-chabod, 1 Sam. iv., 21.-6. B-arak, Judges iv., 6.-7. E-den, Gen. ii., 8.8. Z-edekiah, Jer. lii., 11.—9. E-lkanah, 1 Sam. i., 1.—10. K-enaz, Josh. xv., 17. ADONI-BEZEK, Judges i., 5. ERRATUM.-In the answer to January Enigma Daniel viii. was by mistake printed Daniel xiii. Many of our young friends, in their Answers to the February Enigma, have stumbled at the arrangement of the words in the fourth line. "A prophet who David reproved for his guilt "— that means, they say, a prophet who was reproved by David, and they cannot find any record of a prophet being thus reproved; but they do read of David being reproved by the prophet Nathan, and so, at a venture, they put Nathan down as the answer. The answer is right, but they are wrong in supposing that the words, grammatically construed, inquire who was the prophet that David reproved. If they will read carefully what their grammar says about the cases of relative pronouns, they will discover their mistake. When we speak of the actor we say who, when of the person acted upon we say whom. Therefore to make the line mean that David chided Nathan we should have to read, "A prophet whom David reproved." Several of our correspondents amend the line for us. They say it should be, "A prophet who reproved David." As far as meaning goes that form would be correct, but do not our little folks see why the words are arranged as they are? The Enigma is given in a poetical form, and poetry requires not only rhyme but rhythm. (For the full meaning of these words we must refer to a dictionary.) Not only must the words which end the lines have consonance of sound, which is called rhyme, but the different parts of the lines must have a measured and harmonious motion, and this we designate rhythm. Now, the transposition of the words recommended would certainly destroy the rhythm if it did not the rhyme. Let us try it— "Next, one who was king, and a great city built; Then, a prophet who reproved David for his guilt." Read the couplet aloud, and your ear tells you that the line is faulty; but substitute the line as constructed by the writer of the Enigma, and all flows along smoothly and harmoniously. 66 Then, a prophet who David reproved for his guilt." UNCLE GEORGE. UNETT STREET SCHOOLS, BIRMINGHAM-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION. At the conclusion of the report of the first competitive examination held at Unett Street are these words : "The results so far are satisfactory, but we are looking forward to still greater in the future." These "results" have not been attained yet, as this report of the third examination will show. The teachers and the committee appointed to manage the details have been as diligent as formerly, but from some unexplained cause, the scholars-for whose benefit these efforts have been made-have not appreciated them to the extent the committee and teachers thought they would; still they indulge the hope that these "tests" have done good, which will perhaps be seen in after days. The examination for this year (1876) was based upon the afternoon lessons of the International Series, second quarter, as published by the Sunday School Union. The teachers did their part by diligently preparing and working up those instructive lessons, and on the afternoon of Sunday, August 27, the scholars assembled in the schoolroom for the "tests." The questionsprepared by the examiners, the Revs. A. M'Curdy and C. Leach, and Mr. Christie-were distributed to the twenty-four of our scholars who presented themselves. Two hours were allowed for writing the answers, and the examiners, after reading them carefully over, awarded two first, three second, three third, and three fourth classes prizes to this section, which consisted of the first four classes in each school. The second section, from fifth to eighth classes in each school, were examined orally, and fifteen prizes awarded; and twelve prizes to the little ones for punctual attendance and general good conduct; total thirty-eight. The prizes, which consisted of books, were selected by the examiners, and were distributed publicly to the successful competitors by our esteemed superintendent, Rev. A. M'Curdy, on the afternoon of Sunday.-A. W. NORTHWOOD, Secretary. Oct. 22nd, 1876. VINCENT STREET SUNDAY SCHOOL, BALSALL HEATH, BIRMINGHAM.— Dear Sir,-A juvenile missionary meeting and entertainment was held in our school on Monday, February 14th, and a rather lengthy programme was gone through by our collectors and young friends, with that precision and success which juveniles only seem capable of, whatever the occasion may be, if their hearts are only in it. I need not take up your limited space with a detailed account of our programme; suffice it to say excellent recitations, speeches, solos, instrumental and vocal, and hymns were rendered before a full and appreciative audiencethe Rev. Charles Leach presiding, and those of your readers who have had the pleasure of listening to that gentleman will need no assurance from me that altogether a pleasant and instructive evening was passed. We are only a small body in this neighbourhood, and by no means a wealthy one, but our juveniles do their part nobly, as I'm sure you will admit when I tell you that our total is made up almost entirely of pence and halfpence collected by them, and without the aid of donations from well-to-do friends (which we should like to get hold of, nevertheless, if possible) to assist it The sum raised by our juvenile missionary society some few years back reached only to a little over £3, but this last two or three years it has been increasing; and has exceeded £12. We have collected at present for this year £7 78. 9d., and the collection at our meeting was £2 138. 6d., bringing it up to a sum of £10 18. 3d. ; but as our missionary year does not close until the end of May, we hope to be quite up to last year's amount, if not exceeding it, by that time. As I presume that the one great object in your publishing the reports of the work of our juveniles is to give encouragement and useful information throughout our whole Body, it will not be out of place here if I give my opinion-arrived at by practical working-as to the best mode of making these agencies successful, and it may possibly prove of use to other secretaries. 1st. The secretary must be in attendance every Sunday, or find a supply. 2nd. If a collector has failed to bring in all his or her subscriptions, ask the reason, and if it is not the child's neglect, visit the subscriber yourself, even though it may be only one halfpenny per week. 3rd. Keep the scholars well interested in the work by holding meetings, in which the youngest might take part (we had them from five years of age, and even a vocal solo from one of tender months, which, by the way, was not in the programme), or a tea now and then, to which the collectors might invite their young friends and spend a social evening together. This suggestion is one which, of course, would not answer equally well everywhere, but we can all enter into the spirit of it, and use those means which are most suitable to the locality, &c. Just one other idea. I have often wished there was a yearly missionary report of our young folks' doings, obtainable at such a price that would admit of each collector, throughout the whole Connexion buying one. Whether this could be done by an extra number of your Magazine once a year, or by publishing that part separately of the General Missionary Report which contains what I speak of, your experience and judgment, I'm sure, will lead you to a correct conclusion. Wishing all our juveniles a God-speed in their noble work, and not less success than we have achieved here, I remain, dear sir, yours truly-L. HOUGHTON, Secretary. |