PAROCHIAL MISMANAGEMENT.—We quote the following from the public papers:"Intoxicating Liquors in Marylebone Workhouse.-One of the guardians and directors of the poor obtained a committee to investigate into the use of gin, wine, brandy, and other alcoholic stimulants in the workhouse; and it appeared that last year there was ordered by the medical officer of this fearfully mismanaged establishment no less than 191 gallons of gin, 31 gallons of brandy, four gallons of sherry, 66 barrels of ale, 570 barrels of porter, at an expense to the ratepayers of the very trifling sum of £1,500; and the medical officer, while under examination before the committee, stated that he usually ordered these stimulants in cases of consumption, and gin in bronchitis. With these facts it is not to be wondered that the mortality in this workhouse should be so very high, notwithstanding the care taken of the unfortunate inmates in regard to cleanliness, ventilation, and food. Since the committee was obtained, the quantity of gin has diminished to one-half, and it is hoped that the further investigations of the committee will lead to the diminution, if not the total abolition, of the most delusive and baneful practice so injurious to the poor, and so expensive to the ratepayers. To such an extent, indeed, had this practice become, that Mr. Joseph, one of the parish surgeons, said, that many of the paupers died in a state of intoxication through spirits being given them in their last moments." INTERESTING READINGS. AN UNKNOWN BENEFACTOR.-A monument was erected in Hurworth churchyard last year by the Hurworth Temperance Society, "in memory," as the inscription sets forth, "of their departed members whose mortal remains repose," &c. The expense was borne by an unknown benefactor. Two years ago, on the occasion of their annual festival, the society were compelled, owing to some objection on the part of certain individuals to their using, as hitherto they had done, the village green, to engage a field, for which they were charged a couple of guineas. A few days after a letter was received through the post by the secretary, enclosing £5. to defray the expenses of holding the festival. The year following another £5. came in like manner, along with an intimation that if the society would erect a monument in the churchyard, recording the names of the members as they departed this life, £2. would be contributed towards the object. Since that time, several letters have been received, enclosing sums of money, the whole amounting to about £20. The entire cost of the monument was £22. 3s. Once a bulky letter was received, containing £10., as an annual subscription, which was wrapped in brown paper. The handwriting is shockingly bad. One of the letters bears the signature of "X. Y. Z;" others have none whatever; and some have contained, besides money, postage and receipt stamps. All the enclosures bear the Darlington post mark. THE GREAT METROPOLIS.-London is the largest and richest city in the world; it occupies a surface of 32 square miles, thickly planted with houses, mostly three, four, and five stories high. It consists of London city, Westminster city, Finsbury, Marylebone, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, and Lambeth districts. The two latter are on the south side of the Thames. It contains 300 churches and chapels of the Establishment, 364 Dissenters' chapels, 22 foreign chapels, 250 public schools, 1,500 private schools, 150 hospitals, 156 alms-houses, besides 205 other institutions, 550 public offices, 14 prisons, 22 theatres, 24 markets. Consumes annually 110,000 bullocks, 776,000 sheep, 250,000 lambs, 250,000 calves, 270,000 pigs, 11,000 tons of butter, 13,000 tons of cheese, 10,000,000 gallons of milk, 1,000,000 quarters of wheat, or 64,000,000 of quartern loaves, 65,000 pipes of wine, 2,000,000 gallons of spirits, 2,000,000 barrels of porter and ale. Employs 16,502 shoemakers, 14,552 tailors, 2,391 blacksmiths, 2,013 whitesmiths, 5,030 house painters, 1,076 fish dealers, 2,662 hatters and hosiers, 13,208 carpenters, 6,822 bricklayers, &c., 5,416 cabinetmakers, 1,005 wheelwrights, 2,180 sawyers, 2,807 jewellers, 1,172 old clothesmen, (chiefly Jews,) 3,628 compositors, 700 pressmen, 1,393 stationers, 2,633 watch and clock makers, 4,227 grocers, 1,430 milkmen, 5,655 bakers, 2,091 barbers, 1,040 brokers, 4,322 butchers, 1,586 cheesemongers, 1,082 chemists, 4,199 clothiers and linen-drapers, 2,167 coach-makers, 1,367 coal merchants, 2,133 coopers, 1,381 dyers, 2,319 plumbers, 907 pastry cooks, 869 saddlers, 1,246 tinmen, 803 tobacconists, 1,470 turners, 556 undertakers. The above are all males above 20 years of age. 10,000 private families of fashion: about 77,000 establishments of trade and industry, 4,400 public houses, 330 hotels, 470 beer shops, 960 spirit and wine shops. There are eight bridges over the Thames. London Docks cover 20 acres; 14 tobacco warehouses, 14 acres; and the wine cellars 3 acres, containing 22,000 pipes. The two West Indian Docks cover 51 acres; St. Katharine's Docks cover 24 acres; the Surrey Docks, on the opposite side, are also very large. There are generally about 5,000 vessels and 3,000 boats on the river, employing 8,000 watermen and 4,000 labourers. London pays about one-third of the window duty in England, the number of houses assessed being about 120,000, rated at upwards of £5,000,000. sterling. The house rental is probably about £7,000,000 or £8,000,000. THE KINDNESS OF WOMEN.-I never addressed myself in the language of kindness and friendship to a woman, whether civilised or savage, without receiving a kind and friendly answer. With man it has often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of inhospitable Denmark-through honest Sweden-frozen Lapland—rude and churlish Finland-unprincipled Russia-and the wide-spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, thirsty, cold, wet, or sick, woman has ever been friendly to me, and uniformly so; and add to this virtue, so worthy the appellation of benevolence, these actions have been performed in so free and kind a manner, that if I was thirsty, I drank the sweet draught, and if hungry, ate the coarse morsel with a double relish.-Ledyard. EVER READY." Mr. Wesley," said a lady, "supposing that you knew you were to die at twelve o'clock to morrow night, how would you spend the time between?" "How, madam?" he replied; "why, just as I I should preach this evening at Gloucester, and intend to spend it now. again at five to morrow morning. After that, I should ride to Tewkesbnry, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I should then repair to friend Martin's house, who expects to entertain me, converse and pray with the family as usual, retire to my room at ten o'clock, commend myself to my heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in glory." This was a wise answer. The path of Christian duty is the surest path to heaven. POETRY. HOUSEHOLD TREASURES. What are they? gold and silver, No, no, they are not these; or else, They are not these; our household wealth It is the love within our souls The children at our knee. My heart is filled with gladness How bright, are rich men's children, But my heart o'erfloweth to mine eyes After his daily work is done, With children by the hand: And this, he kisses tenderly; And that, sweet names doth call; For I know he has no treasure Like those dear children small. THE PLACE OF DUTY. All little stars observe appointed hours: That stream its pathway keeps through leafy groves. THE CRYSTAL CUP. "The new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it."-Isaiah lxv. 8. Bring to me some purple grapes, And bring a crystal cup; Press out the juice-the living juice, Fill the crystal-fill it up. Hand to all the crystal cup, Bravely full of holy wine; Take the welcome crystal cup, And drink its precious flood; I find no evil strife; God's wine I drink, and often drink, And lose no joy of life. GEORGE W. MCCREE. A WORKING CHURCH. "When I became pastor of my church, more than 53 years ago, the only object of congregational benevolence was the Sunday School; there was literally nothing else that we set our hands to. We have now an organisation for the London Missionary Society, which raises, as its regular contri bution, nearly £500. per annum, beside donations to meet special appeals, which average another £100. For the Colonial Missionary Society, we raise annually £70. In our Sunday and Day Schools, which comprehend nearly 2,000 children, we raise £200. We support two Town Missionaries, at a cost of £200. Our ladies conduct a working society for Orphan Mission Schools in the East Indies; they also sustain a Dorcas Society, for the poor of our town; a Maternal Society, in many branches, in various localities; and a Female Society, for visiting the sick poor. We have a Religious Tract Society, which employs ninety distributors and spends nearly £50. a year in the purchase of tracts. Our Village Preachers' Society, which employs twelve or fourteen agents, costs scarcely anything. We raise £40. annually for the County Association. We have a Young Mens' Brotherly Society, for general and religious improvement, with a library of 2,000 volumes. We have also Night Schools for young men and women, at small cost, and Bible Classes for other young men and women. In addition to this, we raise £100. per annum for Spring Hill College. We have laid out £23,000. in improving the old chapel and building the new one, in the erection of school rooms, the college, and in building seven country and town small chapels. We have also formed two separate Independent Churches, and have jointly, with another congregation, formed a third, and all but set up a fourth, and are at this time in treaty for two pieces of freehold land, which will cost £700., to build two more chapels in the suburbs of the town. This might be the record, and more truly of every church, were the sums sinfully expended by professing Christians upon intoxicating liquors redeemed and applied to church extension, bible distribution, missionary efforts, and benevolent purposes. A nation of professing Christians generously contributing half-a-million of money for the world's salvation, and expending nearly £70,000,000. on strong drink! While we act thus-pence to Christ, and pounds to Bacchus-we pray in vain and hope in vain for the world's conversion."-John Angel James. THE CHILDREN'S PORTION. THE BOY WHO DIED IN A COAL-PIT. Some years ago, a boy, named William Thew, worked in a coal-pit. It was a long way down under the ground, where he could not see the sun, nor the green fields, nor enjoy the sweet fresh air. Those boys who work in the cheerful open day are much more favoured than was poor William the collier-boy. Down in a pit, with only the light of small lamps, he had to work in digging coals. When he went to his labour very early in the morning, he was let down by a rope to the bottom; and at night, when his work was done, he was drawn up again. Sunday was a happy day to William; for then, in a neat clean dress, he went to school, to learn to read the Bible. His teachers were glad to see him strive to improve. Indeed, they had reason to hope that William loved to pray, and that he was a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. As William grew up he was very kind to his mother. To please her, when he came from the pit at night, he would wash himself clean, and then sit in a chair and read the Bible to her: after which he used to kneel down and pray by her side. One day he said to her, “Mother, when I am a man, I will work hard for you, and keep you like a lady." She, no doubt, was very glad that she had such a kind, steady, and pious son. The men who work in coal-pits often meet with springs of water; and sometimes the water rushes upon them, and they are in great danger of being drowned. On May 3, 1815, William went as usual to his work. |