Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

seasons, which God hath put in his own power." But He has given us a precept of sovereign efficacy, which will amply supply the want of all this knowledge— "Watch!" This will put us always upon our guard, and make us live in such a manner that, without knowing the time of our death, not a moment will escape in which we are not ready to meet it; without knowing the place of our death, we shall expect it in all places, and be ever provided against its snares; without knowing the manner of our death, whether it will be slow or sudden, easy or painful, natural or violent, tranquil or disturbed, we shall be sure, at least, of this one great point, that it cannot be unprepared: at whatever hour the bridegroom may come, He will find us "with our loins girded about, and our lights burning."-Dr. James Scott.

Sent by Rev. T. FARLEY.

EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS.

SINGULAR DEATH OF A CHILD FROM EXCITEMENT.-A few days ago, at Penrith, Isabella Douglas, aged thirteen years, and Elizabeth Hutchinson, about the same age, with a little brother of the former and another boy, were playing on the green at the head of the town, when Elizabeth Hutchinson pulled the cap off the head of the brother of the other girl, and ran away with it. She pursued, and on coming up to Elizabeth Hutchinson a slight encounter took place between them, in which Isabella Douglas fell to the ground and died in a moment. On the inquest, the verdict of the jury was, that deceased died from passionate excitement. EXTRAORDINARY CREDULITY. A MODERN ENCHANTRESS. An Irishwoman, who gave the name of Mary Moore, was charged at the Liverpool police court, lately, by Mary Ann M'Donald, servant to Mr. Clegg, Canning-place, an innocent looking female, with obtaining a pair of stays from her, by representing to her that she had communication with the other world, and could raise the dead. The prisoner, while in conversation with the prosecutrix, remarked that there was" ill-luck" hanging over her, and that she would require a "charm" to drive it off. The simple girl felt alarmed, and the prisoner, finding that she had operated on the fears of her dupe, asked whether she had any brothers. "I had two, but they are dead," was the reply. The prisoner, on hearing this, asserted that she was an enchantress-had power over the dead, and if she would make a deposit of 4s. 6d., she would raise her brothers to life. The poor girl believing the tale, was elated at the prospect of again seeing her relatives. Not having 4s. 6d. in cash, she offered the prisoner a new pair of stays, which were accepted, with the promise that they should be returned the next day. She then took a cup of tea, by draining which, and turning round the dregs, the "charm" was to be produced, and the brothers were to be raised at a certain hour that night. She then left, telling the prosecutrix that she was a publican, residing in Tithe-barn-street. The girl waited in the greatest anxiety for the momentous hour to arrive when her

kindred were to make their sudden appearance, but in vain, for no brothers appeared. She now began to suspect that she had been duped, and on the following day went in search of the prisoner in Tithe-barn-street, but could find no publican bearing her name, and then came to the conclusion that she had been plundered of her stays. A day or two after, the prisoner called at Mr. Clegg's, where she was given into custody. The stays, however, were not forthcoming. The prisoner was sent to gaol for three months for practising as an enchantress.

TURNIPY BUTTER.-When angling in Wharfdale two or three years ago, I was driven by a heavy shower of rain to shelter in a small farmhouse, where the farmer's wife was just starting to market with her basket of butter. As the rain detained her as well as me, got into conversation with her about her dairy. She observed, "However many turnips our cows get, we have never turnipy butter." "Well, that is a secret worth knowing. How do you manage ?" "I mix half a pint of scalding hot water with each gallon of milk when I syle (strain) it, before setting it away in the bowls, and this simple plan entirely removes all the taste of the turnips." This is very easily tried, and those of your readers who are troubled with butter of this kind, may make the experiment with little trouble.- Clitheroe in the Agricultural Gazette.

DEVONSHIRE DAIRY MANAGEMENT.-As I see in the "Gardeners' Chronicle" that one of your readers requests information with regard to the Devonshire system of dairy-keeping, I am willing to afford the benefit of many years' experience for his advantage, having myself introduced it into this part of the country. As a marketable produce I felt convinced it would never succeed in the north, as the farmers do not see enough for their money, as the bulk in appearance is considerably diminished by its solidity. With respect to the apparatus, tin vessels answer the best for scalding the milk; they form a better resistance than pottery to the heat of the stove. The scalding must at least be continued for three-quarters of an hour, till you can no longer bear your finger in it, and rapping the vessel with the knuckles will produce a dull heavy sound; it is then ready for removal. After remaining twelve hours in the dairy to cool, the cream may be collected by a skimmer, and kept for several days, or in winter for a week, without turning sour; it must be then well flapped (as the dairymaid calls it), for about ten minutes-sometimes five are sufficient-of course depending on the weather, in a small wooden tub. I have four cows, only one of which is in full milk; and by this process the dairymaid, after supplying my family of seventeen with abundance of milk and cream, can make seventeen pounds of butter every week. She says it is an immense saving both in time and labour; the butter is much richer, and keeps longer without turning sour than any other kind. I shall be glad to answer any further questions that may be given in your paper on this subject, and hope that these few directions may prove useful. I find that I have not mentioned that the more shallow the vessels are in which the milk is scalded, the better and the more cream will rise; eight quarts is abundantly sufficient for each pan, spread over as large a surface as the stove or hot hearth will allow, admitting of the depth of from three to four inches. Sarah H., Westmoreland.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received the communications of L. S. R.; A Layman; C. A. H.; S. B., and A Constant Reader.

THE

COTTAGER'S MONTHLY VISITOR.

APRIL, 1852.

PAGE

Who is Rich, and Who is Poor? 109 Sorrow for Sin..
Extract from my Family Bible. 111 Hints to Housewives
The Walk to Emmaus........ 113 The Tabernacle
The Rich Man...
118 Ragged Schools

Good Friday.-The Crucifixion
of Jesus Christ..
Easter Eve

......

PAGE

124

125

127

130

Remarks on obscure Passages

120

of Scripture

138

ib.

Low Company

140

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ 121
The Benefit of Daily Ablutions. 122

Selections from Different Authors 142
Notices to Correspondents

WHO IS RICH, AND WHO IS POOR?

[ocr errors]

....

144

RICHES are of no use in themselves. It is not money that does a man good, for it is not meat, or drink, or clothing; and a man may have his pocket full of gold, and he may die of hunger. It is not the money that does the good, but it is what the money will buy. A man who has money, and who knows what it is to be free from want, will feel thankful that he is thus placed, by a merciful Providence, in a situation where, in a civilized country, he may procure those things that contribute to his comfort, and that he may also be the means of doing good to others. But a man may have a very large income, and yet be very poor, simply by spending, every year, a little more than his income. A man who spends a little less than his income, will constantly feel rich; and his property increases without any great effort of his own, and almost without his perceiving it. It is just the same with what is called a poor man. If he earns a fair portion of weekly wages, and spends a "little more," he will, of course, get into debt, and will probably be a very poor man all his lifetime; but, if he spends a "little less," every week, he will soon find that he is, in a manner of speaking, growing rich :-growing rich, I mean, considering his condition and his wants. He is not distressed, for he pays his way; and he can

VOL. XXXII.

H

sit down at home when he comes from his work, without the fears that disturb so many others, and without their distress. "Poor and content is rich."

39 66

I was led into these remarks by a circumstance which occurred to me a few days ago. I am very fond of walking; and I often get into conversation with people of different conditions; and I generally make bold to have a word with them. I was one evening last week sitting and resting myself on a stile, and I got into conversation with a steady-looking sort of man who was just coming from his work. There drove along the road a fine carriage, all very showy and gay. Soon after, a labouring man came along the road; he passed by us quietly, nodding in a friendly way to my companion; and he was civil enough to touch his hat to me. "Well," said I to my companion, "your country is like others; you have rich and poor here: and it always will be so, but the rich man may perhaps not be more happy than the poor one." No," said he, "happiness does not depend on the station, but on the inward mind of the man, whether all is right there. But that is not just now, what I was going to say. A man is poor who spends more than he has; and a man is rich who spends less; and I am sadly afraid that our squire is a poor man; and my friend Tom, that just passed us, I call him a rich man. It was always a saying of Tom's, that a man should have his money before him instead of behind him. He says, 'Suppose I earn ten shillings a week, and pay it away at once, I have not a farthing left, and I must wait another week with an empty pocket, but if I save enough to have ten shillings beforehand, then I need not pay my week's wages away at once, and so I contrive to have always something in hand.' A gentleman with a thousand pounds a year, if he has to pay away five hundred as soon as he receives his half-year's rent, he must feel poor for the next half year. He should contrive to save enough to be always half a year beforehand. This, I suppose, is what is meant by the rule of always having your money before you spend it; and it is often said, that this makes the difference between

feeling at ease and feeling harassed. A great deal of

anxiety is avoided by keeping clear, and paying your way as you go on and this gives you a great opportunity of doing good to others, and brings a great deal of peace of mind besides, from being the right and honest way in which a Christian man should walk. A man who does not pay his debts is injuring others greatly, and is acting quite contrary to the rule of Christian dealing between man and man." A CONSTANT Reader.

EXTRACT FROM MY FAMILY BIBLE.

ST. MARK v. 1-20.

ST. MATTHEW, my dear family, speaks of two men, and St. Luke, like St. Mark, of one only. Here again is one of those trifling variations that does not in the slightest degree shake the truth of the statement of any of the writers named, as we have had occasion to observe before.

Take care how you presume to express a wish, or to harbour a thought that would give God to understand that you would gladly be rid of the Saviour and his Gospel. Many that have had their consciences persuaded that Christ and his religion are realities worth attending to, and who did at one time reverence both, have from force of outward circumstances become entangled with Satan's devices, and desire now to close their eyes and ears, but above all, their hearts, to the truth as it is in Jesus, because their new circumstances make it convenient to disobey the laws of our Saviour. If Christ be in you of a truth, by his Holy Spirit, He will and must drive out your legion of bad thoughts, words, and deeds. He must and will make you and keep you different from the world around you, and therefore, of course, you must count the cost of serving Christ, and serving the devil. If you drive out the spirit of Christ, and keep the spirit of evil within you, the present life may, to your carnal tastes, be most agreeable, but what will the end be? him whom you have chosen to serve here you must serve for ever; or at least you must be with him for ever, and with him be burned with the fire of eternal despair and self-reproach.-Instead, then, of such a mad choice,

« ForrigeFortsæt »