that is a wide domain which is embraced in the knowledge of any one fragment of the universe, for it is united by great general laws with a knowledge of the whole. Some such fragment lies before every working-man. To tell him that he is to shut out from it the exercise of thought, or that the proper functions of his intelligence-with respect to secular things-lie rather in some other path than that, is, to a certain extent, to contravene the order of God's providence with respect to him.

"Nor need the workman think, however humble be the craft he exercises, or common the form of matter on which he is called upon to labour, that the science of it is a thing of small account. Nothing is of small account which comes from the hand of God, or any truth which is a manifestation of the Divine mind. The man who has acquired the knowledge of a law of nature, holds in his hand one link of a chain which leads up to God. It is the development of a truth which was pronounced before the foundations of the world were laid. In the eye of philosophy, the matter which cumbers it falls off, and it is seen intrinsically as beautiful when coming from one concealment as from anotherwhen developed from the rude fragment of a rock, or from a sunbeam-when found in the organisation of an insect, or in the mechanism of the heavens.

"It is in the separation of labour from that science or knowledge which is proper to every form of it, that consists the degrading distinction of a class of the community (in the language of the manufacturing districts) as 'hands.' Hands!'-Men who take

a part all their lives long in manufacturing processes, involving the practical application of great scientific truths, without ever comprehending them-men, who have before their eyes continually mechanical combinations, the contrivance of which they never take the pains to inquire into-men, in respect to whom the first step has never been made which all these things would have continued, the first impulse given which these would have carried on-men, who, with the subjects of thought all around them, and with everything to impel them to the exercise of it, never exercise thought; and so, the obvious means of their education being passed, they remain always 'hands.'

"I know how many are the objections raised to this view of the functions of education. We are told of the oppositions of matter and mind, and of the circumscribing and deadening effects of matter upon thought. As though matter were not full of the elements of thought, and the appointed field for its exercise to those whose avocation it is to subdue it to the uses of man; and as though, whilst the power over outward things is enlarged by the exercise of reason and reflection, the inward life did not also gather strength."

MARRIAGE.

Every working-man possessing health, and able to earn his

bread, may reasonably look forward to being married, and enjoying the comforts of an independent home. The period of marriage, however, should depend on circumstances. No man ought to incumber himself with the responsibilities of a wife and family, till he possess the means to do so with propriety. Unless he has saved money before marriage, he has little chance of doing so afterwards. That which, for the most part, keeps the humbler classes in a constant struggle with poverty, is marrying too early, or before they have saved a sufficiency wherewith to set up housekeeping, and encounter the drain on their resources which a family insures.

Our wish, as frequently expressed, is to elevate the workingclasses, if not out of, at least in their position. We desire to see them respected, comfortable, and happy. But the only means for realising this end will consist in their subjecting themselves to the same self-denial as the generality of the middle classes. These latter classes, it may be remarked, do not marry when young, poor, and inexperienced. We do not see shopkeepers, medical men, or lawyers, marrying at nineteen or twenty years of age. Few of them marry till twenty-seven at the soonest; the greater number not till they are thirty. The reason for this is, that they desire to begin the married life respectably-not with a fortune, but with a certain amount of realised capital; and as far as can be foreseen, some degree of certainty as to future prospects. Marriages among the middle classes without these preliminaries are very rare; and when they occur, they are looked upon as wild undertakings, of which no good can come. The postponement of marriage till the age above-mentioned, may be considered preposterous. Perhaps, all things considered, it would be better if marriages could be prudently undertaken earlier; but as this, in the general state of affairs, cannot be, we must be contented to reason from existing circumstances. No one surely will argue, that there can be any justice in a man entering into matrimony without a reasonable prospect of supporting a wife and family by his earnings; and not only so, but making some provision for them in the event of his death. If he adopt no such precaution, he is running a great hazard of throwing the responsibility from off his own shoulders to those of the public. He is in effect saying, that he does not mind what comes of his family; if he die, or any other misfortune occur, they may fall on the parish for support for anything he cares. As has been said, it is very much in consequence of reckless, improvident marriages among the humbler classes, that we see such crowds of poor-great numbers of widows and orphans struggling in misery, or dependent on public charity for subsistence. It is solely with the view of averting this calamity, and of raising the working-man in his own and the world's esteem, that we recommend him to exercise patience and prudence in the weighty affair of matrimony.

HOME PLEASURES.

No working-man can thrive unless his home be clean, orderly, and comfortable; and these depend on a good domestic management. How sorrowful the fate of him whose wife is a slattern, and his home a scene of disorder! Great care in forming the matrimonial relation may, however, avert this calamity. Supposing the workman's home to be what is desirable, he has it in his power to enjoy many pleasures; for no pleasures are so enduring as those which one finds at his own fireside. On this subject we may give the following passages from a small work published in America, called "The Working-Man."

Reading should form a habitual source of pleasure; “and I would say to every working-man, Read aloud. If the book is borrowed, this is often the only way in which every one can get his share. If the family is very busy-and the female members of all industrious families are as much so in the evening as in the day -the reading of one will be as good as the reading of all, and while one reads, a dozen may knit or sew. There are many persons who enjoy much more, and retain much better what is read to them, than what they read themselves: to the reader himself there is a great difference in favour of reading aloud, as it regards the impression on his own mind. The members of the circle may take turns, and thus each will have a chance of learning, what so few really attain, the art of correct and agreeable reading. Occasion is thus offered for questions, remarks, and general discourse; and it is almost impossible for conversation to flag where this practice is pursued. With this method, the younger members of a family may be saved in a good degree from the perusal of frivolous and hurtful books; and if a little foresight be used, a regular course of solid or elegant instruction might thus be constantly going forward, even in the humblest family.

"But the moral and social effects of such a practice are not less to be regarded. Evenings thus spent will never be forgotten. Their influence will be daily felt, in making every member of the circle more necessary to all the rest. There will be an attractive charm in these little fireside associations, which will hold the sons and daughters back from much of the wandering which is common. It will be a cheap, wholesome, safe enjoyment, and it will be all this at home.

"The gains of an affectionate family ought to be shared and equalised: the remark is true of all degrees and kinds of learning. Study has a tendency to drive men to solitude, and solitude begets selfishness, whim, and moroseness. There are some households in which only one person is learned; this one, however amiable, has perhaps never thought of sharing his acquisitions with a brother or a sister. How seldom do men communicate

what they have learned to their female relations; or, as a man once said in my hearing, 'Who tells news to his wife?' And yet how easy would it be, by dropping a word here and a word there, for even a philosopher to convey the chief results of his inquiries to those whom he meets at every meal. I have been sometimes surprised to see fathers, who had made great attainments, and who therefore knew the value of knowledge, abstaining from all intercourse with their sons upon the points which were nearest their own hearts. In families where the reverse of this is truethat is, where the pursuits of the house have been a joint business-it is common to see a succession of persons eminent in the same line.

"There are some pleasures which, in their very nature, are social; these may be used to give a charm to the working-man's home. This is more true of nothing than of music. Harmony implies a concurrence of parts; and I have seen families so trained, that every individual had his allotted part or instrument. Let the thing, however, be conducted by some rule. If proper pains be taken with children while they are yet young, they may all be taught to sing. Where circumstances favour it, instrumental music may be added. It is somewhat unfortunate that American women practise almost entirely upon the more expensive instruments; and it is not every man who can, or ought to give two hundred and fifty dollars for a piano-forte. In countries where the guitar is a common accompaniment, it is within the reach of the poorest. There may be lovely music, however, without any instrument.

"There are no portions of the working-man's life in which a more constant series of innocent satisfactions is offered to him than his evenings. This is true of those at least whose trades do not encroach upon the night. When labour is over, there is an opening for domestic pleasures which no wise man will ever neglect.

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My neighbour Boswell has a high sense of these enjoyments, and makes the most of them. Except when some public meeting calls him abroad, you are as sure to find him at home in the evening, as at work in the day. Sometimes, indeed, he accompanies his wife or eldest daughter in a visit; but he never appears at clubs or taverns. I work hard,' he is accustomed say, 'for my little comforts, and I like to enjoy them un

to

broken.'

"The picture would not be unworthy of the pencil of a Wilkie: I have it clearly in my mind's eye. The snug and well-closed room is all gay with the blaze of a high wood-fire, which casts upon the smiling circle a ruddy glow. There is Boswell, in his arm-chair, one hand between the leaves of a book which he has just closed, the other among the auburn locks of a little prattling girl. He gazes into the fire with that air of happy reverie, which is so sure a token of a mind at rest. The wife, nearer to

the light, is plying the ceaseless needle, and distributing kind words and kinder glances among the little group. Mary, the eldest daughter, is leaning over a sheet of paper, upon which she has just executed a drawing. George, the eldest son, is most laboriously engaged in the construction of a powder-horn. Two little ones are playing the royal game of Goose; while one, the least of all, is asleep before the fire, by the dog and the cat, who never fail to occupy the same spot every evening.

"Such humble scenes, I am happy to believe, are still presented to view among thousands of families among the working-classes. Need it be added, that they are immeasurably above the sickly heats of those who make pleasure the great object of their pursuit in life? It is among such influences that religion spreads its balm, and that knowledge sheds its fruits. Rest after toil is always agreeable; but it is doubly so when enjoyed in such circumstances, in the bosom of a loving family, healthful, instructed, and harmonious. Such uniformity is never tedious; nor such quiet ever dull. Every such evening may be remembered in after-life with pleasing regrets.

"My friend tells me that it is a refreshment to his mind, during the greatest labours or chagrin of the day, to look forward to his tranquil evening. When work is done, he hastens to wash away the traces of his ruder business, and to make himself as smart as is consistent with frugal plainness. He who hammers all day,' he says, 'has a right to be clean at night.' This is the rule of his house; and when his sons grow large enough to be out at trades, they will no doubt come in every evening as trim and as tidy as they went out.

"It might be interesting to inquire what would be the effect upon the state of society in any village or town if every workingman in it could be induced to spend his evenings at home, and in this manner? A reform in this single particular would work wonders. Every one who is admitted to such a scene, feels at once that there is a charm in it. Why, then, are there so many families where nothing of this kind is known? To give all the reasons might be tedious; but I must mention one or two. First, there must be punctuality, neatness, and thrift in the affairs of housekeeping, to make such a state of things practicable. No man loves to take his seat between two washing-tubs, or beside a fire where lard is simmering, or to stretch his legs over a hearth where almost every spot is occupied by some domestic utensil. Then there must be a feeling of mutual respect and love, to afford inducement to come together in this way. Fur ther, it is difficult to maintain these happy evening groups without some little sprinkling of knowledge. The house where there are no books, is a dull house: the talk is amazingly dull talk. Reading makes pleasant conversation. George always has some good thing to read to Mary; or Mary some useful fact to repeat to George. A little learning in the family is like a little salt in