think it was enough to bear all the hardships they must submit to in getting their living and defending themselves from their enemies, without inventing painful ways of ornamenting their persons. Tattooing is pricking patterns upon the skin with a sharp instrument. These patterns cannot be pricked in all at once, for the pain is very great. The child who has to be tattooed must lay his head down upon the lap of the man who is to do it for him. Beside him is a little vessel, containing water blackened with powdered charcoal, and with this the pattern is marked out. It is drawn very carefully and regularly on the face, that the lines on one side may match the lines on the other side. The child must keep very still all the time that it takes to prick deeply into these lines with a sharp-pointed instrument. The tattooer next wipes off the blood, and rubs powdered charcoal into the holes that he has made. This sinks deeply into them, and remains there, so that, when all is over, the face may be washed, and washed again; but the dark lines remain there still, and always remain to the end of life. The people try to bear the pain of tattooing bravely. It is right and noble to bear pain well, when the pain is for some good purpose. How it stirs up our hearts and makes us glad, when we hear of those who have borne great pain out of love to others! We love to read of the martyrs who were slain for the love of Jesus; to think that they would bear to be burnt, or to be torn in pieces by wild beasts, rather than do what Jesus had forbidden; and that, when the Apostles were cruelly beaten, they were glad to be allowed to suffer for Christ's sake. All through the Bible we read of good men suffering bravely for a right purpose. So, when pain is borne for a good purpose, we are glad, and rejoice; but we cannot be glad to see people bear pain for such a foolish purpose as these poor savages. It is displeasing to God that people should put themselves to bodily pain, if it is not necessary. We might be sure of this, if there were no direct command about it; but He has not left us in doubt of his will on this point. When God chose out one nation of the world to be his own people, He said, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in

VOL. XXVIII.

R

your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you1; for, besides these printed marks on the face and body, called tattooing, it has been the custom among heathen people to cut and injure their bodies when they are in

sorrow.

The New Zealanders, who have become Christians, like to cast away the memory of their old customs, when they did what was wicked, because they had been. brought up in an evil way. They would gladly get rid of the marks made by tattooing, when they know that it is offensive to God. But those marks they cannot wipe away; there the dark lines remain. Whenever they look on themselves they are put in mind, by them, of what they once were. They once thought the painful operation well worth bearing to increase their beauty; now that they know it to be against the will of God, it seems only deformity, and they would gladly submit to greater pain to get rid of it.

The women of New Zealand are not nearly so much marked by tattooing as the men. By the time the son of a chief is grown to manhood, his face is tattooed all over, and he learns to draw the pattern marked on his face. He practises this sort of drawing on wood, with a bit of charcoal; and, when he can do it perfectly, it is a convenient sign to him. In selling land to Europeans, it is sometimes necessary that he should sign his name; and this he does by drawing the tattooed pattern of his face at the bottom of the written agreement.

His war dances, and his various bodily exercises, and games, take up his time; and he has little care for stillness and home, except while he eats or sleeps. If a weakly infant struggles through his feeble childhood, and grows up to be a sickly man, he is despised as useless by his hardy neighbours. He has no books, and almost all the quiet employments are left to women. If he has thoughts that are useful, wise, and good, he cannot write them down to guide and instruct others. The savage thinks that if a man has not strength of body, he is useless; but civilized men know that all the great things

1 Lev. xix. 28.

that have been done in the world, have been done by the exercise of the mind. People sitting quite still in their rooms might, by their thoughts, alter the whole condition of the world. They might make some wonderful discovery, and make it known to others, as many have done in past times. There needed no bodily strength, and no practice of athletic exercises, to find out the art of printing, or to discover the wonderful power of steam. Yet how much more has been done by these discoveries than the ablest-bodied men, or nation of men, could do without them! So civilized people guard the lives of their young children with tender care, and value the sickly as much as the robust; and, as they grow up, teach them to exercise their minds by observation and reflection.-Domestic Scenes in New Zealand.

CHARITY.

ONE thing which must ever endear to the Christian his poorer brethren, is the remembrance that Jesus Christ Himself was the member of a poor family. The disciple of that Lord, who had not where to lay his head, and who was supplied by the kind women who ministered to Him, should feel a sincere pity and regard for the poor, for verily the Lord of glory took not upon Him the nature of an angel; He came not with wealth or power, but made Himself of no reputation, and for more than thirty years endured poverty and privation, that we might have everlasting happiness; that to the poor the Gospel might be preached, and that they might be made "rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom." In all the solemn and affectionate appeals made in God's holy Word in behalf of the poor, there is not one which comes home more fully than this to the heart of God's children: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich"." Oh! if we could remember how short our time is for doing good, that our sun may go down suddenly, while it is yet day; that if even the threescore years and ten of this mortal life should be allotted to us, it will be too short

22 Cor. viii. 9.

for half our projects, surely we should hasten to-day to labour in God's vineyard; making sacrifices of time, and talents, and property, for the poor and needy of God's heritage; and labouring diligently ere the night cometh, when no man can work.

Nor must it be forgotten, that on a Christian devolves the duty, not only of doing good to the body but to the soul. Every one who has himself received the gift of God's Spirit, whose sins are pardoned through the Redeemer's grace, is bound to study and promote the eternal welfare of others. Woe be to us, if our poorer brethren shall say at the day of judgment, "No man cared for my soul." If we have the tongue of the learned, and can give good instruction, yet forbear to give it; if we can help the ignorant with a word of counsel; if we can bestow upon him the word of life, or induce him to join the assembly of God's earthly worshippers on the Sabbath-day; if we can set before him a holy example; if we can send the Missionary to the crowded alleys of our cities, or help him to traverse the wide waters to the dim and dark recesses of ignorance and cruelty; and yet sloth, or carelessness, or selfindulgence, or parsimony, lead us to inertness; then we are robbing those whom God has given into our care, and God will require their souls at our hands. But if we stretch out our hands to the needy, then may we hope for God's promised blessing, and our own spiritual wants will be supplied while we are aiding others.

There is also a peculiar feature in love to the poor, which is impressed on the doctrines of the New Testament with greater distinctness than on those of the Old. Besides the general commands to love our poorer neighbour, we are especially "to do good to them who are of the household of faith." So much is this love to the disciples of Christ inculcated in the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles, that we are told we ought to "lay down our lives for the brethren." It is even made a test of our love to God. "Whoso hath this world's good," saith St. John, "and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" The contributions

for the poor saints were not forgotten by the Apostle Paul and the early Christians; and while it is the duty of Christians to do good to the bodies and to the souls of all, to stretch out the willing hand to the poor and needy, the poor of God's adopted family should be the especial objects of their love and care.-From "The Excellent Woman."

MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

WE again present our readers with some interesting extracts from the Records of the Church Missionary Society :

ABBEOKOUTA MISSION IN WEST AFRICA.

Of the chapels built in various parts of Abbeokouta, that in Ikijà Town may be regarded as one of the most interesting from the circumstances attending its erection. The Rev. S. Crowther writes

"April 21, 1847.-We visited Ogubonna the chief to-day, and obtained from him a place on which to build a shed to preach in. As the place was rather too narrow, he proposed to remove the front walls of his house inward, in order to give us more room. The feeling of these chiefs, in having these places of worship about their houses, appears to me similar to those of Micah'Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest "." Whatever their idea in our case may be, we hope the Lord will do them good by bringing them to the knowledge of his Son Jesus Christ, whom to know and serve 'is life eternal.'

"July 29.-I went out this morning to measure the area of the chapel which we purpose building in front of Ogubonna's house at Ikijà Town. The chief himself held the tape-line, and was quite pleased to be thus employed. When we were thus busily engaged, a man came to the chief, and reminded him of the proximity of the chapel to a fetish-house, which was burnt down last dry season. Ogubonna was quite displeased with this officious man, and sent him about his business with such a lecture as neither he nor the standers-by would forget for a long 3 Judges xvii. 13. 4 Place where the idols are kept.