GOD'S JEWELS.

BY THE EDITOR.

seizes the extinguishing torch of life, lights | timated by the casket which contains it. The it anew at her altar, and leads the way through latter may be a sickly, deformed and loaththe dark valley of the shadow of death, with some body, without any value in the eye of a hope built in heaven and full of immortality. God or man. Yet who can estimate the value of the beautiful soul that dwells in that body -a soul in which the Holy Spirit hath wrought the graces of Heaven - a soul with which God himself deigns to dwell; yea, even while confined in that loathsome casket -a soul that is to rise above the dissolution of the body, and the destruction of the casket which contains it, and to shine with a new beauty and lustre, when the elements of the whole material creation have perished, in a purer and fairer world above. The light of an eternal day will reveal the glory and beauty of all such jewels.

THE treasures which the kings and princes of this world chiefly value, are their jewels. It is said that the gems which encircle Queen Victoria's brow, and sparkle in her crown, are worth more than half a million. But valuable as these earthly jewels are, there are jewels that are infinitely more valuable. God hath his scattered jewels, which he intends to gather out of this world of sin, and set in his own diadem of grace. "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I make up my jewels." God's saints -the subjects of his grace- -are his jewels. And the precious gems this earth contains, are selected as the fittest emblems with which to compare them.

ness.

There is no beauty on which God looks with complacency, but the beauty of holiThere are many things beautiful in the estimation of the children of this world; and we hear much about beauty, but nothing about "the beauty of holiness," till we open the Bible. But here in the Bible-when we find any thing commended as beautiful, it is the beauty of holiness. This world is a far better place than any of us deserve to live in, and contains many sources of pleasure for which we should be thankful. Yet still, it is a wretched and dark world- -a waste howling wilderness a habitation of sin and death. And if there be any relic of Eden remaining, it is the image of holiness, once lost, but now re-instamped on the hearts of believers; and this is far the most beautiful object found amidst the world-wide ruins of sin. Men may have little regard for it-it may not even attract the notice of their eye-but wherever it is found, there the eye of God rests with a complacent regard. The heart, and only the heart, on which that image of holiness has been impressed, is the jewel which he values. Often the casket which contains it, is feeble, weak, unpolished and valueless-it may be nothing more than the miserable body of a poor Lazarus. Yet the value of the jewel contained, is not to be es

The jewel is an emblem of rarity, as well as of beauty. It is said that there are but three gems of a very large size in the world. The jewels of grace may be more in number, but still they are exceedingly rare. If earthly half so much esteemed. One reason of the gems were more plentiful, they would not be great value attached to them, is the fact that they are so scarce, and obtained with so much toil and difficulty.

Why it is there are so few saints in this world, is a question, perhaps, more easily

asked than answered. The reason that there are any Christians here at all, doubtless, is that God might show unto men, and unto angels, the glory of his grace, according to the apostle, "to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." For the manifestation of that wisdom, and the wonderful grace of God, the church will be large enough, although it is true that the path of salvation is a narrow path, and few there be that find it. Few, indeed, are the travelers along the King's highway of holiness; but O, the multitudes, the thoughtless multitudes, that crowd and hurry each other downward in the way to ruin!

The jewel is also the emblem of purity. The diamond has no spot nor stain in it. It is clear as the clearest glass, and transparent

of all things else. It has immortality stamped on its very nature.

THE AZTEC CHILDREN.

These diminutive citizens of this great and continually expanding Republic, are attracting such a degree of dttention from the 'savants' of the land, and have become objects of such universal interest, that, we are constrained, perforce, to say something about them. In fact, we should be doing injustice to our readers, did we neglect to furnish them with reliable information in regard to a subject in which they cannot fail, sooner or later, to become deeply interested.

as the light. There is nothing in the moral world that can be compared with it for purity. The reign of sin is universal, and every thing has been stained and marred by its influence. But God's jewels must be pure. It is written, "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." And, again, it is said of the Holy City, that "there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." What a difference between the children of God and the children of this world. The lives of the one part are pure, because the love of Christ is the reigning principle. Once they were selThe masculine phenomenon is about thirtyfish and unholy- once their hearts were the seats of sinful passions, even as others. But two inches in height, and the feminine twen when the old man of sin was destroyed, and ty-nine. They are delicately formed, and that principle of selfishness was extirpated slender in proportion to their height. Their from the heart, and the love of Jesus was im- complexion is a rich bronze; their hair is planted therein, then all their actions, spring-black, glossy and beautiful; their eyes are ing from that love as their source, though still imperfect, are regarded as pure in the sight of God. The lives of the other part are unholy and impure, because self-love is the governing principle. And what is it but self-love that has made this world a scene of wretchedness and wo- a very Aceldama! O, is it not a blessed thing indeed that the love of God is still found in the world, burning on the altars of a few hearts, and that all purity is not extinct! Yes, we say God's jewels must be pure. They must keep themselves unspotted from the world.

Another quality of the jewel is, its indestructibility. Doubtless, there are gems now in the world, that glittered in the diadems of kings and queens thousands of years ago. They have lost none of their original beauty or lustre, though the crowns which they once adorned have long since gone down into the dust. These rich gems have lost nothing of their value, though a long succession of gay owners and princesses that once wore them have, one after another, gone from the face of the earth. But there are jewels that shall still continue to shine, when even these precious gems of earth, so much prized, shall have lost all their lustre. In this land of our pilgrimage, where see nothing but change, decay and death, it is sweet to know that there is something true, and that will not decay. A soul adorned with grace, is the jewel of God that will survive the dissolution

we

black and brilliant ; forehead small and retreating, the line from the top of the forehead to the end of the nose being nearly straight; and their features are well-chiselled, and rather handsome.

They are winning in their manners, and not in the least repulsive, if we may judge of this point by the continual caresses and kisses lavished upon them by the ladies; attentions and favors, by the by, that we cannot help thinking, are utterly thrown away, but which might be made to tell powerfully if bestowed in the proper quarteran opinion that is shared in common with us by every gentleman with whom we have conversed on the subject. The ladies would do well to bear this in mind, and no longer indulge in such extravagant waste of valuable

material.

As to the much-disputed point of the origin of these children, we confess ourselves to be in an inexplicable quandary. As Daniel Webster said of Massachusetts, "there they stand, and there is their history." It cannot be said that they speak for themselves, for they articulate only a few syllables; but in their case it may be said, with truth, that actions and appearance speak louder than words. No one can look upon

them

without acknowledging that he has at last found a genuine wonder-that he sees what cannot be accounted for on any known principles of science or physiology. The speculative beholder soon exhausts every theory

and hypothesis as to their origin that he can daguerreotype apparatus, and fifty repeating start, loses himself in a labyrinth of conjec- rifles, they sailed from New Orleans and artural philosophy, breaks down in his attempts rived at Balize in the fall of 1848. Here, to ridicule the idea that they are really Az- procuring mules and Indian guides, they tecs, becomes wearied with his endeavors to started through a wild broken country for settle the question by the aid of "pure rea- one hundred and fifty miles on the Gulf of son," and gladly seeks refuge from all his Amatique, and then struck off to the southdoubts and troubles by yielding implicit faith west for Coban, where they arrived on the to the account of Iximayan wonders embrac-morning of Christmas day. At Coban they ed in the pamphlets distributed by the exhib- fell in with Pedro Valesquez, who was there itor. People must believe something. There on a trading expedition from San Salvaare the children. They are here-present- dor, and finding him to be a congenial spirit, laguhing and playing before you; and they and bound to Santa Cruz del Quiche as well must have come from somewhere. Where as themselves, they pursued the wild journey did they come from? The pamphlet refer- together, having procured new guides and red to, furnishes the only plausible answer; mules. and until we can get a better response, we must adopt the narrative it contains as the true history of the Aztec Children.

During this journey Huertis and Hammond gradually broke to Velasquez the programme of their grand enterprise; they told him the story of the old padre of del Quiche, and showed him the engravings in Steven's book. Velasquez readily believed the whole, for he had himself seen the padre, and he had seen some of the ruins, which he at once recognised in the engravings. His imagination was fired and his spirit of enterprise burst into a flame; and although he was a man of family and wealth and an indigo trader, he at once resolv

received in the most friendly manner, at first ; but they soon rifled and bowie-knifed themselves into the affections of the natives, and were lodged in superb quarters, according to the pamphlet.

The National Intelligencer recently published an excellent condensation of this history, from which we make the following extracts: "It appears f.om the pamphlet that Mr. Stevens, in his Travels in Central America, speaks of an old padre or Catholic priest of Santa Cruz del Quiche; who told him some wonderful stories of ruins of ancient cities in the interior of that country, and particularly of one living in the city far beyond the moun-ed to leave all and follow them." tains. The padre declared that in his youn- After numerous hairbreadth escapes, and ger days he had climbed to the top of the perilous adventures, our travelers found the Sierra Madre, a height of ten or twelve thou-"living city" of Iximaya. They were not sand feet, and looking from the summit, over an immense plain extending to Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, he had seen with his own eyes, in the remote distance," a large city, spread over a great space, with turrets white and glittering in the sun." Mr. Stevens, The place of residence assigned to our though very desirous to explore that region travelers was the vacant wing of a sumptuof country and test the truth of the padre's ous and spacious structure, at the western exstatements, had no time to do so; it would be tremity of the city, which had been appropria long and perilous undertaking. But he adds, ated from time immemorial to the surviving "two young men of good constitution, and remnant of an ancient and singular order of who could afford to spend five years might priesthood, called Kaanas, which, it was dissucceed." That hint, it seems, gave birth to tinctly asserted in their annals and traditions, the "Aztec children; "for," says the author had accompanied the first migration of this of this pamphlet, "it is now known that two people from the Assyrian plains. Forbidden intrepid young men, incited probably by this by inviolably sacred laws from intermarrying identical passage in Mr. Steven's popular with any persons but those of their own caste work, agreed to undertake the perilous and they had here dwindled down, in the course romantic enterprise." They were a Mr. | of many centuries, to a few insignificant inHuertis, of Baltimore, an American of Span- dividuals, diminutive in stature, and imbecile ish parents from Cuba, and a Mr. Hammond, in intellect.

a civil engineer from Canada. Providing Here we have the origin of the Aztec chilthemselves with mathematical instruments, dren. We again quote from the National

Intelligencer.

gymen and doctors of the city have given in their allegiance, and pronounce them "all right." The "authorities" are also moving in the matter. A few days since, we saw a beautiful gold watch and chain, valued at

admiration to the little Iximayans, by His Honor Mayor Kingsland. Mr. Knox, the exhibitor, has a small carved stone image once used as an idol in Mexico, and which was brought to this city from Chapultepec, by Lieut. Gibbs, of the U. S. Army. The features of this image strikingly resemble those of the Aztecs; and whenever the latter see it, they caress and fondle it in a manner which plainly indicates that they have seen something of the kind before. When it was first shown by the lady who presented it to Mr. Knox, the boy, Maximo, danced with delight, and when it was taken from him he moaned and wept most piteously.— This strongly corroborates a portion of their history as set forth in the pamphlet.

"We must pass over the ingenious plans contrived by our travelers to make their escape. Suffice it to say they were eventually successful, hough Velasquez alone lived to see their accomplishment. Poor Hammond some $90, that were presented, as tokens, of lingered and died of his wounds Huertis married one of the fair Iximayans, and thinking to bring her away with him, confided to her his plans; but she betrayed him, and he suffered a horrible death. Velasquez was more successful. He formed an intimate friendship with a priest named Vaalpeor, whose imagination he at last filled with so strong a desire to see the world, that he consented to elope with him. Vaalpeor was the guardian of two of the orphan Kaanas, for whose care through life he was bound by the most solemn religious obligations. It was therefore determined that he should take them with him. Everything having been made ready for their escape, Velasquez, with fifteen of twenty of his followers, descended from the walls of the city in the night by Their musical propensities are very strong. means or ropes, swam across the moat, and The boy is constantly playing on a small fidrepaired to a retreat two or three miles dis- dle, that some one has given him; and the tant, where Vaalpeor had taken care to have girl's chief delight is a little music box, which mules in readiness, and where the two Naana seems to puzzle her sadly. She holds it to children had been previously carried out to her ear, turns it over, peers at it all round, spend a short time for their health. The sets it down, stands it on end, puts it to her whole party immediately mounted and hast-ear again and gives up the idea of solving the ened out of the valley. Their departure was mystery. In a few minutes, however, she soon discovered, and they were hotly pursu- repeats the same operations again, with a ed by a party of horsemen, and some fight-like result; and thus she keeps on from day ing followed, in which the boy Maximo re- to day. ceived a slight wound, of which he still carries the scar. No other damage was received by the travelers, "and by break of day they were on a mountainous ridge many leagues from Iximaya."

In fourteen days they reached Ocosingo, after great suffering. Here Velasquez dismissed his faithful Indian guides, and here poor Vaalpeor died from the fatigues of the journey. Velesquez, with the two Aztec children, reached San Salvador about the middle of February, where the children were objects of great interest, and he was advised to send them to Europe for exhibition. But the lucky stars of the United States somehow or other turned them in this direction, and they arrived in New York, "via Jamacia."

The exhibitors of the children cannot well avoid making a fortune, if the little creatures will only live a few years longer. The cler

Mr. Morris, the director of the exhibition, has made arrangements to go to London, Paris and other European cities during the sumemr. He will reap a rich harvest in Europe; and it is doubtful whether the Aztecs will ever revisit this country. We much fear that the inducements to remain in the Old World will be so strong, that Mr. M. will never give us another opportunity to gaze upon his curiosities. We feel a strong desire to see them a few years hence, as we are confident that they will yet be able to converse intelligibly, understand their relations to the rest of mankind, and perhaps throw some ht upon their origin.

UNBELIEF.-No man is an unheliever, but because he will be so; and every man is not an unbeliever, because the grace of God conquers some, changes their walls, and binds them to Christ.-Charnock.