very glory of Romanism. I did startle intelligence of Italy should revolt at 46 the first time I read over a church door in Italy, Indulgentia Plenaria;" intimating that visiting a shrine, or paying for a mass there, had the full merit of absolving from the guilt of sin. The surprise, however, soon yielded to the commonness of the impiety, for in Rome such inscription is well nigh as frequent as the churches and convents. all this, that its thinking people should be infidels ? Or is it any marvel that the priests should hide away the book of the Lord, and put it under lock and key? It would spoil their craft. It would sweep quite away their fraudulent gains. Not for an instant could such childish attempts at salvation, stand before the brightness of that holy volume. You would be quite affected by the Nor can I pass from this priestly puerile forms in which this device of Bible abstraction, without adverting to merit, shows itself in Rome. It is as the chilling, saddening effect which a if the people were children, and the more direct contact with it had upon priests would amuse them, by turning me. It is very affecting to be among the grave things of their salvation a people fancying they have the reliinto toys to play with. The kissing gion of Christ, and yet with no Bible. the great toe of the bronze statue of I knew before they had no Bible. It St. Peter, has the merit of fourteen was a dark part of Romanism, I did days' indulgence. The kneeling be- not question. But when I went into fore the cross in the centre of the Coli- their churches, saw their splendid seum, secures the merit of two hun- worship, looked around on the crowds dred days' indulgence. The adoration of kneeling devotees, the thought of that wooden doll, the Bambino, is came upon me with all the freshness exceedingly meritorious. Yea, to prac- of a new discovery, and well nigh tise yet more on the credulity of the aloud, was I constrained to the utterpeople, there are adjoining the Lateran ance-WHY, they have no Bible! I Church, what are called the holy felt it now. And as I walked the aisles stairs. It is pretended that they be- of their spacious cathedrals, listened longed to Pilate's palace, and were to their well-trained choirs, marked the those up which our Lord passed to the gorgeous array of their priests, the judgment-hall. There is a prodigious words would ever and again recur to merit attached to ascending these me-WHY they have no Bible! These stairs on the knees, kissing each one fretted roofs, splendid pictures, blazing in the ascent. You would think that tapers, mitred priests-THESE, alas! none but the very dregs of the Roman are their Bibles. God, in the majesty populace, the most abjectly supersti- of his truth, is not here. Christ, in the tious, would perpetrate such folly. tenderness of his Gospel, is away. This But no, I happened to be in Rome Bible-excluding artifice of the prieston Easter Tuesday, a day when these hood shuts them quite out. And then stairs are open, and I saw parties, the thought would come upon me like evidently of respectability and position the overshadowing of a heavy gloom, in society, some with equipages wait--why this Bible destitution is all ing for them, performing this absurd through the world of Popery, is the act of priest-constructed meritorious- blighting curse of its priest-stricken Is it to be wondered at that the millions. ness. The Letter Box. RULES OF LIFE. 1st. Be at all times cool, calm, and self-possessed; think before you speak or act; do your duty, and trust to God for the consequences. 2nd. Ever keep in view the great object of your existence; viz., the attainment of a blissful immortality, and make all other considerations subservient to it. 3rd. Never forget that the eye of God is upon you, and that your every thought, word, and deed are subject to his scrutiny and judgment. 4th. Neither say nor do anything unnecessarily, which could turn to the disadvantage of another. 5th. Guard against the attacks of anger, always speaking and acting with great caution whilst under its influence. 6th. Be firm, persevering, and decided, in everything which you undertake to do; deliberate calmly, act resolutely. 7th. Make use of no improper expressions, slang phrases, or by-words, but let your language always be ready, appropriate, grammatical, and unostentatious. Sth. Set a constant watch over your thoughts, and banish all trifling and sinful ones, upon their first entrance into the mind. 9th. Cultivate an habitual cheerfulness of disposition and equanimity of temperament, allow nothing whatever to harass you if you have obeyed the dictates of your conscience, remembering that God will dispose of everything for your good as he sees best, neither give yourself undue care about the future-rely on him. 10th. In your intercourse with the world, try to maintain, under all circumstances, an easy, affable, pleasant, and courteous deportment; be kind, polite, forgiving, sincere, and consistent, humble, and modest, but always to a proper degree dignified and independent; guard strenuously against indulging in too much levity, or familiarity of manner with any one, even your most intimate friend and companion-in a word, let your conduct ever be such as becomes a true Christian, and man of self-respect. 11th. Never form too hasty an opinion of a person's character. 12th. Be as methodical and regular as possible, in your daily habits, religious devotions, &c. 13th. In all you say or write, have the strictest regard for truth. 14th. Always show the greatest respect for religion, and matters of a serious nature. 15th. Pay constant attention to the preservation of your health, being always governed by those rules and principles which you know conduce to that end. 16th. Whenever you find yourself surrounded by difficulties, or are about engaging in a new and important enterprise, go to God in prayer and earnest supplication for his gracious guidance and blessing. 17. Never resent an injury; when insulted, remember how your blessed Saviour was maltreated, and spit upon, then think with what meekness he bore all of his grievances, and strive to imitate his example. 18. Always make your expenditures to correspond with your means and necessities; be careful to buy nothing which will prove useless to you afterwards. 19th. Apply your whole energies to your vocation in life, and seek faithfully to discharge its various duties. 20th. In your purchases and pecuniary transactions practise, as far as possible, the cash rule, "Pay as you go." 21st. When expressing your views upon any subject, and particularly a religious or political one, be temperate in the use of your language, and always actuated by a spirit of charity, candour, modesty, liberality of sentiment, and a profound regard for the feelings and opinions of others. The Counsel Chamber. ARE YOU INSURED? 4.-Friend B., are you insured? B. What do you mean? and why do you ask the question ? 4.-I mean, have you joined any Society, by the help of which you can be sustained when out of work through sickness, or in old age, when, perhaps, you cannot get work at all; or, in case of your death, that something may come to your widow and children? Hearing you are just married, and in good work, I thought I would just ask the question, as I feel interested in your welfare. B.-Well, I am much obliged to you; I see what you mean now. I cannot say that I am insured, though my wife and I have been speaking about it; but, to tell you the truth, I have been rather afraid of insuring. A.-Why so? B. Because I have heard so much lately of Societies breaking up, and members who have paid in for several years without taking out anything, being thrown out of benefit just as they are likely to want it, that I really persuaded myself to let the matter alone, lest I might be in a similar condition. A.-A hard case, indeed. B.-I wish to join a Society, but I want first to know why so many Societies have broken up, in order that I may not connect myself with one that may follow their example. A.-Exactly, that is the proper way to look upon the matter. B.-Can you explain to me why it happens? 4.-Yes, I can; and what is more, I can tell you of a Society that will not break up, and one, in fact, that you would do well to join. B.-Good; now proceed. A.-Well, then, you must first observe that between a Society and its members buying and selling is observed, just as in other things. The members buy with their monthly contributions, and the Society sells, out of its accumulated funds, relief in sickA.-Well, to be sure, there is nothingness, and sums of money at death. Do like caution; but do you know any you understand? cases of the kind? B.-Yes, several. Isaac Williams, a fellow-workman of mine, is now just sixty-three years of age, and has belonged to six different Societies, from none of which has he received a penny ---all have broken up; the consequence is, that he is now in no club at all, and too old to join one. I heard, too, the other day, of a man who was rather well off in the world, and who, in order to be quite safe, belonged sometimes to four or five Societies at once. began insuring very early, and altogether, with entrance money, subscriptions, fines, feasts, and extra contributions when the funds were low, he paid £240 in about thirty-five years; but all was lost, except £7 10s. when his wife died; and this man, like Isaac Williams, is not insured at all now. He B.-I think I do. You mean to say that the Society, so to speak, is a shop, and the members are its customers. A.-Just so. Well, then, if the members are too few, or if their monthly contributions are too small, the Society must break up whenever any large amount of relief is required from it. Like the shop, if there is no custom, or if the customers pay for the articles which they buy less than what the shopkeeper pays for them in the first instance, it is clear the whole affair must soon break up. B.-Then I am to understand that what the members of Societies which have broken up have been paying in, has been too little for what such Societies have had, by-and-by, to pay out. A. Yes. Suppose a Society to start with 50 members, whose ages all added together and divided by 50, would leave 25; that number would be the average age of each. Now, it is ascertained from certain returns which have been sent to Government, that at age 25, each of those 50 members would have six days' sickness in the year; at age 40, each would have 8 days; at age 60, 29 days; at age 70, 98 days. So that you see as the Society gets older, the larger will be its outgoings; and if the funds have not been enough to meet the sickness of members when they become 60 and 70, as well as when they are 25 and 40, the Society must break up. B.-Now I see how it is that Societies seem to get rich at first, but all of a sudden come to nothing. A.-Precisely the same remarks apply to sums at death. Unless the contributions are made equal to the claims which will come upon the Society as the members die off, the Society cannot last. B-Did you ever know a Society that lasted right out? 4.-No; actuaries, or the persons who calculate tables of Societies, say that they have never yet been able to meet with a Society sufficiently old to show what amount of sickness prevailed when several of its members got to be above seventy. £100 deposited; let the managers be respectable and just men; let the members be honest, and avoid feigning illness, and so exhausting the funds and defrauding each other; and let every one interested in the Society do everything they can to extend it, and I warrant your Society will not break up, but soon get rich and flourishing. B.-That is the Society I want. You said you knew of such a one; pray tell me about it. A. With much pleasure; it is the CHRISTIAN MUTUAL PROVIDENT SoCIETY. I have joined it, and young persons like you will find the benefits to be most material, after they have joined it. I will state some of the ADVANTAGES. The advantages are numerous. The following are among the most special: 1. Females are admissible as mem bers. 2. Payments are adjusted according to the age of each member on entrance, and are never afterwards increased; nor is one member required to pay anything at the death of another. 3. There are no compulsory offices to serve. 4. Persons of any trade are eligible. 5. Members become free in six months. 6. Subscriptions may be in arrear B. What are the right plans of six months without loss of benefit; which you spoke ? A.-First of all, let the members pay in as much as by prudent management will enable the Society to pay out what may be required of it; let there be no feasts nor waste of money, for the good of the landlord, but for the ill of members; let the money be deposited with Government, who allow nearly £4 compound interest for every and after that period membership, if desired, may be recovered, upon conditions specified in the Rules. 7. Profits are divided every five years among the members. Thus a young man will derive great advantages in this Society; for at every five years of his continuing a member, his payments will be reduced, or his benefits increased, as he may prefer. 8. Sick allowance continues longer than in ordinary Societies, viz., for fifty-two weeks' full pay; and in continued sickness, the reduction never extends below half-pay. Thus, as old age comes on, instead of being thrown upon quarter-pay, a member is liberally sustained; and if an annuity be taken as well as the sickness allowance, the full pay continues without reduction during the whole period of the assur ance. 9. Members appoint the directors annually; and meetings of members are holden annually in London, and in the districts of each Branch. 10. The funds are all invested upon Government security at compound interest. Thus all risks are avoided, and investments do not fluctuate in value. 11. Members may remove from one Branch to another without loss of benefit, or being subjected to an additional payment for re-entry. B.-But about the rates; you said that old Societies had been charging too little. Does the Christian Mutual Society charge much more? A. That depends upon the age of a person entering. Young persons under twenty-five will not pay so much as most Societies, if you reckon contributions, beer money, money at death of a member, and such like. In the higher ages the payments are more, of course, because as a member gets older he is more likely to get sick and to die than a younger person. week when I am sick, and £10 for my wife when I die. A.-The monthly payment for those benefits, up to seventy years of age, will be 1s. 10d., or less than 6d. a week; and for a trifle more you could have the allowance extended for the whole of life, however long you might live after seventy. B. And very likely I might have to pay less, as I should get a share of the profits. 4.-Certainly, but you should do more than insure for sick and burial money. B.-What do you mean? 4.-Why you should do as I have done-insure for an annuity. B.-What is that? A.-Why, a sum of money to come weekly to you after you are sixty, sixty-five, or seventy, and to continue until you die, whether you are ill or well, in work or not. For instance, I joined at twenty, and my insurance is as follows: 10s. per week in sickness, 18. 5 d. 1s. Od. 0s. 4d. B. Can you tell me what I should So you see, for 84d. a week, I am prohave to pay? A. Yes, if you will tell me your age, and what benefits you would wish to have. vided for through life. By taking the annuity, I get FULL pay in sickness, without ever being reduced to half-pay, and should I live to seventy, I shall be B.—I shall be twenty-two next birth-independent of beggary and want all day, and I should like to have 10s. a my life. |