words I am reminded of an incident which you may, perhaps, hear with interest. I had a neighbour in the States who was afflicted with a most irritable temper, sudden and quick in quarrel,

'iracundus, inexorabilis, acer,'

loud, scurrilous, raving in abusive, vindictive, blasphemous words against those who incurred his displeasure. There were some mischievous boys, you will be shocked to hear, who seemed to find a delectable relish and satisfaction in exciting the ire, and in listening, at a safe distance, to the objurgations of this impetuous man; and once, when he was about to start with a cart-load of potatoes up a steep hill outside our town, they silently approached the vehicle, and adroitly removed the board at the end. It is unnecessary to state that as the conveyance ascended, the vegetables descended, the incline, until, turning on the summit to rest his horse, which had performed the journey with abnormal agility, the driver saw the last potato slowly trickling down. And then, as he heard shouts of exultation, and peals of derisive laughter, and enlarged his survey in the direction from which they came, he beheld a score of youthful faces grinning with delight, leaning forward to listen, with the right hand raised to the ear, lest one precious word should be lost. It was too much for him. He turned deadly pale; his lips quivered,

'And then his eyes grew very dim, and his throat began to swell, And with a hoarse, changed voice, he cried '

'Gentlemen, I am not equal to the occasion."" It was indeed an awful ordeal. There are times when the best of men are overwhelmed. It is even re

ported that a Bishop, when a waiter emptied a tureen of lobster-sauce over his best suit, went so far as to suggest that "perhaps some layman would say something."

To make a good speech, the speaker must be master of his subject and quite sure of his facts. After Mr. Pitt had made an elaborate oration in our House of Commons upon naval matters, Lord Anson, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty, rose and said, "The right honourable gentleman is most eloquent and plausible. I am no orator, as Brutus is, and all I have to say is this, that he knows nothing at all of the subject of his speech." And the House believed the sailor rather than the landsman, and voted accordingly.

Finally, a good speaker will arrange his arguments in a clear, connected course, never losing sight of the object of his speech, and taking special pains with his peroration,

66 servetur ad imum

Qualis ab incepto processerit, et sibi constet;"

to begin vigorously, and to finish feebly, is to paint an Apollo, a Mercury, an Adonis, with a wooden leg, or, as Horace puts it, "a mermaid on a dolphin's back."

As to attitude and utterance, that same earnestness, which alone can induce anxious preparation, and inspire with eloquent words, will confer a

natural grace and an impressive tone. I do not believe in any rehearsals of action or pronunciation, and I was greatly surprised to read in some kindly comments upon my preaching in one of our magazines, "He suits the actions to the words with gestures, which have all been studied." ." But But "quot homines, tot sententiæ," and I was consoled to read a few days afterwards that "there was nothing of the copyist about me, all was perfectly natural," because I never designed a single movement in any speech or sermon which I ever made; and you will perceive at once that the only abnormal evolutions in posture, which I can remember, were evidently unpremeditated.

I was preaching one night in the beautiful Cathedral at Hereford, when I noticed a strange expression of intense anxiety on some of the faces beneath, for which I could not account; it seemed to me as if, every now and then, some of my hearers were about to rise from their seats. Afterwards I heard that, when I raised my arms, the sleeves of my surplice all but touched the lighted candles on either side of the pulpit. This perilous proximity made me careful in the future, and was productive of another incident which had a very different effect upon my congregation, and must have sorely exercised their powers of self-control. About to preach in one of our city churches, my place, during the prayers, was in the Choir, where I could not see the pulpit. Towards the end of the service a verger ascended the steps (as I was subsequently informed) and lit a candle on either side. From some cause or other

these lights almost immediately went out. Relighted, they flamed awhile, and then a second time were extinct. The verger made a third and triumphant effort; the candles burned with a sure and brilliant sheen; and in due time the preacher mounted the stair, and, as quietly and modestly as he knew how to do it - blew them out!

The sum of the whole matter is, that to speak well a man must mean well, and must devote much time and thought to his speech; and then, though he may not attain to supremacy of excellence, he will by perseverance impress others and command attention.

Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum,

(a great number of people never see New York), and of the man endowed with extraordinary genius it must be said, as Tully said of Antony, "in eo facetio erant, quæ nulla arte tradi possunt," he had a witty mirth, which was not to be acquired by art; but there are prizes for all who strive, and though, "'tis not in mortals to command success, they may do more, deserve it."

N

XIV.

FLOWERS AND FLORISTS.

The Love of Flowers from Childhood to Old Age - Why and How it should be encouraged — Among Schoolboys - By CottageGarden Societies - In Public Parks and Grounds Window Plants.

WITH Some of us the earliest and happiest periods of our lives are associated with

"The young day, when first our infant hands
Plucked witless the wild flowers,"

with groves, and gardens, and green fields, with banks of the violet, carpets of the cowslip, and hedges of the rose, with meadow flowers, when we blew the down from the dandelion (Dent de Lion, the leaf being formed like the tooth),

"And we did question of the down-balls, blowing

To know if some slight wish would come to pass;
If storms we feared, we sought where there were growing
Some meadow flower, which was our weather-glass,"

such as the scarlet pimpernel, which, on the approach of rain, allies itself with the Early Closing Association. It was then, as we gathered that exquisite gem, with which no turquoise can compare, the forget-me-not, that we heard from a voice, which has long been silent, but will be forgotten never,