to inculcate such principles as may prove of service to all. With this object in view, they trust that the Christian Magazine may find its way beyond their densely populated towns, and convey to the village schools and cottages of our land that information and amusement which the Editors will endeavour to provide for all their readers.

INTRODUCTORY LINES.

Go forth, thou little book, to cot and cell,
Where want and care-where age and sorrow dwell;
Shun not the threshold where no rank or state
May bid thee welcome through a costly gate;
There are true hearts, and minds of soundest proof,
Beneath the shadow of the lowliest roof,

That seek GOD's Truth when labour's hours are done,
And by the rush-light find the Eternal Sun ;---
These will delight to hail thy welcome face,
Thy lines of warning or of hope to trace,

And learn from thee their proudest boast to claim-
The highest rank of man-the CHRISTIAN NAME!
Christian! the brother of the ETERNAL KING!
Why should despair or grief the bosom wring
Of him who knows that all of earth shall die,
And all of heaven shall live beyond the sky?
Go, little book, and say, from door to door,
To make us rich our LORD HIMSELF was poor!

ESTHER SIMMONDS.

CHAPTER I.

"We name the world a school-for day by day
We something learn, till we are call'd away;
The school we name a world-for vice and pain,
Fraud and contention, there begin to reign;
And much in fact, this lesser world can show
Of grief and crime that in the greater grow."

CRABBE.

"Our sins are like the Dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus, they rise against us as men armed for our destruction."

BACON.

WELL, Esther, my dear, why are you come from school so early this morning?" Such was the question put by Mary Simmonds to her daughter Esther, on a morning in March last, on seeing her returning home from school an hour earlier than she was accustomed to do. For sometime Esther hung down her head and was silent, apparently in some doubt whether or not her mother would approve of the reason which on this morning had induced her to come away from school, before the school hours were over. After some little hesitation, and a repetition of the question on the mother's part, she at last admitted that it was in consequence of punishment inflicted upon her by the mistress, which she considered she did not deserve. The circumstances of the case were these, Esther had gone to school in the morning very nicely and tidily dressed, and in a game at play with some companions on her way to school, had torn her nice frock, and made herself very dirty and untidy. On arriving at the play-ground, the first person whom she met was Elizabeth Smith. Now Esther knew that she had done wrong in making herself dirty and tearing

A 2

her frock, and that she should be punished for it; she therefore determined within herself that if possible she would throw the blame on Elizabeth Smith. She therefore invited her to play with her, which the other, as the school was not opened, and suspecting no evil, agreed to. After some little romping together, Esther cried out, "Oh! dear! Elizabeth, you have torn my frock." This, Elizabeth denied, telling her at the same time that it was torn before she came to the play-ground, for she had noticed it when first she saw her, in which she was borne out by Sally Brown, who just then came up, and who had seen the frock torn as Esther came to school. Esther knew that this was the case, but had not honesty to confess it. She therefore persisted in her former statement, and adding passion to falsehood became very angry, and struck Elizabeth a severe blow on her head. Elizabeth was a quiet good girl, and, although at the time she felt much distress that her play-fellow should so treat her, took it patiently, and said no more about it.

When the school opened, Mrs. Short, the mistress, as she was accustomed to do, went round the school to see that all the children were clean and tidy, and was surprised to find Esther, who was usually a pattern of neatness, very dirty and her frock torn. Upon enquiring how this had happened, Esther laid the blame upon Elizabeth Smith, saying that she had taken hold of her as she was coming to school, pulled her about, and torn her frock. Elizabeth was of course called up, and upon enquiry, stated the case exactly as it had happened, which statement was proved correct, from the evidence given by the other girls.

Mrs. Short was a kind good woman, and never punished her scholars in a hasty and passionate way, nor except on very urgent occasions, when it appeared to her necessary that she should do so. The present case appeared to be such an one, for this was not the first time in which she had detected Esther Simmonds in a lie, nor the first discovery she had made of her striking her school-fellows. Esther was therefore sent into a corner

of the school-room to sit by herself, until Mrs. Short had decided upon some mode of punishment meet for her offence. After some little time Mrs. Short called her up before her desk, and in the presence of the whole school reprimanded her very severely for the fault of which she had been guilty. “Your offence,” said Mrs. Short, "is one of a very serious aggravated nature. You have told a lie, which in itself is a crime of the very deepest die; one which must call down upon you the wrath of God, and which, if unrepented of, must subject you to His severest displeasure. You know well, how strongly ALMIGHTY GOD has shown his anger against such as have committed this sin, and not to mention others, how Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying. You have also frequently read in your Bible, and have also been told by our clergyman, as well as myself, that all lies are of the wicked one, who is the father of lies, and that all liars will have their part in the lake that burneth with brimstone and fire for ever. In addition to this very dreadful sin, you have attempted to throw the blame of what you have done off your own shoulders upon those of one of your school-fellows; you not only told me a falsehood in saying that you had not made yourself untidy, but have accused Elizabeth Smith of doing that which you knew she had not done, and in addition to all you have struck her. Now, I am at all times sorry to be obliged to punish any of my scholars, and when I feel justified in so doing, confine my notice of their fault to a reprimand; but this is a case which requires, I regret to say, more serious notice. I shall therefore deal with you in such a way as I trust will lead you to repentance for what you have done, and a firm resolution not to offend again in a similar way; and prove an example to the whole school, that they may be deterred from falling into so heinous a crime as you have been guilty of. During the next week you must remain in school, Esther Simmonds, while your school-fellows are at play, and during the same period must learn your lessons apart from your class, and say them by yourself

after they have finished. In the meantime take this book, and go to that corner of the room, and read what is there written upon the sin and danger of telling lies." Esther went as she was directed to do, but I am sorry to say with a spirit but little humbled, and more angry than sorry at what had occurred.

Poor Esther was much to be pitied; she had been brought up by indulgent parents who had allowed her generally to have her own way, and do what she pleased ; she had seldom been corrected for doing wrong, had received but very little instruction in right principles, and had been a constant witness of careless and irreligious conduct in those to whom by nature and inclination, as well as duty, she had been taught chiefly to look up to. Her parents were not drunkards nor swearers; they went to church sometimes on a Sunday, and occasionally read their Bible at home; they were honest and industrious, kind to their children, both of whom, Robert and Esther, they sent regularly to school. In what then, you may ask, was their fault? It was in this. Religion was with them either a certain number of set forms, such as going to church, reading their Bibles, saying their prayers, &c.; or when beyond this, it was to them a rule only so far as to restrain them from doing such things as the world around them considered wrong. In other words, they mistook selfishness for religion; and because they did not swear, nor get drunk, nor cheat, they thought themselves religious, not knowing that they refrained from such things, not from a love of God and a desire to do His will, but from a fear of man, and a wish to stand well in the world. Hence it came to pass, that although they were guiltless of the grosser sins so common around them, they were guilty of much which in the eye of God is very sinful; they would frequently talk carelessly and lightly of GoD and holy thingsmake jokes of some passages of Holy Scripture-speak slightingly of GoD's ministers and His house-laugh at some of their more religious neighbours-call them Methodists or bigots-talk scandal of those around them,