learn that when the search had abated,

Rahab let the

thus they es

spies down by the wall outside the city, and caped. In the life of David, (1 Sam, chap, 19) a similar circumstance took place, when David escaped from the jealous anger of Saul in this manner; and in the New Testament (Acts ix. 24. 2. Cor. xi. 33.) we are informed that thus the Apostle Paul escaped from the City of Damascus. A very clear idea of how these escapes could be effected, is obtained by a knowledge of the peculiar style of building eastern cities. Then, as now, these towns were surrounded by walls, to secure the inhabitants from their enemies, and upon these walls houses were built, with windows looking out from the city; so that it would be comparatively easy to open one of these windows in the protection wall of the city, and let down a fugitive, while his enemies were watching for him at the gate of the city.

Some of our young friends may be wondering why a basket was thus used. No doubt it was in former days, as it is now. These baskets we find used for all purposes; for carrying every kind of burden, and also for raising people to one of the synagogues in Mount Sinai, or for lowering workmen into wells and other deep places.

In each of the instances we have quoted, how marked is the love of God for those who are serving him, and how securely He protects them from their enemies! Who can

do us harm if God is for us? Let us love Him more and trust Him better than we have ever done, and supplicate His strength and guidance in escaping from all that is harmful, especially from our sins. T. J. B.

ANCIENT BOOKS.-All ancient books were written to be rolled up; hence volumen, a volume, from volvo, I roll.

The Months and Remarkable Days.

BY THE REV. W. L. ROBERTS, HOLMFIRTH.

VI. JUNE.

HIS month is named after the Roman goddes Juno, who was supposed to take the whole month under her protection and Our Anglo-Saxon forefathers called it sear-monath, that is dry month.

care.

There are at present thirty days in June, although at one time it contained only twenty-six days; but several of the months have been altered in this respect. There are not many noted days in this month; the principal ones are the twenty-first and the twenty-fourth.

The Longest Day is the 24th of June. By longest day we do not mean that there are more than twenty four hours in the day, but that we have the greatest length of sunshine. The readers of the "Hive" will generally know that the day is measured by the spinning of the earth round its axis, as a top spins on its peg; and that the earth requires twenty four hours to turn round once. In thus turning round, those parts of the earth that are on the side next to the sun have warmth and daylight, while those away from the sun are in the cold and darkness. You must also remember that the axis of the earth in reference to the sun, does not stand quite perpendicularly, but rather slopes. By this arrangement, along with the revolution of the earth round the sun, we have summer aud winter produced, and at the same time a gradual change in the length of time the sun shines upon any part of the earth in one day. If you refer to the "Hive" for March, you will there find that on the twentyfirst of that month, the days and nights are of equal length. On the twenty-first of June, the days are at the longest,

and the nights at the shortest; in fact about this time, on fine clear nights, it is scarcely ever quite dark. But we must remember that while we have summer and long days, our friends in Australia and New Zealand have winter and short days. This day, on account of its being the longest, is really the true Midsummer Day. But the twenty-fourth of the month is very often called Midsummer day. It is really St. John's Day, so named because it is kept as the birth-day of John the Baptist, who was born six months before Christ. There were formerly great festivities on this day, or rather on the day before, which was called St. John's Eve. In some countries, fires were kindled in the streets of towns, and the boys and young men would dance round them and leap through them. In England, the people used to cut down branches of trees in the woods, and fix them over their doors amid great rejoicing, in fulfilment of the prediction regarding John the Baptist, that "many shall rejoice at his birth." Luke i. 14. Some very strange superstitious notions used to be entertained in connexion with this day. In Ireland, we are told that the people believed their souls would leave their bodies on this night and go to the place where they would afterwards die and to prevent this, many of the people used to sit up and wake all night. The English people were not much better than the Irish; for it used to be a common notion that if persons went to the church porch and sat there all night fasting, they would see all those who were to die in the parish during the coming year. Happily, foolish notions like these are passing away; but although we laugh at the strange beliefs of our forefathers, there are still many absurd things believed and practised in our country. I hope the readers of the "Hive" will be intelligent boys and girls, and not be frightened by the silly stories by which many in the past were frightened. Read your Bibles, be good as in the sight of God, and God will take care of you and bless

you.

A Boy's Bargain.

N the middle of the last century there lived in the little town of Montdidier, France, an apothecary, by name Master Lombard, and by report a miser.

Everybody said Master Lombard was rich, and though what everybody says is not always true, it was true in this instance. Lombard was rich, but he lived like a beggar. He spent very little, and gave away nothing. He lent money on good security, but he never lent any of it to the Lord by giving it to the poor, never accepted the security of that Bible assurance that those who do so shall be amply repaid. No; Master Lombard cared only for money, lent only that he might make more money. For this he denied himself decent clothes, and wholesome food, and comfortable lodging. It was meat and drink to him, he said, to look at his golden coins, to hear their true ring of metal, to count them up as if they were so many friends or children, and to relish the thought of what he could do with his money if he chose. He never read-or reading, only scorned the solemn words,-" Your riches are corrupted-Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last day."

One snowy night, when Lombard had closed his shop and was sitting in his back-parlour, over the smallest scrap of fire, eating a dry crust, there was a knocking at the

outer door.

Old Lombard kept no servant, and had neither friend nor child beneath his roof; no one came to see him except on business, for, as you may imagine, he was not a man given to hospitality. When the knock was heard at the

door, therefore, he knew very well it must be either an idle trick of some foolish boy to annoy him, or a customer, and being economical of his own trouble as well as of everything else, he waited for the stranger to knock again.

"If it is only a mischievous boy," he said, "he'll not venture to knock twice; if it is a customer, he is sure to do 30."

The knock was repeated and old Lombard rose, and, passing through his shop, unbarred and unbolted the outer door, and looked out straight before him into the snowy street. He saw nothing, and was about to shut the door again with an angry word, when a child's voice arrested his attention.

"Please you good Mr. Lombard, it is me.”

"Me!" said old Lombard, suddenly darting upon a small boy, who stood shivering on the snowy doorstep; "and who is me, that he should dare disturb a quiet trader? Who says I never give to those who want?—Tell them they speak false; you want a thrashing, and I'll give you that-come here !" He seized the boy by the ear, but the lad struggled and released himself, saying—

"I did not come to play a trick on you, Master Lombard, but to ask you to make up some medicine for my mother."

"Medicine for your mother!" Lombard repeated in a mocking voice. "And is my mother ill? High-living is too much for her; let her try meagre soup, or no soup at all!"

"Please you, Master Lombard, my mother is dying partly for want of food-you know she is very poor-partly for want of medicine; but this paper tells us what is sure to do for her all that medicine can do ; it is in Latin, but you know all about it."

"Come in," said Lombard, and the boy followed him. He closed the door, went behind the counter, put on his spectacles, and stooping down over a bit of lighted candle, read the paper which the boy had given him.

The boy watched the old man's face anxiously as he read,