"Do you have to work hard?"

I get up at four o'clock in the morning, dress my little sister, get the breakfast for father, give grandma her medicine and a little something to eat, wash the dishes and sweep the room. Then I chop wood till half past six and then I go for the newspapers and sell them till nine o'clock; then I come to school; but if grandma is too sick, I stay at home with her. On Saturdays I wash out a store on Main street. In this way I earn as much as three dollars a week.

"What do you do with your money?" "My father needs it all; but he gives me everything over three dollars that I earn. I buy my own clothes and have done so for over five years."

"Do you go to Sunday-school?"

"No; I don't have any clothes fit to wear; but to-morrow I expect to have a new suit, and next Sunday I am going to Sunday-school with Eddie

It is useless to detail this conversstion further. Sufficient has been given to show that this boy was leading a heroic life under the most trying circumstances; that if ever a boy needed the kind word, the loving smile, and the encouraging sympathy, it was Jacob. His teacher had known nothing of this noble boy, because she had never resorted to the private conversation; because she had never questioned him, except before his schoolmates. What a crime she committed against this boy when, with all the trouble his little heart had to bear, she scolded him, and ridiculed his attempts in the presence of his companions.

On the other hand, Jacob conceived a strong regard for his principal as a result of this interchange of confidence. They were now intimate friends; and when the principal told Jacob that he was leading a heroic life, that his care of his sister and grandmother was worthy of the highest honor, and that he could be sure that God would reward him for his work, it is certain that Jacob went on his way with a lighter heart.

Teacher, you have such boys and girls in your room. Will you lighten their cares, or will you add to them by upbraiding them through ignorance of their

enough in the outside world to justify its banishment from the school-room. Are you a beginner in the work? Then employ the private conversation in every time of difficulty. Do not punish in any instance until you have first privately penetrated to the inner life of the pupil as nearly as may be, to ascertain the mainsprings of his actions. Avoid public reproof. Let your government be from heart to heart.-School Journal.

DANGER OF A PRETTY FACE.

"WHA

WHAT a sweet child you have! Isn't she pretty ?" said the hostess to a lady caller who was accompanied by her two little daughters. As à rule mothers are not averse to praise bestowed upon their children; but in this particular instance the mother was not one bit pleased, for she did not want her little girl to be vain of the beauty that had been her heritage. "I do not like that lady at all," said the pretty child's sister as they left the house. "Why?" queried mamma. "Becausebecause I don't." The child would say no more, but the mother knew full well that an injurious remark had not only sown the seeds of vanity in one little heart, but seeds of envy in another. At every opportunity she tried to impress upon the youthful minds that a kindly heart is far better than a beautiful face; but how can an observant child fail to see that the world smiles upon beauty while it passes by unpretentious goodness?

Strangers are often thoughtless, and even parents themselves. I have seen a mother array her little two-year-old in dainty attire and send her around the room courting flattery. "Me pitty?" sounds very sweet from baby lips, and one can scarce deny the merited praise; but the haughty air, the conscious toss of the head which makes the same statement, is anything but charming in an older child.

Yes they are dainty and sweet and pretty, these little ones; but don't tell them so. They learn it all too soon. Praise the little maiden for her clean face, for the smooth hair which required so much patient endurance to have the tangles removed. Tell her that mamma has made her a nice dress, and that she

The missionary knew how fond the Indian boys were of pocket-knives, and decided to try them by offering a reward. So he went into the Indian school one day to hear them sing. The boys, as usual, left all the singing to the girls, and were quite inattentive and deaf to all the appeals from their teacher.

He took out from his missionary box six good pocket knives, and, holding them up, stood before the listless crowd, saying:

"Boys, hear me. I am going to give these six knives to the six boys who will sing the best. Look now. Five of the knives are good two-bladed ones; but this one is a splendid four-bladed knife. I will give this to the boy who sings the best of all!"

At once all the boys rushed to the front ready to sing, and the trial began. They sang one hymn after another with zest. It did not take very long, however, to weed out the poor singers. They were set aside. After a longer trial the six were selected by the committee. But who of the six was the best singer? This was hard to decide. One boy after another was tried over and over again; but still the committee did not come to a unanimous decision.

Five of the boys were strong, active, healthy lads, full of life and fun. But the sixth lad was lame; one leg was shorter than the other, so that he had to use crutches.

While the older persons in the committee were discussing the question, the five boys also had a little talk aside. Then one of the lads sprang up, and asked if he might say something.

"Certainly," said the missionary.
And this is what he said:

"Well, we five boys have been talking it over; this is what we think. You see, we are strong. We can run. We can catch the partridge, rabbit and other game. We can skate and climb. But Jimmie has a bad leg; he is lame. He cannot run in the woods. He cannot skate on the ice in winter. He is fond of whittling. He can make good bows and arrows and paddles. A fine knife would be good for him. So we have talked it over. He is a cripple. We will be glad if you will give Jimmie the best knife." So lame Jimmie had the best knife. The noble lads were given an extra red jacket for their unselfish act. The spirit of the Gospel was reaching them.

FOREIGN INFLUENCES ON ENGLISH LITERATURE.

BEHIN

BY A. F. BECHDOLT.

EHIND every literature is the race that produced it, and behind every race is its environment. Our literature holds its present proud position because it speaks the English mind, has spoken it for twelve hundred years, and for five hundred years in a way intelligible to us now. For a period longer than any other country can boast it has been the great literature of the drama, of poetry, of the essay, of fiction, of history.

It is Baeda who tells us the story of Caedman, and Baeda the venerable, the first English teacher, the first English historian, throughout his whole life is a sublime benediction to all future time. In his death we have a touching and inspiring record of devotion. His end was near and the way to his disciples was dark, and they had no guide nor light. With this in mind he began a translation of the gospel of St. John. When the last day came he had himself borne into the chancel of the church before the high altar and there dictated to his scholars. "There is still a chapter wanting, and it is hard for thee to question thyself longer." "Take thy pen and write quickly," said Baeda. The day wore on and evening came. "There is yet one sentence unwritten, dear master.' "Write it quickly." "It is finished now." "Thou sayest truth, all is finished now," and spreading out his hands to form the figure of the cross, he sang the "Glory to God" and died.

For a time the scholars of England became the teachers of Europe. They taught the children of the Emperor Charlemagne, they built monasteries. throughout Europe and testified to their faith by their blood in heathen Prussia. These were some of the early influences exerted on English literature by the missionaries from Rome.

I must pass over the Danish conquest of England. These were unlettered pirates. The harryings and burnings of these Viking Berserkirs along the whole northeastern coast of the island, in connection with the terrible punishment inflicted by the Norman conquerors on northern England for its bold and long-continued resistance, destroyed all trace of literary culture here. The glory now departs

from the north. The south of England | springs into notice. London becomes the literary capital, and the north must wait until its glories are revived by Scott and Wordsworth.

The Norman conquest brought into English life a higher regard for centralized authority. Hereafter England is to be a nation, with the word writ large. In a literary sense the conquest gives rise or shape to no great work of genius. The conquerors leave their impress upon the language not strong enough to change it.

They enrich it with new forms, make it more lithe and supple, though it remains the same in strength and massiveness. Gradually dropping inflection endings, the speech becomes less philosophical and better adapted for use in business and oratory.

The Crusades follow fast upon the conquest. At the opening of the Crusades only two factors were recognized in society, the noble and the church. At their close the free merchant town had come into existence. Merchant guilds asserted the rights of a free burgher class, levied troops, built fortresses, and, better than all these, encouraged the foundation of schools, hospitals and monasteries.

Historians dispute as to how far the Crusades modified social life. To me the Crusades seem to be the great leaven of the age. Every departing noble in order to gather the necessary means of outfit was forced by his necessities to call upon the despised merchant for help, to sell to him franchises, to mortgage or grant outright lands. Many sought to purchase the favor of heaven on their journey by making the church their heir or guardian of their estates. As a consequence, the merchant class secured control of the affairs of their own cities. Wealth which had before hidden itself in all sorts of disguises now began to exhibit itself. Great merchant palaces and guild halls were built. The church from being a beggar became a dictator, interfered actively in public life, built schools, hospitals and monasteries. However imperfect the church of that day was, let us keep in mind that in all these troublous times it was the great defense and guard of the poor and weak, of the widow and the fatherless.

Every ship that bore soldiers to Syrian shores brought back to Venice, Genoa and the cities of Italy the rich wares and spices of the East. All Europe poured

its nobility into Palestine, there to die in ineffectual slaughter. All Europe did so, save Italy. The Italian cities, prompt at jumping the one at the other's throat, combined for once to profit by these hosts sailing away to Eastern lands. Looms buzzed and anvils rang to fit out the armies about to sail with weapons, accontrements, horses and food, and gave constant and remunerative employment to every man. The silks, the jewels and spices of the East brought by returning ships made beautiful the palaces of her merchant princes. Italy became the banker of Europe, and as of old, the seat of luxurious splendor, of culture and of art.

Florence and the other cities of northern Italy had also been to some extent affected by the culture and refinement of the neighboring Moorish province of Spain. Eastern poetry and literary art had found a new and appreciative home beneath the shade of Andalusian oaks, and Eastern scholars gathered their pupils about them in Cordova and Seville and there taught all the world they knew of rhetoric, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and physics. Their influence had spread beyond the Pyrenees into southern France-and from Provence the Provincia Nostra of Cæsar's day, as from a new centre it moved southward into Italy, northeastward through Burgundy into Germany, northward through France, and northwestward with the companions of Simon. de Montford into England. In Germany this gave birth to the Minnesingers, in France to the Troubadours with their courts of love and laws for the regulation of social life. In Italy it furnished in. spiration to Dante and farther on to Petrarch and Boccacio. In England this Troubadour inflence did not give rise to any great work of genius. It rather made itself felt in a quickening of the whole people. It led to a gathering of the legends on the life and death of Arthur, the great Welsh hero; it gradually changed the mode of writing English poetry from the alliterative fashion of Anglo Saxon days to the metrical, terminal rhymes of to day. Out of this also grew the Ballad of Robin Hood. This story of the bold outlaw, who fought for the poor against sheriff, lord and bishop, so took possession of the English mind. as to become one of our classics.

There was considerable religious poetry