cause to thank Mr. Screwtop-he has made me acquainted with those whom I trust always to be allowed to call my > friends."

Mrs. Fenton bowed; Alice slightly blushed, and wondered, perhaps, whether Stubble really meant "those," or simply "one."

At all events, Stubble, who dwelt much upon his loneliness, got permission to call whenever he chose on Mrs. Fenton and her daughter; and in a few weeks he might have been seen about four evenings out of every seven singing and practising duets with Alice Fenton, while mamma read or slept in her easy chair placed conveniently out of sight of the piano.

husband .again received their little independent means. They enjoyed them the more because they had learned to do without them, and had found pleasure in WORK.

THE DUTIES OF EDUCATED
WOMEN.

THE education of women, like that of men, should tend to prepare them for their duties; the difference of their employments will of course render their studies different. It is the duty of a woman to educate her children, the boys until a certain age, and girls until they are married. How much wisdom is requisite to manage the mind and disposition of each child, so as to guide their It would be an insult to the reader's intellects, manage their humours, to anunderstanding to suppose that he could ticipate the effects of their growing not guess the consequences of these passions, and to rectify their errors! How agreeable evenings. Alice Fenton and much prudence should a mother have in Stubble plighted troth; and mamma did order to maintain her authority over not object, though she undoubtedly them, without losing their friendship thought that Alice should have made a and their confidence! Surely the mother better match. Ah! that idea of a "good" of a family ought to possess a religious, match! How many a long year of domes- mature, firm mind, acquainted with the tic misery, heart-ache, and-perchance-human heart. St. Paul attaches such crime, has it often caused!

Alice Fenton and John Stubble set it at nought, and boldly married on a joint income of about £250 a year produced by their own labours, and intensely happy they were.

"How little faith we have, and how short-sighted we are!" said Stubble to his young bride. "A few months ago, and we were both mourning over loss of fortune, and believing that our future paths in life were darkened for ever. How different has it proved-at least to

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importance to the education of children, that he says, it is by "mothers that the souls of children are saved." I shall not attempt to specify all that they ought to know, in order to educate their children well. To do this, it would be necessary to enter into an entire detail of their studies; but we must not omit the subject of economy. Women in general are apt to neglect it, and think it proper only for the lower classes; those women especially, who are brought up in idleness and indolence, disdain the details of domestic life. It is nevertheless from ignorance that the science of economy is despised. The polished Greeks and Romans took care to instruct themselves in this art. That mind is of a low order which can only speak well, and cannot act well; we often meet with women who utter wise maxims, yet nevertheless are very frivolous in their conduct.

out the old clothing of thought when reason and TIME is the cradle of thought. Time will wear common sense come to be the fashion.

CONTENT AND DISCONTENT. "THIS field will be given to any one who is quite content." Such, accordiug to an old story, was a notice once posted up by the proprietor of an estate in the country. After a time a man presented himself as duly qualified to take possession. "Are you sure that you are quite contented ?" asked the gentleman. "Yes sir, quite sure." Then why do you want my field ?"

There is a great deal of this sort of content in the world; never quite satisfied; always on the look-out for a little more. Go where we will, we meet with it; and whether we travel abroad, or stay and mind our business in our own town or village, we find people divided pretty generally into two classes-the content, and the discontent. Perhaps a good many of those who profess to be content are not strictly so, like the man who wanted the field; but at all events they say they are, and taking them at their word, it is not difficult to see that the contented class is by far the smaller. Now, why should this be? Why should the greater part of mankind be in a state of discontent? Why is it that so many look upon themselves as ill-used, and very much to be pitied? We have never yet heard any good reason why it should be so, and therefore, there must be a fault somewhere. But if we are to believe some people, no one, except Providence, is to blame for all the discontent; if they had had the ordering of things, they would have made a much prettier and more comfortable world than the one we now inhabit. A large number charge all their grievances upon other people, upon perverse circumstances, against which they say it is of no use to struggle; and therefore they have a just right to feel and express discontent. Others, again, exclaim, "Oh! if we only had such and such a thing-if we were only in such and such a position, how happy we should be!" Such sentiments, however, if no worse, are a sign of ignorance. The real truth of the matter is this: Content or discontent comes from within us, and depends much less on outward circum

stances than is commonly supposed. We may change our position and prospects as often as we please; we may gain honours and lay up wealth, but unless we are prepared to find and bring happiness out of our own hearts, we shall never get it from other quarters.

The disposition to seek for excuses for our discontent; to blame this and that, and endeavour to justify our fits of grumbling, is about as unfair as when people who have been drinking at a merry dinner-party lay their illness to the cucumber or pickled salmon, or any cause but the true one. How much better to come out with an honest confession, and acknowledge that the blame rests with ourselves alone. Why try to blink the subject? Whether we shall be content or discontent depends on our own character and conduct. Figs do not grow upon thistles; neither must we expect ill-conduct to produce content. If a man will walk in crooked paths, he must expect to stumble, and meet with ugly rubs and bruises. It cannot be denied, that when the cupboard is well provided with bread and cheese, and we have money in pocket, content may not be so hard to come at as at other times. But these things, however desirable, are not the only good; and if people have not the spirit of content in themselves, they will not find it in money, or eating and drinking.

We are called upon to be content, whatever be the circumstances in which we are placed. This does not mean that we are not to try to better our condition, but that we are to regard the events of life as discipline-as something meant to make us wiser and better. The discipline may appear hard, and some will be ready to ask, “What is the use of living, if we cannot enjoy ourselves ?" But there can not be a more lasting source of enjoyment than the determination to undertake the duties of life with fortitude. The man who can make this resolution cannot fail of obtaining content. The appetite, we are told, grows by what it feeds on, and the more people grumble, the more will they want to grumble. It is of no use merely wishing that things were better; we must try to make them

better. If we really desire to be content, | sovereigns of Europe seemed to vie with we must put the desire into action. one another in heaping honours and fame Every situation in life has its difficulties, on this gifted woman. The King of its causes of discontent; but instead of Poland purchased three of her pictures knocking under, we must meet them for two thousand four hundred florins. with persevering courage. The power- These sums were paid her with every ful, the weak, the great and the lowly-mark of respect, as presents from her none can escape, each one must bear his friends rather than professional remuneshare of duty. A continual striving and ration. straining after something more than we already possess, is not the way to secure content, unless we understand beforehand that whether we win or lose, it is our duty, as it is our pleasure, to go forwards -to improve ourselves. If our success be not so profitable as we expected, we may still get into the habit of finding great pleasures in small events. Gold is dug from stubborn rocks, and content may be extracted even out of hardships. One consideration, however, and a very important one too, is to be continually borne in mind. We must be careful not to mistake greediness for a desire to go forwards :-"Beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things that he hath."

A YOUNG LADY'S TEST OF
SINCERE AFFECTION.

MARIA VAN OOSTERWYCK is justly numbered among the illustrious women of Holland. She was born at Nootdorp, near Delft, about 1630; and received her early instruction from the distinguished flower-painter, David Heem.

Her early productions gained much praise, and it was not long before she obtained such exceeding skill as to become the rival of her teacher. Admiring connoisseurs carried her fame abroad, and she became celebrated at foreign courts. Her works were eagerly sought by the first princes of the time, after Louis XIV. of France had placed one of them in his magnificent collection. The Emperor Leopold and the Empress sent for specimens of her powers, for which she received the portraits of their Imperial Majesties, set in diamonds, in token of their esteem. Her pieces commanded enormous prices. William III. of England, paid her nine hundred florins for a picture, and the

In the midst of all these honours Maria led a quiet and peaceful life, undisturbed by excitement or change. Surrounded by a pleasant circle of friends, she worked indefatigably, and was always found in her cabinet. To obtain more time to herself, she went to pay a visit to her grandfather at Delft. One day she received a visit from a young man, who announced himself as William van Aelst, and appeared anxious to see some of her works. His admiration of them was blended with an ardent love for the artist. He at last summoned courage to declare his passion, but Maria replied that she was firmly resolved against matrimony. Her lively suitor, she thought too, was unsuited to her grave and quiet nature.

Unwilling, however, to crush his hopes too suddenly, and treat him with unkindness, she annexed a condition to her acceptance of her wooer, which, she imagined, would effectually deter him from prosecuting his suit, or, at least, wear out his constancy. She required that he should work ten hours of every day for a year. The young man promised readily; but, as she supposed, he had not perseverance enough to keep his word. His studio was opposite Maria's; she watched him from her window, and failed not to mark on the sash the days he was absent from his labours.

At the end of the year, William came to claim her promise. "You have yourself absolved me from it," was her reply; and, going to the window, she pointed out to him the record of his idle days. The lover was confounded, and retired disappointed.

WHAT IS IDLENESS?-A public mint, where various kinds of mischief are coined, and extensively circulated among the most despicable of the human race.

opening of the shell, to drag its inmate forth; but this circumstance has not received sufficient corroboration to enable us to receive it as a fact of the creature's history. Its eggs are deposited in a slight hollow on the sand of the beach, the female sitting on them only during the night, and in cold weather, and leaving them at other times to the heat of the sun, which on the sand is usually very great. They are hatched early in May, and run about actively as soon as they quit the shell. When oyster catchers fly in flocks, they are said to perform their evolutions with all the regularity of well organised battalions. The enterprising naturalist, Wilson, whose enthusiasm in the study of birds was boundless, nearly lost his life while pursuing one of these birds. Having broken the wing of one of them, and being without a dog, he plunged into the sea after the wounded bird. Being encumbered with his gun and belt, he sank beyond his depth, but fortunately succeeded in gaining the land, with the loss of the bird and the destruction of the contents of his powder-horn and gun, which he had with him when he plunged into the sea.

The oyster catcher is widely distributed, having been found on almost all the shores of the European, American, and Asiatic continents, as well as in Australia and Polynesia. It was formerly supposed that the species referred to was the only one in the genus, but another of quite a different plumage has been obtained from the Falkland Islands.

THE PURPLE EMPEROR.

Dear Sir,-Thinking that a few particulars relating to that interesting and splendid insect, the purple emperor butterfly, would prove interesting, I beg to subjoin the following notes from my own observation,

THE OYSTER CATCHER (Hematopis Ostralegus). The generic name is derived from the Greek roots for blood and the foot, on account of the deep red of its feet and bill. This is a singular bird, both in its habits and conformation. Its bill is long, of a wedge-shape, with sharp edges, and of a beautiful orange scarlet. The legs are The only "throne" on which an emperor sits, of the same colour, while the general colours of with which I am acquainted, is the highest ground the body are black and white, chastely distributed. in an extensive wood in this neighbourhood, It has hence been called the "seapie," from its where the British oak flourishes in all its resemblance to the common magpie; and from grandeur. Here may be seen, in the sultry days the length of its bill has been sometimes called of July, a triangular shape floating leisurely aloft, the "sea woodcock." It differs from these birds, and alighting on a projecting oak branch, always however, entirely in its habits and food. It is a with the head outwards, as if on the watch for tolerably common bird in this country; as many as a rival; this is the object of our search, and well twenty of them may sometimes be seen at one stall does such a sight repay our pleasant toil through in Leadenhall Market, where they have been sent the tangled woods. But see! another floating from the eastern coast of England. On the sand- triangle; off goes our first friend in hot pursuit, banks, and the most lonely parts of the coast, this nor does he rest till the rival is compelled to bird finds a home, and here it may be seen busily retreat. Of course, the beautiful purple-dyed engaged, thrusting its sharp mandibles into the wings are much injured in these contests; the sand, and drawing out the limpets and other shell-wounds consisting of rents and scratches, the fish, a task for which its peculiar bill admirably latter inflicted, no doubt, by the minute claws. adapts it. It has been said to haunt oyster The cause of this hostility between the males grounds (hence its name), and to watch for the would appear to be the scarcity of partners, num.