by what is gross or what is extraordinary; and yet it is not in the fierce manifestations of the elemental energies, not in the clash of the hail, nor the drift of the whirlwind, that the highest characters of the sublime are developed. God is not in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the still, small voice. They are but the blunt and lost faculties of our nature, which can only be addressed through lamp-black and lightning.

It is in quiet and subdued passages of unobtrusive majesty, the deep, and the calm, and the perpetual, that which must be sought ere it is seen, and loved ere it is understood; things which the angels work out for us daily, and yet vary eternally, which are never wanting, and never repeated, which are to be found always, yet each found but once, it is through these that the lesson of devotion is chiefly taught, and the blessing of beauty given.

It seems to me that in the midst of the material nearness of the heavens, God means us to acknowledge his own immediate presence as visiting, judging, and blessing us. "The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped, at the presence of the God of Sina!" "He will set his bow in the cloud," and thus renew, in the sound of every dropping swathe of rain, his promises of everlasting love. "He hath set his tabernacle in the sun," whose burning ball, which, without the firmament, would be seen as an intolerable and scorching circle in the blackness of vacuity, is by that firmament surrounded with gorgeous service, and tempered by mediatorial ministries; by the firmament of clouds the golden pavement is spread for his chariot wheels at morning; by the firmament of clouds the temple is built for his presence to fill with light at noon; by the firmament of clouds the purple veil is closed at evening round the

sanctuary of his rest; by the mists of the firmament his implacable light is divided, and its separated fierceness appeased into the soft blue that fills the depth of distance with its bloom, and the flush with which the mountains burn as they drink the overflowing of the day-spring.

And, in this tabernacling of the unendurable sun with men, through the shadows of the firmament, God would seem to set forth the stooping of his own majesty to men, upon the throne of the firmament. As the creator of all the worlds, and the inhabiter of eternity, we can not behold him; but as the judge of the earth and the preserver of men, those heavens are, indeed, his dwellingplace. "Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool." And all those passings to and fro of fruitful shower and grateful shade, and all those visions of silver palaces built about the horizon, and voices of moaning winds and threatening thunders, and glories of colored robe and cloven ray, are but to deepen in our hearts the acceptance, and distinctness, and dearness of the simple words," Our Father who art in Heaven!"

QUESTIONS AND COMPOSITION.

What portion of the creation offers most to man's meditation? What does the author say the sky might be, for all essential purposes? What occurs in the sky at every moment? What are the ordinary expressions used about the sky? What questions are asked in latter portion of seventh paragraph? What is meant by saying that the faculties of our nature can only be addressed through "lamp-black and lightning"? What texts of Scripture are given in last paragraph? (In your own words).

Divide fifth paragraph into four sentences. Give the idea, but change nouns and adjectives.

THE OLD SONGS.

WHEN through life unblest we rove,

Losing all that life made dear,

Should some notes we used to love
In days of boyhood meet our ear;
Oh! how welcome breathes the strain,
Wakening thoughts that long have slepi
Kindling former smiles again

In faded eyes that long have wept.

Like the gale that sighs along
Beds of oriental flowers

Is the grateful breath of song,

That once was heard in happier hours.
Filled with balm the gale sighs on,
Though the flowers have sunk in death;
So, when pleasure's dream is gone,
Its memory lives in Music's breath.

Music!-oh! how faint, how weak,
Language fades before thy spell!
Why should feeling ever speak,

When thou canst breathe her soul so well?

Friendship's balmy words may feign,

Love's are e'en more false than they.

Oh! 'tis only Music's strain.

Can sweetly soothe, and not betray!

Questions: When do we rove through life unblest? How may notes meet our ear? What causes eyes to fade? What Apostle's eyes thus faded? What does the sound of old tunes do for the eye? How is the sound of old songs like a soft gale? Is language as powerful and universal as music? What does the sound of music do while refusing to betray? Name some songs that always touch our hearts. Can you recite any lines from old songs?

strain

oriental

spell

feign

INFLUENCE OF THE CRUSADES.

THE Crusades exercised a marked influence over the manners of the age, specially by imparting a more religious spirit to the feudal and military institutions already existing. In those rude times, when almost every man was a soldier, the Church, extending her gentle influence over the fierce nobles of Western Europe, had directed them to use their strength and valor to protect the weak and succor the distressed. She transformed the half savage warrior into the Christian knight, and taught him to raise his sword in defence of truth and justice, to be merciful in the hour of victory, and to keep faith with God and man. Hence grew up the laws and customs of chivalry, and the religious enthusiasm which was fostered by the Crusades gave to knighthood an almost sacred character.

When a young noble was about to be admitted to the order of knighthood, care was taken to impress him with a deep sense of its obligations. Clothed in white robes the tokens of a spotless life he passed the night keeping watch beside his arms, which were placed in the church; when morning came, he confessed and communicated, and after Mass his arms were blessed by the priest. Then, kneeling before some elder knight, he pronounced the solemn vows of chivalry. He swore to fight only in a righteous cause, to be the champion of the weak, never to stain his knightly honor by a lie, to be loyal to God and his sovereign lord, and to give his life in defence of his brethren. He then received his arms; his gilded spurs were clasped on his feet, and his sword buckled by his side; and lastly, the knight who received his vows struck him on the shoulder with a

sword, and bade him arise, in the name of God, St. Michael and St. George.

The benefits which chivalry produced on society can scarcely be overrated. It inspired men with a reverence for lofty and generous virtues; for the true knight was to be courteous to friend and foe, and was taught never to make war for selfish interests or the mere hope of gain. And though in this respect the laws of chivalry were often enough violated, and offered but a weak restraint to the passions of lawless men, yet, on the other hand, we have many instances where the true knightly character appears in all its splendor. Thus, when some Norman knights had delivered the kingdom of Salerno from the hands of the Saracens, the king offered them a splendid recompense if they would remain with him and protect his dominions. But the brave knights refused to accept the proffered gifts; they could not, they said, be paid in money for services they had rendered out of their pure love of God. Even amid the fury of battle, the laws of knighthood laid a check upon the cruelty and bloodshed of the victors.

COMPOSITION.

Answer the following questions, briefly, but clearly as possible: How did the Crusades exercise a marked influence upon the manners of the age? What gave rise to the laws and customs of chivalry? Give the pith of the knight's oath at his initiation. What advantage did society receive from the carrying out of the knight's oath, and from chivalry, so long as the latter remained true to the mission given it by the Church? Give the knights' answer to the King of Salerno. State the influence of chivalry on the knights engaged in battle.