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tell them exactly what they are worth. Tom, who is a bit of a scholar, makes out that, by the time he is fifteen, he shall have enough to put himself out apprentice; little Molly, whom you remember, and who is as comical as ever, says that, if she can put by sixpence a week, she shall have enough to buy a cow and a pig for her husband when she is married. And, though this is a joke among us over the fire at night, yet, if they go on as as they have begun, they will have enough to do what they say, with God's blessing. I should like to show you my cottage and my family some Sunday, and leave you to judge which is the best, the way I now live, or the way I used to live. Come over to us some Sunday morning, and go to church with us, and see how we spend the sabbath. You do not know how happy we all are, praised be God for all His mercies.

J. Well, but what is the matter with my mode of spending the Sunday? I lie a little longer in the morning, I dig a little in the garden, and then I and my family dress ourselves in our best (and bad is the best); and then my old woman goes up to the big house to have a bit of talk with Mrs. Chatter the cook, and perhaps to get a bit for the young ones to eat. Harry Tipple and I go down the road to the public house, called the Brink of the Pit, where we smoke a pipe together; and where's the harm of all this?

T. Why, time was when I thought as you do; but I have since been taught by God's own book, the Bible, that He requires us to keep holy the sabbath-day; and that as I receive all the good things I enjoy from the Lord, I must devote His own day, at least, to His service, and to reading His book, and teaching my family, giving Him thanks for past favours, and offering my prayers to Him for future blessings, both in time and in eternity. Besides, John, it is said by God Himself, not only that "the wicked shall be turned into hell, but all the people who forget God." Do you not forget Him on a Sunday and all the week too?

J. I have heard this before, many times, and have no doubt it may be all very true; but between ourselves, Thomas, I am ashamed to set about this, just the same

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as I should be ashamed to be seen going into the Savings' Bank; I should get laughed at by all my comrades.

T. Well, it happened the same to me; but what of that? Now suppose some time, when you are overcome with liquor, you were to get into trouble, and to be sent to Hereford to be tried, and you wanted a character; could the gentlemen in the neighbourhood come forward and say, "John Hopewell is an honest, sober, hardworking man?" And would your comrades give you a character? And if they did, would the judge believe them? This would be bad enough; but what say you of being ashamed to read your Bible, of going to a place of worship, and "training up your children in the way they should go?" in short, of being ashamed of Christ and His gospel; of Christ, who died for you, that, if you believe in Him, "you should not perish, but have everlasting life." Remember what He says in His gospel, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." Now fancy, John, the day of judgment come, and Christ Himself sitting as judge, and you and your wife and children standing before the judgment-seat, and you hear him say to you and your family, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Just see them all turning upon you, and reproaching you with being the cause of their eternal ruin! Oh! it would be a bitter day then, and it would be bitterness, and woe that would never end.

J. It makes one's heart sink within one to think of it.

T. Better to think of it now, than then for the first time.

SERVANTS' HOME.

A CONSIDERATION of the difficulties and temptations which female servants are often brought into, whilst out of place, has induced several benevolent inhabitants of Chester to establish a society for the purpose of providing a home for female servants of good character, where they may pass their time safely and usefully during the interval between leaving one place, and obtaining another. The

following paper, circulated in the form of a hand-bill, will explain the object of the society.

THE CHESTER FEMALE SERVANTS' SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE BEST INTERESTS OF FEMALE SERVANTS IN THIS CITY.

A society has been formed in Chester for the benefit of female servants out of place, and at the same time for the general advantage of all female servants. It is proposed to establish a home, and a registering office, to be superintended by a committee of ladies, and a resident matron of well known worth and piety, where young women of good character may, under certain regulations and restrictions, be lodged and boarded at their own expense, and at a fixed and moderate rate. At this establishment, a register book will be kept, where all young women, who are willing to enrol their names, will be admitted to do so without payment, but on the condition that they do thereby engage to give up those practices which have brought many of the class of female servants in Chester to their present state. Thus the modest and well conducted may have the opportunity of separating themselves from those of an opposite class; and every encouragement will be given to such as are really desirous of keeping out of the way of temptation, and the contamination of evil companions and bad example. Thus, also, heads of families may know at once where servants of real respectability are to be found.

The regulations adopted at the above establishment will sufficiently exhibit the principles on which it is designed to be conducted :

RELIGIOUS PRIVILEGES.

1. Family worship is maintained daily at eight o'clock in the morning and at half-past nine in the evening. 2. The lodgers have access to a library of useful books. 3. They may accompany the superintendent or her assistant to a place of worship every Lord's day.

TEMPORAL ADVANTAGES.

1. Being a register-office, as well as a lodging-house, those who desire employment, and can furnish satisfactory testimonials of character and competency, will be in the way of meeting with suitable situations.

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2. Efforts will be made to find needle-work or other employment for those who may wish thus to occupy their spare time while lodging at the home.

CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION.

The applicant must satisfy the Committee as to the respectability of her moral character, and must agree to conform to the rules of the house.

She must engage also, according to the rules of the society, to give up unsuitable dressing, Sabbath-breaking, &c.

RULES FOR LODGERS.

1. It is required that no lodger go out after dusk without assigning a satisfactory reason to the superintendent for so doing.

2. To prevent the possibility of improper persons frequenting the house, no person is allowed to visit any lodger except in the presence of the superintendent.

3. Unbecoming language, improper singing, cardplaying, dancing, &c., are, on no account, to be tolerated, and, to avoid the danger of intemperance, all intoxicating liquors are entirely prohibited.

4. The charge for lodging to each female who occupies a whole bed is Is. 6d. a week, half a bed 1s. candles, soap, house-linen, and the use of the kitchen fire and cooking utensils included.

5. The kitchen fire to be out at ten, and the lights in the bed-rooms by half-past ten, except by special permission. 6. Those who wish to board as well as lodge are required to pay five shillings per week extra. Every female who finds her own provisions shall, after using any article in cooking or otherwise, restore the same to its place clean as she found it.

7. The time for any lodger to remain in the house will be regulated by circumstances, and the kindest advice will be given to those who require it.

RULES FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.

Your business is to preside over and regulate all the affairs of this Home, which the Committee hope you will ever be enabled to do in the spirit of love. You will

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maintain family worship at eight o'clock in the morning, and half-past nine in the evening; and your other duties may be classed as follows:

I. In relation to those who desire lodgings.

1. Enter the name of the lodger, and the names of the parties who bear testimony of her, in a book, specifying the dates of her coming to and leaving the Home, and submit the same regularly to the inspection of the Committee.

2. See that the rules relating to lodgers be duly observed.

II. In relation to those who wish for situations.

1. Enter in a book the particulars of each case, according to the pattern furnished by the Committee.

2. When a female procures a situation, enter opposite her name the name and address of the parties who have hired her, with the date.

The institution, and every thing concerned with it, being entirely voluntary, both as regard servants, and masters and mistresses, the Committee intend to go on quietly, and it may be, slowly, yet they trust most perseveringly; humbly praying that the blessing of the Lord God may rest upon their labours. They have made up their minds to bear cheerfully discouragement, and even misrepresentations; but having a certain knowledge of the state of the class of Female Servants in Chester, (their difficulties, their temptations, and, with regard to many, their moral degradation,) they hope to meet with encouragement and co-operation from the inhabitants.

COTTAGE BUILDING, AND HOME-MADE BRICKS.

IN some parts of the country, the labouring men have been long famous for building their own mud cottages, which being well thatched, and the walls being whitewashed, make very neat and comfortable dwellings. These are built without frames. The method of working mud or clay between a frame of boards, and raising the frame as the building rises, makes the wall much more smooth and

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