dangerous to fall in love with one's own voice, as one's own face. Those that talk much cannot always talk well, and may much oftener incur censure than praise; few people can bear to be eclipsed, and a superiority of sense is as ill-brooked, as a superiority of beauty or fortune. If you are wise, therefore, talk little but hear much; what you are to learn from yourself must be by thinking, and from others by speech let them find tongue then, and you ear; by which means such as are pleased with themselves, which are the gross of mankind, will likewise be pleased with you, and you will be doubly paid for your attention, both in af. fection and knowledge."--Morrice.

RIDICULE

Is a dangerous weapon; few are able to employ it with prudence and discretion; it should be seldom used, and then with the strictest propriety.

"NO person living is insensible to the injury of contempt, nor is there any talent so invidious, or so certain to create ill will as that of ridicule. The natural effects of years which all hope to attain, and the infirmities of the body which none can prevent, are surely of all others, the most improper objects of mirth. There are subjects enough that are innocent, and on which you may freely indulge the vivacity of your spirits; for I would not condemn you to per petual seriousness; on the contrary, 1 delight in a joyous temper, at all ages, and particu larly at yours. Delicate and good natured raillery amongst equal friends, if pointed against such trifling errors as the owner himself, can

heartily join to laugh at, or such qualities as they do not pique themselves, is both agreeable and useful; but then it must be offered in perfect kindness and sincere good humour; if tinctured with the least degree of malice, its sting becomes venomous and detestable. The person rallied should have liberty and ability to return the jest, which must be dropped on the first appearance of affecting the temper." Mrs. Chapone.

ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE

Is truly curious, and has given rise to inte. resting speculation; the following account of it is worthy attention,

"If we suppose a period before any words were invented or known, it is clear that men could have no other method of communicating. to others what they felt, than by the cries of passion, accompanied with such motions and gestures as were further expressive of passion t for these are the only signs which nature teaches to all men, and which are understood by all. One who saw another going into some place where he himself had been frightened or exposed to danger, and who sought to warn his neighbour of the danger, could contrive no other way of doing so than by uttering those cries, and making those gestures, which are the signs of fear; just as two men at this day would en deavour to make themselves understood by each other, who should be thrown together on a desolate island, ignorant of each other's language. Those exclamations, therefore, which by grammarians are called interjections, uttered

in a strong and passionate manner, were beyond doubt the first elements or beginnings of speech.

"Interjections would be followed by names of objects, or nouns; these by names of actions, or verbs; these by qualities of nouns and actions, as adjectives and adverbs; and these would be successively followed by prepositions, pronouns, articles, and conjunctions.

When more enlarged communication became. necessary, and names began to be assigned to objects, in what manner can we suppose men to have proceeded in this assignation of names, or invention of words? Uudoubtedly by imitating, as much as they could, the nature of the object which they named, by the sound of the name which they gave to it.

"Wherever objects were to be named, in which sound, noise, or motion were concerned, the imitation by words was abundantly ob vious. Nothing was more natural than to imitate, by the sound of the voice, the quality of the sound or noise which any external object made, and to form its name accordingly. Thus in all languages we find a multitude of words that are evidently constructed upon this principle. A certain bird is termed the cuckoo, from the sound which it emits. When one sort of wind is said to whistle, and another to roar; when a serpent is said to hiss; a fly to buzz, and falling timber to crash; when a stream is said to flow, and hail to rattle; the analogy between the word and the thing signified is plainly dis cernible."--Blair,

THE GOLDEN RULE

LAID down by our Saviour, possesses exquisite beauty and propriety; it is not only excellent in its nature, but is of universal application.

"All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.--This sentence is very fitly placed towards the close of our Saviour,s admirable sermon on the mount; as being, in a great measure, the epitome and sum of what the divine preacher had there expressed more at large.

"The rule which makes what we desire of other men, the measure of our dealing toward them, is to be understood not of vicious and excessive desires, but of such only as are fit and reasonable; such requests as we can in our calmest thoughts justify to ourselves and before God.

"It may be thought that the rule thus tem. pered and qualified will not be of any special use or moment to us, in the direction of our practice; but the maxim of the text doth ef fectually assist us in making a free use of our reason, and forming a right judgment of things; for by the means of it we are able to consider our duty without prejudice, and to state the bounds of it impartially and fairly. It teaches us to take two several views of our duty; to eye it in different situations, and under different lights; and by that means more distinctly and thoroughly to discern it.

"Human laws are often so numerous as to es cape our memories; and sometimes so darkly

and inconsistently worded as to puzzle and em barrass our understandings. But here is a law attended with none of these inconveniences; the grossest minds can scarce misapprehend it, and the weakest memories are capable of retaining it. Nor can there be any one so absurd and unreasonable as not to see and acknowledge the absolute equity of this command in theory, however he may swerve and decline from it in his practice; and to agree upon it as that golden mean which, if universally observed, would make the world universally happy, every man a benefactor, a good angel, a deity as it were, to his fellow-creatures; and earth the very image of heaven."-Atterbury.

THE IMAGE OF GOD

Is still impressed on the mind of man, and cannot be wholly effaced; the contemplation of it, wherever found, must yield pleasure and delight.

"GOD made man in his own image, and im. pressed upon him some characters of the divine original; the principal of which is goodness, though it be not the best preserved for it is of a tender complexion, and delicate nature; and yet the lovely traces of it are still extant, and still shine, though oft-times faintly and with a faded lustre.

"For goodness is universally approved ; justice, equity, truth, sincerity, candour, be. neficence, mercy, ever have passed, and ever will pass, for virtues.

"There is no man who does not desire that others would exercise them towards him; even