Since the time that Noah came out of the ark, and planted vineyards, and drank of their wines, we read in all histories of its terrible doings, and never once lose sight of its black and bloody tracks. States have recorded enactments against it, ecclesiastical penalties have been imposed upon it, societies have succeeded societies for its extermination, but, like him whose name was Legion, no man has been able to bind it.

It was strong drink that brought the original curse of servitude upon the descendants of Ham, that has eaten away the strength of empires, wasted the energies of states, blotted out the names of families, and crowded hell with tenants. Egypt, the source of science; Babylon, the wonder and glory of the world; Greece, the home of learning and of liberty; Rome, the mistress of the earth,-each in its turn had its heart lacerated by this dreadful canker-worm, and thus became an easy prey to the destroyer.

It has drained tears enough to make a sea, expended treasure enough to exhaust Golconda, shed blood enough to redden the waves of every ocean, and wrung out wailing enough to make a chorus to the lamentations of the underworld. Some of the mightiest intellects, some of the most generous natures, some of the happiest homes, some of the noblest specimens of man, it has blighted and crushed, and buried in squalid wretchedness.

It has supplied every jail and penitentiary and almshouse and charity hospital in the world with tenants. It has sent forth beggars on every street, and flooded every city with bestiality and crime. It has, perhaps, done more toward bringing earth and hell together than any other form of vice.

Could we but dry up this one moral ulcer, and sweep away forever all the results of this one form of sin, we would hardly need such things as prisons, asylums, charity-houses, or police. The children of haggard want would sit in the halls of plenty. The tears of orphanage and widowhood and disappointed hope would dwindle in a goodly measure. Disease would be robbed of much of its power. The clouds would vanish from ten thousand afflicted homes, and peace breathe its fragrance on the world, almost as if the day of its redemption had come.

THE SNEEZING MAN.-WARD M. FLORENCE.

Kind friends, your attention I ask,

Though I'm almost ashamed to be seen
By a crowd of such wise looking heads,
For fear of your calling me "green;"
As stern fate has so harshly ordained ́
That whenever my wish is to please
All the ladies who gaze upon me,

I'm sure to burst out in a SNEEZE.

My cradle was rocked by a nurse

Whose sneezing was worse than my own And had it not been as it was,

This curse I would never have known; I believe in my soul to this day

That she brought it from over the seas, Where people take pleasure, they say, In a loud-sounding, horrible sneeze,

When boyhood broke forth in its prime
With school-games, all happy and gay
I had to stand by and look on,

Without ever daring to play;

But all of the rest of the boys

Would kiss the bright girls at their ease,
And leave me a-standing just so,
To comfort myself with-a sneeze.

This trouble still followed me on

Till I grew up a good-looking man,
And had money and lands of my own,
And horses-a beautiful span;
But whenever a-courting I'd go,

My hopes would give way by degrees,

For all that I ever could do

Was to sit in the corner and-sneeze.

One eve I was taking a drive

With a lady whose beauty was rare,

And I managed to ask her at last,

What she thought of the cool evening (sneeze) air,

She said, ""Tis delightfully grand,

There is such a ponderous breeze,” —

As I turned aside with my nose,

To indulge in a horrible sneeze.

I then became bold after this,

And thought of the life I had led; Its loneliness seemed so forlorn

That I asked this young damsel to wed;
And while my heart throbbed for reply,
Came on this infernal disease,

And ere she could answer my words,
The hills had re-echoed a sneeze.

She said, "I should like to be yours,
And live far away in the vale;
But the hair might be blown off my head,

As your sneezing doth make such a gale." I whispered no further of love,

But drove her straight home as you please, And just as I turned from the door,

I wished her "good night,"-with a sneeze.

Now friends, I would pray you be warned
At the fate of a poor fellow-man,
And leave off this taking of snuff
Just as soon as you possibly can.
And when, in this battle of life,

You're desirous of raising a breeze,
Don't blow on your nose like a horn,

And startle the world with a "SNEEZE."

Appendix.

NOTE

The following pages contain the Supplements to the four Numbers of" 100 Choice Selections" embraced in this volume, which, for greater convenience in arranging, are here grouped together instead of appear. ing at the end of the Numbers to which they respectively belong.