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Till God released her of her pain,
And then she went away.

So in the churchyard she was laid;
And all the summer day,

Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.

And when the ground was white with snow,

And I could run and slide,

My brother John was forced to go,

And he lies by her side."

"How many are you then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
The little maid again replied,
"Oh, master, we are seven!"

"But they are dead; those two are dead! Their spirits are in heaven !".

'Twas throwing words away; for still, The little maid would have her will, And said, "Nay, we are seven !"

THE NIGHTINGALE AND GLOW-WORM.

A NIGHTINGALE that all day long
Had cheered the village with his song;
Nor yet at eve his note suspended,
Nor yet when eventide was ended,
Began to feel, as well he might,
The keen demands of appetite;
When, looking eagerly around,
He spied far off, upon the ground,

A something shining in the dark,
And knew the glow-worm by his spark;
So, stooping down from hawthorn top,
He thought to put him in his crop.
The worm, aware of his intent,
Harangued him thus, right eloquent-
Did you admire my lamp, quoth he,
As much as I your minstrelsy,
You would abhor to do me wrong,
As much as I to spoil your song:
For 'twas the self-same power divine
Taught you to sing and me to shine;
That you with music, I with light,
Might beautify and cheer the night.
The songster heard his short oration,
And warbling out his approbation,
Released him, as my story tells,
And found a supper somewhere else.

HE WOULD BE A SOLDIER.

Charles. OH Father-indeed I must be a soldier. Mr. Ashton. I have always told you, my son, that I would never control you in the choice of a profession, and that my narrow means should be stretched to their utmost, to give you a proper education for such a one as you may choose. But it is a great while for you to look forward to an occupation for life.

Char. Yes, but you know, sir, that many great men have begun when they were but boys, and the sooner I determine what I am to be, the more perfect I can fit myself for it when the time comes.

Mr. A. That is true, Charles, but the studies upon which you are now engaged, are such as every man should be a proficient in. But what has occurred just now, to make you so fixed as to your future destination?

Char. I have been reading the history of the American Revolution, and—

4

Mr. A. And pray what in the history of the American Revolution, makes you wish to be a soldier? Do you like the idea of so much fighting with Americans and Indians, who will shoot you down from behind fences and trees, and stone walls, as if you were so many woodcocks?

Char. Oh! dear, no sir; I would not have fought against the Americans. It is General Washington that I admire so much. Father, don't you think he was a good man, though he was a soldier?

Mr. A. Indeed I do, my son,-one of the best men that have ever lived, though he was a soldier. But every soldier cannot be like him.

Char. Yes, but as you say, sir, what man has been, man can be; and if I am a soldier, and try hard, perhaps I shall be as good a man as he,—almost,

Mr. A. It is possible, no doubt, but not probable. Washington, you must recollect, was not made a good man by being a soldier; he continued to be a good man in spite of it, and would have been, perhaps, a better man, had he never become one. But Washington is an exception to all great soldiers, and his military character forms but a small part of his excellence. He was the benefactor, the saviour, the father of his countrymen. His benevolence was as great as his valour-his piety and trust in the Deity, more remarkable than either. He is an exception to all soldiers; and the exception does not make the

rule. Besides, you know, that Washington fought for the liberties of a whole people, against what they deened oppression and tyranny. Now that was a just cause; and a good man can fight only in a just

cause.

Char. But, father, I would fight only in a just cause too; that I am sure of.

Mr. A. But if you become a soldier for life, you must fight when your king and commander tells you to, and not only when you think you have reason on your side. Others will fight the battle, and win the glory, while you are debating between right and wrong. A soldier by profession never asks whether he should or should not be morally justified in bearing arms. He only inquires who his enemies are, and where they are-not why they are so.

Char. Well, and was not Washington a soldier by profession? The book says he was a major when only nineteen years old.

He

He

He

Mr. A. He was no soldier by profession. did not engage in the war because it was his business to fight; he was a farmer, and not a soldier. took up arms for a season only, mark that—because he thought his country had just cause for war. left the plough to take up the sword, when his country was in danger, and left the sword to take up the plough again, when the danger had ceased. So you see that fighting was not his occupation.

Char. Except in a just cause, father; and are not all wars, I mean most wars, just?

Mr. A. One side at least must always be in the wrong. Both cannot be in the right at once; both cannot have just cause of war. But in most cases you would acknowledge, I suspect, if you knew the circumstances, that there was nothing on either side

sufficient to authorize recourse to so dreadful an expedient as war. Wars generally arise from the ambition of kings, or ministers, or generals, and are founded upon some petty dispute about boundaries or landmarks, which serve merely as a pretence.

Char. Is this really the case, papa?

Mr. A. It is, and if three quarters of the officers and soldiers engaged in battle were asked, after it was over, what they had been fighting for, they would not be able to tell you. They fight because it is their business to fight, and because they earn their living by it, or expect to gain credit, and honour, and rank-not because their cause is just.

Char. Well, father, it may be so with some, or a good many, but not with me; so that, after all, I don't see but I must be a soldier. To be an officer-a colonel, for instance-must be a fine thing indeed— a colonel has two epaulets, sir, and rides on horseback, and commands a whole regiment—and to be general, and command an army, must be a very, very fine thing indeed.

Mr. A. Well, Charles, I repeat to you I shall not control your choice. When you have arrived at a proper age to judge for yourself, if you still persist in your intention of becoming a soldier, I shall not oppose it, but put every facility in your way.

I will purchase a commission for you in the army, and then you must fight your way to fame and for

tune.

Char. Oh, father, how proud I shall be; that is just what I should like-how I wish the time was

come !

Mr. A. A few years pass away very quickly, Charles. But in the meantime I must use my endeavours to render you perfect in the studies you are

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