THE FIRESIDE.

THE DISCOVERY OF COFFEE.-Towards the middle of the fifteenth century a poor Arab was travelling through Abyssinia, and finding himself weak and weary from fatigue, he stopped near a grove. Then, being in want of fuel to cook his rice, he cut a tree which happened to be covered with dead berries. His meal being cooked and eaten, the traveller discovered that the half-burned berries were fragrant. He collected a number of these, and on crushing them with a stone he found their aroma increased to a great extent. While wondering at this he accidentally let fall the substance in a can which contained his scanty supply of water. Lo, what a miracle! The almost putrid liquid was instantly purified. He brought it to his lips; it was fresh and agreeable. In a moment after the traveller had so far recovered strength and energy as to be able to resume his journey. The lucky Arab gathered as many berries as he could, and having arrived at Ardue, in Arabia, be informed the mufti of his discovery. That worthy divine was an inveterate opium smoker, who had been suffering for years from the influence of that poisonous drug. He tried an infusion of the roasted berries, and was so delighted with the recovery of his own vigour that he called the tree cahuah, which in Arab signifies force.

The Fireside.

THE SKIN.

THE eye, perhaps, of all the organs of the body has been the oftenest referred to as illustrating the divine beneficence and wisdom; but we think the skin affords an argument equally strong, of the wisdom and sagacity of an omnipotent mind. It certainly most forcibly illustrates the difference between the works of man and the works of the Creator. Man has to adopt a large number of devices to accomplish a single result; whereas, the Creator, in the functions of the skin, has accomplished several ends by one and the same agent. But few of those who look upon the outer covering of their bodies have any adequate idea what a wonderful and complex structure it is, or what an important office it performs in the economy of life. The skin is so intimately connected with sound health, that even the slightest derangement of its functions throws the whole machinery of the body out of gear, and no one can be well when the perspiratory process is in the least obstructed. So many persons suffering from impaired health are disposed to attribute all abnormal conditions to derangements of the liver, that it has become quite common in certain circles to ask a man, "How is your liver to-day?" rather than to inquire after his health. It would certainly be more appropriate and significant to inquire after the condition of the skin than the liver, as nine-tenths of all the maladies that annoy us come rather from derangements of the skin than the liver. When that much abused organ is under the weather, its condition is due usually to some abnormal state of the skin.

THE PENNY POST BOX-FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY.

The Penny Post Box.

GOOD ADVICE TO CHRISTIANS.

1. SEE that your religion, makes you a better son or daughter, a better clerk, a better student, a better friend, a better workman.

2. Do not set yourself up as a standard. Shun all censoriousness. Remember that each one "6 to his his own Master standeth or falleth," and not to you.

3, Let nothing keep you away from the Saviour, Never be tempted to stay away from him by unbelieving doubts, by past neglect, or present fear, by anything. Be more intimate with him than with any earthly friend.

4. Never rejoice in your own strength. A child looking up to Christ is stronger than a strong man armed. Be resolute in looking to Him alone for strength.

Finally. Do not be discouraged if you fail in everything. If you were perfect, what need would you have of a Saviour?

Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry.

Facts.

The oldest known rosebush in the world covers one of the walls of the Hildesheim cathedral. It is over one thousand years old. The main stem is one foot thick in diameter, and separates into six large branches fifteen feet from the ground. Some seven hundred years ago it was put under cover to guard it against the ravages of the weather. It still sends forth, every year, an immense crop of

roses.

A curious fact in natural history has been discovered-namely, that locusts will not eat tea leaves. A Darjeeling paper tells us that very large flights of locusts recently settled on the tea gardens, reddening the surface of the ground by their numbers; but in a few hours they passed on, having devoured every blade of grass, but leave ing the tea bushes absolutely intact.

Statistics show that in the mountainous regions of Switzerland and Savoy deaf mutes are more numerous than in flat countries.

St. James' Park, London, now covers ninety acres.

A polytechnic school has been started in Japan.

Hints.

It is impossible to speak against Christianity without anger, or to speak for it without love.-Joubert.

Those people whom we do know flatter our pride less than those whom we pretend to know.

Who so keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles..

He is not only idle who does nothing, but he is idle who might be better employed.

It is easier to pretend what we are not than to hide what we really are.

God sets the Christian at work, then meets him in it.

GEMS.-POETIC SELECTIONS.-THE CHILDRENS' CORNER.

The Childrens' Corner.

CONFESS YOUR FAULTS.

IF you put a hot coal in your pocket, it will burn its way out. a bad action you are trying to hide will make itself known. A fault concealed is a fault doubled; and so you will find out all the way through life. Never hide your fanlts.

LIFE IN SPAIN.

LET us take a glimpse of family life in the middle class. The Spanish houses are built chiefly of the hard but porous sand or iron-stone, quarries of which abound in the interior; they have some ten or twelve rooms, all of which are paved with stone or large tiles, for in this country of dust and burning heat, the thermometer has varied from eighty-seven to ninety-five degrees throughout the summer,- -no carpets seem to be used, save just in one room, in the heart of the winter. The stable is at the back of the house, and horses, mules, and carriages all pass through the hall just as do the inmates of the houses. I have often been taking a "refresco" with the senor and his sposa in the hall, and we have had to move the little table to let the servant and his mules pass through! Every morning the "criada," or maid-servant, takes her watering-pot and carefully lays the dust and cools the room with an abundant sprinkling of aqua fresca. At early morn the master rises, and his little cup of chocolate, an egg, and a slice of melon await him in the sala, or large sitting-room,-to English eyes a most comfortless place; very large, stone-flagged, with a few massive chairs, walls painted in the rudest way, and one large table in the midst. The rooms, owing to the heat, are always kept darkened by means of closed shutters throughout the day,-some of the windows have glass, some not, but all are strongly protected, without exception, by a strong cage or massive iron-work outside. The senora has the chocolate in her bed-room, at the open window, enjoying the fresh morning breeze. All the Spaniards rise as a rule at five or six in summer, to enjoy the only enjoyable time of the summer day; at one o'clock they have dinner, the comida,— and after that follows the two hours' siesta in a darkened room. Evening then draws on, the delicious night breeze rises and blows freshly from the hills, and the ladies go out in groups to the alamedo for the passao, or walk. Such is the Spanish lady's day. She has, however, her criadas to look after, and above all, her dress to make or superintend, and her graceful mantilla to arrange. It is quite a striking sight to pass down the streets from six to eight at night, and see the graceful carriage of the head, and the stately, upright walk of the Spanish ladies, with their long white dresses trailing behind them in a cloud of dust. How they manage to walk over rough, unpaved, uneven streets without a trip is a mystery. At about ten all retire to rest, to rise up refreshed for another eventful day.

THE PRISONER'S EXHORTATION.

As regards the master of the house, he really seems to have but one interest in life, and that is politics. He may ride out to view his olive farm, or his mine; and you will certainly meet him in his shop, casino, or his friend's casa, smoking the inevitable cigarillo, and chatting or making a bargain. But there is absolutely no reading of any sort, not even a book of the calibre of a threevolume novel. Politics he seems never to tire of. I was but yesterday talking with a friend here, a professional man, one who would give up all for the sake of "his cause," and during the whole weary evening we seemed to have nothing in common. At last I bethought myself of the unfailing subject, and said: "What is your opinion of Senor Castelar's enforcing the penalty of death again?" In a moment all was changed; his look of utter apathy had given place to the keenest enthusiasm, and knocking the cigarillo out of his mouth, he said, with flashing eyes and flushed cheeks, "Castelar is a statesman, a poet, and an orator; he knows and says that in desperate cases desperate remedies must be applied; so he does right for a while to enforce once more capital punishment in our army. For me, I am a republican of republicans, and I consider capital punishment opposed to the true spirit of Christianity. I desire nothing for my country but to see her sons free, free to serve their God as they like, as their unfettered conscience tells them; freedom in their families; freedom from slavery in their colonies; that is the wish of Heaven; that is my wish also." You will say, what, then, are the pleasures of the Spaniards? I asked that question too, and received for an answer, shooting in the "sierra," a picnic in the "campo," the annual “ferias” (fairs), and the "bano del rio" (river bath.)

THE PRISONER'S EXHORTATION.

THANK God for prisons! Many of God's choicest servants have been shut up within a dungeon's walls to stop their work for Him. How useless has been their imprisonment, or rather how useful to the church! From beneath the sound of bolt and bar, lock and key, the swelling thoughts of imprisoned saints have gone forth to revolutionize the world. Hence, we may thank God for these prisons. Who can read the words of Samuel Rutherford and not join in the thanksgiving? He called his prison in Aberdeen, Christ's Palace. "My well-beloved," he says, "is kinder and warmer than ordinary, and cometh and visiteth my soul. My chains are overgilded with gold. No pen, no engine, can express to you the loveliness of my only Lord Jesus." So also like Paul and Silas