I give unto you, that ye love one another; as 1 haved loved you, that ye also love one another.”. The Christian.

ITEMS.

ABOUT SOUND BANKING.-B. B. Comegeys, a Bank President of Philadelphia, said as follows in a late address: "A bank may be said to be in good condition when it has an adequate capital (not too large); a contingent fund at least half as large (and no suspended debt or over-due paper); when its deposits are free of interest and three or four times the amount of its capital; when its dealers supply it with business paper to the extent of its needs; when liberal salaries are paid to its officers and clerks; when there is a trained man in reserve for every position that may become vacant; when there is a pension fund adequate to the comfortable support of its worn-out clerks; when it has a board of directors who are not content to be mere figure-heads, but who understand their business and remember their qualification oaths; directors who count the cash frequently, and without notice to anybody; who insist that every person employed in the bank shall take a vacation of at least two weeks every year, at which time another person shall do his work; and who believe in this dogma, that nothing is good enough that can be made better.'

HENRY GEORGE BOHN, the noted English publisher, is dead at the age of eighty-eight. His father was a bookseller of German descent, and the son learned the same business, beginning business for himself in 1831. He was well acquainted with ancient and modern languages, from which he personally made many translations. His various libraries, historical, scientific, classical, antiquarian, illustrated, and ecclesiastical, amounted in all to several hundred volumes, which were well selected. He was a distinguished antiquarian and literary critic.

THE London Athenæum says: "Mr. Whittier's name will always stand high in the rank of American poets; if he lacks something of Longfellow's grace, Longfellow, on the other hand, has none of his fire; and if he is less subtle than Bryant, he is much more spontaneous. A writer who can be pure yet not cold, religious yet not didactic, is swift of thought and sure of touch, claims-what he has so largely received— respect and admiration."

For Friends' Review. EASTWARD.

We ride along the rocky shore,

The ocean stretches far and wide,
We see its waves and hear its roar,
From morning until eventide.

But when the gray moon shows her light,
Our tired forms will seek their rest;
The weary wild fowl stoop her flight,
The eagle cower within her nest.
Yet on beyond with ceaseless roll,
The ocean waves, still wildly tost,
Shall still repeat their mystic scroll,
And tracings in the distance lost.

I cannot pierce the murky veil
The night will hang on all around;
Upon that sea I cannot sail,

Its wondrous depths can never sound.

But well I know, beyond it all,
The sunlight gleams upon the strand,
On storied town and stately hall
The glories of the Father land.

I may not cross that ocean crest.
Those wondrous visions may not see.
My Heavenly Father knoweth best,
And in His love He leadeth me.

He leadeth me along the shore,
He leadeth me across the wave,
In life and death, forevermore

His arm is still outstretched to save.

His city walls are jewels rare,

The very streets are paved with gold; His dwelling place beyond compare, His wealth is riches all untold.

And when, at last, through Jesus' grace,
The holy angels come for me,

I shall behold His blessed face,
And dwell with Him eternally.

WATCHING FOR THE BOATS.

BY MARGARET E. SANGSTER.

It's time that the fishers were coming back. Coming laden with shining spoil;

A. T.

The oars are bent on the homeward track,
And the rowers are weary with all night's toil.
The rose of dawn, so pearly and red,

Unfolding has made the round earth sweet,
The boats are bringing the children's bread,
And we must be waiting our men to greet.

So, father, gaze through the trusty glass,

And scan the waves of the foaming bay, You will catch them soon as the Point they pass, Your eyes is keen, though your hair is gray. And, wife, with bairn in your arms asleep,

Keep up your heart, he will soon be here, The sea's rich harvest he went to reap

For the sake of your babe you hold so dear.

Fair lass, with blush on your nut-brown cheek,
Your sailor is hasting across the wave;
For lack of a word that you would not speak
His heart is sad and his brow is grave.
Yest'reen is gone, but you have to-day;
Let a welcome beam on your parted lips;
For theirs is a perilous stormy way

Who needs must go to the sea in ships.

There was one who stood on a grassy shore

In the morning's beautiful opening glow, And watched the boats with their quivering store, And said to a fisherman soft and low, "Lovest thou me ?" And still he says To the men who toil on the billowy sea, "You, most of all, should be full of praise, If over the billows you go with Me.'

The night was chill, and the toil was hard,

But the boats are bringing the children's bread, The Lord is ever the sailor's guard,

And under his smile are our tables spread,

So, baby, wake, for thy father's near,

And, grandsir, say when the Point they round, For sweet in the fond wife's waiting ear

Is the sound of the keel as it scrapes the ground. -Selected.

SUMMARY OF NEWS. FOREIGN INtelligence.-Advices from Europe are to the 9th inst.

GREAT BRITAIN.-Some of the Scotch crofters held a demonstration on the 3rd at Dingwall, (which lies at the head of Cromarty Firth.) A procession was formed of 400 crofters and 1500 townsmen. Prof. Blackie presided at the meeting, and three members of Parliament were present. Resolutions were adopted favoring the Franchise bill; demanding a change in the land laws so as to secure to the Highlander the right to live on his native soil on equitable conditions ; and asking that a measure for Scotland similar to the Irish Land act be adopted by Parliament.

A great demonstration in favor of the Franchise bill occurred at Glasgow on the 6th. Fully 70,000 persons, it is asserted, joined in the procession, which extended ten miles. Speeches were made at Glasgow Green, where eight platforms had been erected.

W. E. Gladstone, who has just visited Edinburgh, in a private conference with ministers of the Free Church, assured them that if a distinct majority of the Scotch members returned to the House of Commons at the next election should be pledged to disestablish the Church of Scotland, the Government would carry out the popular will.

The returns of the Board of Trade show that during last month British imports were £6,000,000 less than in the same month last year. and exports £1,300,000

less.

IRELAND.-The Lord Lieutenant, Earl Spencer, has notified the Town Council of Limerick that unless they agree to levy a rate for extra police duty, within a month, the law will be rigorously enforced. A called meeting of the Council on the 24th passed resolutions disregarding this notification. A committee was appointed to reply to Earl Spencer's note. It is supposed that the members will be arrested and imprisoned if they continue their resistance.

FRANCE.-President Grévy has sent to Prime Minister Ferry the letter from Extreme Left members of the Chamber, mentioned last week. The President says that the reserve imposed on him by the Constitution prevents him from answering the letter personally.

A letter published in the Journal des Debats concerning the dispute between H. M. Stanley and M. de Brazza respecting the Congo river in Africa, asserts that the Mallokos, with their vassals and chiefs, occupying the left bank of the river, have repudiated Stanley and declared in favor of the French. Stanley, in turn, denies that the French have secured a cession of territory on both banks of the Congo; and declares that the right to the country of the African International Association, whose agent and representative he has been, is intact and impregnable.

BELGIUM.-The popular excitement arising from the antagonism of the Clerical and Liberal parties, appears to be increasing. Following the Liberal demonstration of the 31st ult., a procession of Clericals numbering many thousands paraded the streets of Brussels on the 7th inst., amid vehement hissing and howling from dense crowds of spectators. The latter stopped the procession at various points, and finally compelled its dispersion, the efforts not only of the police but of the gensd'arme and the civil guard, failing to check the disorder. About 100 persons were wounded. Riots occurred at Antwerp on the same and the next day, in sympathy with the outbreak at Brussels.

GERMANY.-The commander of a German gunboat has taken formal possession, in the name of the German Empire, of all that part of the west coast of Africa which lies between 18 and 26 S., with the ex

ception of Walvisch Bay, which was recently annexed to the British possessions by the authorities of Cape Colony. The colonial policy inaugurated by Prince Bismarck is said to be steadily growing in popular favor, although it was opposed in the last Reichstag by the members of the Left.

The Prnssian Minister at the Vatican, it is said, has bee instructed to offer final terms for the adjustment of the difficulties between the Pope and the Prussian Government. If failing to reach an agreement, the Prussian Legation will be withdrawn

DENMARK.-About 200 Americans were present at the meeting of the Evangelical Alliance in Copenhagen.

SWITZERLAND.-A convention with the Vatican has been signed providing for the restoration of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basle.

RUSSIA. The Czar with his family and attendants arrived at Warsaw on the 8th. Special preliminary inspection was made of the railway line over which he traveled. and military patrols were furnished along the whole distance. Special police understanding the Polish language were to act as his personal attendants during his stay. The Emperors of Germany and Austria are expected to meet him there on the 15th. Each will probably be accompanied by his Prime Minister. It is stated that on the 9th, the Czar and Czarina drove in an open carriage without escort to the theatre, a manifestation of confidence which surprised and grati fied the people.

ITALY.-The cholera exists in a number of places, but is most severe at Naples, where 800 fresh cases and 275 deaths occurred in twenty-four hours ending on the 9th. The utmost misery prevails, most kinds of business being suspended, 10,000 fishermen and large numbers of workmen being out of employment. King Humbert visited the city on the 9th, and after traversing the poorer districts, inspected the hospitals. He made a first donation of $20,000 to the relief fund. Processions of women, with tapers and images of saints carried at the head, pass through the streets, invoking the aid of the Virgin.

A cholera panic prevails throughout Italy. Each town is taking measures for protection, regardless of r the Government. Some post guards to prevent travel. ers from entering until after a quarantine of 15 or 20 days; others close their gates entirely. In many parts traffic are much interrupted. A royal decree has been of the country practical anarchy exists, and travel and issued, suspending prefects and syndics who have instituted or permitted arbitrary local measures against

the cholera.

CHINA. A dispatch from Foo Chow to the London Times of the 8th, said that the Chinese officials there had been notified of the declaration of war against France. Shanghai has been declared a neutral port. The entrances to Woosung will be blocked, but a channel will be kept for neutral Powers. The Pall Mall Gazette, London, says the declaration was in the form of a manifesto from the Emperor to the people, declaring that he regards the French action as constituting a state of war, and calling on his subjects to aid in repelling the foe.

DOMESTIC.-Charles J. Folger, U. S. Secretary of the Treasury, died on the 4th inst. at his home in Geneva, N. Y., in his 67th year. He had been ill for some time, but his death was rather unexpected.

No

A destructive fire occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, on the 7th, burning several lumber yards, planing mills, iron works, &c., laying waste about fifteen acres. dwellings were destroyed, and no lives lost. The loss of property is estimated at above $1,000,000.

Outside its Borders.

BY MARY E. BECK.

No. IV.

THE ORDINANCES.

There is a sentence in the Preface to the Common Prayer Book of the Church of England which, though we are surprised to find it there, may well head this chapter. "Christ's Gospel is not a ceremonial law, as much of Moses' law was, but it is a religion to serve God, not in bondage of figure or shadow, but in the freedom of the Spirit."

There is no doubt that most who plead for the obligatory necessity of water baptism under the New Dispensation, on the ground that it was instituted by Christ Himself, are to a great extent ignorant of the antiquity of its use among heathen nations and of the many meanings attached to the word baptism, which make it dependent on the noun that follows. For instance, we read of a baptism into strength, into wine, into suffering, and indeed it is used classically in twenty different senses. Therefore it cannot be construed separately or without its context.

The Romans, Greeks, Hebrews, Egyptians,

who only applied the old rite to a new meaning, and distinctly speaks of his own mission as one intended to decrease, and give way to the Spirit-baptism of the Messiah. "The real meaning of the word Baptism" says Dr. Dale, is "that which is capable of producing a change of condition." What words can better define the nature of Christ's

baptism, or that power which He conferred on His disciples to exercise when preaching under the anointing of the Holy Ghost? Justyn Martyr, writing in the second century, observes, "The only baptism that can heal us is repentance and the knowledge of God.

What need is there of that baptism which can only cleanse the flesh and the body? Be washed in your flesh from wrath and covetousness, from envy and hatred, But as spiritual and behold the body is pure." fervor declined, a strong tendency to ritualism took its place.

As early as the third century, baptism was considered necessary for salvation, and was performed after a rite of exorcism, by which evil spirits were said to be expelled. The baptism of bells, &c., was continued for several years.

Another feature of the literalizing spirit was manifested in the baptism by fire which was practiced by the Jacobites in Asia, who subjected their

poor little children to baptism with a hot iron on their face, ears or arm.

In an age of such extravagant errors, it is refreshing to find, from the authority of Neander, that from the sixth century down to the twelfth, there were many Christians who entirely rejected water-baptism, the predecessors, in this respect, of George Fox and the early Friends. Walter Brute, an eminent English reformer, living in Hereford in the fifteenth century, denied that anything more was required than repentance and faith in Christ. "Faith," said he, is a spiritual water, springing from Him, the fountain of wisdom. With this water were the faithful patriarchs baptized before the Law, and the faithful people of the Hebrews, and the faithful Christians after the Law.

Are not all Christians baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire? Thus no more is the lotion of water corporeally necessary to wash away sins, but only spiritual water, that is to say, the water of faith."

This accords with the Apostolic expression, "the washing of water by the word," and "the washing of regeneration," and was also doubtless the thing signified in our Lord's words to Peter, If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me." "To bring man directly to God just as he is," remarks Dr. Cumming, "is the grand characteristic of true religion. To keep man from God and detain him with the priests, the sacraments, the ceremony, is the grand effort of all false religions. There is no regenerative virtue inherent in or inseparable from baptism, for baptism is not the Holy Spirit. There is no saving and expiatory virtue in the Lord's Supper, for the Lord's Supper is not the Lord Jesus Christ. We may not put baptism in the room of the Holy Spirit, nor the eucharist in the place of the Lord Jesus. We must look far above and beyond them both!" When Henry Martyn was pressing the sacraments on a Jewish Mahometan, he replied, "These are mere emblems, and if a man have the reality, what need is there of emblems ?"

It cannot but be confirmatory to our own view of the non-intention of Christ to institute any ordinances in His church when we find the spiritual. minded of other denominations adopting at least the spirit of our own testimony, but let us take heed, that it be not with us only a negative protest against symbols, but a positive experience of that true baptism which will make all other external washings seem indeed superfluous. Without this what avails all our profession of spirituality? All the more will it witness against us in that day when the fig tree, so long tended and watered, shall be searched for fruit. It is not enough that we have Abraham (so to speak) for our Father; not enough that our principles are derived from the purest source or are most consistent with the glorious light of the New Dispensation. Of those to whom much has been given, much will be required. The solemn query is, are we bringing forth fruit to the glory of God, and fruit that shall "remain ?"

From the Monthly Record. WHAT IS OUR AIM AS FIRST-DAY SCHOOL TEACHERS?*

Some of us who are connected with these schools have been teachers many years, while there are others who have but recently entered upon this interesting work.

Whether we have been in it a longer or shorter time it may be well for all of us to ask ourselves the question, "What are our aims as First-day school teachers?" Perhaps, when first commencing to teach, we were stirred with a sense of our own privileges in comparison with many who had so much fewer advantages than ourselves, desiring not selfishly to devote the whole Sabbath to our own enjoyment.

Or it may have been that we had no higher aim than to follow the example of those with whom we associated; or even to quiet conscience, and satisfy ourselves that we were doing something in the great work that is being done in the world.

If we have entered on the work with the thought of gratifying our ambition, or for the pleasure of finding ourselves placed in a position of responsi bility or usefulness, with many looking up to us for counsel and advice, the result must be a failure.

It is not likely these have been the motives of those present, yet we do well to reflect if any such considerations mingle with our work and are marring it.

We have realized the privilege of a good educa tion, and the enjoyment of minds cultured and expanded by intellectual pursuits, and therefore are anxious that others should share the same, and so be raised above the lower tastes, which warp and cripple the minds of so many of our working people. We have sought to open the eyes of our scholars to see the beauties around, the wonders of the outer creation, the starry heavens, and the delicate formation and growth of ferns and flowers, walking and discussing with them, socially, politically, or religiously.

Week by week we have assembled in our classes, and our hearts have been warmed by the bright looks which have greeted us as our scholars have taken their respective places around us, and they, in like manner, have been cheered and helped by the shake of the hand, the kind word, or the look of sympathy where we knew or suspected a bur dened heart.

We have thrown our interest into the sick club, the benevolent fund, prize scheme, excursions, tea parties, mission meetings, and numerous other valuable adjuncts to our First-day school work, and rejoiced in their success and the benefit they have been to the classes.

We think to ourselves that all these efforts and all these arrangements are doing something of what we have longed to do for our fellow creatures, and we are thankful, though it is but a little speck in the great whole; we see homes brightened, the

Extract from an address read at a joint Teachers' Meeting, at Birmingham, England.