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employing strong words, and in this they err. One of these is, "always;" let us see, then, how it should be used. A pair of emus were at the Zoological Society's farm near Kingston. The female at different times dropped nine eggs in various places in the pen in which she was confined. Of these the male took care, rolling them along gently and carefully with his beak, and then sitting upon them himself. He did so for nine weeks, during which time he was never observed to leave the nest, nor did the female ever take his place. She appeared to be equally indifferent when the young were hatched; he alone took care of them. Now, some would say, "Oh, then, the male emus always hatch and bring up the young.' ." But this would not be right, for a female emu at Chiswick laid some eggs; there was no male bird, and she collected them together, and sat on them herself.

I have taken "always" only as a specimen of strong words, which ought never to be used except when truth requires them to be uttered. How often have I heard young persons say they were "delighted," when they felt little or no pleasure; and that they were "very sorry," when they had not felt the

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slightest pain! Frequently do they use the words "great" and "splendid," when the objects they describe warrant no such expression. Other things are with them "wretched and 66 contemptible," which ought to be considered far otherwise. And many a declaration about "hundreds” "thousands" of people, if examined, would be found to apply only to a score, or probably half that number.

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It would seem strange, were a nobleman to wear a splendid court dress when he rode on horseback through the streets, or an architect to place large columns in every room of a house, or a painter to use his deepest colours in every part of his picture; and yet equally out of place are these strong words in the greater number of cases in which they are used.

A little boy, who, I believe, was not more than four years of age, showed that he felt the importance of what I am now urging on all my young friends to whom this book will come. His father had been taking a walk one morning, when he found there was a small hole in one of his black silk stockings, which he was wearing over others of white

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cotton. On papa's return home, mamma was engaged in mending this hole, when William entered the room, and ascertaining what had happened, asked if papa had taken his walk with the hole in his stocking. "I suppose,' said mamma, 66 you would have been very much delighted if he had." "No, mamma, said William, "not delighted, only diverted." And when mamma asked what difference he could find between delighted and diverted, he replied, "We say delighted, mamma, when something pleases us very much; we say diverted when it is something very funny."

All words that are courteous are plenteous and cheap,
As any the lips can express;

Then let me refuse not this pleasure to reap;
Nor suffer the shame and distress,

Of being uncivil, unkind, and ungrateful,

Giving strength to the feelings which ought to be hateful.

An eminent man, whom I have often seen, and who died not long since, was, when a child, seized by a profligate fellow, who held him over a parapet of the bridge where the river Dove is deep, profanely declaring that if the child did not utter what was very wrong, he would drop him into the water. What was his reply? "Never! you may

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kill me if you choose, but I never will." The man held him for several minutes, continuing his threat; but finding it vain, he let him without injury, while he must have had the approval of his conscience for firmly resisting what he knew to be sinful.

Into the use of the tongue, be it remembered, the eternal Judge will one day strictly inquire. With God nothing is great, nothing is little; so that, when we stand at his dread tribunal, he will clearly recollect all the words we ever uttered, and we shall remember them too. Let us speak now as we shall then wish we had spoken.

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