Without a mother's tender care,
The little thing must die;

The chubby hands but feeble are,
Nor can one need supply;

And not a tittle does it know

What kind of world 'tis come into.

The lamb sports gaily on the grass When scarcely born a day;

The foal beside its mother ass

Trots frolicsome away;

And not a creature, tame or wild, Is half so helpless as a child.

To nurse the dolly gaily drest,
And stroke its flaxen hair,
Or ring the coral at its waist
With silver bells so fair,

Is all the little creature can,
That is so soon to be a man.

Full many a summer's sun must glow,

And lighten up the skies,

Before its tender limbs can grow

To anything of size;

And all the while, the mother's eye
Must every little want supply.

Then surely, when each little limb

Shall grow to healthy size,

And youth and manhood strengthen him For toil and enterprise,

His mother's kindness is a debt

He never, never will forget.

LESSON I.

GOD, THE CREATOR OF US AND ALL THINGS."

"Youth's Natural Theology," by Gallaudet. (Edmund Fry and Son, London).-" Paley's Natural Theology." —“The manner in which Little Henry came to the Knowledge of God:" a Story for Children; from the German. (Harvey and Dalton). H. Ware's Works, vol. iii., Sermon 1.*

ONE morning early in March the sun shone brightly upon Walter's home; the grass was white with frost, but the warm sun soon melted the frost; and the pretty yellow and purple crocuses that grew in tufts in the little garden before the house, looked very bright and gay. Their petals opened wide, and the bees came humming to them, collecting wax and honey. It was a pleasant spring morning, and Walter's

*At the head of the Lessons, references will be given to various works, where the Teacher may find interesting, useful, or sugges tive passages, the study of which may in some degree supply what he may feel to be wanting in the Lesson.

B

mother brought her chair into the pretty porch, and sat there, amongst the young green honeysuckle leaves, sewing, with her feet in the warm sunshine. Presently she heard little footsteps coming towards her, and Walter came and stood beside her.

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Mother," said he, "I have been trying to make a little boat of that round cork you gave me yesterday; I have hollowed it out with my knife, and put a large pin into it for a mast; and it floats, but I cannot make it keep upright; as soon as ever I begin to blow it along, it turns over, and the little sail gets wet, and I can't make it float upright again till it gets dry. Cousin William's little ship sails so nicely-why won't mine?"

Mother." It is not skilfully or cleverly made: I think that is the reason."

do

Walter.-Who made Cousin William's, mother? Mother.- "I do not know who made it; how you know that anybody made it?"

Walter." Why, mother! it could not make itself! There are the little hooks on purpose to hang the sails to,—and the pegs to keep the oars in the right places, and little ladders and ropes, and an anchor,-all made on purpose to look like a real ship. Oh, it is so nicely made-I'm sure