,the ,pearl of ,days4                   
8,the ,sundays of man's life1           
,threaded together on ,time's string1   
,make bracelets to adorn the wife       
,of the eternal glorious ,king4      ,on
 ,sundays heaven's door stands ope1     
,blessings are plentiful and rife1      
,more plentiful than hope40             
,,george ,,herbert4                     
,illustration                           
,,the                                   
,,pearl ,,of ,,days3                    
,,or1                        ,,the      
,,advantages ,,of ,,the ,,sabbath ,,to  
,,the ,,working ,,classes               
,,by ,a ,,labourer',s ,,daughter4       
,,with ,a ,,sketch ,,of ,,the           
,,author',s ,,life1 ,,by ,,herself1     
,,and                      ,a ,preface  
by an ,american ,clergyman4             
,,new-,,york3                   ,,edward
 ,h4 ,,fletcher1 #ada ,,nassau ,,street4
                                        
,,mdcccl4                               
,illustration                           

,,to ,,the                              
,queen's ,most ,excellent ,majesty3     
,madam--    ,humble as is this tribute  
of loyalty1 it is not without           
significance4  ,no sovereign ever       
presented stronger claims to the love   
and  allegiance of her industrious      
subjects2 and it tells how happy is our 
,constitution1 and how condescending is 
our ,monarch1 that pages written  by a  
labourer's daughter should find a       
,patron in the ,queen4    ,nor will the 
,tract itself be without its interest to
 your ,majesty1  to whose ,royal ,halls 
such glory is added by the piety1       
virtue1 and  domestic affections so     
often found in ,britain's lowliest      
homes4    ,this ,tract discusses the    
,temporal ,advantages of the ,sabbath   
,day4 ,the  same topic has recently     
engaged the pens of nearly a thousand   
working  men4 ,and it is not the least  
advantage of the ,lord's day1 that every
  labourer who learns to keep it holy is
 another peaceful citizen gained  to the

 community1 and another added to those  
best subjects who1 in  their weekly     
assemblies1 pray1 ,,god ,,save ,,the    
,,queen4                                
,i have the honour to be                
,your ,majesty's                        
,most obedient and very humble ,servant1
                                        
,,the ,,proposer ,,of ,,the ,,essay4    
,,july1 #ahdh4                          
,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,american         
,,edition4      ,i have been requested  
by the publisher to introduce this      
little volume  to the notice of         
,american readers4 8,,the ,,pearl ,,of  
,,days2 ,the ,advantages  of the        
,sabbath to the ,working ,classes4 ,by a
 ,labourer's ,daughter40 ,how  much is  
expressed in such a title-page6 ,does   
the book realize the hopes  which at    
once suggest themselves to the          
intelligent and benevolent mind8    ,to 
do this1 the book should indicate on the
 part of the author a  degree of        
cultivation not usual in her sphere of  

life1 and attest  this cultivation as   
the fruit of proper ,sabbath observance4
 ,and such  cannot fail to be the       
results to which every reader will      
arrive4 ,these  pages will reveal a mind
 of singular discipline and acuteness1  
of  large observation and much          
philosophical power1--a heart imbued    
with  sentiments of devout and cheerful 
piety1 contented with its lot on  earth1
 and looking for its better inheritance 
in heaven2--and all these  in necessary 
connection with a domestic training1 in 
which a labouring  man's cottage        
illustrates the true idea of the        
,christian ,sabbath4    ,i commend the  
8,pearl of ,days0 to readers of every   
class1 but  particularly ,i commend it  
,i4 ,,to ,,parents4 ,to them its ,sketch
 of the ,author's ,life will exhibit    
hints and illustrations pertaining to   
domestic discipline and  happiness1 such
 as convince by their wisdom1 and win by
 their beauty1  such as adapt themselves
 equally to the homes of princes and    

peasants1  and indicate the true methods
 of training children for any grade of  
life in which their lot may be cast4    
,,ii4 ,,to ,,the ,,friends ,,of ,,social
 ,,progress4 ,the evils of society have 
awakened the sympathy of the benevolent4
 ,the best methods of removing  them1   
especially of removing such as oppress  
the working classes1 are  subjects which
 everywhere task the thoughts of the    
wise and good4 ,let  all such sit at the
 feet of the ,labourer's ,daughter4 ,she
 has received  wisdom at the feet of    
,christ4 ,she teaches the true social   
regeneration4  ,philosophers1           
economists1 statesmen1 can develop no   
theories of  progress so certainly      
promising and assuring virtue1 order1   
industry1  plenty1 concord1 happiness4  
,,iii4 ,,to ,,the ,,working ,,classes   
,,themselves4 ,in ,america1 more than in
 any  other land on earth1 the working  
classes may work out for themselves an  
honourable destiny4 ,to a wide extent1  
these classes are conscious of  their   

opportunities4 ,many a mother in the hut
 of poverty presses her  child to her   
heart1 and anticipates for him a sphere 
of life higher  than her own4 ,how shall
 she place his feet in the path which   
leads to  it8 ,this question starts in  
her thoughts a thousand times4 ,here she
  may solve it4 ,asking a higher        
destiny1 the working classes cry1 8,who 
will show us any good80 ,and responses  
come back to them in numberless         
forms1--one telling them that their rise
 in the social scale is to  be secured  
by the triumph of a political party1 or 
by the success of  certain measures of  
public policy1--another bidding them    
seek relief  in 8,unions0 for the       
regulation of the wages of labour1 and  
for mutual  protection against the      
oppressions of employers--and another   
declaring  that their depression is the 
fruit of a false social organization1   
and  will find its remedy in the schemes
 of 8,association40 ,but these are not  
responses of wisdom and truth4 ,the     

labouring classes must work out  their  
own rise1 through their own intelligence
 and virtue4 ,intelligent  and virtuous1
 they will command respect2 they will be
 neither the dupes  of the designing1   
nor the slaves of the tyrannical4 ,on   
these points  they will find this little
 volume1 from one of their own class1   
full  of counsels gathered from the     
source of all truth4 ,let them ponder   
thoughtfully its pages4    ,i need not  
explain the occasion of the publication 
of this ,essay in  ,england4 ,that is   
sufficiently explained in the           
,introduction which  follows4 ,it has   
had a large circulation in that country1
 under the  patronage of the great and  
good1 and dedicated1 by her own cheerful
  permission1 to the excellent woman who
 sits upon the ,british throne1  and    
exalts her lofty position by her        
exemplary piety4 ,i cannot doubt  that  
the ,essay will be equally acceptable on
 this side of the water1  and as        
fruitful in beneficent influences4      

,new ,york1 ,nov4 #ae #ahdh4            
,,introduction4      ,the circumstances 
out of which the following ,essay1 with 
its  accompanying ,sketch of the        
,author's ,life1 originated1 are as     
remarkable  as they are deeply          
interesting and hopeful4 ,jealous for   
the honour of  ,god's ,sabbath1 which   
men of the world were periling--jealous 
for the  privileges to man conferred by 
the ,sabbath--jealous for the labouring 
man1 whose feelings respecting the      
,sabbath were often misrepresented  to  
his disadvantage1 a layman resolved to  
afford an opportunity for  the working  
classes to speak their own mind freely  
on the matter1 and  to bear their       
testimony to the blessings and          
privileges of the day1  and thereby to  
the glory of ,god1 the author and giver 
of it4 ,with  these views1 he put forth 
a proposal1 about the end of the year   
#ahdg1  offering three prizes--of #be1  
#ae1 and #aj1 respectively--for the     
three best ,essays on the subject1      

written by labouring men4 ,although     
this is the first instance upon record  
of persons of that class being  invited 
to become competitors in literature1 and
 for literary honours2  and although    
comparatively a very brief time was     
allowed for preparing  and sending in   
the ,essays1 yet three months--the first
 three of the  year #ahdh--sufficed to  
produce the astonishing number of more  
than  nine hundred and fifty            
compositions1 manifesting by the single 
fact1  without reference to the merits  
of these productions1 the wide-spread   
interest and deeply-rooted principles   
with which the holy day of ,god  is     
reverenced1 loved1 and honoured1 by the 
labouring people4    ,amongst the       
,essays received was one from a female1 
accompanied by a  letter1 which will be 
found at the conclusion of this         
,introduction1  and which the reader    
will peruse with interest1 as indicating
 the  habitual tone of ,divine and      
filial piety which pervades the mind of 

the writer4 ,the ,essay itself was found
 to be correspondent in tone and  spirit
 with the letter4 ,it is1 indeed1 a     
composition of no ordinary  kind1       
whether we regard the source from whence
 it came1 the instructive  matter it    
contains1 or the manner in which the    
materials are worked  up in the         
composition1 and the diction in which   
they are expressed4  ,the ,adjudicators1
 although1 in faithfulness to the other 
competitors1  constrained to lay it     
aside1 as the work of a female1 yet felt
 at the  same time that it was a        
production which ought not to be        
withheld  from the world1 and that it   
was a duty as much to humanity as to    
the talented writer herself1 not to     
suffer it to return to privacy  and     
forgetfulness4 ,it was1 therefore1      
proposed to her to allow of  its        
publication1 independently of the       
forthcoming ,prize ,essays when         
adjudged1 and she was requested1 at the 
same time1 to write a sketch  of her    

life to prefix to the ,essay when       
published4 ,in both of these  proposals 
she willingly acquiesced2 and the reader
 has before him two  equally remarkable 
and interesting compositions1 the ,essay
 and the  ,sketch4#a    #a ,it may be   
proper to state1 that in preparing the  
,essay and  ,sketch for publication1 no 
liberty has been taken with the author's
  composition1 farther than to render   
the language correct4 ,for the          
satisfaction of any persons who may wish
 to see the manuscript1 it can  be      
inspected at the publishers4--,,ed4     
,to an ordinary mind the preparation of 
the latter would have been even  more   
difficult than the former4 ,here was the
 opportunity for and  danger of egotism4
 ,but here also was the opportunity for 
the exhibition  and proof of real       
talent1 and of genuine piety4 ,to sink  
self1 and  to elevate principles1 should
 be the sole object of autobiography4   
,to effect this in a sketch is even more
 difficult than in a tale of  life4 ,it 

requires the hand of a master to give   
off with the pencil  those few but      
telling touches that convert surface    
into substance1 and  place on the blank 
void forms of life1 and grace1 and      
comeliness4 ,and  no less talent does it
 demand to portray in words those       
truthful and  instructive scenes which  
the homes of the godly present1 amid    
which our  authoress lived and was      
nourished1 and of which it may justly be
 said  that she is herself one of their 
noblest ornaments4    ,our authoress has
 learned by experience1 and has ably    
developed in her  sketch1 some of the   
most useful and valuable lessons of     
life4 ,one of  these is beautifully and 
powerfully given in the following words3
 8,how  often are opportunities of doing
 small acts of kindness and usefulness  
let slip1 while we are sighing over our 
narrow sphere and our limited  means of 
serving ,god or benefiting man60 ,would 
it not be a melancholy  and unwholesome 
sentimentality that should sit down and 

lament over  itself as having no space  
capacious enough for its designs1 and no
  arena worthy of its visions1 instead  
of contenting itself with the many      
common opportunities of doing good which
 every-day life supplies8 ,it  may      
sound1 indeed1 well to sigh over oneself
 in such circumstances1        8,full   
many a flower is born to blush unseen1  
,and waste its sweetness on the desert  
air20    and1 by appropriating the idea 
to our own condition1 hug ourselves with
  the fancy that we would1 if we might1 
make ourselves widely useful  in our    
generation2 but far nobler1 surely1 and 
far more worthy of our  imitation1 is   
the devout and holy thought expressed in
 the following  stanza3        8,the    
trivial round1 the common task1         
,should furnish all we ought to ask2    
,room to deny ourselves2 a road      ,to
 bring us1 daily1 nearer ,god40    ,how 
admirably are brought out1 in every part
 of this ,sketch1 some of  those lessons
 most profitable for the wife and the   

mother to practise6  ,what a valuable   
one1 for example1 is this6 ,my mother   
8used to say that  it was disagreeable  
and improper to be bustling about while 
father was  within2 and when he was gone
 out1 the work must be done up40 ,oh    
that  wives and mothers understood and  
practised this wisely and well6 ,what   
different scenes would the cottager's   
home present if they did6 ,how  many a  
man would be saved from the alehouse    
fireside1 where comfort and  convenience
 are studied to seduce him into sin1 if 
wives and mothers  would but so order   
their households that when the father   
returns his  coming shall be welcomed by
 cleanliness and peace1 and his home    
shall  be made to him the most blessed  
and grateful place that he can find6    
,what a beautiful family picture is this
 whole ,sketch6 ,no wonder that  our    
authoress is capable of being such a    
daughter1 when she has had  such a      
mother to instruct her4 ,think1 reader1 
of the child repeating  her lessons     

beside the wash-tub1 and gleaning the   
rudiments of learning  in so simple a   
school1 and from such a preceptor2 and  
then turn to  the pages of this ,sketch 
and ,essay1 and as you read1 and admire1
 and  wonder1 as you must1 adore humbly 
as you ought1 and exclaim1 ,what hath   
,god wrought6 ,it is ,his work4 ,it is  
the edifying effect and power of ,his   
grace4 ,to ,him be all the glory and the
 praise6                                
,,letter ,,referred ,,to ,,in ,,page    
#ae4     8,,sir1--,i have thought it    
unnecessary to inquire whether a female 
might   be permitted to enter among the 
competitors for the prizes offered   in 
your advertisement4 ,the subject of the 
,essay is of equal interest   to woman  
as to man2 and this being the case1 ,i  
have looked upon your   restriction as  
merely confining this effort to the     
working classes4   ,whether ,i judge    
rightly or not1 matters but little2 the 
effort ,i   have made to gather a few   
thoughts together upon this subject will

   at least be of use to myself2 and    
should you consider these sheets   as   
containing any thoughts of value1 they  
are at your disposal4   ,they cannot be 
expected to be free from errors1 both in
 diction and   orthography1 as this is  
the first effort of the kind ,i have    
ever made2   and ,i may say ,i am one of
 those who never enjoyed the advantage  
of   attending school in early days1    
except for two years1 or rather for     
one2 for it was but for two years that  
one of my sisters and myself   attended 
a sewing-school alternately2 one of us  
remaining at home   one week1 to assist 
mother with household labour1 or in     
attending to   the younger children1 and
 going to school next week1 while the   
other   remained at home4 ,since that   
time ,i have been constantly occupied in
   household labour1 either in my       
father's house1 or as a servant in      
other families2 and thus ,i may truly   
say1 that all the education ,i   have   
enjoyed1 was received at the fireside of

 hard-working parents4   ,while memory  
lasts ,i shall never forget the         
indefatigable exertions of   our beloved
 mother to impart intelligence to our   
minds1 and implant   moral principle in 
her children4 ,how we used to enjoy our 
,sabbaths6   ,when our father bent his  
knees1 with his children around1 on the 
morning of the ,lord's day1 how         
fervently he used to thank the ,father  
of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ for its     
blessed hours6 ,that father is gone     
from among his children2 but his voice  
yet falls upon my ear1 and his   form   
yet rises before my eye1 as upon the    
first day of the week he   used to read 
to us the sacred page1 and lead our     
devotions40                             
,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,author',s ,,life4 
,the following sketch of my past        
history1 which1 at your request1  ,i    
furnish1 can be of little interest or   
value1 any farther than  perhaps leading
 the minds of ,christian parents        
properly to estimate  the importance of 

the duties devolving upon them1 and     
begetting a  higher appreciation of the 
value of the weekly rest1 as affording  
an opportunity to all ,christians1      
however poor their circumstances1  or   
laborious their employment1 of imparting
 instruction to their  offspring4 ,it   
may tend also to show that no ,christian
 mother1 with  the ,bible in her hand1  
and possessing the power of reading and 
understanding the blessed truths it     
reveals1 can plead excuse if  she allow 
her children to grow up in ignorance of 
those truths1 the  knowledge of which   
would lead them in safety and happiness 
through all  the temptations to which   
youth is exposed in this world of folly 
and  wickedness4    ,if she properly    
estimates the importance of the         
blessings imparted by  the knowledge of 
,god1 and really feels the power of the 
love of ,god in  her own heart1 poverty 
may surround her1 the pressure of       
domestic cares  may lie heavily upon    
her1 or she may be engaged in the most  

menial and  laborious employment1 but1  
in the midst of all this1 she will find 
opportunity to awaken and enlighten the 
young minds of her offspring4  ,it is   
the duty of ,christian parents1 in      
whatever situation in life1 to  train up
 their children in the nurture and      
admonition of the ,lord2 and  it is a   
duty which they can entrust to no one   
else without a direct  violation of the 
command of their ,saviour1 and incurring
 a fearful risk  as regards the         
well-being of their children4    ,is it 
not a strange sight1 to see a ,christian
 parent so deeply involved  in business1
 so engrossed with the cares of this    
life1 or so occupied  with other        
matters1 however important1 that he is  
compelled to entrust  the moral and     
religious training of his children to a 
hireling8--a  preacher so much engaged  
in proclaiming the ,gospel to sinners in
 the  world1 that he has no time to lead
 his own little ones to the feet of     
,jesus8--a father so occupied with the  

improvement of his neighbours1  with    
,sabbath-schools1 prayer and class      
meetings1 or evening lectures  and      
sermons1 that he has no leisure to lead1
 in proper season1 the  devotions of his
 own little circle at home8 ,such a man 
substitutes  his own way for the will of
 ,god2 and1 in so far as he does so1 the
  consequences will be seen in the      
future character of his children2 and   
even he himself will suffer loss in the 
health of his own soul4    ,parents1    
with the ,bible in their hands1 and the 
word of ,god hidden  in their hearts1   
having the blessed hours of ,sabbath    
rest as their  birthright1 however      
humble their circumstances or toilsome  
their life1  can never be entirely      
destitute of an opportunity for training
 and  instructing their offspring4      
,in glancing back on the years of       
childhood1 and tracing the influences   
which have surrounded me through youth1 
,i am convinced1 that1 in so  far as my 
mind has been awakened to intelligence1 

and my character  formed to virtue1     
under ,god1 ,i owe all to my parents1   
but especially  to my mother3 her       
earnest and indefatigable exertions1 in 
the face of  difficulties which would   
have deterred any common mind from      
attempting  such a task1 together with  
her ceaseless watchfulness1 secured for 
us  such an amount of knowledge1 and    
formed in us such habits1 as raised  us 
above the temptations which usually     
beset youth in the humble walks  of     
life4 ,while the constant necessity     
existed1 as soon as we were able  to do 
anything--for all our exertions toward  
the support of the family  allowed us   
little time to cultivate acquaintances1 
whether injurious or  beneficial--our   
mother's constant endeavour was1 even   
through the very  early years of        
childhood1 to keep our hands and heads  
fully employed4    ,memory carries me   
back to a period when my parents1 with  
five little  ones around them1 tenanted 
an obscure garret in the outskirts of   

one  of the principal towns of          
,scotland4 ,by some of those            
vicissitudes  common to all1 my father  
was1 at this time1 out of employment2   
hardships were endured1 pinching want   
sometimes visited their fireside4  ,of  
these things ,i have heard1 but have no 
recollection of them1 as ,i  could not  
then be much more than four years old4  
,yet a shadowy vision  sometimes rises  
before me of a broad paved street1 along
 which ,i was  running on before our    
father in joyful haste1 that ,i might be
 the first  to apprise mother that the  
meeting was dismissed2 but as to whether
  the place of assembly we had just left
 was an upper chamber where a  handful  
of disciples met together1 or a large   
and fashionable edifice1  memory        
supplies nothing4 ,a dim dreary scene1  
too1 sometimes passes  before me of some
 back yard or lane where ,i was standing
 with my hand  in my father's1 gazing   
with childish delight1 and1 at the same 
time1  with a feeling of awe and        

admiration1 upon the starry heavens4 ,i 
know  not what1 at that moment1 led my  
eye to the bright scene over head2 nor  
yet what fixed these two incidents of my
 childhood so indelibly upon my  memory1
 for they are associated1 in my mind1   
with nothing particular  of which ,i    
ever heard any one speak2 but they are  
almost the only  recollections ,i have  
of the short time spent in this place4  
,i think that before this time ,i must  
have been pretty far advanced  in       
reading1 as ,i have no remembrance of   
ever learning1 or having any  difficulty
 with common books4 ,our father1 at the 
time alluded to1 was  exerting himself  
to find a settled situation as a        
gardener1 and1 in  the mean time1 taking
 whatever work he could get in the small
 gardens  in the neighbourhood4 ,he was 
soon noticed as an active and tasteful  
gardener1 and received into the         
employment of a gentleman whose         
property lay in that part of ,scotland  
known by the name of ,strathmore1  or   

8the great valley40    ,the dwelling we 
now entered was very pleasantly situated
 near a river  called the ,south ,esk1  
which flows through that part of the    
country4  ,between it and the highway   
was a large field1 with a belt of trees 
on the side next the house2 on the other
 side lay the garden2 while  beneath the
 garden1 stretching to the river1 was   
what we used to call  the haugh1 a flat 
little meadow4    ,our dwelling in      
appearance was not unlike one of those  
houses which are  tenanted by farmers in
 the south-east of ,scotland4 ,its      
dimensions1 its  blue slated roof1 and  
its smooth grass plot1 encircled with a 
gravel  walk before the door1 bespoke it
 the abode1 if not of affluence1 at     
least of competence4 ,it had not1 when  
planned1 been intended as the  abode of 
a servant1 but as a residence for the   
proprietor's mother1  who having been   
removed by death1 we were permitted to  
occupy it4  ,had the reader visited that
 spot in the spring of the year1 when   

the  young plantations were arrayed in  
bright green1 the music of wild  birds  
welcoming the morning1 while the        
cowslip1 the meadow-crocus1  and the    
primrose studded the banks1 and the     
butter-ball1 the wild  geranium1 and    
numberless flowers besides1 were        
shooting up amid the  tangled maze of   
yellow whins and broom1 wild rose1 and  
scented sweet  brier1 which covered that
 little haugh2 or had he sauntered down 
to  the river1 walked along the pebbles 
on its shore1 and seen the little  trout
 sparkling in the sunbeam as it leaped  
at the insects that sported  upon the   
surface of the water1 he would have     
called it a pleasant  dwelling-place4   
,it was indeed a sunny spot1 and the gay
 children who  used to ramble at will   
amid its beauties1 were as happy a      
little band  as could have been found4  
,yet1 freely though they wandered among 
the surrounding pleasure  grounds1 they 
were carefully taught to avoid putting  
their foot in an  improper place1 or    

setting forth a hand to injure shrub or 
tree2 and  this in itself was calculated
 to form and strengthen in us a habit of
  self-restraint4 ,even in infancy our  
parents began our moral training2  a    
prompt and cheerful submission to       
parental authority was the first  habit 
they sought to form2 and this once      
accomplished1 the instruction  and      
training of youth are comparatively     
easy4 ,as soon as we became  capable of 
understanding the reasons which         
influenced them in their  conduct       
towards us1 we were taught that our     
parents were the guardians  placed over 
us by our ,creator1 in his kind care for
 our welfare1 and  that it was his will1
 that to them we should in all things   
cheerfully  submit ourselves without    
hesitation or murmuring4    ,i have     
often thought1 when ,i have seen        
children allowed to demand a  reason for
 every trifling order1 numerous reasons 
and excuses having to  be discussed1 and
 thus a long altercation entered into   

between parent  and child1 in the shape 
of reasoning1 before a lesson could be  
attended  to1 or the most trivial       
command obeyed1 what an incalculable    
amount of  evil is done to children by  
such treatment6 ,not only is time       
wasted1  but self-will is fostered1 and 
a habit of tardy performance of duty    
induced4    ,few parents seem to        
comprehend how soon even a very young   
child may be  made to understand such   
language as this3 ,god1 who lives in    
heaven1  made us all2 he gave mother her
 little son that ,i might take care of  
him1 be kind to him1 and teach him to be
 good4 ,he says little children  must   
obey father and mother1 and he would be 
angry with me and punish  me if ,i      
allowed my boy to be naughty and        
disobedient4 ,such language  firmly and 
kindly spoken by a parent1 even to a    
very young child1  and steadily and     
consistently acted upon1 will very soon 
subdue the  self-will of the most       
wayward1 and thus render future training

 easy to  both parent and child4        
,such was1 in principle1 the training to
 which we were subjected in  our early  
years4 ,obedience--immediate1 cheerful  
obedience1 and the  strictest regard to 
truth1 lay at the foundation of all our 
other  training4 ,a thousand little     
follies1 mistakes1 and even graver      
faults  might be passed over1 but       
disobedience and falsehood were         
unpardonable4  ,yet there was nothing of
 sternness or severity in the conduct of
 our  parents towards us4 ,perhaps no   
mother ever lavished more fond caresses 
upon her children1 or exerted herself   
more to make their time pass  happily1  
and no father was ever more anxious to  
secure the comfort and  happiness of his
 family4    ,pleasantly did the days and
 hours pass over us1 during our         
residence  in this secluded spot3 there 
was no school within reach1 and if there
  had1 our father's small income would  
not have allowed our education to  be   
paid for1 without greatly diminishing   

the comforts of the family2  therefore1 
it had to be attended to at home4 ,one  
by one1 we used  to take our place      
beside our mother1 read a short lesson1 
have the  larger words explained to us1 
when our mother would take the book and 
read it over again slowly and           
distinctly1 that we might the better    
understand what we had been reading2 and
 then we were at liberty to  indulge in 
active and healthful amusement1 or we   
were engaged in some  useful and        
necessary employment4 ,four times a day1
 usually1 each of  us had our short     
lesson2 and if it be considered that the
 whole of  the labour of the house      
devolved upon our mother1 it will be    
believed  that this could be no light   
task2 nothing1 however1 was allowed to  
interrupt our lessons3 and it was no    
uncommon thing to see her busy  at the  
washing-tub while we by turns took our  
place beside her2 one  child would be   
found attending to the baby1 another    
gathering sticks  and keeping the fire  

alive1 a third engaged in reading1 and a
 fourth  bringing water from a pure1    
soft spring1 at some distance from the  
house2 while our eldest brother assisted
 father in the garden4    ,our morning  
lesson was usually from the ,scriptures1
 but throughout the  day from other     
books4 ,our parents were1 themselves1 as
 eager to obtain  knowledge as they were
 anxious to impart it to us4 ,an hour   
was allowed  for meals3 when our father 
came to breakfast or dinner1 as soon as 
the  repast was finished1 7and a working
 man in health does not usually  loiter 
over his meals17 our mother used to read
 aloud till the hour was  finished1     
either with the youngest child upon her 
knee1 or1 if it was  in the cradle1     
knitting while she read4 ,she used to   
say1 that it was  disagreeable and      
improper to be bustling about while     
father was within2  and when he was gone
 out1 the work must be done up4    ,at  
these times1 books of every kind that   
came to hand were read1  unless1 indeed1

 there was in their language or morality
 something very  bad4 ,nor were any of  
us1 so far as ,i recollect1 ever        
restricted in our  reading2 books of all
 kinds1 which came within our reach1    
were free to  us4 ,some may be disposed 
to condemn this laxity1 as they may     
consider  it2 but with the limited means
 our parents possessed of purchasing    
books1 and being far distant from any   
town or village where they might  have  
had a choice from a library1 it was not 
strange that all that by  any means came
 to hand should be eagerly perused3     
books were not then  so plentiful1 nor  
so various1 as at present4    ,well do  
,i remember my brother finding a torn   
leaf of a little  school-book in a bush 
in the haugh--it had been caught there  
when the  stream was swollen by heavy   
rains4 ,what a prize it was6 one by one1
  we committed it to memory1 while      
stretched upon the daisied sward1       
during the sunny hours of a summer      
,sabbath-day2 and ,i do not believe     

that there is one of the young group who
 then learned the beautiful  hymn that  
stray leaf contained1 who does not      
retain its simple words  indelibly      
impressed upon the memory1 and feel in a
 renewed heart the  influences of the   
blessed truths taught in its lines4 ,it 
was the hymn  beginning1        8,among 
the deepest shades of night1      ,can  
there be ,one who sees my way80    ,if  
our parents' plan of reading1 and       
allowing us to read1 all that  came in  
the way1 had any danger in it1 it was in
 our case counteracted  by the free     
conversation about what was read1 which 
usually followed1  and by the duty      
constantly inculcated1 and practised by 
themselves1 of  reading and searching   
the ,scriptures as the standard by which
 every  practice1 principle and opinion1
 in religion or morality1 must be       
tested4 ,we were taught to view the     
,bible as the words of an infallible    
,teacher1 by which the instructions of  
every other were to be tried1  and only 

to be received in so far as they were in
 accordance with this  heaven-descended 
guide3 we were1 thus early1 led to      
analyse what we  read1 to exercise our  
understandings upon whatever came in our
 way1 and  to receive nothing as truth1 
until it had been put to the test of the
  ,divine word4    ,our ,sabbaths were  
our happiest days2 we were near no place
 of public  worship--not so near1 at    
least1 as to permit any of the children 
often to attend4 ,as soon as we were    
dressed and had breakfasted1  family    
prayer was attended to1 and then our    
father would point out  some hymn or    
passage of ,scripture which he wished us
 to learn1 when  we would sally forth1  
book in hand1 in different directions1  
one to  stretch himself upon the soft   
grass in the field close by1 another  to
 pace backward and forward on the       
pleasure walk1 or to find a seat  in the
 bough of an old bushy tree2 while      
another would seek a little             
summer-house our father had made of     

heather1 and seated round with  the     
twisted boughs of the glossy birch1 each
 reading aloud till the  allotted lesson
 was thoroughly fixed upon our minds4   
,if the day was  wet1 or if it was the  
winter season1 we would gather around   
the table  by the window4 ,during the   
afternoon1 mother would read to us1 or  
all  of us1 father and mother included1 
read by turns2 questions were then      
asked1 and conversation entered into1   
about what we had been reading4         
,illustration3                          
,see page #dj    ,it was upon one of    
these occasions1 when some remarks made 
by one of  my parents in endeavouring to
 call our attention to the truth that   
we must be changed1 renewed in the image
 of ,god2 or1 to take up the  simple    
figurative expression then made use of1 
that we must have new  hearts1 else we  
never could be happy with our ,father in
 heaven1 that  an impression was made   
upon my mind1 never to be effaced3 from 
that  hour1 through all my follies and  

all my waywardness1 the thought of  that
 new heart still haunted me1 until ,i   
indeed found peace with ,god  through   
,jesus ,christ1 and felt the renewing   
power of the truth of ,god4    ,viewing 
the practice of allowing children to    
consider their lessons as  a part of    
their amusement1 as pernicious in its   
tendency1 as calculated  to induce a    
habit of trifling with serious things1  
and to form a giddy1  frivolous         
character1 our parents never permitted  
anything like levity  in attending to   
our lessons2 we never were allowed to   
consider them  as a recreation1 but as  
serious1 though cheerful employment1    
which  must never be trifled with1 but  
seriously and earnestly engaged in4  ,a 
uniform veneration for the word of ,god 
was evinced by themselves1  and if we   
read or repeated any part of it1 we were
 taught to do so  seriously2 if a hymn  
was recited1 or any piece in which the  
name of  our ,creator might occur1 we   
were accustomed to do so in a solemn and

  attentive manner4    ,we had been     
about six years in this place1 when my  
father's master  died1 and his lady     
kindly recommended him to her brother1  
who was in  want of a gardener4 ,we now 
removed to the east of ,scotland2 and   
our  dwelling1 until the death of the   
former gardener1 who was laid aside  by 
age1 was two rooms1 rented for us1 in   
the adjoining village4 ,about  two years
 after our arrival1 his decease allowed 
us to remove to what  was to us a       
pleasanter abode1 as being a little more
 secluded1 but  otherwise possessing    
little advantage4 ,there1 several of us 
attended  a female school1 supported by 
the lady1 for the instruction of the    
children of servants upon the estate4   
,our attendance1 from various causes1   
was by no means regular2 the  necessity 
for one of us remaining at home1 to     
assist our mother1  prevented regular   
attendance1 and the change from a dry   
inland  situation1 to a low1 damp       
locality1 upon the east coast1 so       

affected  our health1 that1 for many    
years1 the spring of the year turned our
  dwelling almost into an hospital4 ,the
 loss of time and expense incident  upon
 sickness1 in our circumstances1 were   
keenly felt2 however1  experience       
gradually taught us how to manage       
sickness without so much  medical       
attendance as we at first required4 ,my 
brothers procured  employment in the    
neighbourhood1 and ,i entered the house 
of my father's  master4    ,i had little
 relish for the society ,i was thrown   
into in this place2  all my habits and  
pursuits were at entire variance with   
what my  fellow-servants practised2     
though the light of the ,gospel had not 
yet  entered my mind--it was only       
struggling for an entrance4    ,when ,i 
now look back to that period of mental  
conflict1 ,i am convinced  that my      
darkness and difficulty arose1 not from 
any mystery thrown  around the beautiful
 simplicity of the ,gospel by my        
teachers1 but that  ,i entertained a    

secret unwillingness to yield up my own 
will1 and my  own wishes2 my heart was  
divided--,i was striving to serve ,god  
and  ,mammon2 the love of the world1 and
 the things of the world1 shut out  the 
light of the glorious ,gospel2 and it   
was not till my heart was  subdued by   
the love of ,god1 till ,i became willing
 to do1 or be1 or  submit to1 anything  
which ,god required1 that ,i found      
peace--then ,i saw  ,god as my ,father  
in ,jesus1 receiving me freely1 through 
him2 the burden  of guilt was removed1  
and ,i was led in the paths of obedience
 by love4    ,i had been a few years in 
my situation1 when my mother's health   
being  very much impaired1 ,i felt it my
 duty to return home4 ,there were  now  
ten of us1 besides our father and       
mother3 my eldest brother was  employed 
in the garden2 my second worked with a  
tradesman in the  neighbourhood2 and two
 of my sisters were employed in the     
family ,i  had left2 while five younger 
brothers and sisters were at school4    

,the  eldest of these was soon after    
engaged by the village teacher as his   
assistant4    ,when at home1 our        
,sabbaths were spent much in the same   
manner as  formerly1 only we had now the
 opportunity of attending public        
worship2  and instead of merely         
conversing1 we had begun to try and     
commit our  thoughts to writing4 ,our   
parents would request us to state our   
reasons  for certain parts of our       
belief1 or our ideas of the meaning of  
certain  passages of ,scripture2 we     
would also1 often exert ourselves to    
give  expression to our thoughts in a   
verse or two of poetry4 ,at these       
times1 several of us would apply our    
minds to one subject1 and it was        
interesting to observe the different    
forms our thoughts would assume4    ,our
 mother's health was re-established1 and
 our circle of acquaintance  widened1   
but not much1 for few in the same walk  
in life as ourselves  sympathized with  
us in our pursuits1 and we had as little

 relish  for theirs3 our time fully     
occupied1 we never felt the power of the
  temptations to evil to which young    
persons1 in the same circumstances1  are
 usually exposed3 we had been carefully 
taught in early childhood1  that        
8,satan finds some mischief still1      
,for idle hands to do20    and idle     
empty hearts1 too1 he will fill with sin
 and folly4 ,i firmly  believe1 that the
 only safety from temptation in this    
world of sin1  in this state of         
weakness1 is to have our hearts full of 
the love of  ,god1 our understandings   
enlightened by the truth of ,god1 and   
our hands  actively engaged in whatever 
useful employment the providence of ,god
  places within our reach2 never sighing
 over our limited opportunities  of     
doing good1 never repining that we are  
not placed in situations1 and  endowed  
with talents to do and suffer great     
things for the cause of  ,christ1 or    
fretting1 because our opportunities of  
improvement are few  and small4    ,this

 has been my most besetting sin1 and the
 most powerful temptation  to which ,i  
have been exposed2 and1 so far as it has
 prevailed1 it  has lessened my         
usefulness1 and retarded my improvement4
 ,could  we comprehend how great is the 
blessedness of being permitted to  be   
fellow-workers with ,god1 we should not 
thus trifle with the  opportunities     
afforded us of doing what we can2 but   
feeling that we are  called to an honour
 and felicity far above anything we can 
deserve1  eagerly seize the slightest1  
if it be but to whisper a word of truth 
in  the ear of the poorest child1 to    
lure on and assist some ignorant one  to
 spell out and understand a passage1 a  
phrase1 or even a word of the  book of  
,god1 or even to minister to the comfort
 and happiness of those  around us in   
the things of this life4 ,thus our      
,father in heaven stooped  to lavish    
kindness and care upon man's mortal     
frame1 to throw the  sweets of summer at
 his feet1 and hang the luxuries of     

autumn overhead1  to enamel the field1  
to paint the flower1 and carve the leaf2
 and  shall we disdain to lay hold of   
every opportunity of ministering in the 
slightest degree1 or in the humblest    
way1 to the comfort and enjoyment  of   
those around us8 ,and yet how often are 
opportunities of doing small  acts of   
kindness and usefulness let slip1 while 
we are sighing over our  narrow sphere  
and our limited means of serving ,god1  
or benefiting man6    ,for a            
considerable time our family circle was 
unbroken2 however1 by the  marriage1 at 
different times1 of four members of the 
family1 six only  remained around our   
parents4 ,sorrow might have had a       
resting-place in  the bosoms of some of 
that family circle1 but to the eye of   
lookers-on  they were happy as ever4    
,but change1 death1 and sorrow were to  
come4  ,our beloved father was suddenly 
and unexpectedly removed from among us1 
and a long course of illness in the     
family followed on his departure4       

,illness prevented for a time our       
removal from the abode which had so     
long sheltered us1 and where we had     
spent so many happy days4    ,at this   
time1 however1 we all recovered2 but    
shortly after our removal  to another   
residence1 five of us were again        
prostrated by fever1 and  our youngest  
sister--our gentle1 quiet1 affectionate 
sister1 she who  lived but for the      
happiness of those around her--was      
removed4    ,i am now residing with     
three sisters and our youngest brother1 
under  the roof of our widowed mother2  
other two relatives live with us1 and   
,i am still engaged in my old occupation
 of managing the house1 which ,i  have  
never quitted since ,i returned on      
account of my mother's health1  except  
for about two years1 when ,i was in the 
service of others4    ,many sources of  
enjoyment and comfort have been removed2
 but the spring  to which our beloved   
and revered parents led us in our early 
years1  that fountain whence issued our 

sweetest and purest enjoyments1 is      
still open to us1 even the well of      
living waters which never can be  dried 
up2 and though those loved ones are     
departed1 and we cannot  but feel the   
loss of their society1 we are happy in  
the hope of soon  meeting them1 where   
there are pleasures for evermore4       
,religion--the  knowledge of ,god--has  
been to us our strength and our         
happiness1 the  source of all we have   
enjoyed worth calling enjoyment3 it has 
been the  sunshine which1 in the hour of
 prosperity1 has made earth fair unto us
  as the bowers of ,eden2 and when the  
darkness of adversity encompassed  us1  
it has been the star whose beaming      
indicated the approach of the  morning's
 brightness4                            
,,the ,,pearl ,,of ,,days4              
,illustration      ,man is not left1    
even in this state of existence1 like   
the lower  animals1 to draw his chief   
happiness from the indulgence of his    
appetites1 or to be led by the blind1   

but unerring impulse of  instinct1 to   
his chief good4 ,he is endowed with     
reasoning powers  and moral sentiments1 
which require to be enlightened and     
exercised1  in order to their proper    
direction and healthful development4    
,his  happiness is as inseparably       
connected with the cultivation and      
exercise  of the faculties of his mind1 
as it is with the healthful development 
and proper exercise of his bodily       
organs4 ,we meet with abundant proof  of
 this in the state of savage tribes1 who
 shelter themselves in  clay-built      
hovels1 wrap themselves in the skins of 
beasts1 and obtain  a precarious        
subsistence from the scanty produce of  
the uncultivated  ground1 or the flesh  
of wild animals4 ,if we compare their   
means of  sustaining life1 their sources
 of enjoyment1 their religious worship1 
their daily habits1 and their daily     
labours1 in a word1 their whole  state1 
with the state of a civilized and       
enlightened community--even  could we   

bring ourselves to look upon man as     
merely an intelligent and  improvable   
animal1 formed exclusively for this     
present life--we are  irresistibly led  
to the conclusion1 that whatever tends  
to elevate or  refine his nature1 to    
give to his reasoning faculties and his 
moral  sentiments a controlling power   
over his appetites and propensities1  is
 of vast importance to his well-being4  
,it guards him from evils to  which1    
while his animal nature is left without 
due restraint from his  higher faculties
 and sentiments1 he is exposed1 opens to
 him sources  of enjoyment1 and         
discovers supplies1 of which1 while his 
intellectual  nature is uncultivated1 he
 is incapable of availing himself4      
,the labour to which1 in the present    
state of society1 the majority  of the  
working population of our country is    
subjected1 in order  to obtain their    
subsistence1 is of that incessant and   
tasking  nature1 which1 when the daily  
hours of toil are closed1 leaves the    

system too much exhausted for mental    
application or intellectual  enjoyment4 
,hence1 among those of the labouring    
classes who are not  led by religious   
principle to avail themselves of the    
opportunities  for self-improvement     
which the weekly rest affords1 we find1 
with  comparatively few exceptions1 low 
and degrading pursuits the principal    
sources of their amusement2 while their 
highest enjoyments are derived  from the
 gratification of their appetites and   
propensities4 ,nor is  this strange2 no 
one who has for any considerable length 
of time been  subjected to severe and   
unremitting toil1 whose employment      
called for  the exertion of his muscular
 power till real fatigue ensued1 will   
deny1  that1 while in such a state1 man 
is equally incapable of availing        
himself of the more refined pleasure of 
social intercourse1 or of the           
improvement to be derived from mental   
application2 that the craving is  for   
animal gratification1 or nervous        

excitement2 and that a continued        
routine of such labour1 without the     
seventh-day rest1 would soon sink  the  
labouring population into a condition   
worse than that of absolute  barbarism4 
,this is no merely speculative theory2  
we have only to enter  into social      
intercourse with those around us1 to    
meet with more than  abundant proofs of 
its reality4    ,were it possible1 then1
 to view man as only formed for this    
world--as  a mere link in the chain of  
causation--doing his little part1       
enjoying  his brief existence1 and then 
reduced again to his original elements1 
passing away alike forgetting and       
forgotten2 and were we to regard  the   
,sabbath as merely a civil institution1 
the appointment of human  government2   
even thus separated from all its        
religious relations1 it  would1 were it 
possible for man destitute of the       
knowledge of ,god1 to  improve the      
opportunities afforded by it1 confer    
benefits upon working  men which they   

could not otherwise obtain4 ,the        
,sabbath limits1 to some  extent1 the   
power of employers1 whom selfishness and
 avarice1 in not a  few instances1 have 
rendered alike regardless of the comfort
 and the  health of their servants2 and 
secures to those whose daily avocations 
require their absence from the family   
circle1 the pleasures and the  comforts 
of home2 the softening and refining     
influence of family  relations and      
domestic intercourse4 ,its rest         
refreshes and invigorates  the physical 
constitution1 and affords time to apply 
the mind to the  attainment of useful   
knowledge3 it ought therefore to command
 the  respect of all who are sincerely  
desirous of promoting the improvement   
of the working population4    ,but it is
 impossible thus to regard man4 ,man has
 a spiritual1  never-dying1 as surely as
 he has an animal and mortal nature1    
which  act and re-act upon each other1  
so that the well-being of the one is    
essential to the well-being of the      

other4 ,he1 therefore1 who would        
confine man's views to this world1 and  
limit his endeavours after  happiness to
 the present life1 snatches from him1   
along with the hopes  of the future1 the
 riches of the present4 ,debarred from  
his ,father's  house and his ,father's  
table1 he will soon be wallowing in the 
mire of  ignorance and vice1 and feeding
 on the husks of sensual indulgence4 ,he
  who chains man to continuous and      
unremitting exertion of his physical    
system1 unfits his mind for activity1   
and degrades him to a condition  little 
above that of a beast of burden4 ,the   
,sabbath1 then1 must be  viewed in its  
relation to every part of man's nature1 
in its influence  upon him as a whole1  
before we can fully appreciate even the 
merely  temporal benefits it is         
calculated to confer upon the human     
family4    ,some have said1 that another
 arrangement would be more              
beneficial1--that1 were more time for   
repose allotted to each day  without a  

,sabbath1 the purposes of ,sabbath rest 
would be more fully  attained4 ,were the
 ,sabbath a human institution1 appointed
 by earthly  legislators1 for purposes  
relating to this life1 this point might 
be  open to discussion4 ,as it is not   
the institution of man1 however1 but    
that of our all-wise ,creator1 ,i shall 
merely ask those who advocate  such a   
change1 how they propose to bring it    
about8 and how preserve  it1 when once  
obtained8 ,is it not that the ,sabbath  
claims to be an  institution of ,heaven1
 and thus laying hold of man's          
conscience1  ensures attention to its   
demands from all who fear ,god and      
tremble at  his word--is it not its     
appearing in this character which       
secures to it  any degree of attention  
and respect from society8 ,it is the    
influences  of the ,sabbath which will  
yet introduce a better regulated system 
of  labour during the week2 and he who  
would abolish it as a step towards  such
 an improvement1 flings away the most   

safe and certain means of  accomplishing
 his object4    ,it is only by the      
advancement of the labouring classes    
themselves in  intelligence and         
civilization1 that any really important 
or beneficial  change can ever take     
place in the regulation of labour2 but  
even were  such a change effected1 were 
the hours of daily toil considerably    
shortened1 would there not still be     
abundant room for a ,sabbath8  ,how are 
the moral and intellectual character1   
the tastes and habits  of working men to
 be elevated1 without the opportunities 
and the  influences of this institution8
    ,he who would abolish the ,sabbath1 
and distribute its hours among the  days
 of the week1 that he might increase the
 comfort1 and improve the  character and
 the condition of working men1 would act
 as a builder  would do1 who should dig 
up the foundations of a house1 that he  
might  obtain materials wherewith to    
finish its upper story4 ,religion1  like
 the ,father of lights1 from whom it    

emanates1 bestows abundance  of         
blessings upon many who know not the    
bounteous ,hand from whence  they come2 
and the ,sabbath1 one of its most       
glorious and beneficent  institutions1  
confers numerous benefits even upon that
 portion of  society who1 trifling with 
its sacred obligations1 and spurning its
  salutary restraints1 fail to reap from
 it that amount of good which it  is so 
well calculated to afford them4    ,we  
can form no just estimate of what the   
condition and circumstances  of the     
human race would have been1 if left     
entirely destitute of  religion1 from   
our intercourse with those who1 though  
perversely  refusing submission to its  
government1 have1 while their being was 
dawning1 their mind and habits forming1 
been surrounded by its light  and       
influences1 and who1 in their childhood 
and youth1 have partaken  largely of the
 blessings which this heaven-bestowed   
institution1 the  ,christian ,sabbath1  
affords4 ,no2 it is only from the       

condition and  character of those tribes
 of mankind who have little or no       
vestige of  revelation among them1 that 
we are enabled to form a correct idea of
  what our state would have been1 had   
the pure light of ,christianity  never  
dawned upon us4 ,so1 in like manner1 in 
judging of the importance  of this      
,divine institution1 we must compare the
 condition and the  habits of a         
labouring population who have never     
known a ,sabbath1 whose  bodies the     
,sabbath rest has never refreshed1 and  
whose minds ,sabbath  instruction and   
,sabbath exercise have1 to no extent1   
strengthened or  cultivated1 awakened or
 enlightened4 ,we must compare their    
character  and condition1 their hearths 
and homes1 with the hearths and homes1  
the state and character1 not of the mere
 ,sabbath sleeper1 or ,sabbath  dresser1
 or even of the mere church attender or 
sermon hearer1 but  of those who1 with  
activity and energy1 avail themselves of
 all  the opportunities of              

self-improvement and family culture     
which the  ,christian ,sabbath is so    
well fitted to afford1 before we can    
have any  correct idea of even the      
merely temporal benefits which the      
,sabbath is  calculated to confer upon  
the labouring population1 or of the     
immense  loss its discontinuance would  
prove to the temporal interests of      
society4    ,even as a cessation from   
labour1 as a rest to the worn-out frame1
  the ,sabbath is no trifling boon to   
the bowed-down sons of toil4  ,when we  
look upon it merely as a day on which   
the most toil-worn  drudge unchidden may
 stretch his wearied limbs upon the     
couch of  rest2 whereon the most dusty1 
sweaty1 dirt-smeared endurer of the     
consequences of man's transgression may 
wash himself clean1 dress  genteelly1   
and enjoy the society of his fellow-men2
 a day when he1  who1 during the six    
days of labour1 must eat his dry1 cold1 
hurried1  and comfortless dinner alone1 
can sit in leisure and comfort1 in the  

society of beloved relatives1 with the  
clean1 shining1 glad faces  of his      
little ones around him1 and his wife1   
clean and neat1 as upon  her bridal-day1
 by his side1 and enjoy his             
neatly-prepared1 though  homely1 repast2
 a day when brothers and sisters1 early 
forced1 by  necessity1 from the parental
 roof1 to seek a hard-earned subsistence
  elsewhere1 may weekly enjoy each      
other's society amid the blessed        
influences of the home of their         
childhood--the ,sabbath1 though looked  
upon as bestowing only privileges like  
these upon working men1 must  command   
the respect of every enlightened and    
philanthropic mind4  ,but when viewed as
 a day in which all this is associated  
with the  hallowed influences of        
religion--in which man enjoys the       
pleasures  of social intercourse blended
 with1 and elevated by1 the most sacred 
and purifying associations--in which the
 body enjoys repose1 not  only that the 
mind may be fitted for exertion1 but    

that it may engage  in the study of     
subjects supremely important to man1    
that it may  apply itself to the        
contemplation of themes the most sublime
 and  interesting--a day in which men   
not only meet together that they may be 
instructed1 strengthened1 and refined1  
by intercourse with each other1  that   
mind may have communion with mind1 and  
heart with heart2 but in  which they are
 invited to meet with ,god himself2 that
 their minds may  have communion with   
,his mind1 and their hearts with ,his   
heart2 that  they may be instructed1    
strengthened1 and refined1 by the wisdom
 and  love of ,god2 that they may be    
moulded in ,his image1 and renewed in   
,his likeness2--it seems strange that   
any one who believes man to be          
possessed of a moral and intellectual   
nature1 capable of improvement1  should 
set light by1 or trifle with1 such an   
institution2 and passing  strange1 that 
those who name the name of ,christ1 who 
profess to be ,his  followers who       

emphatically taught that the ,sabbath   
was made for man1  should despise such a
 privilege1 fling away its hallowed     
restraints1  and disregard its sacred   
obligations4    ,it needs but a glance  
at the toilsome life of our rural or our
  manufacturing population1 to convince 
any one that the ,sabbath1 viewed       
merely in relation to man's temporal    
well-being1 is of great value to  the   
working man4 ,the important influence   
which the frequent return  of such a    
day1 with all its cheering and          
inspiriting exercises and  associations1
 must have upon the health of those who 
observe it1 is not  to be overlooked4   
,the wearied frame is refreshed and     
invigorated1 the  depressed spirits     
enlivened1 and the flagging energy      
restored2--while  its public observances
 call for such attention to personal    
appearance  as cannot fail to have a    
beneficial effect at once upon the      
habits and  the constitution1 as also to
 form a strong inducement to exertion   

for  the improvement of their condition4
 ,hence it is1 that1 when we enter  the 
house of the church-going1              
,sabbath-keeping labourer1 we generally 
find a marked difference between it and 
the home of him who rarely or  never    
enters a place of worship1 and who      
regards not the sacred claims  of the   
day4    ,in the house of the            
,sabbath-observing1 church-attending    
labourer--even  though1 as is too often 
the case1 he should know little or      
nothing  of the vital power of religion1
 though his observance be mere  outward 
observance1 and his religion but        
form--we observe useful1  though        
sometimes rude furniture1 clothing1 and 
food1 cleanliness and  comfort1 a       
cheerful fire on the hearth1 and a few  
books on the shelf2  everything         
indicating some little relish for the   
conveniences and  comforts of civilized 
life4    ,on ,saturday evening1 there is
 washing of little faces1 combing and   
brushing of flaxen heads1 laying out of 

clean little frocks and  pinafores1 or  
jet black shoes set ready for little    
feet1 that1 without  hurry or confusion1
 clean and neat1 they may be ready on   
,sabbath  morning to accompany father or
 mother1 or1 if possible1 both1 to the  
place        8,where ,christians meet to
 praise and pray1      ,to hear of      
heaven1 and learn the way20    or that  
they may trip joyously to their beloved 
,sabbath-school1 there  to sing of that 
happy land where every eye is bright1 of
 that glorious  city1 the streets of    
which are of pure gold1 where the water 
of life  is continually flowing in a    
broad river1 clear as crystal1 from the 
throne of ,god and of the ,lamb1 into   
which nothing that defileth can  enter1 
neither whatsoever loveth or maketh a   
lie2 to learn1 that to  depart from evil
 is the highway to those blessed        
mansions of love1 and  joy1 and life    
everlasting--that that highway is called
 holiness2 and to  be told1 in          
childhood's own simple language1 of the 

love of ,him who is  himself the way1   
for he shall save his people from their 
sins2 how he  said1 8,suffer little     
children to come unto me10 and took them
 up in his  arms1 and blessed them2 how1
 when they have journeyed along the     
rugged  path of this toilsome life1     
those that come unto ,god by him shall  
never  again taste of death or sorrow1  
pain or disease2 for the ,lamb1 which is
  in the midst of the throne1 shall feed
 them1 and lead them to living          
fountains of waters1 and ,god shall wipe
 away all tears from their eyes4        
,what do we find in the place of all    
this1 in the home1 and among  the       
children of the working man who profanes
 the sacred hours of  the ,sabbath8     
,squalor and wretchedness force         
themselves upon our  observation4 ,the  
appearance of the house and its inmates 
tell1 in  language not to be mistaken1  
what would be the condition of working  
men1 were this blessed day1 with all its
 exalting and purifying  influences1 set

 aside4 ,how often1 on ,saturday night1 
are the children  tossed into bed       
unwashed and uncombed1 while the mother 
puts their few  rags of clothing in the 
washing-tub1 and then hangs them up by  
the  dusty hearth1 that they may be dry 
in the morning6 ,even this little       
attention to cleanliness1 partial as it 
is1 is of some benefit1 and  the        
benefit1 so far as it goes1 is from the 
,sabbath2 for1 were it not  for that    
regard to appearance1 and those ideas of
 decency which the  public observances  
of the ,sabbath have introduced1 the    
skin and the  clothing of the working   
man and his children would seldom indeed
 be  subjected to the refreshing and    
purifying process of washing4           
,illustration3                          
,see page #gd    ,of the truth of this1 
did the limits of this little essay     
permit1 or  did the time and            
circumstances of the writer allow of    
such researches1  ,i venture to affirm  
that abundant evidence could be         

presented from the  state and habits1 in
 regard to personal cleanliness1 of the 
labouring  population of any country    
where the ,sabbath is disregarded1 as   
compared  with the condition and habits 
of the same class in countries where the
  ,sabbath is observed as a day of      
public assembly for religious worship2  
or from the habits of the lower classes 
of our own1 or of any other  country1   
before the introduction of the          
,christian ,sabbath1 as compared  with  
their habits in this respect1 after the 
,sabbath has been for some  time        
received and regarded among them1 as at 
once a day of cessation  from ordinary  
labour1 and a season for public         
religious observances4  ,and if the     
important influence which cleanliness   
has upon health and  comfort be taken   
into account1 the improvement of their  
habits in this  respect will be allowed 
to be no trifling advantage resulting   
from the  ,sabbath to the labouring     
population4    ,but to return to the    

family where the ,sabbath is not        
regarded as a day  sacred to the worship
 of ,god3 how frequently do we find the 
father1  with his equally reckless      
companions1 taking on ,saturday evening 
his seat in the house of the            
spirit-dealer1 there to waste1 in the   
gratification of his debased and        
depraved appetite1 his hard-earned      
wages6 ,but what need to describe the   
,sabbath hours of such a family8  ,who  
that has been at all conversant with the
 labouring population  of this country1 
but has witnessed the comfortless and   
fretful  confusion of the morning8 while
 the succeeding hours are devoted to    
the preparation of the noonday meal1 the
 one great feast of the week2  and1     
perchance1 the fields1 the public       
promenade1 or a trip by railway  to some
 place of public resort1 is the         
occupation of the evening4  ,and thus   
are all the rich opportunities which    
such a day affords for  self-improvement
 and family culture1 trampled under     

foot4 ,and what is  the condition of the
 children of such parents8 ,do they not 
grow up in  ignorance and vice1 in utter
 neglect1 unless1 indeed1 they are      
gathered  together for ,sabbath         
instruction by the enlightened and      
benevolent1 who  would seek to do what  
in them lies to rescue their            
fellow-creatures  from ignorance and    
degradation8 ,this1 however1 will but   
slightly supply  the want of the        
fireside instruction of a               
,sabbath-keeping family2 and  is it     
likely that these children will ever    
attain to that degree of  mental        
culture1 or be governed by those moral  
principles which would  enable them to  
obtain an equal standing in society with
 the children of  those who             
conscientiously observe the ,lord's-day8
 ,let those who think  so1 enter the    
house of him who keeps holy the         
,lord's-day1 and the home  of the       
,sabbath-breaker2 let them converse with
 their children1 observe  their habits1 

and then answer4 ,those who feel        
inclined to trifle with  the sacred     
obligations of this day would do well to
 consider1 ere they  slight its         
beneficial restraints1 what a blessed   
privilege they fling  away--what a      
glorious birthright they would barter   
for less than a  mess of pottage6 ,a    
birthright1 the due appreciation and the
 proper  use of which would soon enable 
them to cast off that yoke of bondage1  
those servile feelings1 with which the  
working classes too often regard  their 
superiors in circumstances2 would enable
 them to stand erect and  unabashed in  
the presence of their fellow-man1       
whatever his wealth or  rank1 as brother
 in the presence of brother2 would give 
them power of  their own minds--a       
conscience illuminated by the light of  
heaven1 and  unfettered by subjection to
 man4 ,moreover1 if the imbecility of   
mind1  the consequent limitation of     
resource1 and liability to become the   
dupes of imposture1 the tools of crafty1

 selfish1 and unprincipled men1  be     
considered1 which usually result from   
the dependence of one class  of men upon
 the mind and will of another class1    
this will appear to be  no mean         
advantage1 as regards temporal          
condition1 which the proper  observance 
of the ,sabbath is calculated to confer 
upon the labouring  population4 ,for    
proof that such happy results do        
invariably follow the  introduction of  
the ,sabbath among the working classes1 
in proportion  to its proper observance1
 we have only to glance at the character
 and  condition of the people in        
countries where the ,sabbath is1 in some
  measure1 rightly understood and       
observed1 as compared with the state of 
the people in lands where the ,lord's   
day is unknown1 or devoted to mere      
amusement4    ,the rest of the ,sabbath 
is invaluable to the labourer who is    
desirous  of cultivating his own mind by
 study1 of strengthening and gaining    
the control of his intellectual powers1 

or of increasing his stock of  knowledge
 by reading4 ,when he returns from his  
daily labour1 to enjoy  his brief hour  
of leisure in the evening1 his system is
 too much  exhausted by his previous    
exertion1 and1 consequently1 his animal 
spirits too much depressed1 for close   
application of mind or energy  of       
thought4 ,if he attempt to peruse any   
really serious and useful  author1 he   
not unfrequently falls asleep with the  
book in his hand4 ,the  lighter pages of
 the novelist1 with their intellectual  
intoxication1  and too often pernicious 
views of human life and human nature1   
may  be able1 by their excitement1 to   
overcome1 for a time1 his fatigue2  and1
 therefore1 if he reads at all1 for     
these1 the works of the  natural and    
moral philosopher1 of the historian1 the
 moralist1 and the  theologian1 are laid
 aside2 and thus his moral and          
intellectual nature1  not receiving     
wholesome food or healthful exercise1   
becomes weak and  diseased1 and unfitted

 to fulfil the offices of enlightening  
him2 his  passions and appetites1       
unrestrained by an enlightened          
conscience and  cultivated              
understanding1 lead him captive at their
 will2 and his whole  character and     
condition strikingly prove1 that1 as a  
general rule1 the  degradation of one   
part of man's nature is the degradation 
of the whole4    ,is his temporal       
condition abject1 his body subjected to 
unremitting  toil8--his intellectual    
condition1 too1 is debased1 and his mind
  enslaved4 ,is his intellect           
uncultivated1 and his moral nature      
vitiated8--his outward appearance#b and 
condition are degraded1 rude1  and      
comfortless4 ,the ,sabbath1 by the      
repose it affords1 not only renews      
man's physical energy1 renovates his    
animal system1 it also qualifies  his   
mind to apply itself to self-culture and
 to the acquisition of  solid and useful
 knowledge4 ,nor does it stop here--it  
leaves him not  unaided and unguided to 

grope in darkness for the knowledge     
which is  essential to his well-being2  
it pours upon his path a flood of light1
  opens wide the gate of knowledge1 and 
bids him enter4 ,it leaves him not  to  
mope alone over the dreamy speculations 
of sceptical philosophers  who have     
attained to no belief1 who have no      
certainty or knowledge1 but  have chosen
 their perpetual abode in those gloomy  
regions of darkness  where the dense    
fogs of doubt are for ever settled1 till
 his mental  energy is exhausted and his
 mind unhinged4 ,no2 it calls him forth 
in  exulting joy to seek the society of 
his fellow-men1 that mind may  awaken   
and strengthen mind1 and heart warm     
heart--that they may ponder  together   
the meaning of facts--facts attested by 
incontrovertible  evidence--facts the   
most sublime and interesting that have  
ever engaged  the attention of man4 ,it 
calls men together to study1 in each    
other's  society1 a system of morality  
pure and perfect1 founded upon these    

facts4 ,it furnishes him with subjects  
surpassingly glorious1 in the           
contemplation of which he may exert and 
cultivate his intellectual  powers4 ,it 
inspires him with hopes which give him  
fortitude to endure  the unavoidable    
evils of his condition1 and energy to   
surmount its  difficulties4 ,yes1 the   
,lord's day1 with its communion with    
,god1 its  memorials1 its exercises1 its
 instructions1 and its social           
intercourse1  ever as it returns gives a
 fresh impulse to human advancement4 ,it
 is1  truly1 a fountain whence spring   
innumerable benefits4    #b ,this is    
strikingly verified by ,,lavater1 in his
 celebrated work on                     
,physiognomy4--,,ed4    ,not only does  
each returning ,sabbath give a new and  
powerful impetus to  man's advancement  
in his heavenward course2 but in so     
doing1 it urges  him onward and upward  
in civilization1 refinement and comfort4
    ,a day of rest1 of cessation from   
active and toilsome exertion1 is1       

doubtless1 as ministering to the health 
and vigour of the animal  system1 of    
immense value to working men4 ,i have no
 hesitation1 however1  in affirming1    
that1 amongst those who view it in no   
other light than  as a day of rest and  
recreation1 as a season set apart to no 
higher  purpose than that of refreshing 
and invigorating the body1 it generally 
fails of accomplishing even this3 they  
almost invariably devote the  day to the
 service of their divers lusts and      
pleasures1 while the  neglected         
appearance of their families1 and the   
jaded and abused state  of their bodies1
 wofully testify to the degrading       
effects of misusing  its hallowed hours2
 and clearly demonstrate1 that it is    
8the ,sabbath  of the ,lord10 the       
,lord's day alone1 as appointed by      
himself1 which is  really calculated to 
benefit mankind1 and not a day of man's 
devising4  ,and why8 ,because the       
,sabbath-day is appointed by our        
all-wise ,creator1  by ,him who knoweth 

what is in man1 and what is needful for 
man4 ,and it  is exactly suited to      
man--it meets the wants at once of his  
physical  and intellectual constitution1
 and of his social and spiritual nature4
  ,he who wears purple and fine linen1  
and fares sumptuously every day1  whose 
hand has never been hardened1 nor his   
brow moistened by toil1  whose every day
 makes him the companion and instructor 
of his family1  and who1 fresh and      
unwearied1 can seat himself in his quiet
 study1 and  enjoy his daily returning  
hours of leisure1 may slight the        
obligations  of the ,sabbath1 and break 
loose from its restraints1 without1 in  
the  eye of his fellow-man1 appearing to
 suffer in mind1 character1 or          
condition4 ,but on him whose daily      
returning wants call for strenuous  and 
incessant exertion1 that they may obtain
 a needful supply1 the  abuse of        
,sabbath hours is soon visible in a     
beggared and degraded mind1  a depraved 
moral character1 and a consequently     

degraded condition in  society2 in      
squalid1 untrained children1 and a      
comfortless home2 and  not unfrequently1
 in absolute want of the very           
necessaries of life4    ,it might easily
 be shown1 that1 among the numerous     
advantages which the  weekly rest       
affords the working man1 is this1       
namely1 that it gives him  its rest1    
without diminishing1 in any degree1 his 
means of subsistence  and comfort4 ,by  
preventing the seventh day from being   
brought into  the labour market1 it     
enables him to procure a remuneration   
for six  days' labour equal to that     
which1 were there no such day1 he would 
be  able to obtain for seven4 ,although 
those who degrade the ,sabbath from  its
 place as a religious institution1 to a 
day of mere bodily rest  and recreation1
 enjoy this advantage in common with him
 who regards  the day in its proper     
character1 as a day set apart for the   
public  worship of ,god and the study of
 his word2 yet1 they are generally by   

far his inferiors in comfort and        
independence4 ,it is no uncommon thing  
to find them1 while actually engaged in 
some kind of employment which  brings   
higher wages than the occupation        
followed by their neighbour  obtains1   
before the close of the week begging or 
borrowing from him the  necessaries of  
life4 ,few will have mingled much among 
labouring men and  their families1      
without meeting with many instances of  
this kind1 all  demonstrating the truth 
of what has already been advanced1 that 
it is  the ,christian ,sabbath1 observed
 as appointed by our ,lord himself1 that
  can ever really improve even the      
temporal character of the labourer1  and
 that no human institution ever can     
supply its place1 or have the  same     
beneficial influence upon society4      
,to the husband and father1 whose family
 require his daily labour for  their    
support1 and who is anxious to impart to
 them that instruction  which is so     
necessary to the perfect and healthful  

development of their  mental powers1 the
 ,sabbath is of inestimable value4      
,dearly as he loves  to meet the joyous 
welcome of his little ones upon his     
return from  his day's labour1 pleasant 
as it is for him to enjoy their childish
  prattle1 while they are seated        
together around the evening fire1 yet1  
having just returned1 exhausted by a day
 of toil1 while they climb  his knee1   
and chat over the little adventures of  
the day1 they are  more to him as       
playthings1 than as beings the training 
of whose minds  and habits for after    
life is entrusted to him4 ,this1 during 
the six  days of labour1 devolves1      
almost exclusively1 upon the mother1 or1
 as  is too often the case1 it is       
utterly neglected1 because it requires  
the most incessant and laborious        
exertions of both father and mother  to 
enable them to obtain a subsistence for 
themselves and their  offspring2 and    
were it not for the weekly return of    
,sabbath-rest1 and  its opportunities   

for improvement1 they would grow up     
untrained1 as the  wild ass's colt4 ,but
 the ,sabbath places the ,christian     
father refreshed  and vigorous in the   
midst of his family1 his mind           
enlightened and  enriched by its        
instruction1 and his feelings soothed by
 its devotional  exercises2 thus fitting
 him to impart instruction1 in a manner 
at once  calculated to reach the        
understandings and win the hearts of his
 little  ones4                          
,illustration3                          
,see page #ie    ,what a delightful     
scene of tranquil enjoyment is to be met
 with in the  family of the labourer    
where the ,sabbath is properly          
appreciated  and actively improved6 ,has
 the reader ever spent a ,lord's day in 
such  a family8 has he seen the         
children1 awaking from the light        
slumbers of  the morning1 glance round  
on the more than usual order1           
cleanliness and  quiet of the humble    
apartment1 and then ask1 ,mother1 what  

day is this8  and heard the reply1 ,this
 is the ,sabbath1 the best of all days1 
the day  which ,god has blessed6 ,has he
 seen their father dandling the baby1   
till  their mother should finish        
dressing the elder children1 and then1  
when  all were ready1 heard the little  
circle join in the sweet morning hymn1  
and seen them kneel together1 while     
their father offered up a simple1  but  
heart-felt thanksgiving for life1       
health1 and reason preserved1  through  
the toils of another week2 and for the  
privilege of being  again all permitted 
to enjoy1 in each other's society1 the  
blessed  light of the first day of the  
week2 that morning-light which brings   
to mind an empty grave1 and a risen     
,saviour2 those peaceful hours  which1  
undisturbed by the labour1 hurry1 and   
anxieties of the week1  they can devote 
to the advancement of that spiritual    
life in their  souls1 which shall       
outlive the destruction of death itself8
 ,has he  heard the words of prayer1 the

 questions of the father1 and the       
replies  of the children2 and has he not
 felt assured that the mind-awakening   
influences of such subjects of thought1 
and such exercises1 would be  seen in   
the after years of these children8      
,or1 has he1 on their return from the   
meeting-place of ,christians1  witnessed
 their afternoon and evening            
employments8 ,has he seen the  eager and
 intelligent expression of those young  
faces1 as the beautiful  story of       
,joseph and his brethren was read aloud 
to them2 or that of  ,daniel cast into  
the lions' den2 or how the servants of  
the living ,god  walked unhurt in the   
midst of the fire1 whilst its flame slew
 those  men who cast them in2 or the    
narrative of the wandering prodigal1    
wretched and despised in a foreign land1
 whilst the meanest of his  father's    
servants were living in abundance and   
comfort8 ,has he heard  their voices1   
each low but earnest2 and then listened 
to the reading of  the ,word of ,god8   

heard the reciting by turn1 some        
beautiful hymns1 or  reading some       
interesting chapter1 or engaged in      
conversation familiar  and pleasant1    
though serious and instructive2 children
 asking questions  of parents1 and      
parents of children1 concerning what    
they have been  hearing and reading     
during the day8 ,and is not he who has  
been the  spectator of all this1        
convinced1 that such a day is to the    
labourer  and his children1 an          
inheritance of surpassing value2 that it
 is  weekly adding a fresh impulse to   
their progress in improvement1 and      
preparing them to take advantage of     
whatever opportunities the week may     
afford8 ,will not the ,sabbaths of their
 childhood leave an impression  upon    
their future years1 which will never be 
effaced2 an impress of  superiority in  
intelligence and morality1 and a        
consequent superiority  in              
circumstances8    ,one important        
advantage which is connected with the   

observance of the  ,lord's day1 among   
the labouring population1 is the        
influence which  it has in elevating the
 mind1 character and condition of the   
female  portion of the community4 ,where
 ,christianity and its weekly rest are  
unknown1 the condition of woman is      
abject in the extreme2 but the  religion
 of ,jesus raises her from her degraded 
situation1 by calling  her forward to   
engage in the exercises1 share the      
instructions1 and  receive the          
influences of its ,sabbath4 ,the ,lord's
 day calls her  thinking powers into    
action1 gives her a mind and conscience 
of her  own1 cultivates her intellectual
 and moral nature1 and gives her to man 
a helpmate indeed1 fitted to become1 not
 merely his slave or his toy1  but the  
companion of his labours and his        
studies1 his devoted friend1  and his   
faithful and judicious adviser2 not     
merely the mother and nurse  of his     
children1 but their intelligent         
instructor and guide--his most          

efficient assistant in their            
intellectual and moral training4 ,and if
  we consider the influence which the   
training that man receives in his  early
 years has upon his character in after  
life--that1 for the most  part1 in the  
families of working men1 infancy and    
childhood are spent  in the society of  
the mother1 and therefore the           
impressions by which  the character is1 
in a great measure1 formed1 are made by 
her1 we shall  feel convinced that the  
cultivation of the female mind and      
character  must have an incalculable    
influence upon the condition of the     
labouring  population4    ,it were worth
 ascertaining1 how many of those who    
have risen up from  among the labouring 
population to adorn and bless humanity  
by their  talents and their             
philanthropy1 to enlighten and benefit  
society by  useful and important        
discoveries in art and science1 or by   
patient  persevering labour to advance  
mankind in virtue and intelligence--how 

many of these had their minds awakened  
to activity1 and their  principles      
formed1 by the instructions which       
hard-working parents were  enabled to   
give them upon the ,lord's day1 the only
 time they could  devote to such a      
purpose4 ,and would it not shed a       
fearful light upon  this subject1 could 
we possess ourselves of the history of  
the early  ,sabbaths of those who have  
made themselves notorious by their      
crimes2  or of those1 who1 having sunk  
themselves deep in moral pollution1 have
  destroyed themselves1 degraded        
humanity1 and cursed society by their   
vices8 ,would not such records give     
startling evidence of the ruinous       
effects resulting from the abuse of the 
weekly rest1 and clearly  demonstrate   
the truth of what has been already      
advanced1 that1 were  the ,sabbath      
abolished1 or given to working men as a 
day of mere bodily  refreshment and     
recreation1 and not as a religious      
institution1 they  would soon be reduced

 to a condition worse than that of the  
untaught  savage8    ,yes2 man is       
equally liable to degenerate as he is   
capable of  improvement--more so1 for he
 must be aroused1 urged forward1 forced 
on  almost against his will3 to take the
 downward path of degeneracy1 he  needs 
only to be left unmolested to choose his
 own way4    ,are there those who deny  
this--who look upon man as not a fallen 
and  depraved being1 shorn of the glory 
of his primeval excellency1 ever  liable
 to sink lower and degenerate farther1  
unless influences from  without reach   
him--but as a being who has raised      
himself by the unaided  exercise of the 
powers of his own mind1 from a condition
 little above  that of the brute        
creation1 to his present state8 ,i ask  
them but to  survey the page of human   
history1 to become convinced of the     
absurdity  of such an idea4 ,can they   
point to the records of any tribe of the
  human family which1 from a condition  
of rude barbarism1 and shut out  from   

all intercourse with civilized nations1 
has ever raised itself  above such a    
state8#c ,they cannot--it has uniformly 
been the entrance  of the missionary1   
the trader1 the emigrant1 from more     
enlightened and  civilized nations1     
which has changed the condition of such 
a people4    #c ,such as desire further 
information on this important point1 may
  obtain it1 at a very small expense of 
time and labour1 by consulting  ,dr4    
,doig's 8,three ,letters on the ,savage 
,state10 addressed to ,lord             
,kames4--,,ed4    ,had it been as they  
say1 had man been formed the being they 
represent  him1 and had the voice of    
,god never reached his ear1 had no      
celestial  visitant ever arrived upon   
our planet1 man had never risen one step
  above his first condition4 ,if1 then1 
as the history of mankind  abundantly   
proves1 religion founded upon revelation
 be the only  really efficient means by 
which man can be raised to that state of
  perfection he is capable of attaining2

 if1 as we trace the progress of        
,christianity among the nations1 we find
 an advancement in civilization         
following in her footsteps1 and an      
amelioration of the social condition  of
 the people marking her progress1 may we
 not reasonably attribute to  her       
seventh-day rest all the temporal       
blessings which1 as she advances1  she  
is conferring upon the labouring        
population8 ,and would not the          
abolition of this institution1 or the   
appropriation of ,sabbath hours to      
other than their proper use1 be         
effectively to exclude those who obtain 
their daily bread by the labour of their
 hands1 from a participation  in the    
benefits which the knowledge of         
revelation confers upon man8 ,no  more  
effectual step could be taken towards   
the demoralization1 ,i had  almost said 
the brutalization1 of the labouring     
population1 than that  of inducing them 
to look upon it as a mere human holiday1
 which may be  occupied in any way fancy

 may dictate4 ,barbarous and degrading  
sports1  bull-baiting1 cock-fighting1   
and such like2 drunkenness1 revelry1    
and riot1 would1 with fearful rapidity1 
take the place of the solemn  assembly4 
,he who would seek to enslave and       
degrade the working man1 could  not more
 effectually accomplish his object1 than
 by persuading him  to regard and occupy
 the ,sabbath as a day which he might   
spend  in amusement4 ,were the ,lord's  
day blotted out1 or spent in mere       
recreation--were the sons of toil no    
more to enjoy or avail themselves  of   
its rich provisions for their           
instruction and elevation--not only     
should we soon see religion disregarded1
 that blessed light of heaven1  that    
sunshine of the sky which is chasing the
 shadows of ignorance1 and  dissipating 
the mists of error and superstition2    
which is awakening  man to spiritual    
life1 arousing to healthful activity in 
him all the  springs of moral feeling   
and intellectual energy2 not only would 

this  morning beam be shut out from the 
sons of toil1 those glad tidings  which 
,jesus so frequently preached to the    
poor in the weekly assembly  upon the   
,sabbath-day1 be put without the reach  
of working men--but we  should soon see 
them deprived of those civil            
institutions which secure  to them      
personal liberty1 and degraded to a     
condition of mere vassalage4    ,let no 
one be startled when ,i affirm that it  
is the ,sabbath which has  bestowed upon
 the labouring population the civil     
privileges they enjoy1  and raised them 
to the position they occupy2 that it is 
the ,lord's day  which is the great1 the
 everlasting bulwark of human freedom4  
,it is  that moral force which          
intelligence and virtue bestow upon a   
people1  which unlooses effectually the 
iron grasp of the oppressor2 which makes
  their voice heard clearly and         
distinctly in the legislation of their  
country1 and blots pernicious1 partial1 
and unjust laws out of the              

statute-book2 and it is1 as we have     
already seen1 the knowledge of ,god     
obtained from revelation1 which awakens 
man's dormant powers of mind1  which    
leads him onward and upward in virtue   
and intelligence4    ,deprive religion  
of its weekly rest1 and by what means is
 it to gain  access to the ears and to  
the understandings of working men1 and  
their children8 ,when is it to pour its 
light into their minds1 and  the        
influence of devotion into their hearts8
 ,when shall the labourer  study the    
book of ,god1 or working men gather     
together to hear1 not the  teachings of 
erring man1 but1 with the ,scriptures of
 truth in their  hands1 to listen to the
 voice of that infallible ,wisdom which 
was  with ,god when he laid the         
foundations of the earth8 ,shall it be  
after  a day of laborious exertion has  
rendered them unfit1 by exhaustion1  for
 the close application of their minds to
 any serious study8 ,alas  for the      
advancement of the labouring portion of 

the community in  intelligence and      
morality6 ,alas for the refinement of   
manners1 and the  cultivation of mind   
among them1 if it is to be left to such 
seasons6  ,so absolutely essential to   
the well-being of man does the ,sabbath 
appear1 whether viewed in relation to   
his eternal or his temporal  interests1 
that1 could we suppose it possible for  
man1 destitute of  the weekly rest1 to  
become conscious of the wants of his own
 nature1  we should conclude that he    
would have instituted1 of his own       
accord1  a ,sabbath for himself4 ,those 
who1 either for worldly gain or the     
pursuit of pleasure1 profane the sacred 
hours of ,sabbath rest1 are not  only   
despising one of the most important     
institutions of religion1 but  they are 
doing what in them lies to undermine one
 of the most enduring  defences of human
 liberty4    ,he who would take from the
 working man his ,sabbath1 would take   
with  it the mind-awakening influence of
 religion2 would keep the gate of       

knowledge1 and forbid his entrance2     
would throw an impassable barrier  in   
the way of his progress in civilization1
 and leave him the slave of  the despot1
 the tool of the crafty politician1 and 
the follower of the  superstitious      
zealot1 or the religious impostor4      
,let those1 then1 who would seek to     
transmit to their children that  liberty
 and those rights for which their       
fathers have struggled and  bled1 rear  
them amidst ,sabbath influences1 fill   
their minds with those  subjects for the
 study of which the weekly rest was     
instituted1 and  accustom them to       
,sabbath exercises2 and1 most assuredly1
 they will rise  above the oppression of
 the tyrant1 see through the devices of 
the  crafty1 the subtlety of the        
sophist1 and the deceit of the impostor4
    ,all the efforts which have ever    
been made by the rude arm of physical   
force1 to rescue mankind from           
oppression1 have been utterly futile2   
and  if any one will survey the state of

 the nations at the present moment1  he 
will find the liberty and the privileges
 enjoyed by the people1 to  be exactly  
proportioned to the extent to which     
general intelligence  and the knowledge 
of the word of ,god are diffused among  
them4 ,what has  the sword ever effected
 for the redemption of mankind from     
tyranny8 ,it  may have wrenched power   
from the hand of one party1 but it has  
only  been to give it into the hand of  
another equally liable to abuse it4     
,has it been torn from the hand of a    
lawless and merciless despot8 ,it  has  
been given into the hands of an insolent
 and brutal soldiery1 or  a             
superstitious mob1 who soon trampled    
under foot that liberty which  had been 
purchased for them with the blood of    
their brethren4 ,every  revolution which
 has been effected by violence1 affords 
proof of this4    ,it has been the blood
 of the martyr--the patient endurance   
and unshaken  fortitude of him who would
 rather yield up liberty and life       

itself1  than deny the truth--the       
peaceable1 but persevering and          
indefatigable  missionary1 whose        
exertions have been devoted to the      
spread of the  knowledge of ,god among  
men1 who1 by introducing religion and   
its  ,sabbath1 and bringing man into    
intercourse with his ,god1 the great    
,lord of all1 to whom all are equally   
responsible1 the governed and the       
governor1 the subject and the prince1   
the servant and his master2 and  thus1  
by awakening in men a sense of their    
personal responsibility1  has aroused   
their minds to activity4 ,it is the     
knowledge of their  responsibility--of  
the great truth that all must stand     
before the  judgment-seat of ,christ1 to
 give1 each one1 an account of the deeds
  done in the body--which causes men to 
think and act for themselves1  and thus 
raises them above the subtlety and power
 of selfishness and  ambition4          
,although the ,sabbath comes laden with 
blessings for the sons of men1  yet let 

it never be forgotten1 that he only whom
 the truth has made  free1 he who has   
left the service of sin1 to become the  
,lord's free  man1 doing the will of    
,god from the heart1 can fully          
appreciate or  enjoy1 not only its      
spiritual1 but even its merely temporal 
blessings4  ,he who has never tasted    
that ,god is good1 who has never in     
joyful  confidence committed the        
salvation of his soul into the hand of  
,jesus1  will but abuse its benefits1   
neglect its duties1 and despise its     
privileges4    ,how often does ,monday  
morning give painful evidence of the    
total  uselessness of the weekly rest to
 those who look upon it merely as a  day
 of rest from toil1 and a season for    
recreation6 ,even the rest they  talk of
 is thrown away1 and they are jaded and 
exhausted by folly and  intemperance4   
,monday finds them scarce fit for the   
labour of the day3  instead of the      
animal system being refreshed and health
 improved1 the  body is abused1 and     

disease engendered2 while among those   
who1 though  knowing nothing of the     
living power of religion1 yet influenced
 by  the customs and opinions of society
 around them1 show no small regard  for 
the ,sabbath1 how often are its blessed 
influences almost entirely  buried      
underneath the rubbish of mere          
ceremonial sanctity6 ,no wonder1  if    
childhood1 sternly commanded to assume  
the serious gravity of age1  through the
 long1 weary1 empty hours of an inactive
 ,sabbath1 should  imbibe a deep-rooted 
dislike to religion and its ,sabbath4   
,no wonder1  if1 in families where it is
 thus observed1 the minds of the young  
should become disaffected to that       
religion1 of which such an empty1       
gloomy institution is viewed as a part2 
that1 having received such a  false idea
 of religion1 they should plunge        
headlong into the pleasures1  follies1  
and vices of the world1 thinking that   
such lifeless and gloomy  exercises will
 better suit the weakness and infirmity 

of age1 than  the fresh and buoyant     
activity of youth2 and thus reap the    
results  of an irregular and intemperate
 life1 in a shattered constitution and  
depraved character4 ,no wonder1 if      
youth1 coming forth from the bosom of   
such families1 should be easily deluded 
by sophistry1 and1 caught in  the snares
 of scepticism1 should step into the    
ranks of unbelievers1 or  sink to the   
fate of the criminal and the vicious4   
,he who blessed the seventh day and     
sanctified it1 never meant that  that   
day1 whose first morning beam fell upon 
the joyful activity of  a new and       
perfect creation2 whose dawning light   
saw the ,son of man  arise triumphant   
over death and the grave1 should be     
spent in listless1  motionless silence1 
or in soulless1 meaningless ceremony4   
,no2 holy  its hours indeed are1        
sanctified1 set apart2 not however to   
solemn1  gloomy1 lifeless inactivity2   
but hallowed to rest and refreshment1   
sacred to joy1 set apart to active1     

cheerful1 and strenuous exertion  for   
the improvement of ourselves and others 
in holiness1 virtue1 and  intelligence4 
,doubtless1 thousands who have never    
felt the power of  the truth in an      
awakened conscience and a renewed heart1
 are reaping  many and important        
benefits from the ,lord's-day1 in the   
more general  diffusion of knowledge1   
and the advancement of civilization1    
besides  the comfortable rest and       
refreshment it affords their bodies4    
,but  they can only to a limited extent 
enjoy the beneficial influence of  the  
weekly rest1 whether viewed as          
increasing their enjoyment in this      
present life1 or as fitting them for    
happiness hereafter4    ,while1 then1   
considering it of the utmost importance1
 that this day  should be preserved from
 the encroachments of labour and        
amusement1  that working men should be  
protected by the law of their country in
 the  observance of it1 and regarding it
 as of paramount importance1 that  it be

 preserved in its unimpaired sanctity as
 the birthright of every  ,briton1--,i  
would earnestly1 solemnly1 and          
affectionately1 urge upon  the attention
 of those who1 seeking the improvement  
of the temporal  condition of the       
labouring population of our country1 and
 aware of the  powerful influence which 
a proper observance of the ,sabbath     
would have  in effecting their          
elevation1 are endeavouring to call the 
attention  of the legislature to the    
subject1--that1 here1 legal enactments  
can  do but little2 they may put down1  
to some extent1 the more public and     
glaring forms of ,sabbath profanation1  
but this will only increase the  amount 
of secret desecration4 ,those who have  
no heart for the proper  observance of  
this day1 may be prevented from spending
 it in certain  kinds of labour or      
amusement1 railway travelling1 pleasure 
excursions1  and such like3 by being    
prevented from enjoying themselves in   
such  pursuits1 however1 they will be   

driven into the secret haunts of        
dissipation and vice2 and thus1 although
 it is no doubt well1 that1  where      
wickedness cannot be eradicated1 it     
should be made ashamed to  show its     
head1 yet comparatively little good can 
be effected by the  civil ruler1 in     
promoting the cause of ,sabbath         
observance4 ,i would  entreat them to   
bear in mind1 that it is only the truths
 of the ,gospel  imparting spiritual    
life1 implanting moral principle1       
bringing the will  of man into          
subjection to the will of his ,creator1 
and awakening the  intellect1 that can  
enable man to reap that full harvest of 
temporal  good from the weekly rest     
which it is so well fitted to afford    
him4    ,let1 then1 all who would see   
man redeemed from ignorance and slavery1
  vice and degradation--all who would   
see the working man refined in  manners 
and elevated in character and condition1
 exert their utmost  energy in the      
diffusion of knowledge1 in the education

 of youth1 but  above all1 in calling   
the attention of men to ,divine truth1  
to the  glad tidings of salvation2 and  
for this purpose let them rejoice in1   
and employ the ,sabbath as connected    
with religion1 as affording time  for   
spreading abroad the knowledge of ,god3 
this is the lever which is  to lift man 
from the degradation of the fall1 and   
make him fit to be  the inhabitant of a 
new earth1 wherein all the evils which  
at present  surround him shall be       
unknown4    ,what varied agencies is not
 the ,sabbath calling into operation1 to
  press forward and give fresh impulse  
to the onward movement6 ,not  only is   
the stolid mind of the untaught workman 
aroused1 impelling  motive and untiring 
energy imparted1 to carry him on in the 
upward  path of self-improvement2 but   
the sympathies of his nature are also   
awakened1 and1 looking on the moral and 
intellectual degradation1 and  the      
physical wretchedness around him1 his   
heart is yearning over his  fellow-men1 

and the weekly rest affording him time1 
he is stretching  out the hand of a     
brother to those who are sunk in        
ignorance and  vice1 he is pointing the 
upward path1 and stimulating to the     
upward  movement4 ,see that young man1  
whose daily earnings1 perchance1 are    
needful1 not merely for his own support1
 but it may be1 for the support  of aged
 parents1 or of young and helpless      
brothers and sisters2 the  circumstances
 of whose early years had prevented his 
enjoying more  than the limited         
advantages of a common grammar-school   
education1  or1 perhaps1 not even       
allowed of his receiving so much as a   
common  school education1 but whose     
knowledge has been picked up in ,sabbath
  classes1 or at the fireside of        
hard-working parents1 whose straitened  
circumstances required that even in his 
boyhood he should strain every  nerve to
 assist them in supplying1 by his       
labour1 the wants of a young  and       
numerous family3 he is not only walking 

steadfastly and firmly  himself in the  
path of improvement1 but taking the     
lead1 and urging on  his fellow-men1    
devoting his little hour of ,sabbath    
rest1 and ,sabbath  leisure1 not to mere
 repose1 or sensual indulgence1 but     
gathering  his fellow-men around him    
that he may reason with them out of the 
,scriptures1 or calling together1 for   
instruction1 a class of ragged1         
untrained children1 or wending his way  
to yonder wretched garret1 or  that damp
 cellar1 where want1 disease1 and vice  
have taken up their  abode together1    
that he may ascertain why that squalid  
child was absent  from the              
,sabbath-school class1 and drop a word  
of encouragement to the  boy1 or address
 a word of warning and entreaty to the  
parents4    ,who has not felt convinced1
 on viewing scenes like these1 agencies 
like  these called into operation1 that 
it is the weekly rest in the hands  of  
living1 active religion1 which is       
destined to reach the very lowest       

depths of society1 to lift humanity from
 the degrading pollutions of  vice1 and 
from the servile dependence and         
helplessness of ignorance2  and that to 
take from the children of toil the      
,lord's-day1 were to  take from them at 
once the means of self-improvement1 and 
also the  opportunity of doing anything 
towards the improvement of others8      
,let those1 then1 who seek the elevation
 and refinement of the labouring        
population1 do all that in them lies to 
spread among them the knowledge  of true
 religion and the observance of the     
,sabbath4 ,science may  advance1 art and
 philosophy instruct those who have     
means and leisure  for their study2 but 
of what avail would they ever become to 
labouring  men1 did not ,religion by her
 ,sabbath open up the way for them8     
,yes2  ,christianity is the pioneer1 and
 they follow in its footsteps4 ,besides1
  what is man1 with his moral nature    
unimproved8 ,his intellect may be       
powerful and highly cultivated2 he may  

be learned in art and science1          
acquainted with all the properties of   
matter1 and with every system  of       
philosophy1 ancient and modern2 he may  
be capable of bringing  creation1       
animate and inanimate1 into subserviency
 to his pleasure and  convenience2 the  
lightnings of heaven may1 at his        
bidding1 fly with  his message2 and the 
hidden treasures of the earth may come  
forth to  the light of day3 at the      
command of art and science1 starting    
into  motion1 he may be conveyed almost 
with the rapidity of thought1 to his    
desired destination2 fire1 water1 and   
air1 may accomplish his labour  for him2
 but1 if his religious feelings are     
dormant or misdirected1  or if his moral
 nature is depraved1 he is but the more 
capacitated to  spread destruction and  
misery around him2 to be miserable in   
himself1  and a curse and a scourge to  
mankind4 ,he can use1 with more ability1
  the subtlety and the arts of the      
impostor2 he can1 with more dexterity1  

forge or use weapons of war1 or set     
armies in battle array2 or he may  be a 
more able and dangerous leader in riot  
and insurrection2 a more  dexterous     
highwayman1 robber1 or assassin2 but1   
without the cultivation  of his moral   
nature by religion1 he is neither fitted
 to receive  happiness himself1 nor     
impart it to others4    ,religion not   
only awakens and cultivates man's       
intellect1 it also  subdues and governs 
his animal propensities1 exalts and     
refines  his moral feelings1 and by     
doing so1 redeems him from much present 
suffering1 and opens to him             
inexhaustible treasures of enjoyment in 
himself and others1 impelling him to    
exert all the energies of his  nature1  
not in seeking merely his own1 but in   
securing the well-being  of his         
fellow-men1 making him more willing to  
impart than to exact1  more yielding    
than commanding1 more ready to bear     
with1 than to claim  forbearance--in a  
word1 writing upon his heart1 in living 

characters1  the truth that it is more  
blessed to give than to receive1 and    
thus  putting an end to all strife1     
emulation1 broils1 and discord1 and war 
in every form1 with all its attendant   
miseries4    ,yes2 let those who long   
for that blissful period when men shall 
be  united in one universal brotherhood2
 when peace shall make her dwelling     
among them1 and good-will fill every    
heart2 when the reward of the           
husbandman's toil--the yellow fields of 
waving grain--shall no more be  trampled
 beneath the hoof of the war-horse1 nor 
his hard-won earnings  wrung from his   
hand1 to keep in repair the machinery of
 war--when men  shall no more study the 
art of destroying each other1 but shall 
beat  their swords into ploughshares1   
and their spears into pruning-hooks2    
let those who long for1 and labour to   
introduce this happy era1 see in  the   
,sabbath the oil which is to still the  
waves of human strife--in  its          
memorials1 its influences1 its          

exercises1 the links of that chain  of  
love1 which is yet to bind heart to     
heart1 from one end of the earth  to the
 other1 and encircle the whole with an  
unbroken and everlasting  bond of union4
    ,when men meet together on the first
 day of the week1 to break bread1 to    
surround the table of their ,lord1 to   
pass from hand to hand the cup of       
blessing1 to hear the words and study   
the character of ,him who1 when  he was 
reviled1 reviled not again2 when he     
suffered1 threatened not1  but committed
 himself to ,him who judgeth            
righteously2 when they1 as the  children
 of that ,god who is by his love        
manifested in the gift of his           
well-beloved ,son1 subduing the enmity  
of his enemies and reconciling  them to 
himself1 meet thus together on the first
 day of the week1 not  to hear the voice
 of a human orator1 nor to attend to the
 words of a  fallible instructor1 but to
 gather around the ,scriptures of truth1
 the  word of the living and true ,god1 

to learn his will1 that with willing    
and ready feet1 they may run in the way 
of his commandments2 when they  study   
his character1 as he there reveals      
himself1 that their moral  nature may   
become assimilated to his1 that they may
 be like their  ,father in heaven1 who  
maketh his sun to shine upon the evil   
and the  good2 what must be the result8 
,who will hesitate to say1 were working 
men all to meet weekly1 thus to keep the
 ,lord's-day as appointed by  ,himself1 
that soon the oppressor would cease out 
of the land2 that  intemperance1        
ignorance1 vice of all kinds1 with all  
the poverty1  disease1 and wretchedness1
 inseparably connected with them1 would 
be  for ever banished2 and peace1       
descending from the skies1 whither sin  
had caused her to take her flight1 again
 dwell with redeemed man8    ,and ever  
as we approach nearer and nearer to such
 a use of the weekly  rest2 and ever as 
the circle widens of those who feel it  
not their  duty only1 but their dearest1

 choicest privilege1 thus to spend and  
enjoy this day--do we approach more     
nearly to the long-predicted age of     
millennial glory1 to the dawn of the    
great ,sabbath of the world1 that       
,sabbath of rest from sin and suffering1
 strife and oppression1 when the  ,lord 
himself shall judge the nations in      
righteousness1 when the lofty  looks of 
man shall be humbled1 and the           
haughtiness of man shall be  brought    
low1 and the ,lord alone be exalted4    
,the ,lord's-day can never be trifled   
with but at our peril4 ,like every      
appointment of our benevolent ,creator1 
it was instituted for the  benefit of   
his creatures1 wisely adapted to fulfil 
its purpose2 and he  who sells its      
privileges for gain1 or barters them for
 pleasure1 makes  a poor bargain indeed4
 ,selfishness--narrow1 ungenerous1      
short-sighted  selfishness--generally   
outwits itself2 and this is especially  
the case  with employers1 who1          
regardless of the comfort1 health1 or   

morality of  the employed1 engage them  
in labour on this day1 and thereby      
deprive  them of its benefits4 ,the     
interests of employers are inseparably  
connected with the well-being of the    
employed4 ,the labour of a healthy1     
steady1 honest1 intelligent workman1 is 
of double value to that of him  who     
cannot be depended upon1 whose moral    
principles are unsound1 or his  habits  
irregular2 whose mind is uncultivated1  
or his body debilitated  by disease4    
,and those who engage men in labour or  
business upon the  first day of the     
week1 may blame themselves1 if1 in a few
 years1 they  find it difficult to have 
their work well performed1 and discover 
that  their property is far from being  
secure4    ,the ,sabbath has1 with      
beautiful propriety1 been called1 8the  
poor man's  day20 and it seems1 indeed1 
peculiarly adapted to confer important  
advantages upon him3 not one of these1  
however1 is obtained at the  expense of 
the employers4 ,its blessings are suited

 to all classes1  but the               
working-classes more especially require 
its provisions for  their happiness4 ,if
 the servant1 after a week of labour1   
enjoys a day  of rest1 and appears in   
the meeting of the disciples of ,jesus1 
clean1  comfortably dressed1 and        
respectable as his master1 it is1 that1 
fresh  and vigorous1 he may with hearty 
good-will enter upon the labours  of    
another week4 ,a feeling of             
self-respect1 and a sense of moral      
obligation1 raise him above eye-service1
 or anything like slight1  sluggish1 or 
improper performance of labour2 a       
feeling which1 though it  cannot stoop  
to cringing servility1 would sooner     
brook disrespect than  show it to       
another1 whether employer or            
fellow-servant2 and a sense of  moral   
obligation1 which makes him faithful in 
whatever he is entrusted  with1 enables 
him to understand and claim his own     
rights1 and induces  him without        
reserve1 to give to all others their    

due4    ,the ,sabbath interferes with   
the interests of none but those who live
 by  the ignorance1 superstition1 vice1 
and degradation of mankind2 those  who  
have their wealth from ,babylon the     
great1 who traffic in 8slaves  and souls
 of men40    ,let all1 then1 of every   
class and station1 examine this subject2
 the  more it is viewed in the light of 
truth1 the more its importance will     
appear4 ,he who is desirous of the      
well-being of his fellow-men1 ought     
not1 and cannot consistently1 pass it   
lightly by2 and even he whose           
contracted mind looks only at his       
personal interest1 may not safely       
slight it4                              
,illustration3 ,,finis                  
,,the                    ,christian     
,union and ,religious ,memorial4        
,,edited ,,by                           
,,rev4 ,,robert ,,baird1 ,d4 ,d4        
,,published ,,monthly1                  
,,at ,,two ,,dollars ,,per ,,annum1 ,,in
 ,,advance4      ,,this magazine is     

devoted to the cause of ,christian      
,union among all  ,evangelical          
denominations1 and its great object will
 be to make the  ,church below more like
 the ,church above1 by the infusion of  
that spirit  of ,christian love and     
brotherly kindness which should         
distinguish all  the members of         
,christ's body1 whatever name they bear 
on earth4 ,it  will contain essays on   
,christian union and collateral         
subjects1 by some  of the best writers  
at home and abroad4    ,another         
essential feature of our work will be a 
monthly memorial  or resum of the       
progress of religion in all lands4 ,we  
shall pay  particular attention to      
missionary operations throughout the    
world1 and  keep our readers acquainted 
with the progress of religion in foreign
  countries by the various missionaries 
there employed4    ,our foreign         
correspondence will be extensive and    
various1 and our  readers will thus be  
kept informed of the changes and        

progress of  events in ,europe4         
,although we shall keep clear of        
discussions on doctrinal points1 we     
shall feel at full liberty to animadvert
 freely on whatever we may  deem errors 
in practice1 wherever they may exist4   
,at the same time1 we  shall advocate1  
with all our powers1 every true         
,christian reform which  shall tend to  
improve and elevate mankind4    ,our    
work has already received the highest   
commendations1 and our  arrangements    
will enable us to make considerable     
improvements the  coming year4          
,,samuel ,,hueston1                     
#aci ,nassau street4                    
,illustration                           
,,recommendations4     ,the ,christian  
,union and ,religious ,memorial1 edited 
by ,,dr4 ,,baird1   is a rich repository
 of valuable matter1 statistical and    
historical1   bearing upon the interests
 of religion in all parts of the        
world4--,n4   ,y4 ,observer4     ,it    
breathes the spirit of ,christianity1   

and contains notices of the   progress  
of ,christ's kingdom among the different
 branches of the   ,church4 ,conducted  
by ,,dr4 ,,baird and his able           
associates1 it cannot fail   to do great
 good4 ,its view of foreign ,churches is
 peculiarly valuable1   from the ,dr4's 
long residence in ,europe4--,lutheran   
,observer4     ,under the supervision of
 the ,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,baird1 the ,christian
 ,union is   becoming a highly valuable 
publication1 and will1 no doubt1 obtain 
an   extensive circulation4 ,the        
principles of ,christian ,union1 as     
advocated   by the editor1 are such as  
all evangelical denominations may unite 
in1   without sacrificing any peculiar  
principles of their own4--,christian    
,secretary4     ,it is a precious       
monthly1 published by ,s4 ,hueston1 #aci
 ,nassau street1   ,new                 
,york4--,christian ,intelligencer4      
,we deem the ,union an important        
auxiliary in spreading a knowledge of   
the condition and prospects of religious

 denominations--a knowledge1   which1 we
 are sorry to say1 is not as extensively
 cultivated as it   should be1 either by
 the ministry or the private members of 
the   church4--,s4 ,w4 ,baptist         
,chronicle4     ,every bishop1 minister1
 elder1 deacon and class-leader should  
have   this valuable monthly4           
,christians of every name must unite    
against the   works of darkness1 banish 
for ever their little sectarianisms1 or 
the world cannot be saved4--,golden     
,rule4     ,the statistical information 
furnished by this publication1 and   its
 notices in a comprehensive view and    
permanent form1 of the   manifestations 
and progress of the ,church of ,christ  
in all lands1   render it valuable and  
worthy of patronage4--,southern         
,christian   ,advocate4     ,the        
missionary and statistical information  
upon its pages must render   it of great
 value as a book of reference1 while its
 essays and   discussions combine much  
to interest and instruct the serious    

mind4   ,its catholic spirit entitles it
 to the confidence of ,christians of    
every name4--,,rev4 ,b4 ,t4 ,,welch1    
,pastor of the ,pearl ,st4 ,baptist     
church1 ,albany1 ,n4 ,y4    ,each number
 of the work contains #fd closely       
printed royal octavo pages1  and will   
form a yearly volume of #gfh pages4     
,,heaven',s ,,antidote                  
,,to ,,the                              
,,curse ,,of ,,labor3      ,or the      
,temporal ,advantages of the ,sabbath to
 the ,working ,classes4                 
,,by ,,john ,,allan ,,quinton4          
,with a ,prefatory ,notice by ,rev4     
,stephen ,h4 ,tyng1 ,d4,d4      ,this   
beautiful ,essay on the ,sabbath1 from  
the pen of a journeyman  printer1 of    
,ipswich1 ,england1 received the first  
prize which was  offered by ,mr4        
,henderson1 of ,glasgow1 for essays on  
that subject by  working men4 ,the fact 
that it was selected for the first      
prize1 out  of #ajde compositions1 must 
be sufficient proof of its merit4 ,the  

,american edition contains a very       
interesting preface by ,dr4 ,tyng4 ,it  
is  illustrated1 neatly bound in cloth1 
and is sold for #cg cents4              
,,notices ,,of ,,the ,,press4    8,it is
 a manly1 direct1 and most conclusive   
presentation of the  temporal benefits  
of observing the ,sabbath1 which we     
should suppose no  one could peruse     
without a definite impression4 ,it      
should especially  reach laboring       
men--its strong sense and clear logic   
are finely suited  to make an impression
 upon the popular mind40--,new ,york    
,evangelist4    8,the work should be    
scattered broadcast over the            
land40--,protestant  ,churchman4        
8,the treatise considers the advantages 
of the ,sabbath under the heads  of     
,physical1 ,mercantile1 ,intellectual1  
,domestic1 ,moral1 and ,religious4  ,the
 author does not write theoretically1   
but from personal experience2  and no   
working man can read his essay without  
feeling that the ,sabbath  is one of the

 greatest temporal blessings4 ,we trust 
that the volume  will have a wide       
circulation among all classes in our own
 country2 for  all need its salutary    
counsels4 ,it is written in a very      
attractive  style1 and neatly           
printed40--,independent4    8,this is a 
strong1 clear1 and admirable essay on   
the ,temporal  ,advantages of the       
,sabbath1 considered in relation to the 
working  classes40--,courier and        
,enquirer4                              
,,just ,,published ,,by                 
,s4 ,,hueston1 #ach ,,nassau-,,st41     
,,new ,,york4                           
,,dowling',s ,,conference ,,hymns4      
,a ,,new ,,collection ,,of ,,hymns1     
,,designed ,,especially ,,for ,,use ,,in
                        ,conference and 
,prayer ,meetings1                      
,,and ,,family ,,worship4               
,,by ,j4 ,,dowling1 ,d4,d4      ,,the   
design of the present compilation is1 in
 the first place1 to add  to the life   
and spirituality of the ,conference and 

the ,prayer ,meeting2  and1 secondly1 to
 be an acceptable pocket companion to   
the ,christian1  in the family or in the
 closet4    ,from most of the           
,conference hymn books which the editor 
has examined1  a large number of        
devotional pieces1 cherished in the     
memory and  the hearts of the fathers   
and mothers in our ,american ,zion1 have
  been excluded2 probably because the   
poetry was not regarded as of a         
sufficiently high order of excellence4  
,the opinion of the present  editor is1 
that sacred songs1 embodying scriptural 
sentiments and  genuine religious       
experience--when not objectionable on   
the score of  vulgarity or grammatical  
inaccuracy--should not be discarded     
because  they fail to stand the test of 
a rigid poetical censorship4    ,to     
mention a few of the favorite pieces    
omitted in some recent  collections1    
many ,christians will at once recognize 
the following1  associated as some of   
them are with their sweetest seasons of 

holy religious enjoyment3--8,sweet land 
of rest1 for thee ,i  sigh0--8,whither  
goest thou1 pilgrim stranger0--8,the    
,lord into his  garden                  
comes0--8,farewell1 dear friends1 ,i    
must be gone0--8,amen1  amen1 my soul   
replies0--8,come1 my brethren1 let us   
try0--8,vain1  delusive world1          
adieu0--8,o come1 my loving neighbors1  
will you go  to glory with me0--8,let   
thy kingdom1 blessed ,saviour0--8,there 
is a land of pleasure0--8,o tell me no  
more of this world's vain               
store0--8,to-day1 if you will hear his  
voice0--8,beside the gospel             
pool0--8,the ,good ,old ,way10          
commencing1 8,lift up your heads1       
,immanuel's friends0--8,the ,harvest    
,home10 commencing1 8,this is the       
field1 the world below0--8,the ,bower of
 ,prayer0--8,the ,saints' ,sweet        
,home0--and ,newton's pious and         
expressive pieces--8,the ,beggar's      
,prayer10  commencing1 8,encouraged by  
thy word1 of mercy to the poor0--,the   

8,dying ,thief10 commencing1 8,sovereign
 grace hath power alone0--and1  8,the   
,lord will provide10 commencing1        
8,though troubles assail and  dangers   
affright40    ,one great motive in the  
present work was to restore1 for the use
 of the  ,editor's own congregation and 
of such others as desire them1 the      
above1  and a number of similar         
devotional and familiar 8,sacred        
,songs10 omitted  in some recent        
,conference hymn books4     ,copies for 
examination furnished gratis to         
post-paid  applications--unbound copies 
sent by mail4                           
,published by ,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher1  
#ada ,nassau ,street1 ,n4 ,y4           
,,cheap ,,cash ,,book ,,store4          
,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher1                
,no4 #ada ,nassau street1               
,,new ,,york4      ,has constantly on   
hand1 at wholesale and retail1 a general
 assortment  of ,theological1           
,classical1 ,miscellaneous1 ,school and 
,blank ,books and  ,stationery4    ,a   

complete ,depository of ,,sabbath       
,,school ,,books4    ,booksellers1      
,traders1 ,teachers1 ,schools1          
,academies and ,individuals  supplied1  
wholesale and retail1 on the most       
liberal terms4    ,religious books of   
every variety which are to be found in  
the market1  may be obtained here at the
 very lowest prices4                    
,,second-,,hand ,,books4    ,valuable   
,standard ,theological and other ,books 
from private libraries  will be sold at 
a fraction of the price of new4         
,,marriage ,,certificates4    ,a new and
 beautiful article1 with a silver       
border1 samples of which  will be sent  
gratis to post-paid applications4       
,published by                           
,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher1                
,no4 #ada ,nassau street4               
,,notice4    ,,the copartnership        
heretofore existing between the         
,subscribers1 under  the firm of ,,lewis
 ,,colby  ,,company1 is this day        
dissolved by mutual  consent4 ,all      

accounts will be settled by ,lewis      
,colby1 who is authorized  to use the   
name of the firm in liquidation4        
,,lewis ,,colby4                        
,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher4    ,new ,york1 
,september #eth1 #ahdh4                 
,,circular4    ,the subscriber          
respectfully announces to his friends   
and the public  that he has opened a    
store at #ada ,nassau street1 where he  
will continue  the same line of the     
,,bookselling and ,,publishing business 
which has been  pursued by the late     
firm4    ,having been regularly bred to 
the business1 added to which is his     
experience in the late concern from its 
commencement1 he feels  confident that  
he can offer to his patrons advantageous
 terms4    ,the primary object of this  
establishment will be the publication   
and  sale of ,religious ,books4    ,a   
large assortment of ,sabbath ,school    
,books will be kept1 and to this        
department much attention will be paid4 
,if ,sabbath ,schools1 wishing to       

replenish their libraries1 or to        
purchase new ones1 will forward their   
funds1 and a list of such books as they 
already have1 their orders will  receive
 prompt attention1 and the selection    
will be carefully made4    ,also will be
 kept1 ,school and ,blank ,books1 and   
,stationery of every  variety--,sermon  
,paper1 ,marriage ,certificates1 c4     
,,foreign ,,books imported1 for a small 
commission4     ,a liberal discount will
 be made to ,booksellers1 ,ministers1   
and  ,teachers4                         
,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher4    ,new ,york1 
,september #bc;d1 #ahdh4                
,,the                                   
,,baptist ,,sabbath ,,school            
,,hymn ,,book4      ,a ,,new edition of 
this work1 which was compiled by ,rev4  
,,joseph ,a4 ,,warne1  has just been    
issued4 ,it contains five hundred hymns1
 in fair type1 and  is well printed4    
,extract from the ,preface4     8,the   
denomination for whose use this volume  
is prepared1 is one of   the most       

numerous in the land2 and one which     
therefore may claim1 as   justly as any 
other1 to have a volume of hymns for use
 in its ,sabbath   ,schools1 all of     
which shall be such as may be employed  
without doing   violence to its         
denominational peculiarities1 or        
covertly undermining   its foundations2 
and if there is such a collection in    
existence1 the   compiler has not been  
so fortunate as to meet with it4        
8,sabbath ,schools have1 of late years  
7and long may it continue to be   so71  
been favored with the special grace of  
the ,spirit of ,god2 and   great        
numbers1 from their classes1 have been  
led to profess publicly   their         
attachment to the ,redeemer4 ,it need   
not be said that a volume   of ,hymns1  
compiled on the principle of merging all
 denominational   peculiarities1 could  
not admit into its pages hymns on the   
subject   of baptism4 ,but need ,baptist
 schools be thus restricted8 ,surely    
not3   and though our books of hymns    

used in public worship contain those    
adapted to this ordinance1 they are yet 
generally both quite limited   in their 
number and quite deficient in allusion  
to the early age   of those candidates  
who are from the ,sabbath ,school1 and  
who often   constitute a majority of the
 whole number4 ,this volume contains    
several hymns on this subject1 not found
 in books in common use in   this       
vicinity1 in ,new ,england1 or1 it is   
believed1 in the ,south or   ,west      
generally40     ,copies for examination 
furnished gratis to post-paid           
applications4                           
,,edward ,h4 ,,fletcher1                
,publisher1                             
#ada ,,nassau ,,st41 ,n4 ,,york4        
,transcriber's ,notes3    ,page #abi3   
8age of milennial glory0 changed to 8age
 of millennial glory0