who had died the preceding January,] "and we will come and fetch you and mother. 0, I have seen Jesus! He is waiting for me. How sweet! how s-w-e-e-t! O, how s-w-e-e-t it will be to be always living with Jesus!" Mr. Parker said, "You do love Jesus, don't you, Alice?" to which she responded, "O, yes! O, yes! and Jesus loves me." To her mother she said, "I can think of nothing but that beautiful heaven where I shall so soon be. I thought I heard just now such beautiful music! It was-0, so beautiful!"

When visited by her faithful and muchloved Sunday-school teacher, Alice requested her to tell all the children in the Sabbath-school to meet her in heaven. She also sent for her brothers and sisters, and told them to kneel by her bed-side. She took them each by the hand and said, "I want you to promise to meet me in heaven." To her eldest brother, who was weeping very much, she said, most beseechingly, "Do promise me, Willie." Soon after this she said very sweetly, "I have nothing else to do but gather up my feet and die." Next day she said, "One thing more I want. I should like you to tell Mr. Macdonald that I am quite ready to die. He used often to ask me. I often dream

about him, and should so like him, and Mrs. Macdonald, and the little girls, to meet me in heaven."

Dear little Alice in these words alluded to the writer and his family. During a residence in Tranmere, he had frequent opportunities of conversing with her, and was much fascinated with her quiet, thoughtful manner, and with the modest, loving smile ever beaming in her pretty face. As soon as he became aware of her illness, he crossed the Mersey from Liverpool to see her; but she was then scarcely conscious. She would wake up at intervals with such expressions as, "Glory, glory!" "Precious Jesus!" "Dear Jesus!" "I am quite ready." For several days at the last she was unable to speak, but would point upwards, and in answer to questions put to her, would make signs that she loved Jesus, and was longing to depart and be with Him for ever. desire she realized on Friday, July 14th, 1871. She exchanged mortality for life after so utilizing her nine short years as to leave her parents grateful to God for having given them such a child, and feeling it an inestimable privilege to have given her back to Him.

This

J. A. M.

him from above; That the teachers may be made wise in winning souls for Jesus; that they may be earnest, affectionate, and happy in the love of Christ, so that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth' may speak; That the children may have their hearts prepared to receive the Word of God; that they may be loving and obedient to their teachers; and be led while young to walk in the way to heaven. More especially for myself and class, that I may this day have my heart full of the constraining love of Christ; that I may love the children, and ever maintain a kind and loving bearing toward them; feel God's presence to be with me; be enabled to make the way to heaven very plain, and have present success. That I will pray for each child by name, that

each may be enabled to overcome his or her especial temptations; that God would in mercy save them now; lead them to see their true position, the loveliness of Jesus, His waiting willingness to pardon them just now, and the blessedness of religion, in such a manner as to lead them to come and by faith to accept Jesus as their Saviour.

"2. In school I will labour earnestly, expecting present results. To lead me to greater earnestness, I will strive ever to remember how great an honour it is to be a co-worker with God, of which I am quite unworthy; that I am labouring for eternity; that the results of this day's teaching may influence generations to come, either for good or evil; that it may by my last opportunity, and that I shall soon be called to give an account before God. That my one object shall be to lead the children to Jesus, all else subservient to this. To this end I will press home as plainly as I can the grand truths of the Bible; especially the necessity of repentance, faith in Christ, and holiness, as the only way to happiness here, and heaven hereafter. That in manner I will be firm, yet kind and loving; and if called to reprove, I will do it in a spirit of gentleness and love, watching over myself, lest I should in my heart harbour feelings of anger; That if I see no immediate fruit, I will not give way to discouragement, but will labour the more earnestly, believing that they that go forth' weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.' 'In due season we shall reap, if we faint not.'

"3. That after school I will again commend my charge to God, praying Him to bless the seed which has been sown by His servants; That whenever I meet my children I will speak to them, and as opportunity occurs will do all I can to press upon them the necessity of an immediate decision for Christ, and by all means seek to win them for Jesus.

EDUCATIONAL

Landkey Day-School, Barnstaple. THE friends at Landkey and the neighbourhood have shown a deep interest in

"4. That I may the better have these resolutions impressed upon my mind, I will frequently read them over, and knowing my own weakness, pray for strength to practice them."

Catechumen Classes.

To the Editor.

DEAR MR. EDITOR,-I AM a constant and much-interested reader of the "SundaySchool Magazine," which is often to me a great help in my labours in our Sabbathschool. I take a great interest in the establishment of Catechumen classes for our young people, to be met one evening during each week, and should be glad if Lillie, or any other contributor to your Magazine, will give an opinion as to the best mode of conducting such classes. I have no doubt that many Sabbath-school teachers besides myself will be benefitted if this subject be opened for discussion in this valuable little Magazine.

Yours very truly, EILLAS.

Stray Periodicals.

To the Editor.

SIR,-THE end of the year 1871 has now arrived. May I, with your permission, throw out a hint to hundreds of Methodist families in the United Kingdom? It is a fact, that out of the thousands of "Monthly Packets " of Wesleyan periodicals issued from the Book-Room, hundreds, nay, thousands, are never bound, but are left about the house, or are to be found in odd corners, etc. Might not some of these stray periodicals be collected and sent to the nearest Wesleyan Sundayschool? where, without doubt, they would be gratefully accepted by the officers. Then let them be given to the scholars, who would gladly take them home. Who can say what good may be done in many homes by the reading of these stray books? Your obedient servant,

"AN OLD TEACHER."

INTELLIGENCE.

the day-school. A considerable sum of money has of late been expended in improving the internal arrangements of

the premises, so as to adapt them to the teaching of infants as well as of elder scholars. Towards this outlay, the proceeds of the recent Harvest Thanksgiving Services were devoted. These services were accompanied by very gracious influences. At the ordinary services held subsequently, the hallowed influence of the good Spirit has been consciously felt on three successive Sunday evenings. A remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit has taken place, resulting in the awaken

NOTICES

Memoirs of the Life, Character, and Labours of the Rev. John Smith, late of Sheffield. By RICHARD TREFFRY, Jun. Eleventh Edition. London: Wesleyan Conference Office.

The Efficacy of Faith in the Atonement of Christ; Exemplified in a Memoir of Mr. William Carvosso, sixty years a Class-Leader in the Wesleyan-Methodist Connexion. Written by Himself, and Edited by his Son. London: Wesleyan Conference Office.

The Life of the Rev. John W. De La Flechere; Compiled from the Narrative of the Rev. J. Wesley, A M.; the Biographical Notes of the Rev. Mr. Gilpin; his own Letters, and other Authentic Documents. New Edition, slightly abridged, with Portrait. London: Wesleyan Conference Office.

Prayer; Secret, Social, and Extempore. A Treatise on Secret and Social Prayer. By RICHARD TREFFRY. A Help to Extempore Prayer. By JOSEPH WOOD. London: Wesleyan Conference Office.

Memoirs of the Rev. David Stoner; containing Copious Extracts from his Diary and Epistolary Correspondence. Eleventh Edition, with Portrait. London: Wesleyan Conference Office.

The above select and well-known works form part of the Methodist Family Library, which bids fair to be the choicest collection of religious biography and of popular experimental Divinity in the language. Each book is in itself a gem. We know nothing more calculated to

ing and conversion of many souls. Last Monday morning, whilst the pupilteacher was offering prayer at the opening of the day-school, the hearts of the scholars were melted, and several urged to cry, "What must I do to be saved?" On the following evening, I gave notes of admission to about thirty young persons, many of whom had been, or are, scholars in the day-school, and most of whom professed to have experienced God's forgiving love. Dec. 7th, 1871. BENJAMIN BROWNE.

revive and strengthen spiritual religionvital godliness-than this re-issue, in a form alike accessible and attractive, and the general perusal of these little masterpieces. Who can estimate the good which these works have already achieved, even in a form and at a price not so suited to universal circulation! How many hearts have they fired! How many young converts have they ignited with the pure flame of love! Every Methodist should read and recommend, and, if possible, possess and circulate these invaluable books. Of their blessed spiritual effect we must ourselves speak with devout gratitude.

The Lives of Early Methodist Preachers. With an Introductory Essay by THOMAS JACKSON. Fourth Edition, with Additional Lives; in Six Volumes. Vols. I. to III. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1871.-A neat and cheap reprint of a book happily too well known to need commendation. A writer in the British Quarterly Review," for October, 1871, says: "Few lives are more startling than that of John Nelson; few types of saintly holiness are higher than Thomas Walsh, while Thomas Olivers, John Haime, George Story, and Sampson Staniforth, and a number of other goodly. names, represent lives of such intense earnestness, holiness, and activity, as would certainly win them a place in a Catholic calendar of saints, and are so full of glowing adventure that the story of many of them would keep a boy's eyes from winking even late in the night."

Labourers together with God: Words of Encouragement, Counsel, and Help for Sunday-School Teachers. By the REV. GORDON CALTHROP, M.A. London: Elliot Stock, 1871.-If the writer of this well-designed little volume has fairly expressed the feeling of Sunday-school teachers, they hold themselves to be more in need of encouragement than of counsel. They are thankful for instruction, especially when it comes from among themselves; but they rather look to be cheered amidst their discouragements and toil. The writer purposes to afford needful encouragement, so mingled with practical suggestions, as at once to inspirit the teacher and to regulate his work. On the whole, he has done this with happy effect. His diction, here and there, is wanting in accuracy and taste; his thought is not always clear, discriminating, or well expressed; nor are we always one with him in feeling; as, for instance, when to him "it is painfully repulsive to find a child taught hymns which bring prominently before his mind the awful idea of hell" who that was taught as a child to sing that touching little hymn

"There is beyond the sky

A heaven of joy and love," would like to lose the healthy impression

which the lines on "a dreadful hell" have left on his soul? The author, however, has a mode of stimulating the teacher's courage which is by no means commonplace. His reverent use of inspired truth is instructive, and his style of occasional illustration is well chosen. The chapters on Varied Manifestations of Spiritual Life; Personal Dealing; Home Visitation; and Expectation of Unqualified Success, are worthy of careful study. Nor can Sunday-school teachers calmly consider his beautiful appeal on doing their work "thoroughly," without shrinking from what he deprecates, "newspaper paragraphs, platform commendations, mutual admiration, felicitation, congratulation, and complimentary speeches ;" and without longing to copy those silent workers of earlier times who "loved their work, and courted, and cared only for, the approbation of God."

Nuts and Almonds.

"V. BOHLEN attempts to establish a contradiction between the statement that for two or three years Palestine had been visited with dearth, and the circumstance that Jacob could send to Egypt 'rich presents' of the best fruits in the land, balm, grapes, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds. But only the cereal products of the land had suffered. And as it is well known that fertility in fruittrees does not depend on the same circumstances as that of grain crops, we can readily conceive how, along with scarcity of corn, there should have been

at least a sufficient quantity of such fruits. But however small the yield of such fruits might have been, considering that they were articles of luxury, and therefore of commerce, rather than necessaries for common and every-day use, the only consequence of such a scarcity would have been that they would have ceased for the time to be articles of trade. This could only have increased their value, and rendered them the more acceptable as presents to a noble Egyptian, who, whatever abundance he may have enjoyed in other respects, might have felt the want of these luxuries."-Kurtz.