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gentle creature who was the victim. With brow unblanched, and with a glow of generous self-devotion, she said to Jephthah "My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, do unto me as thou hast vowed. Thy God hath made thee conqueror over thy enemies-the children of Ammon have fallen before thee; and if I am to be the price of victory, take me and do unto me according to thy vow. I die for my country and for my father-in that death there is no bitterness." At the request of the elders who now approached, Jephthah descended from his chariot, and, accompanied by them and his daughter, he entered his habitation. Here he threw himself upon the ground, covered his head with dust, and refused all his child's endeavours to comfort him. Meanwhile the elders consulted aside, upon the best measures to be pursued in this sorrowful and unexpected emergency. That Jephthah should sacrifice his daughter was not to be thought of, since, to offer her as a burnt-offering would be worthy only of an idolater-it was an impossible, unheard of, detestable crime. But on the other side, it was urged, he had made a solemn vow to the Lord, and perhaps in consequence of that vow he had received the victory-must he now refuse to perform his vow? What evils might not the Lord, in anger, inflict upon them, if that

were so.

Many days were passed in sorrow, and in deep perplexity by the people of Gilead. At last, it was determined by a council of elders, that a deputation of their number should be sent to Shiloh, in order to obtain the advice of the priests of the tabernacle upon this difficult and unhappy matter. The time of their absence was passed in great anxiety by the people, and in deep humiliation and anguish by Jephthah. Their approach was at length descried from the watch-tower-they entered the city, and, followed by a train of eager citizens sought the unhappy Jephthah who still remained upon the ground as they had left him, clothed with sackcloth, and covered with ashes.

"Hear, O Jephthah, the message of the high-priest of Israel!"— said the chief of the elders—"Unlike a worshipper of Israel's God, thou hast vowed to offer in burnt sacrifice the first that came to meet

thee from thy house-such offerings are an abomination to the Lord, and to punish thee for thy rashness, he hath sent thy daughter forth." Jephthah answered with a groan of anguish.

"This sacrifice being forbidden by our laws, the person offered can be redeemed with money, and for a youthful female the priests demand ten sheckles."

She may then be saved? and the people were preparing to shout with joy, at her deliverance, when a wave from the elder's hand restrained them.

"Thou hast said, such, coming forth to meet thee, shall surely be the Lord's, and, by the laws of our holy Moses things thus devoted cannot be redeemed." A sigh burst from many a bosom when they heard this cruel sentence. "Listen, Jephthah to thy daughter's destiny-thou hast devoted her to be the Lord's, and as the Lord's her days must be spent in his service. She is henceforth for ever dead to the world, and dead to thee! She must be taken to Shiloh, where in perpetual virgin seclusion her days must pass in the service of the tabernacle. She belongs no more to man, but must be kept as holy to the Lord." With this decree the people were satisfied, and Jephthah was relieved. Still, his daughter was lost to him for ever, and if not called upon to die, was doomed to a lonely life. How bitterly was his rash vow now repented! His cherished child, she whom he looked upon as the light and comfort of his declining years, must be to him as dead! To her, this destiny was worse than death. She had wrought her soul up to the great sacrifice of her life, but thus to lose home, and all held dear-to see none else but strangers near her-to surrender that fond hope, so cherished by her countrywomen, of being the Saviour's mother, brought to her young bosom a chill, as if from the tomb. Her fair brow was but a moment clouded. No reproachful word came from her lip, but with a smile of heroic fortitude she turned to Jephthah.-"Cheer thee, my father! I am raised from death," she said. "My life, devoted to my God, and given for my country, must be a happy one, for God will not willingly afflict his child." Jephthah threw his arms around his daughter, wetting her glossy locks with bitter tears. "Remember,

thou hast many duties, and many honours father! Thou art a Judge of Israel. Thy brow is surrounded by a halo of glory, and thou hast much to render life dear to thee. Thou wilt forget this anguish soon, and, in worshipping thy God, and in thy country's service, will find peace at last." Jephthah strained her to his heart in speechless sorrow. How could he part with this sweet child so lately restored to him! now become far dearer as her filial tenderness, her heroism, and her religious faith became thus known to him. The maiden turned towards the elders.

"I bow to the high-priest's decree, as a most righteous one," she said, " and I will yield me to his will. This only I would ask-give me some little time for preparation; to take farewell of all the friends and scenes so dear?-after this, I will accompany ye to Shiloh."

The elders willingly acceded to her request, and then departed.

Some time was passed in preparation, and in endeavours to soothe the sadness of her father; and then the daughter of Jephthah, accompanied by her young female companions, her friends and attendants, set out upon a pilgrimage among the city's environs, to bid farewell to all those friends and places, among whom her childhood's happy days were spent. She passed from one spot to another among the beautiful mountain scenery of Gilead, bidding an adieu to every cherished scene. With her companions she bewailed her hapless lot, and mourned that she must lose the hopes of seeing the promised Saviour among her descendants. She then returned to her father's house, who solemnly surrendered her into the hands of the elders, and was taken to Shiloh.

The loss of Jephthah's daughter was annually commemorated by the daughters of Israel at Gilead. Every year, upon the anniversary of this sad event, they walked in procession through the same paths she had trod with them, when bidding her early home adieu. The character which we have endeavoured to render familiar to the minds of our readers, is full of fruitful incident for reflection; and it is impossible to feel otherwise than deeply impressed by the dutiful obedience of the heroine of our subject to the stern dictates of Jephthah's rash vow.

THE WORK-TABLE FRIEND.

HAND-SCREEN IN CROCHET. Materials-2 skeins of coarse purse silk, blue, green, or crimson; 2 skeins of gold thread, the same size; half-a-yard of white satin; half-a-yard of silk to match the netting silk; 3 yards of ornamental cord; some stout cardboard, and wadding; a pair of handles.

WITH the silk make a chain of eight stitches, close it into a round, and work on it 16 stitches in Sc.

2nd Round.+ 1 Ch, miss none, 1 Dc, +16 times.

3rd Round.+ 2 Ch, De on Dc, +16 times.

4th Round.+3 Ch, De on Dc, + 16 times.

5th Round. 4 Ch, De on Dc, + 16 times.

6th Round.+ 9 Ch, miss 6, Te under the 7th, +11 times missing 7 three times, instead of six.

7th Round. 8 Ch, + 5 Dc, the centre one coming over the Tc of last round, 6 Ch, + repeat all round. End with 7 Ch.

8th Round. 7 Dc, 5 centre coming over the five of last round, 6 Ch, + all round. End with eight chain.

9th Round.+ 9 Dc, one coming over each Dc, and one at each side, 6 Čh, +· all round. Join on the gold, and work it in to the last 9 Dc, ending with 9 chain, made with the gold thread.

10th Round. In this round all the De are made with silk, and the chain with gold. At the conclusion of it, fasten off the silk, and work with gold only. + 11 Dc, coming as the nine, 9 Ch 10 times; 11 De as before.

11th Round.— +4 Ch, De on the centre of 9 Ch, 4 Ch, De on the first of 11 Dc, 4 Ch, Tc on the centre of 11 Dc, 4 Ch, Dc on the last of 11 Dc, + all round.

12th Round.+ 7 Ch, 3 Dc, the centre over the 1 Dc on the 9 Ch, 7 Ch, 3 Dc, the centre over the Tc + all round.

13th Round. De over the centre of every three Dc, and on the 4th of every 7 Ch, with 5 Ch between, in every instance. End with 5 Ch.

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put on the crochet, over the white satin, and trim it with two rounds of cord.

In the pattern, two different kinds of cord are used. Both are crimson and white, and they are laid so that the twist is reversed.

The handles are put on with gilt nails. Many screens are trimmed with a deep silk fringe, which has a very rich and beautiful effect.

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EMBROIDERED HANDKERCHIEF. Materials.-1 square of fine French cambric, with W. Evans & Co.'s scarlet and white embroidery cotton, No. 50.

WE give the corner of this handkerchief the full size, as the pattern can be traced from it, and only requires to be repeated for the whole border. The edge, it will be seen, is formed of two scallops, worked in graduated button-hole stitch, and intersecting each other. One of these should be worked in scarlet cotton, and the other in white; but as scarlet is rather expensive, the tracing of the whole should be done with white, as well as the running in of the threads which raise the surface for the satin stitch. The eyelet-holes, after being traced, are cut out, and worked round in button-hole stitch. The flowers are done as in Broderie Anglaise. Either the flowers or the eyelet-holes should be done in scarlet.

We have selected the initial E as being one of the most generally useful. It has a very beautiful effect, when worked. The outlines of the letter are intended to represent the branches of a tree, and may be done in scarlet embroidery; the grapes are formed of very small eyelet-holes, which, with the stem, are sewed over. The leaves are in very fine and delicate satin stitch, and the veinings are worked in scarlet cotton. The fruit, leaves, and tendrils, are white.

Handkerchiefs embroidered in colours should be done on fine, but thick cambric: not the transparent kind; for which, not being used in evening toilette, they are not suitable.

For instructions in marking and working embroidery, see No. 9 of the New Series of the Family Friend.

INSTRUCTIONS IN CANVASS WORK.

THE necessity for giving the additional stitches in Point Lace, prevented us from

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fulfilling our promise to complete the subject of Embroidery, by giving directions for that branch of it which is usually called Canvass, or Berlin Tapestry work. Our present article will be confined wholly to this subject; and we will begin by describing the materials usually employed.

CANVASS of some kind forms the foundation on which every kind of Berlin or tapestry is worked. It is a fabric woven generally of cotton or silk, and known as German, French, Penelope, and silk

canvass.

Fine canvass has the threads close and fine; in coarse canvass they are thick, and far apart. The sizes are distin.. guished by numbers, which are given according to the number of threads in the inch. It follows that the size of a piece of work depends wholly on the canvass employed, a fact not unfrequently forgotten by those who order designs to be drawn to fill a certain space. Imagine, for instance, that a coat of arms is to be drawn, to be worked for the back of a chair. Unless the size of the canvass on which it is to be done, it is impossible to

draw it satisfactorily; for supposing that the width of the drawing were 100 cross stitches, it would be about 14 inches wide; if worked on No. 12 canvass, and worked on No. 40, it would be just 5 inches. If done in tent-stitch, it would be just half the size each way; nor are the numbers of canvass I have given the extremes of either coarse or fine.

The coarsest canvass in general use is No. 6, which has 9 threads in an inch. From that number up to 24 (progressing by 2, 6, 8, 10, &c.) there are always three threads more than the number of the canvass, in the inch. 30 has 31 threads

only; 40 has but 35, and 50 only 37. This is the finest canvass in general use.

To enable our friends to select patterns and canvass that will really suit them, we give the following Table:

In No. 6 canvass, 100 stitches make 21 inches)

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Any pattern worked in tent - stitch occupies one-half the width and length that it would take if cross stitch were used. GERMAN COTTON CANVASS is distinguished by every tenth thread being yellow. This is convenient for counting, but the canvass itself is of very inferior quality, the squares are not true, and it is not nearly so strong as the French canvass. In consequence of these defects, it is not much used.

French Cotton Canvass is that generally used; and to it the scale we have given more particularly refers.

Silk canvass (sometimes called Berlin canvass), is not made in nearly so many sizes as the common sort; those most in use have 21, 29, 34, and 40 threads to the inch.

Silk canvass is chiefly used for pieces that are not to be grounded. It requires great care in working, as the threads and wools must not be carried from one part to another, at the back of the work, lest they should be seen through the canvass.

Penelope canvass takes its name from presenting the appearance of canvass that has been worked, and the work picked out again. Every two threads are nearly close together, and have a space between them and the next two. It can only be worked in cross stitch.

The squares being so much more readily seen than in ordinary canvass, this work is much less trying to the eyes. The Travelling-bag, given in this Number, is worked on Penelope Canvass.

We resume the subject next month.

COMFORT AND MUDDLE.-Comfort is

the daughter of Order, and is descended

in a right line from Wisdom; she is closely allied to Carefulness, Thrift, Honesty, and Religion; she has been educated by Good Sense, Benevolence, Observation, and Experience; and she is the mother of Cleanliness, Economy, Provident Forethought, Virtue, Propriety, and Domestic Happiness.

Muddle is descended from the ancient but dis-honourable family of Chaos; she is the child of Indifference and want of Principle; educated alternately by Dawdling, Hurry, Stupidity, Obstinacy, Meanness, and Extravagance; secretly united at an early age to Self-conceit; and parents to Procrastination, Falsehood, Dirt, Waste, Disorder, Destruction, and Desolation.-Home Truths for Home Peace.

PROMISES.-There is a sort of people in the world of whom the young and inexperienced stand much in need to be warned. These are the sanguine promisers. They may be divided into two

sorts.

The first are those who, from a foolish custom of fawning upon all those they come in company with, have acquired a habit of promising to do great kindness, which they have no thought of performing. The other are a sort of warm people, who, while they are lavishing away their promises, have really some thought of doing what they engage for; but afterwards, when the time of performance comes, the sanguine fit being gone off, the trouble or expense appears in another light; the promiser cools, and the expect ant is bubbled, or perhaps greatly injured by the disappointment.

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