BEAUTY IN ILLUSTRATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1261, 30 April 1896, Page 16

BEAUTY IN ILLUSTRATION.

ILLUMINATING ANECDOTE. From “Dictionary of Anecdote, Incident, Illustrative Fact,” selected and arranged for the platform by Walter Baxondale. Published by Thomas AVhittaker. INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. When John Williams, tho martyr missionary of Eromanga, went to the South Sea Islands, he took with him a single, banana tiee from an English nobleman's conservatory. And now, from that simile banana-tree, bananas are to be found throughout tho whole group of islands. Before the negro slaves in tho West Indies were emancipated, a regiment of British soldiers were stationed near one of the plantations. A soldier offered to roach a slave to read, on condition that he would teach a second, and that second a third, and so on. This lie faithfully carried out, though severely Hugged by the master of the plantation. Being sent to another plantation, he repeated the same tiling there, and when at length liberty was proclaimed throughout the island, and tho Bible Society offered a Now Testament to every negro who could read, the number taught through this slave’s instrumentality was no less than m-Irish Congregational Magazine. INSIDIOUSNESS OF EVIL. Seldom will Satan come at first with a gross temptation. A large log and a candle may safely be left together. But bring a few shavings, and then souio small sticks, and then some larger, and soon you may bring tho green log to ashes.- —Leighton. THE AOORESS IVENESS OF FAILINC.S. A tutor of one of tlm Oxford colleges, who limped in his walk, was some years ago accosted by a well-known politician, who asked him if lie was not the chaplain of die college at such a time, naming tho year. The Doctor replied that he was. The interrogator observed, li 1 knew you by your limp." “ W ell," said the Doctor, “ it seemed my limping made a deeper impression than my preaching. All, Doctor," was the reply, with ready wit, “ it is the highest compliment we can pay a minister to say that he is known by his walk rather than by his conversation." CAKE FOR THE FALLEN. A writer in one of the English reviews relates that during a conversation with George Eliot, not long before her death, a vase toppled over on the mantelpiece. The great writer quickly and unconsciously put out her hand to stop its fall. “ 1 hope," said she, replacing it, 1 that the time will come when we shall instinctively hold up the man or woman who begins to fall as naturally and unconsciously as we arrest a falling piece of furniture or an ornament." FEARLESSNESS ANI) ITS CONSEQUENCES. Quo day a lady with whom the Rev. Frederick Robertson was slightly acquainted assailed him for 11 heterodox opinions," and menaced him with the consequence which, in this world and the next, would follow on the course of action he was pursuing. Ilis only answer was, “ I don't care.” “ Do you know what don’t care came to, sir I" “Yes, madam," was the reply ; “lie was cmeilied on Oalvaiy.” DANCER OF FLATTERY. Mr lie. vey, being in company with a person who was paying him some comp imeiits on sc; mill, ol his writings, replied, laying his hand o:i liis breas 1 , “Oh, sir, you “would not str.ke the sparks of applause if you knew tho corrupt tinder 1 have within." DRILL!A NT BIT USELESS SERMONS. Sir Astley Cooper, on visiting Paris, was asked by t ho surgeon 1 ‘ on chef " of tho empire how many times he had ; erformed a a certain wonderful lost ol surgery. He roplied that 1m had performed 1 ho operation thirteen times. “Ah, but, Monsieur, 1 have done him one hundred and sixty liniec How many times did you save life?" continued tlm curious Fieiieliman, after he had looked into the blank amazement of Hit - Asiley’s face. “ 1," said the Englishman, “ saved eleven out of the thirteen. How many did you save out of one hundred and sixty ?" “ Ah, Monsieur, 1 lose dem all; but do operation 17 as very brilliant." Of how many popular ministers might the same verdict bo given ! Souls are not saved, but tho preaching is very brilliant.—Spurgeon. POWER OF SMALL THINGS. Faraday has shown, many years since, that there is electricity enough in a drop of dew to rend a rock asunder. —Paxton Hood. life’s record. When Latimer was on trial for heresy he heard the scratch of a pen behind tho tapestry. In a moment ho bethought himself that every word ho spoke was taken down, and he says that ho was very careful what words he uttered. Behind the veil that hide 3 eternity is a record book, in which our every syllable is taken down.—Cuyler. THANKFULNESS IN POVERTY. A poor widow, not having bedclothes to shelter her boy from the snow which blew through the cracks of her hovel, used to cover him with boards. Mother, said the boy, “ what do poor folks do this

cold weather who have no boards to put upon their children?” RULING THE TONGUE. S>cra':cs, the ecclesiastical historiographer, reports a story of one Pambo, a jilaiu, ignorant nun, who came to a learned man, and desired him to teach him some psalm or other. He began to read unto him the Thirty-ninth Psalm : “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that Ism not with my tongue.” Having passed this first veise, Pam bo shut the book and took his leave, s lying that he would go and learn that point first. When he hai absented himself for the space of nine months, he was demanded of his reader when ho would go forward. Ho answered, that he had not yet learned his old lesson ; and he gave the very same answer to one that asked the like question forty nine years after.--Spen-cer. POWER OF SYMPATHY. An eminent clergyman sat in his study, busily engaged in preparing his Sunday sermon, when hD little boy toddled into the room, and holding up his pinched finger, said, with an expression of suffering, “ Look, p», how I hurt it." Thu father, interrupted in the middle of a sentence, glanced hastily at him, and with the slightest tone of impatience, said : “ I can’t help it, sonny." The little fellow’s eyes grew bigger, and as lie turned to go out, he said in a low voice : “Yes you could ; you might have avid ‘Oh!’"