Opinion is a monster! with ten thousand tongues to tell its varied tales: and yet;—after all is said, one true opinion only can there be, concerning any matter all the rest are mixed up, more or less, with base alloy, and therefore counterfeit.-Reader, under such conditions, would you really pin your faith to another's as many do!-whose sluggish minds are left asleep, when they are wildly whirled about through every form and turn of fantasy! Still, on the other hand, its treacherous voice must not be entirely scorned: for every creed holds something good, which thought's crucible may extract from the dross, if the proper test be taken. Therefore seek for the ore; lay it to your own good stock which has passed refinement, and you'll have a golden opinion for your guidance, that will shame the baser metals so current in the world.—Golden Treasury of Life. The common definition of man is false; he is not a reasoning animal. The best you can predicate of him is, that he is an animal capable of reasoning.Ibid. Choose your books and pursuits, as you would your friends; and your instructors, as you would your way of life: for they have more influence over the minds of men, than all the governments upon earth.-Ibid. they seemed to leave the storm-clouds behind them as they swept onwards, and to be entering into a brighter region. Isabel saw none of these things; but the sunshine aroused her, and she took out her work and began to crochet. Her little hands were covered with rings: it was very pleasant to watch them; but she soon grew tired, and the maid put her work away; and as it was raining again, assisted in arranging the ample folds of her mistress's cloak, who leant back with a weary sigh, and again closed her eyes. "Terrible weather, Mary dear!" said the old gentleman to his daughter. "It is what we must expect at this time of the year, papa: but it will be fine again directly: only look at the rainbow. I should not wonder if we have a beautiful evening after all." "Well, perhaps we may," and the old gentleman pulled up the collar of his great-coat, and fell asleep again. "Are you going all the way?" asked Mary, turning to the widow. "No; only as far as S-." It was a dull autumn morning: the apparatus of the great modern magician STEAM stood panting and shaking his giant sides, and glancing about with his fiery eyes, as if impatient to flee away, after his usual custom, over the green, quiet country, and through the very bowels of the earth, if need be, like a dream! And just as we read in fairy tales, mortals had only to trust themselves to his guidance, and they were safely deposited in an incredibly short space of time, at any part of the world they might wish. One decided improvement was, that, instead of being caught up by the hair of the head, as we see by some of the pictures in the "Arabian Nights," must have been the case then, or, at best, whirled through the air in most uncomfortable positions, here was every accommodation provided, together with the privilege of travelling in company, or rather, little companies. The one we are about to describe consisted of a widow lady, two officers, an old gentleman and his daughter, and a young lady and her maid. The widow looked sad and ill: the officers talked a little, and laughed a great deal, Mary knew S, and an interesting converbut no one knew what it was about but them-sation ensued, which passed away the time very selves. The old gentleman went to sleep; and his daughter, who looked, as Miss Bremer says, as though she had made peace with all the world," glanced from the faces of her fellowtravellers to the open country they were just entering, and smiled as if at some happy thought. The young lady, whom we shall call Isabel, leant back in the corner of the carriage, and having pulled down her veil, and desired the maid to pull up the window, closed her eyes, and appeared to sleep also. The first station they stopped at, the old gentleman awoke, and seeing it raining, observed that he feared they were going to have a wet day but his daughter directed his attention to where the clouds were breaking afar off, and prophesied that it would be fine presently; and so it was. Isabel opened eyes, and shut them again-very beautiful eyes they were, and one of the officers whispered as much to his companion. her : After a while the sun burst forth, and glittered among the rain-drops until they shone like so many coloured beads. The shadow of the giant train went gliding and dancing along, and pleasantly. As the widow talked, the clouds disappeared from her countenance almost as fast as they did from the clear sky, where the sun was once more shining brightly; and when she arrived at the place of her destination, she shook hands with Mary just as if she had known her all her life, and went on her way cheered and refreshed. "Here It was late when the train stopped at length at the end of the journey. Isabel and Mary both wrote home that night, knowing that there were dear ones there who would be anxious until they heard that they were safe. we are at last!" began the former," after a dull, weary journey of upwards of six hours, during which it scarcely ceased raining, and was as chilly and damp as if it had been Christmas instead of October. The carriage was so full, that I had not room to put up my feet; and the two gentlemen who sat opposite did nothing but stare, which was excessively annoying. Then there was an old gentleman, who slept all the way-a young woman whom he called Mary, and a widow, with a face that was enough to give one the horrors to look at it. Of course there was nothing to be seen without. I tried to crochet, but the cold made my fingers look red; and I had no book. I believe I slept my self a little. I thought the long hours would never pass away." Very different was Mary's letter home. "You will be glad to hear of our safe arrival," she wrote, "after a pleasant journey of about six hours. To be sure six hours is a long time to be shut up in a railway carriage; but it passed very quickly. It turned out quite an April day-all smiles and tears. The country looked so beautiful; and O, how beautiful is Autumn! The poor people at work in the fields, or walking to and fro among the golden-tinted trees, and looking so tiny in the distance, put me in mind of fairy-land. While the little white cottages seemed to resemble bird's-nests as we flew past them; and church and spire came and went like a dream. We saw a magnificent rainbow. It appeared like an archway to heaven. How many sweet and comforting thoughts are connected with a rainbow! Dear papa bore the journey admirably, and he does not seem at all tired. There was a beautiful girl in the carriage with us so beautiful, that I could not help looking at her, which I was the better enabled to do, as she scarcely opened her eyes all the way. She was like that exquisite picture we both admired so at Strawberry Hill, and the memory of the pleasant days we spent in that neighbourhood came back as I gazed upon her. Poor thing! I do not think she was happy. Then there was a widow lady, with whom I had a long chat all about dear old S-, which she knew quite well-and two officers, who seemed very merry, and talked a great deal to papa. I was quite surprised when we came to our journey's end, for I was watching the bright sunset, and thinking of the better land, with its golden streets, and feeling so happy and thankful, so very happy!" We all of us, in a great measure, create our own happiness, which is not half so much dependent upon scenes and circumstances as most people are apt to imagine: and so it is with beauty. Nature does little more than furnish us with the materials of both, leaving us to work them out for ourselves. "Stars and flowers, and hills and woods, and streams, are letters, and words, and voices, vehicles and missionaries;" but they need to be interpreted in the right spirit. We must read, and listen for them, and endeavour to understand and profit by them. We must have the poet's "Cheerful faith, that all which we behold Is full of blessings." And when we look around us upon earth, we must not forget to look upward to heaven. "Those who can see God in everything," writes a popular author, "are sure to see good in everything." We may add with truth, that they are also sure to see beauty in everything and everywhere. When we are at peace with our selves and the world, it is as though we gazed upon outward things through a golden-tinted glass, and saw a glory resting upon them all. We know that it cannot be long thus; sin and sorrow, and blinding tears, will dim the mirror of our inmost thoughts; but we must pray and look again, and by-and-bye the cloud will pass away. There is beauty everywhere; but it requires to be sought, and the seeker after it is sure to find it. It may be in some out-of-the-way place, where no one else would think of looking. Beauty is a fairy. Sometimes she hides herself in a flower-cup, or under a leaf, or creeps into the old ivy, and plays hide-and-seek with the sunbeams; or haunts some ruined spot, or laughs out of a bright young face. Sometimes she takes the form of a white cloud, and goes dancing over the green fields, or the deep blue The above brief extracts will be sufficient for sea, where her misty form, marked out in moour present purpose; and thus it is, we are told, mentary darkness, looks like the passing shathat some people go from Dan to Beersheba, dow of an angel's wing. Beauty is a coquette, and find all barren; while others scatter around and weaves herself a robe of various hues, acthem the flowers of their own fancy, let them cording to the season; and it is hard to say wander where they will, finding beauty every-which is the most becoming. In the spring she where- wears a green gown and a garland of snowdrops. In summer her dress is covered all over "Whose hearts have a look southward, and can open with flowers, and sometimes she puts on a dazTo the whole noon of nature." We must not shut up our eyes and hearts as Isabel did. It has been truly said, that "we may indeed know nothing of the stranger with whom, for a brief hour, we may be thrown; but that very ignorance should urge us to courtesy | and kindness. Their course may have been one of care, their present lot a waste, and a gentle tone and kind manner may be to them as a flower in the desert, whiling them for a little space from their own sad thoughts. Smiles and kind words constitute the wealth of every-day life. The more we give away the richer we become; and the giver and receiver are equally blessed. zling veil made out of gossamer. În the autumn she attires herself in golden tissue, like a queen. And when winter comes, she puts on a simple dress, of virgin white, and carries in her hand a wreath of holly and misletoe. Beauty is invisible except to her worshippers. She stands beside the multitude, unseen, in her green gown, with the delicate snowdrops in her long hair, and hears their murmuring voices saying, "When will the summer be here?" She comes with the summer flowers, but they know her not; and the heat makes them weak and languid, so that they long for it to be au tumn. Beauty visits them again, in robes of gold, but still invisible, and the lengthening shadow, and the falling leaf make them melancholy. "It is very dreary," say they, "in the autumn!" They shudder when she comes to them in winter, arrayed in her white dress, and long sighingly for the cold weather to pass away. beauty everywhere, and at all seasons, and times, and places, if we will only look out for it in the right spirit. Wherever the call of duty may lead us, let us obey it cheerfully. We must not say, "It is so dull here!-if we had only come in the summer!-Surely the time will never pass away!" But go forth in loving faith, and Beauty will come and meet us when and where we least expect her, and abide with us for ever! It will not do to reckon up the A good old divine has sweetly said, “There are often calm, fair days without sunshine, and in such days a man may travel comfortably." The darkest cloud has a silver lining. When the showers come, let us look out for the rain-rain-drops, and forget to notice the sunbeams bow. When the night falls, and the flowers fold themselves up, we have only, we are told, to glance above, and see star after star coming out upon the darkening sky. When the flowers go away, there are still mosses and evergreens to be found for the seeking. In the early spring, in the cold winter-summer and autumn, day and night-in storm and sunshine, Beauty walks the earth like a spirit, and has ever a smile for those who love her. The sunset hour is her favourite, especially by the sea-side; and there is a certain valley in Wiltshire, called "The Happy Valley," where we have often met her, when the golden corn, in the beautiful language of scripture, seemed "to laugh and shout:" and all nature, as Mr. Hamilton somewhere says, was singing the 148th Psalm !" or to keep a record of storms and tempests, and omit to mention the many calm, fair days between-to say, "It is a wilderness world!” and never to speak of the fairy spots, and green, sunny nooks, which may be found for the seeking. Again we repeat, "There is beauty everywhere; and that beauty is God's free gift, to gladden human hearts-to afford them glimpses of better things, and to make them "thankful and very happy!" We must not shut our eyes, and wrap ourselves up in the mantle of our own selfishness. Earth holds no beauty for such. We know a simple spell, which is sure to clear away the mist from our sight-so simple, that a child might try it. Do good to others; speak a kind word; make some little sacrifice, out of love to God and them, and straightway the world will seem a very paradise! The ground springs beneath our tread-a glory and a brightness seem to rest on common things. We exclaim, "How blue is the sky to-day! How green the fields! Truly it is a happy world we live in, and there is beauty everywhere!" The eye of faith has a wonderful power in creating and discovering beauty. We might tell of the beauty of holiness, but this is not the place. Religion sheds abroad a beauty of her own, and a sweet peace, which passeth all understanding. "Old friends, old scenes will lovelier be, As more of Heaven in each we see; Some softening gleam of love and prayer, Shall dawn on every cross and care." Religion blends together the beauty of earthly and spiritual things. You remember how Mary, as she watched the brilliant sunset, fell a dreaming of the better land, and the golden streets of the heavenly Jerusalem, until she felt happy and thankful, so very happy!" The beauty of the evening sunset might have excited her admiration, but the beauty of the Sun of Righteousness made her thankful and happyso very happy! SO Imagination creates its own beauty, and also memory and association, especially the latter. We could write volumes upon this theme; but enough has been said to show that there is THE WIDOW TO HER DEAD SON. That wore thy father's look, to me- So pale!-'tis true thy youthful brow And left me here, alone; 'Tis false to say that thou art dead- Thy proud ancestral hall now bids A welcome to its heir; Oh raise, sweet eyes, those heavy lids- I listened, for the voices breathed He hath restored thee-waken, child! I dreamed not it would be, A. S. EXTRAORDINARY INSTANCE OF CLAIRVOYANCE. We have received the following communication from a lady, in whose veracity we have the highest confidence. Our correspondent is the wife of a distinguished dramatist, and her reputation and position are deservedly high. We cannot therefore refuse a place in our columns to the extraordinary intelligence which she has sent us, and which seems to us so astonishing, that we must leave to our readers the duty of calmly giving an opinion upon it.-[ED. N. M. B. A.] London, Jan. 13, 1849. I missed a valuable brooch, a topaz centre, set with brilliants, the beginning of last November, 1848; all I could recollect about it was, that I had it in my possession the middle of August; therefore, how or when it disappeared I had not the least idea; but having always kept it locked up very carefully, I was obliged to come to the conclusion that it certainly was taken out of the place it had been in. Having unfortunately changed servants very often, I had some difficulty in recollecting who was in the house when last I saw it, and found that two of my domestics had left since then. In my first moment of astonishment at the idea of my brooch having been stolen, I really did not know whom to suspect, and I was for some days sorely perplexed as to what means to make use of to recover an ornament, not only valuable in itself, but more especially so, as it formerly belonged to my beloved mother, and was an old family relic. I spent days thinking what steps I should take to recover my lost treasure, being resolved to do everything in my power for the accomplishment of my object. At last, the thought of trying Mesmeric clairvoyance came into my mind. I had heard from a friend, much interested in Mesmerism, wonderful accounts of persons in this state; and thought, perhaps, I might obtain a hint as to how, and in what manner, my brooch had disappeared. For this purpose I called upon Mr. Barth (Mesmerist), of Eversholt-street, Oakley-square, a perfect stranger to me, never having seen him before. He most kindly offered to procure an interview for me with Ellen Dawson, a patient of Mr. J. Hands, of Duke-street, Grosvenor-square, whom he described as a brilliant clairvoyante; at the same time most fairly hinting that it was possible I might not obtain the information I wanted, as the state of clairvoyance in the best clairvoyantes was not always equally lucid; and that I must take the chance of the uncertainty. Notwithstanding, however, all his hints and cautions as to a possible failure, I resolved to try the experiment; and Mr. Barth most kindly consented, at my request, to accompany me. I must here say, that he would not allow me to tell him what I had lost, wishing to test the Mesmeric power in discovering the article. An interview was accordingly arranged for Saturday, Nov. 11, at Mr. Hands, who mesmerises Ellen Dawson; and the result, far, very far indeed surpassed my expectations. Mr. Hands merely seemed to look at her, when her eyes closed, and he said she was in a deep sleep; and after indulging in about ten minutes' repose, would get into the sleep-waking state. This she did, and then came forward and spoke to Mr. Barth, appearing very lively and pleasant. Mr. B. introduced us (a lady and myself) as his friends, and stated she had so wonderfully gratified some lady he named, who had seen her recently, that we were quite anxious to be introduced to her. He paid her many compliments on her powers of travelling and seeing mesmeri cally; at which she seemed pleased and smiled, as a person would do if awake. Mr. B. informed us that many persons fail in obtaining satisfactory replies from clairvoyantes in consequence of their own rude and intolerant behaviour to them. He inquired if she would like to travel with us and talk to us; she replied in the affirmative. He asked her if she could tell what I came to see her about: in a few minutes she answered, "about a loss-about something she has lost." She then knelt down by my side, when I took hold of her hands and commenced telling my grievance to her. I began by saying she was right, I had lost something of great value, that I wanted her to tell me about; she first said money, to which I replied, "No." Then she said property, to which I assented. Mr. Barth then proposed that she should go (ideally, of course) to my house, to the place from where the missing article was taken, and thus discover what I had lost, and how it had disappeared. I told her then where my residence was; she said she did not know the place, but we told her what route to take, and she soon reached the house-described the exterior, so that I knew she was right, and then went into my bed-room, where she gave a very minute account of the furniture. I then directed her attention to the place from where the article had been taken, and she soon found out what I had lost. She first said jewellery; and when I asked her what kind, she answered, a brooch. I inquired then what it was like; to which she gave a wonderfully accurate answer; she said it looked like amber surrounded with white. She then said it was some little time since I had lost it; that it was very old, and had been a long time in the family. She then told me I had been out of town, which I was during the month of September. Finding her account and description so very correct in every particular, she was now told to keep her eye upon the brooch, and see what became of it. She then described, in words not to be mistaken, the |