A MAN CARRIED ÖVER THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. precipice, the waters had him at last their undisputed victim, and madly they whirled him on to death, as though enraged at his persevering efforts to escape. A sickening feeling came over the spectators when, just on the brink of the precipice, the doomed man sprang up from the waters, clear from the surface, raising himself upright as a statue, his arms flung wildly aloft, and with a piercing shriek that rang loudly above the mocking roar of the cataract, fell back again into the foaming waves, and was hurled over the brow of the fatal precipice. We have no heart for comment upon the melancholy and awful event. The fate of poor Avery will add another to the many fearful local incidents already related by the guides at the Falls, and for years his critical situation, his hard struggles, his fearful death, will be the theme of many a harrowing tale. And visitors to the mighty cataract will seek the scene of the terrible catastrophe with a shuddering curiosity, and the timid and imaginative will fancy in the dusk of the evening, that they still hear above the waters' roar the fearful skriek that preceded the fatal plunge. This is a very affecting narrative, and the scene must have been distressing to the numerous spectators, whose efforts to save a fellow creature were very praiseworthy. Indeed we cannot imagine a more distressing scene than this. Let it teach us all a solemn lesson. We are on the rapids of time. Our own strength cannot combat the current. But see! a mighty arm is stretched out to save us; and hark! a voice, louder than the roaring of many waters, calling to us, "Take hold of my strength." Listen to that voice-grasp that arm, for it is mighty to save. Refuse, and the rapids will soon bear you along to plunge over a gulf-dark, bottomless, ETERNAL! fast. Yes, Reader, ready or unready, we must, without a figure, pass on to death. That is the most certain thing on earth. Our Fathers, where are they? Gone! and we are following What is to be done? Death is coming, and then judgment and eternal destiny. Shall we sleep, all careless of the result? Surely not. Let us rather struggle for safety. JESUS CHRIST can save us. He alone can save us. He can save us now. He is willing to save us. He is waiting to save us. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. POETRY. Poetry. THE INDIAN BOATMAN AT NIAGARA. SOME strangers near that river side A boat sail down the mighty stream An Indian, they at length perceived, Within that boat, while hast'ning on The strangers call'd, and call'd again, But all in vain, he heard them not, Borne down the stream at length the boat All thought the sleeper now would be But still be slept, regardless quite Swiftly the boat its course pursued, Near to the fall, and then the man He started up his danger saw, Reader, from this a lesson learn; Do not a sleeper be, While like a stream time hurries on To vast eternity. The God of mercy calls to you; "Tis high time to awake, Hell to escape, and heaven obtain Now, now the effort make. By sleep of sin be not o'ercome; The danger now is very near; ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. For death ere long will summon you Arise at once, and seek the Lord While it is call'd "to-day;" Would you with him in glory dwell, Anecdotes and Selections. 66 J. D. A MOTHER'S PRAYER.-A pious woman in America had one son. She used every means in her power to lead him to the Saviour, but he grew up gay and dissipated. She still followed him with prayers and entreaties, faithfully warned him of his awful state as a sinner before God, and told him what his end would be dying in that condition. But all seemed alike unavailing. He one day said, "Mother, let me have my best clothes, I am going to a ball to night." She expostulated with him, and urged him not to go, but all in vain. “Mother," said he, "let me have my clothes. I will go: it's useless to say anything about it." He put on his clothes, and was going out. She stopped him, and said. "My child, do not go." He still persisted, when she added, My son, remember when you are dancing with your companions in the ball room, I shall be engaged in prayer to the Lord to convert your soul." The youth went to the ball, and the dancing commenced; but instead of the usual gaiety, an unaccountable gloom pervaded the whole assembly. One said, we never had so dull a meeting in our lives." Another observed, "I wish we had not come; we have no life; we cannot get along." A third continued, "I cannot think what is the matter." The young man in question felt his conscience smitten, and, bursting into tears, said, "I know what is the matter; my dear mother is now praying for her ungodly son." He took his hat, and said, "I will never be found in such a place as this again." From that night he began to pray for mercy; his mother's prayer was heard for his conversion; and he gave evidence that he was become a new creature in Christ Jesus. 66 A WISE YOUNG MAN.-One evening when going to preach, Mr. Newton had the following notice put into his hands:-"A young man, having come to the possession of a very considerable fortune, desires the prayers of the congregation, that he may be preserved from the snares to which it exposes him." "Now if the young man," said Mr. Newton, "had lost a fortune, the world would not have wondered if he had asked for their prayers and for their help too. This young man has been better taught than many. He sees the danger of riches." ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. THE ROYAL INQUIRER.-About fifty years ago the following tale was told about the grandfather of our Queen-George III.-who, it is well known, possessed a devotional spirit, and is said to have been happy when he could converse with pious persons on subjects of experimental religion. The king had heard of a poor man at Windsor, who had occasionally a prayer-meeting at his house. He one day disguised himself, and went to the door to inquire into the nature of the meeting, and to ask permission to attend. The poor man, not knowing his illustrious visitor, and supposing him to be a person under concern about his immortal interests, invited him to come in. He then talked about the great subjects of religion, with which the king was much pleased, and asked if he might come again. This being agreed to, his majesty repeated his visit several times; until one day, while the king was there, one of his attendants came to the door with a loud rap, and asked if his majesty was there; to which the man innocently replied, "No." On going in, he informed his visitor of the singular inquiry, and his majesty explained the whole affair; thanked the good man for his kind attention and advice, and told him that as he was now found out he could no more enjoy his company, and must bid him farewell. HINT TO HEARERS.-Dionysius, of Sicily, being extremely delighted with a minstrel that sung well, and played admirably on the harp, promised to give him a great reward. This so encouraged the man, that it made him play better. But when the music was ended, and the man waited for the fulfilment of the promise, the king dismissed him empty, telling him that he would carry away as much of the promised reward as himself did of the music; that he had paid him sufficiently with the pleasure of the promise for the pleasure of the music; both their ears had been equally delighted, and the profit was to the same amount-just none at all. So it is with many people who hear sermons: they admire the preacher, for he pleases their ears; but neither of them get any good. The hearer forgets the sermon, and the preacher spends his strength for nought and in vain. . Both might have been profited, but they are not. With whom does the fault lie? LAUGHING AT RELIGION.-A poor man who had heard the preaching of the gospel, and to whom it had been greatly blessed, was the subject of much profane jesting and ridicule among his fellow-workmen and neighbours. On being asked if these daily persecutions did not sometimes make him ready to give up his profession of attachment to Divine truth, he replied, "No! I recollect that our minister once said in his sermon, that if we were so foolish as to permit such people to laugh us out of our religion, they would never be either able or willing to laugh us in again; and so it was better to keep it while we had it. Beside such people will not laugh at religion in hell, which will be the home of the scoffer for ever! ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS. DEATH'S DOINGS.-"I am now worth £100,000," said old Gregory, as he ascended a hill which commanded a full prospect of an estate he had just purchased; "I am now worth £100,000; and here," said he, "I'll plant an orchard; and on that spot I'll have a pinery. Yon farm-houses shall come down, they interrupt my view." "Then what will become of the farmers ?" asked the steward who attended him. "That's their business," answered old Gregory. "And that mill must not stand upon the stream," said old Gregory. "Then how will the villagers grind their corn?" asked the steward. "That's not my business," answered old Gregory. So old Gregory returned home-ate a hearty supper-drank a bottle of port-smoked two pipes of tobacco-and fell into a profound slumber, and awoke no more! And the farmers reside on their lands-and the mill stands upon the stream-and the villagers are uninterrupted-for Death did "business" with old Gregory on that night, and spoiled all his projects. AN AGREEABLE CHANGE.-A young man named Summers was transported from Southampton some eighteen or twenty years since, on a charge of stealing cloth, and his father, who is now an aged man, has of late years been a pauper. Some time since a returned convict, who came to this town, found out the old man, and handed him over £30 from his son, and informed him that on his (the returned convict) writing to Van Dieman's Land to tell Summers that his father was alive, the latter would receive fifty guineas a year as long as he lived. A few days ago a registered letter from Van Dieman's Land was received by the father, containing an instalment of the first fifty guineas from his son, who is now, it appears, a wealthy man in Hobart Town. Hants Independent, July 16, 1853. A SUNDAY SCHOOL TICKET was dropped in the street at Petersburgh, in North America. A lady riding in her carriage discovered it, and supposing it to be a treasury note or small bill, as was then used for change, ordered her servant to bring it to her. He did so; when, lo! instead of finding a small amount of earthly treasure, she found upon it the following words: "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." This was impressed upon her mind, and in vain did she attempt to banish it. She sought the circles of folly and dissipation. The thought still preyed upon her mind—“What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." Nor did she ever find rest till she was brought to the feet of Jesus for salvation. EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD LABOUR.-Dr. Wayland, speaking of the christians who were dispersed by the first persecution of the church at Jerusalem, says, "This little band accomplished more for the conversion of the world than all the christians of the present day united have done;" does any one ask why? "Because," says he, 66 every individual felt that the conversion of the world was the work |