"You can't come in, sir.”

"Perhaps the saight's too old," the pedler cried,

"Shir! try another pair

Dese, shir, will shute you to a hair."

Again the bumpkin tried;

His eyes ran o'er the page again,

But all was dark and puzzling as before.

66

151

Vell, shir," cried Moses, "can you now see petter?' "Not I," quoth Hodge, with angry roar,

"I cannot tell a letter."

Then madly stamp'd and raved,

Swearing he'd have the cheating Hebrew shaved;
He'd dock his chin-he'd mow his grisly beard.

"Vhy, shir," cried Moses, striving to be heard,
Perhaps you cannot read? and if 'tis so,

Noting vill help you out, you know :

De spectacles are very goot inteed,

But den perhaps you never vent to school?"
"What!" growl'd the clown, with fiery eye
And reddened face, where anger you might see,
'D'ye take me for a fool ?-

66

If I could say my A B C,

What need have I

For any Helps to Read?"

"YOU CAN'T COME IN, SIR."

IF you would not be a drunkard,

You must not drink a drop;

For if you never should begin,
You'll never have to stop.

The taste of drink, good people say,

Is hard in driving out,

Then, friends, in letting in that taste,

Why, what are you about?

Out of your house to keep a thief,

You shut your door and lock it,

And hang the key up on a nail
Or put it in your pocket.

So lest King Rum within you should
His horrid rule begin, sir,

Just shut your lips and lock them tight,

And say, "You can't come in, sir!"

WE

ADAM BRAZIER.

WEALTHY and wise was Herbert Cheval, And Clara was gifted and good; Tho' they cared not to boast of descent, They both came of Huguenot blood.

Their new home was brightest of any,

It rang with sweet music and mirth,
Their bright home was envied of many,
Some called it the fairest on earth.

Sweet was its air with jessamine flower,
Its day, like perpetual Spring;
And both hearts were happy and buoyant
As long-encaged birds on the wing.

Yet soon was that bright home troubled,
Its music grew fainter and dumb,
And griefs known already were doubled
By shadows of those yet to come.

For Herbert drank wine, and it mocked him,
And strong drink, it rendered him weak;
He drank till his own excess shocked him;
Yea, all the love Clara could speak

Was powerless to check the wild passion
That burnt in his breast like a fire,
Nor could the kind counsel of others
Abate the inhuman desire.

And this robbed that home of its brightness,
And gave place to discord and strife,-
This stole from the heart its uprightness,
And brought in those dark views of life.

Herbert lived on a wretched five years,
But Clara could bear it no more,
But, blinded by madness and tears,
She pushed at Eternity's door!

At midnight one went to destruction,
And plunged in the dark cold canal;
In three days that lifeless form floating,
Was found to be-Clara Cheval.

MR. WILLIAM SPARKLE..Temperance worker. Old friend of the Browns. MR. JOHN LIVELY.. Gospel Temperance Advocate. Mr. Sparkle's friend.

PART FIRST.

[SCENE: Home of the BROWNS. MR. & MRS. BROWN seated at the breakfast table.]

R. BROWN.

The postman must be later than usual this

letters were here. (Enter EMMA with letters.) Ah! here they are at last.

EMMA. Please, sir, the postman told me that the mails had been delayed through an accident on the line.

MRS. BROWN. No one injured, I hope?

EMMA. Please, ma'am, he did not say anything, he was in a great hurry to be off. (Exit EMMA).

MR. B. (opens and reads the letter). What next I wonder? (Tosses the letter impatiently on the table).

MRS. B. (anxiously). Nothing amiss I hope: is there, Edward?

MR. B. There must be something amiss, somewhere. Either I must be sadly at fault in my estimate of a Christian's duty in relation to the temperance question, or else our friend Mr. Sparkle must have some strange ideas on the subject. But listen to his letter. (He again takes up the letter and reads)

"Dear Brown,-I write to inform you that a number of Christian workers of various denominations, feeling it to be their duty to do something to raise the masses, have met and decided to hold a series of Gospel Temperance Meetings in the district. As an old friend and co-worker I appeal to you for your help and sympathy, and hope that both you and Mrs. Brown will endeavour to be present at our meetings. I know that hitherto you have taken no part in the Temperance movement, but I am sure that if you will calmly and judiciously consider the matter you will be led to conclude that it is every Christian's duty to do all that lies in his or her power, by

example and by teaching, to stem the torrent of intemperance that is sweeping through our land, scattering disease, misery and crime on every hand; blighting hopes, breaking hearts, desolating homes. 'How long, O Lord! how long? Awake, awake, put on Thy strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, the days of old,' and deliver Thou our land from the curse. Pardon this hasty letter, and believe me, "Yours sincerely,

"WM. SPARKLE."

Whatever can our good friend be thinking of to suppose that I should take part in any such movement?

MRS. B. But I see no reason why you should not take a very prominent part in the movement, dear.

MR. B. (severely). Maria! Whatever will you say next, I wonder. Just think of a man of my standing and influence parading on a platform with a blue ribbon in' my button-hole; raving like a teetotal maniac, or praying like a ranter.

MRS. B. Don't get excited, dear. Pardon me, if I speak plainly, but I cannot see why men of your standing and influence should hold aloof from a movement which aims at destroying intemperance, which, as Mr. Sparkle rightly says, is blighting all that is most precious to us in our social and national life. The very fact of your being a man of standing and influence seems to me to render it all the more necessary for you to unite with your fellow citizens, and help them in their endeavour to raise their degraded and neglected brethren, and remove those licensed temptations to evil which lie so thickly in their path.

MR. B. Bless my soul, Maria, how you talk!

MRS. B. Edward, I think we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. We have been living in easy indifference to the duties and responsibilities of our position in life. We have never yet really taken up our cross and followed Christ through evil and through good report. Our lives have been lives of selfishness. We have been of the world, worldly. But, from henceforth, my dear, let us gird up the loins of our mind, and resolve to throw in our lot with those earnest, God-fearing men and women who are striving to do their duty in their day and generation.

MR. B. Maria, you surprise me. I did not know that my wife could be so eloquent. Bless my soul, of course we must try to do our part, but somehow I don't like this ranting, raving, Blue-ribbon wearing work that is going on. It is tootoo-too noisy for me.

A Christian's Duty.

155

MRS. B. Edward, if we are to wait till we find work to do that is just to our taste, we shall never begin. All the different movements now in operation are doubtless more or less tainted with human imperfection; but that is no reason why we should not do what our conscience tells us to be our duty.

MR. B. Well, what are we to do?

MRS. B. I hardly know what yet, but there is one thing that I want to speak to you about before I forget. The other day a poor child came begging at our door, and my heart ached when I looked down upon her shoeless feet, all blistered and sore, and gazed into her hunger-pinched face. In answer to my questions she told me that her father was a drunkard, and her mother had gone away on a drunken spree with another man and left her to do as she could. The thought came into my mind, this is one of Christ's little ones, so I provided her with some food and clothing suitable and with your permission I should like to rescue her from the life of misery and sin which in all probability lies before her; and to which she has been doomed by the intemperance of her parents.

MR. B. Most certainly you have my full and free consent to do for her whatever your kind heart may prompt.

MRS. B. But, Edward, I cannot help asking myself what must the drink be of itself that can so harden and degrade men and women as to make them indifferent to the sufferings of their own offspring. Surely that cannot be a good thing which is capable of producing so much evil; and for myself I have quite come to the conclusion that I will give up my glass of wine; and I should be so glad if you would do the same.

MRS. B. Not so fast, Maria; I am not inclined to jump to conclusions which may not stand the test of after reflection, but I will consider the matter over, and in the meantime what answer shall we give to our friend Mr. Sparkle's letter?

MRS. B. I look upon our friend's letter as a call to duty which should not be lightly set aside. Suppose I answer it for you, and ask him to call this evening and bring with him any Christian friend he may think fit. Then we can take counsel together and we shall be better able to decide what to do.

MR. B. (rising). Very well, I will leave it with you (looks at his watch). It is getting far on into the morning. I must hurry off, or I shall be late at my office. Good morning.

MRS. B. And I must see to the ways of my household; good morning, dear. (Exeunt.)