valleys, repeat the melody of the birds. I feel that I am mortal; my strength fades like the grass of the field, and withers like the falling autumnal leaf; the strongest amongst us knows not how soon the awful summons shall be heard, Man, return to dust!

When laid low in the grave, where darkness and mournful silence reign, when the worms are gnawing our once fair bodies, what will remain to us of our earthly possessions? Will not they be all lost to us, though our utmost desires had been gratified, and our cup of happiness during life had been full?

How foolish it is to be attached to the perishing things of this world! to aspire after great riches; to be ambitious of honours, vain and transitory; and suffering ourselves to be dazzled and misled by the false lustre of their meretricious charms, exchange our innocence and peace of mind, for envy, pride, and deceit.

If, too greedy in our desires, we have pursued the phantom of wealth beyond the just limits of moderation, let us humble ourselves before our God, and receive that chastisement his wisdom shall direct.

Man, blinded by his pride and his presumption, would wish to prescribe laws to his Creator, and dares to blame the decrees of Eternal Wisdom. But the all-powerful and benevolent Father and friend of man loves him better than he does himself, by refusing to grant his foolish desires.

When the morning opens, to our rejoiced sight the green fields and budding flowers glistening with dew, and the wings of the night have cooled the burning summer heat, wisdom cries out to us, Why will you cherish in your bosom gloomy thoughts of futurity, and give yourselves up to doubts and heart-consuming care? Is not God our Father, and are we not his children? Will not He who has made us, also provide for us? Our existence is not confined to this earth; it extends to heaven. Our present life is but for a moment, and the greatest earthly happiness is no more than a dream; we are designed for another state, that of immortal beings.

The contemplation of immortality elevates our souls above the earth and all present things, beyond the universe and all the heavenly spheres, unto the everlasting Fountain of glory and light.

When seduced by false pleasures from the path of virtue, may sentiments like these awaken our hearts to a sense of our duty, and a conviction that true pleasure only can arise from a consciousness that we are employing our time, and our talents in the promotion of truth and of all good! The ill-acquired honours of the wicked soon perish; and the bitterness of anguish succeeds their short-lived glory, and false, fleeting, mistaken pleasures.

We are but as pilgrims journeying through a country, at the utmost boundary of which we see the rays of glory emanating; and nothing short of this should possess our hearts; unallured by the pleasures, and undazzled by the splendour, the riches, and the honours, that would seduce us from the true and only road to immortal felicity, we should steadily hold on our course, in the confidence of integrity, of virtue, and of ability; praying to the Almighty God, who with pleasure and parental love watches over us, that in the infinity of his goodness, he will be pleased to soften our hearts, that they may not become hardened by the scenes we are obliged to pass through, in our mortal career, and that all our thoughts may be purified by charity and religion; that we may not covet outward grandeur, but be content with our condition and allotment, faithful in the discharge of every duty, and worthy the name of Christians.

AUGUST I.

Varieties of Stature in Men.

THE height of the human body varies considerably; the ordinary measure of stature, is from five to six feet. Some inhabitants of the northern countries and the borders of the Icy Sea are not five feet high. The shortest men yet known, inhabit the mountains in the interior of the Island of Mada

gascar, being scarcely four feet high. Many of these diminutive people came originally from countries, where the inhabitants are of the ordinary size; and the chief cause of their degeneracy must be attributed to the nature of the climate which they now inhabit. The excessive cold that prevails during the greatest part of the year, causes the vegetables and animals there to be less than in other climates; and why may not man be affected by the same circumstances?

On the other hand, there are countries whose inhabitants are of the most gigantic size. The most celebrated of these are the Patagonians, who dwell near the Straits of Magellan. They are said to be from eight to ten feet high. And it certainly seems by no means impossible that there should exist men greater in stature than Europeans; besides the traces we meet of them in the histories and monuments of antiquity, we have sometimes seen in our climate, men above six feet and a half in height, perfectly well formed, healthy, and capable of every exertion and labour which demands force and agility. Adorable Creator! thy wisdom is also evident in the varieties of the human form. All that thou hast created, whether in the animal, yegetable, or mineral kingdom, has been formed by certain rules, and organized by certain laws; whilst every thing bears thy image, and is strongly impressed with thy power.

AUGUST II.

Vegetation of the Stalks of Wheat.

THE wheat-plant is composed of the principal stem, of the stalks growing from its sides, and of the branches which proceed from these. The stalk begins to form as soon as four green leaves appear. If the little plant is then taken, and the lower leaf carefully separated, a small white point may be seen, which in time becomes a stalk, and the root appears under the first leaf. The white point springs from a knot, opens out into green leaves, and pushes from the side a new point. However, these different points, and the stalks which

grow from them, are not all designed to bear fruit; many of them decay and perish. When the principal stem has acquired some growth, a considerable revolution takes place in the plant, and all the sap is then employed in the formation of flowers and fruit.

But before that, and when the plant begins to vegetate, four or six leaves are seen to form and spring from as many knots. These prepare the nutritive juice for the ear, which is seen very diminutive in spring upon opening the stalk through the middle. When the plant begins to bud, the two upper leaves of the stalk join together, embrace the ear of corn, and protect it till it has acquired some degree of consistence. Before that, all the knots, particularly the two last, though soft, are closely connected, leaving very little space between them. But, as soon as the ear has pierced its coverings, these parts lengthen, and the leaves give them all the juices they contain. The knots gradually become harder, and the lower leaves dry up; the juices which nourished them are then only employed in supporting the stem.

After all these preparations, the blossom appears. It is a little white tube, very delicate, and grows from the seed leaf. Several more small stalks surround this bag. They are at first yellowish, then brown, and just before they fade and fall off become black. The principal use of these stalks is to nourish a little cluster in the bag of grains. When the corn has ceased to blossom, we see grains which contain the germ, and which arrive at perfection long before the farinaceous matter appears. This matter gradually increases, whilst the sap collects round an extremely fine and delicate part, resembling down. This substance, which exists after the blossoms, serves to support the opening of the great tube passing through the corn. The fruit begins to ripen as soon as it has attained its full size; at that time the stalk and the ear become white, and the green colour of the grain changes into yellow or light brown. The grains, however, are still very soft, and their farina contains much moisture; but when the corn has arrived at maturity, they become hard and dry.

We cannot sufficiently admire the wisdom manifested in the structure and vegetation of corn; those who are accustomed to reflect will discover it in the least stalk. Even the leaves which surround it before it has attained its full growth, have their use: and they seem to be placed round the stalk for the same reason that an architect raises a scaffolding round a building he is about to construct, and when it is finished removes the scaffolding. For when the corn has acquired its full size and strength, the leaves which defended it dry and perish. It is some months before the ear venturos to appear and expose itself to the inclemency of the weather; but as soon as all the preparations for the flowers and fruit are ready, it appears in a few days. The stalk and the ears of corn are both constructed with equal intelligence. Merciful and beneficent Father! may all those who now walk through the fields of wheat, and joyfully behold the waving corn, experience all the sentiments of love and gratitude which thy liberal bounty ought to excite in their hearts; and may they unceasingly endeavour to imitate, and by their actions deserve, such goodness!

AUGUST III.
Dog-days.

THE sun has not only a diurnal motion, which carries him from east to west, and which occasions the revolution of day and night; he seems also to have another sensible motion from the west to the east: in consequence of which, at the expiration of three hundred and sixty-five days, he is near the same stars from which he was separated for six months, and again approached during the other six months of the year.

Hence ancient astronomers have divided the seasons by the stars which the sun meets in his annual course. This course they divided into twelve constellations; these are the twelve signs of the zodiac, which they called the twelve houses of the sun, because he appears to remain a month in each of them.