from that, instead of a general principle. Grotius, Hobbes, Puffendorff, Barbeyrac, even Adam Smith and Dr. Paley, have been more or less guilty in this way-but even they confess that before the weighty responsibilities of good citizens, and under the pressure of relative duties, the fancied and fanciful inviolability of truth fades into comparative insignificance. Before all other promises, is that from man to his Maker; next to that, is the one from him to society, of which he forms a part; and in view of these, whosoever tolerates crime in another, is himself equally stained with guilt-becomes an accomplice, is answerable to the same tribunal, exposed to the same punish

ment.

In conclusion, I will give what I consider to be the rule of moral duty. It is this-truth should never be violated, save when its violation will prevent crime, without being itself followed by crime.

Which is preferable, Taciturnity or Loquacity?

B.

In entering on the discussion of this question, the first thing to be settled, is, what is talking too much? According to the laws of equity, there should be, among persons conversing together, an equal distribution of time. If two persons spend an hour in conversation, each has a right to half an hour; if four persons, then there is for each, a quarter of an hour. Justice would not object to each one's taking the whole of his time at once; but politeness decrees that it shall be divided into smaller portions.

But when conversation is carried on between persons of different capacities, and different degrees of intelligence, it frequently becomes proper for one to occupy more time than another-not that superior qualifications give him a right to more, but because the others voluntarily relinquish their right; so that the hour, which belonged to four persons, might, with the tacit consent of three, be entirely occupied by one, without any breach of justice or decorum. I should, therefore, interpret talking too much to mean, engrossing an undue share of the conversation, without consent of the hearer.

This is one of the petty evils with which society is infested. Perhaps it ought not to be called a petty evil; for if there is nothing in it morally wrong, it generally, and almost of necessity,

leads to that which is wrong. Those who talk a great deal can hardly fail to say many things, which had better be left unsaid. I doubt whether there are any great talkers who do not often fall into egotism, and very few who are not sometimes guilty of detraction. Indeed it can hardly be otherwise with people of uncultivated minds; they know so little about things that they are almost compelled to talk about persons—and every one knows how difficult it is to talk much about persons, without saying something against them-so far are we from loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Those who talk most, are generally persons who have least to say the smaller the theme, the longer the discourse. If there is any being more to be dreaded than all others, it is one of these perpetual talkers. But it is needless to enlarge on a topic so vexatiously familiar to every one. Who does not know, from every day experience, what it is to be annoyed in this way?

With regard to people, in general, I should think loquacity a far greater evil, both in itself, and in its tendency, than taciturnity. But perhaps some reservation must be made in favor of the more intelligent and learned part of the community; it may be better that such persons should talk too much, than too little. These, however, are not likely to avail themselves of the privilege, they being generally less communicative than others, except when in the society of kindred spirits. While I am willing to allow that in very intelligent persons, loquacity is a smaller fault than taciturnity, I would not be understood to uphold it, even in them. It has been remarked, their superiority gives them no right to more than their proportion of time; and whenever they exceed their limits, without consent of the hearer, they are as guilty of injustice and ill-breeding as any others would be. Besides, it is a very unwise course for wise people to pursue,-favors are not apt to be appreciated when conferred profusely. If you have a thousand good things today, you had better say them at ten hundred different times, than all at once. They will be better received, longer retained, and more regarded. "Our speech should distil as the dew," not be poured out in torrents.

When intelligent persons talk too much, the effect is to lessen their dignity in the eyes of the hearer, and consequently to diminish the influence, as well as the interest of the discourse. Men are forbidden to "cast pearls before swine"-neither

should they be too lavish of their pearls on those who appreciate them.

No one likes to be always listening, even to the best remarks, and nobody should be always talking, even to the most patient listener. When the speaker feels interested in what he is saying, he is apt to go on without stopping to ascertain whether his hearer be so or not. Here, I apprehend, is the great mistake. If people would make it a rule to graduate the amount of their conversation by the degree of interest manifested in their hearers, there would be an end of all suffering from loquacity.

I am far from advocating taciturnity—a great deal might and ought to be said against it—but I leave it for those who can, to prove that it is worse than loquacity.

S. J.

"A PLACE FOR THE DEAD."

A place for the dead!--Aye--cover not
That crowded burial-ground-

Rear up no pile, o'er the hallowed spot,
To cast a shade around;

Let the city's din ne'er enter there,
Nor an earthly sound fall on the air,
While a breathless multitude rests low,

Beneath the bright world's changeful glow ;-
Leave there a space,

For the sleeping place,

Where the stream of life may check its flow.

Let the sod be fresh and fair, and flowers
Cling round young Beauty's grave-

Let sunlight fall in its joyous hours,

O'er the tablet of the brave!—

Bury the dead on the quiet green,

Where a sound comes not, and flowers are seen,

Like stars of memory, rising bright

Through the gathering gloom of death's long night,
From loved ones gone;

Whose spirits speed on

Their heaven-ward course, with a wing of light.

A place for the dead,—a silent spot,
With monument and stone,
Lest the brilliant deeds should be forgot,
When their name from earth is gone;-
Ay-that chosen place will be the home,
For the sad and gay, and all who roam
With pleasure or wo, o'er life's swift stream-
-And there is the end of the earthly dream-
There is the goal,

Where the living soul

Soars from its dust with a brighter gleam.

J. F. R.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF POVERTY,

From all our

The sufferings of the poor are now extreme. Atlantic cities the complaints of the destitute,-literally so, for they are destitute of employments, of the means to support life, and of hope-are heard. It is true that in Boston there are comparatively few cases of such miserable poverty as we find to be frequent in other large cities. Yet here many are in want; and it will require the increasing labors and charities of the benevolent, and the vigilance and exertions of all who are interested in the deeply important task of preserving the moral and intellectual character of our community, to prevent the poor from sinking to that state of utter abandonment which is alinost sure to be followed by the degradation of vice. This is a subject which has never yet been sufficiently considered. In the despotic governments of the old world, the virtues of the people were of little account with their masters. It was one

part of the Machiavelian policy, by which they have been so long kept in subjection, to weaken their minds by trifling ceremonies, and sensual indulgencies, or degrade them by the ignorance and vice which would render them willing beasts of burden in the service of their tyrants. But, thanks to the God of our fathers, who put it into their hearts to devise a rational and christian policy, we have here no necessity for ignorance or vice. Indeed the hopes of our country, its prosperity, its existence as a free and great nation, depend on the virtue and knowledge of the people.

Can we then, be too sedulous in removing every temptation to crime? and encouraging every attempt of honest industry, or willing application? These things are not beyond the sphere of female cognizance; ladies have an important part to perform, and do, in fact, wield an all-powerful influence on the morals and manners of society. Let our ladies, who are solicitous for the promotion of pure moral and intellectual excellence, reflect that there is more danger to be dreaded from female ignorance and depravity, acting on the hearts and minds of the rising generation, than from every other source of evil. It is then for the enlightened, the benevolent, and the rich to devise some means whereby poor females may be furnished with employment, and a compensation for their labors which will give them a support, and thus preserve them from the necessity of vice.

The subject of this charity is of such momentous importance that we deem an apology to our readers, for the frequency with which we introduce it in our work, unnecessary. There is no American lady but must feel interested to learn the situation of the miserable of her own sex if she has the heart and mind to do them good-and it would be a libel on the educated and amiable ladies in our intelligent community to deem them of the callous or indifferent. We subjoin the following statements from a circular of M. Carey, to excite interest and awaken reflection-the results must, sometime, be apparent.

"To be victims of pain and misery unhappily is the lot of a large portion of every community, to alleviate whose sufferings is the unquestionable duty of the remainder, not only as members of the same society, but as belonging to the same great family of mankind."

APPREHENSIVE that, in my past communications on the subject of the inadequacy of the wages of various species of female labour, to afford a comfortable subsistence, I have confined myself too much to the physical sufferings it produces, and thus not laid sufficient emphasis on the degradation, the corruption, and the wickedness that result from it; I am therefore induced to resume the subject, and place it in some new points of light. The following delineation presents, on the one side, the actual situation of thousands of females in the cities of Boston, New York,

On the most careful examination that I have been able to make, it appears, that the number of women in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, whose sole dependence is on their industry, amounts to from 18 to 20,000.-say