2. "I hang there," says the beautiful flower, "to sweeten the air which man breathes, to open my beauties, to kindle emotion in his eye, to show him the hand of his God, who pencilled each leaf, and laid them thus on my bosom. And whether you find me here to greet him every morning, or whether you find me on the lone mountain side, with the bare possibility that he will throw me one passing glance, my end is the same. I live not to myself."

3. Beside yon highway stands an aged tree, solitary and alone. You see no living thing near it, and you say surely that must stand for itself alone.

4. 66 No," says the tree, God never made me for a purpose so small. For more than a hundred years I have stood re. In summer I have spread out my arms, and sheltered the panting flocks, which hastened to my shade. In my bosom I have concealed and protected the brood of young birds, as they lay and rocked in their nest; in the storm I have more than once received in my body the lightning's bolt, which had else destroyed the traveller; the acorns, which I have matured from year to year, have been carried far and near, and groves of forest oaks can claim me as their

parent.

5. "I have lived for the eagle, which has perched on my top; for the humming bird, that has paused and refreshed its giddy wing, ere it danced away again like a blossom of the air; for the insect, that has found a home within the folds of my bark, and when I can stand no longer, I shall fall by the hand of man, and shall go to strengthen the ships which make him lord of the ocean, and to his dwelling, to warm his hearth and cheer his home. I live not to myself."

6. On yonder mountain side comes down the silver brook, in the distance resembling a ribbon of silver, running and leaping as it dashes joyously and fearlessly down. Go ask the leaper what it is doing.

7. "I was born," says the brook, “high up in the mountain; but there I could do no good; and so I am hurrying.

down, running where I can, and leaping where I must; but hastening down to water the sweet valley, -where the lark may sing on my margin, where I may drive the mill for the accommodation of man, and then widen into the great river, and bear up his steamboats and shipping, and finally plunge into the ocean, to rise again in vapor, and perhaps come back again in the clouds to my own native mountain, and live my short life over again. Not a drop of water comes down my channel in whose bright face you may not read- .. None of us liveth to himself.'

8. Speak now to that solitary star that hangs in the far verge of heaven, and ask the bright sparkler what it is doing there. Its voice comes down the path of life, and cries, "I am a mighty world. I was stationed here at the creation. I was among the morning stars that sang together, and among the sons of God that shouted for joy, at the creation of the earth. Aye, aye, I was there —

9. "When the radiant morn of creation broke,
And the world in the smile of God awoke,

And the empty realms of darkness and death
Were moved through their depths by his mighty breath,
And the orbs of beauty and spheres of flame
From the void abyss by myriads came.
In the joy of youth, as they darted away
Through the widening wastes of space to play,
Their silver voices in chorus rung,

And this was the song the bright ones sung.'

10. And thus God has written upon the flower that sweetens the air; upon the breeze that rocks that flower on its stem; upon the rain-drops that swell the mighty river; upon the dew-drop that refreshes the smallest sprig of moss that rears its head in the desert; upon the ocean, that rocks every swimmer in its channel; upon every pencilled shell that sleeps in the caverns of the deep, as well as upon the mighty sun, which warms and cheers the millions of creatures that live in his light-upon all has he written, "None of us liveth to himself."

11. And if you will read this lesson in characters still more distinct and striking, you will go to the garden of Gethsemane, and hear the Redeemer in prayer, while the angel of God strengthens him. You will read it on the hill of Calvary, where a voice that might be the concentrated voice of the whole universe of God, proclaims that the highest, noblest deed which the Infinite can do, is to do good to others, -to live not to himself.

CHAPTER XCI.

MR. CATLIN AND HIS HORSE CHARLEY.

1. No white man has ever travelled so much among the Indians as George Catlin. He has collected specimens of all their dresses, tomahawks, bows and arrows, ornaments, &c., and taken drawings of all the most interesting objects to be seen at the West. In one of his long journeys he met with the following interesting adventure. It shows that while wild animals love to get far away from man, the horse, which has lived long in his company, cannot bear to be deserted by him. The faithful horse should always be treated kindly.

2. "On this journey, while Charley and I were twenty-five days alone, we had much time, and the best of circumstances under which to learn what we had as yet overlooked in each other's characters, as well as to draw great pleasure and real benefit from what we already had learned of each other in our former travels.

3. " 'I generally halted on the bank of some little stream, at half an hour of sunset, where feed was good for Charley, and where I could get wood to kindle my fire, and water for my coffee. The first thing was to undress Charley, and drive down his picket, to which he was fastened, to graze over a circle that he could inscribe at the end of his lasso. In this wise he busily fed himself until nightfall; and after

my coffee was made and drank, I uniformly moved him up, with his picket by my head, so that I could lay my hand upon his lasso in an instant, in case of any alarm that was liable to drive him from me.

4. "On one of these evenings, when he was grazing as usual, he slipped the lasso over his head, and deliberately took his supper at his pleasure, wherever he chose to prefer it, as he was strolling around. When night approached, I took the lasso in hand, and endeavored to catch him; but I soon saw that he was determined to enjoy a little freedom; and he continually evaded me until dark, when I abandoned the pursuit, making up my mind that I should inevitably lose him, and be obliged to perform the rest of my journey on foot. He had led me a chase of half a mile or more, when I left him busily grazing, and returned to my little solitary bivouac, and laid myself on my bear-skin and went to sleep. 5. " "In the middle of the night I waked, whilst I was lying on my back, and, on half opening my eyes, I was instantly shocked to the soul by the huge figure, as I thought, of an Indian, standing over me, and in the very act of taking my scalp! The chill of horror that paralyzed me for the first moment, held me still till I saw that there was no need of moving—that my faithful horse Charley had 'played shy' till he had 'filled his belly,' and had then moved up, from feelings of pure affection, or from instinctive fear, or possibly from a due share of both, and taken his position with his fore feet at the edge of my bed, with his head hanging directly over me, while he was standing fast asleep!

6. My nerves, which had been most violently shocked, were soon quieted, and I fell asleep, and so continued until sunrise in the morning, when I waked, and beheld my faithful servant at some considerable distance, busily at work picking up his breakfast amongst the cane-brake, along the banks of the creek. I went as busily at work preparing my own, which was eaten; and after it I had another half hour of fruitless endeavors to catch Charley, whilst he seemed as

mindful of mischief as on the evening before, and continually tantalized me by turning round and round, and keeping out of my reach.

7. "I recollected the conclusive evidence of his attachment and dependence, which he had voluntarily given in the night, and I thought I would try them in another way; so I packed up my things, and slung the saddle on my back, and taking my gun in my hand, I started on my route. After I had advanced a quarter of a mile, I looked back, and saw him standing, with his head and tail very high, looking alternately at me and at the spot where I had been encamped and left a little fire burning.

8. "In this condition he stood, and surveyed the prairies around for a while, as I continued on. He at length walked with a hurried step to the spot, and seeing everything gone, began to neigh very violently, and at last started off, at the fullest speed, and overtook me, passing within a few paces of me, and wheeling about at a few rods' distance in front of me, trembling like an aspen leaf.

9. "I called him by his familiar name, and walked up to him, with the bridle in my hand, which I put over his head, as he held it down for me, and the saddle on his back, as he actually stooped to receive it. I was soon arranged, and on his back, when he started off upon his course, as if he was well contented and pleased, like his rider, with the manœuvre which had brought us together again, and afforded us mutual relief from our awkward positions. Though this alarming freak of Charley's passed off and terminated so satisfactorily, yet I thought such rather dangerous ones to play, and I took good care, after that night, to keep him under my strict authority; resolving to avoid further tricks and experiments, till we got to the land of cultivated fields and steady habits."