varying from seventeen to twenty-one. In the five years, as the official report observes, the acts of self-destruction amongst this particular section of the community have actually doubled, the rise being not sudden, but gradual and steady from year to year.

I

High Church and Confession. I am perplexed. I can scarcely recognize where I am. What opportunity for strange pranks a free country affords to ecclesiastics? love liberty, but in the interests of the spiritual welfare of the people, I must express my conviction that the compilers of a little paper which lies before me should be sent to the county asylum. The paper is headed "Repentance," and is evidently written by some member of the High Church Party. Repentance according to this misleading document is to confess your sins either in "the church or some quiet place, before God and the whole company of Heaven, and to you, my Father." To give the reader some idea of the lengths to which these leaders of "silly women can go, and the folly to which they can lend themselves, I quote the following from this precious ecclesiastical compilation. It tabulates 128 different sins, so called, which are to be confessed to "you, my spiritual Father." So many of these sins as have been committed are to be underlined and sent in to the priest. Then, during confession, they are to be named to this professional priestling. The whole paper is a travestie of godliness. I subjoin a few items as a justification, were any needed, for my strong words: "Stayed away from Church," "Gone to Roman Catholic or Dissenting Chapels," "Laughed, whispered, or eaten in church." "Sat during prayers," "Laughed at others for bowing and crossing themselves," "Used profane words," "Swore,” “Laughed at others for their infirmities, old age, lameness, and blindness," "Spent Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, or Ascension Day, badly," "Drawn bad pictures," "Stolen money," "Cheated shop-keepers," "Passed bad money," ""Put sweets and buttons into the offertory at church," "Cheated railway companies," "Committed adultery," "Fornication," "Given way to indecent

thoughts," "Read other people's letters," etc., etc. These are a few extracts from this scandalous document, which emanates from those who profess to hold the doctrine and teaching of the Church of England. Observe this is done in Protestant England and by men who are supposed to represent Christ's teaching. What a caricature of Christianity and the Christian ministry this is! Certainly, if the Bishops of the Church of England are powerless, either to prohibit or prevent these corrupt imitations of the Church of Rome, a strong case exists why the State should interfere and put a stop to these scandalous and demoralizing practices.

A Public Prosecutor Wanted. - Is it any wonder that profligacy increases, and such frightful figures as the following have to be published? In Scotland 10,000 illegitimate children were born in 1881. There is no room to doubt that the lewd plays permitted to be represented in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other theatres by the "Comedie Français" and other immoral troupes have helped to undermine womanly modesty and virtue. They have made light of immorality and sin. The fast and corrupt betrayer of virtue, as portrayed in the theatre, is commonly an attractive and fascinating gentleman; certainly popular stage representation has effected disastrous results in lowering and debasing the public taste in regard to amusement. The Lord Chamberlain is supposed to exercise supervision and to possess the power of repression in regard to immoral and questionable plays. How his Lordship could ignore all sense of public decency, and permit representations such as Le Demi Monde, The Grand Duchess, Don Juan Junior, and other prurient plays from Paris and elsewhere, I cannot comprehend. A shameless spirit of licence in regard to theatrical representation during the past ten years has prevailed. The Church, instead of protesting against and denouncing the incoming tides of wickedness, has to her own shame been dumb. The result has been a terrible loss to morality and righteousness.

What Came of an After Dinner Nap.-In consequence of the recent raid upon betting men in a small way, a whisper has gone abroad that the police will summon the editors of the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Standard, the Daily News, the Daily Chronicle, the Morning Post, the Advertiser, the Globe, the Echo, the Evening News, the Pall Mall and the St. James's Gazettes for aiding and abetting gambling. The Public Prosecutor is expected to conduct the case. It will be proved that glowing descriptions of the races, with all necessary information from "prophets" retained on "the course," have been published daily in the columns of these leaders of public morality. Counsel for the defence is thus instructed: 1st, That the devotion of from two to five columns daily for sporting intelligence is a sheer necessity, in order that the respective papers may not be outdone by their contemporaries. 2nd, That they always make gambling respectable, and trade with big men for large stakes. 3rd, That there is one law in regard to aiding and abetting gambling on a large scale by the London dailies, and another for the publicans and poor sinners who gamble in publichouses, streets, back rooms, etc. 4th, That the proprietors and editors of these daily journals have no sympathy with gambling, even though their action gives the lie to the statement. 5th, That, if necessary, the defendants are prepared to pay heavy fines, rather than forego the profitable venture of writing up, advocating, and increasing the national mania for gambling. The editor of the Daily Telegraph instructed counsel to say that if the law would only hark back from the prosecution and continue to wink at this profitable press racing mania, certain "racy editorials" should appear in their columns showing in clearest language the immoral tendencies of the turf, “That this certainly would be an ample atonement.” Loud cheers followed this announcement, accompanied with the refrain "And so say all of us," which refrain awoke the sleeper.

A Fearful Scene.-"Will you visit a young man to-night who, the medical men say, cannot live until the morning? "Certainly," I replied; and when the prayer-meeting closed I accompanied the friend to the young man's home. Reaching the house, we were ushered into a large bedroom. Several persons were present. The scene was one of most unusual interest, for no sooner had I entered than a young man of about twenty-five years of age started up from the bed on which, in partial undress, he was lying, and abruptly said, “I don't want to see you; I know who you are, and what you have come for." Alluding to his friends who were in the room, he said, "They think I am going to die; they have told me so; do I look like a dying man? What nonsense! I'm not going to die." And, as though to prove the utter unlikelihood of such a result, he walked round and round the room in intense excitement, and with as strong and firm a step as though he were in full and robust health. I was startled, and could scarcely realize the situation. At length one of the friends took me aside and said, "Two physicians from London have carefully examined him, and they state that he cannot live through the night." Do what I would I could not calm the agitated man, nor gain his attention to listen to words of pardon, grace, and salvation. He seemed utterly unable to believe that before the morning dawned he must die. He was not a criminal awaiting the scaffold, nor had the poisoned draught been taken in fatal mistake. It was nearly eleven o'clock before I left him, exhausted by the very means used to show that in his case it was simply absurd for the physicians to say that "he must die." Nevertheless, three o'clock the following morning he was dead. "His sin had found him out." Licentious in his life, a terrible and fatal form of venereal disease was swiftly and surely closing up the air passages of the throat. Strong as he was, suffocation would wrestle with and overcome him, and the silence of death keep the palace of the soul ere the morning dawned. And so it came to pass. Three o'clock a.m. saw the strong and vigorous frame of that young man stretched out in

all the ghastliness of death, adding yet another to the awful list of the slain through immorality and lust. There was no inquest held. The verdict, however, was found written in the Book of God, "Be sure your sin will find you out."

Things Worth Consideration.-Whether our present methods of public service and worship are adapted to the interests of Christian life. Whether a short service from 11 to 12 o'clock on Sunday mornings, with brief exercises, would not be a great improvement. Whether the breaking of bread from 12 o'clock to 12.40 would not prove a great stimulus to spiritual worship, and furnish opportunity for the use of other gifts which exist in the Church besides that of the minister. Whether suitable and frequent interchange of ministers would not be a mutual gain to the respective congregations. Whether it would not be an advantage to have occasionally an evening meeting, where gentlemen, working men, and others, who have received Christ, should give their personal experience. Whether it would not be a gain if many of those who regularly fill their pews on the Sunday mornings were to go into the streets where the masses live, and read the Word of God to them in homely and familiar manner. Whether intelligent and friendly discussion with the groups of men that stand about in summer time would not prove a most valuable ministry. Whether the dim, "Golgothic" structures that abound on every hand, which by their closed doors seem to say that Christianity has little or nothing to do with the busy activities of the world, are not largely responsible for the prejudice which exists against them.

Whether the brightness and energetic working of the publichouses for seven days in the week is not in every way a standing reproof to the Churches, which are practically closed for six days a week. Whether a building which has cost ten or twenty thousand pounds to erect is utilised to the best advantage by having two limited tides of life coming in on Sunday only, the said tides being down and out all the rest of the week. Whether