6. The glow of Venus1 and the glare of Mars,2 The tranquil beauty of the lesser stars;

The eagle soaring in majestic flight,

The morning bursting from the clouds of night; —

7. The child's fond prattle and the mother's prayer, Angelic voices floating in the air,—

Mind, heart, and soul, the ever-restless breath,
And all the myriad mysteries of death.

8. Beware, ye doubting, disbelieving throng,
Whose sole ambition is to favor wrong;
There is a God; remember while ye can,.
"His Spirit will not always strive with man.'

1.

0

LESSON XXXV.

THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

AMELIA B. WELBY.

THOU, who fling'st so fair a robe

Of clouds around the hills untrod,
Those mountain-pillars of the globe,

Whose peaks sustain Thy throne, O God!
All glittering round the sunset skies,

Their trembling folds are lightly furled,
As if to shade from mortal eyes

The glories of yon upper world;
There, while the evening star upholds
In one bright spot their purple folds,
My spirit lifts its silent prayer,

For Thou, the God of love, art there.

2. The summer flowers, the fair, the sweet,
Upspringing freely from the sod,

In whose soft looks we seem to meet,
At every step, Thy smiles, O God!
The humblest soul their sweetness shares;
They bloom in palace-hall, or cot:
Give me, O Lord! a heart like theirs,
Contented with my lowly lot.
Within their pure ambrosial bells,
In odors sweet, Thy Spirit dwells :
Their breath may seem to scent the air;
'Tis Thine, O God! for Thou art there.

3. The birds among the summer-blooms

Pour forth to Thee their strains of love,
When, trembling on uplifted plumes,

They leave the earth and soar above.
We hear their sweet familiar airs
Where'er a sunny spot is found:
How lovely is a life like theirs,
Diffusing sweetness all around!
From clime to clime, from pole to pole,
Their sweetest anthems softly roll,

Till, melting on the realms of air,

Thy still small voice seems whispering there.

4. The stars, those floating isles of light,

Round which the clouds unfurl their sails,
Pure as a woman's robe of white

That trembles round the form it vails,-
They touch the heart as with a spell;
Yet, set the soaring fancy free,

And oh, how sweet the tales they tell!-
They tell of peace, of love, and Thee!
Each raging storm that wildly blows,
Each balmy gale that lifts the rose,
Sublimely grand, or softly fair,

They speak of Thee, for Thou art there.

5. The spirit oft oppressed with doubt,

May strive to cast Thee from its thought; But who can shut Thy presence out,

Thou mighty Guest, that com'st unsought?
In spite of all our cold resolves,

Whate'er our thoughts, where'er we be,
Still magnet-like the heart revolves,

And points, all trembling, up to Thee.
We can not shield a troubled breast
Beneath the confines of the blest,
Above, below, on earth, in air;
For Thou, the living God, art there.

6. Yet, far beyond the clouds outspread,
Where soaring fancy oft hath been,
There is a land where Thou hast said
The pure of heart shall enter in.
In those fair realms so calmly bright,
How many a loved and gentle one
Bathes its soft plumes in living light

That sparkles from Thy radiant throne!
There souls once soft and sad as ours,
Look up and sing 'mid fadeless flowers:
They dream no more of grief and care ;
For Thou, the God of peace, art there.

THERE

LESSON XXXVL

INTEGRITY.

D. S. DICKINSON.

HERE is yet another rule for the guidance of the young business-men, more important than any to which I have adverted, and without which the subtle deductions of polit ical economy and the ornate science of commercial law would be useless. It is not defined by the chapters of statutes, nor divided into sections; nor has it grown up with the progress of civilization, to suit the demands of society, or answer the exigencies of trade; but it is coëval with human existence, and is written upon the tablet of every heart.

2. It comprises a code of exquisite completeness for man's moral government, and points the pathway for his footsteps, which, carefully pursued, will place length of days in his right hand; and in his left, riches and honor: and it admonishes with startling significance of the terrible penalties which await those who disobey or seek to evade its mandates. This law is as unalterable as the renowned Medes and Persians* fancied were their far-famed edicts.

"It lives through all time,
Extends through all extent,
Spreads undivided,

Operates unspent."

3. It is not taught in the schools, nor is study requisite to its possession; but the young and the old, the ignorant and the learned, the rich and the poor, the lofty and the low,

* Daniel, vi. chap. 8 verse.

understand it alike, by that spark of divinity which electrifies the soul, and gives the conscience intuition. It is INTEGRITY,— integrity, including all the cardinal and social virtues which form a code for the moral government of man. It is a capital which never depreciates with fluctuations, is never at a discount, but is a sure reliance in every vicissitude and trial. It points to honorable success in life's pilgrimage with unerring certainty; and is both sword and shield to him who would. wage, with the true heart of manhood, the great battle of life.

4. What though the tempests howl, the storms beat, the lightnings flash, the thunders roar, and the angry ocean cast up its mire and dirt: he who holds fast to his integrity will outride the danger, and may laugh at the fury of the elements. His bow of promise will arch itself up again in the heavens, more beautiful than ever, as a living witness that truth can never die. The slaves of vice, and the votaries of indolence and fraud, may flourish for a season; but they perish by a law of being as fixed and certain as the power of gravitation; and, when they have closed their ignoble existence, the devotees of truth will rise above their ruin, like the flowers of spring upon the bleak desolations of winter.

5. Go forth, then, young man, into this broad field of labor, and hope, and reward, and peril! Be temperate, industrious, frugal, and self-reliant; and whenever temptations shall cross your pathway and seek to allure you, pause and reflect, — remember this time and occasion, your associates and him who addresses you; and remember, too, and repeat this one word which I give you, as a talisman or charm to shield and protect you from all evil, and bear you through life's journey in safety; and that word isINTEGRITY!