'Delightful task! to rear the tender thought; And pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind.' But you may say, that, not having yourself received the advantages of education, you can communicate to them but little instruction. The instruction I however allude to, is such as the most unlearned may communicate. Trace over in your memory the various events of your past life; you will then see how you failed in your aim to do well, and also, why your endeavours sometimes succeeded. Communicate to your childrer the reflections which these observations create. Show them the advantages of industry, civility, and sobriety; let them see the necessity and advantage of rendering themselves useful to those around them. Place before them, in particular, the policy of such conduct towards their employers; since he who renders himself useful to his employer, becomes necessary to him; and creates such attachment of his master, both from interest and from respect for his industry, that, if he engage also his affection by his civility and obligingness, the most advantageous and profitable consequences may follow Point out to them the evils which experience has taught you the necessity of avoiding. Put aside all false shame-own your youthful follies to them. Show them the ill effects which followed, and confirm them in the resolution of shunning similar foibles; and, on the other hand, hold out to their imitation those actions which recollection is delighted in recalling. By this conduct, you will not only lead your chil dren into a love of virtuous and industrious exertions, and take away the necessity of employing that correction which may rob you of their love; but you will actually excite their affections, make them love their father as their friend, and perhaps secure for yourself in age, that protection from your child, which you might otherwise have to seek from a workhouse. But to be assured of this, teach them to abhor cruelty to the brute creation; since the child who delights to torment any fellow-being, may be brought at last to view the sufferings of even a parent, with feelings worse than indifference. Be assured 'That all the pious duties which we owe From discipline alone and early ulture grow.'*" Villager's Friend. CHAP. XIV. 731. A few Books particularly suitable for a Cottage Library. 1. THE Holy Bible. Of this it is to be wished, that every one of your children should possess a copy, to carry out with them into the world. It may be obtained at the easy rate of one penny a week. 2. If you can possibly afford it, The Cottage Bible. This is a most excellent exposition of the Holy Scriptures, will form a handsome and valuable family book, and with care may descend uninjured, and prove a blessing to your chil dren's children. There is nothing looks more respectable in a cottage, or is more truly beneficial, than a good and handsome Family Bible. This is one of the cheapest and best that has been published. It is now complete at £2, but may be purchased in parts ls. each. 3. Cheap Repository Tracts: by Mrs. Hannah More 3 vols. bound, price 15s. or 5s. each volume separately. They consist chiefly of very interesting and instructive stories, and may be read over and over again with pleasure and advantage. One volume is more immediately designed for Sunday reading, and consists of familiar remarks upon Scripture histories, and the great leading truths of the gospel. These volumes may be considered as a library of themselves. The family who possesses them need never be at a loss for entertainment. 4. Domestic Happiness promoted: by Jonas Hanway, Esq. Price 3s. 5. The Pilgrim's Progress: by John Bunyan. A very neat edition, bound, has lately been published by the Religious Tract Society, and may be had for one shilling and eight. pence. 6. Robinson Crusoe :-a most entertaining book, and tending to sharpen the wits of young people in finding out the way to help themselves. There are many editions of this book; a very decent one may be had for three or four shillings. 7. Lessons for Persons in Humble Life. Price 4s. 6d. bound. A very excellent compilation, giving many important lessons in religion and morality, and many pleasing examples of good and virtuous conduct. 8. Baxter's Christian Dictionary, 2s. 9. Discourses on Eternity: by Rev. Job Orton, 8d. 10. Baxter's Call to the Unconverted to turn and live, 1s. 6d. 11. Bickersteth's Scripture Help, 5s. Abridged, 6d. 12. Bickersteth on Prayer with forms, 2s. 13. Bickersteth on the Lord's Supper, 5s. 14. Henry's Communicants' Companion, 3s. Abridged, 6d. 15. Brooks's Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices, 1s. 6d. 16. Mrs. Taylor's Present to a Young Servant, 3s. 6d. 17. Mrs Trimmer's Servant's Friend, and The Two Farmers, 8d. each, or bound together 1s. 4d. 18. Dr. Doddridge's Four Sermons to Parents, 1s. 19. Doddridge's Seven Sermons to Young Persons, ls. 4d. 20. Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, 2s. 21. The Pocket Prayer Book, 1s. 6d. 22. Dr. Watts's World to Come. 23. Christian Biography, 9 vols. each volume distinct, 4s. 24. Dr. Watts's Divine Songs for Children, from 2d. to 6d. 25. Doddridge's Principles of the Christian Religion. These pleasing poems would be the very thing (as well as Dr. Watts's Divine Songs) for your little Children to learn by heart; something to stick by them as they grow up into life. They were taught to our venerable King George III. in his early childhood; and though he lived to be an old man, there is good reason to believe he never forgot them. Price 2d. 26. Burder's Village Sermons, 8 vols. 1s. each. 27. From the publications of the Religious Tract Society, a cheap and excellent volume might be selected for the Cottage Library. The tracts will not, one with another, cost more than a penny each; you can buy one or two at a time as a chance penny comes in, and lay them carefully by till you get enough to make a volume; and a choice volume it will be, formed by the labours of many wise and good men, and containing something of almost every kind, for instruction and entertainment, for youth and age, for sickness and health, for the concerns of this life and of another. 28. Goldsmith's History of England, about 5s. 31. Lindley Murray's Power of Religion on the Mind. 32. Results of Machinery, or the Working Man's Companion, 1s. 33. Library of Useful Knowledge, monthly numbers 6d. each. 34. Library of Entertaining Knowledge, monthly parts 2s. each. 35. Of Magazines, or small publications which come out at stated times, the following are most suitable for Cottagers. Quarterly Price 4d.-The Domestic Visitor. Monthly Price 6d.―The Cottager's Monthly Visitor. Price 1d.-The Tract Magazine.-The Friendly Visitor.The Child's Companion.-The Teacher's Offering.-The Children's Friend. N. B. The Christian Gleaner or Domestic Magazine, originally published in numbers, is now complete in four volumes. Price 10s. 6d. boards, 13s. half bound. 732. In furnishing this list of books, it is not intended to exclude others which are equally excellent, or to suppose that all or most of these can be obtained by cottagers in general. The writer of these pages has observed with pleasure among the most industrious and respectable of the labouring classes, a praiseworthy disposition to collect for themselves a little library. This is looked upon as a choice part of the cottage wealth, and a valuable and creditable legacy for children's children. It has been also observed with regret, that their money is often not laid out to the best advantage; that through the obtrusive and interested persuasions of travelling book venders, they are induced to engage in the purchase of long drawn-out, and expensive number works, which after all often prove to be worthless trash, or at best are purchased at a needlessly expensive rate. In the above list, care has been taken to recommend only such works as are of known respectability, and which those who purchase will not have reason to regret so doing. The price is also pointed out, to put persons upon their guard against being drawn in to give eight or ten shillings (as is often done) for a work in numbers, when the very same thing may be procured for four or five. Several other little works might have been named as expressly intended for the benefit of cottagers, but being produced by the writer of these pages, they cannot with propriety have a place in this catalogue. CHAP. XV. Good Neighbourhood. 733. THE best enjoyments are to be found at home. Those who cannot find their pleasures in the bosom of their family, will generally seek elsewhere for them in vain. Still it is a pleasant thing to keep up a little friendly intercourse among neighbours; the great matter is, properly to regulate it, so that it may be really beneficial, not injurious. There is one rule which, if attended to, would admirably answer the purpose: "Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." We have claims upon others, and they have claims upon us; and in every connection and relation of life, if these claims are justly discharged, mutual peace and comfort will ensue; but if either party is unreasonable and unjust in their expectations, or deficient in their returns, dissatisfactions and dissensions will be sure to arise. There are some things quite inconsistent with good neighbourhood; such, for instance, as grudging a neighbour employment, if he chances to be of the same calling as yourself, or notice and assistance from more wealthy neighbours; as though all his advantages and enjoyments were subtracted from your own ;— such as a mischief-making spirit, that would sow dissension in families by ill natured reflections and insinuations, or perhaps prejudice employers or benefactors against a neighbour, by repeating to his disadvantage some half forgotten, perhaps half untrue story of himself or his connexions;-such as a spiteful, mischievous, or revengeful spirit; this has many odious ways of manifesting itself; such things have been heard of, as one neighbour stuffing cloths into the spout to prevent the rain water from running into his neighbour's tub-or laying poison for a neighbour's cat-or setting traps for his fowls-or seeing the pigs run in and destroy a neighbour's garden in his absence, without attempting to drive them out-or encouraging children in hatred, malice, and spite against neighbour's chil dren. All these dispositions and practices are foolish as well as sinful; the individual who indulges them cannot be happy in his own mind, or beloved by those around him, and sooner or later such dispositions bring their own punishment. It must be a miserable thing to have conducted oneself in such a manner, that no neighbour can be expected to feel interest. ed in one's welfare, or to be ready to assist one in time of affliction; or even supposing that pity should get the better of anger and resentment, and dispose some person of a better disposition to render the needed assistance, it must be very painful and mortifying to feel that we are receiving that to which our previous character and conduct had given us no claim. On the contrary, how pleasant is it in the time of affliction to be surrounded by kind, willing, and grateful friends, anxious to return the kindness they have in past times received from us; or even if removed from the circle of those on whom past kindness has given us a claim, to find that Providence raise up in the time of need, friends to succour those who have to the utmost of their ability succoured and befriended others This has been experienced in numberless instances by indivi |