an acquaintance with the great principles of revealed religion, good reading, fair writing, and a tolerable knowledge-with perhaps the easiest rules-of arithmetic. And this, I believe, is all that any of the most ardent promoters of education call for, or think necessary; and I only wish that those who do make such statements about overeducating children would be kind enough to make a little inquiry, and examine into facts before doing so, and then, I think, instead of hearing about children being overeducated, we should find that for the most part the majority of them leave school before they are ten years of age. I don't know whether I shall be trespassing too long upon the meeting, by mentioning an anecdote which has come into my head, and which I learned while on a visit to a neighbouring county, where the chief landlord of a parish has done much for education, and has earned the gratitude of all around him. He told me that one day, as he was walking over the parish, he met an old man, who, as a soldier, lives on a small pension. This old soldier, pointing to a school which the gentleman had built not long before, said, "There, sir, that is the best thing you ever did for the parish." My friend was surprised to hear this from the old soldier, and he said he was glad to hear him say so; but he asked him why he thought so. "I believe," said the old man, "if that school had been built when I was a boy, I should now be receiving half-a-crown instead of sixpence per day pension." My friend asked for a little information, which was given, and it was briefly this:-This poor man had been a private soldier, and he conducted himself so well as to gain the approbation of his fellow-soldiers and his officers; he had behaved with great gallantry and courage, and his conduct was deserving of reward. Upon one occasion, when he was serving with the Duke of

Wellington, he showed great courage by advancing singly towards the enemy's line, and there securing the musket of a fallen soldier, his own musket being lost, a feat which exposed him to the concentrated fire of the enemy, and was therefore an act of great courage. His gallant conduct deserved and received reward, for he was raised from the ranks, and made a sergeant. "I then," to give the remaining portion of the anecdote in the old man's words,

"I then," he said, "as sergeant, had to write and keep the accounts. I was kept in the situation six weeks, and received every assistance from my fellow-soldiers, and every consideration from the officers; but unfortunately, it was as much as I could do, by hard study, to read; I could scarcely write at all; and the accounts were of that nature that I was obliged to give up the sergeantship, and return to the ranks; and now as a private I receive sixpence per day of pension, whereas I should have received two shillings and sixpence per day if I had remained a sergeant." I beg your pardon for troubling you with this anecdote, but I think it bears upon the subject, and shows how advantageous education may be to those who occupy the lowest stations in society. One more remark. There is now a cry and a thirst for knowledge throughout the land. That cry has been heard, and the thirst will be slaked. The floodgates have been thrown open, and the waters are rushing forth. It remains for us to say whether those waters shall be directed throughout the land to invigorate, and gladden, and bless the souls of men, or whether they shall go forth as a mad, roaring, devastating torrent, sapping the foundations and overthrowing the banks of all that is dear, sacred, and inestimable to us in our religion and laws, and leaving, instead of ignorance, that which is a thousand times worse

anarchy, rationalism, infidelity. This is now our position. Allow the torrent to go on, undirected, for a few years. longer, and it will be too late-the waters will be too deep, the current too strong, for us to stem or control. Let me, therefore, exhort you to go and do your utmost in the good cause of education in which we have embarked, and let the ground of our teaching ever be, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

LAYING THE CORNER STONE OF THE CORN
EXCHANGE, ROSS.

MASONIC CEREMONY.

March, 1861.

As a Clergyman, I cannot but add the prayers of myself and brethren, that the building may be for the comfort and advantage of every one in Ross and its neighbourhood; that it may be a house of accommodation to those who traffic therein, and that they may so traffic to their own advantage, and for the benefit of God's poor. I can take this opportunity,—and perhaps it may be some interest to those who are not Masons, if I indulge in a few remarks respecting our ancient fraternity, and I think, on an occasion like this, it may be permitted. When we assemble as Masons, we talk of Masonry, and we have not many opportunities of doing it to those who are not Masons. You know that the Masons are a secret society, and therefore it is impossible for me to convey to you their secrets. But I will give you something by way of illustration. When Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne of the realm, the whole country was aroused with secret convulsions, and she looked with suspicion upon all secret societies, and many of these societies were disbanded, and the members forced

to leave the country. With the Masons, she, however, took a different course: she sent for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, and for two or three others, and said to them, "I wish you to become initiated in the mysteries of Masonry, not that you may tell me its secrets, but that you may tell me if they are what I may acknowledge, or such as I dismiss." The result of this was that that great man, and several others, became Masons, and attended shortly afterwards upon Her Majesty, and their report was this:-"Your Majesty asks me what Masons are. I can assure you they are the most loyal subjects your Majesty has; they are the best citizens this land boasts; and there are none more God-fearing people in the realm." The result was what you may suppose, that the Order received her patronage; but, of course, she could not be admitted into the Order. You know ladies are sometimes anxious to gain secrets, and wish to know why they are not permitted to become Masons. If I may say so, this is necessarily a secret society. In the beginning, when we were something more than speculative Masons-when we were operative Masons-when those great buildings, our cathedrals and our churches, were the work of the Masons,—it was a necessary thing that the persons employed as positive and actual masons should be thorough masters of every branch of their art. What would it be if the persons employed did not understand the geometrical principles upon which an arch was raised, and the spire supported on those four slender legs? We should have had, years ago, those noble buildings heaps of ruins. It was therefore necessary that master masons should have some decisive means of knowing if the persons they employed were competent for their duties, and therefore it was necessary that these secrets should be

known, and members were known by those secret signs, and their competence acknowledged. So much as regards secresy. I know you may ask, "Why not admit females ?" We may say, useful and ornamental as they are, we don't know that they could at all have assisted us in raising originally those vast buildings, or that they could now assist us in our more speculative feelings. And let it not be forgotten that the tender sex are more prone to communicate their knowledge than the sterner sex.

KINNERSLEY.-OPENING OF NEW SCHOOL.
May 4th, 1861.

Before I pronounce this building opened, I would occupy your attention for a few moments. We have this day been joining in the services of the Church, and have been offering up our praises to the Almighty for His blessing on the undertaking which has this day engaged us. Let me, however, remind you that it is in vain you ask God for His blessing, unless you place yourselves in such a position as to receive that blessing. You possess the fact of having an excellent school in your parish, and of having good instruction in the midst of you; but this will not make your children one degree better, unless you take care that they are regular in their attendance, and that the examples which they receive at home shall not destroy the good lessons which they learn here. Parents often keep their children from school, from ignorance. I know it is a frequent fact, They think it is a matter of little consequence, and they keep them at home for a day or two, because they are not aware how it breaks up the usual