proved himself to be so by exercising towards him the offices of Christian charity. And as the term is strictly reciprocal, it of course follows that the Jew also was neighbor to the Samaritan.

Hence it appears that, under the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, all men of every color and country who fall under our notice, or are within the reach of our influence, must be regarded as our neighbors; and that it is our duty to love them as we love ourselves. Nor does the mere distance of the party from us deprive him of this character; for Christianity is a diffusive religion. Under its influence, we have to do with millions whom we have never seen; and while it in no degree weakens the pre-eminent claims upon us of our own countrymen, it supplies us with neighbors, whom it is our duty to serve, in the remotest parts of the habitable globe. When the apostles were commanded to go forth and to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to every creature under heaven, they were taught, by the very command itself, to regard every creature under heaven as their neighbor and their friend.

But the Samaritans were not only of a different stock from the Jews; the two nations were at enmity with each other.

It appears, then, that the enmity of any persons, or of any nations of men, against ourselves, has no effect in removing them. from the class of our neighbors; we must still love them, and treat them as our friends. In short, the term "neighbor," in this comprehensive law, extends, under the Gospel, without any kind of exception, to the whole family of our fellow-men. "The Lord," said the apostle to the Thessalonians, "make you to increase and abound in love one towards another, and towards ALL MEN."

Minor Works, seet. ix.

IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE MENTAL HABITS.

I cannot entirely agree in the opinion of those persons who complain of the many hours, in each passing day, which are devoted, in most of our schools, to Latin and Greek. True, indeed, it is, that a number of modern languages, and various branches of philosophy and science, appear at first sight to present superior claims, in point of utility; but I believe that no man who has imbibed, at school, an accurate knowledge of Latin and Greek, will regret the hours which have been devoted to the pursuit. Not only will he find the polish of classical literature a real advantage, and its treasures worth enjoying; not only will his acquaintance with these languages facilitate the acquirement of others; but the habits

of study which he has obtained in the pursuit, will have given him a mastery over learning, which he will afterwards find it easy to apply to any of its departments.

There is, however, another principle against which this diffusive system offends; it is that a little knowledge, of an exact and perfect character, is more valuable, for practical purposes, than much superficial learning. We mostly find that success in the world, and particularly in the walks of literature, depends upon a deep and accurate acquaintance with some particular object of pursuit or inquiry, far more than on extent and variety. By too widely spreading our efforts, we are very sure to hinder our progress.

It is essential that our children should be early instructed in the all-important lesson of learning what they do learn, well. If we sacrifice this object to a mere spread of information, we shall inflict an injury on their minds, which, in all probability, will be found incurable. A child who from day to day is allowed to be inaccurate and superficial in construing his Latin lesson will be prone to act in the same manner with respect to the other branches of his learning, and his carelessness will even extend to his play. But these are only the smaller parts of the mischief. The bad habit of inaccuracy, once formed, will infect his mode of convers ing, undermine his attention to truth, and weaken him in his moral duties; nay, it will follow him to the place of public worship, and mar the early fruits of his religion and piety.

The principle, that whatsoever children learn, they should learn exactly, is of equal importance whether their lessons be addressed to the memory, or to the understanding. If the business in hand is to get by rote a passage in the Latin grammar, or the declensions of a Greek verb, that business ought not to be passed over until it is perfectly accomplished. The memory must not be op pressed by too large a demand upon its powers; but the short and easy lesson must be so learned as to be repeated without a fault and without difficulty. If, on the other hand, the tutor's object is to explain a rule in grammar, he must take care so to handle the subject as to leave the understanding of his pupil in a condition of perfect clearness.

When an eminent person, remarkable for his achievements in science, eloquence, and business, was asked by what means he was enabled to effect so much, he answered, "By being a whole man to one thing at a time." This is an expedient to which our young people ought to be familiarized even from their childhood. If their attention is scattered and divided, nothing will be learnt effectually, or executed well; but, if they put forth their native energy to each object in succession-if they bestow their whole

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minds, first (for example) on their Scripture reading; secondly, on their classical lesson; thirdly, on their arithmetic or geometry; and fourthly, on their game of trap-ball or cricket-everything in its turn will be mastered; and by the whole process the mind itself will be greatly strengthened.

A second rule which this person mentioned as having been of great use to himself, was never to lose the passing opportunitya rule which, like the former, is closely connected with the faculty of attention. Our young people should be taught to be always alive to the circumstances which surround them; and, in the only good and happy sense of the term, to be time-servers. It is desirable that they should be observant not only of their books, but of all things not sinful which meet their perception, in the passing scenery of life. By this means they will greatly increase their store of knowledge, and will be gradually prepared for usefulness in their day and generation.

The well-known tale of the two lads who took the same walk in succession, the one seeing nothing, the other everything, affords an apt illustration of the advantage of an observing eye, and of the blank occasioned by its absence. In an especial manner ought our children to be led, both by precept and example, to be attentive readers of the book of nature; to delight in her charms, to examine her wonders; to investigate, even for their amusement, her animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, and to trace the hand of God in everything!

Thoughts on Habit and Discipline.

EFFECTS OF EMANCIPATION.

ESTEEMED FRIEND: My narrative respecting the British West India Islands being now brought to a close, I will take the liberty of concentrating and recapitulating the principal points of the subject, in a few distinct propositions:

I. The emancipated negroes are working well on the estates of their old masters. The evidence of this fact, contained in the foregoing letters, is, I hope, clear and ample. Thou wilt be pleased to recall the case of Tortola-especially the evidence of President Isaacs, who has fifteen hundred free laborers under his care; of St. Christopher's-that scene of industry and prosperity; of Nevis and Montserrat, of which the official accounts are so cheering and satisfactory; of Antigua, where, after the trial of freedom for six years, the produce of sugar is largely increased, many estates, thrown up in slavery, are again under cultivation, and the landed

property, once sinking under its burdens, is already delivered from its mortgages; of Dominica, where, notwithstanding the lack of moral culture, and the superabundance of fertile wild land, the peasantry are working as peaceably and diligently, on their old locations, as in Antigua itself. Nor does Jamaica, when duly inspected and fairly estimated, furnish any exception to the general result. We find that, in that island, wherever the negroes are fairly, kindly, and wisely treated, there they are working well on the properties of their old masters; and that the existing instances of a contrary description must be ascribed to causes which class under slavery, and not under freedom. Let it not, however, be imagined that the negroes who are not working on the estates of their old masters are on that account idle. Even these are in general busily employed in cultivating their own grounds, in various descriptions of handicraft, in lime-burning or fishing-in benefiting themselves and the community, through some new, but equally desirable, medium. Besides all this, stone walls are built, new houses erected, pastures cleaned, ditches dug, meadows drained, roads made and macadamized, stores fitted up, villages formed, and other beneficial operations effected; the whole of which, before emancipation, it would have been a folly even to attempt. The old notion that the negro is, by constitution, a lazy creature, who will do no work at all except by compulsion, is now forever exploded.

II. The personal comforts of the laboring population, under freedom, are multiplied tenfold. In making this assertion, I do not mean to insinuate that they enjoyed no comforts under slavery. On many of the estates, they were well fed and clothed, and were kindly treated in other respects. Their provision grounds were often ample, the poor and infirm were supported with the rest, medical attendance was given, and many of them found opportunities for saving money. On the other hand, I am fully aware that, since the date of full (nominal) freedom, they have been partially subjected, in some colonies, to grievous vexation and oppression; that, in others, their wages are too low; that the poor and infirm are not always adequately provided for; and, lastly, that medical attendance in many cases has been withdrawn.

Yet, on the whole, the improvement in their physical condition and comforts is wonderful. In the first place, they are no longer suffering under the perpetual feeling of compulsion; they are enjoying the pleasures of independence-the whip, the bilboes, the treadwheel are all withdrawn. And, secondly, their dress and diet are, both of them, very greatly better than they used to be, under slavery. They are constant customers now at the stores

of the hosier, the linen-draper, the tailor, the shoemaker, and the grocer; of which delightful fact, we find both a sure evidence, and a happy consequence, in the vast increase-almost the doublingof imports. Bread and meat are now commonly eaten by them. Remember their beautifully neat appearance at our meetings; their handsome wedding-dresses; the eggs consumed for their weddingcakes; the wine, in their cottages, freely bestowed on weary pilgrims; their boots and shoes, which they are so much afraid of spoiling in the mud; the mules and horses, on which they come riding to their chapels; their pic-nic dinners, their social feasts of temperance and freedom. Above all, remember their thriving little freeholds-their gradual, but steady, accumulation of wealth. Wherever they are fairly treated, the laborers of Jamaica are already most favorably circumstanced. Teach them to improve. the structure, arrangement, and furniture of their cottages; and to exchange all items of finery and luxury for substantial domestic convenience and it will be in vain to seek for a better-conditioned peasantry in any country of Europe.

III. Lastly, the moral and religious improvement of this people, under freedom, is more than equal to the increase of their comforts. Under this head, there are three points, deserving, respectively, of a distinct place in our memories. First, the rapid increase and vast extent of elementary and Christian education -schools for infants, young persons, and adults, multiplying in every direction. Secondly, the gradual, but decided diminution of crime, amounting, in many country districts, almost to its extinction. Thirdly, the happy change from habits of a most licentious character. What is more, the improved morality of the blacks is reflecting itself on the white inhabitants; even the overseers are ceasing, one after another, from a sinful mode of life, and are forming reputable connections in marriage. But while these three points are confessedly of high importance, there is a fourth, which at once embraces and outweighs them all-I mean the diffusion of vital Christianity. I know that great apprehensions were entertained-especially in this country—lest, on the cessation of slavery, the negroes should break away at once from their masters and their ministers. But freedom has come, and while their masters have not been forsaken, their religious teachers have become dearer to them than ever. Under the banner of liberty, the churches and meeting-houses have been enlarged and multiplied, the attendance has become regular and devout, the congregations have in many cases been more than doubled-above all, the conversion of souls (as we have reason to believe) has been going on to an extent never before known in these colonies. In