Praying to God for a drop of rain,
And a gale to waft them on.

Just then that little cloud was sent,-
That shower in mercy given!
And as a bird before the breeze

Their bark was landward driven.
Now some few mornings after,

When the children met once more,
And their brother told the story,
They knew it was the hour
When they had wished for sunshine,

And God had sent the shower!

QUESTIONS:-1. What made the two sisters glad? 2. What passed across the sky as they were speaking? 3. How did they comfort one another? 4. How did the children feel when it began to rain? 5. Where was their brother at that time? 6. What is a raft? 7. What danger were they exposed to on the raft? 8. What did the sailors pray for? 9. How was this answered? 10. What lesson might the little girls learn from this?

LESSON LIII.

Common Things.

bur'-rows, bores in the ground. pe-cu-li-ar'-i-ty, anything

ANY one who keeps his eyes open, may learn many useful lessons from the most common things

When we see anything remarkable about the shape of any animal, we may be sure that there is some reason for the peculiarity, and, in almost all cases, a very little attention will enable us to find out the reason of this peculiarity.

If we examine the shape of the mole, we shall find that this little creature is much thicker in front than behind, that its fur is exceedingly glossy and smooth, and that its feet are hard and flat, and armed with sharp nails. When we consider the animal's mode of life, we have no difficulty in discovering why these things are so. The mole lives chiefly under ground, and burrows in the earth in search of worms, which form its food. In burrowing, it throws the earth behind it, which it could not do if the hinder part of its body were thicker than the front part. The smoothness of its fur enables it to work under ground, without the soil sticking to its coat, by which its progress would be hindered. From soils of all kinds, the little worker comes forth shining and clean. Again, if its feet were not hard and flat, it could not burrow easily. The feet are like a spade, while the sharp nails are like a pick. With the nails, it breaks up the ground; with the feet it shovels it behind it.

When a bird has been killed, it often happens that sand, stones, and other rough particles of matter are found in its stomach, or, as it is called, its gizzard. Why is this? The bird has no teeth

to grind its food, and so it has recourse to sand and stones, which act like mill-stones, and help it to break up the food on which it lives.

It has often been noticed that bees fly far from their hives, and that spiders are seen busily constructing their webs before the approach of fine weather; but few people ask why this is so. Both bees and spiders are remarkably sensitive to the state of the atmosphere; the former feel that they may safely wander far in search of honey, and the latter, when the weather is getting fine, build their webs, because they know that flies will be abroad, and they long for a dainty meal on the body of Mr. Fly.

Some lazy people when snow has fallen, instead of sweeping it away from their door-steps with a brush, may be seen throwing salt upon it. This, no doubt, tends to melt the snow and to produce a kind of brine. But as this brine is very much colder than snow or ice, it produces a very unpleasant and chilling effect upon the feet of those who tread upon it. Any one can prove this by mixing some salt with snow and trying to hold it in his hand. The cold will be so intense that he will not hold

it long.

Farmers always like to see a heavy fall of snow before a severe frost sets in. The snow acts as a protection to turnips, winter wheat, and any other vegetables that may be in the ground, and prevents them from being injured by the frost.

All over the country we have telegraph wires. These wires are suspended upon posts. But the wires are not allowed to rest upon or to touch the posts. They all pass through bells of porcelain or glass. If the wires rested upon the posts the electricity would pass down through the posts to the earth, and would never reach the point intended. But glass or porcelain does not attract the electricity, and so it passes right along the wires until it reaches its destination.

In the country districts in winter time common pumps which supply the people with water, when there are no wells, are often seen covered all round with straw. This is to prevent the pumps from becoming frozen. Every stalk of straw is hollow and full of air; it is the air confined in the stalks of the straw that makes it so good a protector of many things from cold. It is used for covering potato pits; and it is largely used as bedding for horses and stall-fed cattle.

He who uses his eyes will find stones and good in everything.”

sermons in

QUESTIONS:-1. What do you observe regarding the shape of the mole? 2. What kind of feet has it? 3. What kind of life does it lead? 4. Of what use is its shape to it? 5. What is the use of its nails and flat feet? 6. What tools do these resemble? 7. Why may small stones, &c., be found in the gizzard of a bird? 8. Why do bees fly far from the hive before fine weather? 9. Why may spiders also be seen at the same time forming their webs? 10. What does salt do when mixed with snow? 11. Of what use is snow in a time of frost? 12. Why do telegraph wires not touch the posts? 13. Why are pumps covered with straw in time of frost?

THE great American prairies swarm with large

herds of buffaloes-an animal of the ox kind, which