circumstances attributed the singular success of young Wilson to his integrity and faithfulness.

N. E. PURITAN.

1. OCTOBER takes its name from two Latin words, one, octo, eight, and the other, imber, rain, or shower. October was the eighth month of the first Roman year, and the word imber was joined to octo to point out the showery and wet weather which generally appear about this time.

2. The Saxons called October Wyn-Monat, or the Wine Month, because it is the season for pressing grapes and making wine. It was also occasionally called Winter-Syllyth, or coming winter.

3. Scorpio, the Scorpion, is the Zodiacal sign for this month, into which the sun enters on the 23d.

4. The 12th of October is worthy of being remembered as the day on which Columbus landed on the island of San Sal

vador, one of the Bahamas, the first land discovered in the New World; this event took place A. D. 1492.

5. Alfred the Great, one of the most memorable of English kings, died on the 28th of October, in the year 900. Many wise institutions date their origin from this Saxon monarch, and are omemorials of his attention to the welfare of his people.

6. One of the most curious operations connected with the vegetable kingdom, is actively going forward at the end of September, and more especially in the beginning of October. This is the shedding and scattering abroad of the seeds of plants. The care of the Almighty is most strikingly apparent in the multitude of wonderful and effective contrivances, which insure the due spreading of seeds.

7. It is both curious and instructive to observe what takes place in the middle of a pasture or stubble field on a fine breezy October day. At one minute, a cloud of plumed seeds of the dandelion, groundsel, ragwort, and thistle, will sweep by, to be left by the first lull of the wind, on some fitting place, for their future growth. Then the winged seeds of the ash or sycamore come whirling past, and many others are flying about. Some of them, as the seeds of the different kinds of mosses, so small that they are invisible to us.

8. The seeds of many other plants, which are neither winged, nor furnished with plumes, nor enclosed in spring cases, are curiously provided with a multitude of little hooks. If a person, or a bird, or any other animal, go near these, it becomes covered with them, and thus they are carried about from place to place.

9. It is during October that the leaves of trees and shrubs, after having taken on their rich autumnal colors, begin to fade quickly and fall off. The uses for which they have flourished are at an end, the sap ceases to circulate through them, and

one by one, they wither and die, and are blown off by the

autumnal breezes.

10. October is the

vintage month in the grape-growing countries of Europe. The vine, which ripens its fruit very late, was at one time largely cultivated in England, and considerable quantities of wine were made from it; hence this month was called by our Saxon forefathers, the wine month. The wine, however, made there was not of equal quality with that made in warmer countries.

11. The vintage is a joyous time in those countries where grapes are largely grown, as in Spain, Portugal, the south of France, and many other places.

Vines live to a great age, and are very plentiful bearers.

12. A great number of grapes, instead of being made into wine, are dried, and are then called raisins. The currants sold by grocers are very small grapes dried. These grow chiefly in the Ionian Islands, near Greece.

13. It is in October that in general bees are robbed of their honey, which they had stored as autumnal and spring food. As long as there were many flowers in bloom, these provident insects kept adding to their store; but now nearly all the flowers are gone. Hence they begin to feed on what they have got, and the hive decreases in value every day.

This is the time, too, to gather walnuts and chestnuts, to add to our stores for winter.

LESSON LXXXVII.

JAFFAR.

1. JAFFAR, the Barmecide, the good °Vizier,
The poor man's hope, the friend without a peer-

Jaffar was dead, slain by a doom unjust;
And guilty Haroun, sullen with mistrust
Of what the good and e'en the bad might say,
Ordained that no man living from that day
Should dare to speak his name on pain of death.
All Araby and Persia held their breath;

2. All but the brave Mondeer. He, proud to show
How far for love a grateful soul can go,
And facing death for very scorn and grief,
For this great heart wanted a great relief,
Stood forth in Bagdad daily in the square,
Where once had stood a happy house; and there
°Harangued the tremblers at the scimitar

Of all they owed to the divine Jaffar.

3. "Bring me this man," the Caliph cried. The man Was brought was gazed upon. The mutes began To bind his arms. "Welcome, brave cords," cried he; "From bonds far worse Jaffar delivered me;

From wants, from shames, from loveless household fears,
Made a man's eyes friends with delicious tears;
Restored me-loved me-put me on a par
With his great self. How can I pay Jaffar?"

4. Haroun, who felt that on a soul like this
The mightiest vengeance could but fall amiss,
Now deigned to smile, as one great lord of fate
Might smile upon another half as great;
And said, "Let worth grow frenzied, if it will-
The Caliph's judgment shall be master still.

5. Go; and since gifts thus move thee, take this gem, The richest in the Tartar's diadem,

And hold the giver as thou deem'st fit.”

"Gifts!" cried the friend. He took; and holding it High towards the heavens, as though to meet his star, Exclaimed, "This, too, I owe to thee, Jaffar!"

LEIGH HUNT.

LESSON LXXXVIII.

•FILIAL AFFECTION.

1. LET the commands of your parents be ever sacred in your ears, and implicitly obeyed, where they do not contradict the commands of God. Pretend not to be wiser than they who have had so much more experience than you; and despise them not, if haply you should be so blest as to have gained a degree of knowlege or of fortune superior to theirs. Let your carriage toward them be always respectful, your words always affectionate; and especially beware of pert replies and peevish looks.

2. Never imagine, if they oppose your inclinations, that this arises from anything but love to you; but let the remembrance of what they have done, and suffered for you, preserve you from acts of disobedience, and from paining those good hearts which have already felt so much for you. Admire and imitate the following examples of filial love :

3. Boleslaus the Fourth, King of Poland, had a picture of his father, which he carried about his neck, set in a plate of gold, and when he was going to say or do anything of importance, he took this pleasing monitor in his hand, and kissing it, used to say, "My dear father! may I do nothing unworthy of thy name !"

4. During an eruption of Mount Etna, the inhabitants of