Lose this day loitering-'twill be the

same story

To-morrow, and next more dilatory;
Thus indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting over days.
Are you in earnest? Seize this very min-

ute,

What you can do, or think you can,begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it;
Only engage, and then the mind grows

heated

Begin it, and the work will be completed.'

An Indian's Joke.-In a time of Indian || of cure for the fatal spirit of procrastinatroubles, a friendly Indian visited the tion. Here it is: house of Governor Jenks, of Rhode Island, when the Governor took occasion. to request him, if any strange Indian should come to his wigwam,, to let him know it. This the Indian promised to do, and the Governor told him that when he should give such information, he would give him a mug of flip. Some time after, the Indian came again, and on meeting the Governor said, 'Well, Mr Gubernor, strange Indian come to my house las night. Ah,' says the Governor, what did he say?' 'He no speak,' replied the Indian. 'What, not speak at all?' inquired the Governor. No, he no speak at all.' "That looks suspicious,' said his Excellency, and inquired if he were there still. Being told that he was, the Governor ordered the promised mug of flip. When this was disposed of, and the Indian was about to depart, he mildly said, 'Mr Gubernor, my squaw have child last night,' and the Governor finding the strange Indian was a new born pappoose, was glad to find there was no cause of alarm.

Editorial.

THE PHYSIOGNOMY OF WRITING.-The art of decyphering character by bumps on the cranium,' by lines on the hand, by the marks of the countenance, or by the posi tion of one's birth-star, has each in its turn been popular and is now in certain communities and among a certain class of minds. We know of even a star-gazer, or speaking more honorably, an astrologer in Massachusetts, who makes a golden living by reading the past, the present, and the future in the stars. Why is it then, that the art of decyphering character by the handwriting lies neglected? Smile not, gentle

PROCRASTINATION.-Nothing is more fatal to success, than the prevalence of a dis-reader, at this suggestion, for this art has position to defer the performance of a duty had its advocates. Shenstone said, 'I want claiming present attention to 'by and by.' to see Mrs. Jago's handwriting, that I may It ruins the merchant; it blasts the pros- judge of her temper.' pect of the student; it destroys the immortal soul. A religious poet has shown its effects, in this latter respect, in the follow-by his letters and the handwriting.' ing lines:

General Paoli also, once remarked, that 'he had decided on the character of a man

Our own observation has furnished us evidence of the justice of this opinion.We knew a boy at school, who was a perfect sloven, and his writing-book declared the fact by its blots and scrawls. Is not

this true of all slovens?

The hoary fool, who many days Has struggled with continued sorrow, Renews his hope, and fondly lays The desperate bet upon to-morrow. To-morrow comes! 'tis noon; 'tis night; This day like all the former fiies, Yet on he goes to seek delight To-morrow-and to-night he dies!' The cause of procrastination is, indolence or indisposition toward the object. Indolence shrinks from present effort, and dreams away the passing hour in listless inactivity; while mental indisposition leads the mind to waste its powers on other tasks equally useless and unavailing. There is a fine passage in Goethe,' illustrative of the effects, and pointing to the only mode | temper.

A neat person will write neatly, a quick, volatile person will write hastily and scarcely sketch his letters, while a dull, gloomy mind will write them full and rounded. The following interesting extracts will illustrate our position. We copy from D'Israeli.

'Henry the Eighth wrote a strong hand, but as if he had seldom a good pen.' Henry was of a bold, hasty and commanding

Edward the Sixth wrote a fair, legible hand.' Edward was of a mild, amiable and lovely temper.

Let the reader imagine a mound of small elevation, covered with a thick wood, bounded on one side by a broad, marshy river; on the other, by a small bounding

'Queen Elizabeth wrote an upright hand in a tall character and painfully elaborate.' || torrent, end in the rear, a black and imElizabeth was a stiff, haughty, ostentatious dame.

'James the First wrote a poor, ungainly ecrawl,' and he was a careless and negligent man.

penetrable forest, filled with gigantic oaks and wide-spreading elms. Let him further imagine a ditch, with a breastwork of earth || around the mound, and the picture of ancient London, or Lyndin, as it was then called, is complete. St. Pauls,' the pride of London, now stands in gloomy majesty on the very summit of the mount, the broad, marshy river has become the beautiful Thames with a world's navy on her heav

·

These instances are sufficient for our purpose, though others might be produced. Our fair readers may make what use they please of these hints. It certainly is an interesting subject, as illustrating the power of the mind to stamp its peculiarities evening bosom, while the little Fleta, that on the merely mechanical performances of the body. It may also help them to decy- || pher the general character of their correspondents, and to be careful of their own caligraphy, lest it produce impressions contrary to fact. The lady should write so that the lover or friend could say in the lines of a caligraphic poet,

"Thy tender strokes, inimitably fine,
Crown with perfection every flowing line,
And to each grand performance add a grace
As curling hair adorns a beauteous face.'

AMUSEMENTS. No amusements that waste time, injure the health, impair the moral or intellectual powers of the mind, or occasion suffering to others, should be tolerated. Hence, theatres, ball-rooms, gaming-houses, race-grounds and sporting should all be abandoned at once and forever by every respectable person, inasmuch as each involves one or other of the above evils.

THE CITY OF LONDON.-This great emporium of the civilized world is perhaps the greatest city in the broad earth. The arms of its gigantic commerce reach all over the world; the voice of its laws is heard and respected over millions of leagues and by millions of population; its wealth is unbounded; its merchants are princes; its learning is profound; its skill and science are erudite and peerless; its benevolence, magnificent and godlike. And yet, what was London 1900 years ago?

bounded in virgin gaiety along its stony path in the olden time, has disappeared.— Who that saw London, when in its sylvan lowliness it sheltered a few naked savages, could have foreseen its elevation to the honor of being Queen of the Nations?

THE MONTHLY REPOSITORY.-This is a new monthly for young people. Its first number was well filled with sprightly and

useful articles. We have not seen the second Price, 75 cents per annum. Published by E. A. Rice & Co., Lowell. We do not know the editor.

The verses following, with the music upon the next page, are from the Lady's Book.

Angels the song began,
And then to ransom'd man

The strain was given-
Hark! joining sweet and wild,
The voice of simplest child,
Bless'd by his Saviour mild,
May sing of Heaven.

Peace, peace! what blissful sound!
Let hope and joy abound

This happy day.
We praise thee, God above-
Our lives thy blessings prove-
Thanks for thy light and love

Our souls would pay.

Sound! sound the loudest strain!
Let earth, and sky, and main,
The anthem raise;
Father! thy love we bless-
Spirit! we beg thy grace-
Saviour! we ask thy 'peace,'

When GOD we praise.

Hail! hail the happy morn, When Christ, our Lord, was born-Sound, sound His praise!

Б

ness,

He came the world to bless, The glorious hymn of peace On earth to raise.

As he trod slowly around, after a dozen or two ineffectual leaps toward the spectators, (each one again creating shrieks and a rush back among the crowd in the first gallery, as if the intense fury of the creature would have lent him veritable wings,) he stopped in the centre, and casting his malignant and burning eyes around, gave a tremendous roar that shook the whole building.

Some months elapsed before any new figure appeared in the arena. The carcasses of the beasts were removed, and the imperial actor took some refreshment It happened at this moment that a disafter his fatigue. At length a new proc-pute arose upon one of the benches, which lamation ushered in the lion. I know not disturbed the assembly. The quarrel was what there is about this animal, of super- respecting the right of precedence, and human majesty and terror. His sublime at length reached such a height, that the front resembles that of Jove in wrathi, but disputants were beside themselves with with the might and grandeur of the god, rage, and totally regardless of consequenhe unites the burning restlessness, the ces. At length, as a bright blade glittermerciless and fiery anguish and despaired in the air, at the scene of contention, of some evil demon who has for ages groaned in the lurid regions of hell. This huge beast was of an immense stature. Food had long been withheld, to render his ferocity more gnawing and desperate.

a burst of indignation from all parts of the assembly almost drowned the roar of the lion, and a centurion grasped the uplifted arm of the youth who, forgetful of the imperial presence, had attempted to

The Last of the Antonines.

strike his foe to the death. The noise of || cries again broke simultaneously from so immense a concourse is not easily the huge slope of faces. quelled. A thousand various cries rent 'To the axe--to the axe with the last the air. In a pause of the commotion, of the Antonines.' While others shoutthe prefect of the city, at the commanded, 'To the Tarpeian rock!' of the emperor, demanded the name of the offender and the cause of the dispute, and the voice of the centurion was heard in reply, stating the aggressor was the son of a senator.