winter is past; the flowers appear upon the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.' Rightly, therefore, does this season deserve the welcome it receives on all hands. Charles Swain has thus written of this time of the year: Spring! spring! beautiful spring, Hitherward cometh like hope on the wing- Song sweetly saluteth the morn; The robin awaketh and sits on the thorn; The Approach of Spring,' and the changes which occur in nature as it advances are described by Thomas Carew, a poet of the sixteenth century— Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost And Mary Howitt says of the coming spring : In all the years which have been, The spring hath green'd the bough The gladsome, hopeful spring-time !- The winter time departeth; Before us lies the spring-time- The farmer is anxious that all his ploughing, sowing, and harrowing shall be over ere the well-known spring showers descend. Thomson, the poet of the 'Seasons,' describes how the vapours gather and sail in clouds along the sky, till, says he— Gradual sinks the breeze Into a perfect calm; that not a breath Is heard to quiver through the closing woods, Herds and flocks, and birds, long for the genial showers; the mountains, vales, and forests will look all the fresher and greener after the rain has descended; and the farmer wants to see his pastures and 'cornfields fertilised. At last, The clouds consign their treasures to the fields; After these welcome showers, vegetable life is quickened; so that the meadows are soon clothed with verdure, and plants spring up in profusion on every side. The birds pour out their songs and build their nests; while the bees in million swarms fly abroad through the soft air to gather their luscious honey from the flowers that now 'gem the earth,' and make the fields and gardens so delightful a prospect. It was of such a time as this that Bishop Heber wrote: Oh, green was the corn as I rode on my way,. The thrush from his holly, the lark from his cloud, The mild southern breeze brought a shower from the hill, I felt a new pleasure, as onward I sped, To gaze where the rainbow gleamed broad over head. In our country, spring approaches gradually, and the change in nature takes place in a corresponding degree. But in northern latitudes, this season seems to burst forth all at once, so that in a surprisingly short space of time the whole aspect of nature is altered. This sudden transformation has been thus described : Yestreen the mountain's rugged brow That wakes the spring of northern land! With changeful pulse, the uncertain breeze; The heathcock claps his wings and crows. At length 'fairhanded spring' has run its course; it passes away, and gives place to summer with all its glories. As this second season of the near year draws The garlands fade that spring so lately wove; The primrose wan, and harebell mildly blue. Or purple orchis variegate the plain, Till spring again shall call forth every bell, And dress with humid hands her wreaths again. The spring-time has very often been aptly compared to man's early years. It is during childhood and youth that we must be trained to fight the battle of life. Then the mind must be instructed; and how necessary it is, therefore, that the young should learn and practise not only those things which will fit them for gaining the world's goods, but also that which will enable them at last to secure an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. They should learn to say, when spring returns, as Bloomfield, the poet, did Sunshine, health, and joy, SUMMER. HURRAH for the glorious Summer as it comes to fill the world with loveliness and fragrance; -the season of bright sunshine, of green waving woods, of brilliant sweet-scented flowers, and of ripe fruit; when the pleasant hum of the industrious bee and the merry songs of the happy birds resound on all sides, The summer! the summer! the exquisite time I have plucked a rich garland from bright hawthorn bowers; And where arches of eglantine hang from the steeps; I have startled the linnet from thickets of shade, For the summer, the golden crown'd summer, is here! And how appropriate to this time of the year are the beautiful words of the Psalmist when he says 'The little hills rejoice on every side: The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with corn. They shout for joy; they also sing.' Summer is indeed a season of gladness to everyone; and especially so to those who dwell where they can stroll, when they have leisure, amongst the verdant fields and woods. Mary Howitt describes a poor strawberry girl wandering in search of fruit, and singing in heartfelt glee— It is summer! it is summer! how beautiful it looks; There is sunshine on the old gray hills, and sunshine on the brooks; A singing-bird on every bough, soft perfumes on the air, Oh! is it not a pleasant thing to wander through the woods, |