The Solitude of Nature.

Pleasant were many scenes, but most to me
The solitude of vast extent, untouched

By hand of art, where Nature showed herself

And reaped her crops; whose garments were the clouds; Whose minstrels, brooks; whose lamps, the moon and

stars;

Whose organ-choir, the voice of many waters;

Whose banquets, morning dews; whose heroes, storms;
Whose warriors, mighty winds; whose lovers, flowers;
Whose orators, the thunderbolts of God;
Whose palaces, the everlasting hills;

Whose ceiling, Heaven's unfathomable blue;
And from whose rocky turrets, battled high,
Prospect immense spread out on all sides round-
Lost now between the welkin and the main,
Now walled with hills that slept above the storm.
ROBERT POLLOK.

Summer.

Wipe

This is the year's bower. Sit down within it. from thy brow the toil. The elements are thy servants.

The dew brings thee jewels. The winds bring perfume. The earth shows thee all her treasure. The forests sing to thee. The air is all sweetness, as if all the angels of God had gone through it, bearing spices homeward. The storms are but as flocks of mighty birds which spread their wings and sing in the high Heaven. Speak to God now, and say: "O Father, where art thou?" And out of every flower, tree, silver pool and twined thicket a

voice will come:

"God is in me.' The earth cries to

upon the deep. He

the heavens: "God is here." The sea claims Him. The land hath Him. His footsteps are sitteth upon the circle of the earth. O sunny joys of the sunny month, yet soft and temperate, how soon will the eager months that come burning from the Equator scorch you! H. W. BEECHER.

Planting.

He who plants a tree

Plants a hope.

Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope;

Leaves unfold unto horizon free.

So man's life must climb

From the clods of time

Unto heavens sublime.

Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree,

What the glory of thy boughs shall be?

He who plants a tree

Doth plant love—..

Tents of coolness, spreading out above

Wayfarers he may not live to see..

Gifts that grow are best; .

Hands that bless are blest.

Plant! Life does the rest.

Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree,

And his work its own reward shall be.

LUCY LARCOM.

Condensed Comments.

There's not a flower of Spring

That dies ere June, but vaunts itself allied
By issue and symbol, by significance
And correspondence, to that spirit-world
Outside the limits of our time and space,
Whereto we are bound.

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.

I hold that we have a very imperfect knowledge of the works of Nature till we view them as works of God; not only as works of mechanism, but works of intelligence; not only as under laws, but under a Law-giver, wise and good.-JAMES MCCOSH.

I find Earth not gray, but rosy-
Heaven not grim, but fair of hue.

Do I stoop? pluck a posy.

Do I stand and stare?

All 's blue.

ROBERT BROWNING.

Earth 's crowned with Heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes.

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.

OBEDIENCE.

Obedience an Organ of Knowledge.

about Christ:

Some of you remember a sermon of Robertson of Brighton, entitled: Obedience the Organ of Spiritual Knowledge.' A very startling title-"Obedience the Organ of Spiritual Knowledge." The Pharisees asked 'How knoweth this man letters, never having learned ?" How knoweth this man, never having learned? The organ of knowledge is not nearly so much mind as the organ which Christ used—namely, obedience. That was the organ which He insisted upon when He said: "He that willeth to do His will shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." You have all noticed, of course, that the words in the original are: "If any man will to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." It does not read, "If any man do His will," which no man can do perfectly; but if any man simply be willing to do His will-if he has an absolutely undivided mind about it—that man will know what truth is, and know what falsehood is; a stranger will he not follow. And that is by far the best source of spiritual knowledge on every account-obedience to God-absolute sincerity and loyalty in following Christ. man do His will he shall know"a very remarkable association of knowledge, a thing which is usually considered quite intellectual, with obedience, which is moral and spiritual.—Henry Drummond.

If any