No lips un-taught may join that song, Or learn the mu- there. ran-som'd band in heaven. sic O A BOOBEE CLASS-MEETING AND ITS MEMBERS. ANY of our readers, though children, know something of class-meetings, for they love to go to them to. receive help on the way to heaven. These and many others will like to hear about the classmeeting at George's Bay, Fernando Po, in which, with the exception of myself and Mr. Barleycorn, the schoolmaster and his wife, all the members are Boobee youths who are scholars in our Sunday-school. They have a long way to come; most of them live at Somo Somo, a town four miles up the mountain. The road is very bad; it is simply a narrow path worn through the thick forest. It is so rough, and in many places so steep, that some English children could hardly get up or down at all, but these Boobee boys have got used to it, so it is not so hard for them. When they get through the forest the path lies along the seashore for a quarter of a mile, and across a river that sometimes is so deep that the water comes up to their waist as they walk through, but they do not seem to be afraid. The class-meeting is held before the school at half-past eight o'clock on Sunday mornings; so, you see, they have to start very early to be in time. They have no clocks to tell the time, but they know very nearly what o'clock it is by looking how high the sun has risen. They are very seldom late, and though sometimes it rains very heavily, they do not stay away. We conduct the class-meeting in the same way as in England. They are very fond of the hymns 'Here we suffer grief and pain,' Christ now sits on Zion's hill,'' We speak of the realms of the blest,' and others in the revival hymn book. They do not quite understand all the English words, but the meaning of the hymns has been explained to them, and they sing away with all their heart. When the leader goes round to talk to them, Mr. Barleycorn goes with him to translate their Boobee words to him, and his English words to them. They often say how glad they are that the missionary has come to tell them of God and Jesus Christ, and they are determined not to worship the devil as they used to do along with the other Boobees; but they mean to serve Jesus Christ by doing his commandments all the time. A favourite expression of theirs which you would often hear in the telling of their experience is 'Tambanasa Jesus Christ bilo bima,' which means, 'I am thinking of Jesus Christ every day.' They sometimes speak of the laughs and taunting words that they have to bear from those who are yet wicked heathen. These people tease them by saying that the missionary tells lies, and that there is no white man's God, but that their devils made the world; and call them many hard names for coming to class and school. But the boys say that they know ours is the best way, so they mean to hold fast to Jesus till they get to heaven. Their faces are very dark, and marked with many cuts, which their parents made in their flesh with a knife when they were little, to mark them as Boobees. You would think their clothes looked strange; two or three have on a shirt and pair of trowsers made of print calico, and the rest only a shirt. These clothes are kept in a box in the vestry of the church, and they put them on when they come, and leave them when it is time to go home. But as they talk about Jesus with smiling faces, we forget all about the difference of colour and clothes, and feel that we are all brothers in Christ Jesus, and travelling together to heaven. If the Saviour can make these boys so happy, and help them to be good with all their poverty and ignorance, He can surely do the same for all the Sunday scholars in England and in all the world. I pray that many more Sabbath-school children may come to Him, and that the English boys and girls who have so many more good things than their poor little Boobee brothers and sisters at Fernando Po, will pray and work to send more missionaries to tell these heathen about Jesus. T. PARR. KINDNESS. SOME few months ago, when away from home on a missionary tour, staying with one of the principal officials in the circuit, we were surprised one morning early by seeing a little Robin Redbreast come upon the window-sill and peep through into the room where we sat. We called the attention of our host' to the circumstance, and were informed that one member of the household regularly fed the little birdie in the morning, and sometimes opened the window and allowed him to come into the room to roost for the night. The little creature soon came to know his friend. He would hop in when she opened the door or the window, and when she went into the garden would fly about after her, apparently an utter stranger to fear. We are not able to say to what extent birds are capable of thinking; but this one was evidently touched by the kindness of his young lady friend, and she, in her turn, was rather proud of the confidence the bird reposed in her. If we were going to preach a short sermon on kindness, with this incident for our text, we think it would not be amiss to note the following points : : I. The kindness of the lady destroyed the fear of the bird. It is not often birds will be so familiar with us as the one in question was with his friend; but, perhaps, the reason is, we don't show ourselves friendly towards them. If we were more kindly, possibly they would have less fear of us. We are often very unkindly, and they seem to think it best to be distant. We must not blame the birds, therefore, if they do not show much confidence in us. Let us rather blame ourselves. We might have their friendship-allow the word-if only we tried in the right way to gain it. He who would have friends must show himself friendly. II. The kindness of the lady was well-pleasing to all about her. The other members of the household were glad of the bird's presence and confidence; and the kindness which had secured these had not failed to touch them. Kindness even to the lower orders of creatures often excites the sympathy and secures the approval of onlookers. III. The result of her kindness on the bird was very gratifying to herself. To minister to his wants afforded her some pleasure. When she gave him a handful of crumbs, or threw up the window to allow him to come in, thus giving him shelter from the wintry blast and biting frost, there was a reward in her own breast. So it is ever. In doing good, if it be only to a little bird, we receive good. IV. This lady's kindness was well-pleasing to God. God made man, and he made the bird also. He thinks of man, and provides for his wants. He does the same for the bird. He knows when the sparrow falls to the ground. And if we are kind to his creatures he will take notice of the kindness, and will approve of our actions. Our little sermon must close. We shall be well satisfied if any one is made more kindly by what has been said. J. H. NEST IN THE OLD GREEN TREE. Two little robins in spring-time gay, We'll build us a nest in the old green tree.' ! Then how they twittered and how they sang, To find the cunningest corners out, What a home we'll have in the old green tree.' How they went flitting all in and out! Down to the meadow he quickly flow, If |