is self-activity. Man's various faculties must be called into frequent exercise, in order to become active and strong. Just as the different parts of the body are developed by regular and systematic exercises, so the mind must be used and must be active for its development. Knowledge is the Knowledge is the basis of this activity; and, as food is necessary for physical growth, so knowledge is necessary for mental growth. All moral development, too, is dependent on self-activity; for it is only through the use of any virtue that added strength comes.

All of man's faculties must be developed. Cultivate the physical powers alone, and the result is an athlete or a savage; the moral alone, and you have a zealot or a maniac ; the intellectual, and you have morbid oddity.

The ancients laid great stress on physical training, and a sound mind in a sound body was the end at which they aimed. In our day physical exercises have been neglected, and education has become more exclusively mental. Though this cultivation may be overestimated, yet it is important that every one should be trained to a free use of body and limbs. It often happens, however, that many leave school with a knowledge of the Greeks and Romans, but who, as regards the use of their own hands, are most helpless. The Israelites, long before the time of Christ, saw the value of this physical training; and they had this saying: "He who bringeth not his child to any trade maketh of him a robber." It is to them, then, that we owe our manual schools, and no doubt the establishment of these will be a great step toward reducing the number of criminals; for it is claimed that the greater portion of these have not been taught a good use of their hands in a single way. So some training in the use of tools is beneficial; for it is only by means of these that the painter, the sculptor, the inventor, the musician, have accomplished what they have.

It must be observed that diligent application is the inevitable price that must be paid for all physical development, as well as mental acquisitions of all sorts; and it is as useless to expect them without it as to look for a harvest where the seed has not been sown. The road to knowledge is free to all; and, though the path is often difficult, yet the student of firm purpose may overcome the difficulties. Energy is the great thing in study. It is astonishing to see how much may be accomplished in education by the persevering, who avail themselves of opportunities, and use up the bits of spare time that some let run to waste. Thus it was that Froebel obtained his knowledge of minerals; for on his way home from battles, when all the other soldiers were trying to

lighten their knapsacks in every way, he would fill his full of specimens for study when he reached the camp. So it is by using up odds and ends of time that men have sometimes reached high culture.

There is no lack of desire on the part of most persons for education, yet there is a dislike to pay its inevitable price; for, though bitter the roots, yet sweet is its fruit. Knowledge conquered by labor becomes a possession, an inward possession, a property entirely our own. Thus the higher one advances in literature, art, science, music, or any line, the more he will own, the greater his possession. It will be his joy which no man taketh away.

A great deal of knowledge, however, may be accumulated; but it is not that that makes the man. It is what one becomes through it. Knowledge is often said to be power; but it must be embodied in upright character, else it is nothing. Pestalozzi even held intellectual training by itself to be harmful, insisting that the roots of all knowledge must strike and feed in the soil of the religious, rightly governed will. It is because knowledge is not fortified by sound principles that we find instances in life of men who are well informed in intellect, yet utterly deformed in character, thus offering examples of warning rather than imitation. Rousseau was a good example of this. He offered the singular combination of grandeur in his works and baseness in his conduct. He defended the principles of justice with fine eloquence, yet he committed most shameful acts. No one, however, can doubt the value of knowledge if right use is made of it; for it not only enlarges one's own world, but is a source of wealth and power to any community.

The value of knowledge, then, is first and foremost for its bearing on life. It should improve character, render us better and happier and more efficient in the pursuit of every high purpose in life. We must ourselves be and do, and not rest satisfied merely with reading and meditating what other men have written. Our best light must be made life, and our best thought action. Guided by the lives and works of others, we must rely on our own efforts and build upon our own foundations.

God has placed us here to develop, just as he has the trees and plants. Trees grow by taking in food and water, and then making it over into their various parts. So man, by effort, can acquire knowledge, develop his powers, purify his nature, and strengthen his character. This, then, is a power given man; and it is his duty to use it. This duty of education-that is, development-was taught by Jesus in his parable of the talents. It teaches that we must add something by our own industry to what has

been given us. We must make good use of our talent, in order to keep it. Hence, the more talents one has, the more he is bound to do, and, the more he uses them and gains, the more he shall receive; but, if not used, they will be taken away. For, as Jesus said, "Unto him that hath shall be given, and unto him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

Every one of us was made to be something noble and good. The seed that is in each one we may unfold or leave it to be forever only a stunted, half-grown stalk. We may become or not become what God intended us to be. One may be as pure as the lily, another as beautiful as a rose, another as upright as a pine-tree. Man cannot make of himself anything he wishes any more than the sunflower can become a rose; but he can carry out God's intentions concerning him if he makes use of all circumstances, whether favorable or not. "We grow only when we become more and more our truest selves, our best selves." The daisy grows only when it unfolds into a daisy, not when it tries to become anything else.

Therefore, the end of education is an allround, complete, human development. This is attained by leading all the parts of man's nature to a realization of their highest possibility. So let us cultivate all the powers of body, mind, and soul, and use them as talents in God's service; and, with perfection as our ideal, let us unfold into the most beautiful and most perfect flower in his garden that we are able, and thus attain that noble manhood whose highest exemplification, the ideal of all culture, is Christ.

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF UNITARIAN WOMEN.

The New York League held its May meeting this year in the Unitarian church of Plainfield, N.J.

After the secretary's and treasurer's reports had been approved, a letter was read from Rev. Mr. Morehouse, gratefully acknowledging in behalf of the Gouverneur Unitarian church the receipt of $60 sent by the League. A greeting from the women of the Southern Alliance in conference at Louisville to the New York League was also presented, and the secretary authorized to return the courtesy.

Mrs. Florence Howe Hall of Plainfield, on behalf of the ladies of the church, gave an address of welcome to the visiting league.

The subject for the day was, as is customary for the May meeting of the league, of a denominational character,-"The Service which Rational Religion demands."

Mrs. William I. Nichols of Brooklyn gave

the main paper of the day. In a word, she held that our demands are rather commands for the worship of God and service of man, that the age needed an awakening, a renaissance of religious thought. We are quick to demand that our minister shall give us his best thought. Let us not forget that it is our duty to co-operate. A regular attendance is our duty.

She advocated a free-pew system as being much more consistent with our belief in the brotherhood of man.

The new appreciation of the duties and pleasures of Sunday brings another service. We must use our influence to see that public libraries, museums, and art galleries are open on Sunday, and that the ignorant and poor are taught to use them.

A rational sociology is another service. We must study the needs of our fellow-men, and let them know they have our sympathy, that we are their best friends. The oppressed laborer thinks the agitator, who inflames his sense of justice, is his only friend. Let us use our influence to further all good reforms, knowing that to improve the sani. tary condition of a community is better than to build hospitals, that a kindergarten is worth more than a prison, that to teach a class in cooking is easier than to reform one poor cook. We are our brother's keeper.

Mrs. Sarah E. Barton of New York was then introduced, and spoke feelingly of the service our rational religion demands, of the duty of individual thought to satisfy one's conscience and to decide what we believe and why we do so. And with this larger liberty come greater responsibilities. What is our relation to the Infinite and our duty to our fellow-creatures?

Again, a rational religion demands of us a joyous personal service to our church. This, offered in the right spirit, is worth vastly more than a well-filled purse, necessary as that may be. But more than all of these is demanded of us, purity of life.

In the discussion which followed Mrs. Chadwick urged her hearers to clear thinking on religious matters, and not to be afraid of proselyting when an opportunity presented itself.

Mrs. Edward Rawson from the Society of Friends spoke of the similarity between her church and ours, in that both lay the main stress on the individual working out his own salvation.

Mrs. Hall, Miss Reeve, and Mrs. Dix also joined in the discussion, after which the society united in singing a hymn and repeating the Lord's Prayer.

ALICE P. JACKSON, Rec. Sec.

Give not grudgingly, nor of necessity; for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.

A LESSON FROM THE BIRDS.

BY REV. ROBERT C. DOUTHIT.

Perhaps some of you have seen a picture of Saint Francis preaching to the birds. It happened, so the old story runs, that Saint Francis while on a journey heard a great number of birds chirping and twittering from the bushes and trees at the roadside. He said to those who were with him,"Wait for me while I preach to my little sisters."

The birds did not fly away when he came to them with a sermon, as we might suppose they would. Instead they gathered around the old saint, and really seemed to find his sermon to them quite interesting. As he spoke, they opened their beaks, stretched out their necks, and bowed their heads to the earth as if listening eagerly to what the good man had to say to them.

After the sermon was over, the birds began their song again, and then flew away to tell the glad news to all the world.

I have wondered sometimes whether these birds Saint Francis talked to could not give us a sermon worth hearing if they could make us understand. They might take a text from the words of Jesus, and preach something after this manner :—

You may learn from the birds (1) a lesson of industry,—of hard work.

Jesus said that we sow not, neither do we reap, nor gather into barns; and yet our heavenly Father feedeth us. He did not mean that all we have to do is to open our mouths, and the food drops in from the clouds. The bees are no more busy than we birds are.

Birdlings have big appetites; and the father and mother are kept busy picking and scratching from dawn till dusk, in order that the children may be fed. One of your bird-lovers says that she once kept two

boys at work for several days, digging worms for one young bird; but, in spite of all, it starved to death. Yet every season many of us have three or four broods of bird children that we not only must feed, but must see through the dangers of cats, hawks, boys, and learning to fly.

We birds do not sow nor reap, but we help the sowers and reapers by our hard work in destroying worms and bugs.

We do not go at our work grumbling, as if we had to do it! We go at it cheerfully, and that (2) is a good lesson for you all to learn.

Robin Redbreast speaks quite plainly, and says, "Be cheery, be cheery," and sets you the example by laughing merrily, while at his daily task,-"he-he-he-he-he!" His good spirits seem always to be uppermost. No rain is wet enough to dampen his spirits. He will sometimes sit on a tree stump in a storm; and it seems as if, the harder it rains, the more jubilantly he sings.

Emerson met a chickadee in the woods one winter day, and the cheerful cry "out of sound heart and merry throat" gave the sage a lesson of courage and cheer in spite of the coldness of the world.

Cannot you learn the same lesson ?

Then, too, you may learn a lesson of love. Where can you find more devoted mothers than among the "little sisters of the air,"not only willing to work hard for the family, but willing to die, if need be, in order to defend the home?

Perhaps you have seen a picture of a snake crawling toward a thrush's nest. One of the parents was lying dead near the nest, killed by the snake, while the other was still fighting bravely to keep the robber from their home.

That is every bit true. Not only the thrush, but the robin, the wren, the oriole, and a great many others are not afraid to attack birds or beasts many times their size, when the little ones are in danger.

And not only is love shown in the family, but outside.

There was once a family of robins. The mother bird was killed, and soon afterward the father bird became the victim of a boy's

good aim. Some friends who were watch. ing the little family wondered what would become of these orphan birds. But God heard the cry of the young nestlings; and a neighboring cedar-bird came before day closed, and adopted them. She fed them and took care of them as if they were her own until they were able to take care of themselves. Which do you think showed more of the love of God in the heart, that cedar-bird or the boy who threw the stone?

Of course, all birds are not models in behavior. Like children, they are sometimes saucy, quarrelsome, mischievous, greedy, and selfish.

But we can teach you lessons of neatness in dress, and cleanliness and neatness in the home, as well as set you an example of early rising.

We still teach you, too, that deeper lesson that Christ drew from our lives,-a lesson of trust. We are fed from the bounty of our heavenly Father's table, and we work to pay for it. We go ahead and do the work that God has fitted us for without murmuring, singing blithely as we go, without fear of what to-morrow may bring.

"Are ye not much better than they?" asked Jesus. If you are of more importance than the birds, you should do your part better, or at least as well.

Remember that God who teaches us birds to work and sing, to be loving and trustful, will help all his children if they try to serve him as well.

And, when you have done the best you can to be of some use in making this a better world to live in, by being a cheerful, loving helper in the home or wherever you are, trust him for the rest,-trust the unknown morrow to bring with it only that which is for your good.

Now our sermon is ended. When you take your next walk into the fields or woods, think on these things, and try to make friends with your brothers and sisters of the

air.

When Ill Temper comes to our house,
With an army of Scowls at his back,
We call up good General Smile,
And bid him repel the attack.

Quickly the battle is won

By our leader's courage and art, For Ill Temper's disorderly crew Are every one cowards at heart.

-Mary F. Butts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

The Ministers' Institute.-Will hold its next meeting at Concord, Mass. The opening meeting will be held Tuesday evening, September 29. The last meeting will be held Friday, October 2. Rev. John W.

Chadwick will act as president pro tem. Albert Walkley, Secretary.

Ladies' Commission.-The annual lists of the Ladies' Commission on Sundayschool Books are ready, and may be obtained by application to the Sunday School Society, 25 Beacon Street. Supplementary lists will be published from time to time in this paper. The commission is making a special effort to increase the usefulness of its work, and it earnestly requests the cooperation of the ministers and Sundayschool superintendents in placing the lists.

Athol, Mass.-The annual May party of the Second Unitarian Church was the largest in the history of the Sunday-school. Unity Hall was fairly crowded with little ones, and the sight was one of delight and charm. Several very pretty exhibitions were given on the stage by the little girls, including a beautiful scarf dance by seven little girls, with colored light effects; and their marching and posturing were very graceful. The night-gown brigade, with eight young girls in night-gowns and nightcaps and bearing candles and dolls, was another feature of unique attraction, and cleverly given. The May-pole dance by sixteen girls and the weaving of the May pole with many-hued ribbons won special admiration. The performances by the older girls included a beautiful minuet by sixteen maidens, which was very effectively given, and a most charming flower drill by the same, the girls being decorated with wreaths and festoons, which were brought into play with graceful and pretty effect. The whole entertainment was a remarkable

success.

The Second Church during the last year has made these contributions: American Unitarian Association, $40; Unitarian Sunday School Society, $10; Worcester Conference of Unitarian Churches, $5; The Athol Country Week, $121.19; The Children's Mission in Boston, $10.

Thanks to our pastor, Rev. Mr. Horst,

Universalists.

the people of Athol understand thoroughly now the attitude of the Young Men's Christian Association toward Unitarians and A few Sundays ago he said he had been asked why the Unitarians of Athol did not take more interest in the Young Men's Christian Association. He replied that it was not because they did not wish to, but because they were not allowed to. The Young Men's Christian Association was a strictly so-called evangelical society, which did not admit to membership Universalists or Unitarians, and that as an American citizen he did not believe in "taxation without representation."

Ayer, Mass.-The ladies of the Ayer Branch of Women's Alliance were guests of Mrs. Charles Sherwin May 1. It was one of the most enjoyable meetings of the year and the largest attendance. A very delightful paper, 66 What of a Day," by Rev. Caroline J. Bartlett, was read by the president.

Boston, Mass.-In clearness of purpose and practical result the recent Anniversary meetings, May 25-28, were as conspicuous as for their profusion of noble utterances and inspiring speeches.

There was a very large attendance at every meeting; and most noticeably at the meetings in Tremont Temple on Tuesday, in spite of a thoroughly wet day, not only were delegates early in their appropriated seats in the body of the hall, but the large gallery, seating six hundred, was crowded with interested listeners, who came not as delegates, but out of individual earnestness and desire to take part in the forward movement of Unitarianism.

over

The most generally expressed thought, so frequently uttered that it was evidently the common property of the majority, was the belief that the Unitarian Church, having passed the period of uncertainty as to the permanency of its mission, having settled its theological basis, and having overcome the recent financial depression, is now at the dawning day of its greatest usefulness. The spirit that has long brooded seems to spread its wings, and there is a gathering whisper of great expectancy in all hearts.

Rev. S. R. Calthrop revealed the great hope in his strong address upon "The Evolution of the Kingdom of God" before the Ministerial Union, which was the first