John Milton. N page 25 our young friends will see a portrait of the famous John Milton. England has produced many great men, but none greater than Milton. His father was a godly man who had suffered persecution on account of his religion. He was also an able man, being specially skilled in music. One of the tunes-called "York"-which he made is still sung in many of our chapels. His son John was born in London, December 9th, 1608. He was educated with great care; and at the age of seventeen was sent to Christ's College, Cambridge. He was designed by his father to be a clergyman, but Milton preferred a "blameless silence," to what he considered "servitude and forswearing." When he was only twenty-one years old he wrote his grand Hymn on the Nativity. As the years passed on he published other great poems. He then travelled on the continent of Europe. When he returned the nation was engaged in a great civil war. King Charles I. was a great tyrant. He was determined to take away the liberties which the people had enjoyed for ages. The Parliament resisted the King, and at length the quarrel came to blows, in which a deal of blood was spilt. Oliver Cromwell soon became the leader of the Parliamentary army, and John Milton became Latin Secretary to the Council of State. Cromwell's forces were victorious. The King was taken prisoner; he was afterwards tried and beheaded. Many of the nations of Europe were startled and shocked at the idea of a people executing their king. Milton believed that the deed was just, and he wrote a learned book to defend it. We are quite of the same mind as Milton. If any man ever deserved to be put to death, we believe Charles I. did. He was a tyrant and a traitor to his own country, and richly merited his doom. When writing the book to defend the people of England, Milton was suffering from a complaint in his eyes; his physicians urged him to desist, fearing that he might lose his eyesight. But he felt that it was his duty to defend the deed his countrymen had done, and he knew that no one could do this so well as himself, he therefore went on with his work; he wrote the book, and became quite blind. After Cromwell's death, Charles II. was made King. The Protector's bones were dug from the grave and gibetted. Those who had taken a prominent part in the revolution were imprisoned or banished. But through the intercession of friends Milton was spared. He never, however, regretted the part he had taken. Neither did he sit down in despair on account of his blindness. Let our young readers slowly read through the following sonnet, which Milton addressed to his friend Cyriac Skinner, in relation to his blindness : Cyriac, this three years' day, these eyes, though clear, To outward view, of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot; Nor to their idle orbs doth sight appear Of sun, or moon, or stars, throughout the year, Or man, or woman. Yet I argue not Against Heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot Of heart or hope; but still bear up and steer Right onward. What supports me, dost thou ask? The conscience, friend, to have lost them overplied In liberty's defence, my noble task, Of which all Europe rings from side to side. This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask Content, though blind, had I no better guide. It will be seen from this sonnet, that Milton was far from regretting the course he had taken, in writing the book which cost him his eyesight. His spirit was strong. He commenced to write Paradise Lost, which is his greatest poem, in 1658, and it was completed in 1665. In the year 1671 he produced Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. He died on the 8th of November, 1674. Milton's poetry is too difficult for children to read, but we hope as the readers of the Hive grow older, that they will all learn to reverence the character of John Milton; and that some will learn to love his great poems. The Three Truant Boys. BY JOHN ASHWORTH. NE Sunday afternoon, three boys, who were scholars in Bamford Sabbath School, played the truant. Without the knowledge or consent of their parents or teachers, they ran away from school. Some distance behind Bamford Chapel there is a deep ravine, which stretches for several miles. It is well wooded on both sides through almost its entire length. At the bottom of the ravine runs a brook. To reserve the water for the use of a small mill which stands below, an embankment had been built. The truant boys rambled on over fields and bye-ways, until they arrived at a place called Coal-Bank. They then rambled by the side of the brook, until they came to the reservoir, and sat down on its bank. A person who was passing by, told them that if they went into the water they would be drowned. Their answer was, "One drowned, all drowned." After sitting on the bank for a short time, they went in. Soon after, some one saw the clothes lying on the bank, but could see no one to own them. He raised a cry of alarm-people came from all sides the reservoir was searched-and, at length, the three unfortunate boys were dragged out, locked in each others' arms, quite dead. Little did they think that their answer to the person who had warned them of the danger was a prediction. The report of their death very soon spread far and wide; it reached Bamford just as the congregation and the scholars were leaving the chapel, and painful, indeed, was the effect it produced upon every one. But with the exception of their parents and relatives, none felt so keenly the sad end of those misguided boys as the teachers; these were sorely grieved, and one of them, John Crabtree, wrote a number of verses, suggested by the melancholy eventone of them we quote: The youths that we so much lament, How unconcerned from school they went They did not death, nor danger fear, Not knowing then, that death was near. Numerous are the instances of Sabbath scholars running away from school, and meeting death in various forms. God's commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," cannot be disregarded with impunity. Accidents of various descriptions are far more likely to occur on the Sabbath, than on any other day. Conscious guilt to a great extent, takes away the power of self-preservation, and when danger crosses the path, we fall before it, though at other times, we should have the power to overcome it. The Almighty has declared that the sound of the driven leaf shall chase the wicked, and that they shall flee when no man pursueth. There is neither peace nor safety to those who trample upon the ordinances of God, and the Sabbath is one of these. He instituted it in Eden; He threw around it the shield of His Divine Law on Sinai; He has never set aside the Law of the Sabbath, and until He does so, we can never safely violate it. Had these three boys attended to the instructions given to them in the Sabbath School, it is probable that they would now have been alive, and useful members of society; but, alas! they are laid in the silent grave. Melancholy were the circumstances connected with their deaths, and I trust they will be a warning to all boys who may think of running away from the Sabbath School. In holy duties let the day How blest a Sabbath thus to spend, 毖 Grasping the Apple. BY A. L. O. E. TAP was heard at the door, and then entered, with that kindly smile which made her presence welcome as that of the sunshine. "Good day to you, my young friends. Annie, how is your mother?" asked the lady. "Mother is doing very well, I thank you, Miss," answered Annie, hastily wiping from Tommy's face the traces of big tears, and darting a vexed glance at Bessy's untidy dress; for the girl was anxious that all should appear neat and nice while she was in charge of her mother's cottage. Things were not, however, as they should be. The lady guessed how matters stood in Mrs. Pine's cottage,—that there was a little impatient nurse, and troublesome, disobedient children. Annie's only way of keeping her charges in order was by sharp words and sharper blows; and this kind of treatment was injuring their temper as well as her own. Miss Manners made no observation, however, but sent Annie into the inner room to see if Mrs. Pine would like a visit, and seating herself on a chair, took little Tommy on her knees, and spoke a few kind words to Bessy. "Mother's just dropping to sleep," said Annie, returning. "She and the baby have been roused half-a-dozen times this morning by these noisy children, whom I could not turn out because of the rain. Tommy and Bessy would not be quiet; I've to be at them morning, noon, and night!" "She's al'ays a hitting us, and scolding us, and banging us about," whimpered Tommy. It was clear to Miss Manners that there had been faults on both sides, and that Annie had not proved equal to the task of managing children, as she had shown neither wisdom nor love. She therefore quickly observed in reply to Tommy's complaint, "I daresay that you find it hard to keep still, and Annie finds it as hard to make you do so; yet you both wish, I am sure, for dear mother to sleep and get well, and to have everything go on nicely while she is not able to watch you. Suppose, now, as I see that the rain has just come on again, suppose that I should help to amuse you in a quiet way by telling you a little story that I read yesterday in a clever book."* There was no danger of the children being noisy now, a story was to them as amusing as a romp; and Annie, as she saw how quiet and good they both looked, wished that the lady could come every day, and stop all day long at the cottage. 66 "Not many years ago," said Miss Manners, a clever man, named Mehemet Ali, ruled in Egypt. You know something about Egypt from the Bible," she added, addressing herself to Annie. "Oh, yes,” replied her young pupil; "it was in Egypt that the Israelites were in bondage, and it was there that Moses was born, and put in the little ark by the river." "This Mehemet Ali," continued the lady, was determined to send forces to subdue Arabia, a country where many of the people are fierce and wild, and where it is often difficult to get supplies of food and water in the hot sandy deserts. Everything was arranged for the expedition, but it was not yet known who would command the army which was to march against the wild tribes of Arabia. "Mehemet Ali (so the story goes) took a strange way to choose a general to lead his forces. He called together his dark courtiers and officers, and received them in a room in which there was a carpet, with nothing on it but a single apple placed in the middle. "Now,' said the Egyptian ruler, 'he who can reach and hand me that apple, without letting his feet touch the carpet upon which it *Palgrave's "Central Arabia." Mr. Palgrave gives the story as he heard it in the East, but cannot vouch for its accuracy. lies, that man shall be my general, and command the army that I am sending to subdue Arabia.' 'Oh, how funny it was to choose a general that way!" cried Bessy. "I can't think how a man's picking up an apple could show that he could conquer a country," said Annie. "I'd have picked it up in a moment, and eaten it too!" exclaimed Tommy. "You would not have found that so easy to do as you think," said Miss Manners. "The carpet was a large one; and it was no such simple matter to reach the apple without setting a foot on the carpet." "I'd have lain down on it, and put out my hands very far, only keeping my two feet outside, ," observed Annie. "That is exactly what the Egyptians did," said the lady. "Down went the courtiers, lying at full length on the carpet, stretching out their arms as far as they could to grasp at the apple." Oh, wouldn't I have liked to see them kicking up their heels!" laughed Tommy. "But all their stretching and straining was in vain. The longest arms amongst them all were not long enough to touch Mehemet Ali's round apple." "I think," observed Annie, "that the Egyptian prince was mocking at all his poor officers." "Then forward came Ibrahim Pasha, the adopted son of Mehemet Ali. He was a short, stout man, so that the courtiers burst out laughing when he said that he could get the apple without putting a foot on the carpet." "If the big men couldn't do it, the little man couldn't do it," observed Bessy. feet, he had curled it up so far that he could easily reach the apple, grasp it, and hand it to the Viceroy of Egypt." "Oh, wasn't he clever ?" cried Tommy. "And was he made general ?" asked Bessy. "Yes; so the story goes. Ibrahim Pasha was made commander of the forces sent against the ruler of Arabia. His manner of picking up the apple had shown him to be a man of intelligence, who in a position of difficulty would be likely to find his way cleverly out of his troubles. Ibrahim Pasha's conduct when he invaded Arabia-his manner of subduing that country-reminds one much of rolling up the carpet, and he grasped victory at last, just as he had grasped the little round apple." “He couldn't roll up a country like a carpet," cried Bessy, wondering what the lady could mean. 66 "No, not exactly," said the lady with a smile; but he rolled up his difficulties as he went along. Instead of plundering the natives of the land, burning down their houses, cutting down their fruit-trees, and leaving bitter enemies behind him wherever he went, as is the way with too many conquerors, Ibrahim Pasha set about his work in his own quiet, sensible way. He was careful to keep his troops in good order; he paid for all that they ate; the poor Arabs found themselves so well treated, that instead of lying in wait to attack the Egyptians, they were willing to come and sell food in the camp." "It must be hard to get enough to feed thousands and thousands of hungry soldiers," said Annie. "It is hard indeed,” replied Miss Manners. "Fierce, cruel conquerors, who have laid waste the countries through which they marched, have sometimes been sorely punished at last, by finding their own men starving in the desert which they themselves had made. But Ibrahim Pasha was wiser. He made friends instead of enemies; he had peasants bringing him food, instead of wretched, ruined men attacking him from behind while he was engaged with foes in front. He won at length complete success; and Mehemet Ali had reason to be glad that he had chosen as his general the short, stout |