BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN. 83 banks of the river of life they walk hand in hand, and as a family they have commenced a career of glory which shall be everlasting. There is to be hereafter no separation in that family. No one is to lie down on a bed of pain. No one is to wander away into temptation. No one is to sink into the arms of death. Never in heaven is that family to move along in the slow procession, clad in the habiliments of woe, to consign one of its members to the tomb. God grant of his infi nite mercy that every family may be thus united! BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN. BY WILLIAM C. BRYANT. O, DEEM not they are blessed alone, Whose lives a peaceful tenor keep; The light of smiles shall fill again There is a day of sunny rest For every dark and troubled night; And thou, who o'er thy friend's low bier Nor let the good man's trust depart, For God has marked each sorrowing day, Written for the Mother's Assistant. DISPOSITION. BY REV. THOMAS H. MUDGE. A GOOD disposition is, in part, the gift of a kind Providence. Yet the best disposition may be injured, destroyed; while the worst may be greatly improved. The question as to the cultivation or preservation of the disposition of children, is one of no small importance. We may remark, in general, that anything, which would injure the disposition of an adult, will injure that of a child; and sometimes to a still greater degree in the case of the latter than in that of the former, as the plant is more tender. Whatever will improve the disposition of the one, will improve that of the other; and the more in the case of the child, as he may be more susceptible of influence. The sapling can be twisted more easily than the gnarled oak. We should, therefore, treat the disposition of the child as we would that of the adult. But more particularly. If we would not injure the disposition of our children, it may not be amiss to attend to the following hints : — 1. Do not tease your children, nor willingly suffer others to do it. At times it appears as if certain persons made a special effort to see how unhappy they can make every child who is thrown in their way. How frequently do we hear such language as this: "Shall I not take your little brother and carry him off?" "I am going to take you away with me, so that you cannot see your father and mother any more." What considerate parent would not prefer that their guest or host should show their kindness by blows, rather than by such treatment? It irritates the disposition, and leaves a mark there which is not easily removed. children. 2. Do not fret at them. We feel the effects of fretfulness when it is directed against us. So do provoke us to wrath? So it does them. Does it If parents whose children are constantly made to feel the influence of fretfulness, do not find their children morose and fretful, it is because in their case the great law of nature becomes inoperative, and, for once, one does not reap that which he has sown. 3. Do not continually oppose their inclinations. There are those who act as though they were bound, whenever a child asks a favor, to refuse it. Some, lest they should be too indulgent, others from a mistaken desire to teach the child obedience and self-denial. There are those also who, on every occasion, set themselves in opposition to even the innocent wishes of their children; because, unhappy themselves, they appear to find a malicious pleasure in seeing others unhappy. But liberty, occasional success, and judicious praise, are as necessary to the vigorous growth of a cheerful disposition, as air is to the growth of plants. Above all else, we should not exhibit improper dispositions before them. He who goes forth in the Spring in the footsteps of the sower, scattering the seeds of the tares among the wheat, is not more certain to do mischief, than he, who, *in the presence of young, susceptible spirits, gives way to sullenness, fretfulness, or anger. Children are ever ready enough to do wrong. They need not be taught it by those to whom they look for example, and whose whole conduct they think necessarily right. Lincoln, Mass., March, 1850. SPRING. BY MRS. A. B. WELBY. WHAT scenes of delight, what sweet visions she brings Of freshness, of gladness and mirth, – Of fair sunny glades where the buttercup springs, LITERARY NOTICES. MACAULAY'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Boston: Phillips, Sampson & Co. In two volumes. It is universally conceded, that, in point of elegance of style, forcible expression, condensed thought, fearless utterance, and a perfect acquaintance with the subject upon which he writes, no work ever written, will bear comparison with Macaulay's History of England; and no work within so short a time of its publication has been so widely read. Former historians of England have confined themselves too much to "battles and sieges, to the rise and fall of administrations, to intrigues in the palace and debates in the parliament." But in the history of a nation, we want a picture of the life of the people in every department, and not merely a history of the government. The work, however, is not faultless. The most prominent fault is his proneness to exaggeration, in his severe denunciation of character. The history commences with the accession of James the 2d, in 1685, and ends with the Revolution, at the accession of William and Mary in 1689, covering only a space of four years. The three first chapters, however, embracing over 300 pages, are devoted to a sketch of the history of England from the earliest times. HEARTS AND HOMES. By MRS. ELLIS. New York City: D. Appleton & Co. 1850. This is the title of a book, from the eloquent pen of Mrs. Ellis. It is a true picture of real life, there being no heroes or heroines; but instead thereof, a faithful delineation of character as we generally find it, with some faults and some virtues. We always hail anything from the pen of Mrs. Ellis with delight. She has all the correctness of principle and the beauty of style of Charlotte Elizabeth, and, as we think, a freedom from her faults. The object of the writer appears to be to prevent the young from bestowing their affections upon unworthy objects. She seems to have no faith in the idea of some modern writers, that the good and virtuous are preserved from the contaminating influence of the vicious and wicked by an invisible force; but, on the contrary, that they are often deceived by them, as in the case of sweet Mrs. Lee. This book has not the romantic incident of some of the author's first works, as Home, or the Iron Rule; but she was then young. She has perhaps since learned to take more sober and just views of life. Such books as the one under consideration cannot be read without profit. May they multiply to the extirpation of the light trash of the day. CHRISTIAN UNION. An Essay on Christian Union. By Rev. CHARLES ADAMS. With an Introduction by Rev. THOMAS DEWITT, D.D. New York City. Samuel Hueston. 1850.-A praiseworthy and judicious effort to promote not uniformity in doctrines, church government, or modes of worship, which cannot be done - but union, "based on common, evangelical truth, and cemented by the controlling spirit of Christian LOVE, which can be done, and should be done without delay.' We hope this book will greatly promote this end, and we believe it will if generally read. The author's earnestness of manner is appropriate to the great cause he advocates. REVIVALS OF RELIGION. This excellent work, by Rev. JAMES PORTER, we are pleased to see has reached the fifth edition. The "theory, means, obstructions, uses and importance" of revivals of religion, are discussed with an ability, consequent only upon a thorough acquaintance with the subject. We notice that the book is highly recommended by clergymen of eminent piety and of great experience in ministerial labors. For sale by C. H. Peirce, 5 Cornhill. THE YOUNG LADY'S FRIEND. Written for the Young Lady's Friend. LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. BY REV. JOHN S C. ABBOTT MUCH is said respecting the importance of accomplishments for young ladies. Too much can hardly be urged upon this subject. It is woman's function to throw charms around the stern strife of life; to adorn and enliven home by every conceivable attraction of mind and manners and heart. She should strive for the acquisition of every accomplishment, which may enable her to win all hearts, to diffuse the graces of a lovely spirit wherever she may move, and to adorn every circle in which she may appear. It is not enough that woman can sew and bake and sweep. It is not enough that she can read Virgil, and translate German, and speak French. It is not enough that she can solve equations, demonstrate problems, and fathom philosophy. Important as all this is, she may be able to do it all, and still be worthless as a woman, chilling, repulsive, disgusting. Young ladies of the present day have advantages of which their mothers knew nothing. It is in their power to cultivate those intellectual accomplishments, which will shed a charm over the whole of life, embellishing even the infirmities of threescore years and ten, and throwing a hallowed lustre around the death-bed and the grave. Those ephemeral accomplishments which fascinate only when elasticity animates the limbs, and the cheek is ruddy with the ripeness of |