musing, said,-Who knows that it will not come forth again? It was the spirit of prophecy that spoke within her, but she knew it not.

Her father, Adam, replied: Here is a mystery that we cannot fathom; the beginnings and ends of things are hidden from us; but let us carry this tomb to the hut. It may instruct us. And Thirza rejoiced, as she obeyed her father's words, that she had tended it till its death. It was laid up in the hut, and when they looked at it they thought of Abel in his grave.

One morning they were all assembled, and discoursing with sorrowful hearts upon death; when, behold, a slight rustling was heard, and the shell-like case of the insect began to move of itself. They drew nigh, and gazed on it with breathless expectation and wonder.

All at once the silvery tomb burst, and lo! a living creature came forth from the narrow receptacle, and shook itself, and expanded a double pair of wings. The wings were blue, like the sapphire, or like the vault of heaven when it is clear, and surrounded with a golden border, and in the case whence it issued, there was a reddish drop, like blood. The Newborn rose, with fluttering wings, over the tops of the blossoming trees.

Then did a solemn feeling of admiration and joy fill the hearts of the parents of our race. And they thought of Abel, who first slept the sleep of death.-Life springs from Death, said Thirza.

And the Angel, who was still standing by, though unseen, exclaimed; To purity of mind, and to childlike Faith, it is given to behold truth in symbols! and he ceased to mourn that he was the angel of Death; for Thirza · ceased to mourn for Abel, and Adam and Eve henceforth forgot the grave, in thinking of the Beautiful that would spring from it.

What is in your mind? said he, to a boy eight years old, as soon as he had finished. I cannot express it, he replied. Is it a thought or feeling?-Both-it is a belief. What have you learned from this story? said Mr Alcott to another boy of the same age. It reminds me that when the body dies the soul will live and go to heaven. How

long have you had that thought? Ever since I was four years old. Do you remember the time when you did not have it? Yes, when I was very little I thought we did not live after our bodies died. Another boy of the same age said, he remembered no time when he did not believe in life's going on. Do all believe without a shadow of doubt that they shall live after death has taken place? I believe it, said a boy of nine, but not without a shadow of doubt. A boy of six said, when we die, an angel comes from heaven, and takes us-the shell and all. What is the shell? said Mr. Alcott. The body, said another child of the same age. Do you want to stay in your bodies a-while? Yes, said both, with a smile. What did you think while I was reading this story? said Mr. Alcott to a thoughtful little boy of five. I thought God changed the caterpillar into a butterfly, and then there was an angel that went in, and ascended into heaven, and when it got to heaven, the butterfly's body fell again to the earth.-But where did the butterfly come from? God changed the caterpillar into a butterfly; the body of the caterpillar was changed into the form of a butterfly.-Who made the caterpillar? God.What did God make it of? He made it out of dust.Nothing but dust? Nothing but dust.-When did the angel go into the butterfly? When it began to move.Where did the angel come from? I did not think—I must stop to think, said he, but he soon added, the angel must. have been in the worm, some of it.—Where did the angel come from? God sent it. Did the angel help to make the caterpillar into a butterfly? No, but God made the body of the caterpillar, into the body of a butterfly, and covered over the angel with it. For you see it was not a real butterfly but it seemed so to the eyes; it was only made to carry the angel up to heaven with its wings.-Do you think every butterfly has an angel in it, like that one? Oh no!

Well how came it to be so, that particular time? Why God wanted to show Adam and all of them, an angel going to heaven, and he could not do it without something for their eyes. Why did he want to show them an angel going to heaven? Oh! so that they need not mourn any longer for their brother Abel.-I think, said I, that God means to put us in mind of the soul's going to heaven by

every butterfly that he makes. Do you? said he very slowly, his thoughtful countenance lighting up into a bright smile. (Is not that a mind in the kingdom? said Mr. Alcott to me, after this conversation was over.)—What does this story bring to your mind? said he to a girl of twelve. The life of the senses, the change of death, and immortality.—In the Bible some one says, I die daily :do you understand that? Yes. It means you daily go more and more away from the senses, into the inward life. Their own reading lessons were also made subservient to this object. Thus, in reading in Frank, the passage beginning, "There was one part of a winter's evening, which Frank liked particularly." Mr. Alcott, called on each one to describe the room, as it pictured itself out in his thoughts, asking questions about the curtains, chairs, tables, situations of persons in the rooms, &c. Each had a distinct and differing picture from the rest.

In fuller illustration of these exercises I will give a record of one of the reading lessons of the First Class. It was the address to H****. in the Common Place Book of Poetry, selected by one of the class, eight years old, who began with reading it all through.

Which verse do you like best? said Mr. Alcott. The boy read the fourth verse.

Yes thou art going home,

Our Father's face to see,

In perfect bliss and glory;

But we, O, where are we?
While that celestial country

Thick clouds and darkness hide,
In a strange land of exile,

Still, still, must we abide.

What sentiments do those lines awaken? The pleasure of seeing God; dying, and going up to stay with God. Have you never seen God? Yes, in one way, but I like to think of dying and going up to stay. Which way is up? Up is by the sun-higher than the sun. This led to con

siderations on the illusion of the senses, and as to what idea the emblem of place signifies. The boy began to paraphrase thus, "You are going within yourself to see by your spirit," &c. Do you know, said Mr. Alcott, that you never would have seen the outward world, except by

having first gone into yourself? After a pause for thinking, the boy replied, Yes, I understand what you mean.

What is meant by Father's face? said Mr. A. I don't know why they say face. What do you generally see in the face of a person? The mind-the expression of the soul; said the boy, after some hesitation. And if, said Mr. Alcott, when we go inward, we think over our faculties and feelings, which are the expressions of God's love to us, is it not very natural to say we have seen his face? Yes, said the boy. I cannot help thinking God has a real face, said another boy. Can you think of your own spirit without thinking of a face? Yes. Then, why not of God's? I can. Do you think you see more of your brother, said Mr. Alcott to the reader, when you see his body with your eyes, or when you think of him in your mind? I sometimes realize him more when I think of him, said he, than when I look at him.

A boy who had been punished a good deal since he came to school read the last verse, as the most beautiful:

Oh! Father of our spirits,

We can but look to thee;
Though chastened, not forsaken,
Shall we thy children be.
We take the cup of sorrow,

As did thy blessed Son.
Teach us to say with Jesus,

"Thy will, not ours, be done."

Yes.

What is meant by chastened? said Mr. Alcott? Punished. Can one be punished and not forsaken? Did you think I hated you, when I first punished you? Yes. That is, that I forsook you? Yes. Do you think so now? I have not thought so for a great while. You understand then to punish was the contrary of forsaking you? Yes. What do the two last lines of this verse express? Self-sacrifice-resignation.

What is expressed in the first verse?

Sweet child! that wasted form,
That pale and mournful brow,
O'er which thy long, dark tresses
In shadowy beauty. flow-
That eye whence soul is darting
With such strange brilliancy--

Tell us thou art departing-
This world is not for thee.

The expression of the eye; the appearances of death; it is descriptive; picturesque; were the various answers. What is the idea of the second verse?

No! not for thee is woven

That wreath of joy and woe,
That crown of thorns and flowers,
Which all must wear below!
We bend in anguish o'er thee,
Yet feel that thou art blessed,
Loved one, so early summoned
To enter into rest.

The pains and pleasures of life, said one.

Cannot you

express it in one word? This life, said he, after a pause. What is the object of this life? To make us better; to try us; oh!the trials of life.

A little girl read the fourth verse as the most beautiful :

Soon shall thy bright young spirit
From earth's cold chains be free;
Soon shalt thou meet that Saviour
Who gave himself for thee
Soon shalt thou be rejoicing,
Unsullied as thou art,

In the blessed vision promised
Unto the pure in heart.

What is the idea of that verse? Liberty, said one. Blessedness, said several. What is the idea of the fourth verse? It compares Heaven and earth, said the boy, who selected the piece. And what of the last? said Mr. Alcott. Devotion, faith. Well! said Mr. Alcott, here is death,-human life,-heaven, a comparison of the two last, and the principle by which we rise from the earthly to the heavenly life :-this is a beautiful range of thought— is it not? Beautiful, said. several. They then went to their seats, to write a paraphrase, as they always do, after reading.

This is a fair specimen of the readings. It is plain that not a great deal of ground can be passed over, but the effect is to make the reading very expressive, by keeping the author's mind constantly before the readers, and interesting them in his thoughts. There is no greater illusion than the common idea of the method of learning to read, by pronounc