JANUARY, 1872. THE DISTRICT AND PARISH HELPER. FOR "THE STREETS AND LANES OF THE CITY-FOR THE HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES-TO BRING IN THE POOR, AND THE MAIMED, AND THE HALT, AND THE BLIND."-"YET THERE 18 ROOM."-LUKE XIV. 21, 22. "THE PREACHER SOUGHT TO FIND OUT ACCEPTABLE WORDS."-ECCLES. XII. 10. A NEW YEAR'S REFLECTIONS. (See large Engraving.) UR illustration brings before us a hearty well-to-do English Workman, who, as he walks along this New Year's Morning, with his boy by his side, calls to mind the difference between his present mode of life and that of a Then his home was miserable year or two ago. enough in its naked wretchedness, and, while his wife and children pined and suffered, he sought at the dram-shop such pitiful comfort as might be there offered. Now, however, all is changed! The idle, dissolute habits and companions have been given up, and with his wife he has become a frequenter of the house of God. The home, no longer deserted and uncared for by him, now presents a picture of comfort and happiness, which is pleasant indeed to look upon. Such thoughts impel a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness well fitted to the beginning of a new dawn of time. THE ARTISAN AND HIS BOY. ATHER!" said a boy to one of our noble English artisans, "I am SO glad, because you'll come home all the sooner, and we shall have you so much the longer before we go to bed, and that will be so nice; for I do love to hear you read and talk, father; and then, isn't it jolly when you have a game of marbles with Ricard and Jenny and me? And it was so kind of you, father, to cut out and rig that pretty boat for brother and me. Won't you go and help us sail it, father, when summer comes, and the evenings are fine ?" Such was the talk by the way of the artisan's boy, as the latter returned from his work the first time after the new nine-hours' system had been adopted; and WILLIAM THRIFTY (as we shall call him) was among those who were determined to turn to the best account the alteration in question. It was not that he had taken any active part in regard to the change, for he was naturally a man of a peaceful and contented turn of mind; but, as the movement had been proposed and carried, he could but fall in with it. Nor was he sorry, for WILLIAM loved his home and his wife and his children; and well he might, for there was a thorough look of comfort throughout his little peaceful abode. To begin with, WILLIAM had a wife, as clever and thrifty a little body as you could meet with. Both herself and her children were as neat and clean as a new pin; and, as for her cottage. home, you might call it so indeed, for everything was as prim and as orderly as a palace. I would defy you to find anything out of place in MARY THRIFTY's house. And why? Why? I'll tell you. Because she had been well trained by her mother before her, and WILLIAM knew that, ere he asked her to become his wife. Indeed, her training had no little to do with his thinking of and asking her at all. The fact was, WILLIAM himself had always been a well-brought-up lad. In their way, his father and mother had been a most respectable couple. Although in humble life, none were more highly thought of than old Mr. and Mrs. THRIFTY, who had brought up a large family upon very slender and yet it was a well-known fact that their children—all of them-did far better than those of many of their neighbours who started, as some say, with good prospects. Somehow or other, many of these went to the bad, whilst the children of old Mr. means; and Mrs. THRIFTY did well. Now, no doubt it was seeing the self-same kind of rule and management in MARY's house that there was in his own that first led WILLIAM to think about her. Not that there is any denying the fact that, if not really pretty, as the world calls it, MARY had, to say the least of it, a cheerful, happy kind of face. Hers was a sort of countenance that no neigh. bour, or anyone with the least acquaintance, would pass without a nod and a friendly "How d'ye do ?" Her very smile seemed to chase away any care or gloom or trouble. It would say, "Cheer up! 'twill all be well." There's no question that, before WILLIAM was out of his apprenticeship, and whilst he had a good deal to put up within the different tempers and dispositions of those he worked with, he had seen enough of Mary to bring him to the conclusion that, if ever he married, it shouldn't be his fault if MARY were not his wife. He had, at the same time, all that thought and honour about him, that he would never dream of proposing for her until he was out of his time, and had constant employment, and a fair prospect of being able to maintain her in comfort. As was al most sure to be the case, WILLIAM was so much thought of by his employers, because of his industry and sobriety, that the term of his apprenticeship had no sooner expired than they offered him constant work, with every prospect of being raised to a foremanship, as soon as there was a vacancy. In the course of a year or so WILLIAM had saved enough to furnish a little cottage; and, with still some small reserve in the savings' bank, he at length made up his mind to ask MARY'S father if he might hope to be his son-in-law, provided his daughter had no objection. Soon after this, matters were very agreeably arranged by all parties; and a happier couple were not to be found than WILLIAM and MARY THRIFTY. At the time to which our illustration alludes, they had been man and wife for eight or more years, and hence the little chat to which we have listened, as that of his first-born. In a future number we may hope to hear somewhat more about them, and how WILLIAM turned to good account the new nine-hours' system, finding him, as it did, at home half-an-hour sooner, but by no means that additional time at the public-house or beershop; for none knew better than he, that this would be to the injury rather than the benefit of himself and family. THE HUMAN FRAME. HE winter series of free lectures arranged by the Rector of Trowbridge, the Rev. H. Meyer, was inaugurated at Hill's Public Hall by a discourse from W. Ogle, Esq., M.A., of London, on the Human Skeleton. The RECTOR took the chair, and after opening the proceedings by prayer, said that he had the promise of several lectures during the winter. Dr. OGLE, in commencing his discourse, stated that it was not his intention to lecture in the sense the word was usually employed, but to talk a bit, and when he spoke in language which even the children in the audience could not understand, he hoped they would make a great noise and cause an interruption. His object was not so much to give them knowledge as to make them think of knowledge they already possessed. They knew they had bones. Now, what was the use of bones? The worm, the slug, the sea anemone had no bones, but how slow, how retarded, were the movements of those creatures. Not so with man. He was endowed with a number of bones, and these caused him to move briskly, nimbly, and with precision. That was one fact. Another was that they had bones, not one, or two, or three only, but each person had about 250 in all. The lecturer humorously pointed out how awkward it would be for a man to be possessed of only one bone, from his head to his heels, which awkwardness was lessened as the number of bones increased; thus the more bones there were, the greater were the number of movements. The next thing was how the bones were connected together. Some were joined very firmly, and there was little or no motion between them. Take the head first. They had, no doubt, all heard of the term used by carpenters called "rabbeting." Well, he might apply the term to the mode in which the pieces of bone forming the skull were connected, only in a much more beautiful fashion. These bones not only dovetailed together, but overlapped and underlapped in such a marvellous manner that they could not separate them; in a child only could the division be felt. The lecturer then detailed the different degrees of motion which the bones possessed, so that while some moved a very little-like the bones of the spine others, such as the arm, elbow, knee, &c., had greater license of motion. Such bones were connected together by muscle and ligaments. Muscle was the lean part of meat, and its properties were of an elastic nature, very much resembling Indian rubber. This substance serves as hinges between the points, whilst ligaments prevents the muscles moving too far, or in an unnatural direction. Taking, as an illustration, the hip joint, they knew from this joint they could bend forward, but not backwards; if they tried to do the latter they would fall down. The learned doctor next proceeded to point out the beautiful arrangement of bones, to which we are indebted for the facility of standing erect so firmly. The various objeets around them usually stand on their broad ends, but man stood on his narrow and lightest end, which was accountable by the exceeding nicety with which the body was balanced. When standing upright the weight of a person is thrown a little in front of the knee, and the position is found to be easy and natural; but when standing on a slippery substance it frequently happens that the hips gets a little bit forward, the equilibrium of the body is thrown out, and the person trips up. The lecturer illustrated his meaning by referring to a favourite trick amongst school boys. One of the boys is seen by another standing in an upright position, and unawares he goes up to him, gives him a slight blow at the back of the knee, the centre of gravity is lost, and the unsuspecting victim frequently drops to the earth. At the request of the lecturer, the chairman readily allowed himself to be acted upon in this manner, much to the amusement of the audience, but, we should add, without any disastrous result. After alluding to the great security with which the spinal cord is invested, the speaker passed on to notice certain parts of the body, such as the feet and the hands, in which a large number of bones were found. These bones were for the purpose of lessening a shock which those parts of the frame might receive. In falling down they sometimes said, "I saved myself by my hands." This was true. If the fall were not too violent, the number of bones in the hands saved the rest of the body from injury. In running, every step taken was a great jar, but it was not felt as such because the force was distributed, as it were, amongst a number of bones. After explaining the use of long bones, short bones, thin bones, and round bones, viz., for levers, firmness, elasticity, and strength, the lecturer proceeded to describe the structure of bones, especially dwelling upon the bones of the leg and thigh, &c., which were hollow, for the same purpose as a tunnel or a pillar, viz., for strength and lightness. The composition of bone was made up of two substances-a soft grisly substance and phosphate of lime, which is a hard material. These two parts vary in young children and old persons, the former possessing more of the softer part; and what a wise provision this was. Children, who are not always particularly secure on their legs may tumble about in a marvellous way and not hurt themselves, in consequence of their bones not having become hardened; but should an old person have the misfortune to slip down, it frequently happens that a broken bone is the result. This fact seemed to point to the idea that old people should be waited upon by young persons. In referring to the growth of bones, the speaker said that a new-born baby's head would be found to be soft at the top, but harder at the two sides. These hard spots on the side of the head were bone, which grew larger and larger until the entire head was covered. In the same way the bones grew in the legs, arms, and other portions of the body. Taking the thigh-bone as an example, the bone first began to grow in the middle and at the two ends, until the three pieces joined together and formed one complete bone. The next topic the lecturer touched upon was broken bones. By means of a black board and a piece of chalk he illustrated the appearance of a broken bone and the process of healing. There were two kinds of fractures-the fracture simple and the compound fracture; the latter differing from the former in cases where the broken bone pierced through the skin. On this part of the subject some good advice was given. A man with a broken limb dent, except on a shutter or some other similar hard should never be carried from the scene of the acci A LITTLE SCIENCE FOR LITTLE PEOPLE. upon, the large bone of the leg. The leg, below the II. THE HOUSE I LIVE IN. MAY as well state at the outset that by the phrase "The House I Live In," I mean the bodythe earthly tabernaclein which by God's providence I live, and move, and have my being. It is to an interesting little book published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge that I am indebted for the title and for some of the facts used in this paper. The study of the human frame has been confined too exclusively to the medical profession. Everybody will acknowledge that it is only right that we should all know something of the machine, so ingeniously constructed, which we carry about with us through life. Many years ago, the inspired poet, King David, when thinking of the marvellous manner in which he was created, exclaimed, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" and the more you and I know of the House we live in, the more intelligent and fervent will be our acknowledgments to our Heavenly Father for His wonderful goodness towards the children of men. But what gives such importance to these bodies is the fact that they contain such precious treasures as our minds and souls, and that the casket that holds them becomes easily disordered, and is naturally subject to decay. We have all found out, from painful experience, that the condition of the body acts in a wonderful and mysterious manner upon the mind,-no ailment affecting the one which does not produce a corresponding depressing effect on the other. We can see, then, the advantage of knowing something of Anatomy-the hard name used to describe the study of the body, and of Physiology, another hard name for a science which explains the laws of the body. Without wishing to suffer in your estimation on the score of vanity, I claim for the House I live in the merit of being one of the most curious and wonderful buildings in the world, on account of the skill and wisdom of the Great Workman who planned it, and who has so elaborately protected every part of it from possible derangement and premature decay. We cannot view it in any part without being struck with the wisdom evinced, nor without our hearts filling with gratitude to the All-wise Architect who has so admirably designed every part of the intricate machine for the special purpose it is intended to fulfil. It is not the largest, nor the oldest, nor the most beautiful, nor the costliest building in the world, but it is the most important, and stands at the top of Creation, for Man as he came forth from his Maker was made in the likeness of God, and the bodies of believers are declared to be "temples of the Holy Ghost;" but the crowning honour to our human nature was when God's own Son consented to take our nature upon Him, to live and work and suffer in just such a body as that in which we live and work and suffer. My object will be, as briefly and as plainly as I can, to describe the different parts of the House I live in, viz., its FRAME, COVERING, APARTMENTS, FURNITURE, and EMPLOYMENTS. I will commence with the FRAMEWORK of the House. If you could see it, you would not, probably, think it very handsome; but I cannot help that. That "beauty is only skin deep" has passed into a proverb, and nothing brings the truth of the saying more forcibly before us than the study of the human frame. The pillars upon which the House rests are the bones at the lower extremities. They are usually divided into three parts: the thigh, the leg, and the foot. Each thigh has one bone, each leg two, and each foot twenty-six-fifty-eight in the whole in both legs. The thigh-bone is called the femur; it is the largest bone in the human frame. At the upper end, where it is connected with the hip-bone, is a round knob or head. This head fits into a corresponding cavity or hollow of that bone. The lower end of the thigh joins with, or rather rests knee, consists of two bones, called the tibia and the matter, amounts to many pounds in weight; for, after the bones of any animal have been thoroughly dried, and all moisture extracted from them, they are reduced to almost half the weight they originally J. P. were. SUNDAY LESSONS FOR SCHOOLS AND By the Rev. S. A. WALKER, M.A., Rector of St. Mary-le-port, Bristol. On the lower part of the lower extremities, where the femur meets the tibia and fibula, to form the knee-joint, the patella or knee-pan is placed. This is a round, flat bone, not joined to the other bones, but lying very closely upon them, and kept in its place we have here our Lord's instructions regarding the treatment of by what are called tendons. We shall have something more to say about them by-and-by. The bones of the foot have a general resemblance to the bones of the hand. The foot, as we have already stated, is composed of twenty-six little bones, which are strongly fastened together by gristles and ligaments. These ligaments yield, when we bear upon the foot, just enough to make it suit the surface on which we tread. There is a wise arrangement in this; for, if the foot consisted of one solid bone, it would not yield or spring at all, but would be liable to break when we jump or fall upon our feet. The arching of the foot is a beautiful contrivancevery much like the arch of a bridge resting upon its two abutments; the lowest extremity of the heel and the ball of the great toe may be considered as the abutments of the arch, while the bones of the instep form the arch itself. When the foot is raised for walking, it describes a semicircle, and only assumes its flatness when it is placed upon the ground. You may easily experience the awkwardness of a flat foot by fastening a piece of wood to the sole of it and then trying to walk. The heel is not exactly under the leg, but runs back a little, and is fastened to the main body of the foot by a very firm but elastic joint. On this account, when we walk we put down the heel first, which prevents the whole weight of the body coming down with a jerk, which it would otherwise do, but it is dropped down gently. Altogether, the foot is an admirable contrivance. It is arched both ways, from the toe to the heel, and from side to side; and, by this means, little, if any, part of the foot touches the ground at all. Between the lower ends of the tibia and the fibula and the bones of the foot are seven short bones, not unlike those of the wrist in shape, but rather larger. These bones form the ankle. From what has been said you will see that the framework of the House I live in consists chiefly of bone; so I cannot more fitly close this paper than by stating how bones are constructed, and of what substances they are formed. If you see much of babies you will not require to be told that they are not born with bone as hard as it becomes when they begin to walk and run about. At first, many of the bones are very soft, and a large number of them are in several pieces, with gristle between them. After a few years they grow firmly together. The bones of the head, in particular, are at first separate; and, without doing damage to the delicate structure of the brains contained within them, admit of some little motion; but, as they get older, the whole skull acquires firmness and solidity, and it requires considerable force to remove them from each other. There are three kinds of bone: long bones, broad or flat bones, and round bones. The long bones have a circular channel running through them which contain marrow or pith; but the other two sorts have no such cavity within them. They have, however, a great many holes or cells in the inside. When broken, some of them look like sponge or honeycomb. They are generally larger towards the end, and the spongy, or cell-like appearance is more apparent. Towards the middle they are smaller, firmer, and contain fewer of these little cells. All the bones in the body are very hard on the outside, the teeth, perhaps, being the hardest. The principal substance in the manufacture of bone is phosphate of lime. Most of the bones are pierced through their outside with one or more holes of considerable size, through each of which is carried an artery to convey blood to nourish them, and a vein comes out by the same hole to bring back the blood when it has fulfilled its office. You will infer from this that there is blood in the bones, although not a great deal; but the blood, with its vessels and nerves and membranes, and the marrow and liquid LESSON CLIV.-Matt. xviii. 15-17. injuries by brethren. Observe I. Misunderstandings will arise, even among Christian brethren. 1. They are not perfect in this world. 1. Not like Jesus, who never showed ill-temper. 1 Pet. ii. 23. 2. Even the best show hastiness and irritability. Acts xv. 39. 3. We do not all see things in the same way. Rom. xiv. 2-5. 4. Some true Christians are sharper than others. Gal. ii. 11. 5. None of us are as considerate as we ought to be. Rom. xiv. 15; xv. 1. 6. We often speak unadvisedly with our lips. Psalm cvi. 33. 2. A sense of our own infirmities will make us compassionate. 1. Considering also that we may be tempted. Gal. vi. 1. 2. If we think we stand, yet we may fall. 1 Cor. x. 12. 3. What we condemn in others we do ourselves. Rom. ii. 1. 4. We should not attempt to cast a stone at others. John viii. 7. 5. If we are better, who has made us to differ? 1 Cor. iv. 7. 6. We deserve all injuries-God allows them. 2 Sam. xvi. 10. II. When our brethren injure us, we must act as Christians. 1. We must not go and backbite them to others. Lev. xix. 16. 2. We must not count or treat him as an enemy. 2 Thess. iii. 15. 3. At the same time we must not suffer sin in him. Lev. xix. 17. 4. We must go and tell him his fault privately. Matt. xviii. 15. 5. If he have God's Spirit he will be thankful. Psalm clxi. 5. III. It may be, God may bless us to his conviction. 6. Don't boast of your superiority to him. Luke xviii. 11. 1. God may give the hearing ear. Prov. xx. 12. 2. He may give repentance to acknowledge the truth. 2 Tim. ii. 25. Luke 3. We are permitted to rebuke him in Christ's name. xvii. 10. 4. If God give him wisdom, our rebuke will enter into him. Prov. 5. Christ tells him to confess his faults to us. Jas. v. 16. 1 He may suspect us of personal feeling. Prov. xviii. 17. It may be that he will not hear us privately. IV. Then the matter must be laid before the Church. 1. The Church is any assembly of God's people. Acts ii. 47; Rom. xvi. 5. xiv. 27. 2. Cases of importance formerly brought before them. Acts Eph. 4. An angry man may resist even the Church. Matt. xviii. 16, 17. The man who resists all authority should be disowned. 2 Thess. iii. 6. 14; Lev. xix. 17. 3. The Church of Christ must declare for peace. iv. 31-32. Our Lord pointed out, in the preceding verse, how an unfor LESSON CLV.-Matt. xviii. 19. giving or resentful person should be dealt with, or one refusing to acknowledge his error; He now refers generally to Church discipline. I. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. 1. This was said specially to the Apostles. 2. It had been said before to Peter by himself. Chap. xvi. 19. 3. Binding was evidently making regulations. See 1 Cor. xi. 34. 6. Church censure seems also included. John xx. 22, 23. II. Christ's promise to those assembled to ask for anything 1. Difficulties would of course arise in the Church. Acts xv. 1, &c. The thing asked must be according to God's will. 1 John 5. Wisdom is promised to those who ask it. Jas. i. 5, 6. 6. v. 14. prayer. 7. This encourages united prayer. Heb. x. 25; Acts xvi. 13. 1. The Head and Members must be together. 1 Cor. xii 27. 2. He goes with them where they go. Luke xxiv. 15. 3. He invites them to come to Him. John i. 38, 39. 4. He wishes to be alone with them. Mark vi. 31. 5. He wishes them to be with Him for ever. John xvii. 24. V. Peter puts a question with regard to forgiveness of injuries. 1. He asks, how oft shall my brother offend and be forgiven. 1. Resentment is natural to the human heart. Gal. v. 20. 2. More natural to punish than to forgive. Luke ix. 54. 3. Peter thought seven times, very meritorious. 2. Christ says there must be no limit in our forgiveness to others, as there is none in God to us. |