MEMOIRS.-Beware of inserting long ones, especially of any person not well known beyond their own circuit-" Henry Ridley," to wit, in the January number. In cutting down such, you will offend the writers of them, but you will, on the contrary, please your many readers. MONTHLY OBITUARY is excellent in its idea, and will be generally made use of. I would insert the following on the cover of the February number:-"The superintendents are respectfully requested to supply the Editor with notices of the deaths of our members occurring in their respective circuits. He solicits only the full name, age, date of decease, place of usual residence and its circuit. Such communications should reach us by the 10th of each month. To render our Annual Obituary as complete as possible, he desires that the details of any decease which has taken place during the present year may be handed in." (Endorsed by Editor). I would insert this kind of information under a permanent heading of this kind: PORTRAITS.-The town where laymen live should certainly be given. I don't think that a tithe of our Birmingham members could tell to where brother "Thomas Hughes," in January number, belongs. CONNEXIONAL NEWS.-Encourage summaries, discourage details; and soon let their writers see that you will habitually, out of regard to general readers, so do; also consider the propriety of putting it in small type. LEADERS.-Whenever you can affix the names of their authors, they will, as a result, be read with more interest. "Editorial notes" will, I think, be generally preferred to editorial articles. Thanks for these advices. We in sert them for the good of all concerned. For our own part we have to say: 1. As to memoirs, they are often too long, although, for our part, we read them, and ever have read them, with more pleasure and profit than anything else in the Magazine. Henry Ridley's was much too long, but we could not cut it down without spoiling it, and he was a good man, who deserved a record in the Magazine. As to this business of "cutting down," we beg to state that we do not intend to go into it. Persons who write biographies must either bring them within reasonable compass, or they will be returned for abbreviation. Four pages is as much space as should be occupied by ordinary memoirs-two would be suffi cient; and we shall feel obliged if correspondents will try to meet what they must know is the general wish upon this subject. 2. As to portraits, no doubt the place of late residence should be given in regard to all portraits of laymen; but how would Brother Farnell do if, as was our case with regard to the last portrait, he did not know where that place was? 3. As to leaders, we are not at liberty always to affix the name of a writer. Some writers forbid this. When they do not we shall always indicate, either by an affix or suffix, who is the writer. 4. As to editorial notes, our correspondent says, "Editorial notes will, I think, be generally preferred to editorial articles." This is an equivocal statement. It may mean that editorial contributions will be preferred in the form of notes, or it may mean that the editorial articles furnished in the last number are inferior to the "notes." In either case, we may as well say that we have designed the "editorial department" for the purpose of conversing with our readers, every month, in a method less formal than by ordinary editorial articles, and we are of opinion that, if the performance be in harmony with the intention, the "department" will be acceptable to our readers. We shall, however, learn this by-and-by. We by no means intend the notes as a substitute for editorial articles, which we shall write as may be allowed by the time at our disposal, and as expediency may dictate. Like other mortals we have "a mission," and we may sometimes feel it a question of duty to say our say along with the rest. If in so doing we happen not to please every one, we hope there is freedom of speech even for an editor, and we are not much concerned about the literary merit which different minds may accord to us for our performances. Our The great difficulty which we (or any editors of our Magazines) meet with is in providing suitable matter for the "Juvenile Instructor." Any one of us can write for men, but few of us can write for children. We have asked for assistance in this department; in no instance has it been promised, but in some instances declined, on the ground that such writing demands a special aptitude, which the parties were conscious they did not possess. In drawing up our programme for 1871 we had to consider what it was best to do. predecessor has held the office twentytwo years, and has exhausted the line of thought which had occupied him so long. He has noticed every remarkable object in or about London. We had selected fifty engravings, which we thought we could use, but on showing him the list, he said, “I have used all those." No other course was open to us than to strike out on some different line to his, and so our plan developed itself as it stands. We credit "AN OLD CONTRIBUTOR" with one class of articles. "OBSERVER" with another class, and "THE EDITOR" with a third class. But these all mean the editor, who, "having become a man, and put away childish things," has to "think as a child, and speak as a child" again, though it be in his old age. Will this statement satisfy Brother F.? Will it satisfy others, who may think there is a loss of dignity in writing, as we have to write, to the level of a child's capacity? If it will not, will they write for us, and save us the trouble? We wish it were so that editorial notes would be preferred to editorial articles. It would save a vast amount of thinking and labour. Rather more than 5,000 new books have been published in England during the year 1870. The Daily News, from which paper we glean the facts, says:-" The analysis of the Catalogue of 1870 gives some that curious results, and shows theology, sermons, and biblical subjects generally have had more books devoted to them than any other-811 separate publications being devoted to those topics. Juvenile works and tales come next, with 695; and education, philology, and the classics next, with 568. Novels and works of fiction are returned at 381; law and jurisprudence at 123; arts, science, and fine art works at 346; travel and geographical research at 338; history and biography at 396; poetry and the drama at 366; yearbooks and bound serials at 388; medicine and surgery at 193; while the remainder are classified under the heads of belles lettres, essays, monographs, and miscellaneous." There are more "curious results" to note in this analysis than the mere facts. These books must be supposed to have purchasers and readers. And this again supposes means to purchase and leisure as well as a disposition and capacity to understand the books bought. People do not generally buy books except to read them, or at least have them read by those for whom they are bought. Viewed from a Christian standpoint, some of these books will do no good, and had better never have been published; but taken all together, what a fund of quiet enjoyment and instruction they must afford to the community! The press has become a mighty power in the world, and its influence needs to be watched with a vigilance which no other age has demanded, that this influence may yield as much good and do as little harm as possible. The theological branch of these publications is very noteworthy. Eight hundred and eleven separate publications have appeared in this department, showing immense activity of thought in this direction, and showing also that readers interested in theological inquiries are not the least numerous or intelligent of the population. If we needed a practical evidence that Christianity quickens the mind, we have it in the large number of books provided for a religious mind to feed upon. This literature will bear fruit-not always good fruit, but still it will become a power among our religious thinkers; and in the Church and pulpit we must adapt ourselves to this quickened and widened intelligence, that, if it be possible (which it is not always), we may guide that intelligence to sanctifying and saving results. The editor of the Wesleyan Magazine, in the January issue, says, in noticing the serial publications of that body:-"These serials are among the comparatively few which are distinguished by their avoidance of meretricious attractions : not only are the fictitious and the sensational excluded from them, but also the products of a certain handling of even religious topics which borders upon the spirit and style of fiction." Sooner or later the ques tion here adverted to will have to be decided by the conductors of the various religious magazines - the question, namely, whether we shall sweep everything we understand as periodical literature into the vortex of fiction and sensationalism, or take our stand in a solemn protest against the enervating and enfeebling tendency of such publications as the editor of the Wesleyan Magazine refers to? We shall not at present refer to examples; but to our mind it is most lamentable that some publications we could name-- sent out with the highest religious pretensions are SO nauseatingly crammed with novels and stories. How long is this to last? and how long will a religious public patronize this kind of-to use the mildest terms-questionable religious litera ture? We learn from the Evangelical Witness, as well as from private sources, that our cause in Toronto is doing much better than in times past. A second chapel is being built, and the Temperance Street church is crowded. The brethren have seen fit to abolish all collections and all pew rents, and the cause is supported by the weekly offerings of the people. We simply note these latter arrangements without endorsing them. Practically the Church in Toronto is free from debt, as far as the people on the spot are concerned -the Canadian Conference paying the interest of the small debt on the premises. It is, therefore, comparatively easy for the friends to carry out their new policy, since they have nothing to pay but the minister's salary and incidental expenses; but whether their plan would answer in other instances, where large chapel debts have to be provided for, we cannot say. However, here is a sign of the times. BOOK NOTICES. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE REV. J. WESLEY. By the Rev. L. TYERMAN. Vol. II. Hodder and Stoughton.-This is the second volume of a work favourably noticed in these pages on the appearance of the first volume. A full and candid life of Wesley could not be written at a much earlier date than now. The character of every public man has to mellow before it can be fully appreciated. Laudation must moderate, ont he one hand, and detraction wear itself out, on the other, before we are in a condition of mind to form a full and fair estimate of his worth. After all that has been written of Wesley, he stands out before us as an apostolic man, richly endowed with spiritual and natural gifts, and untiringly devoting both to the service of Christ. He had his weaknesses, as we all have, and these are candidly stated in the work before us. We do not think him blameless in the case of his own wife, in the case of Grace Murray, or in the case of Sarah Ryan, which latter person, though she had three husbands living at the time, he promoted to be the housekeeper at his Kingswood school. The higher pretensions any one made, the more sure he or she might be of Wesley's charitable construction. Guileless himself, he suspected no one of guile; and the result was that he made some serious mistakes during his life in his estimate of character. But what of all this? The good man filled a distinguished position in the age he lived in, and his works speak for him now that he is gone. Mr. Tyerman, as his last, and, as we think, best biographer, has produced a record highly honourable to his subject, fresh and lively in style, copious in information, discriminating and candid in its tone, and worthy of a first rank as a biographical history of early Methodism. WHITAKER'S ALMANAC FOR 1871. Price 18.-This is the best almanac we have met with this season; containing an immense store of information on every subject appropriate to such a publication. The labour of compiling it must have been enormous; and it is worthy of a place in every counting-room, in every lawyer's office, and on the table of the theological student. YEAR-BOOK FOR THE USE OF THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION WORSHIPPING IN BETHESDA CHAPEL (METHODIST NEW CONNEXION), HANLEY, FOR 1871. Compiled by Rev. E. J. BAXTER, and published with the sanction of the Leaders' Meeting. Hanley: John Keates, Publisher.-Mr. Baxter has, at least, our hearty thanks for his labour of love in compiling this most interesting record of the Christian work of one of our churches. We cannot conceive of anything more likely to knit the hearts of the people together, to inspire confidence, and invite to still more hearty co-operation, than a church record like this. It tells us everything desirable to be known respecting the church at Bethesda and its doings. We shall not analyse it, because we wish our friends in other circuits to buy it, and read it for themselves. consists of 96 pages; can be easily sent by post, if not otherwise procurable; and we feel assured our readers will be pleased and profited by its perusal. It THE PROTESTANT DISSENTER'S ALMANAC, AND POLITICAL ANNUAL FOR 1871. John Snow. Price 6d. -A very useful publication, containing a large amount of information suitable to Protestant Dissenters. THE PREACHER'S LANTERN. A Monthly Magazine for the Pulpit and the Pew. Price 6d. Hodder and Stoughton. THE METHODIST TEMPERANCE MAGAZINE FOR 1870. Elliott Stock. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL. Seven Lectures by ERNEST NAVELLE. Translated from the French by E. W. SHALDERS, B.A. T. and T. Clark, Edinburgh.-Our readers will anticipate that a subject of this nature would require some rather profound writing-above the capacity of some readers; and whoever peruses the volume will find that the treatise corresponds to this anticipation. The style is light and airy, after the manner of French or Swiss writers; but in many places it is far too diffuse for what the author designates "a philosophical study." We wish we could say the writer had solved "the problem of evil." But the solution, to our mind, amounts to very little more than we all know-have long known and assented to. We wait for it for 132 pages. It is then introduced to our notice as a novelty-as something original and satisfactory; and at the end of seventy more pages, we begin to hope we have understood the great mystery, which amounts to this: that we are not responsible for the fall of man, or for its consequences, individually, but only on the principle of solidarity. Man did not fall-only humanity-and inasmuch as we are a part of humanity, we all fell. We all knew this before. There is no advance in the solution; the question remains where it was. Adam fell; and our race fell in him; and from this fall Christ came to save us, and does save those that believe. But, while we say this of the volume before us, and while we could have wished a little less stage effect on a subject so grave and profound as the problem of evil, we, at the same time, consider the volume well worth reading for its dialectical skill, its many happy turns of thought, and its adaptation to embarrass and silence modern objectors to the received doctrine of the fall of man, and of redemption by Jesus Christ. Connexional Department. OPENING OF SALEM NEW DAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS, STRANGEWAYS, MANCHESTER. Ir is marvellous how often events seemingly disastrous result in positive blessings. The great fire of London, in 1666, swept away the wooden houses, with pitch-covered roofs, and the narrow streets, which nurtured fever and plague, and led to the re-building of the city, with brick and stone, and the erection, among other buildings, of St. Paul's Cathedral, the noblest of our English ecclesiastical structures; and the Irwell flood of 1866, exactly two centuries later-the flood which laid Strangeways and Lower Broughton under water, destroying in its rude Vandalism Bibles, valuable library books, and the harmonium in Salem School-largely stimulated the erection of the noble premises now available for the work of education, the opening of which has just been celebrated. A short and suggestive summary of the steps taken to raise the needed funds has already been given in the Magazine for September, 1870, and now the building, completed without loss of life or limb, exceeding in beauty the expectations of its friends, stands side by side with our elegant chapel, and presents a sphere for Christian work much to be coveted. Underneath, besides heating apparatus, cellars, and conveniences, there is an excellent cooking kitchen, provided with boilers and a hoist to the upper rooms, which must be exceedingly useful at tea parties. On the ground-floor there is a lecture room, class rooms, and infant school; and in the upper storey there is a large, lofty, well-ventilated school room, provided with |