Are is the same to us as milk to babies,
Or water is to fish, or pendlums to clox,
Or roots and airbs unto an injun doctor,
Or little pills unto an omepath,

Or boys to gurls. Are is for us to brethe;
What signifies who preaches if i cant brethe?
Wats Pol? Wats Pollus to sinners who are ded?
Ded for want of breth, why Sextant, when we dy,
Its only coz we cant brethe no more, thats all.
And now, O Sextant, let me beg of you
To let a little are into our church
(Pewer are is sertain proper for the pews.)
And do it weak days, and Sundays tew,
It aint much trouble, only make a hole
And the are will come of itself;

It luvs to come in where it can git warm.
And O how it will rouze the people up,
And sperrit up the preacher, and stop garps,
And yawns, and figgits, as effectoal

As wind on the dry boans the Profit tels of.

THE CREEDS OF THE BELLS.*-GEORGE W. BUNgay.
How sweet the chime of the Sabbath bells!

Each one its creed in music tells,
In tones that float upon the air,
As soft as song, as pure as prayer;
And I will put in simple rhyme
The language of the golden chime;
My happy heart with rapture swells
Responsive to the bells, sweet bells.
"In deeds of love excel! excel!"
Chimed out from ivied towers, a bell;
"This is the church not built on sands,
Emblem of one not made with hands;
Its forms and sacred rites revere,
Come worship here! come worship here!
In rituals and faith excel!"

Chimed out the Episcopalian bell.

"Oh heed the ancient landmarks well!"

In solemn tones exclaimed a bell;

*This very beautiful poem, and now famous recitation, originally appeared in DEMOREST'S MAGAZINE, but is now published in a handsomely illustrated form, with the present additions, The poem is used here by special permission. **

"No progress made by mortal man
Can change the just eternal plan;
With God there can be nothing new;
Ignore the false, embrace the true,
While all is well! is well! is well!"
Pealed out the good old Dutch church bell.

"Ye purifying waters swell!”

In mellow tones rang out a bell;
"Though faith alone in Christ can save,
Man must be plunged beneath the wave,
To show the world unfaltering faith
In what the sacred Scriptures saith :
Oh swell ye rising waters, swell!"
Pealed out the clear-toned Baptist bell.
"Not faith alone, but works as well,
Must test the soul!" said a soft bell;
"Come here and cast aside your load,
And work your way along the road,
With faith in God, and faith in man,
And hope in Christ, where hope began ;
Do well! do well! do well! do well!"
Rang out the Unitarian bell.

Farewell! farewell! base world, farewell!"
In touching tones exclaimed a bell ;
"Life is a boon, to mortals given,
To fit the soul for bliss in heaven;
Do not invoke the avenging rod,
Come here and learn the way to God;
Say to the world, Farewell! farewell!"
Pealed forth the Presbyterian bell.

"To all, the truth, we tell! we tell!"
Shouted in ecstasies a bell;
"Come all ye weary wanderers, see!
Our Lord has made salvation free!
Repent, believe, have faith, and then
Be saved, and praise the Lord, amen!
Salvation's free, we tell! we tell!"
Shouted the Methodistic bell.

"In after life there is no hell!"
In raptures rang a cheerful bell;
"Look up to heaven this holy day,
Where angels wait to lead the way!

There are no fires, no fiends to blight
The future life; be just and right.
No hell! no hell! no hell! no hell!"
Rang out the Universalist bell.

"The Pilgrim Fathers heeded well
My cheerful voice," pealed forth a bell;

Speed well, speed well, speed well, speed well!"

Pealed out the Independent bell.

"No pope, no pope, to doom to hell!"

The Protestant rang out a bell;

"Great Luther left his fiery zeal
Within the hearts that truly feel
That loyalty to God will be
The fealty that makes men free.
No images where incense fell!"
Rang out old Martin Luther's bell.

"All hail, ye saints in heaven that dwell
Close by the cross!" exclaimed a bell;
"Lean o'er the battlements of bliss,
And deign to bless a world like this;
Let mortals kneel before this shrine-
Adore the water and the wine!
All hail ye saints, the chorus swell!"
Chimed in the Roman Catholic bell.

"Against the wrong brave souls rebel,"
Was the suave language of a bell.
"Be wise and wary, bold and free,
True to the cross of Calvary;
Undaunted in the holy fight

In the defense of truth and right.
Hope's charter who would dare to sell,"
Exclaimed the Congregational bell.

"Departed souls anear us dwell
In spirit-land," said a mystic bell.
"Christ is the Saviour-He alone
Is God supreme upon the throne!
Though we are plodding mortals here,
The home of saints in heaven is near.

All doubt expel! expel! expel!"

Then dreamily chimed the New Church bell.

Each bell its creed in music tells:

Faith blends in harmony the bells,

Though many-voiced, their choral chime
Gives cadence to the creed sublime
Of trust in the dear God above,

Whose home is heaven, whose thought is love.
Each happy heart with rapture swells,
Responsive to the bells-sweet bells!

"Ye workers who have toiled so well,
To save the race!" said a sweet bell;
"With pledge, and badge, and banner, come,
Each brave heart beating like a drum;
Be royal men of noble deeds,

For love is holier than creeds;

Drink from the well, the well, the well!"
In rapture rang the Temperance bell.

THE BRIDAL FEAST.*-F. C. LONG.

A merry peal of marriage bells
Steals softly on the evening air;
Their silver harmony foretells
The weal or woe of some fond pair.
A festal throng had met at night,
And joy beamed in the face of all ;
A thousand gems were flashing bright
Beneath the lamps within the hall.
Music arose with dulcet swell,

And strains of mirth were constant heard;
Peans of gladness rose and fell
Like warbles of some forest bird,
Or like the sound of limpid streams

Which laugh adown the vale of dreams.
The guests were seated here and there,
On silken lounge and damask chair;
And mid the din, and dance and song,
Soft words were whispered in the throng,
And tender eyes a tale expressed,

Which tongue had never yet confessed.

*This story, told in prose, will be found in No. 2, and a dramatization of the same in Dramatic Supplement to No. 14.

NUMBER FOUR.

The bride was young, the bride was fair,
With laughing eyes and golden hair;
The groom was young, and brave was he
As e'er to maiden bent a knee;

A nobler pair, in sooth, than they

Have not been seen in many a day.

"Come, pledge with wine! Come, pledge with wine!" A young and thoughtless gallant cried;

"In amber juice of Gascon vine

We'll pledge the happy groom and bride!
A brimming chalice then was poured,
And offered to the bridal twain;
While round the glad and festal board,
The proffered toast was passed again.
The rose forsook the fair bride's face,
And left a lily in its place;

For she had cause to dread the fell
Distillments from the press of hell;
Still she took up the goblet there,
And viewed it in the lamps' red glare,
Then slowly raised it to her lip,
As if she was about to sip

The purple vintage, rich and rare ;

And then she paused, and with an eye

Which seemed through distant space to pry,

Gazed on the cup with eager stare.

The merry jeer, the idle joke,

Were hushed, as by a wizard's thrail;
And through the lofty banquet hall,
No sound the solemn stillness broke.
One jeweled finger she upraised,
Ornate with gems a queen might wear,
And on the blushing cup she gazed,
As though she saw a spectre there.
And thus she spake :

"I see a mountain range, whose purple busts
Are lifted to the sky; while o'er its brows
Gossamer clouds hang like a bridal veil.
Bright flowers are blooming on its ragged sides,
And joyous birds are caroling in the shade
Of giant oaks and beeches. A crystal rill,
Merrily laughing, leaps from cliff to cliff,
Eager to gambol in the vale beneath;
And over all, a shadowy, cloud-like mist,