the man. "If you open its pages, you will there see written who is being born, who is ill, and who is dying at that very moment, and everything that is going on in the world." "In that case, I will buy the book gladly." So the son of the prince purchased it, and carried it off with him. The son of the magistrate went through the shops of one of the towns of Ceylon, looking for what he might buy. At last he saw an old man with a small glass phial, containing a dark mixture, in his hand. On inquiring the price, he found that it was a thousand rupees. "Your medicine is by no means cheap, old fellow it ought to be very efficacious, I should think," said the son of the magis trate. "So it is," was the answer. "If you take one drop of this liquid, and pour it into the mouth of a dying man, he will infallibly recover." So the young man untied the corner of his handkerchief, in which he put his money, and bought the phial. The son of the sepoy, as was related, went into the country of Mysore. There, on the road, he met a man with a wooden horse, remarkably well carved. He asked the price of it, and was told a thousand rupees. He asked what were the points about it that made it so dear, as he could get one like it made for fifty. He was answered that it was the most wonderful horse in existence, because, if you wanted to be quickly at a place, you had only to put your leg over its back, give it three blows with a stick, and, in the twinkling of an eye, you would be at the place you desired. On hearing this he immediately purchased the horse, and took it away with him. All four, having now spent the money that was given to them, started for the place they had agreed to meet at, which place was a hundred miles from the princess's palace. It was late one night when they rejoined each other, and they were almost fainting from hunger. They had not touched food for three days, they had no money, and there was no one there who could have sold it to them if they had had it. At last one of them-he with the lotah-said "If I kindle a fire under this pot, in a short time an ample supper will be provided for you." No sooner said than done. Wood was fetched, and a fire was lighted. In a very few minutes they saw, to their delight, food ready cooked. After they had eaten sufficiently, they sat down, and began to relate their adventures. The one who had bought the book produced it, and opening it, said "I can now tell what our princess is doing, if she is alive and in good health.” No sooner had he cast his eye on the pages than he uttered an exclamation of horror, and said— "I see that our princess is very sick, and at the point of death. What is to be done?" The man who had the phial of medicine said "Could I but be near her in time, her life would be saved." The man who owned the wooden horse now said "That can be easily done. I have a horse here, which if you mount, and strike him three times with a stick, he will transport you in a moment wherever you wish." They were all delighted to hear this. They immediately mounted, and found themselves at the palace of the princess. She was at her last gasp; but the man with the phial poured a drop of the liquid into her mouth, and she recovered directly. Now came the difficult question, whom out of these four should she marry? Their purchases had turned out equally useful; but they had each been dependent on the other. If the lotah had not supplied them with food, they would have all died of hunger; if the book had not given them the information, they would never have known of the princess's illness; but for the phial of medicine the princess would have died; and if the horse had not brought them, they would not have been there. It was decided at length in favour of the man who owned the horse, as having a horse he could ride to his wedding-it being the custom in the East for the bridegroom, if he has any pretensions to dignity, to ride to the bride's house. THE REWARD OF THE BARBER. A certain man, who was very poor, passed from one country to another, and took up his abode in a small hovel close to the palace of the king of that country. Each day he went to the door of the palace, and waited till the king came out to mount his horse; he then made a salaam to the king. This continued for a whole year—the poor March 2, 1872] NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D. man not missing a single day making his obeisance. At the end of a year, the king took notice of him, and asked him why he so constantly was there, and if he was in his service, or if he could grant him anything? The poor man replied that he was not in his service, nor did he want employment or money; all he asked was that he might be allowed to come every day to the king's dhurbah, and sit close to his majesty's side, every now and then putting his mouth to the king's ear, but at the same time preserving the most complete silence. The king made.no objection to this arrangement, When as it would in no way interfere with him if he did not speak; so he consented. the courtiers saw the man putting his mouth from time to time to the king's ear, they imagined that he had great influence with the king; so that if any one had a suit to prefer, he came to this man and gave him large bribes, so that he might talk the king over to his side. Some gave him a thousand rupees, others two thousand; and soon, in this way, from a poor man he became a very rich one. Now, the vizier of this king, when he saw that a great deal of money, instead of coming into his hands, as he thought was his right, went into those of the stranger, became very jealous, and took counsel with himself how he should get him sent away. It happened one morning that the court barber, who was a very cunning man, went to shave the vizier, and seeing him very unhappy, asked him the cause of his sadness. The vizier said "What business is it of yours? Hold your But on the barber persisting in asking So he went to the king, and, as he was "Oh, king, does not a stranger always sit by your side, and whisper to you at your dhurbars?" The king answered "Yes, it is so; and, moreover, each time he is present I give him a draft on my treasury for ten rupees." "Well," said the barber, "the man sets all sorts of reports about; and among others, he says that when you whisper to him, you have such offensive breath that he is com pelled to put his handkerchief to his nose The king, getting very angry, answered- The barber then went to the stranger, and The stranger thanked the barber, and said As Now, written on the draft were these Having received this, the man went out, and on his way to the treasury he met the barber, who made his salaam. The stranger said "Here is the draft for ten rupees the king always gives me. Take it, and present it at the treasury, and accept the money as a The barber took it, and soon found himpresent for the valuable hint you gave me." self seized, his nose cut off, and ten rupees put into his hand. Thus the biter was bit. NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D. oud, te o her THE subject of our cartoon, the Rev. Majesty's chaplains for Scotland, was born Dr. Macleod was educated at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow; and, after Established Church of Scotland, was apholding various minor preferments in the pointed minister of the Barony Church in Glasgow. He is well known as the author of many valuable and interesting works; and perhaps the most noticeable, his book entitled "Eastward," based upon his experiences of travels which he made in Palestine and the neighbouring countries some years ago, has added largely to his reputation as an attractive writer. Dr. Macleod also went, in 1867, on a journey of inspection among the principal missionary stations of India-a thousand pounds having been previously voted to him for travelling expenses from the funds devoted to missionary enterprises by the Established Church of Scotland. Some of the more interesting results of his investigations were given in "Good Words," of which Dr. Macleod has been the editor since the first establishment of that magazine in the year 1860. These notes have since been reprinted in a volume form, under the title of "Peeps at the Far East; or, a Familiar Account of a Visit to India." Of his other numerous literary works, we may mention the "Home School; or, Hints on Home Education," Simple Truths spoken to Working Men "-addressed more immediately to the congregation of the working classes of the Barony Mission ChapelDeborah,' ,""Reminiscences of a Highland Parish," and, perhaps one of the most successful of all his works, "The Earnest Student." Although only a brief sketch, one of the most characteristic examples of his style of thought and expression is a short disquisition on "Social Life in Heaven"one of the papers in a collection entitled "Recognition of Friends in Heaven," the joint production of the Bishop of Ripon, Dr. Macleod, J. B. Owen, M.A., and three other authors. Dr. Macleod has also written an interesting Scottish story, "The Starling." ROUGE ET NOIR. THE palmy days of Homburg and Baden are numbered. Throughout the whole of the new German Empire, the godless reign of rouge et noir and the hungry genii of the gambling-table have been condemned in the public interest; and the unhallowed scenes of former days, so long the reproach and disgrace of German wateringplaces, which drew to their "hells" the folly and reckless passions of the civilized world, are to be committed to the ready oblivion of the past. This resolution of the Imperial Government is based upon no mere freak of sudden virtue and contrition. For some years past, the tide of public opinion in Germany has been setting in strongly, with daily increasing force, against the pandemoniums which had gained for the most beautiful natural resorts of that country such an unenviable notoriety. Their suppression was seen to be a necessity not only of public morality, but of public policy. The question, in a formal shape, first came before the old Federal Diet, and a resolution was voted in that assembly to call upon the Governments of the different States of Germany to state what they were prepared to do in the matter of this desired suppression of open gaming-tables. The Grand Duchy of Baden responded that it intended closing the Baden establishment even before the time of the contract had expired. But the Nassau authorities were not quite so complaisant. They maintained that it was impossible to abolish the gaming-banks of Wiesbaden and Ems, inasmuch as the proprietors of those concerns had built the thermal establishments there in 1807 and 1810, and had kept them in repair ever since, at their own expense. They promised, however, when the present leases had expired, to refuse to renew them. The Government of Mecklenburg-Schwerin offered to suppress the Dobberau gaminghouse, if the Governments of the other States would abolish those within their own jurisdiction. Waldeck refused to suppress its two gaming-houses at Pyrmont and Wildungen, the concessions for which were in force till 1873 and 1905 respectively, unless public gaming should be prohibited throughout the whole of the Federation simultaneously. These were the first symptoms of the coming reform, and the natural opposition of vested interests, however vile or however blighting, to the healthy moral instincts of a great people. But now the end is at hand. Rouge et noir will soon be an institution of the past-so far, at least, as the Germans are concerned; and the croupier will find no other refuge than that wretched rock of Monaco, "which never sows and never reaps, yet has an invincible objection to starving." But the congratulations of the well-wishers of society have re |