The acquaintanceship thus commenced between Doña Emilia and my friend soon ripened into something very intimate and confiding. The appellations Señora and usted were soon dropped. Emilia and Pepa, which latter is a fancy Spanish diminutive of Josephine, soon took their place; individual peculiarities were frankly discussed; and at length Doña Emilia summoned up courage to ask a question, which, according to her own admission subsequently, had been weighing on her mind ever since the tertulia of the Marchioness.

"Why did you refuse the other day to join our game?" "Because to do so would have been contrary to my religious principles."

"In what respect ?"

"Because I object to make sport of holy names."

"Ah! I thought so. Listen then," continued Doña

Emilia. "It was with no desire to offend that I asked, but to learn the real opinions of you English. I begin to think you different to what I have been taught to believe." She then for a moment checked herself. It was not difficult to see that a conflict reigned between curiosity and politeness. My friend understood the feeling, and begged the Andalusian lady to speak unreservedly.

"Listen, then," continued she, "to a passage of my early life. Learn in what manner I was educated; what prejudices, what falsehoods. As for you English, and your country, I was taught by my governess to believe that every Englishman was a drunkard, got drunk daily after dinner, and fell asleep under the table; that you had no religious belief whatever, no churches, and no Ministers; that, in short, you were all a kind of Heathen Jews. It is true, my father, who had fought with the Duke of Wellington, and who had been in England, laughed at these caprices, as he termed them; but my governess assured me all she said was true, and my Confessor repeated the assurance, so that my prejudices remained, as you will directly see. As a child, I was as fond of horses as I am now. Well, one morning I saw at Seville a beautiful creature, larger than our Andalusian horses,

and quite as graceful. I was delighted; I hastened back, begging of my papa to find out the horse's owner, and purchase the animal for me. My papa assented. The idea never occurred to me that the horse had a foreign master, and I knew well that no Spaniard would have refused my papa the privilege of buying it. The horse, however, belonged to an English gentleman on his travels." "And so you could not make your purchase," interposed my friend.

"Negotiations did not proceed to that length," replied Doña Emilia. "I no sooner found it was an English horse, than I looked on the animal with disgust, if not with fear. I should as soon have thought of keeping a familiar demon. Thank you, thank you, many times," continued she, "for your rebuke the other evening. I have often lamented that there should be in the world people so bad as you English. It is false: I see it; I know it. Tu has puesto una luz en el camino de mi vida : you have placed a light in the highway of my life."

Now the above, far from being an extreme case, is of the commonest possible occurrence. Any material deviation would falsely represent the mind and opinions of ladies in Spain. Beyond graceful dancing, manipulation of the fan, which last is a science of itself, and showy though unsound musical execution, the education of Spanish ladies is totally uncared for. As to religion, it consists in blind obedience to the tyrannous dogmas of the Priests, and observance of minute ceremonies, many of them ridiculous, others profane. The religious condition of Spanish men is somewhat different. The greater number of Spanish women go through life in a state of mind equally removed from the extremes of treating things sacred with levity and of high-wrought enthusiasm. To avoid the study of matters involving such a number of conflicting thoughts, they enter into the compromise of not thinking at all. Their life is made up of the siesta and bull-fights by day, tertulias, balls, the theatre, and other diversions of similar stamp in the evening. Amongst the men I have reason to believe that the non-thinkers are few; the greater

proportion being divisible into devotees and latitudinarians, understanding the term in the sense of differing from the tenets of the Church of Rome.-Leisure Hour.

AMBITION AND HUMILITY.

Is there a human being so depressed and humbled, as not to possess some degree of ambition? Is there one being who is so "sick in the world's regard, wretched and low," as to know no prompting of this sense? Hardly. Its forms are various, as various as the characters in which it is manifested. Some it leads to do menial offices, because these indirectly constitute the rounds of the ladder by which they expect to climb. Others, more zealous and less cunning, overleap their darling object by vaulting too high; lured on to destruction by ambition, or self-love,-two words that are very analogous in signification.

The truly wise will avoid the exercise of this spirit as far as it is possible for them; for they will realize that the wear and tear of heart, necessary in its pursuit, are never recompensed. Nothing can compensate for the freshness of youth and social enjoyment of which it robs us; for the calloused sensibilities with which we must finally retire from its workshop. Alas! "the path of glory leads but to the grave," "-a truth which should ever be before our eyes when the siren voice tempteth us to destruction. All persons have before them some end, which they pursue even unto death; but that end, when gilded by the gloss of "the mind's immodesty," ambition, is but a feather which they idly blow before them in the path of life.

But there is a trait of human character diametrically opposed to that we have just described; one, the beauty and excellence of which renders it a jewel of great price. We refer to "that low, sweet root," humility; that softened shadow before the statue of excellence; that diamond of the heart, which outshines all others; the never-failing companion of worth. But this is a gem which, like all else that is valuable in principle, people are very apt to

purchase by experience; for after losses and crosses we are ready to grow wiser and humbler. Good sense must be set in a border of humility to render it complete; and wisdom is not wisdom without it.

Ambition and pride are very commonly found in the same heart; and yet how every-day life rebukes them! the very streets are full of lessons of humility. If the proud, ambitious man would but pause and consider how small a vacancy his death would occasion in the world, he would see his position in its true light. The greatness, in the world's esteem, that the ambitious man so covets, costs too dearly for possession. Distinction is an eminence that is too often attained at the expense of a fireside.

"JUMP IN."

So said a good-natured gentleman riding alone in his chaise, as he overtook a young man on foot, several years ago. The youngster jumped in, and was much obliged. Since that time he has often thought of the timely and very acceptable invitation then extended to him; and now, when he himself overtakes a lone traveller, way-worn and weary, he pays the old debt, by repeating the invitation,"Jump in." A small matter, surely, to help a stranger a mile or two on his way; yet it is one of those little things which go toward making up the sum of human beneficence, and which pay the doer a large interest on the amount invested.

NEW BOOKS.

(Literary, Scientific, Educational.)

Lectures delivered before the Young Men's Christian Association in Exeter-Hall in the year 1854-55. (Nisbet.) The Lectures, as usual, are extremely miscellaneous, but abound in talent and piety. The readers of the "Youth's Instructer" may be recommended to peruse a very interesting description, by the REV. LUKE H. WISEMAN, of the leading "Agents in the Revival of the last Century."

MRS. EVERETT GREEN has completed her Lives of the Princesses of England, from the Norman Conquest. (Hurst and Blackett.) Too much praise can scarcely be given to Mrs. Green for her industry, good taste, and the genial womanly sympathy with which she traces her royal subjects through the joys and sorrows of their domestic life. The work should have a place in every well-furnished library; and we cordially wish Mrs. Green equal success in her next literary labour, "Lives of the Queens of the House of Brunswick."

A Cyclopædia of Universal History, edited by ISAIAH M'BURNEY, B.A., and SAMUEL NEIL, (Richard Griffin and Co.,) comprising tabular views of contemporaneous events in all ages, although susceptible of improvement in accuracy of detail and in selection, is a very useful book of reference for readers of history.

The Greek Testament, with Notes Grammatical and Exegetical, by WEBSTER and WILKINSON. (John W. Parker.) We have the first volume, containing the four Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles. It is not encumbered with what we usually call critical apparatus, but is enriched with copious yet condensed notes, full of information, and admirably tending to explain the text. The principle of exposition adopted by the learned annotators is entirely to our own liking, and we earnestly recommend this Testament to the attention of students, and not less so to Ministers who labour to make the original text of holy Scripture the basis of expository discourses.

The REV. W. ARTHUR has published, in a pamphlet, (Hamilton, Adams, and Co.,) a courteous, faithful, and most powerful appeal to the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, M.P., on occasion of his recent advocacy in Parliament of "a French Sunday." This letter, which bears the title of "The People's Day," has produced a very deep impression in important circles, and will doubtless be read studiously by those who wish to arm themselves against the licentiousness of traffickers and law-makers who have no fear of God before their eyes.

POETRY.

TO A DRIED SPRIG OF MEZEREON:

KEPT (IN REMEMBRANCE OF A SISTER IN HEAVEN) till the

TREE BLOOMED AGAIN.

"One frosty Sabbath morning, in the early spring, the clearness of the air induced us to lead her failing feet to the house of God. Some one