LETTER FROM A SERVANT MAN, ON EARLY MARRIAGES.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visisor.

WORTHY SIR,

As our master is so kind as to allow your" Cottager" to be read in our kitchen, I have been much delighted, and I trust improved, by its many excellent Papers. Among these, a right attention to the ceremonies of our Church, lately attracted our notice; and I am pretty sure that our neighbour's two servants, William and Rhoda, who were married a short time since, must have read them also, as I was told, by a friend who was present, that they both behaved with so much propriety on the occasion, not tittering and winking when the Clergyman addressed them, but making their responses reverently and distinctly, and like people, who were aware at WHOSE altar they stood, and to WHOM they so awfully appealed. The behaviour of both parties, indeed, was so proper at the time, and their conduct has been so since, that I am confident they must have read or heard of your advice. On the Sunday after their marriage, they were at Church, and as attentive to their prayers as the oldest married people; not seeking to catch the notice of the people, but appeared to be altogether intent in offering up their prayers. In short, Mr. Visitor, there has been so much modest propriety in the marriage of this couple, that I am certain you would much approve of their behaviour.

Notwithstanding all this, my fellow servants, and I, still think that there is one drawback to their entire recommendation-and that is, their YOUTH. The bride is under age, and the bridegroom very little beyond twenty-one. Now, we have often read in your Cottager of the propriety of saving up a little money to begin the world with; and we have all

Encouragement to Mothers.

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agreed, that a person of your experience must be right. You have over and over again told us, how wise it is to put by, every quarter, even a small part of our wages, and to place it in the Savings Bank; and you have given us a Table also, to shew us how fast the sums will go on increasing.

If, then, young people are too much in a hurry to be married, as I fear has been the case with this couple, they are much more liable to trouble and want of comfort, from a family coming on too fast, independent of sickness and other casualties, than if they had prudently waited awhile, each laying by something in store, until they had secured a comfortable supply to begin with.

Perhaps, Mr. Editor, if you would agree with us in this recommendation, it might be the means of teaching your readers to consider a little before they engage in those early marriages, which are almost invariably productive of more misery in the end, than real happiness.

I beg to subscribe myself,

Respected Sir,

Your constant Reader and Admirer,

THOMAS

ENCOURAGEMENT TO MOTHERS.

Ir has often been said that good men have generally been able to trace their best feelings to the early instructions of a pious mother. There is much truth in the remark, and this may give a cheerful hope to those mothers whose labour for a while seems to be lost, that a time will come when the good seed shall spring up and bring forth fruit. But, generally, such labours are not lost; and the diligent parent has the comfort of seeing the effect of her pious exertions. The following extract from the life of the excellent

Bishop Dehon, may add another example to encourage the labours of mothers.-"Theodore Dehon was born in Boston *, on the 8th of December, 1776. Under a pious mother he was religiously educated. She regularly, on Sunday evenings, heard her children repeat the Catechism, and she read to them the Holy Scriptures; and, at the appointed seasons, conducted them to the church to be catechised by the Minister."

Constant experience convinces us of the great advantage of instruction at home. Scripture furnishes us with many and striking instances to shew us its importance. The greatest blessing conferred upon any family, was upon that of Abraham-from him the Messiah was to spring, and did spring; the promise to him was, "In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."-For the Lord said of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him."-Obadiah is an instance of the importance of early religion.Why was Obadiah one of the small number of those, who, in the wicked court of King Ahab, was found among the faithful, and, as we read, "feared the Lord greatly?"-The answer is, that he "feared him in his youth."-And we no longer wonder at the faith which St. Paul declares to have been found in his convert Timothy, when we read that he belonged to a devout family, and was blessed with the instructions of a pious mother. V.

PRIZE-FIGHTING.

MR. HAYNE, the patron of Cannon, informed a meeting at Warwick, previous to the fight, that whether Cannon won or lost, that would be the last

* In America.

7

Prize-Fighting.

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time he would appear as a prize-fighter. It would afford us pleasure if we could think that the fondness for these fights was going off; but it seems that, at present, the rage for those brutal sights is increasing; and we cannot help believing that this bad taste is greatly encouraged by the Newspapers of the day, who give the accounts in a vulgar slang, which is exceedingly attractive to vulgar minds. We do not accuse all the Newspapers of this; there are some of better character. It has been attempted to defend prize-fights, by saying that they keep up the national courage. This is a great mistake. What is really good, cannot be kept up by what is really bad. Fine and noble feelings cannot be supported by savage and brutal ones. Where is there a set of more brave and hardy fellows than the Scotch? and it was never their practice to keep up their courage by prize-fighting. But let us look at our own portion of the Island. Had we prize-fights two or three hundred years ago?—and yet the Englishmen of that day were never accused of a want of courage. But some people say that the brave Romans had their gladiators-their prize-fighters. True ; and when did these most abound and increase? When was prize-fighting in the greatest fashion among the Romans?-Why, in the times of the worst Emperors, when public virtue was dying away at Rome, and when the country was fast hastening to decay.

We entreat all real lovers of their country to reflect calmly on the consequences of prize-fights; to consider the dissolute and profligate characters they are encouraging by being present at them; a set of characters, who, instead of being the strength of a country, are its weakness, its blots, its sores; and who, if they were numerous enough, would be its ruin. Happily, there are better things going on at the same same, which tend to give strength and prosperity to our country. Happy are

they who are the promoters of what is good, and who are uniting their efforts with those who are encouraging the real benefit of mankind-their temporal, their eternal benefit.

During the last few months, many of our fellow men have been hurried from the dreadful employment of a prize-fight, into the presence of their eternal Judge. No Christian can be insensible to this consideration.

We must not accuse all Newspapers of encouraging these prize-fights for we are indebted principally to a London Paper for the above remarks.

V.

EATING.

THE Doctors say, that an overloaded stomach is the cause of the greater number of diseases that come before them. It is not what a man eats, but what he can digest that strengthens him. Giving the stomach every day a little more than it can manage to digest, is the way to produce uneasiness every day-and, at length, serious disease. This is worth the consideration of all persons who eat as much as they can every day, and are constantly complaining of illness, and very frequently have occasion for the doctor. This is particularly needful for those who have weak stomachs, and who complain of heart-burn, and acidities, and indigestions, and so on. They give their stomachs more work than they can properly perform.

There is another circumstance to be attended to by all who wish to be in good health; which is, to masticate the food well, to chew it small. The teeth are given for that very purpose; the food is thus made ready for the process of digestion, which is to take place afterwards; and, if the teeth do not take their share of the work, they leave too much for the