path of virtue was seldom sincere and lasting, the number of instances narrated by the Rev. Mr. Robson, in which young females had been reclaimed, serve to show that there is a class to whom this remark is not applicable. Indeed, the worthy magistrate himself was convinced of this on hearing these recitals, and expressed an earnest wish that all such institutions should be encouraged.

That of those who have for long pursued a hardened course of vice, whose wish to amend arose only from some temporary impulse, many have relapsed, there can be no doubt; but there is a much larger class who have been led away by bad advice and bad example, who would gladly return to their friends and to the world, to pursue a path of virtue, were they not deterred from fear and shame, and too often because every door is closed upon them but that of infamy.

Without depreciating in any way similar institutions in this country, we may remark, there is one circumstance in which the Asylum of the Good

Shepherd stands alone, and is distinguished from all others. Other asyla for the outcast are, indeed, supported by the charitable contributions of those whose hearts can sympathize in the sufferings of their fellow-creatures; but in this the labour, the work itself, the care and attention to the penitents, are the purest and brightest characteristics of the charity. All this is amply provided in the generous selfdevotion of the Sisters of the Order of the Good Shepherd, without the necessity of having recourse to the services of the hired agent or uninterested stranger. Others give a portion of their worldly substance to promote the good work. May God regard and reward the deed of charity! These Sisters dedicate their lives to become the associates of those whom the world has betrayed, disclaimed, and rejected. It is theirs to greet with love and consolation the returning wanderer, who has encountered only the stranger's gaze from the moment she left her parent's home; it is theirs to supply the place of parents and of friends to the forsaken, the discarded penitent. In this

noble but arduous undertaking, they look for no earthly compensation; but, as they appear the ministering spirits of religion amongst us, and the instruments of God's mercy to the fallen, so they hope in Him alone for that reward of another world, which His Word assures us shall there crown the works of charity performed for the love of Him in this.

The tale of "The Outcast" is not the history of any particular individual (indeed, the idea was principally suggested to the writer, in the first instance, by Herbert's very expressive picture entitled "The Outcast," which was exhibited during the last summer in the British Institution, and partly, also, by Stonhouse's picture of "The Contrast," in the same exhibition), but a succession of incidents have been thrown together, most of which are known to have occurred to different persons at various times, among the unfortunate class whose cause we advocate. The closing scene of the meeting of the father and daughter was actually witnessed, in the reception-room of the

Convent, as nearly as possible as we have de

scribed it.

Applications and an appeal in behalf of this charity have already been extensively and widely made. To the numbers who have responded to the call, the Sisters of the Order of the Good Shepherd would express their grateful acknowledgments. The present prospects require that this appeal should be earnestly renewed, if we desire that the Order of the Good Shepherd should be established in England in a manner commensurate with the holy ends of the institution. For this purpose an eligible situation, with sufficient ground, must be obtained, and a considerable outlay will be necessary to adapt it to the purposes of the Order. But, on the other hand, a wider range will be given to the charity; a much greater number of the fallen will find refuge in their sorrow and distress, and the penitents themselves will be better enabled than at present, by various modes of industry which it is contemplated to introduce into the Asylum,

to contribute towards their own

maintenance.

The Sisters of the Order of the Good Shepherd have already conferred signal services on society, by rescuing many from the paths of vice. The power to continue and increase those services is what they ask in return from society. Once more, then, in the name of the institution,

We plead the sacred cause

Of Heaven born Charity-we supplicate

For England's daughters,-those who, lost, oppressed
With the world's woes, have fallen low, indeed!
Yet not so low, that they should be despised,-
For Christ did not despise them,--for He came
To seek and save the lost :-We come to seek
The wanderer from His fold. "The world
Frowns and condemns, but offers no relief;
Religion, while it censures and condemns
Iniquity, invites the unhappy soul

To Her Asylum-there she offers peace
In penitence," and points the way to Heaven.

Daughters of England !-rich, fair, and noble !
First, we appeal to you,-for pity
Ever finds a chord whereon to vibrate

In the young heart,-which, innocent and pure
In its own native truth, and generous
In its first glow of tenderest sympathy,
Responds at once to Charity's soft voice.
Oh! hearken to her voice!

And you, their parents,-" to whom much is given,
Much shall be required,”—hear our appeal !