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HOMES OF REST-GENERAL FUND.

It is desired to collect, by degrees, a Homes of Rest Fund, to secure admission for our Members to Convalescent Homes where payment is required. We think many of our Members may like to help their sister Members by subscribing small sums for this object. The smallest donations, from ONE PENNY upwards, will be received with pleasure, and may be forwarded to HoN. LADY (B. C.) GREY, Fairmile House, Cobham, Surrey. They will be acknowledged each month in the Magazine. The following are gratefully acknowledged: --

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Brought forward

Fanny Cooper, Grantham Country Branch Miss Hinds, Croydon.

H. Spreadbro', Croydon Branch

Offertory at Annual Festival of Peter's, Greenwich Branch

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Donations should be sent in before the roth of the month, to ensure their acknowledgment in the next number of FRIENDLY LEAVES.

Branch Secretaries and Associates in the undermentioned Dioceses may apply for grants for Sick Members from this Fund as follows:

DIOCESE.

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Chichester Lady Maryon Wilson, Searles, Uckfield.
London...... The Lady Florence Blunt, 12 Cumberland
Terrace, Regent's Park, London, N.W.
Lichfield ....
The Lady Mary Herbert, Styche, Market
Drayton.

The Lady Jane Levett, Wychnor Park,
Burton-on-Trent.

Peterborough Mrs. Milman, the Governor's House, H. M.
Prison, Holloway, N.

Rochester Winchester.. Worcester

Miss A. Goodrich, Prospect Villa, Central
Hill, Upper Norwood.

Miss E. C. Orr, Cheriton Rectory, Alresford.
The Lady Norton, Hams, Minworth, Bir-
mingham.

In all other Dioceses, Branch Secretaries and Associates requiring help for sick Members to apply to the Hon. Lady Grey, Fairmile House, Cobham, Surrey.

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RUGELEY HOME and Cottage HOSPITAL.-5s. per week. Apply to Miss Levett, Rugeley, Staffordshire.

ST. PETER'S COTTAGE, GRAVEL WALK, ROCHESTER.-lí servant out of place, 5s. per week. Apply to the Matron. LIMPSFIELD CONVALESCENT HOME. 75. per week. Apply to Mrs. E. R. Jones, Limpsfield Rectory, Surrey.

THE COTTAGE HOME, WEST END, ESHER.-75. per week. For Homes of Rest' open to G. F. S. Members, see the G. F. S. Advertiser.

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FRIENDLY LEAVES.

VOL. V.

EDITED BY M. E. TOWNSEND.

Talks about Words.

AUGUST, 1880.

BY MRS. FETHERSTONHAUgh. IV. PURITY (1. OF MIND). MUST divide the explanation of this word into two parts, purity of mind and purity of body.

First, purity of mind,—and when I use the word 'mind' it stands for soul, and thought, and heart, and all the words we are accustomed to make use of when we mean the invisible, immortal part of us which leaves our body when we die.

David said, in one of his deeply contrite Psalms of penitence and prayer (the 51st), 'Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.' Every evening of our lives we need to pray to God in these words, and every morning before we go forth to our day's work we should repeat them, or say in words of our own the same prayer. We must not rest till we find out what thoughts we have been harbouring, and what effect the conversation of others has had upon us; and if we find lurking there any trace of pride, vanity, sloth, anger, or sensuality, we must set to work at once,cast forth the unclean thing and throw open all inlets to the blessed influence of Heaven, pray at once in such words as come to our lips, seek out a verse in the Bible, repeat

No. 48.

the words of a hymn, and resolve to pray against the unholy thought, especially at our next Communion,-to forsake the society of the person who suggested it, never again to read the books in which it is found.

Do not, when you find such a thought lurking in your hearts, say to yourself, 'It does not matter; all girls of my age have their minds full of such things!' With God's help they shall not exist in yours.

Out with it! Cast it forth ! Let it not rest till you have brought it to the fountain of Christ's blood, which ever flows to wash away all uncleanness; and then you will have the blessed feeling of being restored to innocence and happiness, ready to start again, pure and fresh for your onward journey of life.

V.-PURITY (2. OF BODY).

'PURITY of body.' I use the word body as representing the visible, mortal part of us, which remains on earth when we die. You will remember the first of our G. F. S. Scripture rules of life, with its reference to the text in which St. Paul says, 'Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? If any man defile the temple of the Holy Ghost, him shall God destroy;' and we have not far to look before we see how that awful threat is fulfilled.

Look at our lunatic and idiot asylums, filled

now more than ever to overflowing by the unhappy ones on whom for their own or their forefathers' sins the curse has fallen. Look at the frightful diseases all around us, that cripple the limbs, destroy the skin, and mar the features of those whose first parent was made in the image of God, all traceable to the same sources of drunkenness and impurity of life. Look at them, to pity and to learn; pray with all your hearts for God's mercy on us His erring people, and then strive by His grace to keep your own body 'in temperance, soberness, and chastity,' so that the Holy Ghost may deign to make it His holy temple as long as you live, and that no later generation may inherit from you the terrible judgments of the jealous God who visits the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.

The first thing, therefore, requisite for purity of body is, that the light of the Holy Spirit should shine within it, lighting the eyes with calm and holy lustre, strengthening the hands for labours of love and usefulness, guiding the feet in paths of peace.

Secondly, we need an unfailing supply of fresh air.

Thirdly, the use of pure water and of the means within our reach for removing the impurities cast off from our bodies, or adhering to them from contact with things outside them.

Fourthly, healthful exercise of every muscle and of all physical powers, without which they cannot be kept in fit condition for the service required of us.

Fifthly, warm and suitable clothing. Believe me, a girl who begins the day with soul and body dressed as I have described will be satisfied with nothing short of cleanliness in her surroundings. Be she rich or poor, high

or low, all that is sweet and pure will spring up around her, all that is foul and filthy will vanish.

Oh, girls of England! why, do you not see that if each one of you would believe this and act up to it, vice and misery would cease to disgrace our country, and every home would be a centre of love, and joy, and peace?

A Pair of Mittens;

OR,

Miss Merton's Story.

By the Author of Hold the Fort,' &c. (Concluded from p. 158.)

CHAPTER III.

FTER a time, Miss Merton roused herself and went on :

'I say nothing about the next few days. Every sound made me start, every note that was brought in made me look up eagerly, every post brought a feverish hope,-no, not a hope, I was too certain that there could be no hope, but still it brought disappointment. None of my family spoke of Captain A—; there was no allusion to what would naturally have been a great topic, the regiment leaving our neighbourhood; and this silence was to me full of significance.

At last the day came. I had seen in the paper notice of the embarkation of the troops and the sailing of the ship; and was sitting alone, when my brother came to my room with a letter in his hand. My poor Nelly,' he said, 'I think you ought to see this,' and kissing me tenderly, he went away at once.

It was a letter from A-, written the night before he went on board. I have just been reading it again, and it is the letter of such a true, kind gentleman, that I am not ashamed to think how much I had learned to care for him.'

Miss Merton did not read the letter to Susan,

but I think it is only fair to Captain A to give it here. It ran thus:

'MY DEAR JAMES,

'I have been in a thousand minds about writing to you, but I am so unhappy and my thoughts are so full of you all that I feel I must; besides, I think it is due to you that I should explain my conduct.

'You must have seen that I admired your sister. How much I loved and love her, you cannot know; but I must try to make you understand what happened. You remember asking me if I was going abroad with my regiment and the answer I gave you. The next day, I came to your house earlier than I had announced my purpose of doing, as I found I could get away and was naturally impatient to learn my fate. I had resolved to ask your sister if she would be my wife, and to be guided as to my movements by her answer. I was full of hope, for I could not help fancying that she was not indifferent to me.

66

'The servant showed me into the outer room where your young cousins were playing; they immediately seized upon me and insisted upon my putting the crowning bricks upon their tower of Babel, which had outgrown their reach. You may suppose that I was not much in the humour to delay, but they would take no denial, and the little one added to his entreaties, with a significant nod towards the next room, You needn't be in a hurry to go there—you knowCousin Nelly is in one of her tantrums; and I am sure you are not wanted." The others tried to stop him, but Johnny went on : "She is, nurse said so. She told me to keep out of the way, for 'Miss was in a dreadful temper." They all laughed at Johnny's impertinence, and I was just pulling his hair to punish him when the door opened and your sister came hurriedly in, looking flushed and excited, and rushed past me, while I heard you say, “Thank Heaven I am only your brother! How I shall pity your husband, whoever he may be!"

'Oh, James, if you could know how my heart died away within me at these words! But before you could feel as I did, you must have had a home such as mine was in my childhood. My poor mother! good, affectionate, well-meaning, -she had an unhappy temper which brought misery to her husband and children; and my first resolution, when I dreamed of a home of my own, was to have a wife of the sweetest, most placid temper.

'I went into the room where your mother and you were sitting. Her face of dismay and your look of disturbance made me still more uneasy. Your sister did not come back, but it was settled that I should dine with you. All the afternoon I debated within myself what I should do,-what would be best for both of us. I knew I had inherited in part my poor mother's fault and that there would be no happiness in my home unless my wife was especially free from any trace of it. I would come to no decision, but left myself to be guided by what might happen that evening. Perhaps I might find that I had been mistaken; at any rate I would see her again.

'The evening did decide. You probably do not remember; but there was no possibility left me of supposing that your sister's affections were really engaged. She even made me ashamed of having for a moment thought of deserting my regiment. Mortifying as this may be, I can see how much better it is for us both, and my task has been made easier. I think I am the only one to suffer. I feel, however, that I owe this much of explanation to you and your mother; and I leave it to you to do what you think right with regard to your sister.'

Miss Merton sat for some time with this letter in her hand, again forgetting her expectant listener. Susan remained quiet and silent, hoping that there might be still something more to hear; but giving herself a little shake, Miss Merton said, in her usual cheerful manner, though, perhaps, with some effort,

'There! my dear, that's all; I have told my story. You see I had a sharpish lesson.'

'Is that all, Miss Merton? Did he really go?' He did really go, and I never saw him again. My dear, good, brother James could hardly for. give himself for having partly brought this sorrow upon me; but he has acknowledged since that-well-that I am the better for it, and that I should not, as I was then, have made any man's home a happy one.

Dear James, how good, and gentle, and patient, he was with me, and how thankful I was afterwards to be at home and free,-able to nurse him through a long and suffering illness.

'All's well that ends well.' Captain A-married a very good-tempered wife, and has no doubt been very happy. And here am I, a cheery old maid, able to lecture you young folks upon your tempers, and, as you see, to hold myself up as an example.

Good night, Susan; you have had a longer story than you expected; but when once the stream of old memories begins to flow there is no stopping it! You need not tell other people what I have been telling you, but you will remember why I think it is important to cultivate a good temper and to beware of saying sharp things.'

Susan went home thinking Miss Merton had been rather hardly treated, but at the same time inclined to speculate upon what a certain George would say or do if he saw her, Susan, in a similar state of passion,-'not that I do often get into a downright passion now,' she thought; ' and I may thank Miss Merton for that. She was the first that made me begin trying to govern my temper, and I ought to go on if it was only for her sake.'

Miss Merton remained musing, after Susan had left her, wondering, but not sadly, how much trace of those old days still lingered in the memory of the father of the young man she had lately seen.

'Would my name even be familiar to him, if I desired this youth to say he had seen an old friend of his father's, while staying with his

friend, Harry Jermyn? Shall I? No, I will not. Love is the event in a woman's life; it is only one among many in a man's!'

And Miss Merton got up briskly, put the letter away in the Indian box, and proceeded to occupy herself as usual.

Was she right, or was she wrong in suppos. ing that her name even, would be forgotten? Let us take a look at Arthur Musgrave's home, and try to satisfy ourselves on that point.

On a bright, frosty morning, in the early autumn, a dog-cart stood at the door of an oldfashioned country-house.

The owner, a tall, somewhat stern-looking gentleman, was walking up and down the hall, waiting for his son, who had undertaken to drive him to a county meeting in the neighbouring

town.

'Are you not gone yet, my dear?' exclaimed, with some surprise, the lady of the house, as she came into the hall from the adjoining room.

'No; I am waiting for Arthur: that boy is always late.'

'Run and look for him,' whispered the mother to her daughter, who was near; "he must not keep his father standing here. Oh! here he comes, dear boy. And now, general, do put on your greatcoat, and wrap your. self up warmly,' added the comely, motherly, placid lady, who looked as if she took life very easily, and had no sharp corners or angles either moral or physical, and who certainly had not wasted away from over-anxiety of mind. She fussed a little in a gentle way about her impatient husband, and ended by thrusting into his pocket a pair of mittens which she found on the hall-table.

The dogcart drove off. By-and-by, General Musgrave discovered something in his pocket, and pulling out the mittens, exclaimed, 'What on earth have I got here? These are not mine.'

'All right, father, they are mine, and you are very welcome to wear them,' said Arthur, cheerfully; 'but you must give them back to me, for they were a present from the brightest,

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