Babylon, we find among his servants princes of the blood royal of the family of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

'The histories of Daniel, and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, teach us that, as in the case of Joseph, their faithful trust in Jehovah, and worship of Him as the only living and true God, were owned and rewarded. They were advanced to positions of high honour and trust, while their heathen rulers, by their steadfastness and consistency, were led to acknowledge His power and glory. (See Dan. ii. 47; iii. 18; iv. 27; vi. 1-3-25, 27.) They simply and faithfully adhered to "the law of their God," unmindful of circumstances. What calm dignity and confidence in face of such fearful death: "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter, O Nebuchadnezzar." "Our God is able to deliver us."

'Are we as firm and true? Could we be "faithful, even unto death," upholding our principles and the honour and glory of God against, it may be, opposition, derision, and false accusation, when we know our cause is right? Remember, this Scripture was written for our learning, and let us thank God for giving us such examples to strengthen our faith and encourage us in the path of duty, and let us pray for grace to follow in their train.

'Observe especially the loyalty with which Daniel served, first one dynasty of kings, and then another. As Babylon changed hands by the fall of Belshazzar, Daniel came under another master,-an enemy of his old one. Yet, though he had been a loyal servant to Nebuchadnezzar and his house, he was equally trusted and valued by Darius, who succeeded him.

'I want you to notice this,' continued Miss South, for I am sorry to say servants often think they may behave very strangely when there is a change of master or mistress. I have known a case where the mistress of a family, having to leave England to nurse a sick relation, asked her sister to stay in her house and take charge of it and the children during her absence. The servants refused to obey their new mistress and

told her, "She was not their mistress." Of course they all had to go away in that case; but short of that extremity of rudeness, very respectable servants will often give much trouble when there is a change of rulers in the household,-as, for instance, when a widower master marries again. They seem to think it quite right, and rather loyal, to draw comparisons between the old mistress and the new one, and, alas ! in too many cases they say these things before the children, thus poisoning their minds against their step-mother in a most unfair and cruel way. Changes of rule are generally a trial in some ways. I cannot suppose that Daniel found them pleasanter than anyone else does, but he saw in the service of his new master the service of his God, as he had seen it in his old one, and he served Darius as ungrudgingly as he had served Nebuchadnezzar and his family.

'Take a lesson from this, girls, and remember whatever house you are in, you must obey. You are not obliged to take service under the new mistress, but if you do take service, you are bound to obey her as loyally as you obeyed the former one. You have no right to stay in the house unless you mean to be her faithful servant.

'There are still two other "children of the captivity," continued Miss South, 'who must not be overlooked. Nehemiah, cup-bearer to king Artaxerxes, and Ezra, the priest, who also found favour at his court. Both of these were sent to rebuild the Temple, as they wished to do, and taking all their troubles to God, were sustained in their great work. (Neh. vi. 9.)

'There is yet one more instance in the Old Testament of one, in the rank of a servant, honoured of God to carry His message. The prophet Amos was "a herdman and gatherer of sycamore fruit." Reading his writings we can trace how he borrows his emblems from country life. Men might have thought him too blunt for a prophet, but he was the instrument God wanted for that particular work, and therefore better fitted for it than anyone else could have been.'

(To be continued.)

Cottage Cookery.

BY MARY HOOPER,

Author of 'Little Dinners,' 'Everyday Meals,' &c. &c.

IV.

Suet Puddings.

LL housekeepers know how useful and important an article suet-pud

ding is to the bill of family fare. This is so, not only because it is excellent nourishment, supplying at once in a good form a farinaceous and an animal food, but because it is very nice, cheap, and easy of digestion. Some people will say that suetpudding may be economical, but that their experience of it is the reverse of ours, that they, in fact, have found it both a disagreeable and indigestible thing. Indeed, who of us does not know the apple or jam pudding glistening with lumps of fat? and who has not seen children and delicate people industriously picking out these lumps. and leaving them on the plate? We must, then, admit that suet-pudding thus made is both wasteful and unpleasant food, and that the objection to it is a perfectly natural one. But, although we must in this, as in some other matters, make some allowance for difference of taste, it is safe to say that when suet-pudding is properly made there are very few persons who will dislike it.

The most usual way of preparing suet for puddings is to chop it, and this it is which makes the puddings both wasteful and indigestible. Lumps of suet will not break up properly into the flour, and long boiling is required so to reduce them that the pudding will be fit for eating. The proper way to make puddings well and economically is to shred or scrape the suet very thinly, and roll it into the flour before adding water. Half the usual quantity of suet, thus prepared, will

suffice to make a good pudding, and the crust will be perfectly dry and as smooth as though butter had been used. Many persons object to puddings which have been immersed in water; for even if they have been kept at boiling point, the crust is apt to taste sodden. This can easily be avoided by putting the basin on a small wire stand, such as is used for baking meat, and only allowing enough water in the saucepan to reach half-way up the basin; thus the pudding will be steamed, rather than boiled. Sometimes, however, it is not convenient, or even possible, to make a large family pudding in a basin, and in this case it must be put in a cloth, and boiled about half the time which would be required if the suet were chopped.

Beef suet should, if possible, be used; yet when the flavour of it is not disliked, that of mutton makes good family puddings. Always buy the best, it is cheapest in the end, as it is free from skin, and thus goes farther than that which is inferior. The part of beef suet called by the butchers 'kidney knob,' is best for shredding, as it is firm. If, however, you are obliged to have soft suet, or such as cannot easily be shred, cut it up as small as possible, and roll it with dry flour until it is well crushed, the object being to prevent the possibility of there being any lumps of fat in the pudding.

We will give a few recipes which will serve as models for others, either sweet or savoury.

Apple Pudding.

With a sharp knife, shred two ounces of suet as thinly as possible, rub or roll it into half-a-pound of flour, add a pinch of salt, a gill of cold water, and mix into a paste. Flour your board, roll the paste out, double

it to the required size, and beat it well. Divide the paste into two portions; with one, line a greased pudding basin, and reserve the other to make the lid. Put in as many apples, peeled, cored, and cut in quarters, as you can; add any flavouring you like, mixed in a spoonful or two of water: cloves, nutmeg, or lemon-peel, are generally the most approved. Join the lid on to the pudding, pinching it well together at the edges, tie over with a cloth, and boil or steam for an hour and a half. It is best not to put sugar, or, in any case, only a little of it in applepuddings, as it is apt to harden some kinds of them.

In peeling apples, first cut them in quarters, it is much quicker than doing them whole. All kinds of fruit puddings are made in the same way; a little sugar should be added to other fruits. If apples or any kind of fruit are very acid, a pinch of carbonate of soda will often soften this, and obviate the need of so much sugar.

Treacle Pudding.

Prepare a crust as for apple-pudding, roll it out to the thickness of a quarter of an inch, and line with it a pint and a half basin, which has been well greased. Cut the remainder of the paste into rounds the size of the interior of the basin, put a dessertspoonful of treacle in the pudding, then a round of paste, and so on until the basin is full. Wet the edges of the crust which lines the basin, put on the last round as a lid, pinching them well together. Tie over with a cloth, and boil for an hour and a half, taking care that the water does not come over the pudding.

It is better not to put more than halfa-pound of treacle in a pudding of this size;

but if more is liked, a little should be made hot in a preserve-jar, by standing it in a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutes, and be poured over the pudding as soon as it is turned out.

Savoury Roll Pudding.

Make a crust as for apple-pudding, roll it out rather longer one way than the other, and about half-an-inch thick. Spread on it a quarter of a pound of any cold cooked or fresh meat, minced finely, and well seasoned with pepper and salt. For those who like it, an onion or shalot, minced finely, and a pinch of thyme, are a good addition. Roll the pudding up neatly in the form of a bolster, taking care the meat is kept in. Wet the edges of the paste, and press them closely together, tie the pudding in a floured cloth, and boil it gently for an hour and a quarter with sufficient water to cover it. Serve with gravy in a boat.

Notices of Books.

THE GIRLS' OWN PAPER. One penny weekly. (56 Paternoster Row.) We can heartily commend this paper to the notice of our Associates and Members. The tone is good, the stories interesting, and the illustrations far above the average. What we particularly like is the general style of the articles about dress. That any one should endeavour to teach our young people that dress may be tasteful and yet modest is a boon indeed. The papers on domestic subjects are also most useful, and the prize competitions tend to give encouragement to intelligent industry.

THE CHILDREN'S HYMN BOOK. (Rivingtons and Seeleys.) This collection, probably the most perfect that exists for the use of children, will be a valuable help to Associates who are working for G. F. S. candidates. All children love hymns, and this book, with its cheap edition of words (1d.), and its appropriate music (musical edition, 35.), will, we are sure, become a favourite with our little maidens and their teachers. The Christmas carols seem specially attractive.

The Sick Members' Corner.

LAID ASIDE.

LIE all day upon the same straight bed,

The pillow hot beneath my throbbing head; I hate the close, dull walls, which seem to press And crush me with a nearer loneliness.

For I should like to do so much - I see,

Now that I scarcely live, what life might be ;
In these slow, silent days I read out plain
The lesson set me long ago in vain.

It is not only after joys of spring,
The gold laburnum's lavish blossoming,
White rounded May buds, and the yellow down
Of brooded chickens, or the earth's warm brown;

Not after these I lie at night and weep;
Nor even for the joys of well-earned sleep,
Of pleasant bread, or half-forgotten ease,
And glad to-morrows ;-not for such as thèse.

But for the life in which I have no part,
Troubles that once I never took to heart,
Joys that I thought it not worth while to share,
My neighbour's grief, forgotten in my prayer;
The hand held back, the love left unexpressed,
The little kindly words I never guessed
Were worth the speaking, all I might have
done,-

-

Dear lonely hours, sad days which bring to me The Master's message, 'These I choose for thee." I had a vision once upon my bed.

Time was no more: lo! there its record spread! None judged me, yet my voice must pleading make

To that Great Silence, or my heart would break.
'Harvest is past,' I said, 'I know it, Lord;
Summer is ended, and no grain is stored;
Yet was it I who all the promise spoiled

Of this fair time? Thou knowest I would have toiled.

'I would have stretched my hands, Thou mad'st them weak;

Thou saidst "Be silent," could I dare to speak? It was my task to watch whilst others strove.' That Silence answered me, 'But thou couldst love.'

Then I looked up, and, lo! it was a dream; The east as yet was grey, but one long gleam Touched the soft shades, as if a pen should write 'But thou couldst love !'—so all the world grew bright.

I knew now why my God had set me here; That I might learn to love; thus much was clear;

The child's first lesson set for me anew ;
And as I spelt my task the meaning grew.

Pain came; but now I did not think it sent
Just for my teaching or my punishment;
I knew if it were part of Christ's dear cross,
Then gain for all must hide in each brief loss.

Thus as I lie and suffer, it is good

By loneliness to learn love's brotherhood;
Nay this to learn, that I am not alone,
For Christ loves all, and we in Christ are one.

I have my share in life, for prayer can move
Life's hidden springs, and I can pray and love:
Some toil for Him and His, for me how sweet
In Him, for His, to suffer at His feet.

LUCY MASSEY. Author of The Inner Life, &