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your Maker, or to be ashamed of breaking his laws. If I say a thing, it is not by way of a threat, but because I mean to do it; my duty calls me to it; I wish, too, that nobody would employ those who thus break the Sabbath. But I should be glad to see you do right from better motives. And I am sure if, through God's grace, you could see this subject in its proper light, you would have a real happiness in devoting this day to the service of your Maker; and your mind would be brought to a state of preparation for an everlasting Sabbath in the kingdom of God.

V.

The following letter ought to have been in our last number, but it did not reach the Editor in time. -ED.

LETTER ON THE SAME SUBJECT.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR,

1 TAKE the liberty of addressing you on the awful profanation of the Sabbath, and as our laws cannot check this growing evil, should not all sincere Christians unite, at the beginning of the approaching year, in not dealing with any one who profanes that Holy day?

Without some immediate check to this growing evil, I dread the judgments of Almighty God upon this country.

From my windows, my friends observed on a Sunday morning, a man writing "Warren's Blacking" on the opposite wall. I thought it right to communicate my sentiments to Mr. Warren on the subject, and to state, that on no account would I deal with any one that thus profaned the Sabbath. Your constant reader, JOHN MORTLOCK.

Park House, December 18, 1822.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

Sir,

As your work is intended for all classes of people, perhaps the insertion of the following friendly advice to servants might be of some little use. I am, Sir, Your's,

N. L. H.

FRIENDLY ADVICE TO SERVANTS.

ON your first coming into a family, lose no time in learning what you will be required to do, and remember to attend to all the customs of the house. Never think any part of your business too trifling to be well done. Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.

Be respectful to your superiors, obliging and good-natured to your fellow-servants, and kind and charitable to all.

Be industrious, modest, and humble, and not apt to take offence.

In your dress, be simple, frugal and neat,-not smart or fine.

Eagerly catch every opportunity of learning any thing that may be useful to yourself, and be always ready to do any thing to benefit others. Do every thing at the proper time; keep every thing in its proper place; use every thing for its proper use. Take in good part whatever observations your master or mistress may make on your work. Such admonitions are sure proofs that they wish to make you a good servant; which is for your advantage, as well as theirs. Be fond of obliging others, and be grateful when others oblige you.

Endeavour to promote the comfort of every one in the family, and shew that you are willing to do more than you are obliged, rather than less. If you are desired to help in any business that does not ex

actly belong to your place, do not murmur, but undertake it cheerfully.

If your master or mistress. shew favour to you, do not boast of their approbation, and do not let it make you conceited.

Never speak ill of your master or mistress behind their backs. Act for them, and speak of them, as if they were present; and do not suffer others to speak ill of them if you can help it.

If your master or mistress scold ever so much, without reason, do not answer impertinently; it is best to be silent, or only to answer mildly and civilly.

Remember that a still tongue makes a wise head; and remember what the Bible says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth." And, also, Servants be subject to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward."

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Be always very clean and tidy, for nothing is so disgusting as a sloven.

If y your master or mistress call a servant, and that servant is out of the way, offer your services to do what is wanted, or go and look for the servant who is called.

When you have committed a fault, be sure to confess it; and if you are reprimanded for it, be mild and patient, and try not to do it again.

If you see your master or mistress wronged by any of your fellow-servants, do not hide it, but tell it openly.

If you are sent on a message, and are tempted to stay longer than you ought, do not make false excuses, but confess the real reason; it is better to run the risk of being reproved than to tell a lie.

Never leave the door open unless you are desired. Never write on the walls of the kitchen or passages, nor in books that you are reading.

Be very careful not to break any thing; but if you do, by accident, always confess it immediately.

Never carry a lighted candle about in your hand, but put it in a candle-stick, and remember to snuff it as often as it wants; for it is very dangerous to have a long snuff.

Never blow out a candle, for it is very dangerous, but put the extinguisher upon it, or snuff it out. When you go to bed, do not put out the candle near the bed or the window-curtains; for a great many houses have been burnt by the bed taking fire: and never take a lighted candle amongst linen, or into a closet; and do not take a candle to an open drawer if you can help it.

N. L. H.

THE ART OF LIGHTING A FIRE.

Í ONCE saw a little book, and a very clever little book it was, called "The Art of stirring a Fire." But the art of lighting a fire is quite as necessary to be learned as the art of stirring one, and indeed ought certainly to be learned first; as all my readers will willingly acknowledge that a fire must be lighted before it can be stirred. But how very few people know how to light a fire! "To make a good fire there must be a good quantity of coals;" this every one knows, but every body does not know that this rule, improperly applied, ruins more fires than it makes; for it is not only the quantity of coals, but the manner of using them that serves to make the fire good." Come," says Dolly the housemaid, "it's a cold day to day, and we will have a good fire;" she then throws on what she calls a winterday's quantity of coal, and expects that there will be a blazing fire for breakfast; but, to her great surprise, when the family comes down, the bell is rung, and poor Dolly is informed that there is no fire at all. No to be sure not, for Dolly put it out

herself; she put it out when she threw the coals on, just as you put out a candle when you put an extinguisher on. It is for want of air that a candle goes out under an extinguisher, and if Dolly throws such a quantity of coals on the fire that the air cannot pass through; she will certainly put out the fire. But it will be said that there is always air in the room; so there is, and this it is that keeps the fire alive for a time; but, if there be such a mass of coal on the top that the air cannot pass through it, then this top part will never light, and the fire will burn till it is quite hollow, and then go out. My neighbour, Sir Fretful Study, gets up very early in a morning and lights his own fire, which is laid ready for him over night; and he has turned away four house-maids in two years because they cannot lay the fire properly. But Sir Fretful has never condescended to teach them how to do it, and, as I am anxious that his present maid, who takes in the "Visitor," should keep her place, I shall try to teach her the art of making a fire.

First then, let the grate be well cleared of all the dust and ashes of yesterday; this is necessary, both for the sake of neatness and also that there may be nothing to prevent the free passage of the air through the fire. Next take care that the wood for kindling be perfectly dry; then, upon the wood, be careful what sized coals you put on; if you put them on too large your fire stands a bad chance, for the flame first catches the little angular parts or sharp corners of the coals, and the more pieces of coals you have, of course the more of those angles you have, and so the more likely are they to catch fire; taking care, however, that there be not so many as to choke up the top and stop the current of the air. If you have any good cinders left from yesterday's fire, these, added to the coals, will be very useful. Many people, after having done all well, throw on a quantity of small dusty coal by way of a finish, and thus stop up every

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