WILD ASSES OF THE DESERT.

THE Kiang, or Wild Ass of the deserts of Thibet and Tartary, bears little apparent resemblance to our familiar beast of burden. It has, indeed, down its back the black stripe common to the whole genus, but lacks crossbar. Its flesh is considered a great delicacy, but so fleet and wary is the animal, that it needs a skillful hunter to come within shot of it. It is usually found in groups of eight or ten, but occasionally large herds are encountered.

moments, and then, apparently convinced that our further acquaintance was not desirable, they resumed their gallop westward, and soon vanished from sight across the leva desert."

A GIGANTIC FUNGUS.

THE fungus shown in the illustration was found in a tunnel near Doncaster, England, where it grew from a piece of timber in the roof, which is forty-six feet below the sur

"Toward noon we descried an immense cloud of dust rising to the northward. As the cloud came rolling on, our anxiety became intense. At last we could make out the outlines of the moving mass, which presented the appearance of squadrons of cavalry charging down upon us. When it had approached within a distance of fifty yards, a muffled sound was heard, as if a thousand horsemen halted suddenly by word of command, but no sound came from the mysterious cloud. Soon the cloud fell, and we found ourselves face to face with several hundreds of wild asses, drawn up in ordered lines. They regarded us for some

feet in diameter, in the space of a twelvemonth. The group standing in front of it will serve as a measure to guide the eye in estimating its extraordinary dimensions. Its structure resembled a beautiful piece of lacework.

TRUTH is simple, requiring neither study nor art. WRONG none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

DIGNITY is expressive, and without other good qualities, is not particularly profitable.

expenses, which is scarcely fair in a body where every one

BY J. F. WEISHAMPEL, JR.

THERE was a time when there were no Sunday-schools, as we have them now. The grown-up people were content to have the Gospel preached to themselves, and were will ing to receive it in sermons of two or three hours' length (which they are not willing to do now), and sometimes in a whole day's services. The children were greatly overlooked, and when taken to divine service it was in pursuance of a rule, and was disagreeable to them.

But there was a time when God opened the eyes of His peopls to see their duty, and inspired them to make special efforts to reach children, and communicate to them in a simple manner the heavy truths they had received from a dignified pulpit. This new departure in preaching the Gospel had been in occasional practice for a long time in England and Germany in a limited degree. Luther loved children, and had them drilled in the catechism. It was brought into more public notice, however, as a system, among the Baptists, by Raikes and Fox, to whom has generally been given the honor of founding the great work. Wesley and Rowland Hill were also ardent advocates of Sunday instruction for the young, and organized many schools. The good example of these humane teachers was speedily followed in England and America. Sunday - school Unions were formed in both countries, and at the beginning of this century a large number of schools had been .established.

Now, what led those pioneers to this undertaking? In the language of W. H. H. Marsh, "the Sunday-school was the outgrowth of true faith, and was conceived in the very spirit of Christ's mission." It was because these philanthropists saw that-1. Children were neglected; 2. They surely had souls to save as well as aduts; 3. They had a more tender conscience and less sin-guiltiness, and might be .converted more readily; 4. If rescued early, the advantage to themselves and society would be greater; 5. Every reason, civil, moral, humanitarian, political and Christian, called for the stretching forth of every hand to save and educate children.

I have said there was a time when Christians, moved by the Spirit of God, resolved to attempt the systematic gathering of children into religious assemblies. That work is still done in neglected places by those who apprehend the true mission of the Church. All over our land you may behold self-sacrificing men and women carrying the Gospel among the rising generation, as a specialty. Their motto is, "We want all the children of America for Jesus!" The religious world is alive with a comprehension of the fact that if the Church wants to control the next generation she must enlist its sympathies in childhood and youth; and greater effort is made, by Protestant and Papist bodies alike, to disseminate their influence through Sunday-schools, than ever before in our history. Away out in the wildernesses of the South and West, as well as in the recesses of the interior of our vast country, the children have become the grand object of proselytism.

But, with all this arousing of the churches and this wonderful furore about Sunday-school conventions, music, literature and attractive appliances, it is a deplorable fact that in the old-established homes of the Sunday-school in city and country, and among many of our own churches, there is a seeming want of apprehension of the true merits and, I may say, grandeur of this work. Some religious people have regarded the Sunday-school with indifference. They have neither given their personal aid nor their money toward its success. Those who give all their time, too generally also pay all the

these send their children to swell its numbers, but it is to get them safely out of the house as on a holiday, or because it is customary, or with a dim notion that the school will supply their own failure in religious education-how few do even this last with a solemn prayer for their conversion! How many parents pray for the teacher of their children? They expect the teacher to amuse or instruct or otherwise suitably occupy their young ones for an idle hour on the Sabbath, while they perhaps indulge in ease or labor at home; but when do they pray for the teacher, that he or she may be blessed of God in this unselfish toil? There are others who favor the school, and may be engaged in it, but who are content if it is well filled with the children and youth of the attending congregation-they do not reflect that the scope of the school should be as wide as that of the preacher-that the commission given to the apostles is incumbent on the Church now as then: "Go out into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

It is my conviction that if there is any one particularly pre-eminent duty now weighing on the enlightened Church of this day, it is known as Home Mission Work (equally with Foreign Mission Work).

It is so well known that I shall be uttering what all active workers are aware of, from experience, to say that the vast mass of the people in town and country will not—in the language of Christ Himself-"will not come" into our churches that they may, perchance, be saved. As with adults, so with children. What then? Why, the disciples of Christ must go out to them! Our churches must address themselves with rolled-up sleeves to individual work. Send out your men who are adapted for it, to teach and preach in streets and alleys and in private houses. Send them all the time. Send them out in July as in December. Take the pains to ascertain which of your young men and youth have the spiritual and intellectual talents necessary, and bring them into this service; it will develop them every way and fit them for larger usefulness when the older membership have passed away. Send out your godly women to read the Bible and pray and relieve the wants of the poor, who hide away in the obscurity of ignorance, prejudice, crime and shame, as well as natural self-respecting pride, and who will not even be dragged out to our churches, which to them look sometimes like palaces or select religious clubs!

Send out your colporteurs and membership persistently. Gather up the children in private houses of their own neighborhood, and instruct them with exercises of both a school and prayer-meeting character. Show them that you love their souls, and are trying to carry out the mission of Jesus; and, when you find favorable indications, build unostentatious chapels or churches, which are not so grand as to frighten them away, and thus you will do more to convert the world than a conclave of bishops. True grandeur rests not in externals. The grandest glory of the Church is exemplified in its humblest work. The popularity of the Sunday-schools and the increasing wealth of the churches are leading to a display and pomp and conformity to the world which are alarming some of our most serious thinkers, as tending to a loss of spirituality. Think of it rightly! What was the example of Christ? Anything else than vain show!

The humbler the Church remains the better it will be— it must be humble to convert the world to the true gospel, for the vast proportion of the population of the world is poor, and to the poor the Gospel is to be preached. I believe that many Sunday-school colporteurs have done more good to the world than such doctors of divinity as have

A SISTER'S EXPOSTULATION.