as I have just said, it draws to it such light things as feathers and pieces of paper; and from the Greek word for amber, electricity took its name. It was afterwards found that that property is not confined to amber, but belongs likewise to resin, glass, sealing-wax, silk, fur, and other substances. You may see this at once, by rubbing a piece of sealing-wax on cloth or silk, and holding it over a downy feather.

After many centuries had passed, it was discovered that the substances just named, when rubbed, not only have an attractive power, but also give out sparks. It was likewise perceived, at the same time, that the electric substances could be rubbed with much more effect, if made of a circular shape and turned upon an axis, just, in fact, like our common electrifying machine.

The next discovery was, that electricity could be conducted from one place to another along metallic wires.

Finally, it was found that the electric power, which produced the attraction and the sparks, could be collected, so as to be given off at once in great quantity, giving a large bright spark and a strong shock when passed through any part of the human frame; and that the lightning itself is nothing else than a large electric spark, and the thunder -the noise occasioned by the collapsing of the expanded air after the spark has passed. This was fully established; for the celebrated Dr. Franklin and others actually succeeded in drawing down the lightning from the clouds, and bottling it

in jars, when it was found that it had all the properties of common electricity, but in a very powerful degree-so much so, that Professor Richman, of St. Petersburg, in repeating the same experiment, was killed by the electricity which he so procured. This discovery was made just one hundred years ago; and very soon after, the attention of the scientific world was drawn to a new class of phenomena, indicating what seemed to be a previously unknown power, viz., Galvanism, but a power which has now been ascertained to be iden- | tical with electricity. Electricity and galvanism are the same power in different degrees of intensity.

The first notice of galvanism was by a German of the name of Sultzer, who observed that when he placed two metals of different kinds (as zinc and silver) in his mouth, one below and the other above the tongue, and made them touch each other, they produced a peculiar taste.

Some time after, an Italian, named Galvani, found that the limbs of a dead frog were made to move, by touching a nerve with one piece of metal and a muscle with another, and then bringing the two metals into contact, in the same way as the zinc and silver in the mouth.

Soon afterwards, Professor Volta, another Italian, found that the effect of a single pair of plates, of different kinds of metal, could be amazingly increased by taking a great number of such pairs, and making them into a pile, placing a piece of moistened cloth between each pair, in the order marked in the annexed diagram. When this was prepared, he found

making the other end of it touch the highest plate, he obtained a bright spark and a snapping noise. When the cloth is moistened with salt water the effect is much stronger, and still more so with diluted sulphuric acid.

When a pile is so formed, and a wire made to touch both ends of the pile, a current of electricity is understood to pass continually along the wire from the one end to the other, and that with immense velocity.

Subsequently, the plates of metal, instead of being placed in piles, were put into separate cells of a trough, and diluted acid poured between them the copper, acid, and zinc being repeated in the same order as the copper, cloth, and zinc in the pile. Sometimes each pair of plates was put into a separate jar, and the different pairs connected with wires. A set of plates arranged in any of these ways is called a Galvanic Battery.

One of the most convenient batteries now used has the zinc folded double, and a thin plate of silver between the folds, instead of the plate of copper. The silver is coated

with platina to protect it, and the surface of the zinc is amalgamated (that is, coated with) mercury, to prevent its being unnecessarily wasted by the acid.

When a battery is made very powerful, it is found that it not only gives excessively severe shocks, sufficient to destroy human life, and bright sparks, but that it is capable of burning metals themselves (when in thin wires or plates) with a bright flame; that when two conducting wires, from the extremities of the battery, terminate in little pointed pieces of charcoal, with their points near each other, they give out a light like that of the sun, so bright that the eye cannot look upon it; that many powerful chemical effects can be produced by the electric current; and that its influence is so great on the nerves and muscles of the human body, that it seems, for a few moments, even to restore the dead to life, making the eyes open, the feet move, the arms rise, and the breast heave; but, of course, the restoration is only deceptive.

The next matter to be explained, before you can understand the telegraph, is the magnet.

There is a certain kind of iron ore, called the loadstone, which has been known, from remote ages, to have a peculiar attraction for iron, so as to lift small pieces of it, and to gather iron filings on its surface. After this peculiarity was first noticed, it was found that the loadstone can communicate the same property to a piece of steel; for a bar of steel, when rubbed with a loadstone, also attracts iron. Both

the loadstone and the steel, when thus rubbed, are called magnets.

When two bars of steel are rubbed in the same manner, it is found that the one end of the one bar attracts the one end of the other bar, but repels the other end, while the opposite end of the first bar has just the contrary effect.

About seven hundred years ago, it was observed that when a thin bar of steel, magnetized in this manner, was hung horizontally by a thread, or poised on a pivot, it turned round of its own accord till one end pointed nearly north and the other nearly south; and when this was clearly understood, it was perceived that it would form an excellent means for guiding ships at sea; for since it points constantly in one direction, or nearly so, you can tell, by looking at it, in what direction you are going. (To be continued.)

SELF-CULTURE.

READING.

I AM writing for working boys and working girls, who have but small opportunity of mental improvement, whose chief source of education has been the Sunday school, and whose circumstances are still those of limit

ed purses and little time. Here they stand before my eye, the lads and lasses who have been in our schools, but have left them—an interesting class-needing direction, yet difficult to get at, save through some such channel as this work. Let me assure them of a real desire to help them on in the world as well as in self-culture, and let them listen to my counsels as to the counsels of a

friend who only wishes them well. My first counsels will be about READING. All mental improvement stands connected with reading. So to it your first attention must be given.

Attend to the ART of reading.

Of course you have learned its rudiments. You can read. It is one of the pleasing features of our day, that almost all the working classes can read. We have to thank our Sunday schools for much of this, as thousands must otherwise have grown up without the least acquaintance with the art. Eighty or ninety years ago such a magazine as this would have been comparatively useless, for the great mass could have made nothing of its pages. Now, however, almost all can read. But I want you to do more than merely spell through the words and give to them a name. Vast numbers of our youth who reckon they can read, stumble and stammer at so many words, pronounce others so badly, and set at nought all the rules of good reading so completely, that you can hardly allow that they can read at all. To them, in consequence, the exercise is irksome, and till they are greater proficients in it, you expect them to get but little pleasure or benefit out of it. To read to profit you must read well. This is only to be obtained by practice; but let a little be done at it every day, and good progress will soon be made. To help you here I might suggest, that you get, if possible, a friend who is able to teach you, to let you read to him, and allow him to correct Half an hour you as you go along.

so spent every day, with due attention on your part, will do wonders for you. The next best thing to this is to read aloud by yourself, observing all the stops, letting no word pass till you can both pronounce it and understand it, and making good sense of all you go through.

For the rules of good reading you may refer to the introductions of almost any of our good reading books, and you will find all you need upon stops, emphasis, intonation, and all other matters to be attended to. Lay these rules before you, noting how you keep or violate them by your practice. It will be slow and, at first, tedious work, reading by rule -but keep at it, and the result will pay you well. In reading aloud and to others, read always in your speaking voice. Some people have two voices: one for reading, and the other for speaking, and a most ludicrous affair the first generally is. Some growl and grumble away as if every word came from the bottom of their stomachs. Others squeak and scream so as to exhaust themselves and distress everybody else with a feeling that the exercise is most painful to them. Some read through their noses; and others, taking the parish-clerk for their model, give a sort of sing-song, chanting tune to all they pretend to read. All these bad habits must be avoided, and your own natural speaking voice must be the one you read with.

In reading aloud to others, see that you and they distinctly understand what you are reading. This is, perhaps, one of the best criterions of good reading for others to judge

by, and one of the best means for you to be sure you are reading well. But the art of reading is not all you have to look to here.

Attend to the HABIT of reading also.

Pass no day without reading some good book besides the Word of God, which must stand first in all your reading. Have some useful work always at hand, to fill up any little leisure moments you may chance to have. At your meal times, after you have done your work, or before you go to it, try if you cannot find time for reading. Many a good and useful book may be thus profitably got through in the year, and your mind improved as well as time well employed. I could say much on the advantages of such habit. It preserves from a vast variety of low, dissipating, and trifling pursuits. It fills the mind with great or good themes of thought to the exclusion of what is debasing or polluting. It brings you into a sort of fellowship and communion with the greatest and best of men. It puts you into possession of invaluable knowledge. It polishes the mind, improves the taste, and opens up innumerable sources of enjoyment. To one fond of reading there can be no dull hours or weary evenings. A means of pleasant employment of time is at once furnished to the hand, and a source of great personal benefit opened up. Get a habit of reading, young people, and you will have got hold of the first grand element in all self-improvement, and be on the first rong of the ladder that leads to future eminence and comfort.

Attend to the sort of books that you read. All books are not good books. To read some books is far worse than not to read at all. There are books to inflame bad passions, fill the mind with trifles, and debase and pollute the entire man, as well as books to elevate, purify, and inform the mind. Now-a-days there is no lack of both sorts of books open to you, but take care which you read. Let all your reading be of a character to elevate and purify. Shun the common trashy novels you may meet with. Keep aloof from everything that gives false views of life, or loosens the hold of morality or religion on your mind; or fills you with dreamy fancies; or occupies your thoughts about the merest trifles.

Let your books be full of truth, such as shall help you to rise as an immortal intelligent creature amongst immortals like yourself; books that shall make you feel more your responsibility to God and your fellowmen, and the age in which you live, and stir you up to do it; books that shall inform your mind on things that will make you better and more useful in your day, and fit you for a higher state at last: these are the books for you, and all can be obtained through the many libraries to which you can have access, or by the expenditure of less than many spend in your position on mere trifling pleasures, or positively sinful and unworthy objects.

UNCLE CHRISTIAN.

WHO has not seen a finger-post? There it stands at almost all awkward turns and dangerous corners as you pass along the road. Here it points to the way you are to take, and there warns of some erroneous path. Here it guides you to places of beauty and enjoyment, and there cautions against dangerous quags, or precipitous cliffs, or "man-traps and spring-guns." Most useful things are "finger-posts," and many a traveller has blest the man that set them up along his path; and by their timely warnings saved him from many troubles, if not from ruin or from death.

Young reader, you are a traveller

on a dangerous road. You need some finger-posts to keep you right, and we purpose to help to set them up. They will all speak truth, and may be taken as sure guides or honest warnings. Their teachings will all be facts, and the ways they warn against such as have been proved by painful experience to be the certain paths to wretchedness and ruin. This month we set up the first, and inscribe upon it in striking capitals two faithful warnings:

"ENTER NOT INTO OF THE WICKED."

THE WAY

"THE WAY OF TRANSGRESSORS IS HARD."