Chapter C: H. W

ROMAN CATHOLIC PILGRIMS IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.--On Saturday, October 13th, the "Feast of St. Edward, King and Confessor," was celebrated in all the Roman Catholic churches in London, and with more than ordinary pomp at that of SS. Peter and Edward (which is dedicated to his memory) in Palace Street, Westminster, where a Pontifical High Mass _coram episcopo_ was sung by Dr. J. L. Patterson, "Bishop of Emmaus." At the conclusion of the Mass, the congregation, which included several persons who had come from Preston and other parts of Lancashire and different counties of England for the occasion, formed a procession and wended their way to the Abbey, where they offered up prayers at the shrine of St. Edward, King and Confessor. No opposition was offered to the pilgrims and devotees by the authorities of the Abbey. Where is our Protestantism gone to?

CHINESE is spoken by 400,000,000, Hindostani by something more than 100,000,000, English by more than 100,000,000, Russian by more than 70,000,000, German by more than 58,000,000, and French by about 40,000,000.

WILL Spain ever be tolerant? The Supreme Court of Madrid has confirmed the decision of a provincial tribunal condemning a Spanish Protestant to five days' imprisonment, with a fine of one pound and costs, for having persisted in remaining with his hat on when he met a Catholic procession.

AN ARMY OF SPIDERS.--A dangerous spider that is found on the pampas of Central America, and belonging to the Lycoss species, is thus described in a letter:--"When a person passes near, say within three or four feet of its lurking place, it starts up and gives chase, and will often follow for a distance of thirty or forty yards. I came once very nearly getting bitten by one of these savage creatures. Riding at an easy trot over the dry grass, I suddenly observed a spider pursuing me, leaping swiftly along and keeping up with my beast. I aimed a blow with my whip, and the point of the lash struck the ground close to it, when it leaped upon and ran up the lash, and was within three or four inches of my hand, when I flung the whip from me. The gauchos have a very quaint ballad which tells that the city of Cordova was once invaded by an army of monstrous spiders, and that the townspeople went out with beating drums and flags flying to repel the invasion, and, after firing several volleys, they were forced to return and fly for their lives."

THE WHALE HUNT AT SPITHEAD.--The little coast villages of Bembridge and Sea View, in the Isle of Wight, were thrown into quite a commotion on Friday, September 21st, by the appearance of a huge whale, between thirty and forty feet long, off the mouth of Brading Harbour. It was observed to be swimming about early in the morning, and the little steamer _Island Queen_, which runs between Southsea and Bembridge, had an unpleasant meeting with the creature. Much to the alarm of the passengers, the whale would "keep company," and for some time it was dangerously close to the little vessel. It furiously lashed the sea with its tail, and commenced to "blow," the result being that the captain, who was on the bridge, and many of the passengers were deluged with water. No harm, however, was done, and the steamer eventually got clear, the whale swimming out to sea. Later on it again put in an appearance, but by this time the islanders were ready for it, and a large number of fishing-boats, watermen, and others put out. The creature was surrounded, and was at length shot. It was then towed on to Sea View beach, where it has been visited by some hundreds of people. At high tide the whale was partially covered. Its dimensions are as follow--length of fish, 35 ft.; girth, 20 ft.; length of mouth from point to top of jaw, 7 ft.; length of fins, 4 ft. each; width of tail, 8 ft.; supposed weight, 10 tons. Estimated value of a sperm whale, L100. The whale has been purchased by Mr. G. Drover, of Cowes.

CHIMNEYS.--In the year 1200 chimneys were scarcely known in England. One only was allowed in a religious house, one in a manor house, and one in the great hall of a castle or lord's house; but in other houses the smoke found its way out as it could. The writers of the fourteenth century seem to have considered them as the newest invention of luxury. In Henry VIII.'s reign the University of Oxford had no fire allowed, for it is mentioned that after the students had supped, having no fire in the winter, they were obliged to take a good run for half an hour to get heat in their feet before they retired for the night. Holinshed, in the reign of Elizabeth, describes the rudeness of the preceding generation in the arts of life. "There were," says he, "very few chimneys; even in the capital towns the fire was laid to the wall, and the smoke issued out at the door, roof, or window. The houses were wattled and plastered over with clay, and all the furniture and utensils were of wood." In 1639 a tax of two shillings was laid on chimneys.

BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE POST OFFICE.--"How can one get admitted to the General Post Office, and what departments are best worth seeing there?" asks "A Country Cleric." Admission to that remarkably interesting building, the General Post Office, can be had on application to the Secretary. A banker's reference is necessary. The sight is one well worth seeing, and should on no account be missed by country visitors to London. Visitors are admitted at six in the evening, and are shown over the telegraph department. Here may be seen the pneumatic tubes, through which messages are received from many parts of London. Into this office run wires from Belfast, Edinburgh, and all parts of the United Kingdom, and the whole system is explained by an expert. Crossing the road one then enters the Post Office itself. Here one sees the "blind men," as they are called, at work deciphering illegible addresses; and men and machines stamping postmarks at the rate of from one hundred to three hundred a minute. But in order to see the Post Office properly, two or three visits should be made. Not one person in a hundred has any notion of the peculiar experiences of a letter between the times of its postage and receipt.

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INDEX.

PAGE

About Swearing, 225

Admiral Pye and the Inquisitors, 231

Aged Pilgrim's History, An, 183

Answer of George III. to Lord Grenville, 66

Answers to Bible Enigmas, 19, 28, 59, 88, 113, 142, 174,
185, 238, 247, 271

Anti-Romish Book, The, 273

"Ask On", 203

Be Gentle, 28

Beware of Thorns, 131

Bible and its Claims, The 222

Bible Class, Our, 20, 44, 67, 91, 115, 140, 163, 188, 211, 235,
260, 275

Bible Enigmas, 41, 66, 91, 106, 130, 165, 174, 213, 235, 255, 273

Bible Subjects, 11, 35, 52, 81, 117, 141, 165, 187, 214, 237,
255, 268

Bible with Pins in it, A, 66

Biblical Discovery, 29

Birthday Wish, 257

Blind Tortoise in the Well, 130

Blind Widow, The, 266

Brand Plucked out of the Fire, A, 228

Brave Rescue, A, 84

Brimstone or Sulphur, 256

Brother's Dream, A, 103

Brought to the Fold, 151

Budding of Hope, A, 51

Bunyan's Death, 272

Caring for the Little Ones, 50

Charcoal Burner's Star, The, 7, 30

Charlie Coulson, the Drummer-Boy, 170

Child and the Emperor, The, 259

Child Heroism, 232

Child's Prayer, A, 22

Cingalese Rock Fortress, A, 154

Clever Boy and Electrical Machine, 114

Cost of a Broken Sabbath, 132

Counting the Cost, 126

Cousin Susan's Note-Book on Father Chiniquy, 56, 76, 101, 152, 201

Covenanter's Escape and Death, The, 146

Day's Work, A, 147

Dear Old Times, The, 124

Denied, yet Answered, 251

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 220

Dirge of an Englishwoman, The, 57

Divine Guidance, 159

Divine Providence, A, 99

"Draw Me", 83

Drunkard's Will, A, 233

Dutch and their Country, The, 209

Duties of Brothers and Sisters, 259

Edison's Phonograph, 172

Editor's Closing Address to his Young Friends, The, 278

Editor's New Year's Address, 2

Enemies of God and His People Scattered, 40

Experiences in the Arctic Ocean, 58

Explanation, An, 278

Extraordinary Story of the Sea, 272

Facts about Ocean Steamships, 197

Famous Dog, A, 82

Few Words from the Dumb, 108

Fish that Swallowed Jonah, The, 246

Flesh-Eating Plants, 83

Flying Foxes, 180

From Darkness to Light, 34

Fugitive in the Himalaya Mountains, A, 107

Generosity and Love, 185

Good Example, A, 208

Great Events, 242

Great Exhibition of 1851, 196

Heroic Scotch Student, A, 258

He Went Wrong, but He Found Mercy, 269

Hint to Boys, A, 158

Hint to Parents, A, 41

His Title-Deeds, 163

Honouring the Lord's Day, 252

Hopeful Case, A, 195

Hop-Picking.--The Last Pole, 274

House on the Sand, The, 173

How a Great Mistake was Discovered, 39

How to Select a Boy, 153

Hyacinth, The, 219

Incident in the Life of a Barrister, 74

Insecurity of Palestine, 257

Interesting Items, 23, 47, 71, 95, 119, 143, 167, 191, 215,
239, 263, 280

"Is not a Man Better than an Egg?", 204

Jesuit and the Bible, The, 98

"Jesus Loves Me!", 160

Johnnie's Christmas, 271

Juvenile Gems, 127, 148

"Keep the Star in Sight", 65

Kenilworth Castle, 161

Killed by Lightning, 182

Kindness to Animals, 94

Land of Giants, The, 234

"Let No Man Despise Thee", 46

Letter by a Dying Soldier, 194

Lines on the New Year, 5

Little by Little, 179

Little Helps by Large Hearts, 227

Little Johnnie, 255

Little Kindnesses, 233

Little Scotch Granite, 218

Lost and Found, 122

Mankind's Mistakes, 222

"Mary had a Little Lamb", 199

Memoir of Carrie Foord, 175

Memoir of Ellen and Henry Hoad, 248

Memoir of Emma Beesley, 110

Memoir of Mary Stubbs, 78

Model Prayer-Meeting, A, 184

Modes of Travel in Persia, 75

Morning's Walk in a Country Lane, A, 63

Mummy of Sesostris, The, 84

Nails Gone, but Marks Left, 214

Nature her own Surgeon, 224

New Telephone, A, 203

"Nothing to Thank God For", 154

Old Clock's Advice, An, 238

Old Quilt and its Story, An, 12

One Link Gone, 108

One Poor Stone, 62

"Only Once", 4

Orphan Bess, 198

Penny Piece, The, 227

Pharisee and the Publican, 93

Pitcairn Islanders and the Queen, The, 261

Pleading, 273

Points to be Aimed At, 124

Postal Service Statistics, 223

Power of Kindness, 237

Prayer Answered, 112

Precious Blood of Christ, The, 226

Priest and the Lady, The, 162

Priest's Thoughts of Roman Catholic Miracles, 125

Prince Consort's Opinion of Popery, 66

Prize Essays, 21, 45, 69, 93, 117, 142, 165, 190, 213, 237,
262, 279

Prompt Kindness, 106

Queer Fisherman, A, 155

Questions with Answers, 77

Ragged Tom, 139

Rare and Costly Bibles, 202

Receiving the Truth, 137

Red Sea Rock, A, 161

Saved by Grace, 156

Scotch Thistle, The, 55

Scripture Enigma, 10

Sense and Senses of Animals, 131

Singular Cause of Death, 59

Soft Answer, A, 211

Soft Pillow, A, 136

Something about Foxes, 60

Stage-Coach Companion, My, 16

Stand Back, 163

Sunday School Meetings:--
Burwash, Providence, 210
Clifton, 210
Fleckney, Carmel, 210
Gower Street, 138
Greenwich, Devonshire Road, 89
Hand Cross, Zoar Chapel, 186
Hastings, Ebenezer, 42
Trowbridge, Zion, 187

Sympathy, 200

Talking With a Man Seven Thousand Miles Off, 247

Terrible Experience of a Shipwrecked Crew, 268

"The Day of Small Things", 36

"There is No Rest in Hell", 53

"This is the Way; Walk Ye in It", 86

"Thou God Seest Me", 86

Thrilling Scenes at the Forth Bridge Works, 67

Touching Incident, 3

Two Brave Children, 158

Two Ways of Descending, 100

Under the London Streets, 200

Unseen Protection, 173

Value of Work, The, 75

Visit to the Idrian Mines, 87

What a Tract may Do, 26

Wisdom, 113

Wise and Foolish Builders, 90

Wonderful Grace, 15

Words and Deeds, 219

Word to Self-Seekers, A, 69

Word with Power, The, 226

Transcriber's note:

1. Punctuation has been normalized. Inconsistent
hyphenation and spellings have been left as printed.

2. The illustration caption on page 204 is missing text following (see--

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MR. THORN'S EGGS?" (see

3. Page 231 "having been on a voyage to Spain"--missing word "on"
was added.