"You see," said Solomon, "I am a very poor man; but God has blessed me with a good wife and these my dear children. Yet for all my poverty I would not embrace Christianity, if one were to give me all the riches of this town, unless I felt convinced that Jesus was God-as you last night endeavoured to prove. One thing I shall continue to do. I shall search the Scriptures again, and try to follow the advice you press upon us; namely, to divest myself of the prejudices which we Jews have imbibed."

"I am glad," I said, "that you have come to this resolution; but unless you pray that the promise given -Zechariah vii. 10-be fulfilled in your behalf, your searching the Scriptures would avail you nothing."

Solomon exclaimed, "I must look at this promise," and went to a closet.

He first brought to light an endless variety of the articles he was dealing in; tea-cups without handles; men and womens' apparel of all sorts, colours and shapes; hats, some with the crowns beaten in, and others without brims; weather-worn umbrellas, &c. At last the desired object, the Bible (Old and New Testament), in the Dutch language, was brought into daylight. I recognised it at once as coming from our depôt, and asked him from whom he had got it.

Solomon replied:-"Sir, I never in my life have bought any stolen goods. Some years ago an acquaintance of mine was in A. He read in the newspaper that you would preach, and went to your Church; but being afraid to ask for a Bible in the presence of other Jews who were present (and who might have suspected him of being inclined to Christianity) he stole this one. But when he had got it he would after all not read it, but sold it to me for a hat and twelve stivers (a shilling). You see from these marks of my fingers-for a man in my circumstances cannot always have very clean hands-I have made good use of it. Come," he continued, to his eldest child, "tell this

gentleman what Jesus said to the men who would not suffer that children should be brought to Him?”

The child replied with readiness, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

"Repeat also the prayer I taught you," said Solomon; and the child repeated with great apparent devotion the "Lord's Prayer."

My heart leaped for joy and gratitude all the time, and I repeated after the child every word of the "Lord's Prayer," and prayed it as I had never prayed it before in my life.

"What do you say now?" asked Solomon. "Do I read this Book, or no? Do not think that I am so hardened against religion, or that I do not think Christianity worth investigation; many an evening I have come home, worn out with fatigue and cares; yet I took this Book (which I hide in that closet for fear the Jews that come to my house might see it) and read it till late in the night, my wife and children listening."

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT DANCING.

As we heard a young professor of religion recently assert that the Bible sanctions dancing, we have consulted every passage in Holy Scripture which speaks of it. From these references we gather

1. That dancing was an act of religious worship, Judges xxi. 21; Exodus xxxii. 19.

2. That it was practised exclusively on such occasions as national festivals, or great victories, Judges xi. 34; 1 Sam. xviii. 6; Jer. xxxi. 4.

3. That it was performed by maidens only, Exodus XV. 20.

4. That it was performed usually in the daytime, in the open air, in highways, fields, or groves.

5. That men who perverted dancing to purposes of mere amusement were deemed infamous, 2 Sam. vi. 14, 20.

6. That no instances of dancing are found upon record in the Bible in which the two sexes

united in the exercise, either as an act of worship or amusement.

7. That there is no mention of social dancing for amusement, except that of the "vain fellows," devoid of shame, 2 Sam. vi. 20; of the irreligious families described by Job, which produced increased impiety and ended in destruction, Job xxi. 7-15; and of Herodias, which terminated in the rash vow of Herod and the murder of the Baptist, Matt. xiv. 6.

S. C. M.

THE STANDARD OF VALUE.

ESPECIALLY ADDRESSED TO COMMERCIAL READERS.

I HAVE recently noticed letters in the "Times," and other papers, asking "What is a Pound?" or trying to answer such a question. The same anxiety after a true commercial measure or standard of value is felt in America, where however the inquiry naturally assumes this form, "What is a Dollar?"

One correspondent speaks of "a perfect measure of value" as "a grand discovery yet to be made," which "will mark an era in the progress of humanity." He is moderate in his standard of perfection, requiring it only to equal that of the yard or the pound.

I am most happy to announce to all concerned, who may have forgotten, or who may not have heard of it, that that era has begun; that a measure of value far more perfect than that which is contemplated

was discovered some time since, and some have adopted it.

It is a double standard; but its parts never conflict with each other in their operation. They can never diverge from each other like gold and silver, but are inseparably united as one standard.

One of its incidental excellencies is, that every one who approves may adopt it at once, without waiting for any other person, and yet he will not thereby come into any injurious collision with other men because of their use of their old standards. On the contrary, his adoption of the new standard tends to their benefit as well as to his own.

No change of circumstances will ever cause it to bear hard upon any, whether they have hundreds of thousands of dollars or have not one. Those, however, who have not a dollar in the world are most likely to adopt it. No discoveries, or lack of discoveries, of mines of gold or silver will affect it. It is truly wonderful that it has not, long ere this, come into universal use. However, it will certainly be adopted throughout the world.

It is very much needed now in the commercial world. Its general adoption would prevent extravagant fluctuations, so utterly ruinous in their effects.

I suppose that many of our merchants and bankers, who have not adopted this standard, have heard of it; but some of them feel that in consequence of the pressure of business they have no time to investigate its merits, though a little examination would show its value sufficiently to prove to them that they ought to employ it. Others have looked at it enough to see that the old standard is more agreeable to them, their taste and habits being perverted. Some have examined it enough to find that if they adopt it they must acknowledge themselves bankrupt. To this their pride will not submit. But their bankruptcy will soon be seen.

For a full account of this standard, and of the perfect system it involves, I refer all concerned to an old book on Banking, Exchange, Currency, Weights, Measures, &c., called "THE BOOK," to be obtained of any bookseller. Its author originated the standard here recommended, and wrote a copy, on durable materials, of laws adapted to its use, and gave it to an old legislator, who gave it to his nation, and they professed to adopt it. It was in two parts, one for each part of the standard. The original copy was preserved by that nation for a long time with great care. But they suffered the standard to fall into disuse; not because it was not better and more just than any other, but because they found the standard now most in use more agreeable. "THE BOOK" contains a copy of these laws. Any who have used this system, and so know its value, greatly neglect their duty in these times of hazardous speculations, if they do not call the attention of all who are interested in

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having a perfect measure of value" (and who is not?) to this system. They may thereby save multitudes from ruin.

The measure, or standard of value which I recommend, may be called "The Glory of God, and the Happiness of the Universe."

G. H. W.

P. S.-For Banking, see THE BOOK," Luke xix. 23; or xix. 12-26. For Exchange, see Matt. xvi. 26; and xxv. 27. For Money brokerage, see Matt. xxi. 12; Mark xi. 15; John ii. 14, 15 (and compare Deut. xiv. 25). For Currency, see Gen. xxiii. 16; Jeremiah xxxii. 9; Zech. xi. 12; Ex. xxi. 32; Matt. xxvi. 15. For Weights and Measures, see Lev. xix. 35, 36; Deut. xxv. 13-15; Prov. xi. 1; and xvi. 11; and xx. 10; Ezekiel xlv. 10; Micah vi. 10, 11; Amos viii. 5; Hosea xii. 7. For Standard, see 1 Cor. x. 31; Rom. iii. 23; Psalm xxi. 5; 1 Chron. xvi. 24; Psalm xcvi. 7-10; Isaiah xlii. 8; and xlviii. 11, &c., &c.