but also that they may know and feel the power of it. Knowledge is but cold and barren though a man would reason never so strongly, without charity or the love of God shed abroad in the heart; the greatest measure of knowledge alone, will never make a man to take the spoiling of his goods with joy, or not to love his life unto the death. At a word, knowledge without godly warmth, only puffs up, and doeth little in the day of adversity; and zeal without knowledge, is ready to drive a man to error, but not to establish him in the truth." AUTHORITIES. Crawford's History of Renfrewshire, page 102.—Woodrow's History of the Church of Scotland, vol. 4, page 307.-Watts's Bibliotheca Britannica, Page 760, of quarto edition of Matthew Henry's Miscellaneous Writings, printed for Bagster, London. SOME ACCOUNT OF DAVID Mc. BEATH, TEACHER AT THE ASYLUM FOR THE BLIND IN EDINBurgh. THIS ingenious and very interesting person was born at Dalkeith, in 1792. He lost his sight at an early age, by a severe disease, which so enfeebled his frame, that his stature, appearance, and voice, continued to the last to be those of a mere youth. His abilities were great, and his mind was cultivated far beyond what is common to his rank in society. He had a powerfully inventive genius, as is exemplified by his inventing a mode of communication for the blind, by means of a string alphabet, which is now used in the Asylum at Glasgow, and elsewhere. It was considered, by the learned editors of the "Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," of such importance as to demand a full description in that work. He also contrived a board for the study of music, arithmetic, and also of algebra, and other branches of the mathematics. His success as a teacher of his companions in misfortune, was great indeed, and frequently called forth the approbation of the public in Edinburgh, at the various examinations which took place year after year, of the pupils in the Asylum. He had the satisfaction of sending one of them to Glasgow, as teacher in the Asylum there, who has been since distinguished by his exertions. Two others were established in America, in the same capacity, in flourishing schools for the blind, recently instituted. They were selected by a gentleman sent to Europe for that purpose, who visited all the institutions for the blind, that in Edinburgh being the last. The newspaper press, (perhaps little aware, at that time, of the important and valuable results that were to arise from the full accounts given of the examinations in Edinburgh,) has been the means of calling forth christian benevolence, both in Great Britain, and on the continents of Europe and America; and, while the publications gratified those immediately concerned, they have been the means under divine providence, of diffu sing a spirit of pure philanthropy, which can never be abused or misdirected; rescuing a valuable portion of suffering humanity from a state of misery and indigence, and exchanging their sad condition for one of comfort and benefit, both as to time and eternity. David Mc. Beath died in Edinburgh, on the 7th of November, 1834, in the 42nd year of his age. The following short account of his curious contrivance, (the string alphabet,) may not be uninteresting to the reader. The twenty-six letters of the alphabet are divided into seven classes, proceeding from A to Z; each class consists of four letters, with the exception of the last, which comprehends only two. The first four letters, A, B, C, D, are each formed by a large round knot; the second four, E, F, G, H, by a knot projecting from the string; the third, I, J, K, L, by a knot vulgarly called the drummer's plait ; the fourth, M, N, O, P, by a simple noose; the fifth, Q, R, S, T, by a noose with the string drawn through it; the sixth, U, V, W, X, by a noose with a netting knot formed upon it; and the seventh class, Y and Z, by a twisted noose. Thus there are seven different kinds of knots to indicate all the letters of the alphabet; but, to distinguish each of the four letters in a class from the others, the expedient is adopted of adding a common small knot, at a greater or less distance from the letter to which it belongs. By this plan, the letter A is indicated only by the knot of the class to which it belongs; B is the same knot repeated, but close to it is a small common knot; C is the same knot repeated, with the small knot half an inch distant; and D is the same knot repeated, with the small knot an inch distant. The same plan goes on throughout, so that by first feeling the kind of knot, and then feeling whether it has a small knot attached, and at what distance, any letter may be instantly told. The length of the string alphabet is little more than three feet, and any blind person, with the ordi nary sense of touch, may learn the whole in an hour. AUTHORITIES. Scottish Guardian, November 7, 1834.--Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, April, 1834. AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF JOHN, THE BLIND KING OF BOHEMIA, Who was slain in the memorable Battle of Cressy, August 26, 1346. "The Prince succeeds, and, on the brazen prow, SWIFT says, that "blindness is an inducement to courage, because it hides from us the danger which is before us." How far the Dean may be right in his opinion, I shall not pretend to judge, but that blind men possess this virtue, (if a virtue it may be called,) as much as any of those endowed with sight, may be inferred from the following anecdote. Many of them have braved all the dangers of the field, in some of the greatest battles that ever were fought in Europe, viz. the siege of Constantinople, by the Venetians; the battle of Falkirk; and the memorable battle of Cressy. This last engagement commenced at three o'clock in the afternoon, and continued till night put an end to the carnage. The greater part of the nobility of France and Germany fell in the contest; and, among the slain were two kings, James of Majorca, and John of Bohemia. The death of the latter, who had for a long time been blind, was attended by some remarkable circumstances. Anxious to know how the battle proceeded, he commanded his attendants to lead him forward; for this purpose, he was placed between two of them, their bridles being tied to his, so that in the heat of the action they might not be separated, and next morning they were all three found dead together. Barnes, in his life of Edward III., gives a more particular account of the circumstance than any other historian I have met with, and I will give it in his own words. "Marquess Charles, emperor elect, resisted the prince with great courage; but his banner being beaten to the ground, his men slain about him, and himself wounded in three places, he turned his horse and rode out of the field, though not without much difficulty, having cast away his coat-armour, that he might not be known. Meanwhile, his father, John, King of Bohemia, now blind with age, when he understood how the day was like to go, asked of his cap |