that glance of uncomplaining sadness which he feels will be flashed upon him as the Master passes by. Of the hundreds of figures, each will bear inspection; each has a marked individuality. The picture is a most vivid scene from the Tragedy of Redemption. "It is a sermon spoken in the language of colour with a splendour and melodiousness of eloquence not to be surpassed." But we must forego further detail, and hope that when our country cousins walk down Bond Street, if they have a shilling left, they will turn aside and see this great sight.

THE CITY TEMPLE.

The mid-day mid-week service conducted by Dr. Parker occupies a unique place among the phenomena of religious life in London. In the course of a few years it has grown into quite a popular institution. When the Dr. exchanged Cavendish Chapel, Manchester, for the Poultry, near the Mansion House, folks who understood that "there was nobody in the City on Sundays" wondered what he meant to do in the metropolis. His plan was made manifest in his first sermon, when he said, "If there is nobody in the City on Sundays, I believe there are a good many people in the City on Thursdays; and that is the day on which I intend to exercise my ministry in this place. Here is a place in the very centre of civilization, within one minute's walk of some of the greatest institutions of commerce; is it not possible, on the Thursday, at twelve o'clock, to get into this house many who would be glad to hear the Word of Life? ... Are there not many who cannot attend the prayer meetings in their own suburban villages who would be glad to look into a place like this, and join with their brethren from many quarters in worshipping God? This is my dream. I believe it may become a fact. We must dream; if we fall back entirely upon facts, we shall never be facts ourselves." Well, it must be an altogether joyous thing for this modern "Joseph" to find his dream so well fulfilled, and himself so great a fact. And as you see him in that aldermanic pulpit, so commanding and confident, and listen to the roll of his sonorous sentences, which are as breezy and bracing as the mountain air, and find that they are eagerly inbreathed by a large congregation, for the most part made up of men who snatch an interval from the hurry and scurry of business, you feel that this must be reckoned among the "powers that work for righteousness," and tend to purify our commercial life at the very spring. On the morning of my visit the Devil was the subject of discourse; and if he did not wince under the treatment he must be a devil indeed.

THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE.

The week-night service in London is not, as a rule, a conspicuous success. Places which glory in a crowded congregation on the Sunday are full of emptiness all the week. Preachers who are favoured with large audiences on the Lord's-day are left alone in their glory on Wednesday night. Perched in their pulpits, waiting for the people who ought to come but do not, they often soliloquize with Selkirk,

"O, Solitude, where are the charms

That sages have seen in thy face?" etc.

Not thus is it at the Tabernacle, where from two to three thousand assemble on a Thursday night. One reason for so great a gathering

THE OLDEST CHRISTIAN HYMN.

353 may be found in the fact that Mr. Spurgeon does not go upon the principle that any small talk will do for a week-night, but makes it a point to preach as well as he can, and aims at winning souls. Let there be plenty of good wholesome fresh corn in the bin, and the cattle are bound to come up at feeding-time. Some twinge of disappointment was felt when, after leaving congenial company, and taking an hour's ride, James, and not C. H. Spurgeon, occupied the rostrum. But James is a good substitute, and grows more like his brother, in manner and matter, in style and spirit, if not in physique. Indeed as the night wore on and he could be better heard than seen, the terse, telling sentences, and the clear ringing tones, were so like those of Charles, that late comers would be puzzled to know which was speaking.

A scene at the Tabernacle was a powerful antidote to the scene witnessed on the Sunday morning. A number of believers were buried with Christ by baptism into death." The ordinance was so orderly and admirably administered, the solemn silence, broken only by the utterance of the baptismal formula, and the plash and drip as the candidates were plunged beneath and raised from the water, that the most fastidious taste could not be offended, nor any charge of unseemliness be sustained. Such a conscious act of consecration to Christ at the commencement of the Christian course commands reverential regard, and commends itself to the judgment as more real and influential than any ceremony, howsoever simply or elaborately performed, over a non-assenting infant. ROBERT SILBY.

The Oldest Christian Hymn.

IN the third Book of Clement of Alexandria, is given, in Greek, what is said to be the earliest known hymn of the primitive Christian Church. It is there (one hundred and fifty years after the apostles) said to have been of much earlier origin; and if so it was doubtless sung by multitudes of the early Christians, and possibly may have been known, in his advanced age, to the "beloved disciple" himself. Some of our hymn books have several of its stanzas, but we have never seen the entire hymn in any of them. The following version may give some idea of its spirit:

SHEPHERD of tender youth,
Guiding in love and truth,

Through devious ways;
Christ, our triumphant King,
Join we Thy name to sing,
And our dear children bring,
Shouting Thy praise!

Most high and holy Lord,
Glorious, revealing word,
Healer of strife!
Thou didst Thyself abase,
That from sin's deep disgrace,
Thou mightest save our race,
Giving us life.

Thou art our great High Priest;
Thou hast prepared the feast
Of holy love.

In all our sin and pain,
None calls on Thee in vain;
Help thou dost not disdain,
Help from above.

Ever be near our side,
All-wise and mighty guide,
Our staff and song.
Jesus! Thou Christ of God!
Taught by Thy living word,
Lead us where Thou hast trod,
Make our faith strong.

Thus now, and till we die,
Sound we Thy praises high,
And joyful sing.
With all the holy throng,
Who to Thy church belong,
Join we to swell the song

To Christ our King!

The Mayor of Derby.

HENRY HOWE BEMROSE, a partner in the printing and publishing firm of Bemrose and Sons, Paternoster Row and Derby, worthily occupies the position of chief magistrate in his native town. He is a devoted Churchman of the Evangelical school, but of so liberal a type that he is present to the public mind rather as a Christian gentleman than as a member of the Establishment. In politics, he is a Conservative of the best sort-chiefly conservative with regard to things that are good. When dealing with questions of social abuse and moral wrong, he invariably displays that true radicalism which rises above mere party considerations.

In his office as Churchwarden at All Saints he exerts a powerful influence,extending into many branches of Christian activity. If he were a Baptist or a Methodist, and not a Churchman, he would unquestionably be known as a lay-preacher. As it is, his evangelistic addresses are never unstudied utterances, but shew signs of deep spiritual insight, combined with skill in the interpretation of Scripture. It was once our privilege to attend a Bible Class for the study of Paul's Epistle to the Romans under his presidency, and the fervour with which the thoughts of the meeting were led made our single visit one to live long in the memory.

As a proof of his genuine catholicity of spirit it may be mentioned that quite recently he cheerfully consented to take the chair at the Anniversary meeting of our Osmaston Road Church, and his address on that occasion was very gratefully received.

Mr. Bemrose appears in public more frequently, perhaps, than any of his predecessors, and always to promote the good of his fellow townsmen as far as he possibly can. To meet the numerous demands made upon him for speeches, he is possessed of a large fund of information, so that upon most subjects of general interest he is able to speak well and wisely.

Probably, however, in no good work has he rendered such signal service as in the Temperance movement, during the term of his Mayoralty. At home, he carefully watches and strenuously resists the attempts of the publican party to encroach upon the comfort and well-being of the people; whilst abroad his name is associated with some of the foremost workers for sobriety, as appears from the fact that at the last Annual Meeting of the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, it was in the list of speakers at Exeter Hall.

Of the 5,000 voices in the Band of Hope Concert at the Crystal Palace, on 16th July last, 120 were from Derby, and upon the return of this contingent, the Executive of the Derby and Derbyshire Band of Hope Union resolved that the programme should be repeated for a local entertainment. This was given in the Derby Temperance Hall on Monday evening, 12th August, and it was our good fortune to be present. The Mayor presided, and appeared at his best. The singing was highly creditable to all who had to do with it, and the Chairman's speech was fully in accord. He said that this question of Temperance was at the root of many other questions now before the country. It was under discussion whether a Whig or a Tory Government spends most money, and figures were given in support of theories on either side. But the greatest waste of money did not lie with one Government more than another, but with those who most encouraged the liquor traffic. The question of providing public parks might easily be disposed of, if the economy of Temperance were observed. And that matter of local interest-the proposal to appoint a stipendiary magistrate-would vanish altogether if the trade by which crime was mainly produced were suppressed. Referring to the growing extravagance in speech and in dress, the Mayor said, that used by a husband in praise of his wife, or vice versa, seemed to him justifiable, but that was more than could be said for some speaking of a less private character in the present day.

It will be interesting, as we close, to observe that Mr. Bemrose carries on part of his business in the very premises where Ward-one of the trio (Carey, Marshman, and Ward) who first entered the Baptist Foreign Mission fieldwas engaged as a printer. W. J. AVERY.

Our New Protectorate.

CYPRUS is the key to Asia Minor, and is avowedly brought under the dominion of "the Mother of Empires," not for its own sake, but for the assistance it affords in repelling a suspected invader, and in protecting the vast posssessions of Turkey in Asia. An idea akin to that of the Great Alexander's has taken possession of our Government, and dictated its policy. The Macedonian ruler said, " And Cyprus being in our hands, we shall reign absolute sovereigns at sea, and an easy way will be laid open for making a descent on Egypt." Our contract with the Ottoman Government binds us to secure the introduction of good government into the large areas of Asiatic Turkey.

We ought, therefore, to make ourselves familiar with the country and the people over whom we have the responsibility of rule and direction. True, we have a good deal on our hands; and perhaps it would not be unfair to say that we are not doing our work in India and the Colonies so faultlessly that it is impossible to improve the management of our dependencies. But that is neither here nor there. We have assumed a task, and the sooner we try to understand what it means the better.

To us the country ought to be interesting; for it is the home of the elder members of our own family. The Aryan race, to which we belong, was born in this region, or if not in it, hard by. It is assuredly the home of our religion. Judaism was born there; Christianity took its rise there. It is the centre of the world, the cradle of civilization, and of absorbing human interest.

Asiatic Turkey is divided into five portions: 1, Anatolia, or Asia Minor; 2, Armenia; 3, Kurdistan; 4, Mesopotamia; 5, Syria. It covers 660,000 square miles, and its population is variously estimated at from ten to twenty millions. This population includes Gipsies, Samaritans, Nestorians, Chaldeans, Lazes, Circassians, and Jews; but is mainly divisible into three classes, according to racestock. This is well shown in the following table copied from Nature; Vol. 18, p. 304.:

The offshoots of these three STOCKS are grouped together, and their language, religion, and numbers, are shown at a glance. As Types of these three Stocks we may take the Turk for the first, the Englishman for the second, and the Jew for the third.

I. Of these races the TURKS hold the foremost place in Asiatic Turkey. Asia Minor is their true home. They form the bulk of the people, and present a compact and homogeneous mass in blood, and language, and worship. Asia Minor is the real backbone of the Turkish dominion; and in taking this district under our protection we have yoked ourselves with what Sir H. Havelock called "The effete and abominable Turk" as long as he cares to reproduce himself.

But the Turk of Asia Minor is not the polished and "gentlemanly" Turk of Constantinople. He is a rough peasant; lusty and strong, rude in manners, and harsh in speech; not given to hard work, shy of cultivating anything that does not yield the most bountiful return, frugal in his habits, and simple in his home, patient, much enduring, and hospitable, taciturn in temperament, and

*Arrian, vol. I., p. 99.

stolidly apathetic in spirit; oppressed, of course, with debts, and dogged by the everlasting tax collector; absolutely unprogressive in business, in agriculture, and in numbers.

II. The GREEK is a very different character-industrious and shrewd, quickwitted and versatile, skilful in business, able as a merchant, intelligent as an agriculturist, strong in intellect, and eager for education for himself, and for the Greek race. He confronts the Turk to beat him at every turn-in merchandise and in husbandry; in learning and in culture. The Hellenes, though a small, are a hope-inspiring element in Asiatic Turkey.

III. The ARMENIAN is next in importance and is almost on a level with the Greek intellectually. Largely dowered with business ability, he is not slow to use it in roguery and deception. He has been denied all political rights for long centuries, and has been made to groan beneath oppression, and therefore has resorted to personal wrongs, and by keenness and cunning seeks to compensate for what he loses by the absence of political and social privilege. The masses of the people, though professing Christianity, are steeped in superstitions and ignorance. The Armenian rarely shows fight, and will not present any particular difficulty to his new ruler.

IV. The KURD is a fierce, liberty-loving highlander, restless as a gipsy, and scarcely less susceptible of good government. Reforming him, even aided by the Sultan, will be no light task. Nor for the matter of that will it be easy to subdue to order and obedience the powerful Bedouins of the Syrian deserts, and the rebellious Arab tribes who, for ages, have "maintained an ill-disguised feud with the authorities."

"Great England" has before her a work of gigantic proportions: and though we wholly and indignantly repudiate the deceptive and iniquitous method by which that work has been brought into our hands, yet, for the sake of humanity, we cannot but wish that the work may be speedily and wisely done.

Ir surprised the shiners and newsboys around the post office the other day to see "Limpy Tim" come among them in a quiet way, and to hear him say: Boys, I want to sell my kit. Here's two brushes, a hull box of blacking, a good stout box, and the outfit goes for two shillin's."

"Goin' away, Tim ?" queried one.

"Not 'zactly, boys, but I want a quarter the awfulest kind just now."

"Goin' on a 'scursion ?" asked another.

"Not to-day, but I must have a quarter," he answered.

One of the lads passed over the change and took the kit, and Tim walked straight to the counting-room of a daily paper, put down the money, and said: guess I can write if you'll give me a pencil.”

I

With slow moving fingers he wrote a death notice. It went into the paper almost as he wrote it, but you might not have seen it. He wrote: "DiedLitul Ted-of scarlet fever; aiged three yeres. Funeral to-morrer; gon up to Heaven; left one bruther.'

"Was it your brother ?" asked the cashier.

Tim tried to brace up, but he could not. The big tears came up, his chin quivered, and he pointed to the notice on the counter and gasped: "I-I had to sell my kit to do it, b-but he had his arms aroun' my neck when he d-died!"

He hurried away home, but the news went to the boys, and they gathered in a group and talked. Tim had not been home an hour before a bare-footed boy left the kit on the doorstep, and in the box was a bouquet of flowers, which had been purchased in the market by pennies contributed by the crowd of ragged but big-hearted urchins. Did God over make a heart which would not respond if the right chord was touched?