* * * * *

Every neglected opportunity draws after it an irreparable loss, which
will go into eternity with you.--_Doddridge_.

[Illustration]




YOUNG USHER.


You gave read of that remarkable man, Mr. Usher, who was Archbishop of
Armagh. I will tell you something about his early childhood. He was born
in Dublin, in the year 1580, and when a little boy he was fond of
reading. He lived with his two aunts who were born blind, and who
acquired much knowledge of the Scriptures by hearing others read the
Scriptures and other good books. At seven years of age he was sent to
school in Dublin; at the end of five years he was superior in study to
any of his school fellows, and was thought fully qualified to enter the
college at Dublin.

While he was at college he learned to play at cards, and he was so much
taken up with this amusement that both his learning and piety were much
endangered. He saw the evil tendency of playing at cards, and at once
relinquished the practice entirely. When he was nine years old, he heard
a sermon preached which made a deep impression on his mind. From that
time he was accustomed to habits of devotion. He loved to pray, and he
felt that he could not sleep quietly without first commending himself to