Youths' Department. RIPON CATHEDRAL. (With Engraving.) ON a fertile plain, a little to the south of the river Ure, stands the old Cathedral city of Ripon, as renowned for its antiquity, as for the beauty of the scenery by which it is surrounded. The vales of Ure, Skill, and Laver, almost unite in a point at the side of the city. The rivers are all shallow, their beds being for the most part composed of gravel and fragments of magnesian limestone, which is the prevailing geological formation in the neighbourhood. It is more than probable that Ripon was known to the Romans, if not one of their stations, being little more than six miles from the celebrated Isurium, and skirted on two sides by roads of undoubted Roman origin. The first authentic information we have of Ripon bears date 661, in which year one Eata, Abbot of Melrose and Lindisfarne, had a piece of ground given to him by Alfred or Alchfrid, King of Northumbria, on which he is said to have founded a Monastery. During the eighth and ninth centuries Ripon is said to have suffered much through the ravages of the Danes. A large tumulus called Ailey Hill, 900 feet in circumference, exists, in which Ella, King of Northumbria, and a host of his followers are said to have been buried. In the fourteenth year of Alfred's reign, Ripon received its first royal charter. Ripon shared in all the wars incident to the country, until it was completely destroyed by William the Conqueror, in 1069; and so great was the havoc that for sixteen years it remained waste and uncultivated. There is little doubt that the first religious house in Ripon was erected by Eata, but the erection of the Cathedral is variously ascribed to Thurston and Roger of Bishopsbridge, who held the see of York from 1154 to 1181. The west front of the Cathedral consists of a gable end 43 feet wide and above 100 feet high. The length of the Church from the altar screen to the west door is 160 feet, only 9 feet less than the width of Westminster Cathedral, and the extreme length is 270 feet. The centre tower is wider than those at the west end, and the transepts measure from north to south 120 feet. St. Wilfrid's needle is a crypt under the centre tower, the cell is round arched, and is entered by a narrow passage, 45 feet in length. The measurement of the chapel or cell, is given at 9 feet high, The bone 7 feet 6 inches wide, and 10 feet 6 inches long. house, a crypt under the chapter house, has terrors for the weak, but no small amount of interest for the student. the visitor enters, he treads on a sand floor, under which is a layer of bones 4 feet deep; a layer of bones 6 feet deep stretches round the walls, and is parted by the ends of femurs and tibias, and occasionally with skulls. Several interesting relics are laid upon a wooden bench, among which may be noticed a skull completely riddled with perforations, and another with parietal bones, worn very thin; examples ofossification of joints, union of broken parts, and peculiarly formed bones, are in plenty. The town is governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors; it has one singular custom-at nine every night, the beadle takes his stand at the mayor's house and blows three blasts on the corporation hornwhich is perhaps the oldest custom in England. M. LUPTON. BOOKS AND READING, OR INTELLECTUAL CULTIVATION. A LECTURE DELIVERED BY GEORGE TUDOR HALL, AT EAGLE HAWKE, BENDIGO, IN BEHALF OF THE SABBATH SCHOOL LIBRARY. (Continued from page 61.) BUT it will be expected that in this lecture we should say something on the advantages of a Sabbath School Library. And the first advantage we may name is ;-that by this means persons are supplied with good books who would not otherwise have them. Various causes operate against some persons obtaining good books, such as ignorance, parsimoniousness, and poverty, but these barriers are to a great extent overcome, when books can be readily obtained. from a school library. Another advantage we might name is that the vacant hours of children are occupied with a library book, and thus in many cases, not only the broken fragments of time are improved, but children are preserved from danger and mischief. And O what a vast improvement there is in the literature provided for our children now, over the simple nonsense, and in some cases trash, issued from the press a few years ago. Genius is honoured in preparing books for the young in our day. But the last advantage we shall name is, that by a school library pleasurable anticipations are created in the minds of the children, and an additional inducement is held ont to attend the school. But above all, and as a climax to the whole, we say that good books are a powerful means of converting the soul, and will sometimes do this when all other means have failed; many a family have been drawn to the house of God and become permanent worshippers by the reading of some good book, and many a heart has been smitten and many a conscience aroused by the same means. A good book will sometimes revive old and deep impressions, awaken new emotions, and be the means of bringing a prodigal back to his father's house. A young man had the loan of "Pike's Persuasives to Early Piety," the reading of which proved the means of his conversion, and he became an officer in the church; another young man read the same book and three months after, on his death-bed, acknowledged that it had been the means of leading him to the Saviour. The same book was placed in the hands of another young man who was also induced to make a profession of faith in the Saviour, and a fourth read the same book and it proved the means of his conversion. O who would not desire to be the author of such a book, which has proved the means of so much good, rather than to be counted wise in science or philosophy. But let me give you another fact which proves the same statement, that good books are a powerful means of converting the soul. The Rev. Dr. Gill, when young, lost his pious mother, but the impressions made on his mind by her good advice followed him to College, where he procured a copy of "Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted," which proved the means of his conversion, and led to a revival in the College, when many of the students were saved, and the revival spread around the country. Then purchase good books and circulate them as much as you can. Money spent in good books is well spent. The poor Methodist girl who gave money to purchase eight copies of 66 Baxter's Call," was thus the means of the conversion of one old widow at least, and the poor girl had her heart rejoiced at the tidings, and considered her money well spent. To all lovers of humanity we say help to supply libraries in connexion with Sabbath schools, help to send good books in all directions, that their truths may be thrown broadcast over God's beautiful earth, until the wilderness and the solitary place be glad and blossom as the rose, and the moral desert be transformed into the garden of the Lord. We shall now conclude by giving an extract from Bishop Hall's works, on the sight of a great library. "What a world of wit is here packed up together, I know not whether the sight doth more dismay or comfort me. It dismays me to think that here is so much I cannot know, it comforts me to think that this variety yields so good helps to know what I should. There is no truer word than that of Solomon, there is no end of making many books;' this sight verifies it, there is no end, indeed it were a pity there should. God hath given to man a busy soul, the agitation whereof cannot, but through time and experience, work out many hidden truths; to suppress these would be no other than injurious to mankind, whose minds like unto 80 many candles should be kindled by each other. The thoughts of our deliberations are most accurate, and these we vent into our papers. What a happiness is it that without all offence of necromancy, I may here call up any of the ancient worthies of learning whether human or divine, and confer with them of all my doubts. That I can at pleasure summon whole synods of reverend fathers, and acute doctors from all the coasts of the earth to give their well studied judgments on all points of question which I propose, neither can I cast my eye casually upon any of these silent masters but I must learn somewhat. It is wantonness to complain of choice; no law binds me to read all, but the more we can take in and digest, the better liking must the minds needs be. Blessed be God, that hath set up so many clear lamps in the church; now none but the wilfully blind can plead darkness: and blessed be the memory of these his faithful servants who have left their blood, their lives, their spirits in these precious papers, and have willingly wasted themselves into these during monuments to give light unto others." And Lord Bacon said, "libraries are as the shrines where all the relics of the ancient saints full of true virtue, and that without delusion or imposture, are preserved and reposed." Let us therefore attend to reading and study that we may be fitted for usefulness here, and at last dwell with those who being wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever. Amen. ECHOES FROM THE CHRISTIAN'S STUDY. HEEDFULNESS. IN Hebrews ii. 1, it is written, "We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard." How necessary it is that we should forget some things that we have heard. We refer to those things which are calculated to impress the human mind with evil thoughts, and so influence our actions that we shall suffer and others be injured. 1 How apt are we to forget the things that we ought to remember, and thus live in a state of carelessness about those things which are of vital importance. We should give the more earnest heed 1. To the glorious fact of God's great love to us.-That love has been manifested toward us in a variety of ways, but in no way is it more strikingly exhibited than in the gift of his own, his only and well beloved Son. Hear what Jesus says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. Here we have a display of Divine love to a fallen race of human beings. Here we see God's grand design to save a ruined world. Here is infinite love, love which cannot be fully described by human tongue or pen; love which cannot be fully conceived by any creature's mind. This subject has occupied the minds of good men in all ages, and it is a theme on which angels have delighted to meditate, and it will be the grand subject of study in heaven for ever and ever. If then it is a topic of such vast importance to the best and holiest creatures, surely it deserves a place in our thoughts, in our daily thoughts, in our work-day as well as in our Sabbath-day thinkings. Our gospel ministers have told us of this love. Our pious parents have whispered of it in our ears; our godly teachers have endeavoured to impress it on our minds. The Bible is full of it, and the Holy Spirit frequently reminds us of it. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to it, for it is a pleasing, powerful, and truly profitable theme on which to allow our minds to be well exercised. Father, whose everlasting love, Thy only Son for sinners gave, And sent him down the world to save. Thy undistinguishing regard, Was cast on Adam's fallen race; For all thou hast in Christ prepared Sufficient, sovereign, saving grace." Here is love-love for every sinner, unbounded love, inexpressible love, love that ought never to be forgotten by those who have shared in it. Why, then, thou universal love, Should any of thy grace despair? But straitened in our own we are." We should give earnest and constant heed |