"Pride goeth before deftruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."-PROV, xvi. 18. "He giveth grace unto the lowly."-PROV. iii. 34.

PRIDE AND HUMILITY.

Rifing in fair proportion fide by fide,
Behold the ftages of Progreffive Pride;

Refpectability begins the courfe ;

'Tis his who has-all told-a well-filled purfe;

High as his neighbour fure he'd like to feel,
So takes the next step, and is quite Genteel;
By many acts for which he'd fain write-blank,
He fwells and ftruts at length a man of Rank;
The chair of state he next afcends, that Fame
May faithfully transmit his Honoured name;
He meets a rival here, and-woe to tell,
He fends his rival in a trice to-hell;

A thousand shots like that, and strange to say,
Right up to Glory he has won his way.
Pride walks a thorny path; it nothing bears
But fwords and pistols, blood, and groans, and tears.
Far different in the happy vale, behold
Humility at ease, uncursed with gold;
With competence content, with wisdom blessed;
In peace he dwells, careffing and careffed
No thorns befet his path, there only grows
The bending corn, the violet, and the rofe;
Truth, beauty, innocence, at once combine,
And o'er his pathway fheds a light divine;
And when he leaves the vale, to him 'tis given,
To walk amid the bowers of blifs in heaven.

;

This engraving fhows a rude mafs of rocks rifing from the valley below. They appear to be thrown up by fome volcanic explofion, or forced up by the agency of fubterranean fires, they are fo fteep, rugged, and unequal. On the tops of the ledges are feen bufhes of thorns, high, and fpreading in all directions. On the first ledge is a man who has scrambled up with fome difficulty to the place he now occupies. His object is to get as high as he can, and he is feen about to place himself on the elevation of Gentility. On the next ridge is seen a man and woman, who appear to think a good deal of themselves. They

strut and fwell like peacocks, although behind and before danger threatens. A little higher, fee! there is murder committed. One man has fhot at and killed his brother, just because he would not move faster out of his way, although there was room enough for both. At the end of the rocks and above all, is a man in uniform. He has attained the highest pinnacle. Thunder and lightning attend his path; ftorms gather round him. A man of thick fkin, no doubt; thorns could not scratch him, nor daggers pierce him, nor bullets kill him. His glory, however, is almoft gone. The next step he takes he falls, and disappears.

A more pleasing picture presents itself to us below. A lovely vale opens, enriched and adorned with the choiceft of fruits and flowers of paradife; there the fountains pour forth their living ftreams. The corn bends gracefully to the paffing zephyr. The lowly violet rears her beauteous head in the friendly fhade; the rofe of Sharon decks the border; the father, mother, and little one are seen walking together along this beautiful valley, with Wisdom for their guide. The air is filled with fragrance and sweet founds; no thorns grow there to obftruct their path; no lightning's flash, nor thunder's roar, makes them afraid. Safe, peaceful and happy, they pafs along, while Truth, Beauty, and Innocence, irradiate their pathway that leads directly to their own fequeftered cottage.

This is an allegorical reprefentation of Pride

and Humility. The fhelving rocks denote the rugged and thorny path of Pride. The way is raised by the agency of the devil. Having ruined himself by pride, he feeks to bring man into the fame condemnation; he tempts the children of men to walk on it. The most High has planted it with thorns, made it difficult in order to deter men from walking on it. Notwithstanding this merciful precaution, it is crowded with adventurers. Nothing fhows the fallen character of man more than his filly and presumptuous pride, at once stupid and wicked.

"Of all the caufes which confpire to blind

Man's erring judgment, and misguide his mind,
What the weak head with strongest bias rules,
Is Pride, the never-failing vice of fools
Whatever nature has in worth denied,

;

She gives in large recruits of needful pride;
For as in bodies, thus in fouls, we find

What wants in blood and spirits, fwelled with wind;
Pride, where wit fails, fteps in to our defence,
And fills up all the mighty void of sense.”

A man becomes poffeffed of a little gold, and he all at once becomes blind, or at least he fees things in a very different light from what he did once. He himself is altogether another man. He wonders that he never before discovered his own merit. He no longer affociates with his former friends; Oh no! they are not refpectable. He wishes to be confidered a gentleman; he will no longer work; he is above that. He fees his neighbour living in a higher style than he do

he is discontented. The thorns already begin to scratch him. Pride, however, can bear a little pain. Pride is very prolific. The man under its influence foon gets peevish, envious, and revengeful. The remonftrances of confcience are filenced, and he gives himself up to the guidance of Ambition.

He next afpires after rank and fashion; but Pride is very expensive. In order to keep up appearances he does many things that at one time he would never have thought of doing. He can lie, and be very refpectable. He can overreach and defraud his neighbour, and yet be respectable. He can feduce the innocent and unfuspecting, and destroy the happiness of entire families, and ftill be confidered respectable. By

his flanders he has ruined the reputation of more than one. By his unrighteous schemes he attains the present object of his proud heart, and moves among the circles of rank and fashion.

Yet his foul is reftlefs. It is like the troubled

fea; he pants for Power. He pursues after honours, that the trump of fame may found his name abroad, and hand it down faithfully to pofterity. He becomes now a candidate for high office. In his own opinion he poffeffes every qualification; he is aftonifhed that the world fhould be fo blind to his many excellencies. He here meets with a competitor-he wishes him out of his way. "From pride comes contention ;" he picks a quarrel with his rival. The challenge fucceeds; the duel is fought, and his antagonist