- sorrow breakers of the Christian system, starting one difficulty after another, in his apparent seeking after truth. These were suggested so incidentally so artfully-with such well affected and seeming earnestness of zeal, that every one left the germ of doubt in the mind of the simple hearted boy. He was in great danger. He was fast losing the stable ground of his faith. There was one thing and but one thing, saved him. His mother was capable of directing him, and he confided all to her. Not yet was his entire deliverance. Not yet was he strong enough to contend for the boon of positive and perfect liberty. Rankin felt it prudent to change his modus operandi; yet he still took Victor to meeting in different parts of the city, so he might hear the opinions of all the various sects, and learn something of their particular modes of worship. One Sabbath afternoon he came home unexpectedly, and told Victor he had come on purpose to invite him to attend the meeting of a great preacher; and as he spoke of this freely, and at length in a letter to his mother, let us turn to that letter ; which will be only turning to the next chapter, CHAPTER VI. ""Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, MEASURE FOR MEASURE. LETTER FROM VICTOR TO HIS MOTHER. BOSTON, July 4, 18——. "As this is a holyday, my dear mother, I gladly devote a part of it to you. And first, let me thank you for the present of the nice warm stockings you sent me last Fall, which I forgot to mention every time I have written since. They were so soft and warm rather too warm, indeed, to think of this hot July daybut they are very different from the coarse rough things they buy at the stores. After all, mother, I believe I do love the country best; the dear good country. There are a great many fine things here, to be sure; but there are also a great many bad ones. I am finding them out every day, more and more. But I hope I am grateful, as I feel I ought to be, mother, to the kind Providence that has placed me in this excellent family. Mrs. Gray is almost like a mother. She is very different from the mistresses which most of my fellow apprentices have, if they tell the truth. I believe it is pretty generally customary among the higher order of mechanics to treat apprentices, especially the younger ones, as menials, rather than equals. They are, I am told, seldom invited into the parlor, when there is company present. They are allowed to go wherever they please on the Sabbath. They have little or no religious instruction, even among the professedly pious; and their wants are seldom enquired into. But here, mother, you cannot think how different it is! If I eat less than usual, or look soberer than common, Mrs. Gray sees it just as quick as if I were her own child; just as quick as you would, mother, and she finds out all my trouble; and she doctors me, and comforts me, just as you do. And Miss Gray I have told you before what she is; but I never can speak enough of her. O, she is so good, and so kind, and so beautiful-I can never tell half, She is now teaching me to draw; and she says I make great progress; but she is so amiable. Mother don't you think it is a grand thing I am learning to draw, and all at leisure hours, too, without paying any money? It is to me a delightful recreation. I ́mean to be an Architect. You shall never be dissatisfied with the station I shall gain. I have looked at it, mother. I have thought of it; and my determination is fixed. It will require long and unwearied exertion — perhaps much self-sacrifice; but I have fixed my mark high; and I am determined that nothing shall divert me from it. Since I have come to this great city, where the distinctions of rank are so much more glaring than they are in the country, I have only become more fixed in my former opinion, that the real dignity of man, does not rest in his profession, nor in the amount of money he may have; but in the mental and moral power which he is capable of exerting. Mechanics, as well as laboring people, generally fail in want of self-respect. They are willing to take inferior places, when they might command higher. A certain set names them an inferior caste; and they subscribe to it with grumbling and hard words, it may be; but still their own hand and seal is there; or the parchment could never be valid still they crouch when the rich man goes by still they cry out against wealth, and Rank, and Fashion and still they meanly envy them; until there is no principle of manliness left in them. In this spirit their families - -- are brought up; and so the evil is perpetuated. Taking it for granted that they cannot and should not rise to a level with the highest, they neither prepare themselves, nor their families, for any thing better, or higher. As a general truth I believe that men will be respectable, and respected, only just as far as they respect themselves. But enough of this, mother. I have a confession to make. "I hope you will not be a very severe judge. Where do you think I was, last Sabbath afternoon? You cannot guess. must tell you. Do not be alarmed, mother; but I was actually listening to the celebrated atheist, Be lieve me, I should never have gone voluntarily to hear him, but I was invited by Mr. Rankin, (whose sincerity, between ourselves, I have still increasing reason to doubt) to go and hear a great preacher, whose name he refused to tell me, But I soon found out that I could be listening to none other than the notorious person, whose name, being coupled with blasphemy and persecution, has made so much stir lately. I will first tell you, dear mother, in order to relieve your affectionate heart, that I neither intend, nor wish to go again; and that a system sustained by arguments so entirely superficial, has rather strengthened my reliance on what I |