The State Guard

Religion—what is It?

Is it to go to church to-day,
To look devout and seem to pray,
And ere to-morrow's sun goes down,
Be dealing slander through the town?

Does every sanctimonious face
Denote the certain reign of grace?
Does every phiz that scowls at sin,
Veil no hypocrisy within?

Is it to make our daily walk,
And of our own good deeds to talk?
Yet often practice secret crime,
And thus misspend our precious time?

Is it for sect or creed to fight,
To call our zeal the rule of right,
When what we wish is at the best,
To see our church excel the rest?

Is it to wear the christian's dress,
And to mankind good will profess,
To treat with scorn the humble poor,
And bar against them every door?

Oh no! Religion means not this.
The front it bears much fairer is,-
Its precept is, to others do,
As you would have them do to you.

It grieves to learn an ill report,
And scorns with human woes to sport,
Of others' deeds it speaks no ill,
But tells of good—or else keeps still.

Ah! does religion this impart,
Then may its influence fill my heart!
Oh hasten the blissful, joyful day,
When all the earth shall own its sway.

He that putteth a bible into the hands of a child, gives him more than a kingdom; for it gives him a key to the kingdom of heaven.

A Costly Wedding Present—
Among the Hottentots. If a widow marries again she is obliged to cut off the joint of a finger for every husband she marries after: this she presents to her new husband on her wedding day, beginning at one of the little fingers.

Let every minister, while he is preaching, remember that Almighty God is one of his hearers.

There was born at Wallacetown, Scotland, recently, a beautiful female child 1e oz weight 7 inches round the chest, foot one eighth of an inch.

A lover out west tells his sweetheart that she came down out of the clouds of heaven. She must be the raining belle.

How many mothers and frugal housewives keep their pretty daughters and their preserves for some big bug" or other will both sour This seems to us marvellous poor economy.

A NEW NICK NAME FOR THE EVIL One.—Yesterday In his sermon, the Rev. Mr. Stowe, in speaking of Satan, styled him "the Rough and Ready' of the squadrot. of hell." Boston Post.

There is a marked difference in the healthiness of houses according to their aspect in regard to the sun. Those are decidedly the healthiest, other things equal, in which all the rooms are during some part of the day, fully exposed to direct light. It is well known that epidemics attack the inhabitants of the shady side of a street, and totally exempt those upon the opposite side.

South Carolina College —The following young gentlemen, members of the Senior Class, have received honorary appointments to deliver addresses at the annual exhibition in M : E J Bostwick, of Beaufort, James Fairrow, of Laurens, Thomas Frost, of Charleston, S M G Gary, of Abbeville, J S Green, Cf Richland, E M Griffin, of Darlington, Oscar P Hay, of Barnwell. F W MeMaster. o' Fairfield, Alex Noble, of Abbeville. F D Quash, of Charleston, Julius J Sims, of Beaufort, Paul H Seabrook, o! Edisto Island, William B Telford, of Anderson, and Frederick L Vlepigue, of Kershaw.

Of forty six reigning sovereigns married or widowed, thirteen have no children.

A very small man, who is blessed with a very large wife that instead of looking up to him with admiration, is in the habit of looking down upon him with something akin to contempt; Called her yesterday his better half." Your better half" said she, with a disdainful toss of the head, "you had better say 'your best three quarters, you are not more than one-fourth of the joint concern, no how!"

Census Of France.—According to the late census of France the total population of that country is 35,400,486. there having been an increase since 1841 of 1,170,308.

"Ma, whereabout in the maps shall I find the State of Matrimony?" Oh, my dear. that in one of the United States".

Death of Achille Murat.—The Tallahassee Floridan of the 17th inst, announce the death, on the 15th inst. at his residence in Jefferson county in that State, of Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, son of Joachim and Caroline Bonaparte Murat formerly King and Queen of Naples, age 46 years months and 25 days

Mr. O'Connell has just quit Paris on his way to Italy He is not so ill as the London papers have represented.but his medical attendants doubt that he will ever be able to again appear in public life.