32 THE MICROSCOPE AND ITS LESSONS. 



I see that person now, as, calling her friend, she exclaimed, 

 " Oh, Elizabeth, come here -here's a lovely thing ! " 



Once, at a lecture in the country, having the worthy 

 vicar for a chairman, a very broad-speaking Scotchman, 

 when all was over, and he expressed to the people his 

 satisfaction and astonishment at what he had heard, he said 

 it reminded him of what happened in. his country, on 

 one of the lakes, when the first steamboat appeared upon 

 the water. An old Scotch woman, who had never seen a 

 steamer, and knew nothing of its motive-power, put up 

 her hands in amazement, shouting, " Eh ! the works of 

 God are great, but this beats 'em all ! " 



At a working-men's meeting one evening I learned a 

 lesson never to be forgotten ; and I mention this in the 

 hope that should this book fall into the hands of any one 

 engaged in teaching, he or she may never be discouraged 

 should either often appear to "toil all night and catch 

 nothing." We do leave we cannot help leaving an 

 influence behind us, for good or for evil, every time we 

 speak, that is my belief. From this meeting of working- 

 men I came home much discouraged. What did they 

 care for plants and flowers? Not a bit, it seemed to 

 me. I had my diagrams nicely exposed, but, when the 

 lecture was ended, feeling vexed, I rolled them up and 

 came home. Not many days after, a City missionary 

 called upon me, and said 



"You gave a lecture a short time since, sir, to the 

 working-men at ? " 



" Yes," I replied, " I know I did. What about it ? " 



" Well," he answered, " there was one man there who 

 was an atheist, and your illustration of design in the story 

 of the pitcher-plant has made him very uncomfortable, 

 and he asked me if I would beg the favour of his coming 

 to see you." 



