( 320 ) 
A mineral consisting of silex in what is called the soluble state, and 
usually a small quantity of water. 
The 'precious opal presents a peculiar play of colors of delicate tints, 
and is highly esteemed as a gem. The fire opal is less transparent, and the 
colors are like the red and yellow of flame. 
Happiness of a Pure Life. 
“Spring has no blossom fairer than thy form; 
Winter no snow-wreath purer than thy mind; 
The dewdrop trembling to the morning beam 
Is like thy smile—pure, transient, heaven-refin’d.” 
— Mrs. Lydia Jane Pierson. 
/ ToHOSE who live chastely are like the lily (Cant. ii. 1). Every tiny 
insect that rests upon the snowy petals of the lily mars its dazzling 
whiteness and disfigures its beauty; so the mere thought of evil is a stain 
upon the mind of the man who lives chastely. Hough handling spoils the 
fair lily and causes it to wither, so the man who lives chastely suffers from 
indiscriminate intercourse with those around him. The lily grows up¬ 
right, straight and slender; so the man who lives chastely must ever look 
upward and tend towards Heaven. The lily fills the whole house with its 
fragrance; so the man who lives chastely edifies all with whom he asso¬ 
ciates by his good example. 
Oh, how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory, for the mem¬ 
ory of it is immortal: because it is known both with God and with men 
(Wisd. iv. 1). 
Purity of heart is health to the soul; it also gives light to the under¬ 
standing. The chaste are like a crystal without flaw, or a clear, gently- 
flowing stream, in which the face of heaven is mirrored. 
