THE RAINBOW.--When the summer shower is passing away, and while the
thunder is still rolling among the hills, we have often seen the
rainbow. Every one admires the beautiful arch which spans the sky. It is
caused by the striking of the sun's rays upon the drops of water as they
fall from the clouds. These rays are twice refracted and once reflected
as they meet the transparent drops. If you look in the dictionary, you
will find that refracted means bent suddenly, and reflected means thrown
back. The colors of the rainbow are seven in number, and appear in the
following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The tints are most vivid when the background of clouds is darkest and
the drops of rain fall closest. The continual falling of the rain while
the sun shines produces a new rainbow every moment; and a curious thing
is that as each spectator sees it from a particular point of view,
strictly speaking no two persons see precisely the same rainbow. A
peculiar sacredness is attached to our thoughts of the rainbow on
account of the mention made of it in Genesis, when, after the deluge,
Noah saw its arch in the sky. How glad he must have been to view the sun
once more! Then God said, "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be
for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." The story of the
rainbow, as the Bible tells it, is to be found in Genesis, ninth
chapter, from the eighth to the seventeenth verses.
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HATTIE C.--You are needlessly distressed at what you call your lack of
conversational powers. It is true that some people have the gift of
talking with ease, and that they are not embarrassed in the presence of
others. But any person of ordinary intelligence may learn to talk
brightly and pleasingly by simply taking pains to learn how. In the
first place, try to forget yourself. Do not fancy when you open your
lips that the lady opposite you on the sofa, or your neighbor at the
dinner table, is criticising or making fun of you. Well-bred and kindly
mannered people never do so. Have, in the second place, an idea of what
you wish to say. In the third and last place, be sure to tell your story
or give your opinion in the simplest language you can command. Never use
slang. To be a good listener is as great an accomplishment as to be a
bright talker. A young lady who listens intelligently, and with sympathy
in her looks, giving now and then a brief reply or a turn to the talk,
but not trying to lead it, or to be at all conspicuous, is sure of being
popular. Find out what your friends are interested in, and help them to
talk on their special subjects. Do not worry about the impression you
are making when in society, but let your great aim be to make the place
where you are as cheerful as possible.
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We would call the attention of the C. Y. P. R. U. this week to Mr.
Charles Barnard's article, "Wave and Sand," and to "The Boyhood of
William Chambers." The girls will be pleased with Mrs. Dewing's pretty
and artistic design for "A Kettle-Holder."
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