instil stronger principles of mischief into their minds, and thus stimulate them to the perpetration of more flagrant offenses. From such a mass of criminals, so long in the cultivation of vice, no wonder that some of them should become so proficient, as at the expiration of their sentence, they may be said to take their second degree, of MASTER in the ART of criminality.

Let us look again at the infant Moses, and we shall perceive him exposed to danger from the Officers of Pharoah's court. Had they passed along by the river side, and perceived something in the shape of a basket, they would have been excited to ascertain its contents. Opening the lid, they would have found the Hebrew child; and although they might have been affected by perceiving its tears, the inexorable edict of their king would have compelled them to take away its life by drowning him in the river. This is similar to the case of our delinquent children; for, the civil law of our country knows no distinction in the detection of crime, whether committed by old or young. When therefore our officers of justice perceive the unwary youth, wading in the stream of iniquity, notwithstanding they may have compassion for his tender years, they are bound to arrest. And, although the natural life of the offender be not in danger, like that of Moses, still, the condemnation, and criminal confinement of a young person, generally produces the moral death of his character, and destroys the hope of society in his favour How generous then is that hand, which can rescue a fallen youth from such extreme danger!

What adds a final grade to the distressing exposure of poor little Moses, is, that he was unconscious of his danger. Is not this the case with our unwary youth? Ignorant of the criminality of their conduct; their offences against God; and their accountability to the laws of society, they go astray, regardless of its fatal consequences. Like as Moses knew not his danger of being carried away by the stream, or devoured by the monster of the Nile: so our unfortunate children are insensible of the current of vice, or of those older, abandoned characters, whether male or female, who lay in wait to destroy them! Nor is it uncommon for such old offenders, having succeeded in decoying the young under a promise of gain, on their detection, to turn evidence against them, and thus seal their condemnation.

Let this general statement of our dissipated youth, and the dangers to which they are exposed, produce the necessary impression upon our mind, and we shall instantly perceive the importance of the laudable efforts of this Society in rescuing them from the paths of the destroyer, and giving them a place in this House of Refuge. As the means which the Almighty employed to extricate the infant Moses from his danger are so remarkably interesting; and, as the circumstances attending it are so admirably calculated to afford us a few lessons of instruction on the design of the present assembly, we will make them the subject of the second part of this discourse.

II. By the intervening providence of God, the feet

of Pharoah's daughter were directed to the waters of the Nile. How minutely does the Almighty perform his operations! Had the Princess, with her maidens, come down on the morning before, Moses had not been there; had she been confined to her chamber, and visited the river on the following day, the child might have been drowned, or devoured by the monster. This, therefore was the very set time for God to favour Moses; and all circumstances combine to produce the event.-Permit me to say, that many years ago, I cultivated a commisseration for the vagrant children in our streets; and especially for those miserable little creatures who were confined in our prisons. In the year 1813, I presented to the Honourable the Common Council, the outlines of a plan for the establishment of an Asylum for their relief; but, it was , like the morning, too soon! The set time for such an operation had not arrived; now, the providence of God appears in their favour, and the public mind is generously excited to rescue them from the polluted waters of destruction, and employ every possible means for their restoration to usefulness and happiness.

The address of the Princess of Egypt to the nurse, is as expressive as it is kind and benevolent; and affords us a charming impression of the strong interest which she took in the future welfare of the infant. Take this child away, said she, from its present danger, though it be an Hebrew. Carry it to your home, and nurse it for me, as though it were my own. I require not this care at your own expense; for I am able, and promise to give thee thy wages. Excellent Princess! what more

could she have said! How justly may all these items be applied to the good intention of the Society now assembled. Let us examine them ?-Take this child away; remove the miserable little objects from the paths of idleness, beggary, vanity, and inducement to crime, by the crafty and the wicked who lay in wait to allure and destroy them. But whither shall these juvenile delinquents be conveyed? Where is the hospitable door that will open to receive them? Here it is! The House of Refuge is now open: its door unfolds to receive and protect them, as the arms of the nurse were extended to embrace the rescued Moses.What attention are they here to receive? They are to be nursed. What this means, is easy to be understood. They come to you in rags, and you must clothe them; they are hungry, and you will feed them; destitute of virtuous friends, you clasp them to your bosom; mentally diseased by idleness and sin, you afford them the religious means for restoration. Nursing is indeed anxious labour; and those who have the government of this Institution, will frequently find a sufficiency of care to fill both their hands and their hearts.—Still, who is to supply? From whence are the necessaries to be obtained to feed, and to clothe so large a family? Remember, Pharoah's daughter said unto the nurse, I will give thee thy wages; and if the nurse could trust the Princess of Egypt, surely we may confide in the providence of the Almighty, for the silver and the gold are his to bestow. Besides, the public mind has already been so benevolently interested in its favour, that, methinks I hear their voice to you this morning, "We will give thee thy wages." For, indeed, you

nurse these poor miserable creatures for the public peace and safety; and therefore they will not fail to give you the most ample supply.

The reflections I have already made, lead me to institute an inquiry :-What may be the public expectation of benefits arising from this new establishment? The first I will name, is, the extraction of THE CORE OF PAUPERISM. It is well known, that we seldom see men and women, with baskets on their arms, going from house to house, soliciting charity; for the trade of mendicity has been carried on, principally by the children of the indolent and worthless. While this practice was pursued, Societies for the cure, or prevention of Pauperism, may hold their meetings, and publish their annual reports, without any other benefit than what would accrue to the paper mill, and the printing press. Remove such children from the streets, and nurse them well; then, though the strings of the core of pauperism may draw hard in its extraction, it is the best, if not the only method of cure.-The public will likewise expect these children will be instructed in the rudiments of plain education; the importance of cultivating habits of industry; and some of the more useful mechanic arts; by which, hereafter, they may obtain an honest livelihood, whether on the land, or on the seas. To which must be added, their reformation, and improvement in morals; without which, very little good will be obtained. No man will expect that you can change their vicious little hearts; for this is alone the prerogative of God, by the operation of the Holy Spirit of his grace. But, as this is frequently