"1st. Devote some part of each week to writing on some important subject. 2d. Express your ideas in as few words as possible, render the sense clear, use plain and familiar language, but lively and impressive figures. 3d. Often revise and improve your former compositions. 4th. Keep your ideas clear and distinct, and avoid tautology. 5th. Occasionally submit your best compositions to your more learned and experienced brethren; and never be offended, but always thankful, for any new idea or correction. 6th. When you write for the press, keep a copy of your communications, and when they are revised and published, carefully compare your copy with the editor's improvement. 7th. Always keep in view the great object of all our labor, which is to make men good." Let these seven rules of wisdom for young writers still be remembered, as those that are able to discipline and to improve their power, and particularly the last, which gives to writing an earnest and a truthful character. Assisted by a few practical writers, and by such contributions as he could get from others, he continued his work successfully, presenting a good variety of matter; essays on moral and theological themes, letters, extracts from the best authors, poems, news from churches, and so forth. This first volume presents among its writers the names of Kinkade, Morrill, Millard, Walters, Barr, Flemming, Miles, Jones, McKee, Purveyance, Henry and others, whilst on its pages are able extracts from the pen of Channing, from the Christian Examiner and other periodicals of the time; and at the close of the year, April, 1833, the editor, in an address headed by the impressive lines, "'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours, And ask them what report they bore to Heaven, And how they might have borne more welcome news,'" was enabled to say: "We now have associated with this establishment a greater number of correspondents than there is in any other of our acquaintance. Our periodical has received the approbation of some of the oldest and most experienced ministers in the connection. Several liberal periodicals have favorably noticed us. Many young men have used their pens for the first time (for the press) to adorn our pages. Our old brethren who have long been dormant, have come forth as from the silence of the tomb, have spoken again and stretched forth their palsied hands to our assistance. Kinkade's last trembling lines were for our use. In his wise counsel we commenced; and in his dying moments a fervent prayer was raised for our prosperity."