While he was thinking of this, a person came near, and the two fell into conversation. After a little while, the youth told his companion what he was thinking of, and asked him to account for his feelings. “This place,” said the other, “is the _Garden of Peace_. It is the abode of those who have adopted God’s will as the rule of their lives. It is a happy home provided for those who have conquered selfishness; those who have learned to put aside their passions and do their duty. At first, it is difficult to do this; for, in early life, we adopt wrong courses, and habit renders them easy. These habits become our masters, and it is hard to break away from them. But if we triumph over these habits, and if we adopt others, of a virtuous kind, then it is easy to follow them; and the peace that flows from virtuous habits is beyond the power of words to express. This lovely garden is but a picture of the heart that is firmly established in the ways of virtue. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” While the companions were thus conversing, and as they were passing near the gateway, the youth saw on the other side the friend who had resolved to follow the inscription, but who had given over the trial. Upon this, the companion of the youth said, “Behold the young man who could not conquer himself! How miserable is he in comparison with yourself! What is it makes the difference? You are in the _Garden of Peace_; he is excluded from it. This tall gateway is a barrier that he cannot pass; this is the barrier, interposed by human vices and human passions, which separates mankind from that peace, of which we are all capable. Whoever can conquer himself, and has resolved, firmly, that he will do it, has found the key of that gate, and he may freely enter here. If he cannot do that, he must continue to be an outcast from the _Garden of Peace_!” [Illustration] The Banana. The banana tree is a kind of palm, found in hot climates. It is common in South America, and we frequently see the fruit in our markets. When this is cut in slices, dried in the sun, and pounded, it produces a mealy substance that answers the purpose of bread. The banana is also eaten without cooking, when ripe, and is esteemed very delicious. The Spaniards always cut the fruit lengthwise, for they have a superstitious dread of cutting it across, because the pieces then have a resemblance to the cross on which Christ was crucified. The fruit of the banana tree is almost as large as a cucumber; the leaves are five or six feet long and a foot wide. ECONOMY.--As a proof of domestic economy in France, it may be stated that a short time back, in the commune of Bugey, in the Saone-et-Loire, a man buried his wife in an old clock-case to save the expense of a coffin, in defiance of the remonstrances of the neighbors and a clergyman. [Illustration] Comparative Size of Animals.