“Look there, my dearies!” and she pointed to a little blue and white tea-pot on the high mantel-shelf above the hearth, on which they were sitting. “Last night, when they’d taken Ben away, and I couldn’t finish t’ psalm, and I couldn’t do much more praying than a little bairn thet’s flayed and troubled in t’ dark night, I lifted my eyes to thet tea-pot, and I knew t’ words thet was on it, and they wer’ like an order and a promise—a’ in one; and I said, ‘There! thet’s enough, Lord!’ and I went to my bed and slept, for I knew there ’ud be a deal to do to-day, and nothing weakens me like missing my sleep.” “And did you sleep, Martha?” “Ay, I slept. It wasn’t hard wi’ t’ promise I’d got.” Then Phyllis took a chair and stood upon it and carefully lifted down the tea-pot. It was of coarse blue and white pottery, and had been made in Staffordshire when the art was emerging from its rudeness, and when the people were half barbarous and wholly irreligious—one of half a dozen that are now worth more than if made of the rarest china, the “Blue Wesley Tea-pot;” rude little objects, yet formed by loving, reverential hands to commemorate the apostolic labors of John Wesley in that almost savage district. His likeness was on one side, and on the other the words, so often in his mouth, “In God we trust.”—_From “The Hallam Succession,” by Amelia E. Barr._ * * * * * Discriminate in the use of AND and TO. Instead of saying “Go _and_ see them before you leave;” “Try _and_ help him obtain a place;” “Come _and_ meet our friends at my house;” say “Go _to_,” “Try _to_,” and “Come _to_.” Discriminate in the use of the word ARTIST. Keep _artist_ to designate the higher order of workmen; as painters, sculptors, musicians, architects, and the like. Don’t use it to designate barbers, laundrymen, tailors, etc. Discriminate in the use of BAD. Don’t say “I have a _bad_ cold;” say “a _severe_ cold.” As colds are never _good_, we should not say they are _bad_. We can have _slight_ colds, or _severe_ colds, but not _bad_ colds. Discriminate between BAD and BADLY. Don’t make the mistake, so frequently made, of saying “I feel very _badly_.” Use _bad_. _Badly_ is an adverb, and should not be employed. One might as well say “I feel _happily_,” instead of _happy_. Discriminate between BALANCE and REMAINDER or REST. Don’t say “The _balance_ of the library remained unsold;” “He spent the _balance_ of the evening at home;” “The _balance_ of the money he left in their keeping;” “We will now have the _balance_ of the toasts.” Use _rest_ or _remainder_. Balance denotes the excess of one thing over another. Discriminate in the use of DEPOT. The best critics contend that we should not call a _railway-station_ a _depot_. A _depot_ is a place where goods or stores of any kind are kept. Discriminate between HAD RATHER and WOULD RATHER. Don’t say I _had rather_ not do it; say I _would rather_ not do it.