In contrast to these, we meet sometimes with men and women so bright and cheery that their very presence is a positive pleasure. They discover the favourable side of the weather, of their business, of home surroundings, of social relations, even of political affairs. They will tell you of all the pleasant things that happen and give voice to all the joy they feel. Of course, they are sometimes annoyed and worried by petty troubles, but the very effort they make to pass them over silently diminishes their unpleasant effect upon themselves and prevents the influence from extending. THE GOOD-TEMPERED WIFE. A man in Sussex whose wife was blessed with a remarkably even temper went over the way to a neighbour one evening and said— “Neighbour, I just should like to see my wife cross for once. I’ve tried all I know, and I can’t make her cross no way.” “You can’t make your wife cross?” said his neighbour. “I wish I could make mine anything else. But you just do what I tell you, and if that won’t act nothing will. You bring her in some night a lot of the crookedest bats you can get, them as won’t lie in no form, and see how she makes out then.” The bats (or pieces of wood) were accordingly brought in, as awkward and crooked and contrary as could be found. The man went away early to work, and at noon returned to see the result of his experiment. He was greeted with a smiling face and the gentle request— “Tom, do bring me in some more of those crooked bats if you can find them; they do just clip round the kettle nicely.”—_Rev. J. C. Egerton._ CHOOSING A WIFE.—Benjamin Franklin recommends a young man in the choice of a wife to select her “from a bunch,” giving as his reason that when there are many daughters they improve each other, and from emulation acquire more accomplishments, and know more than a single child spoiled by parental fondness. WITHOUT RELIGION.—Friends who have no religion cannot be long our friends.—_Mozart._ REFRESHING SLEEP.—“Sound sleep” is usually considered a healthy state of repose; but it is an observation of Dr. Wilson Philip that “no sleep is healthy but that from which we are easily roused.” MASTERS AND SERVANTS.—There is only one way to have good servants; that is, to be worthy of being well served. All nature and all humanity will serve a good master and rebel against an ignoble one.—_Richter._ BEWARE OF BAD HABITS.—Let players on musical instruments beware of bad habits. Mozart, speaking of a girl whom he heard at Augsburg in 1777, says, “She will never master what is the most difficult and necessary, and, in fact, the principal thing in music—namely, time; because from her infancy she has never been in the habit of playing in correct time.” CULPABLE CARELESSNESS.—It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional lying that there is so much falsehood in the world.—_Dr. Johnson._