i85i 209 possible authority, that of his wife, who saw the crow in the vessel into which it was discharged. Away went Miss Jones to vent the tale to Mrs. Robinson in this form : Last night, only last night, at a quarter-past twelve Mr. Smith began to heave, and the heaving went on for two hours and a half, when he was relieved by throwing up a couple of black crows, full grown and fully fledged. She had it on irrecusable authority. So the story travelled on through Mrs. Baker and Miss Tomkins, from whom ultimately it reached the County Weekly Advertiser in the form of Seven Black Crows. " God bless my soul! " exclaimed Mr. Smith when he read the story in the paper on the Saturday, " I remember that I did vomit, but what came off my stomach I can't remember. That it was seven black crows must be true, for here it is, in print." When I hear or read the miraculous tales told in Romanist books of visions and cures I think of the story of the seven black crows. I cannot but deems that what has driven too many men and women alike into severe Religious Orders has been due to temporary disorder of the liver. I think it for this reason. At one time at Lew when I was a small boy I fell into just such a condition of depression. I thought that all was against me, that I had no chance of carrying out my wish, which at that time was to go into the army. I became gloomy, reserved, and sought solitude. This lasted some weeks, and my parents became anxious. My father, very sensibly, administered to me a blue pill. A few hours later they were startled by hearing bursts of laughter, clapping of hands, and my voice raised in song. Hastening to see what caused this, they entered the room where I and a couple of friends and my brother and sister were, and found me dancing a hornpipe on a tea-table, and singing at the top of my voice. The world was to me now all rosy, every one was dear to me, and my prospects were all I could desire. The blue pill had occasioned the transformation. If anyone were to come to me to-day, despondent, despairing as to himself, or as to the future of the Anglican Church, my advice to him would be : " Take a blue pill." I do not for one moment deny real Vocation ; but I would p
