's immortality.

A WORD ON INDIAN LORE.

The old prose editions of the sacred books of India--the law codes of
the Aryans--were suitably arranged in verse to enable the contents to be
committed to memory by the students. In these rules the ritual of the
simplest rites is set forth. New and full moon offerings are given, and
regulations minutely describing as to the way salutation shall be made.

Much after the fashion of the grandees or the Red Indian moon worshipper
of North America, it is told how a Brahmana must salute stretching forth
his right hand level with his ear, a Kshalriza holding it level with
the breast, a Sudra holding it low--all caste observances and relics of
a sign-language.

"A householder shall worship gods, manes, men, goblins, and rishis,"
remains of ancestral worship. "Adoration must be given to him who wears
the moon on his forehead," the oldest known form of worship, possibly,
of the Drift-man's period, "and he shall offer libations of water,
oblations of clarified butter, and worship the moon." The butter
oblation was practised by the Celts! They have a lunar penance, "he
shall fast on the day of the new moon."

These observances belonged to a people who, without doubt, migrated from
the West to the East. The manes and goblins are pre-Celtic, and have
likewise been preserved by those who travelled, as the journey became
possible, towards Asia. Some of our nursery tales, children's games,
are likewise known to them. The same legends are extant in the East and
West, all of which have a common origin, and that a religious one.

FOOTNOTES:

[G] An old English child rhyme mentioned in BARNES' _Shropshire
Folk-lore_.

PART II.

CHAPTER I.

"Oh, Love! young Love! bound in thy rosy band,
Let sage or cynic prattle as he will,
These hours, and only these, redeemed
Life's years of ill!"

GAMES.

The annual calendar of dates when certain of the pastimes and songs of
our street children become fashionable is an uncertain one, yet games
have their seasons most wonderfully and faithfully marked. Yearly all
boys seem to know the actual time for the revivification of a custom,
whether it be of whipping tops, flirting marbles, spinning peg-tops, or
playing tip-cat or piggy. This survival of custom speaks eloquently of
the child influence on civilisation, for the conservation of the human
family may be found literally portrayed in the pastimes, games, and