Going to church is a good thing.  All good people go, and from good motives, of course.  Mrs. BROWN, says a wicked gossip, goes to show a bonnet; Mrs. JONES her shawl; Mrs. SMITH her silk; Mrs. JENKINS her gloves and fan.  No sane person believes that these ladies go for any such purpose.  The case isn’t presumable.  They are nice, high-toned people, sit in $800 pews, adore Rev. Dr. CANTWELL, and give very freely (of their husband’s money) to the heathen in the uttermost corners of the earth.  They prefer, good souls, to give to the heathen under the equator to those under their noses.  It is not true that ladies go to church for the display of dress.  It is true Mrs. JONES does not wish to be outdone by Mrs. JENKINS, and isn’t if STEWART can help it, but she is a good pious woman of simple tastes, though Mr. J. thinks she tastes rather often.  Going to church is a good thing for example’s sake.  It is so nice and strengthening to reflect that, as the minister preaches piety, and you practice poetry, (with a pencil in the prayer-book,) you set an example to the rising generation.  One can never do too much for the rising generation, though it often rises too frequently and too high.  Besides, it encourages the minister.  Only think of talking to emptiness instead of fulness—­to people instead of plush.  How can the dear Rev. SPLURGE SPLUTTER have the heart or tongue to drop his pearls of eloquence to the swine of empty pews?  And how dreadful for the gifted soprano, Miss SCREECH, to tune her melodious voice to earless aisles!  And then it is so easy to “set” examples by sitting in soft pews, doing to church should be a matter of conscience.  Every body not a dolt admits conscience to be a good thing, though a thing every body cannot boast of possessing.  I like people of conscience—­that is, I should like them if I knew any.  It is such a nice thing to talk about—­and how much nicer to have.  Mrs. TODD often wishes “to conscience” she could reach mine.  I am sorry to say that at times Mrs. T. is an irreverent woman.  She doesn’t perceive that some where under that hairless, proud dome of mine there must be a conscience—­I may proudly say, an imposing conscience.  I said to Mrs. T. one day, “I have an imposing conscience,” and she really thought so—­adding the cruel expression that she didn’t know of any thing about me but was imposing, and that she first became aware of the sad fact when she married me.

TIMOTHY TODD.

* * * * *

THE REIGN OF COUPS.

The situation of France is always striking.  This is because its people are always being struck with a succession of Napoleonic ideas.  They labor, for example, under a constant coup d’etat.  Their Press is the victim of a regular coup de main; their Strikes are daily evidences of coups de mains; their Legislature suffers continually from coup de theatre; and their Emperor is perpetually threatened with a coup de grace.  The energies of Frenchmen are not imprisoned; no, they are only couped.