Two gentlemen went to see an exhibition of paintings. They were connoisseurs, and one of them held in his hand a catalogue of the various pictures on view. As they moved along the gallery, one of them touched his companion, and said, "Look here! Did you ever see such a daub as that? What could have induced any one to send a thing like that to an exhibition ? What a wretched production! And yet, no doubt, he considers himself an artist! What a pity that some folk should be so blind to their own deficiencies !"

The friend who held the catalogue in his hand drew back a little, and rolling it up in the form of a telescope, looked through it at one special point in the picture; and the more closely he examined it, the more he discerned the evidence of real genius. He said to his friend, handing him the rolled-up catalogue, "Just stand here, and look through this at that one spot." He did so; and after a while exclaimed, " Well, that is beautiful! after all, he is an artist."

Now this little incident conveys a most valuable lesson to us all, and one much needed in our intercourse with the Lord's people. It is a grand point, in looking at the character of any one with whom we may have to do, to look out for some redeeming feature, some good point, and dwell upon that. Too often, alas ! we do just the opposite. We take a hasty view of a person, or our eye rests upon some flaw, some defect in the temper, disposition, or conduct, and we keep perpetually dwelling and harping on that, and lose sight of some most excellent trait in the character.

This is a most serious mistake, and one in which some of us are sadly prone to fall. There are few of us who have not some weak point, some drawback, some little inconsistency, something or other which calls for patience and forbearance on the part of those with whom we come in contact in daily life. Let us all remember this, and be on the look-out, not for the weak point, but for some redeeming feature. Let us, when looking at others, "just roll up the catalogue" and concentrate our vision upon some Christian virtue, some good quality, some amiable feature. Let us dwell upon that, and speak of that, and nothing else; and we shall have to exclaim, "Well, after all, he is a Christian ! " This will help us marvelously to get on with people ; and it will minister to our own happiness in a way we have little idea of.

For example, there is a person who is naturally of a close, miserly disposition. He likes to drive a hard bargain ; he would dispute with a cabman about a few pence; he can hardly ever make a purchase without trying to get a reduction in the price. This is very miserable indeed, very sad, very humiliating, greatly to be deplored ; but just let us " roll up the catalogue" and look closely at this person's character, and we shall find him most liberal in the Lord's cause, and in helping the poor. Perhaps on the very day on which he bargained with the cabman about sixpence, he gave a sovereign to a poor family. Let us think and speak of his liberality, and draw the curtain of silence over his niggardliness.

This is Christlike. Let us cultivate this lovely habit. It is very terrible to allow ourselves the habit of dwelling upon the weak points in our brethren. It is really of Satan, and we must earnestly watch against it, and pray against it. Let us "lay aside all evil-speaking." How deplorable to find ourselves indulging in the unworthy practice of exposing the foibles and infirmities of the Lord's people, or turning them into ridicule! May the Lord deliver us from all this! May we judge it in ourselves, and then we shall have moral power to discountenance it in others. Whenever we hear any one speaking disparagingly of another, let us gently suggest to him to "roll up the catalogue," and fix his eye on what is of Christ in the person, and lose sight of all beside. C. J. D.