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gag n M \..i-Trr?riT.'ir-iTir-ra ^-afr.vims TEE FLAGS HOISTED. ! i REV. DR. TALMAGE PREACHES A vivid j AND APPROPRIATE SERMON. He Says He Kates Y7ar?iiut He Admires tbe Right Kind of Xarti&l Spirit?Words of Glowing and Picturesqae Exhorta-1 lion. Washington, March 14.?At this time, when our national capital has for ten days been ablaz? with our nai ry> n rm-nrr f Vm s f\T! tlULiax j V*. viAw of Dr. Talmage seems very vivid and appropriate. The text is Psalms xx, 5, "la the came of God we will set up our banners " I hate war. In my boyhood we may | have read the biography o? Alexander j or of some Revolutionary hero until i our young heart biat high &nd we j wished we had been born over one j hundred years ago, just for the glory of striking down a Hessian. For rusty swords hung up on the rafters and | ballets cut out of log houses m wn:cn j they were lodged during the great strife -we had unbounded admiration, or on some public day, clothed in our grandfathers soldierly accoutrements, we felt as brave as Garibaldi or Miitiades. We are wiser now, for we make vast distinction between the poetry and the pro;e of war. The roil of drums and the call of bugles and the champing of steeds foamins: and pawing for the battle, 100,000 muskets fflitteringr among the dancing plumes, "God Save the King," waving up from clarinets and trumpets and rung back from deep defiles or the arches of a prostrate city, distant capitals of kingdoms illuminated at the tidings, generals returning home under flaming arches and showering amaranths and the shout of empires?that is poetry. Chilled and half blanketed, lying on the wet earth; feet sore with the march and bleeding at the slightest touch; hunger pulling on every fiber of liesn or attempting to satisfy itself with a scanty and spoiled ration; thirst licking uo the dew or drinking out of filthy and and trampled pool; thoughts { of home and kindred far away while j just on the eve of a deadly strife, I where death may leap oa him from j anyone of hundred bayonets; the j closing in of two armies, now changed s to 100,000 maniacs; the ground slip* ] pery with blood and shattered flesh; fallen ones writhing under the hoofs of unbridled chargers maddened w ith j pain; the dreadfuiness of night, that i " ? ?4*"* ?-I-v?? 4-UA Pa TC? Ava>? I UJliltSS UUWU YY UCU Hit OOiiit the struggle of the wounded ones crawling out over the corpses; the long, feverish agony of the crowded barrack and hospital, from whose mattresses the fragment of men send up their groans, the only music of carnage and butchery; desolate homes, from which fathers and husbands and brothers and sons went oil; without giving any dying message or sending a kiss to the dear ones at homes, tumbled into the soldiers' grave trench, and houses in which a few weeks before unbroken family circles rejoiced, i now plunged in the great sorrows of j widowhood and orphanage. That is ] prose. But there is now on the earth a king- J dom which has set itself up for con- \ Sicts without number. In its march I it tramples no grainfields, it sacks no j cities, it impoverishes no treasuries, iti fills no hospitals, it bereaves no fami- j lies. The courage and victory of Solferino and Magenta without carnage. I The kingdom of Christ agaicst the j kingdom of satan. That is the strife I now raging. We will offer no amis- j tices- We will make no treaty. Ua- j luau sue revolted nsuuas ci tiic ea.i-i.ii shall submit again to King Emmanuel | "in the name of God we will set up our banners." Every army has its ensigns. Long before the time when David wrote tlis text they were in use. The hosis of Israel displayed tnem, the tribe of Benjamin carried a flag with the inscription of a wolf, the tribe of Dan a representation of cherubim, J adah a lion wrought into the groundwork of "white, purple, crimson and blue. Such flags from their folds shook fire into the hearts of such numbers as i were in the field when Abijah fought > ao^ainsfc .Vehnram. and there werel.200.- \ 000 seidiers, and more than 500,000 j were left dead an the field. These ensigns gave heroism to such numbers as were assembled when Asa fought against Zarah, ana there were 1,5S0,000 troope in the battle. The Athenians carried an inscription of the owl, which was tlisir emblem of wisdom. The flags of modern nations are familiar to you all, and many of th^m so inauDrooiate for the character of the nations they represent it would be impolitic to enumerate them. These ensigns are streamers borne on the point of a lane 3 and on the top of wooden shafts. They are carried in the front and rear of armies. They unroll from the main top gallant masthead of an admirals flagship to distinguish it among other ships of the sv.me squadron. They are the objects of national pride. The loss of them on the field is ignominious. The three banners of the Lord's V? A.K+/S ? ?? *U/SV>VS Av> /\ f cuc LUC UiiUilCi U: \ the banner of recruit and the banner j of victory. When a nation feels its ! rights infringed or its honor insulted, i when its citizens have in f .eign climes been oppressed and no indemnity has been offered to the inhabitant o? the republic or kingdom, a proclamation of -war is uttered. On the top of batteries and arsenals and custom houses and revenue offices flags are immedi ateiv swung out. All vriio JooJv on j them realize the fact that uncompro-1 mi sing war is declared. Thus it is that the church of Jesus Christ, jealous for j ti e honor of its sovereign and deter-j mined to get back those who have been ! carried off captive into the bondage of j satan and intent upon the destruction j of those mighty wrongs which nave j so long cursed the earth"and bent upon j the extension of the Saviour's reign of mpwr in tVip nqma r>f O-n,^ cpfc-nn its 1 banners of proclamation. The church makes no assault upon ] the world. I do not believe that G-od ever made a better world than this. It is magnificsnt in its ruins. It is magnificent in its ruins. Let us sto"D talking so much against the world. (l-nA TYrrmrvmr>pr] it. cnn'l si. thf beginning. Though, a wandering child j of God, I see in it the great Father's lineaments. Though tossed an i driven by the storms of 6,000 years, she sails bniveiy yet, and as at her launching in the beginning the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God ! shouted for iov, so at last, vrhen com-: ing into the calm harbor of God's meicy, she shall be greeted by the huzzas of glorified kingdoms. " It is Wfi'M cr<iincf but its transgressions. Whatever is obstinate in the will, degrading in passion, harmful in custom, false in friendship, hypocritical in profession ?against all this Christ makes onset. From false profession ne vrould tear the masix. From oppression he vrould snatch the rod. From pride he vrould rend of the plumes. From revenge he would exercise the devil. Wnile Christ loved the world so much he d ed to save it, he hates sin so well that to eradicate the last trace of its pollution he will utterly consume ihe continents and the oceans. It ihe gate of Eden the declaration of perpetual enimity was made against the the serpent. The tumult roundabout ?? i rr ~ .7>.Vr' | Mount Sinai vra? on-y the roar and | jUash of (ioci s artillery or wratn i against sin. Sodom on fire was only 1 ; one of Gaels flaming bulletins an-j noucins: hostility. Nineveh and Tyre and Jerusalem in awful ruin mark the track of Jehovsh's advancement. They show that God was teribly in earnest when he announced himself abhorrent of all iniquity. Taey make us believe that though mationi; belligerent and revengeful may I sign articles of peace ana come j to an amicable adjustment, there shall be no cessation I of hostilities between the forces of light and the forces of darkaess until the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lordj Affrighted by no opposition, discouraged by no temporary defeats, shrinking from no exposure?every man to his position, while from the top of our schools and churches and seminaries and asylums ''in the name of God we rr-i U fit nnrtm-lunrsr; " | Again, it was the custom in ancient I ! times for the purpose of gathering j armies to lilt an ensign on the top of ! some high hill, so that all who saw it j woul_d feel impsliea to rally around it. in modern times the same plan has been emnloyed for the gathering of an army. Taus it is that the church of Christ lifts its il.i? for recruits. The cross of Jesus is our standard, planted on the hill of Calvary. . Other armies demand that persons desiring WJ cutcr IUC iisca ^ tween such, and such an age, lest the folly of extreme youth or the infirmity of advanced age be a clog rather than an advantage. But none is too young for Christ's regiment; none cin be ton old. The hand that is strong enough to bound a ball or trundle a hoop is skilled enough to fight for Christ, while many a ha ad trembling with old age has grasped tne arrow of truth, and, with a dim eye close to it, taking aim, has sent its sharp noint right through the heart of the King's enemies. Many of you have long ago ' :*<? >.r.n C3U yCJUT iliLLL"3i YVlit-l/Ci- VJU. M.& lun -" celestial troops, and you like the service well, although you now bear the scars of multitudinous conflicts and can recount many a long march and tell of siege guns opened on you that you thought never would be spiked. But there may 03 some who have not yet enlisted. Your being heie implies that you are seriously thinking about \ it, and your attention makes me hope you are only looking for the standard to be hoisted. Will you not. 100 of you, with all the aroused enthusiasm -C Ui vuur ii<ii.u.rc, Lruu.uvi.i.u.g > the ranks, while "in the name o? God we set up our banners?" Through natural modesty do yoa hold back and say: *'I will be of no advantage to Christ. I am too awkward to learn the step of the host, or | to be of any service in the shock of ! battle?" To you I make the reply, i Try it. One hour under Christ's drill, I and you would so well understand | his rules that the first step of your j march heavenward would make th9 i gates of hell tremble on their hinges. | We may not bs as polished and trim as many Christians we have known, and we may not as well understand sharpshooting, but there is rough j work which we can all accomplish, j We may be axmen and hew a pathj way through the forests. We may 09 I spadesmen and dig the trenches or | throw up the fortifications. We do j not care where, we do not care what? j if we can only help in the cause of ' our king and shout as loudly as any ! of them at the completion of the con! quest. There are nonprofessors who have a very, correct idea ot what Christians ought to be. i'ouhave seen members r>hwlin -ctro-ro as r>T?71fi as ; Ahab and lied as badly as Ananias, | and who were as foul hypocrites as Judas. You abhor al1 that. You say followers of Christ ought to be honorable, humble and self denying and ; charitable and patient and forgiving. Amen! So they ought. Come into i the kingdom of Christ, my hearer, and 08 jus*'- that glorious Christian that you have described. Erery church has enough stingy men in it ! to arrest its charities, and enough nrrmd men in it to brieve awav the Holy Ghost, and enough, lazy men in it to hang on behind till its wheels, like Pharaoh's chariots, drag heavily, and enough worldly men to exhaust the patience of the very elect, and enough snarly men to make appropriate the Bible warning, "Beware of dogs r If any of you men on the outside of the kingdom expect to make such Christians as that, we do not want you to come, for the church has 1 already a million members too many : of just that kind. We do not want our ranks* crowded with serfs when | we can have them filled with zouaves. There are men now, as in Christ's , time, possessed of seven devils. In some instances it seems as though at conversion only six of those evil spirits were cast cut while there remains still one in the heart, the devil of avarice, : the devil of lust or the devil of pride. | Men of the world, if you would be ; transformed and elevated by the , power of the gospel, now is the time j to come. It is no mean ensign I lift j this hour. It is a time honored flag. ! It has been in terrific battle." Drag! gled in the dust of a Saviour's humilia| tion from Bethlehem to Calvary. Sent by hell's on set the spears cf a madt dened soldiery, and the hands of the : men who said, "Let him be crucified." 1 With this ensign in his bleeding hand the Kavinn* trip heights of Our : sin. With this he mounted the wall! of perdition, and amid its very smoke j and liame and blasphemy he waved j his triumph, while demons howled i with defeat and heaven i Thronged his chariot wheels Ami bore him to his throne, Then swept their golden harps and sung. The glorious work is done. Again, when a grand victory has | been won, it is customary to announce ; it by Hag floating from public I building and from trees, and Irom ! the masts of ships. They are the signal for eulogy and rejoicing and fes| tivity. So the ensign wnich the church | hoists is a banner of victory. There ; was a time when the religion of Christ i was not considered respectable- Men I of learning and position frowned upon ! it. Governments anathematized its I supporters. To be a Christian was to be an underling. Bat mark the difference. Religion has compelled the world's respect. Infidelity in the tremendous effort it has made to crush it has complimented its power. And! there is not a single civilized nation ! but in its constitution or laws or proc- | lamations pays homage to the religion | of the cross. In the war in India, ! when Sir Archibald Camobell found in an hour of danger that the men he | ordered to the field were intoxicated and asked for the pious men whom i Christian Havek>ck had under his management, he said: "Call out Hav | eiock's saints. They are never drunk I and Hayelock is always ready." That I Christianity which gathered its first i trophies from the fishermen's huts on j the shore of Galilee now has Samsoni ; as strength thrown upon its snouiaers j and has carried oif the sates of science ; ana worldly power. Vv e point net to | fortresses and standing arnres and j navies^as the evidence of the church's ; progress. We noint to the men whom ! Christ has redeemed bv his blood. j What if arsenals and navy yards do | not belong to the church' We do noi J want them. The weapons of our war ! fare are not carnal, but spiritual and ! j mighty through GrJ to ihe puliiag : UvTWii. *Ji LX s M Vsiu uavt i satan have no idea of the strength, and | heroism which God will yet let out against tie forces of darkness tVs yet they have had only one round from the first regiment. The Lord of Hosts Trill soon appear in the field at the head of his trooos. D;p2na upon it. that when God insoires the soui with a ne;v life he puts in it the principle of '"never give up.?' In all ages of the j church there have been those who I have had a faith that was almost equal I to sight, looking through persecution i and reverses with as much expectation | as through, palpable achio meats. There i have been men for Christ who have j acted as did the favorite troops of Bri! en. attacked by Fitzpatrick of Ossory. ; The wounded soldiers bsg^ed that they I might eater the fight with the others. They said, uL?t stakes be stuck ia the j ground and suffer each of us, tied to and supported by oae of these stakes, | to battle ia the ranks by the side of a sound man." It is said that 7U0 or 800 men, pale and emaciated from former wounds, aad thus supported by the stakes, struggled through the combat. Thus has it been that multitudes of tne children of God,though feeling them selves weat aad wounasa, parnaps m body, psrhaps in estate, perhaps in soul, supported by the staff of God's promise, have warred it up to the hilt in the subjugation of a world of wickedness. We are mighty in this Cius3, for we have the help of the olous dead. Messengers of salvation from high ,heaven, they visii the field. Xhey stand behind us to keep us from ignominious retreat. They go before us to encour-T m t. ^ * ^ age us in i,ne sirue. mc ju.uuue.yxics, and thePaysoas. and the Martyns.and the Brainerds, an uncounted multitude of the glorified, are our coadjutors. K?ve you heard the Swiss tradition? The herdsmen say tHat three great; leaders of the Helvetia nation tnou?h ssetningly dead, are only lying: down under the ground in their old time dress, refreshing themselves with sleep, and that if at any time the liberties of their country are in danger they will immediately spring to their feet and drive back the enemv. May I not have the thought that if "erer the church of the blessed Curist shall bs threatened with destruction by foes which seem toog*eat for her strength, the Lord himself will not only come to the deliverance, but those great ancients who have seemed to be sleeping among the dead shall immediately hear the trumpet blast of the church militant and full armed spring back to their old positions in the ranks of God with the battlecry, "More than conquerors through him that loved us." Although we have already much to encourage us in the work of the world's evangelization, yet we must confess that much of cur time has been consumed in planting our bitfoniin oi-i/l oaffinrr rPS'!? fi~>r fllA l<-L J. sx O -k. **.j AVfc ww>.w lllct- We havo> not yet begun to preach. We have not yet begun to pray. We have not yet bsgun to work. On the coasts cf heathendom are missionary stations. Th9y have scarcely yet begun to accomplish what ihey propose. It takes some time to di? the trenches and elevate the standard and direct the great guns. From what I hear I think they are about ready no rr. Let but the great Captain wave the signal and the ringing of celestial weaponry shall quake every dungeon of hell and sound up among the thrones of heaven. Pagodas and temples shall tumble under the shock, and besotted nations flying from their idols and superstitions, shouting like the confounded worshippers of Baal: "TheLord, he is the G-od! Tee Lara, he is the God!" We go not alone to the field. We have invincible allies in the dumb elements of nature. A s Job said, -we are ! in league with the very stones of the I field. The sun by day and the moon j by night, directly or indirectly, shall j favor Christianity. Tn.e stars in their j courses are marshalled for us. as they i fought against Sisera. The winds of I heaven are now as certainly acting in ! favor of Christ as in reformation times | the invincible armada in its pride apI proached the coast of England. As ; that proud navy directed their guns I against the friends of Christ and reli! 'KUav+TT n.-\A coirt iinfn Viic wirtr?:: J ?\J^LUJ V*U.I -? M4W It j "Seize nold of them," and to the sea, i "Swallow them." The Lord, with his j tempests, dashed their hulks together j and splintered thern on the rocks unI til the llower of Spanish pride and va! ior lay crashed among the waves of ! the seabesch. All are ours. Aye, God | the Father, God the Son and God the! ; Holy Ghost are our allies! I The Mohammedans, in their struggles to subjugate the world, had passages frcm the Koran inscribed on the blades of their scimiters, and we Have ! nothing to fear if, approaching the infidelity and malice that oppose the | kingdom of Christ, ws shall have glit! tering on our swords the words of i David to the giant, "I come to thee in | the name of the Lord of Hosts, the S God of the armies of Israel, who thou | hast defied." Now the church goes forth bearing | precious seed, but after awhile it will be the sheaf binding, and reaper angels shall shout the harvest home. Now it is tents and marching and exposure, but then in the ranks of prostrate iniquity and on the very walls I of heaven, "in the name of Grod we Wi.ii aci* uy uu.1 o'auuwo. The earth sends up its long, deep groan 01 pain and clanks the great chains of its bondage and cries by the voice of sea and land and sky, "How long, 0 Lord, how long?" There was a tradition on the other side of the water that the daughter of Lir was transformed into a bird of the air, and that she wandered for hundreds of years over river and lake until the arrival of Christianity, and that at the j stroke of the first cathedral bell her j spirit was freed. Uncounted millions i [ of our race, by the power of sin and j j satan, have been transformed into a j | state of wretchedness, and they wan- j der like the poor daughter of Lir, but they shall after awhile be released. | Y?7hen the great church of Christ shall j | in those darkened lands from its tow- j j er ring out the glad tidings of the gos- j | pel, then millions of wandering souls j j shall find rest in a Saviours pity and j ! a Saviours love, transported from the i j kingdom of satan into the kingdom 01 j I God s dear Son. By and by you would hardly know j the earth if you saw it. The world as j a whole shall be as greatly improved ! ! as the individual heart by conversion, j Fraud, leaving its trickery, will go to ! work for an honest living. Knavery | shall begin to make righteous bar- j gains. Passion shall answer to the control of reason. Scoffers shall be changed into worshipers and skeptics into Bible lovers. Christ shall begin his reign on earth. Whether he shall descend on to the earth in person and I J > 1- V _ . _ 4. v l esisonsn a gcvernmeiii ai uerusaiera, i I cannot say. Bat it will be an era of I more than Augustan splendor. That j is enough. Knowing this we can never despair. But as we see the! church of Christ putting on her beau- j tiful garments and arising to shine we j will say, with the enthusiasm of Oil- i rer Cromwell, who, standing before j his sick and famine stric'-cen soldiers' at Dunbar, saw the sun rising out of j j the morning mist, and, pointing to it | ! rr??thie* c?crm>v7 o rrpy* vrr'n! 1> r i LJ_i. UAO WiW, 'AWWA VA I' Awk.Vii hurled his men upon the crushed foe j like a skv full of thunderbolts: ' 'Arise. 1 " 1 , ,rfvrrni Vi-wfin uni I fl" "Ti iliHT^Ti rTtJI'ii ?? ! 0 God! Lit thine enemies; be scattered." Witt the ear of faith I catch 1 4">-,o crvind r>f rh^ I?rtf-j* div rrlnrTr ; Church o' Christ, unsheath thy sword and this moment into the battle! In the name of Chris:, march ca! Upon every school and hospital, upon every banker's dssk and merchant's counter, uoon every chemist's laboratory and astronomers tower, upon shepherd's hut and woodman's cabin, upon ship's deck and sailor's hammock, far out on the sea and high up in the mountain, before the gaze of nations, under the applauaits of heaven," ''in the name of G-od we will sat up our banners." My subject has taught you that in this contest we are no! without ensigns and colors. All we want no wis men to carry them. Before I sit down I must propose to each of you this great honor. Becoming a Christian is not so ignoble a thing as many have tbought it. "It makes a man stoop,"' you say. I know it, but it is only tbe stoop of an heir of royalty, who on his knees is to receive a crown of dominion. We want standard bearers in all pulpits, in all places of business? everywhere. I do not ask you how j old you are, nor how young, how | weak or strong,how dull or how sharp, | nor what your home, nor who your I ancestors. Without any condition, i without any reserve, in the name of I the God of Israel, I offer you the honj or of carrying the church's ensigns. Do not be afraid of the assaults of a | world whose ranks you desert, nor of j devils who will oppose you with inferI nal might. It were more blessed to fall here than stand anywhere else. It were more of an honor, engaged with Christ, to b9 trampled under foot with this army of banners, than, T 1; 1 T7< J oppaamg.v^nrisi, tu us uurieu, ward I, in Egyptian porphyry. You know in ancient times that elephants were trained to fight and that on one occasion, instead of attacking the enemy, they turned upon their owners, and thousands were crushed under the stroke of their trunks and the mountain weight of their step. Tnese mighty opportunities of work for Christ may accoaiplish great things in CTerthrowing the sin of the world and baating to pie:3s its errors, but if we do 110!: wield them aright these very advantages willia unguarded moments turn, terribly up5a us and under their hesis 0? vengeance gricd us to powder. Bejected blessing:; are sevenfold curses. We cannot compromise this matter. We i cannot stand aside and look on. Christ has declared it. "All who are not with me are against, mj." Lord Jesus, we surrender. ^ The prophecies intimate that there i shall before the destruction of the world be one great bittle between truth and unrighteousness. We shall no: probably see it on earth. God grant that we may see it, leaning: from the battlements of heaven. On the side of sin shall b3 arrayed all forms of oppression and cruelty, led on by 1 infamous kings and generals; the votaries of paganism, led on by their priests; the subjects of Mohammedan- j icm -frtiIrnxrinn* rh'e> nf their shieks. And gluttony and intemperance and iniquity of every phase shall be largely represented on the field. All the wealth and splendor and power and glory of wickedness shall be concentrated oa that one decisive spot, and, maddened by 10,000 previous defeats, shall gather themselves up for one last terrible assault. With hatred to Orod for their cause ana biaspuemy for the battle-cry, they spread out | over the earth in square behind square and legion beyond legioa, | while in some overhanging cloud of blackness foul spirits of hell watch this last struggle of sin and darkness for dominion. Scattered by the blasts of Jehovah's nostrils, plunder and sin and satanic force shall quit the field. As the roar of the conflict sounds through the uni vsrse an worms snan listen. xne slt shall be full of wings of heavenly cohorts. The work is done, and in the presence of a world reclaimed for the crown of Jesus, and amid the crumbling of tyrannies and the defeat of Satanic force, and amid the sound of heavenly acclamations, the church shall rise up in the image of our Lord, and with, the crown of victory on her head and the scepter of dominion in her hand in the name of God shall set up her banners. Then Himalaya shall become Mount Zlon, and the Pyrenees Moriah, and the oceans t-ViQ T-rro 1 L-i n r* nf him who LL?\s TV Jj'AMVW V* trod the wave crests of Galilee, and the great heavens become a sounding board which shall strike back the sound of exultation to the earth till it rebound again to the throne of the Almighty. Angel of the Apocalypse, lly, fly! For who will stand in the ara-rr nf flro- micVit nr resist the sweet) of thy wiDg? Cotton Meal Seized. Columbia March 10.?Fertilizer Inspector Croswell has seized at Bennetts ville eighty tons of cotton seed meal shipped to a merchant in that town, which did not have the required tags on it showing that the privilege tax of twenty-five cents per ton had been paid. The strange part of it is that the meal is said to have come from New York, while there ara oil mills all over the State which could have furnished it. An oil mill man said yesterday that the meal was really boughi m the West through New York orokers, and that as a matter of fact this particular brand was worth very little. Governor Ellerbe instructed Assistant Attorney General Townsend to proceed against the firm r lrtTrr Tf ;* i.Sjr Vit/iai.UI? ilic iciniix.ci ion. j?vi j.o j provided that the State may sue to re- j cc ver the value of all fertilizers without the tags and as cotton seed meal J sells for $13.50,the amount in thi.scase foots up ?1,4S0, quite a sung- sum for the State if she gets it. It is not often that dealers are caught napping in regard to paying the tax and such seizures are few and far between. Less .Exclusive Than Grover. Washington, March 16.?President McKinley has issued an order that un wrill in/^rPOCA V? i c; rinnn. I uynun,uij ~ J JT " larity among a large portion of the citizens of the District. It is that the road back of the Whiie House and running through the White House I grounds be restored to its former funcI tion as a public thoroughfare. It is | part of the President's grounds and is i subject to his orders. Up to within i the last four years it has always been ! crsen to the use of the -public. Dur [ inig the excepted period the grounds j were given over to the use of the i Cleveland children and the gates were i closed to the general public. During i the past administration the only times the grounds were open to the public were on Easter Monday for egg rolling, and on Saturdays when the Marine Band gave its concerts. A Big Defalcation. a\?r\ a fy t i.VHJ.O.-'.iVi.ii-'j -JU.&- Oii jk 4 . xuo uuaiu y; | directors of the old Mutual Assurance I society of Virginia made public this afternoon a defalcation of some ?35,000 as the result of the examination of the books of the association by an ; expert bookkeeper. Mr. F. D. Stegar, i the assistant secretary, in whose aci counts the defalcation occurs, was | sent for to explain the matter, but did [ not appear and is said to have left the j city. All the securities of ihe corpo| ration, which is one of the oldest and I strongest in the State are intact, the [ loss being on collections, i ? 'J. h.i iisinrr-.7^yimrv wsrr?amnbittITB-M LOANS TO COUNTIES.~ i AFTER THE FUNDS CF THE Si ATE j SINKING FUND. Sew Acc CoDatrued?Several Counties Apply For Various Sams?The Text of the Ac:?A Comlnjj Meeting. Columbia, March -20.?There were but few measures iatroduced at the last session of the general assembly which caused more thoughtful discussion than that intended to allow the funds of the sinking fund com mission to be loaned to the several fviiirities nf the State. Manv nossible dangers were pointed out at the time, but the bill was passed and became an act, being approved on Feb. 25. It beomes effective on the 20th day thereafter. And now the subsequent proceedings are interesting the State ana county oificials. Already several counties have made applications to the sinking fund commission for loans under the act. The act reads as follows: An act requiring the sinking: fund - - - -i- - 1 -1 P 1 . X _ _ commissioners 10 ieua iunas w xne several county board? of commissioners of the State for the use of their counties, in preference to lending same to other applicants for same funds. Section 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of the State of South Carolina, that the sinking fund commission is herebv authorized and re quired, when in the judgment of the said commissioners of the sinking fund valid bonds of the State are not offered or ootainable at a reasonable price, to lend.the money of the sinking fund commission both ''cumulative and ordinary" for a period of one year, at a rate of interest of 5 per cent. ; per annum. Sec. 2. That said loan shall be made by slid commission upon tbe valid securities of the several States of the United States, giving preference thereto, or upon the note of the county treasurer and county supervisor of any of th6 counties of this State who shall make application for a loan; : provided, the said loan be not more than one-third of the tax levy for said county, and the whole of the taxes of said county shall be pledged for the reoavment of the money so borrowed i of said sinking fund commission. Sec. 3. That the county treasurers of the respsetive counties borrowing funds of the sinking fund commission shall pay the note so given out of the first taxes collected for the fiscal year in which said money is bon-owed. Sec. 4. That the sinking fund commission shall receive applications for the various counties and file the same until the first day of March of every . subsequent year hereafter; and if the 1 applications aggregate more than the ' entire fund in the hands of the sink ing fund commission, said commis- : sion shall prorate the loan to be made to the several counties in proportion to the taxes paid bv the respective : counties; provided, that no loan saaii < be made to any county in excess of one-third of the amount of tax levy for such county for county purposes; provided, further, that for # this year i the applications shall continue to be made until Ttfay the first. , Sec, 5. That the sinking fund com- . mission shall forthwith call in all temporary loans heretofore made by , it, and loan said fund uader the pro- ' visions of this act. Sac. 6. That any county Iraasurer who shall .violate the provisions of j this act shall be fined, on conviction ; thereof, a sum not exceeding $1,000, ' and his bond shall be liable to said i sinking fund commission for the j amount of the loss sustained by said : commission, together with all costs ! and expenses thereof. Sec. 7. That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act be and ! the same are hereby repealed. There being some question as to the , construction, of the provisions of the ! act, the attorney general was asked to ] construe it for the commission. This , ? i j ?j ^ -r_n ; ne nas aone anu me luxio wixig i^sucu by the Sta-;e treasurer has been printed along with the act and is being sent to the several counties, so that their officials may inform themselves: Office of State Treasurer, Department of Sinking Fund, I Columbia, S. C., March 17, 1897. The fore going copy of an act is trans- \ mitted for the information of those , t J concsrnea: ( The attorney general has construed | the act as follows: The sinking fund . commission is authorized and required ( to lend money at 5 per csnt. interest , per annum, when State of South Car- . olina bonds cannot be oblained at a ( reasonable price. The money cannot , be loaned for a longer nor shorter period than one year. The money must be loaned: first, upon the valid < securities of the several States of the ^ United States, giving preference there- , to; secondly, what money remains after making loans upon such securi- ^ ties offered as above stated is to bs, on the first dav of Hay, 1S97, and on the , first day of March of each year thereafter, loaned to the several counties ap plying for loans and complying with , terms of act; said balance loaned to ; counties being prorated among the several counties in proportion to the taxes naid, and no loan to any county j shall be in excess of one third of the j tax levy for such county for county j purposes?the "ordinary county tax." Applications for loans are to be for- ' warded to tae undersigned, to whom also apply for further information. W. H. Tudierman, < State Treasurer ana ex-ofiicio Treas- ' urer and Secretary of the Sinking Fund Commission. The commission had about ?173,000 i loaned out m wu days time on j? eoru- ary 1. These loans, it is said, will be 1 at once called in. As will be seen the ] holders of State bonds will still hare ' the preference on loans and the coun [ ties can borrow whatever is left. Barnwell has asked for a loan of j $8,000; Williamsburg for $3,000; 1 Georgetown for $3,500, and Oconee lor $2,500. York and Richland wish to borrow some, but have not yet stat- '< ed how much. Aiken wants to bar- 1 row $3,000 for ordinary county pur- I poses and has written asking if she 1 "? j \ J-- 1 a/* aaa < will De avowee. 10 oorrcw $o,vuu mure, pledging the special tax of 1-6 th of a ' mill levied for six years for the pur- ' pose of erecting a new court house. 1 Inasmuch as no loan can be made for longer than one year it is safe to say that Aiken cannot get this $6,000. A meeting of the commission has j been called for March 30 to consider ^ all these matters. It will no doubt be attended by all the members.?State. Talk of Lynching. \ Newberry, March 18.?Tony Lyies, j colored, is in jail here charged with commiting a criminal assault on a Miss Willard near Whitmire's this . county, Monday evening. Lvles waylaid the lady on the public ixign- r. way and committed his foul deed.; Sheriif Buford will protect his prison- \ er, as there is some talk of a lynching bee.?State. / General Hampton 111. Washington, March 16.?Gsnbral ; Wade Hampton is seriously > ill \ his apartments ac the Metropolitan i Hotel, lie is suitermg irojri heart j trouble and as he is novr Nearly 80 I years of age, it is feared her' has not L sufficient recuperative pow^r to with ' stand the attack. / J j i v 5 f ] I \ TnT^-rr^ i?i ^^irf^ir-m-^rsrr^i -m ^Tii i r iron The c abacs Active. Habaxa, March 17 via Key West, March 17. ?From Sagua La Grande cDines the news that on the 13th inst., the parties of Anicjto Hernandt-z, Robau and Julio Dominguez surprised a section of volnnteers belonging to the Sixth company of that city, the majority of them being negroes who were protecting the cane cutters of the estate Salvador at a mile distance from the nlace- Seven ryare killed on the spot and two have disappeared. Many large cane fires are reported all over Matanzas province, the rebels applying the torch to the fields in order to prevent grinding. They also set fire to a great section of the Matanzas railroad, burning the crossties for a long distance. The rebels fired on Guanabacoa on the nights of Sunday and Monday. The city was much alarmed and the garrison under arms during the two nights. No losses re ported. Another attach is expected tonight and the government is sending troops. Several Cuban leaders in Matanzas province have received orders from Gomez to march to ward Las Villas or Santa Clara province. The last information locates Gomez at Dagamal, rear Arroyo Bianco on the borders of Puerto Principe. It is reported at the last moment that the rebels have blown up a tram near Union, Matanzas province, but details are lacking. Advices received from Sancii Spiritus detail the attack made by the rebels on the town of Paredes on the railroad line from Tunas to Sancti Spiritus. On the night of the 9th inst., about 10 p. m. the rebels, after taking possession of the town attacked'the railroad station which had been converted into a fort r.nd protected by a detachment commanded by Capt. Huertas, two sergeants, a corporal, 100 soldiers and about 50 volunteers. The insurgents fired on the fort from all sides, thrusting their guns into the very loopholes of the same. The firing then became intense and the defenders, despite their j stout resistance, were forced to aban- i don the fori, leaving their dead and mnnnHofl with f.Virir arms ariri amrrm- S nitions which were ail taken away. Only a few volunteers managed tc es cape. A sergeant and 23 soldiers were killed. The captain and 15 soldiers were seriously wounded. The telegraph operator -was also wounded in the act of wiring for assistance, but this did not come as the wires had been previously cut. While this was taking place at the station fort, another party of rebels attacked another fort named Fiel, at the extremity of the town. The garrison, composed of a and 35 snlriiftTs was sonn over powered. All perished except one, who was carried away as prisoner. All the arms and ammunition were captured and the fort destroyed. The Cubans were commanded by Jose Miguel Gomez, a brave leader in command of that district, but their numbers are not stated. It is said three were killed in the attack, a private named Enrique Canizares; a Spanish deserter and ihe other one unknown. Near the town of Paredes occurred the explosion lately reported. Ploughing Land When Too Wet, The Southern Cultivator says: No matter how much a farmer has been delayed by the heavy rains of February, or how much hurried he may r--1 e xi u ? mei in cuiusequenua cn tuc$s uciaja, JJ.C should beware of putting the plow in his land before it is sufficiently dry. We know the temptation, when work is pressing 3nd the sun is shining, to ?o on with the plowing, but we also know, from experience, that there is no injury to land or to crops which is more disastrous or more lasting in its efforts than plowing too soon after heavy rains. The injury, to stiff clays Liiure , *yucu uwivcu YYviij is not confined to one crop or one season, but extends to following years and future crops, causing cultivation to be attended to many necessarily difficulties. Unfortunately such an error cannot be remedied at least during the same year. The mistake oi preparing land -when too wet, will invariably cause loss in the cultivated srops ana mucn vexauon 01 spirit in our vain efforts to escape the results of 3ur lack of judgment. Let us keep in mind that on this -work of careful and judicious preparation hinges the comparative succsss or failure of our crops and let us therefore abstain from putting the plows in the land until it is in proper condition for the work. Thorough. preparation is much more important than early planting, and even if 1 - - -J it-- -'?I we cave to reuucs uic ihlciiucu oi-caa i Df cur different crops, the sacrifice is well made, if by it we are enabled to put the remainder of our land in first ilass condition for the reception o? the seed. Released from Prison. Washington, March 17.?Secretary Sherman has received a cablegram rrom Consul General Lee dated late yesterday, saying: "Oscar Cespedes, i native of Key West, is released from Dabanas on condition he leaves the ~ ? -J " % Onnno^ac ie fJ*rs AC) nr> ,l3i<tLLU. Ad -4V V-"?. ;he State list of Americans in prison md the following information regardng him is in that list: "Twenty fears, native of Key West; captured without arms in iusurgent hospital aear Zapafa, about September 5, 1S96; imprisoned at San Severino Fort; Matanzas; question of competency between military and civil jnrisdicion decided in favor of military; case pending." Mall Carrier Arrested. Lynchburg, Va., March 17.?Postoffice Inspectory Gregory arrived here :oday, having in custody (i-rier Jtsarser, a mail carrier on the run between Chatham an^ Pullens, who had been irrested on the charge of robbing the nails. For several months past letters containing money have been reported missing and Br-J 's arrest svas the resjult of an investigation by the pcstoihce autnorines. .Darker was taken before a "united States Commissioner and commited to j ail to await trial. Appointments Confirmed. Washes*gton, March 17.?The senate committee on foreign relations today ordered a favorble report to be made on the nominations of John Hay to be ambassador to Great Britain, Horace Porter to be ambassador to France and Mr. White, present secretary at London, to be secretary d? the embassy at London. X<yached a Preacher. SCOTTSBOP.O, Ala., March 18.?John D. Smith, a ne^ro preacher, was shot I-/N XTT Q mnK Hrhi/'h Vn?rtVp intn ksjr ?-6 Luv/vj 11 the jail here. Smith, was arrested yesterday charged with outraging the wife of a white farmer living near here. This morning a mob broke into :he jail and despite the pleadings of ihe preacher, filled him full of bullets ^ A Drop Too aiucli. Jacksonville, Fla., March 17.? Efrodie Williams, the high diver, jumped last night in a bail 01 lira [Vera a 75 foot tower into Lake Worth at Faim Beach, struck the bottom, broke his neck and died within a few hours. It Is Said That of all the diseases that affect mankind, diseases of the kidneys are the most dangerous and fatal. If this be so, how important it is that the - > - l Til j; fcnazieys oe Kepi in a necumy uunuition. The use of Hilton's Life for the Liver and Kidneys will do this. It is 'he "ounce of prevention" in these doubles, TC"h <v?a + >. a iZnac It looks as if, as the nation increases in population, the cost of government per capita -would grow less. "We have no more Presidents now than we had at the beginning, though we have very properly doubled the salary of the one we have. We have only about one-fifth as many Congressmen as we had at firs*, in proportion to population. In ? roportion to population our armv is much smaller than it was at the beginning of the century. We have only eight members of the cabinet, where we had six in the time of John Adams, in spite of the fact that the country is now fourreen times as populous as then. We have added little to our diplomatic service, and one foreign minister now repre-1 sents. 71,500,000 people, instead of 5,400,000, and yet our annual ordinary expenditures have increased fifty fold, and our expenditures per capita, instead of diminishing, have increased from $1.39 in 1S00 to $4.93 in 189G. It looks as if either our ancestors were very stingy, or we are very extravagent. As a matter of fact, however, the greater part of our increased expenditures is due to gratitude, and gratitude is a thing; to be proud of? not ashamed of. We pay $140,000,000 annually to the men who saved the Union, most of them for getting hurt in saving it. There are about 9ui),uuu | of them thirty-two years after the war closed, which shows that the 600,000 Confederate soldiers were dangerous lot of fellows, and that wounds received in defending the Union were conductive to longevity. Deducting the amount made for pensions and the interest on the public debt, the per capita of expenditure is $2 48. For our war department we pay ahmit ?2 000 for everv soldier in the field. This ought to make enlistments 1 popular. In Eirope, as a rule, they pay ooly about $100. If Russia paid as much for her army in proportion to its numbers as we pay to our war department, it would c^st her about ?1,300,000,000 a year, in time of peace, and in about two years Russia would have to quit preparing to fight. As a matter of fact, however, she pays little more than dimes for our dollars, and can continue to threaten the peace of Europe. One of our queerest in increases expenditure, is in appropriations for the Indians. We paid in Indian appropriations something over $12,000,000 last year. As there are only about a quarter of a million Indians in the country, wild and tame, this amounts j _ ?Adir\ ! ItJ $-?3 per capita, ur i<jr a xauj.x?j of five. It pays to be an Indian almost as well as to be a pensioner. In 1864 the Indians, as numerous as now, cost only about one-sixth as much, which shows that they are appreciating in value. At present rates of increase they would cost $270 per capita thirty-three years from now, and would be the aristocrats of the land. Perhaps by that time Congress will decide that it is better to buy them all and present them to our worst enemy. It would certainly be economy to buy them off now. We can borrow money at 2$ per cent and $48 per annum per capita would amount to nearly $1,800 per Indian, or $9,000 per family. This is fully 900 times as much as the Indians are worth to themO AHA Ann ?c mq? O^JLYCO, auu tfjVWVjVW l/ixiivw ^ they are worth, to anybody else. The Constitutional Tax. Coltoibia, March 18 .?It looks now as if the supplementary school tax provided for in the State Constitution to make up an amount sufficient to give the enrolled pupils in. the public schools of the State $3 per capita is going to be levied by the comptroller general. It will be remembered that . Mr. Gage of Chester introduced a res-1 olutioa at the recant session of the J general assembly to compel the CDmp-1 trollerto levy this tax. He took the! position that this amount must be I provided in each individual county I and not for the State at large and that it would take $SL000 to do it. The comptroller says he is looking into the matter carefully and proposes to have a test case made in order to have the constitutional provision construed.? State. Pianos by tha Mile. _ See Ludden and Bates' new advertisment of one thousand Mathushek pianos. Suppose them all loaded on to wagons in one grand procession, allow 15 feet for each wagon and team and the line would be nearly :i? ? rni?4. L111"CC IHUCJ3 lUUg. llKii JU^VI KUO wholesale way this great southern house does business. Having acquired an interest in the noted Mathushek Piano factory, they are now supply ing purchasers direct and saving all intermediate profits. This means a saving of from $50 to $100 on each piano, and the securing of one of the oldest and most reliable instruments at ct reuuxrj^kxuxy iuw ngurc. jitter write them at Savannah, Ga., or at 93 Fifth Ave., New York City. The trustworthy cure for the Whiskey, Opium, Morphine and Tobacco Habits. For further information address The Keeley Institute, or Drawer 27, Columbia, S. C. WE WANT IPiaC^SR, IN EVERY i TOWN. Postmasters, Katlroad Agents, i Genera! store Keepers, Clerks, Miaiawri, or any other person, lady or gentleman, who can devote a little or .all of their time to onr bnsi ess. We do not want any money in advance, ana pay large commissions w j those who work for as. We have the bes j Family Medicines on 3arth, and can produce lots of testimonials from oar home people. Send for blank application and circular. Address BRAZILIAN MEDICINE CO., 844 Broadway, Anpusta, U-a SEE :0 HERE. 1SJY0UR LIVER ALL RIG ?3 \ Are your Kidneys In a healthy condition If so, Hilton's Life for the Liver and Kidneys will keep them so. If not, Hilton's Life for the L'ver and Kidneys will make them so. A 25c bottle will convince yon of this . fact. ^ Taken regularly after meals it is an aid to Jd digestion, cores habitual constipation, f| and thus refreshes and clears both body and mind. i SOLD WHOLESALE BY The Murray Drug Co. ^COLUMBIA, S. C. AiTD Dr. H. BAER, Charleston, S. C. ? dfL I Advice to Mothers. w~ > We take pleasure in calling yoar aStea wn 10 a remeay so long oeeueu. m quiy ? Lng children safely through the critics! itage of teething. It Is an Incalculable blessing to mother and child. If you are disturbed at night with a sick, fretful, teething child, use Pitts' Carminative, It will giye instant relief, and regulate the bowels, and make teething safe and easy. It will cure Dysentery and Diarrhoea. . Sttta Carminative Is an instant -elief for colic of infants. It will promote digestion, 9 give tone and energy to the stomach and bowels. The sick, puny, suffering child will soon become the fat and frolloJting joy of the household. It Is very pleasant to the taste and only cost 25 cents per bottle. Sold by drugzists and by THE MUBBAY DSUG CO., Columbia, 8. 0. Machinery ANCJ if Supplies Engines, Boilers; Saw Mills, '_Corn Mills, Wheat Mills. Planers. Brick Machines. Moulders, Gang Edgers. K And all kinds ot Wood Working Ma T , chinery. No one in the South can offer you higher grade goods, or at lower prises. Talbott, Llddell and Watertown Engines. We are only a few hours ride from you. Write for prices. . . Light, Variable Feed Plantation Saw Mills a Specialty. -C-S'J V. C. Badham, jl| (ienerai Agent, COLUMBIA, S. C. I"MATHUSHEK"?The Piano for a Lifetime. ^ When other dense stock of I 3 Pianos on hand. ^ | LUDDEN & BATES, Interested to # g this Factory, now offer this great stock M at S50 to S100 less than former prices. Jfo g strictly High Grade Piano ever sold so low. I ONE PROFIT from Factory to Consumer, 9 Greater inducements than ever In sllghtjf ly used Pianos and Organs?many as pa cood as new?sold under guarantee. H Latest Styles. Elegant Cases. Also I Hew STtlHWAY Pianos, > Mason & Hamlin Organs. M Write for Factory Prices and Bargain Lists. I LUDDEN & BATES, SAVANNAH, 6A. SOT MISLEADING. J No Danger, in Cubing One Habit, op Poem- " a isg Another. OPIUM (Morphine, Laudanum) Etc., Ccred in from Four to Six Wsexs. LIQUOR DISEASE ' Cured Usually in Four Weeks. Also Tobacco Habit and Nervous Diseases, p The Cure has been endorsed by the Legis lature of six States and one Territory; by the National Government in the Soldiers' Homes and in the regular army; by many local authorities in the cure of indigent y drunkards (morphine and liquor); by Miss ^ Wallard, the W. C. T. U.; Francis Murphy, Xea.1 Dow and the I. 0. G. T.; by prominent men all over the laud; by 300,000 cared patients, more than 20,000 of these being physicians. The Leslie E. Keeley Company and Keeley Institu.^ of S. C. are responsible cor-^p^ . ^ porations which could not afford to put forth ^ my claim that they are unable to prove. \ For printed matter ind terms, address, THE KEELEY INSTITUTE, or Drawer 27. Columbia, S. C. Mention this paper. ENGINES, 7~ - J BOILERS. SAW MILLS, GRIST MILLS, j AT FACTORY PRICES. |j ?. W. SflRRVF.N. " * %* -''v.'Tifi COLUMBIA, S* O. M 3. *.