The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, May 02, 1888, Image 1
The Abbeville Press and &iimH
? ?? - _ ' ?. I " - m i ?????
BY HIJGH WILSON ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1888. VOLUME XXXII. NO. 51,5|Sj
Xaughtj Little Why.
BY K. T. KARKIX.
Whatever the request she made,
If mamma but deny,
The ready question always came,
"I wish you'd tell me why."
If she were suffering from a cold,
And to go out would cry
In snow or rain, and was refused,
'Twas still, "I don't see why."
If just recovering Jrom disease
She'd still her questions ply;
"Can't I eat this?" "Oh, no, my dear!"
"Mamma, I don't see why."
She'd ask for things she must not eat
Nor wear, and still would cry,
When kind mamma her child refused,
"I'm sure I don't sec why."
We hope that when she's older grown,
Age will her need supply
With wisdom's spectacles, so she
No more will cry, "Why?" "Why?"
What Chris Liked.
Chris had bright red hair and blue
eyes. When he came into the streetcar,
the March wind had blown a rosy
color into his cheeks, so that he looked
like a very bright boy.
He went to the front end of the car
to put his fare into the box, and when
he came back, a young lady was entering
the door. Chris sat down opposite
her, and waited uutil she had drawn
from her purse the little black circle
which was the ticket used on the line.
Before she had even time to raise her
eyes, she saw a red mitten held out before
her, and dropped the ticket into it
with a pleased "Thank you."
But before Chris could get back
agaiu, his seat was taken. Three or
four passengers had come in, and the
i car was now quite full. The pretty
young lady now bad for a neighbor au
old womau with a brown veil tied
around her head, and who wore a
shiny alpaca dress, with coarse black
lace sewed in the sleeves. She had
placed on the flloor a thick, brown paper
bundle, fully two feet long; and ol
course, with such a thing at her feet,
she could hot get up very easily. So
Chris offered to carry her fare for her,
and she thanked him with a grateful
smile: she had a very pleasant face.
It took her sometime to tind her pocket,
and while Chris was waiting, he
collected tickets and five cent pieces,
quite like a young conductor. The old
i lady finally handed him a quarter,
? ^ Vv** 4- /\ raAf />l>artrro f r/vtl 1 fh<J
uuu, iw u? uau iu get iiiaugE 11 u.u mv
driver, he was away so long that the
car had stopped again before he return?
ed. This time it was to let some of the
passengers out; and the young lady
looked up at Chris, and motioned to
him to take the vacant place at her
side.
"I am very glad that you have a seat
at last," she said, "for you lost yourtby
your kindness to me; and you have
heen kept busy ever since."
"Oh!" said Chris, "I like to put
money iu the box."
"I think you like to be obliging,
don't you?" asked the young lady.
At this, the red color in the boy's
cheeks, which bad grown a little paler
since he was sheltered from the wind,
became bright again. He did not
know what to say, but was sure he
ought to make some reply.
' I guess so," he answered ; and then
tried to let the young lady see that he
was looking verj' earnestly at the storewindow
in front of which tbey were
stopping. But for all that, he saw a
thin-faced gentleman come slowly in,
? -?* ? orraiit
UUU was JUSIUUU^ <JU ilia itcu ugim.,
saying eagerly: "Here is a seat, sir."
The gentleman looked very tired
and pale, and Chris thought he must
be just recovering from a sickness. 01
course, there was now another fare to
be paid, and he did it with a businesslike
air, as of one accustomed to his
work.
"Have I taken your seat?" asked
the gentleman. "It was very kind in
you to give it up to an old man."
Now Chris had not thought him old,
though he looked feeble; and he was
all at once afraid that in his haste he
? i * u? 4-- "EVv*.
IDigui nave lorguuuu iu up pmc. i w
without knowing how to put it iuto
words, he knew that we are seldom
really kind when we act as if we
thought ourselves so.
"I like to stand and hold on to a
strap," said he.
Tben, his eye happening to fall ou
the old woman's big bundle, he began
to wonder whether it were heavy and
she had far to carry it, and whether, if
he should get off' where she did, she
would not let him take it a little way.
All at once he became aware that they
were crossing the street in which he
lived, and that it was already supper
time. He gave the bell-rope a quick
ierk. and the car stopped. Three faces
looked up as he passed, and gave him
three bright smiles. One was the gift
of the pale gentleman, one was from
the pleasant-faced old woman, and one
was from the pretty young lady. Al
though it was six o'clock in the evening,
he had a feeling as if the sun
were shining on him, and he always
liked to be in the sunshine.
Reminders.
If the iron wedge will not draw,
build a fire of chips and heat it.
There is one Dart of the farm that is
not benefitted by draiuage, the manure
heap.
Politeness pays in a cow stable. A
gentle man gets more milk than a
harsh man.
Straw and corn fodder are best worked
into manure by putting them
through good animals.
The best preventive of trouble at
lambing time is daily exercise for the
ewes during winter.
Separate the weaker animals ; they
need extra feed, whereas with the
stronger they get scant feed.
Profit in farming comes from the
maximum crops, the products of win
xer mougut auu ?uiuui? wvir.
Harness hung in a stable is damaged
as much by the gases and dampness
there as it is worn by use.
If you do not wish c.jddy and lifeleas
ground in the spring, keep the cattle
off the field when the pr ;1 is soft.
A fire burns better in a x.ot than in
a cold furnace; it is equally true that
an animal well winter is half summered.
If open, outdoor feed troughs are
turned over at night they will not be
filled with snow and ice in the mornincr.
If you place the axe near the stove
for fifteen minutes it will cut better
and not be so apt to break along the
edge.
The flavor of the fuel used for smoking
meat is somewhat imparted to the
meat, hence the fuel should be selected
carefully.
You have no right to feed a dog so
long as you have not the mouey to
provide your family with good papers
a?d books.
'
Sunday Rumatiz.
I've been a lookin' over a 40-page
catalog uv patent medicines an' don't
see enny cure for Sunday runiatiz.
Now, I think that Sunday rumatiz is
the wust kind uv rumatiz, and I'm
'stouished to find that nobody haz got
out a patent fur a Sunday rumatiz
remedy. I think it is wun uv the
wust dizeazes that ever racked a human
konstitution; an' it's awful here
in Sutheru Calaforny. I never heerd
uv a saloon-keeper that ever had it,
nor uv a theater actor; but its awful
in the churches. I don't think it is
Icauzed by the climeight, an' it don't
iippeerio be a fleck ted by the weather.
I will menshun suiu uv its simptums:
1. Sunday rumatiz keeps .phokes
| from goiu' to meetin'.
Week-day rumatiz wont keep a man
from walkiu' a mile to the post-orifice,
an'standin'an hour "in the line," till
hiz turn kums. It won't keep him
from goin' 'round the corner to "see a
man," an' standin'a half houra look- ,
in'at him over the counter. It won't
keep him from goin'down town uv a
rainy day to duu a man that oze him a
quarter. It won't keep him from
climbin'a twenty-foot ladder to chink
u d a hole in the roof; nor from stoopin'
two hours a settin'-out kabbige.
But when he brakes out with Sun- |
day rumatiz, its awful to see hew seldum
he can go to meetin'. A very bad (
attack uv Sunday rumatiz won't keep
a man from coin' to the 'lection, nor <
the theater;" but it kums on awful ,
when the bell wrings fur church. An' |
it's strange, too, but a bad case u v Sunday
rumatiz nearly always lasts long ,
enufi" to keep a man away from the |
\Ve119day-nite prayer meetin'. I
2. Sunday rumatiz keeps phokes j
from kueelin' down in time uv prayer, j
Week-day rumatiz won't keep a man j
from stayin' on his knees an hour a (
lookin' fur a lost nickel; an' he can |
crawl under a barn after a settin' hen, |
or a guse nest. But if he haz Sunday ,
rumatiz he can't kneel down to join ,
the congregoshun in prayer. An'
snmtimes I've seen a woomun all <
broke out with Sunday rumatiz. An' j
T notice witnmen hav it wus when ,
they hav on their best close. J've seen ,
awoomanina ragged dre9, an' uv u
week-day she cud get down on her j
knees, an' scrub the floor; but when ,
Sunday kum, an'she wus all ciressea <
up, she had such an awful case uv \
Sunday rumatiz bhe waz just able to ,
bow Lier bed a little when she prayed, j
Oh, it wuz awful to see how the wuz a <
sufferin'! _
3. Sunday rumatiz keeps phokes j
from enjoyin' religun.
It keeps 'em from pheelin' humble. ,
Nobody can pheel humble with a bad (
case uv Sunday rumatiz. Humility is ,
about the fust letter in the alfabet uv ,
true religun, an' it's a capitle letter at '
that. But Sunday rumatiz iz a stranger
to liewmility. It keeps 'em from j
pheelin' sympathy. When a man haz ,
Sunday rumatiz he haz no sympathy
fur a poor sinner at the penitent form. ,
An' I notice when a man iz a sufferin' (
with Sunday rumatiz, he don't shake ,
hands very warm with the preecher. i
It keeps 'em from bein' soshible. It ,
shuts up the phountain uv pheelin',
an' makes the poor sufferin' victim ,
pheel very fond uv hiz own society.
Now, Messrs. Editurs, do you, .or
enny uv yore pacific readers, kno uv ,
euny remedy fur this fashunable an'
unkumfortable dizeaze. It's mighty (
thick here in Sutliurn Ualaforny, an' it
stiffens up the people, an' thins out the
prayer meetin' most awfully. It's az
kontagus az the meezles, an' az disfigurin'
az the smallpox. I don't beleev ,
"Saint Jacobs Oil" will do Sunday ru- '
matiz pashents enny good. But I do
beleev if we cud have a phu dozzen
cases uv real, old-fashioned, konfluent ,
religun, it wud limber up this Sunday
rumatiz amazin'ly.
Yours in kompasliun, . I
"Cousin Betsey." ;
Woman in the Printing Office. i
It id a matter for surprise that so (
many girls and women flock into stores
and shops where the service is irksome <
uuu ywny rcuuiupvudtru, wiuic mc ;
printing office opens to th?m a means
of livelihood so much more agreeable,
lucrative, and what is more important, 1
improving in its impress. The wo- (
man wlie has spent a year clerking in
a dry goods store is probably no better
off mentally at the end of that time,
except in having her memory crowded
with the prices of goods and the (
shades in which they come; while the
urniv>nn ujIia 1?ocs honn o v?nr 111 a nrlnf- ,
U11JUU nuv/ LiUO U^Vll U JV?* 1UU J/**UV I
ing office, especially if'she be working
on a daily or weekly newspaper, has, ,
besides having earned better wages
tliau her clerking sister, lived all that
time in contact with ideas and with an
outlook into the world of events.
Aside from the avenues of mental progress
which are thus open to her, she ,
has promise of financial advancement
as well. If she be neat, methodical,
and painstaking in her work, devoted
to it, and not regarding it as a mere
stepping stone to matrimony or a
stand-by until the fairy prince drops
iu and carries her away, these facts
will soou be apparent, commending
her to her employers, and their propor- ,
tionate financial appreciation. Many
points mark woman's fitness for work
at the printer's trade. She seldom
goes on sprees, is not given to decorating
the premises with nicotine essence,
and is, as a rule, deft-fingered and
nimble-minded. The prophetic eye
can forecast the model printing office
of the future, which is to be manned
(if the expression is admissible) by women
printers, and to whom the model
employer will take pride in disbursing
wages in just proportion to their labors,
and on a par with those paid to
men.?Southern Trade Gazette.
Millions Owe Him Gratitude.?
Argand, a poor Swiss, invented a lamp
with a wick fitted into a hollow cylinder,
up which a current of air was permitted
to pass, thus giving a supply of
oxygeu to the interior as well as the
exterior of the circular flame. At first
Argand used the lamp without a glass
chimney. One day he was busy in his
work room, and sitting before the
burning lamp. His little brother was
amusing himself by placing a bottomless
oil flask over different articles.
n 1.1 1 ? 1. ? ?nnn tliA
OUUUCIlIty lie fjiuucu it uuuu uic naiuu
of the lamp, which instantly shot up
the long neck of the flask with increased
brilliancy. It did more, for it flashed
into Argand's mind the idea of a
lamp chimney, by which his invention
was perfect.
How shall we dare to behold that
holy face that brought salvation to us,
and we turned away and fell in love
with death, and kissed deformity and
sin ?
V 4. . . .V ...
s. .... ... -
Duty.
BY ANNA TEMPLE.
I lieltl a flower In my hand;
"f was night, I could not see;
And Judging from the perfume, thought
The flower must ugly be.
But when the morning came, and light
With Its transforming power,
I did forget all else, except
The beuuly of the flower.
God placed a duty in my hand,
Before mine eyes could see
Its rightful form, that duty seemed
A bitter thing to me.
The Sun of Glory rose and shone:
Then duty I forgot,
And thought with what a privilege
The Lord has blessed my lot.
Eyery Dny Duties.
Emma C from her cradle was
Kiiuwiius a uci vuu?, fr^iiainvc ^imu.
Her parents in her presence declared
that she was "different from other
children ; too highly organized to be
interested in the small details of affairs
; unfit for the practical drudgery
of life." Atschool she wrote and committted
to memory poetry, and was regarded
as a genius by her companions.
Her old teacher shrewdly pronounced
her to "have every sense but commonsense."
She went out into the worJd making
the grievous mistake of supposing
that the ordinary rules by which other
people should properly govern their
conduct were not for her.
As a middle-aged woman she had
tender feelings, fine sympathies, and
fervent religious faith. But her dress,
though clean; was untidy; her house
was disorderly; being ignorant of
work, she demanded impossibilities
from her servants, and discharged
them every week. She forgot to pay
I x J -t- - 4. i.. /IaIa
ner U'Haesmen; Kiits iuiguu i<j uuio uci
letters; she forgot to order coal when
it was needed, or meat for Sunday's
liuner. Then when her husband and
boys sat down, shivering and grumbling,
she retired to pray that they
might have grace to subdue their bad
tempers.
With a sublime confidence in friendship,
she would arrive with two or
three children, uninvited and unexpected,
at houses where she had no
right to make herself a guest, for a
visit of weeks; or she would keep her
icquaiutauces in the city busy shoppin
i for her with a mere hint of instructions
and no money. She showered
tracts on every side, without the
slightest reference to their suitability.
She preached in season and out of season.
with no idea of adaptation to the
individual character, 'suffering, or
needs of those to whom she spoke.
One poor lad, who had gone astray,
and now lay dying at the house of a
friend, was struggling to come nearer
to his Saviour, when she suddenly besieged
him with arguments, maudlin
verses and hackneyed appeals.
"She inakes religion hideous to me J"
lie exclaimed, and refused to bear a
word further from her on the subject.
After having, for sixty years, with
the best intentions and the sincerest
faith, worked much evil in the world,
3he died; and all who knew her,
through theic tears, drew a breath of
relief.
The highest virtues fail of their errand
if the homely qualitie3 of comtnon-seuseand
discretion are lacking.
"Keep your eyes fixed on the stars,"
" ^ im..i *3*
?ays ine uerman provwru. oui uu
not forget to light the household caniles
by the way."
Suicide aud Self-Control.
The frequency of suicides is notable,
and it is believed to bo very often due
to the sudden impulse of those who
have never learned to control their
feelings or passions. These persons often
meet with great and sudden disappointments,
or suffer from great revulsions
of feeling, and the effect of an
imperfect control of the will is that the
dogs of passion slu> their leash and
lead the way to self-destruction. The
control of the will is one of the great
things to be done by any one, and it is
one of the things to be done in childhood.
The example of a mother is
fnmmended who Dluncred the head of
a rebellious child into cold water when
lie persistently disobeyed her. The
fight for liberty was sharp and strong.
The mother kept the head under water
as long as she dared to, but the moment
the child could grasp for breath * he
breathed defiance. Three times did
the head go under, and it was only the
third time the mother secured an obedient
son. She taught him to obey
her, and in doing that he learned to
control himself. It is believed that
there would be far fewer suicides, excepting
those which come from insanity,
if young people were rigidly taught
at home to practice the art of self-conTt
lnoka ns if n. larcfl number of
tbe suicides of younger persons could
be traced to their lack of self-control
and of training in moral responsibility.
?
Praise the Boy.
It often costs me quite a struggle to
do this simple duty; and when one
does his simple duty, in spite of his
temptation to do differently, he deserves
credit for his doing. One has
no need to live long in this world before
finding out this truth. A bright
little boy about two and a half years
old, recently showed that he apprehended
it He was on the eve of do
ing something that was very tempting
to him.
"No, my son, you mustn't do that,"
said bis father.
The little fellow looked as if he
would like to do it in spite of his father's
prohibition; but he triumphed
over his inclination, and answered resolutely,
"All right, papa; I won't do
it."
There was no issue there, and the father
turned to something else. The
boy waited a minute, and then said, in
a tone of surprised inquiry, "Papa,
why don't you tell me, 'That's a good
boy!'"
The father took the hint and said an
encouraging word. Perhaps some other
father may need the same hint, and
may profit by the suggestion. It is
not wpII to keen all kind words until
our friends are dead, and then put
them on the gravestones.
If an apple tree ha9 a sound trunk
and roots, it is a pity, says the American
Cultivator, to destroy it under
most circumstances. It takes many
years to get a young tree into bearing,
and when it does bear it will not furnish
nearly so much fruit as one fully
grown. By grafting with the Northern
Spy and liberally manuring, an
old apple tree may be made much
more Certainly productive thau young
trees of this variety, which are usually
shy and tardy bearers. n
Growth In Gracc.
Growth in grace is generally slow.
Christians often become discouraged in
their attempts to make higher attainments
in the divine life. They read
or hear of distinguished saints, and
in comparison they seem but pigmies.
It would be a remedy for discouragement,
if they would follow these distinguished
saints in their struggles,
and note the steps by which* they
leached their high position.
This is one reason why the word of
God is so full of examples, and one reason
why these examples should be
carefully studied. The life of Peter
furnishes a case in point. It is interesting
to follow him from the day
when he was called to be a disciple on
the banks of the Jordan, to the time
when in his old age, he wrote his episi
ties in Babylon. No one can study his
history without noting his spiritual
growth. The author of the epistles
does not seem to be the same man who
followed the Master up and down
through Galilee; he speaks in a different
tone and with a different accent.
On the night in which Jesus waa
arrested, Peter drew his sword and
struck with all determination, at the
head of one of the officers of the law ;
in his epistle he says, "Submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man for
the Lord's take." On that night, he
fled, like a coward, from Christ and
from suffering; in his epistle he says,
"Rejoice. inasmuch as yeare partakers
of Cnrist's suffering." On one memorable
occasion he said, and he thought
in this saying he had gone to the extreme
limit of required charity, "How
often shall my brother trespass |against
me, and I forgive him? Till seven
times?" But after he had passed
through the experiences and tiials of
along life, could write, "Aboveall
things, have fervent charity, among
yourselves." He who once rebuked
the Lord for speaking of his death
makes that death one of the prominent
themes iu his later writings.
The rude and impulsive fisherman,
before his death, became even more
gentle than some of his fellow apostles.
Jamessays with deserved severity, "Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye
not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God ?" Peter speaking
to the class, uses a tenderness of which
those who knew him only in his
earlier years would liaruiy oeneve mm
possessed, "Dearly beloved, abstain
from fleshly lusts which war against
the soul."
Peter grew in grace. The troubles
anp persecutions through which he
parsed were sanctified to him; he came
out of the furnace "as gold that had
been purified." Bo will it be with all
believers who imitate Peter's faith and
faithfulness. As long as we have his
ezample and the many similar ones
which are to be found in the inspired
word, we need never be discouraged
in our efforts to grow up into the stature
of perfect men.? United Presbyterian.
How Can We Lov? Onr Enemies?
RY THE REV. WILBUR F. C'RAETS.
Tn mu oorlw fVirtafian lifa this rill' S
tion greatly troubled me, as I doubt
not it does many conscientious young
Christians to-day. Some thiuk of it
as a part of a "higher life" which only
a few Christians are ever expected to
attain. Others think it impracticable
?something that no one but Christ
ever did or ever will do. How can one
love his enemies as he loves his friends
and his God ?
The difficulty is at least diminished
by distinguishing three different kinds
of Christian love : first, the love of es
teem, that looks up?the love which
we feel toward God ; second, the love
of sympathy, that looks straight out?
the love with which wo love congenial
fellow Christians; third, the love of
compassion, that looks down in tender
pity, rather than contempt or hatred
on all we think to be in the wrong, including
not only the corrupt but all we
dislike or count as enemies.
mis last is tne most uisiiucuve
"Christian love"?"the love of God
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit," making us love the unlovply,
making us love others as God loved us;
because every human being is a son of
God, however way ward ; because each
human being is a brother or sister of
Christ, for whom he died; because
every human being is also an immortal
being; because every one who wrongs
himself still more, and so is to bo pitied
and saved rather than despised or
1 i..J
JULBieU.
There is little credit in the love of
esteem, in loving the altogether lovely
or in the love of sympathy?"If ye
love them that love you, what reward
have ye ?"
The only form of love that proves us
Christians, with new hearts that love
like God, is the love of compassion,
that loves according to ueeds, not according
to merits.
It is this love that Paul pictures in
xi?i ..j?a.1
i/Liat wuiiucnui niixieeiiiii uuupuji ui
First Corinthians?the love that "suffers
long and is goodnatured," that is
greater than faith or hope. He who
lacks it may have begun to be a Christian
in the will, but he is not a Christian
at heart. It was this love that
opened heaven to Stephen. It opens
to no other key. "He thatJoveth not,
knoweth not God, for God is love."?
Christian Intelligencer.
????? .i
Stand Together.
It is easy to object to the theological
views or personal character of peace
men. But can we not consent to ig- j
nore differences on other points and
unite to promote the one on which we
agree? This has been done for war. 1
Why not for peace? In the civil war
no soldier volunteering to fight for his j
country, was rejected because he was |
not a Christian, or an abolitionist or a i
total abstinence man. Those who i
united to foster a public seutiment in ]
favor of prosecuting the war, laid j
aside for the time being, altercation as
to things on which they differed. (
"Ye have agreed together to lie unto i
the Holy Ghost," was the capital
crime of Ananias and Sapphire. If i
persons combine for evil," let others j
uuite for good purposes.? Am. Ad. <
Peace ci'id Arbitration. j
In cases of alcoholic poisoning?the <
comatos? condition of intoxication?
the promptest recovery of consciousness
will follow the subcutaneous in- j
jection of a mixture of one part of ammonia
with two to six parts of water. ]
Police snrgeons who deal with cases of ,
unconsciousness will find this a con- ]
venient method of determining wheth- I
er a given case is due to whisky, com- 1
pression of the brain, or nervous dis- <
order. I
- . v ' - ?*>-<' ' 1
u- _ :-y. ;
This Life is What ire Mnke it.
Let's oftcner talk of noble deeds,
And rarer of the bad ones.
And sing about the happy days,
And not about the sad ones.
We were not made to fret and sieh.
And when grief sleeps, to wake It;
Brliiht happiness Is standing by?
This life Is what we make it.
Let's find the sunny side of men,
Or be believers in it;
A light there is in every soul
That takes the pains to win it.
O, there's the slumbering good In all,
-And we perchance may wake it;
Our hands contain the magic wand?
This life Is what we make it.
Then here's to those whose loving hearts
Shed light and joy about them!
Thanks be to them for countless gems
We ne'er had known without them.
O. this should be a happy world "
To all who may partake It;
The faults our owr. If It is not?
This llle 1h whut we make It.
i'oncornluK Kc?(nsy and Rapture In
Prayer.
(Francis De Sales.)
As Iberc is nothing nearer to the
Saviour's heart than gentleness,
humility, and charity, we must diligently
cultivate these graces?love to
our neighbor, humility toward God.
True satisfaction consists in a capacity
for the enjoyment of God, rot. in
imaginations and raptures, which only
foster self-conceit, aud drive out obedience
and humility. It is a mere
abuse to aim at ecstnsy. Let us practice
true, hearty meekness and submission,
self-renunciation, love of
abjection, kindness to others, and we
shall have attained the best and safest
kind of ecstasy granted to God's servants.
When you see a person go into raptures
and ecstasies in prayer, who at
the same time knows np ecstasy in his
life?I mean whose life is not lifted up
and raised to God by renunciation of
worldly desires and the natural inclination
and will; who is devoid of interior
gentleness, simplicity, humility,
above all, of coniinu al chrity?you
may be sure that all hid raptures are
very questional and dangerous; they
are raptures which may excite the
wonder of others, but which will never
sanctify those who experience them.
Whatgain is there to a soul in being
rapt and ravished in praver if his ordinary
life and conversation are wrapped
up in low. earthly things? Surely, to
live above one's self in prayer, and yet
to be low in life and action ; to be augelicin
meditation, and earthly conversation,
is to swear both by God and
Baal I. Nor can there be any reasona
ble doubt that all such raptures and
ecstasies are mere deceits and delusions
of Satan. Belssed, indeed, are tbey
who live a supernatural life, raised
altogether above themselves, although
they have never been carried away
with any rapture in prayer. There
are many saints in paradise who never
tasted any rapture or ecstasy in contemplation?many
who never knew
any greater privilege in prayer than
that of demotion and ferver?but there
was never pet a saint whose life was
devoid of those active raptures which
consist in victory over self aud natural
disposition.
VAAIImII
"Avoid foolish questions."* (Titus,
ili, 9.) - Our days are fe\*, and are far
better spent iu doing good than in
disputing over matters which are at
best of minor importance. The old
school men did a world of mischief by
their incessant discussion of subject
of no practical importance; and our
Churches suffer much from petty wars
over abstruse points and uuimportant
questions. Ar'ter everything has been
said that can be said, neither party is
any the wiser, and therefore the discussion
no more promotes knowledge
than love, and it is foolish to sow in so
barren a field.
Questions upon points wherein
Scripture is silen, upon mysteries
which belong to God alone, upon prophecies
of doubtful interpretation and
upon mere modes of observing cere1?
a ma nil icl-* on rl ttrioo man
UiUlimiS) aic an iuuiioii, ?tiu mow ujvu
avoid them. OttT business is neither
to ask nor answer foolish questions,
but to avoid them altogether. And if
we observe the apostle's precept (Titus,
18,) to be careful ^o maiutain good
works, we shall find ourselves far too
much occupied with profitable business
to take much interest in unworthy
contentions and needless strivings.
There are, however, some questions
which arc the reverse of foolish, which
we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly
meet, such as these : "Do I believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ? am I
renewed in the spirit of my mind?
Am I walking after the flesh or after
the Spirit? Am I growing in grace?
Does my conversation adorn the doctrine
of God my Savior ? Am I looking
for the coming of the Lord, and
watching as a servant does for his
Mr.ster ? What more can I do for Jesus?"
Suoh inquiries as these urgent-)
, 1 1 ...i ?.i?J :( ?,n
iy utuimuu dui uneuuuu ; uuu n
have been at all given to caviling, let
us now turn our critical abilities to a J
service so much more profitable.?Let
us be peacemakers, and endeavor to
lead others, both by our prayer and example,
to "avoid foolish questions."
"Study those things which make for
peace."?Spurgeon.
Reverence.
There is no virtue, no grace, in postures
and attitudes. This truth we do
not question. But if we refuse to express
reverence, we shall soon cease to
feel reverence. * This also is a truth.
It is not enough to be interested, in a
genernl sense, iu the services of the
sanctuary. "God is greatly to be
feajed (reverence) in the assembly of
the saints audio the congregation."
True reverence, real worship, will express
itself somehow, as long as we
lire compounded of body and spirit.
Starve expression, and how long will
the feeling endure. We are persuaded
that it has declined in many if not in
most of our congregations. It is
greatly (o be wished that it might be
revived. But in order that it may become
a fixed habit of our souls, we
need to adept suitable methods of ex
praying if we adopted some proper
attitude of prayer. By kneeling, bowing
the head, cevering the eyes?by
some bodily action ar attitude expressive
a reverent rdoration?we shall be
far more likely to cultivate the true
<ptrit of devotion .?Exchange.
The example of the Jews affords no
justification of the wars of Christians.
We are under another and a better dispensation,
even that of Christ, the
Prince of Peace, whose object was to
promote peace on earth; and the practice
of theJews will no more justify
war than it would polygamy, sacrifices
>r circumcision. Christ is our master;
phrist is our example.
*
- ir. _
Sackcloth nnd Ashes.
There are some calling themselves
"evangelists" and others who are not
evangelists who seem to think it a
part of their mission in the world to
regulate how women shall dress. The
veiy "evangelists" who make themselves
ridiculous by railing against
.women's "fashions" follow men's fashions.
They w?ar good clothes, that
look like the clothes of the"worldly"
man and the "sinner." They wear
starched linen aud standing callars,
and silk cravats, and nice hats, and
hand-sewed shoes, and neat and "fashionable"
suits?sometimes silk beavers
and gold watch chains. They try to
look neat and presentable. Then why
should not the women look neat and
presentable also?especially when it
cost them no less to ao so than it costs
the men? If these would-be dress re
formers (for women) mean anything,
why do they follow the "fashions" ? A
suit of jeans is very comfortable In the
Winter, and costs much lees than diagonals
and broadcloths. A comfortable
Summer suit can be had for live dollars.
There is a great deal of service
in anienty cent brogan and a dollaj
wool hat, and an osnaburg shirt with a
tucned down collar, which saves the
expence of crayat and gold collar button.
Before preaching sackcloth and
ashes for the women, let the "evangelists"
try a little sackcloth and ashes ou
themselves.?Newberry Observer.
Rev. A. B. Cabaniss. of the Western
Recorder, is responsible lor what follows,
and we suggest that where
churches are divided on the cygan
question it might be well to carry out
the suggetion of the preacher: "A
ohurch, in a certail town in Kentucky,
was much divided on the orgau question.
Cne of the members was in the,
habit of going iuto the saloon and taking
a drink whenever he felt like it,
but had a holy horror of an organ in
church. In a discussion of the subject
he said: 'If you bring that organ
in here it will split the church. I and
a number of others will leave.' The
pastor then spoke, saying; 'I can
preach either with or without tne organ
in the church. It is a matter of
indifference to me. But, as the church
is divided about it, and some say it will
drive them out of the church, I think
the wisest course for U9 is to put the
!- 1L - J XI* t. IX
organ in me saiuou, unu u see it won 1
keep our members out of that place
also.'"
A christening took place sometime
ago iu a Cougregational churcli iu
Providence whose minister stands very
high in his profession. It happened
that the infant cried lustily during the
ceremony, much to the mortification
of the parents. In tbe course of his
sermon the minister paused, twirled
his glasses in his hand, as was his wont
and said : - "An incident earlier in the
service calls to mind a story I once
heard. At a christening the child had
cried, and after the service the parents
apologized to the officiating clergyman.
'There is not the slightest oause for
any apology,' said he; 'for where
should a chUd feel at liberty to cry if
notinhis Father's house?'" What a
delicate way this was to soothe the
momentary sorrow of the parents in
his congregation whose child bad, to
their minds, disgraced them.?boston
Times.
^
Col. T. W. Higginsou, who occupies
the front rank among literary men,
writes in Harper's Bazar, "I felt like
taking down the sarords from above
my fireplace and hiding them away
forever, when first called upon to explain
to my little girl what they
meant and for what they stood." Bet
ter take^hein down and beat them into
plow-shares or some smaller im plemeni
of husbandry. Those swords stand
for patriotism and self-sacrifice for the
natiou's sake. But to reach these objects,
so dear to good men, they must
cut and stab and hack and wound aud
kill. We would rather put above the
fireplace the hoe with which a father
tilled the ground. There is no necessity
that loving fathers or loving mothers
should open to the tender minds of
little girls and boys such horrors, except
they would horrify them.
When Peter of Cortona was engaged
on a picture for the royal palace of
Petti, Ferdinand II. particularly admired
the, representation of the weepiug
chiUi. "Had your majesty," said
the painter, "a mind to see how easy
1? 4.k:? 97J
ii 13 iu IIIUKC tuia vki j viu iu luugn .
The artist merely depressed the corners
of the eyebrows, when the little urchin
seemed in danger of bursting his
sides with laughter, wbo a moment
before seemed breaking his heart with
weeping. Lives worth living belong
to the soul artists whose untiring consecrated
hands are always wielding
their brushes in changing tears into
smiles, and sorrow into joy, brightening
dark pictures, and retouching dim
and faded ones?in His name.
It is recorded of a Chinese Emperor
that, upon being apprized of his enemies
having raised an insurrection
in one of the distant provinces, he said
to his officers, "Come, follow me, and
we will quickly destroy them."
He marched forward, and the rebels
submitted Apon his approach. All
now thought he would take the most
signal revenge, but were surprised to
see the captives treated with mildness
and humauity. "O!" said the first
minister, "is this the manner in which
you fulfil your promise? Your word
was giveu that your enemies should be
destroyed."
"I promised to destroy my enemies.
I have fulfilled my word; for, see,
they are enemies no louger. I have
made friends of them.
Reading is generally a harmless oc
cupatiQii, uui reading in nscn is en uu
special benefit to man. The persons
who are tlie greatest readers are not
likely to bo the closest thinkers, nor
yot to be the best informed persons.
If one reads for a purpose, with a desire
for knowledge in a specified line
for an hour a day, he will, as a rule <
gain more from his reading than the
person who reads miscellaneously ill i
the latest magazines and the newest ,
hooks, and iu literature generally, five
times as much as that. If you read,!
see to it beforehand that you know '
why you read, in order that you may i
know afterward what gniu you have i
from your eeading.
? i
Some people are morose and dull and i
disagreeable among strangers who ar? i
always bright and cheerful tfnd obliging
at home. Hold on, though ! That
doesn't sound exactly right. We can't <
sgy what the matter is, but there is
something wrong about the statement
somewhere.
-J.
What Others Sajr.
\~Zz 'H
Adoniram Judson on War. The
one hnndreth anniversary of Jadson's
Birth wiil be 1688.; This is what he
wrote to Dr. Noah Worcester.
"I hail the estabHsbtnort of peace
societies as oue of the*iiost;<MBpiciou8
sigusof the present e-ventfnl era of
the world. Siiwe -war- bits been tml?
versarlly advocated and applauded by
nearly, all cbaws of men, it appears to \ >
me, that i&fe not optional ~wfth any to. j
remain silent on this great question.
Thus .remaining,-*hey nMwt be considered
as<belon^iQg. to the'.war party.
I have for seme time determined to
make whatever efforts were weceseary
to comply with the. dMtates of conscience,
and wash my hands ot the
blood that is-shed in> war. I "beg the
privilege of being a -member of the
MassatHiusetts Peace.ftoeiotv.
rolling of one's name amorcg-the members
of a peace soetety, I consider as
virtually saying I regret 4 h&ericse and .
bJood with whieh-itae^miteraWe-race of /
man has been?deluged'from age to age.
I repent of whatever exfrtwstoas or
acts in my past life may have cherish- ^
led the war-spirit in myself or others. ^
I repent that I have so longdelay^dto enter
any protest agHiiret; the practic
of war by some overt act?a meaaare |
which appears to be, in the pvesept ' , ' '.r,
state of things, the iadiepen sable--duty '?
of every Christian ; and I Vesolve that
hereafter I will endeavor to dflfhee the
sentiments of peace asfara^ltefr.n my
power."
(Bprinafleld Republican.) ' Jw
"It iswell to pereuade men to quit
drinking intoxeating Hqaors, but a
man may be all the greater semittdrel %
?he-may be all the wore *abfdiy vi- J4
cious? for havinga braiu unaffected
by thefumee of atcoboL Wh^t--drink- '
iug men need 4s Christianity; "what _ rrumKUra
ntiH 'Wfctri .'iidiJ-ta ~ fhrla.
tianity;what licentious men need is
Chrisiianity. It is the radical, ..y*
thorough and complete remedy-for all
the real evils of'society: rndtr-practi- a|s
cal application of Christian ty "to all
social, political, labor and Other pro^
blems, wouM inaugurate the-reign of u
the kingdom of heaven ~npon earth.
It would bring men at onee Into hea- ^
venly conditions, so that at the hour
of death they wouldonly be pAssing
into a large and freer rangeof the same
sort of spiritual Hfe, and *wotild-scarce- .
ly besurprised or astonished as thtey p
touch the further shore."
(Exchange.) '
A Change fok Worse in Evan- .
gelical Christendom. The extreme - .< %
attention now-paid to mere *personal,
sensual comfort in places Of 'worship. - -m
How easy are the hours, how soft the
naaln ?f?> wfci- #1% a a(? V a ?rt?%0lfi ..
scaiD, uvir wjiiui vuc ait i iuc uiuoiv
must be without a mistake. The sermon,
whatever its snbject, must be *j
short. If it is "beautifal," no inquiry $
is made as to whether 1t isusdft& The ^
old idea of meeting together to wor- ;
ship God is giving place to thenew '/$
idea of hearing man. And thlsmufct . ' 3
be a change for the worse..
(Boston Transcript.)
Mayor Hewitt is getting himself -fl
very much liked it) this country by
his unflagging purpose to -discountenance
the existence of associations '
which foster an alien rather tbahau
American feeling.
^ i .
Tile Best ?frta.
. ?
Peter Cartwright, the backwoods '%
Methodist preacher,'once uttered the . ?
following sentiments:
UI would rather have the gift of a
devil<dislodging power than-all the
college lore or Biblical Institute
knowledge that can be obtained from
mortal man. When God wants- great
and learned men in the ministry,-how
easy k is lor mm to overcasts i earned
sinner, and as Saul of Tonus, ?hake
him awhile over hell, then knock the
scales from his eyes, and without any
previous theological training, send
him out straightway to preach Jesus and
the resurrection! When God . ~
calls any man to preach HfeGosp?I, If
he will not reason with flesh and
blood but do his duty and live* faith- "3
fully, my experience for it, God will
qualify him for the work if he never
saw a college."
Hilllnc flh Ptnt'JfaB. . - ::
The killing of a brother in- fcattiete a
painful thing to remember. A fcoldler " '>s,
of the late war thus tells Ms*tory.
My first man I saw but twe*ty -seconds,
but I shall remember him forever.
I wasstauding by myrguc when , c :
a Confederate infantry soldier rushed up,
and made a lung* wi,th his bayonet
at one of the horses.
I took out my revolver and ah at hiin
through the breast. ?ie tossea up nis
arms, gave me the strangest look In
the worjd, and fell forward upon hie '
face. He had blue eyes, brown, curling
hair, a dark mustache, and a hand- '
some face.
I thought the moment I fired, that I
should have loved that man if I had /
known him. Hell you this tear is terrible
business.? Youth's Companion.
Parting With Chrtwt'For Honey.
, . - \'y.?a
A young man engaged iu scoffing, ~
in a bar-room, offered to sell his interest
in Christ for Ave dollars. Astranger
quietly took out five-dollar bill,
with pen aud paper, and asked the
young man to write: "I, , do ^ * -Si
hereby renounce, both now and forever,
all claim I may have in Jeans
Christ, for the sum of ? His hand
trembled and stopped. Ashy pale, he
said, "No.' I may need him by^and
by."-Ez. . .4
" t , r * - VvV-TS
The in jury done to breathing apparatus
and the whole system thereby,
in working ann living in dry furnaceheated
or steani-overlreated rooms
without ample ventilation, oaa be
partly and quite comfortably Tepafred
by eacn individual at night, ill contriving
to have the lungs sirppHed during
sleep with ample quantities of
cold, crisp air. A warm room to dreaa
in nnd undress in is a good thing, but
a cool room to sleep in is better, wfcea
you cannot have both, do not sacrifice
the one chance you have In steep far
securing good nourishing fresh air.
There is no danger if there is no draft;
and that can readily be provided
against.
The man who locks his door agalust
all strangers will nover entertain an
angel unaware*; the man who shut*
his mind and heart by entire engross*
mentin daily toil, by unArittifniiiessto
duty, by neglect of prinsipte, by any
kind of unrighteous action will never
be visited by divine visions cf higher
things.
- :m
' >
' '-V- "
i