The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, September 11, 1889, Image 6
f
POET AND KING.
. Though I am king I have no throne
Save this rough wooden siege alone;
I have no empire, yet my sway
Extends a myriad leagues awayl
No servile vassal bends his knee
In groveling reverence to me?
- Yet, at my word, all hearts beat high
; And there is fire in every eye.
And love and gratitude they bring
As tribute unto me, a king!
The folks that throng the busy street
Know n?t it is a king they meet,
And I am glad there is not seen
The monarch in my face and mien;
I should not choose to be the caus3
Of fawning or of coarse applause?
I am content to know the arts
Wherewith to lord it o'er their hearts;
For, when unto their hearts I sing,
I am a king\ I am a king I
My scepter?see, it is a pen!
Wherewith I rule these hearts of men;
Sometimes it pleaseth to beguile
Its monarch fancy with a smile? .
, Sometimes it is athirst for tears
; . And so adown the laureled year3
I walk, the noblest lord on earth,
* Dispensing sympathy and mirth? , ]i
i Aha, it is a magic thing v 7'
; That makes me what Fam?a king I
Let empires crumble as they may, >
- Pl-oiadiyl hold imperial sway!
The sunshine and the rain of years
Are human smiles and human tears
That come or vanish at my calllam
the monarch of them all I
Mindful alone of this am I: '
The songs I sing shall never die?
Not even envious death can wring *
His glory from so great a king!
Come, brother, be a king with me
And rule mankind eternally;
Lift up the weak and cheer the strong,
Defend the truth, combat the wrong 1
You'll find no scepter like the pen
To hold and sway the hearts of men;
Its edicts flow in blood and tears
That will outwash the flood of years?
So, brother, sing the songs, oh, sing,
And.be with me a king?a king!
/ '
Captured by Comanches.
I ' , '?~~
I had been scouting from Fort Bascom,
9n the Canadian River, and carrying despatches
between that point and Fort
Stanton, on the Rio Pecos, for six
Ii me uomancues cauea tae
It is agreed that an Apache
nate, but in the old days
much choice between the
were bloodthirsty and ret
mattered little into whose
er might fall. Every torgenuity
could suggest was
applied, and no ransom,
, could effect the release (of
; was while engaged in such
t my first capture came
ritizens from Santa Fe had
b Bascom for a hunt along
River to the east. They
cnown men, and were outnest
style, having the best
;nd being accompanied by
ad guides of long cxperldians
were bitterly hostile
and although seldom seen
they were ever on the
j one leaving its shelter,
ubered twenty, all told,and
was strong 'enough to go anywhere, protiding
it was well handled. It left the
post one Sunday morning and was gone
three weeks, and, up to two days before
"L j.\. j. _ 11 x 11 mi
reacmng xne post, auweni wen. men
a Dr. Albertson, of Albuquerque, tarried
behind one morning as the party broke
camp, and three Comanches dashed in
and cut him off. They mounted him on :
Ob own horse and had a start of half a
Bile before the mishap was discovered,
and, although pursuit was made, it was
ageless. The Doctor was a man of '
prominence, holding some position under
the Government, and having many
* friends, and the party no sooner reached '
the post than it was determined to make '<
very effort to secure his release. It was
idle to think of sending out an armed
force, and it was finally decided that I
ahould go out as an emissary to treat for
jhis ransom. It was agreed that I should |
promise the Indians as high as $10,000
in cash for his release, and all were hopeful
that this large sum would induce the
redskins to give him up. I had been
told time and again that the Comanches i
had never been known to give a prisoner,
and I was therefore in a state of doubt
as I rode away on my errand. I had got
to put myself in their hands in order to
negotiate, and if they refused to give up
the Doctor it was probable that they
would hang on to me.
I rode away to the east, knowing that
the prisoner had been conveyed to some
#?mn lt\ +l-*n YViT Infi n
ui IT iwuiut IUU^Ci X igib bUU
post in the morning and rode hard all day
"without sightingan Indian. At dark I
went into camp and had no alarm during
the night, and at sunrise was again holding
for the mountains. At about 11
o'clock, while riding over broken ground,
1 caught sight of an Indian taking cover,
and halting my horse I made the peace
gns with my blanket. Ten minutes
hter I was surrounded by a dozen warriors,
who were evidently astonished at
my ioolhardiness, I could speak their
Sngo fairly well, and I told them what I
had come for, and asked to be taken to
the nearest village. This request was
olkily complied with, and at the end of
two hours I found myself in the village of
Bed Moon, Chief of all tho Comanches.
The village was scattered along the river
for a mile or more, and numbered at least
a thousand souls. My advent was hailed
with whoops and yells and other tokens
of satisfaction, and even when it was
known that I had voluntarily come into
camp on an errand of mercy it was hard
to restrain some of the young bucks from
doing mc in jury. I was taken directly to
Bed Moon's tent, and mv reception there
was anything but cordial. He was anything
but noble in speech and look. He
was dirty, unkempt and out of sorts, and
I had no sooner set eyes on him than I
knew my mission would be a failure.
"Why does the dog of a white man
come to my camp?" was his salutation.
"Four days ago some of your warriors
captured a white hunter a sun's journey
to the west," I replied.
' ?. "They did, and to-morrow he shall
die!"
"I have come from his friends to* bay ^
his liberty. They will give Red Moon
Bore silver than he ever had before."
"I spit upon the white man's money!"
he retorted. "The white man has killed
any young men, built his forts on my
land, and would drive us away if he were
strong enough. I would not take food
from his hand if I was starving!"
I named the price which we would pay
lor the Doctor, and tried to make him understand
how many guns and blankets
and other things the amount would purchase,
but he grew more and more excited,
and finally shouted:
"Does the white man regard the Comanches
as squaws that their heads can
be turned by soft talk? Only the DogIndian
begs for mercy from a foe or takes
presents from an enemy. Were you to
offer all you had I would not give him
up. He shall die. I have said it!"
Finding him so obstinate and determined,
I mentioned that I had come
alone and placed myself in his power,
trusting to his honor to be permitted to
return in safety.
' 'Did I ask you to come?" he thundered.
"Are you not here to insult me? You
shall see the other prisoner die, and then
you shall suffer the same fate!"
I began to protest, but was hurried
away to a lodge, disarmed, searched, and
very roughly used. Before being left
alone my hands and feet were
tied, and the buck who did
this gave mc a good-day in the shape of
a slap in the face which made my teeth
rattle. I was left alone until just at dark,
when a boy brought me a gourd of water,
and helped it to my lips while I drank. I
thanked him, aud inquired where the
Doctor was. He replied that he was confined
in a lodge about two hundred feet
away, and that he would be put to the
torture next day. All the tribe within
call had been notified to be present. I
asked him about my own fate, and he
said it was understood that I was to die
the day after. If there was any doubt
about this it was soon dispelled. The
boy had scarcely disappeared when old
Red Moon appeared. He was now fully
dressed as a chief, and had on all his
dignity. I was lying on my back, and
he stood over me far a moment, glowering
down upon me with savage expression
before he sa'.d:
"Does the white man think the Comanche
a dog that he can come into his
village and insult him?"
"On the contrary, the white man
knows the Comanches to be brave," I replied,
"and no chief is greater or braver
than Fled Moon."
"But you come to buy us off."
"The white man captured by your
brave warrior is neither a soldier, hunter
nor scout. He is a man of peace, living
far away. He has never harmed you.
ne is a great medicine man among his
people. For these reasons his friends
hoped the great chief would spare his
life. We wished to make you a present."
"White dog, you lie!" shouted the
Chief. "You wish to get us in a trap!"
I argued and protested, and again appealed
to his honor in my own case. He
heard me through, and then gave me
several hearty kicks in the side, and exclaimed
:
"You shall die! You were a fool to
come!"
The kicks made me mad, and feeling
that I had no hope of release I opened
on Red Moon in the choicest Billingsgate
of the West. I called him a cowardly
n.iltrnnn snnn.w_ buzzard, and
? J J ->! 7
everything else mean I could think of. I
offered to fight him in any way he
wanted, and boasted that I had on one
occasion charged five of his bravest warriors
and killed two and run the others
into the wood3. I gave it to him straight
from the shoulder for ten minutes without
a break, and he did not interrupt me
by word or gesture. When I finally
paused for want of breath he said:
"The white scout is not a dog, as I
thought for. He is a brave man. He
will not cry and beg for his life when
the fire is lighted at his feet. My young
men shall let it be known at the fort
that he died without being a woman."
"And that's more than you can say for
any of your warriors 1" I flung back at
him. "The Comanche whines like a dog
when he is hurt. He cannot stand fire.
When his feet get a little warm he becomes
a child."
He pulled his knife from his belt,
thinking to end my life then and there,
but on the second thought he replaced it
and walked out. Directly he had gone
two warriors came in with a liberal supply
of food, and my arms wf s untied and
I was given a chancc to eat. They appeared
good nature d, and as the thongs
were being replaced one of them said:
"The white man is very brave. He will
hold out a long time."
At last two guards were placed outside
my tent, and knowing that I had no
show for escape, I made myself as comfotable
as possible and soon fell asleep. It
may be thought curious that a person
could sleep soundly under such circumstances,
but as a matter of fact I did not
open my eyes until long after daylight.
There was considerable bustle in the
camp, and in a few minutes my breakfast
was brought in. Arms and legs were
now untied, and one of the three bucks
who came into the tent informed me that
preparations were being made to torture
the Doctor. It was an hour later before
I was sent for. Then my arms were left
free and my legs were hobbed just below
the knees. While I could walk it was only
with short steps, and the idea of my trying
to escape from such a crowd was too
absurd to be entertained. I found the
inhabitants of the village drawn up in
two long lines extending out on the plains.
Even children five or six years old, were
in line,' each one armed with stick or
switch. I was led to the head of the line
* ' J r H
Detwecn two warriors, ana in iour or uve
minutes the Doctor was brought out Red
Moon had arranged this as a mental torture
to both of us. lie signified to us
that we might speak, and I at once informed
the Doctor of my errand and its
failure. He expressed his pleasure that
his friends thought so well of him, and
his sorrow that I had brought misfortune
upon myself, and he seemed to have made
up his mind to die like a man. I knew
the Indians thoroughly, and I told him
what the programme would be. After
running the gauntlet, he would be tied to
a post and submitted to the powder torture,
which consists in shooting charges
of powder into the flesh, with the muzzle
of the gun only a foot or two away.
After that would come cutting and mutilating,
and he would not be tied to the
fire stake until pretty thoroughly exhausted.
I advised him to do as I intended
to do?lea}) upon some warrior as
he ran down the lines, grab his knife or
tomahawk, if possible, and then fight until
they would have to kill him then and
there. He calmly replied that he should
adopt the plan, shook me by the hand,
thrd all was ready.
As we talked I had been getting the
lay of the village. It was only a quarter
of a mile to the foothills. I had made
up my mind to make a break for liberty,
and I .had my plans all laid before the
Doctor started. Red Moon commanded
me to tell , him that he was to run straight
down the lane and back, and that if he
made a good run he would not be much
hurt. I gave him the information, and
i
\ #
advised' him to make his break about
two-thirds of the way down, as he came
to the last of the warriors. When ]
stepped back my elbows touched a guard
on either side and I saw that they were
deeply interested in the scene before
them. When I dropped my left hand
down it was close to the hilt of the warrior's
knife, and then I was as ready as I
could be. The Doctor was a powerful
big fellow and was entirely naked. Ho
was to start at the report of a rifle fired
in the air, and when the signal came he
bounded away like a deer. The lines
closed up and eveiy one tried to strike
at him, but the climax came when he
made his bolt. With a leap to one side
he seized a tomahawk, and at that moment
I got hold of the knife without
being detected. A great cry arose and
one of my guards started forward I bent
down and cut my thongs at a single
sweep, and then by a back hand blow,
drove the knife so far into the body of
the other guard, who had given me no
attention, that it was wrenched from my
grasp as he fell. Then I bounded away
down the river, and I believe I had a
start of twenty rods before pursuit began.
It is not bragadocio to assert that in
those days I had the speed and bottom of
a thoroughbred. I hadn't the least feai
of being overtaken after I got that start
by anyone on foot, and as I at once made
for the broken ground their ponies had
no advantage. I looked back only once,
and that was as I got clear of the village.
At least fifty Indians -were pursuing me
on foot, and a few minutes later a score
of others had mounted. Tho pursuers
were so strung out that no one dared
shoot, and when I got settled down tc
the pace I ran for my life. In five or sis
minutes I was in the foothills, and in ten
I had gained the shelter of the scrub pine.
At that moment twenty rifles turned loose
on me, but none of the bullets came near
enough to make me dodge, and I contrived
to put in my best licks. They
followed me for about four miles, losing
ground all the time, and then drew ofl
to return to the Doctor. It was
five days before I got back to
the fort, my clothes in tatters,
and my strength almost gone, and
it was two years before I learned
the particulars of the Doctor's fate. He
made a gallant fight when he got possession
of the tomahawk, killing a warrior
and a boy and wounding another warrior
and an old man, but he was overpowered
and disarmed, and then the devils glutted
their vengeance. Some idea of his suf-j
ferings can be imagined froqx the fact
that he was under some sort of torturei
for three days * and nights, andi
and there was still life left in him
when he was given up to the fangs of
the village dogs. The Comanche who
gave me the particulars was then "a
ward of the Government," drawing his
rations, ammunition, and blankets from
the very men whose scalps he hungered
for, and he could not be punished. He
identified himself as the warior who was'
guarding me on the right when I made
my break, and for his carelessness on
that occasion the chief stripped him of
all his worldly possessions and p-ave the
goods to the widow of the warnor I had
slain.?New York Sun. . . j
? ~y.;\
Wholesale Horse Stealing.
A gigantic horse-stealing industry is
thought to have been established in the
Coteaus along the Missouri River. A 1
great many horses stray away and are j
never heard from; others are taken from I
the stables and no trace is ever found of
them, and their complete disappearance,
and the utter impossibility of ever finding
them after they have strayed away or
been stolen has been a mystery that has
caused considerable comment; but facts i
have lately come to light which may ex-,
plain some of the looseness of equine
property. . '? : v . .Jj
Different parties take a number of old,'
decrepit horses out among the hills which
are totally uninhabited, and any strays |
that may be around will come to the i
herds, when they will be caught and sent i
out to other parties connected with the !
gang, and in a few days they will have
the horses hundreds of miles from where
they were picked up, and then offer them j
for sale with safely. Facts lead to the !
belief that this organization leads from
near Pierre, South Dakota, to Great Falls,
Montana, and possibly to the British possessions.
Horses that are stolen neai
Pierre are run North through the Coteaus,
traveling stated distances and by night,
and are stolen in the northern field, while
horses that are sold in the North are !
sent South, and sold or traded between ;
La Moure, North Dakota, and Pierre.
A vigilance committee of large dimen- |
sions should go North and clear out these |
organized bands of thieves.?riYew Tor"k
Times. A'The
Icelandic Lntheran Church* !
The Icelandic Lutheran Church ol
America consists of twenty-two congre*
gations, and has just held its fifth annual
conference at Argyle, in Manitoba. In
1880 the whole number of immigrants
from Denmark to the United States was
only a little over 64,000, including Icelanders
; but since then the total has beeD
about doubled, and among the new settlers
are many Icelanders also, though ;
their most numerous colony is in Manito
ba. They have established a colony in i
Dakota, one in Southern Minnesota, and 1
there is a settlement at Green Bay. Al- '
though they number as yet only a few
thousands in both this country and Canada,
with the prospect, however, of a
considerable increase, though it car
never be great, since the population ol
Iceland itself is barely 72,000. These
immigrants from Iceland come from t
region where they have never seen a real
tree, a road or a plow, ana yen it is remarkable
how soon they adapt themselves
to their new surroundings. Thej
are of much intelligence, and there are
no people among whom education is more
generally diffused, the humblest being
able to read and write, and being thoroughly
conversant with the sages, and
the history and laws of their country.?
New York Sun.
The Indigo Plant ^
The best indigo is obtained from twe
shabby plants, Indigofera tinctoria and I.
Anil. The former is a native of Indkt,
and the latter of the West Indies. Tc
extract the indigo the plants are cuj
down, or macerated in water, the blue
matter falls to the bottom, the muddj ;
sediment being pressed into cakes ana
dried, but there are a large number ol
plants which yield indigo that do not be- ;
long to the same genus of plants as thi
true indigo, but most of it is of an inferior
quality. Indigo is now principally
cultivated in India, but the recent discov?
ery of the means of preparing artificial
indigo by a chemical process is seriouslj
affecting this industry in India.?Neu
York Sun. ? J
F POPULAE SCIENCE.
CoaLcutting machines arc now run by1
electricity.
The average depth of all the oceans i*
from 2000 to 2500 fathoms.
The new city of Tiai-pei Fuin Formosa
is lighted electrically, the plant being uncharge
of native workmen.
The French Government, when it takes
possession of the telephones in France, i
proposes furnishing the service to tin*
public at cost.
At the next military manoeuvres in
France a new application of telegraphy]
will be made, which innovation it is:
thought will be of the greatest utility intime
of war.
Electric lighting is said to be one oI
the hardest kinds of work for a steam
engine, the continuous running and the. i
work being thrown on and off instantan*- i
ously, causing immense strain.
An Easton (Penn.) paper says Charles
Zinc has an amorphophallus plant, the
only one of the lrind in that section..
The odor of the flower is that of stale
raw meat, but its color is beautiful.
Concerning the great British naval re- ;
view?qvery armor piate m mat neec is >
fastened with the late Sir William Palliser's
patent screw bolts, and the Government
has never paid for one of them yet.
Discussions on the economic size of
line wire brings out the fact that the diameter
of the wire depends on the price,
of copper, cost of power and quantity of
current, and is entirely independent of j
the length of the current. i
Ten men with drills operated by electricity
can take out as much ore*and tun- ]
nel as far as 100 men with picks, shovels ]
and blasting material, besides which the ]
buildings can be lighted and a great sav*
ing on insurance and oil made thereby.
One paper mill in England, in Setting- i
bourne, manufactures enough paper every ,
year to put a belt around the world some j
100 inches in width. One of the constituents 1
of this paper is esparto grass, which is j
brought in great bales from Algeria. ,
A test has Leen made in France to see
whether the color of a horse had anything
to do with his characteristics. It <
has been demonstrated that any such
idea is all nonsense. ' Pedigree and early
training have all to do with it, and.color j
nothing whatever. ' 1
At the sham battle fough at Spandaut !
by the German troops for the amusement |
of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria '
one division used a new "smokeless" ;
powder, the effect being that no smoke 1
was visible at a distance of 300 yards, i
and no sound was heard beyond a slight |
tapping.
From a recent study of the bones of 1
anthropoid apea it appears that the goril- j
la and chimpanzee approach nearest to j
man, but in different degrees, the orang- \
outancr holdinsr the third place. But :
great differences exist between the pro- j
portions of the human frame and those of ]
all the apes. j
Dr. Nansen estimates that the ice of .
Greenland's interior must be 6000 feet 1
thick in places, even the tops of the j
mountains probably being covered with i
hundreds of feet of glaciers. He believes <
that the wind has much to do with main- '
taming the ice level, and that the quanti- ]
ty of snow does not vary much from year i
to year. ( ]
There are in Nevada several deposits <
of mineral soap, one of which has been J
worked for some years, the soap being j
formed by natural combination of soda, <
borax and mineral oils, the process in !
some localities being assisted by hot ,
springs; some of these natural soaps are
cut up and sold as found, but they are oftener
used in combination with other j
soaps. ' .
The latest use of photography is to j
make a cannon ball take a picture of itf j
own wabblings. An arrangement some- ]
thing like a camera is to be placed in the '
forward end of the projectile, and when '
it is fired directly at the sun the light
traces lines upon the plate, from the direction
of which it can be told whether
the projectile has kept in one position 01
has wavered to and fro during its flight,
t ^^
Failure of the Tienna Exposition.
The worst failure in the way of an ex-'
position ever made was that in Vienna,
Austria, in 1873. The Emperor Francis j
Joseph was greatly interested in the sue- j
cess of the enterprise, and the court j
party and the Parliament were thoroughly ?
at>one with him. 1
When the scheme was mooted in 1871 *
the Vienna business houses subscribed
{>1,500,000; in July of the same year o
Parliament gave $3,000,000, and a year ?
later $3,000,000 more. Other sums were j
begged and borrowed until the total was s
pver $11,000,000. Magnificent build- 4
Ings were erected in the Prater, hotels ?
were run up all over the town, and there fc
was a carnival of real estate speculation, c
The Exhibition opened May 1 and
went wrong from the start. There were ?
twenty-five rainy days that month, a j,
thing unknown before. On the 9th ?
:ame the "Black Friday" of the bourse s
ind 110 Viennese firms were bankrupt n
before sundown. The smash was one of h
the most appalling known in Germany c
and the citizens were in no humor foi *
sight-seeing or holitlay-making. Labor- e
ers were out of work, small store-keepers fc:
were in distress, and large firms were ?
cutting away every expense possible. y
Then, too, Vienna is off the line of the h
regular European tourist and neithei a
English nor American visitors were fre- ^
quent. It was a bad year all over the a
world, and the net result was a loss oJ b
dearly $10,000,000.?Chicago Times. a]
a;
S(
An Over-Faitlifal Guard. w
| L,
An amusing incident occurred a1 ei
Edison's laboratory at Llewellyn Park, a]
N". J., some days ago. A young man "1
tvas engaged as doorkeeper for Mr. Edi- 0]
son's sanctum sanctorum?the den, as ht it
calls it?with instructions to admit no 54
one without first sending in his card.
The young man had never seen Mr. Edi- si
son, and when a slouchy-looking, shab- ri
bily dressed man tried to walk in, he op- ?
posed him with a request for his card. ?
"Oh, that's all right," was the response. n
"But it isn't all right. You can'l d
come in here without a card." 11
"Oh, yes, I can," was tho reply, and ?
the man tried to brush by, but the
zealous young doorkeeper took him bj 0
the shoulder, and was proceeding to ejeel
him, when one of the clerks, who had ij
been an amused witness of the scene, o;
called out in a half whisper: "You fool, ?
that's Mr. Edison," wheretit tho young c
man collapsed. Mr. Edison had greatlj t
enjoyed the occurrence, and patted the f
young fellow on the back, saying: "1 t
guess it's my tftra to say 'that's all
riflht.,n?Nenn 35WSVi&tf
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject: "What Sea Captains Say."
(Preached at Portland, Oregon.)
Tzxr: "Lest that by any means I myself
should be cast away."?Cor. ix., 27.
In the presence of you who live on the Pacific
coast, I who live on the Atlantic coast
may appropriately speak on this marine allusion
of the text, for all who know about the
sea know about the castaway. The
text implies that ministers of religion
may help others into heaven and
vet miss it themselves. The carpenters that
built Noah's ark did not get into it themselves.
Gown and surplice, and diplomas,
and canonicals are no security. Cardinal
Wolsey, after having been petted by kings,
and having entertained foreign ambassadors
at Hampton Court, died in darkness.
One of the most eminent ministers of
religion that this country has ever
known, plunged into sin and died: his
heart, by post-mortem examination, found
to have been, not figuratively but literally,
broken. We may have hands of ordination
on the head, ana address consecrated assemblages,
but that is no reason why we shall
necessarily reach the realm celestial. The
clerflrvman must co throueh the same crate
of pardon as the layman. ^Tiere hare Seen
cases of shipwreck where all on board
escaped excepting the captain. Alas! if,
having "preachea to others, I myself should
be a castaway." God forbid it.
I have examined some of the commentaries
to see what they thought about this word
"castaway," and I find they differ in regard
to the figure used, while they agree in regard
to the meaning. So I shall make my own selection,
and take it in a nautical and seafaring
sense, and show you that men may besome
spiritual castaways, and how finally
they drift into that calamity.
You and I live in seaboard cities. You
have all stood upon the beach. Many of you
have crossed the ocean. Some of you have
managed vessels in great stress of weather.
There is a sea captain, and there is another,
and yonder is another, and there are a goodly
number of you who, though once you cud not
know the difference between a brig and a
bark, and between a diamond knot and a
sprit sheet sail knqt, and although you could
not point out the weather cross jack brace,
and though you could not man the fore clew
garnots, now you are as familiar wih a
Bhip as you aro with your right hand
ana if it were necessary you could take a
vessel clear across to the mouth of the
Mersey without the loss of a single sail.
Well, there is a dark night in your memory
Df the sea. The vessel became unmanageable.
You saw it was scudding toward this shore.
You heard the cry: "Breakers ahead!
Land on the lee bow!" The vessel
struck the rock and you felt the deck
breaking up under your feet, and you were
a castaway, as when the Hercules drove on
the coast of Caffraria, as when the Portuguese
brig went staying, splitting, grinding,
crashing on the Goodwins. But whether
you have followed the sea or not, you all
understand the figure when I tell you. that
there are men, who, by (their sins and
temptations, are thrown helpltss! Driven |
before the gale! Wrecked for two worlds! /
naa^anatral Pnof nuromj t
By talking with some sea captains, I have
found out that there are three or four causes
tor such a calamity to a vessel. I have been
told that it comes sometimes from creating
false lights on the beach. This was often so
in olden times. It is not many years ago,
indeed, that vagabonds used to wander up
md down the beach, getting vessels ashore
in the night, throwing up false lights in their
presence and deceiving them, that they may
despoil and ransack them. All kinds of
infernal arts were used to accomplish this.
And one night, on the Cornish coast, when
bhe sea was coming in fearfully, some villains
took a lantern and tied it to a norse, and led
bhe horse up and down the beach, the lantern
swinging to the motion of the horse, and a sea
captain m the offing saw it, and made up his
oiindthat he was not anywhere near the
shore, for he said: "There's a vessel?that
must be a vessel, for it has a movable light,"
rod he had no apprehension till he heard tbe
rocks grating on the ship's bottom, and it
went to pieces and the villians on shore gathered
up the packages and treasures that were
tvasheu to the land. And I have to tell you
that there are a multitude of souls ruined by
raise lights on the beach. In the dark night
of maivs danger, false religion goes up and
iown the shore, shaking its lantern, and men
look off and take that flickering and expiring
wick as the signal of safety, and the cry is:
"Heave the main topsail to the mast I All is
well!" when sudden destructioncomethupon
them, and they shall not escape. So- there
ire all kinds of lanterns swung on the beach
?philosophical lanterns, educational lanterns,
humanitarian lanterns. Men look at
them and are deceived, when there is noth
1?* nt tha rjrto
ki-lU UUU UUU a CWXUUt uguvuvujg vt BUW vVMpel
that can keep them from becoming castaways.
Once, On Wolf Crag lightHouse,
they triod to build a copper
figure of a wolf with its mouth
ipen, so that the storms beating into it, the
svolf would howl forth the dangers to
mariners that might be coming anywhere
near the coast. Of course it was a failure.
And so all new inventions for the saving of
man's soul aro unavailing. What the human
race wants is a light.bursting forth from the
:ros3 standing Og the great headLands?the
light of pardon, the light
)f comfort, the light or heavsn.
You might better go to-night, and destroy
all the great Jight-bouses on the dangerous
coasts?tho Barnegat lighthouse, thi
fastnet Rock lighthouse, the Slierryvore
ightbouse, the Longships lighthouse, the
iollyhead lighthouse?than to put out God's
jreat ocean lamp?the Gospel. Woe to those
vho swing false lanterns on the beach till
aen crash into ruin. Castaways! Castaways!
By talking with sea captains I havo heard
ilso that sometimes ships come to this calamity
by the sudden swoop of a tempest. For
ustance, a vessel is sailing along in the East
ndies, and there is not a single cloud on the
ky; but suddenly tho breeze freshens, and
hero are swift feeu on the ratlines, and the
ry is: "Way, haul away there!" but before
hey can square the booms and tarpaulin
he hatchways, the vessel 'is groaning and
reaking in the grip of a tornado, and
ills over into the trough of the sea,
nd broadside it rolls on to the beach
nd keels over, leaving the crew to struggle
a the merciloss surf. Castaway! Castaway!
Lnd so I have to tell you that there aro thouands
of men destroyed through the sudden
woop of temptations. Some great inducelent
to worlaliness, or to sensuality, or to
igh temper, or to some form of dissipation,
omes upon them. If they had time to oxmine
their Bible, if they had time to consult
pith their friends, if they had time to delibfliow
etnn/1 if.? hnf. f.llO
ion came so suddenly?an euroclydon on the
loditerranean, a whirlwind of the Caribean.
One awful surge of temptation and
hey perish. And so we often
ear tne old- story: "I hadn't
jen my friend in a great many years. We
re re very glad to ineot. He said I must
rink and he took me by the arm and pressed
le along, and filled the cup until the bubles
ran over the edge, and in an evil moment
[1 my good resolutions were swept away,
ad to the outraging of God ana my own
>ul. I fell." Or the story is: "I had hard
ork to support my family. I thought that"
y one falso entry, by one deception, by ono
nbezzlement, I might spring out free from
11 my trouble; and the temptation came
pon me so fiercely I could not deliberate. .
did wrong and having done wrong (
ice, I could not stop." 0, !
is the first step that costs; the i
>cond is easier; and the third; and on to the
.st. Once having broken loose from the ;
nchor, it is not so easy to tie the parted
Tands. How often it is that men are
ixined, for the reason that the temptation i
Dmes from some unexpected quarter. As <
essels lie in Margate Roads, safe from south- 'est
winds, but tho wind changing to the |
ortheast, they are driven helpless and go |
own. 0 that God would have mercy upon
hose upon whom there comes the sudden 5
svoop of temptation, lest they perish, becomlg
castaways I castaways!
By talking with sea captains, I have found
ut also that some vessels come to tliis cal- 1
mity through sheer recklessness. There are ;
tiree million men who follow tho sea for a
ving. It is a simple fact that tho average
f human life on the sea is less than twelve
ears. This comes from the fact that men
y familiarity with danger sometimes beome
reciaess?tne captain, the helmsman,
he stoker, the man on the lookout, become
eckless, and in nine out of ton shipwrecks, it
i found that some one was awfully
o blame. So I have to tell you that
ien are morally shipwrecked through sheer
ecklessness. There are thousands who da
not care where they are m spiritual things.
They do not know which way they are sidling
and the sea is black with piratical hnlks
that would grapple them with hooks of steel
and blindfold them and make them "walk
the plank." They do not know what the
next moment may bring forth. Drifting in
their theology. Drifting in their habits.
Drifting in regard to all their future.
No God, no Christ, no settled anticipations
of eternal felicity: but all the time
coming nearer and nearer to a dangerous
coast. Some of them are on fire with evil
habit, and they shall burn on the sea, the
charred hulk tossed up on the barren beach.
Many of them with great troubles, financial
troubles, domestic troubles, social troubles;
but they never pj-ay for comfort. With an
aggravation of sin they pray for no pardon.
They do not steer for the lightship that dances
in gladness at the mouth of heaven'i
Larbor; reckless as to where they
come out. drifting further from God, further
From early religious influences, further from
happiness; and what is the worst thing about
it is, they are taking their families along
with them, and the way one goes, the probability
is they will all go. Yet no anxiety. As
unconscious of danger as the passengers
aboard the Arctic one moment before the
Vesta crashed into her. Wrapped up in the
business of the store, not remembering that
soon they must quit all their earthly possessions.
Absorbed in their social position,
not knowing that very soon they will
have attended the last levee, and whirled in
the last schottishe. They do not deliberately
nViruvia tn hnruin<v1? nnirhar HJH HVnnrn
frigate Medusa aim for the Arguin banks,
bat there it went to pieces. I wish I could
wake you up. The peril) are so augmented,
you will die just as certainly as you sit there
unless yon bestir yourself. Are you willing
to become a castaway? Ton throw out no
oar. You take no surroundings. You watch
no compass. You are not calculating tout
bearings while the wind is abaft,
and yonder is a long line of foam
bounding ths horizon, and you will
be pushed on toward it and thousands
have perished there, and you are driving
in the same direction. Ready about I
Down helm! Hard down I Man the life boat t
Pull, my lads, pull! "He that being often
reproved hardeneth his neck, shall be suddenly
destroyed and that without remedy."
But some of yon are saying within yourselves:
"What shall I do?' Do? Do? Why,
my brother, do what any ship does, when
it is in trouble. Lift a distress signal. On
the sea , there is. a flash and a boom.
You listen and you look. A vessel is
in trouble. The distress gun is sounded,
or a rocket is sent up, or a blanket
is 1 if tod, or a bundle of rags?anything
to catch the eye of the passing
craft. So if you want to be taken off
the wreck of your sin, you must lift a distress
signal. The publican lifted the distress
signal when hfi cried: "God, be
merciful to me a sinner J" Peter lifted the
distress signal when he said: "Lord, save
me, I perish P' The blind man lifted the
distress signal when he said: "Lord, that my
eyes may be opened." The jailer lifted the
distress signal when he said: "What must I
do to be saved?" And help will never come
to your soul until you lift some signal. You
must make some demonstration, give some
sign, make some heaven-piercing outcry for
help, lifting the distress signal for the
church's prayer, lifting the distress signal
for heaven's pardon. Pray! Prayl The
voice of the Lord now sour.ds in your ears:
"In Me is thy help." Too proud to raise
1 i 1 ? 3 iA 1. - .-J
suuu a bigutu, i/w uiuuu tv tu savou.
Thoro was an old sailor th limping about in
a small boat in a tempest. The larger vessel
had gone down. He felt he must die. The
surf was breaking over the boat, and he said:
"I took off my life belt that it might soon be
over, and I thought somewhat indistinctly
about my friends on shore and then I bid
them good-by like, and I was about sinking
back and giving it up, when I taw a bright
star. The clouds were breaking away, and
thero that blessed star shone down on me.
and it seemed to take right hold on me; and
somehow, I cannot tell how it was, but somehow,
while I was trying to watch that star,
it seomed to help me ,nnd seomed to lift me."
0, sinking soul, see you not the glimmer between
the rifts of the storm cloud? That is
the star of hope.
Deathstruck, I ceased the tide to stem,
. When suddenly a star arose.
It was the star of Bethlehem!
If there are any here who consider themselves
castaways, let me say God is doing
everything to save you. Did you ever hear
of Lionel Luken? He was the inventor of the
insubmergible life boat. All honor is due to
his memory by seafaring men, as well as by
landsmen. How many lives he saved by his
invention. In after days that invention was
improved, and one day there was a perfect
life boat, the Northumberland, ready at
Ramsgato. The life boat being ready, to test
it the crew came out and leaped on the gunwhale
on one side to seo if the boat would
upset; it was impossible to upset
ie. rnen amig mo huzzas ol excited
thousands, tliat boat was launched, and
it has gone and come, picking up a great
many of the shipwrecked. But I have to tell
you how of a grander launching, and from
the dry docks of heaven. Word came up
that a world was beating on the rocks. In
the presence of the potentates of heaven the
life boat of the world's redemption was
launched. It shoved off the golden sands
amid angelic hosannas. The surges of darkness
beat against its bow, but it sailed on,
and it comes in sight of us thi? hour. It
comes for you, it comes for me. Soul! soul!
get into it. Make ono leap for heaven. Let
the boat go past and your opportunity is
gono.
I am expecting that there will be whole
families hero who will get into thatlifo boat.
In 1833, the Isabella came ashore off Hastings,
England. The air was filled with
sounds?the hoarse sea trumpet, the crash' of
the axes, and the bellowing of the tornado.
A boat from the shore came tinder the stern
of the disabled vessel. There were women
and children on board that vessel. Some
the sailors jumped into the small Jt>oat and
said: "Now give us the children." A father
who stood on deck took his first born
and threw him to the boat. The sailors
caught him safely, and the next, and the
next, to the last. Still the sea rocking, the
storm howling. "Now," said the sailors,
"now the mother:" and she leaped, and was
saved. The boat went to the shore; but before
it got to the shore the landsmen were so
impatient to help the suffering people that
they wnded clear down into the surf with
blankets and garments, and promises of help
and succor. So there are whole families here
who are going to be saved, and saved altogether.
Give us that child for Christ,
that oth'T child, that other. Give us
the mother, jrive- us the father, the
whole family. They must all come in. All
heaven wades in to help you. I claim this
wholo audience for God. I pick not out one
man here nor one man there; Iclaim you all.
There are some of you who, thirty years ago,
were consecrated to Christ by your parents
in baptism. Certainly I am not stepping
over the right bound when I claim you for
Jesus. Then there are many hero who have
been seeking God for a good while, and am I
not right in claiming you for Jesus? Then
there are somo here who have been
further away, and you drink, and
you swear, and you bring up
your families without any G-od to take care
of them when you are dead. And I claim
you, my brother; I claim all of you. You
will havo to pray sometime; why not begin
now, while all the ripe and purple cluster of
divino promise bond over Into your cup,
rather than postpone your pfayer until your
chance is past, and the night drops, and the
sea washes you out, and the appalling fact
shall be announced that notwithstanding all
your magnificent opportunities, you have become
a castaway.
ilixg kalaeaua, having figured up
incl found out that lie does not owe but
?120,000, has concluded to take in the
Pavis Exposition this summer. The
mnouncement that the quarterly allowmce
of the Prince of Wales has been
Increased by $45,000 has probably inspired
Kalakaua with the belief that
;he 1'iince will now have a spare dolar
about his clothes to lend to a deserving
fi iend.
A "Poverty Society has been
started in Russia, the object of which
is to popularize poverty among tha
poor, and to teach them that their lot
is not one to be repined at, since the
finest pleasures of life can bo enjoyed
independent of money.
a petrieied tree wa3 recently Tinearthed
at Farmingdale, N. J., eixtasn
feet below the surfaoe.
J
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER 15.
Lesson Text: "David Sparing Saul,**
1 Sam. xxiv., 4-17?Golden
Text: Rom. xii., 21?
Commentary.
4. "And the men of David said unfo him.
Behold the day, of which the Lord said onto,
thee." Saul, who so persistently sought
David's life, is now completely in David's
power and his men seem to suggest that now
he slay him; but as David himself had cried:
"Be merciful unto ma O God, be merciful
unto me" (Pa 1L, 1 and Title), so he would
show mercy even to Saul, and is content to
lay no hand uponhinL but simply cutoff the .
slnrt of his robe privily to show him afterward
that he haa lum in his power. Jesus
our King could any moment overthrow and:
banish Satan forever from this earth, and.
He will do it in due time, but He Is content to
wait patiently, and permit His people and
His earth to groan a little longer.
5. "David's heart smote him because he
had cut off Saul's skirt." Even for asserting
this slight token of his power, he feels condemned.
His enemy was off his guard and
unable to defend himsnlf. and David would
rather meet an enemy, if he must be met, as
he met the lion and the bear and Goliath,
in open fight, that the power of God might be
manifest. There is nothing of the Spirit of
Christ in secret sayings or doings which will
not bear the light.
6. "The Lord forbid that I should do this
thing unto mv Master, the Lord's anointed."-.
Here is another view of the case; Saul was .
not acting like the anointed, of the Lord"
should act, his l|fe did not testify in that direction,
but as to his office he was "the
anointed of the Lord," and therefore responsible
to God to act a^ such; and if he failed
it was for the Lord and not for David to deal
with him. Two great practical thoughts are
presented here: U we are children of God by
faith of Christ Jesus, then we have received
the Spirit, and are anointed kings and priests
unto God, and are responsible every aay to
walk worthy of our High Calling; ana on.
the other hind, though failure ana even sin;
may be manifest in the lives of the anointed
of the Lord, it is for their Lonl and not-for
their fellows to judge and chadfem them.
7. "So David stayed his servants with
these words; * * ? Saul rose up out ,of
the cave and went his way." We may do
very much by kind words and the manifestation
of a Christ-like spirit to hindur otters .
from speaking against or touching in any
way the anointed of the Lord. We should ?
remember that it is written, "He that touch- g
eth you toucheth the apple of His' eye.*
(Zecb. ii. 8.) Every redeemed one, however i
full of failure, is dear to God; even IsraeLin!
all her sins, He called "the dearly beloved of
His soul." (Jer. xii., 7.) Saul, rising up
and going his way, unconscious of the loss of
a part of his robe, reminds us that when we '
are not in the Lord's! way we may lose many
things and yet be unconscious of it.
8. "David* * * cried,after Saul, say-'
ing, 'My Lord the King,' * * * and stooped ^
with his face to the earth." Notwithstanding *
David's fears and ofttimes questionable conduct,
here is a truly humble and forgiving v
spirit. Whatever were his sins, his heart
was in the main right with God, and his fiiK
ures tell us the truth of that which he himself
wrote: "Verily, every man at his best
estate is altogether vanity." (Pa. :rxrix., 5.)
<? A U?if?? ? Ixwiwinf mauled
V. " IT UWOiUi O UUAICOV VUUUUiOus nvi%w/
saying, Behold David seeketh thy hurtt&j
Saul Had turned a deaf ear to the words of God.
and was giving heed to ^lelyingandde- i
ceitiul words of men, and was, therefore, far
from the way of peace. The only rest of
soul for man & upon the words and thought*
of God; but how few, even among Christians,
rest quietly there? The words of this
or that man, what some one has said oe re- *
ported, is constantly heeded, and there is, <
therefore, soch unrest, while all the while '
the Gkxl of peace is speaking peace and longing
to give peace to all who will hear Him. '
As to the false reports that David sought ' !
Saul's hurt, is it not commonly believed Dy *J
the unsaved that to be a Christian would deprive
them of some happiness, or, in other
words, that Jesus is seeking their hurt?
10, 11. "Some bade me kill thee; but mine eye
spared thee; * * * yet thou huntast,
my soul to take it." Here David recount* ~
the incident in the cave, and displays as
proof o4 the truth of it the part of Saul's roba
which he had cut off, thus testifying most;
unmistakably that there was no evil in his.
heart against 8auL \
12. "The Lord judge between me and thee,
and the Lord avenge ,nie of thee; but my hand
shall not be upon thee." This is beautiful on
itiig |g ?nw?faM?ting Mahnrrton
upon the Lord. Oh, what a resting place it is;
we have not to fight oar owrf battles, l'or
it is God who fighteth for us; we hare not to-"1
defend our reputation, bat commit all onto
Him: we have no revenge to take, but inasmuch
as whosoever toucheth us toucheth the
apple of God's eye, just let Him see to it in v'
His owngood time and waj.
13. "Wickedness proceedeth from the
wicked, but mine hand shall not be upon
thee." If the boys of all our Sunday-schools
would act upon this principle, and remem- 1
be ring that wicked words and deeds proceed
from wicked hearts, avoid all such, refusing
even, when injured by them, to lay ah&na .
upon them, it might be that some wicked^
hearts would be *on by such a spirit and v
learn of the new and clean heart which alone 1
can act in such a way. If men and women
who bear the beautiful name of Jesus would
in this respect show more of His spirit, how
many they might win to Him.
14. "After whom dost thou pursue? After
a dead dog, after a flea." David was as harmless
to Saul as a dead dog, for he had
no thought-of doing him any injury; bat
Saul, tempted by the evil spirit of envy which
had taken possession of him, fancied all '
manner *of things against David, and his
fancies. were helped by the liars aad
slanderers about him. How many wretched
people live to-day who imagine that evil is
surely coming to them from this or that
direction, while the truth is that the imaginary
source of evil is as harmless as a
dead dog or a flea.
15. "The Lord be judge, *. * * and see
and plead my cause and deliver me out of
thine hand." "Jqjige nothing before the
time, until the Lord come." "We shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
"Every one of us shall give account of himself
to God." These are some helpful words
of the Holy Spirit upon this matter from the
New Testament.
16. "Saul said: Is this thy voice, my son
David? And Saul lifted up his voice and
wept." There are many such words and
tears nowadays, uui mry uu uuu " - ? .
anything. That they did not mean much
. from Saul at this time is evident from chap,
xxvi, where we see him as hotly as ever pursuing
David to take his life. Saul had good 1
occasion to weep, for he had sinned greatly y*
against David and against God; and if his
tears had indicated true penitence, it had
been well for him; but he seems to stand with
Esau and Judas and others whose repentance
needed to.be repented of, and whose sorrow
was not heart deep.
17. "And he said to David, Thou art i
more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded
me good, whereas. I have rewarded thee
evil." These are true words from Saul's lips,
and if you read to the end of the chapter ana
notice all He said, and especially tlie words
about David and the kingdom, and if this
was the last we ever heard of Saul, we might
(say: "Well, surely Saul is a changed man
for he could not otherwise talk this way.*
But alas for the wickedness of our incurably
deceitful hearts! his words were true words,
but his heart was not right with God.?Lesson
Helper,
"William H. Able is a farmer near
Collins Station, Pa., and for some time
| one of the water-pipes on the place
was clogged. He did not feel like catting
the pipe, so he caught an eel, pnt
it in the pine and next morning was ^
gratified to find the eel in the trough at
the end of the pipe and the water running
freely.
VYm. Robinson, of Venango County, Pennsylvania,
claims that crude oil
will cure almost any ailment. He savg
he has used it in all his sicknesses, and
has always been cured.
<
A doctor says thaiJyoung men who
wear belts are affected somewhat tha
same as women who lace tightly,
kk.. M
-V. . 7JH