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REV. DR. TALMAGE. i THE BROOKLYN DIVTXE'S SUN- j DAY SERMON'. Subjcct: "The Sliorn ijoeks of Sara? , son." Text: "Entice him, and see wherein his I ... _a it menus Wit \ jreat sircnym e.ict?, u?u kj, .a/., v.- .. ? . may prevail against him, that we may , bind him to ajjlict him; and we will g-ive thee everyone of us eleven hundred pieces of , hirer."?Judge's xvi., 5. One thousahd pounds or about five thou- I sand dollars of our money, were thus offered j for the capture of a giant. It would take a ikillful photographist to picture Samson as , he really was. The most facile words are j not supple enough to describe him. He was a giant and a child; the eonquoror and the de- j leated, able to snap at a lion's jaw, and yet j uaptured by the sigh of a maiden. He was j ruler and slave; a commingling of virtue and vice, the sublime and the ridiculous; sharp enough to make a good riddle, and yet weak enough to he caught rh tho most superficial stratagem; honest [ enough to settle his debt, and yet out- , ragcously robbing somebody else to get the material to pay it; a miracle and a scoffing; j a crowning glory and a burning shame. | There he stands, looming up above other men, a mountain of flesh; his arms bunched with muscle that can lift the gate o|: a city; taking an attitude dohant of armed men and wild beasts. His hair had never bwn cut. and it rolled down in seven great plaits over his shoulders, adding to his fierceness and j terror. The Philistines want to conquer } him, and therefore they must find out where i the secret of his strength lies. There is a woman living in the valley of Sorelc by the name of Delilah. They appoint I her the agent in the case. The Philistines j are secreted in the same building, and then i Delilah goes to work and coaxes Samson to j tell what is thesecret of his strength. -'Well," he says, "if you should take seven green withes, such as they fasten wild beasts with, j and put them around me, I should be per- j fectly powerless." So she binds him with the I seven green withes. Then she clam her j hands and says: "They corns?the Phili ! tinesl" and he walks out as though there i were no impediment. She coaxes him again, j and says: "Now tell me tha secret of I this great strength; and he replies: "If you should take some ropes that have never beet i used, and tio me with them, 1 should be just j like other men." She ties him with the ropes, clans her hands and shouts: "They M... |l> woll-c nnt. ,1 | UUillt' ? l'UO A UtUOblUVOi UW IIW11M vuv WW I easy as lio did before?not a single obstruction. She coaxes him again, and he says: "Now, if you shouH take these seven long plaits of hair, and by this house loom weave tiieni inro a web. I could not get away." So | the house loom is rolled up, and the"shuttle flies backward and forward, and the long plaits of hair are wov'.n into a web. Tbeu she claps her hands, and says: "They come! the Philistines!'' He walks out as easily as he did before, dragging a part of the loom with him. But after awhile she persuades him to tell the truth. He says: "If you should take a razor, or shears, and cut off this lon? hair, I should bo powerless, and in the hands of my enemies." Samson sleeps, and that she may not wake him up during the process of shearing, help is called in. "i ou know that the barbers of the East have such a skillful way of manipulating the head, to this very day they will put a man, wide awake, sound asleep. 1 hear the blades of the shears grinding against each other, and I see the long locks falling off. The shears, or razor, accomplishes what green withes and new ropes and house loom could not do. Suddenly she claps her hands and says: "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!" He rouses up with a struggle, but his strength is all gone! Heisintho hands of his enemies! Ihear the groan of the giant as they take his eyes out, and then I s?e him staggering on in his blindness, feeling his way as he goes on toward Gaza. The prison door is opened and the giant is thrust in. Ho sits down and puts his hands on the mill CrailK, wmuu, mtu ciuausomg uuiuuuwi motion, goes day after day, w eek after week, month after mouth?work, work, work! The consternation of the world is captivity, his locks shorn, his eyes punctured, grinding corn in Gaza. In a previous sermon on this character I learned some lessons, but another class of lessons are before us now. Learn first how very strong people are sometimes coaxed into great imbecilities. Samson had no right to reveal the secret of his strength. Delilah's first attempt to find out is a failure. He says: "Green withes . -will bind me," but it was a failure. Then ho says: "A new rope will hold me," but that also was a failure. Then he says: "Weave my locks into a web and that will bind me," yet that also was a failure. But at last you see how sho coaxed it out him. Unimportant actions in life that involve no moral principle may without injury be subjected to ardent persuasions, but as soon as you have come to the line that separates right from wrong, no inducement or blandishment ought to make you step over it. Suppose a man has been brought up in a Christian household and taught sacredly to observe the Sabbath, Sunday comes; you want fresh air. Temptation says: "Sunday is just like other days; now don't be bigoted; we will ride forth among the works of God; the whole earth is His temple; we will not go into amy dissipations: come, now, I have the carriage engaged and we shall be back soon enough to go to church in the evening; don't yield to Puritanic notions; you will be no worse for a ride in the country; the blossoms are out and they sav everything is looking glorious." "Well, I will go to-please you," is the response. And out thev co over the street, conscience drowned in the clatter of the swift hoofs and the rush of the resounding wheels. That tempted mnn mqr V>?xrt* linri mnral r?hot*o/*?h*vr? or*r?nryVi to break the green withes of ten thousand Philistine allurements, but he has been overcome by coaxing. Two young men passing down this street came opposite a drinking saloon with a red lantern hung out from the door to light men to perdition. '"Let us go in," says one. "No, I won't," says the other; "I never go to such places." "Now, vou don't say you ara as weak as that, why, I have been goiug there for two years and it hasn't hurt me. Come, come now, bo a man. If you can't stand anything stronger, take a little sherry. You need to see the world as it is. 1 don't believe in intemperance any more than you. I can stop drinking just when I want to. .You shall go. Now, come right along." Persuasion has conquered. Samson yields to the coaxing and there is carnival*in hell that night among the Philistines and they shout: "Ha! ha! We've got him." Those who have the kindest and most sympathetic natures arc the most in danger. \ our very disposition to please others will be the very trap they set. If you were cold and harsh and severe in your nature you would not be tampered with. People never fondle a hedgehog. The uiuso senumtniai ureemanaer never Kisses an iceberg. The warmth and susceptibility of your nature will encourage the siren. Though strong as a giant, look out for Delilah's scissors. Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, was overcome by coaxing. Again, this narrative teaches us the po~e? of an ill disposed woman. In tho portrait gallery of iSible yueens we find Abigail and Kuth and Miriam and Vashti and Deborah, but in the rogues' gallery of a police station you find the pictures of women as well as men. Delilah's picture belongs to the rogues' gailary, but she had more power than all Philistia armed with sword and spear. She could carry off the iron gates of Samson's rcso juuoa as easuy as lie snouiaereu cue gates or Gaza. The force that had killed the lion which one day plunged out fierce from the thicket utterly succumbs to the silken net which Delilah weaves for the giant. He who had driven an army in riotous retreat with the bleached jaw bone, smiting them hip and thigh with great slaughter, now fails captive at the feet of an unworthy woman. Deiilah in the Eible stan Is in the meiTzoraMe company <>? Adah, and Zillah, and Bathsheba, IIU'I ' \ ftl'-iMarodu^. liow kplorable the influence of buch in contras} with Eebocca and Phoebe and Huldah an<i Tryphona and Jephtha's daughter, and Mtry, the mother of J?6us. While the latter glitter in the firmament of God's word like constellations with steady, cheerful, holy light, the former shoot like baleful meteors across the terrified heavens, ominous of i war, disaster and death. If there is a divine 1 power in the good mother, her face bright i with purity, an unselfish love beaming from J her eye, a gentleness that by pangs and sufferines ana holv anxieties has been ; mellowing ana softening ror many a year, uttering itself in every syllable, a dignity that cannot be dethroned, united with the playfulness that will not be checked, her hand the charm that will instantly take pain oot of the child's worst wound, her presence i a perpetual benediction, her nam* our de fense when we are tempted, her memory an ; outgushing well of tears and con gratulation ; and thanksgiving her heaven a palm waving | and a coronal; then there is just as great an j influence in the opposite direction in the ' bad mother, her brow beclouded with | ungoverned passion, her eye flashing < with unsanctiSeil fire, her lips the fountain of frefcfulness and depravity, her example a mildew and a blasting, her name a disgrace to coming generations, her memory a signal for bitterest anathema, her eternity a whirlwind and a suffocation and a darkness. One wrong headed, wrong hearted j mother may ruin one child, and that one j child, grown up, may destroy a hundred i people, and the hundred blast a thousand, | and the thousand a million. The wife's j sphere is a realm of honor and power almost ! unlimited. What a blessing was Sarah to I Abraham, was Deborah to Lapidoth, was j Zipporah to Moses, was Huldah to Shallum. I There are multitudes of men in the | nf frarlft whsse fortunes have I been the result of a wife's frugality. Four hands have been achieving that estate, two at the store, two at the home. The burdens of life are compara- j tively light when there are other I hands to help us lift them. The greatest j difficulties have often slunk away because | there were four eyes to look them out of j countenance. What care you for hard j knocks in the world as long as you have ! a bright domestic circle for harbor! j One cheerful word in tho evening tide as j you come in has silenced the clamor of unpaid notes and the disappointment of poor investments. Your table may be quite frugally spread, but it seems more beautiful to vouthan manv tables that smoke with venison and blush with Burgundy. Peace meets vou at tho door, sits beside you at the table, lights up the evening stand, and sings in the nursery. You have seen an aged couple who for scores of years have helped each other on i in life's pilgrimage going down the steep of 1 years. Long association has made them I much alike. They rejoiced at the same event, they bent over the same cradle, they wept at the same grave. In the evening they sit quietly thinking of the past, mother knitting at the stand, father in his arm chair at the | fire. Now and then a grandchild comes and they look at him with affection untold and j come well nigh spoiling him with kindnesses, j The life currents beat feebly in their pulses j and their -work will soon be done and the , Master will call. A few short days may sop arafce them, but, not far apart in time of de- I parture, they join each other on the other side the flood. Side by sido let Jacob and Rachel be buried. Let one willow overarch their graves. Let their tombstones stand alike marked with the same Scriuture. Children and grandchildren will come In the spring time to bring flowers. The patriarchs of the towu will come and drop a tear over departed worth. Side by side at the marriage altar. Side by side in the long journey. Side by side in their graves. After life's fitful fever they slept well. But there are, as my subject suggests, domestic scenes not so tranquil. "What a curse to Job and Potiphar were their companions, to Ahab was Jezebel, to Jehoram was Athaliah, to John Wesley was Mrs. Wesley, to Samson was Delilah. While the most excellent and triumphant exhibitions of character we find among the women of history, and tha world thrills with the names of Marie Antoinette and Josephine, and Joan of Arc and Maria Theresa and hundreds of others, who have ruled in the brightest homes and sung the sweetest cantos, and enchanted the nations with their art and swayed the mightiest of scepters, on the other hand the names of Mary the First of England, Margaret of France^Julia of Rome aud Elizabeth Fetrowna ol Kussia have scorched the eye of history with their abominations, and their names, like banished spirits, have gone shrieking and cursing through the world. In female biography we fbd the two extremes of excellence and crime. Woman stands nearest the gate of heaven or nearest the door of hell. When adorned by gTace she reaches a point of Christian elevation which man cannot attain, and when blasted of crime she sinks deeper than man can plunge. Yet I am glad that the instance? in which woman makes utter shipwreck of character are comparatively rare. But, says some cynical spirit, what do you do with those words in Ecclesiastes where Solomon says: "Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one to find out the account; which, yet my soul seeketh, but I find not; one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found!'" My answer is that if Solomon had behaved himself with common decency and kept out of infamous circles he would not have had so much difficulty in finding integrity of character among women and never would have uttered such a tirade. Ever since my childhood I have heard speakers admiring Diogenes, the cynical philosopher who lived I in a tub. for coin* through the streets of | Athens in broad daylight with a lantern, and when asked what he did that for. said: "I am looking for an honest man." Now I warrant that that philosopher who had such hard work to find an honest man was himself dishonest. I think he stole both the lantern and the tub. So, when I hear a man expatiating on the weakness of women, I immediately suspect him and say there is another Solomon with Solomon's wisdom left out. Still, I would not have the illustrations I have given of transcending excellency in female biography lead you to suppose that there are no perils in woman's pathway. God's grace alone can make an Isabella Graham, or a Christina Alsop, or a Fidelia Fiske, or a Catherine of Siena. Temptations lurk about the brightest domestic circle. It was no unmeaning thing when God sat up amidst the splendors of His word the character of infamous Delilah. Again, this strange story of the text leads me to consider some of the ways in which strong men get their locks shorn. "God. xor some reason oest Known to nimseir, maae the strength of Samson to depend on the length of his hair; when the shears clipped it his strength was gone. The strength of men is variously distributed. Sometunes it lies in physical development, sometimes in intellectual attainment, sometimes in heart force, sometimes in social position, sometimes in financial accumulation; and there is always a buarp snears reauy u> uestroj iu. uvu v day there are Samsons ungianted. I saw a young: man start in life under the most cheering advantages. His acuto mind was at home in all scientific dominions. He reached not only all rugged attainments, but by delicate appreciation he could catch the tinge of the cloud and the sparkle of the wave and the diapason of the thunder. He walked forth in life head and shoulders above others in 'mental stature. H9 could wrestle with giants in opposing systems of philosophy and cany off the gates of the opposing schools and smite the enemies of truth hip and thigh wi th great slaughter. But ho began to t-a infer with brilliant free-thinking. Modern the >ries of the soul threw over him their blandishments. Skepticism was tho Delilah that shore his locks off, and all the Philistines of doubt and darkness and despair were upon him. He died in a very prison of unbislief, his eyes out. Far back )u the country districts?just where I purposely omit to say?there was born one wSose fame will last as long as American institutions. His name was the torrnr r\f nil ononiioc rvf fr?A anvArnniont He stood, the admired of millons; the nation uncovered in bis presence and wliea bespoke Senates sat breathless under the spell. T!< piouers against goou government attampioa to bind him with green withes and weave his locks in a web, yet he walked forth from the enthrallment, not knowing he had burst a bond. But from the wine cup there arose a destroying spirit that came forth to capture his soul. He drank until his eyes grew dim and his knees knocked together and his strength failed. Exhausted with lifelong dissipations, he went home to die. Ministers pronounced eloquent eulogiums, and poets sung, and painters sketched, and sculptors chiseled the majestic form into marble, and the world wept, but everywhere it was known that it was strong drink that came like the infamous Delilnli. and his locks were shorn. From the island of Corsica there started forth a nature charged with unparalleled energies to make thrones tremble and convube j the earth. Piedmont, Naples. Bavaria. Germany, Italy. Austria and England rose up to crush the rising man. At the plunge of his bayonets Bastiles burst open. The earth groaned with the agonies of Rivoli, Austerlitz, Saragossa and Eylau. Five million men slain in his wars. Crowns were showered at his feet, and kingdoms hoisted triumphal arches to let him pass under, and Europe wa3 lighted up at the conflagration of consuming cities. He could almost have made a causeway of human bones between Lisbon and Moscow. No power short of omnipotent God could arrest him. But out of the ocean of human blood there arose a spirit in which the conqueror found more thirn a match. The very ambition that had rocked the world was now to be his destroyer. It grasped for too much and its efforts lost all. He reached up after the scepter of universal dominion, bat slipped ana real Deck into cesoiaaon ana Damsnment. The American ship, damaged of the storm, to-day puts up in St. Helena and the crew go up to see the spot where the French exile expired in loneliness and disgrace, the mightiest of all Samsons shorn of his locks by ambition, that most merciless of all Delilahs. I have not time to enumerate. Evil associations, sudden successes, spendthrift habits, miserly proclivities and dissipation are the names of some of the shears with which men are every day made powerless. They have strewn the earth with the carcasses of giants and filled the great prison house with destroyed Samsons, who sit grinding the mills of despair, their locks shorn and their eyes out. If parents only knew to what temptations their children wera subjected they would be more earnest ' J 1 lH LU61X* priiy Ol 5 ttliU U1UI c W<U ciUi cwuwuu uubii i example. No young mau escapes having the pathway of sin pictured in bright colors before him. The first timo I ever saw a city?it was th? city of Philadelphia?I was a mere lad. I stopped at a hotel, and I remember in the eventide a corrupt man plied me with his infernal art. He saw I was green. He wanted to show me the sights of the town. He painted the path of sin until it looked like emerald; but I was afraid of him. I shoved back from the basilisk. I made up my mind he was a basilisk. I remember how he reeled his chair round in front of me and with a contrated and diabolical effort attempted to destroy my soul; but there were good angels in the air that night. It was no good resolution on my part, but it was the all encompassing grace of a good God that delivered me. Beware! beware ! O young man! 'mere is a way that seometh right unto a man, but the end thereof is death. If all the victims of an impure life in all lands and ages could be gathered together, they would make a host vaster than tnt>t which Xerxes led across the Hellespont, than Timour led across India than William the Conqueror led across Englp-d, than Abou-Bekr led across Syria; ana >1: they could be stretched out in single file across this continent, I tHnk the vanguard of the host would stand on the beach of the Pacific while yet */he rear guard stood on the beach of the Atlantic. I say this not because I expect to reclaim any one that lias gone astray in this fearfiu path, but becauso I want to utter a warning i for those who still maintain their integrity. | The cases of reclamation of those who Have given themselves fully up to an impure life are so few, probably you do not know one of them. I havo seen a good many start out on that road. How many have I seen come back? Not one tiiat I now think of. It seems as if tho spell of deatli is on them and no human voice or the voice of God can break the spell. Their feet are hoppled, their wrists are handcuffed. They have around them a girdle of reptiles bunched at the waist, fastening them to an iron dome; every time they breathe the forked tongues strike them and they strain to break away until the tendons snap and the blood exudes; and amidst their contortions they cry out: "Take me back to my father's house. Where is mother? Take me home! Take me home!" Do I stand before a man to-day the locks of whose strength are being toyed with, let me tell you to escapo lest the shears of destruction take your moral and your spiritual integrity. Do you not see your sandal3 beginning to curl on that red hot path? This day in the name of Almighty God 1 tear off the beautifying veil and the em broidered mantle of this old hag of iniquity, and I show you the ulcers and the bloody ichor and the canceredlip and the parting joints and the macarated umos ana me wriggling puu'siwuuu, j. cry out: Oh, horror of horrors! In the stillness of this Sabbath hour I lift a warning. Remember it is much easier to form bad habits than to get clear of them; in one minute of time you may get into a sin from which all eternity cannot get you out. Oh, that the voice of God's truth might ! drown the voice of Delilah. Come into the I ways of pleasantness and the pathes of peace j and by the grace of a pardoning God start j for thrones of honor and dominion upon j which you may reign, rather than travel the j road to a dungeon, where the destroyed ; grind in the mills of despair, their locks shorn and their eyes out. POPULAR SCIENCE. A new power, it is thought, has been put in the hands of metal workers by the new discovered process of cheapening oxygen. The new method of automatically registering observations by means of photography has been successfully experimented with by M. Gerard. The smokeless powder that Austria is using makes such a fearful smell that it will have to be abandoned. At a recent i fVont coirrtral mpn fainted from I aocx^u ouuvv wvi v?w* ? it. An electric spark has been photographed by means of a special camera, in which the sensitive plate rotated at, it is said, a velocity of 2500 revolutions per minute. The specifications for the arc light plant in the Washington navy yard are said to be the most complete of the kind ever issued. There are to be 120 2000candlc power arc lamps. Dr. Burroughs, of London, uses nitroglycerine as a substitute for alcohol in cases of emergency. It will kill almr*st as surely, and, under favoring circumstances, with less pain to all concerned. A "palace chicken car*' is the latest development of luxury in railway transportation. Thousands of chickens can be carried in one of these cars across the continent and in good condition at a great saving in cost, as well as economy in space. Voigtlander, a tamous optician 01 Brunswick, has just perfected a new lens, giving a very wide angle, working with a large aperture. Thus it is very rapid, and can be used in very confined situations, such as rooms for groups and single portraits. A Berlin firm are making very powerful little magnets for the special purpose of extracting iron and steel filings from the eyes and skin of workmen engaged in iron works. These magnets are of the horse-shoc shape", nickleplated, with thin rounded poles. The whole Eiffel Tower could be lifted by four men cf average strength. When it was about half its present height a few men actually did lift it. The construction of the tower is based on the cantilever principle, and its bulk of 640(? tons is so adjusted as to press on the foundation with less weight than that of a man in an armchair on the floor. If sodium sulphate is allowed to crystalize between plates of unglazed porcelain in the open air, and if the crystalliza tion it reproduced two or tnree times dv sprinkling with wuter, the plates fall into powder. The same phenomenon is observed with very hard stones. This crystallization may be a cause of the comminution of rocks which resist water. Gen. Hooker, Congressman from Mississippi, lost his light arm during the war. He was on the Confederate snip. ]Major Powell, chief of the Goological Survey, loi>t his left arm, he being on the Union side. Xow both ol these gentlemen, who are intimate, buy one pair of kid gloves betweer them, their hands being the same size. In- Switzerland there are 1,000 hotel? which have 58,000 beds and employ 1G,000 servants, clerk3, etc. Their expenses are $5,GOO,000 and their receipts ?8,400,000, leaving a profit of $2,800,000 per annum. Thi3 is where some of our American gold is planted each year. ... RELIGIOUS HEADING. god's way of answering trayeb. To Thee, 0, bless :d Christ we pray D iy after day, day alter flay; Tliut Thou the right wouldst surely speed, Tho naked clothe, the hungry feed, The sinner snve, the lost reclaim, Till all shall praise Thy holy name. And then we, thoughtless, go our way, Day a ter day, day alter day; The sorrowful, the weak, the poor, Thoy cross our pat us, they pas< our door; Tlio erring ones, tuose piungeu in sin; Do we do ought to bless, or win? And yet we faithless, wondor why God do?s uot hour cur daily cry. He only hears and answers prayer, When willingly we do our share. Then let us work as well as pray, Day alter day, dav after day. ?Julia D. Peck in Golden Rule. THE BOOR SERPENT. Ono day a gentleman in India went into his library and took down a hook from the shelves. As lie did so he felt a slight pain in his finger like the prick of a pin. He thought that a pin had be^n stuck by soinj carries-.- parson in the cover of the book. But soon his finger began to swell, then his arm, nud then his body, find in a few days he died. It was not a pin among tho books, but a small and deadly serp nt. There are many serpsnts among tho bcnk; now-a days. They nestle in the foliage of some of cur most fascinating literature; they coil around the flowers whose perfume intoxicate < tho senses. Wo read, we are charm d with the plot of the story, by the skill with which the characters are sculptured or grouped, by tho gorgeousness of the word painting?we hardly fed the pin prick of the evil that is insinuated. But it stings and poi ons us. When the re ord of human souls h made up, on what multitudes will be inscribed, "PoLsnnrwl hr thf> s?rn>nts amonsr the books!" PARADOXES OF LIFE. The hand that beckons us to glory waves lis out of impenetrable clouds. We walk in a way that wo know not. We labor for our Master, but never know beforehand which shtill pro-per, whether this or that. Wo lay wise plans, and they miscarry. Wo commit gross'blunder.*, and !hoy ara overruled for good. We run towards the light, and it goes out in darkness We sink shivering in the darkness, ar.d find it light. We prav for joys, and they mildew into griefs. We accept the griefs, and they blossom into joys. Today the apple turns to ashes, and tomorrow the stones to bread. We exult in some prosperity, and got leanness with it. We murmur at some adversity, and find it big with blessings. Wo run toward open doors and dash our beads against a granite wall. We move against the will at the call of duty, and it opens to let us through. The lines of our lives are all in God's hands. What shall befall as we can not know. What is expedient we cannot tell. Only this we know, that God would shap? us to Himself, whether it be by the discipline of joy or the discipline of sorrow. To make us perfect as Ho is perfect, this is the choice of our Heavenly Father, this the ..end of ali His revelations; while everything ~)t helpful to this He hides away out of sight.?Dr. Roswell D. Hitchcock. AN HOUR WITH HORATIUS BO.VAF. Dr. Bonar tenderly loved children, and wrote sweet hymns for them. How keenly thoso in Edinburgh will feel his loss! Being in that city a lew years since, it was my good fortune to bear him address an assembly of Sunday school childron, and, before he entered the pulpit, f-ing witu them some of his children songs. When ho went up the long pulpit stairs, the children caught the inspiration of his presence, and sang with new strength and iinpressi venoms. As ha3 been said, his personal appearance and bearing reminded 0110 of bis hymns?"tender, sweet and tr;<i:quil." His long white hair made him look venerable, but ho had no other mark of old age. His prayer was as simple as a child. His voice was low, quiet and persuasive. It hail a decided Scotch accent, but was clear and pleasing. His whole manner was suggestive of his lines: Calm mo my God, and keep me calm; Let Thine outstretched wing Be like the shade of Elim's palm Beside her desert spring. Ho lean?d over th? high pulpit and spoke for nearly an hcur, in a quiet manner, yet with a magnetic power that riveted every eye. 'Jhs children looked steadily in his face. The addro-s fastened itself u]>on my mind. He road with the children the first part of the third chapter of Johr. His manner of reading the Scriptures wil;h them was to me novel as well as interesting, though I juclpo it to be a Scottish custom. He read: "There was a man of the Pharisees named"?hero he piuseJ, and tlio children responded, "Nicodemus." "Thasame camo to Jesus by"?"'night,1' responded the nhildren. So. through the reading, the children read the word nt which he paused. The h irmony and promptness required, and the fact that they did not know the word at which ho would stop, made the strictest attention necessary on their part. Occasionally he would say, very kindly, "Be careful, children." The rending over, he spoke of the two questions which Nicodemu* asked Jesus. The Inst was one of curiosity: How can a man be born when he is old?" The second, one of iutense persona 1 interest: "How can these things bo?" as if ho had asked, "How can I be born again?" He then, in a most interesting manner, told the story of the lifting up of the brazen serpent, and portrayed vividly the scene of the suffering Israelites. He described a painting illustrating that scene; where some were turning their backs to the br.izen serpent, though sorely bitten, others wore einployiiig physicians to heal them, whilo others were binding up their owu wounds, and a few were obeying the comm n:ls of ses to look to the only source of help. Then he went on: ".aiust tnac om nvin Jook? Yes. Must that young man look? Yes. And that younz woman? Yes. Must that boy look, and tint girl? Yes. Must that mother, carrying her poor little smitten boy in her arms, turn his face so that he can look? Yes. How Ions must they look?a year? .No. A month? No. A day? No, not a day. An hour? Not an hour. A minute? I har.lly think it. Only just a look, and in a moment they will bs lien led." 1 shall not attempt to tell how he showed to the children that: There's life for a look at the crucified One. It needs the tender persuasive toues of that voice now hushed the large, soft dark eyes, now closed, to givo the emphisis. This was a menu 1 able Sabbath evening hour to the three Americans who were present. This sweet and impressive hymn writer has joined the heavenly choir. What a welcome he must have! How easy for bim to take up tho new song; and even his earthly face would not sosm out of place in that choir. Pi aise Him above, ye heavenly host;, we are singing here; and now he is responding there. Where is tho Christian heart he has not helped, and to whom has lio not endeared himself??2'/ic Congrcgntionalist. Professor Elmslie, writing in Good H'orrfs on "The Social Danger of our Time," says, ' The nobility of Christ's humanity i-scmfe.-sed, but His religion is rejected. The queslion, thereforo, is whether unbelief can <;ive to tho world a humanity as majestic a mAfaliftr no rMlfc JlSlllldol* 11*0111 the theology of Jesus. The result is uot hard to forecast. When nmid Arctic ice aud snow nature can produce the luxuriant splendor of tropical vegetation, without the maturing radiance of the equatorial sun, then and not till then, men may hope to create Christ's new earth without Christ's now hoiven." THE LIQUOR LVIL IN AFRICA. An international conference on the affairs of Africa is to beheld iu England during the coming autumn. The Native llaces and Liquor Traffic Committee have recently and very opportunely presented a memorial to Lord Salisbury through the Duke of Westminster. The memorial recalls the language of statesmen on the subject, that of the Premier among others, and urges the importance of united action on the part of the civilized powers. The Queen has been pleased to receive a similar memorial. This vigorous action will meet with a grateful acknowledgement from all friends of Africa. The replies received awaken hope, but the matter is one o! such moment as to call for prayer from all those who have followed the awful record of e\ils which have Howed from this terrible traffic.?Witness. v - n,. TEMPERANCE. god's clock has struck the noun. A tone pealed thro' the solemn nigh'?. The city clock tolled One; It said to every list'niug ear, Another day's begun. ,3o, in our nation's gloom, a peal Kings out our triumph hour; It tells how honest, earnest work Breaks down the tyrant's power. The whole world hears the welcome stroke, And fresher forces rise To join the few who long have fought, With faith that never dies; Our foes fall back in wav'ring lines, And tremble for their power; They know defeat is drawing near, God's clock has struck the hour. "With God there is no compromise, He hateth every wrong, With Him as leader of our cause, With ballot, prayer, and song, We'll work united, brave, and strong, Until the whisky power, Throughout the world, shall surely know filine cfcrnrtlr f lirt hmir J ?Lanla TT. Smith, in National Advocatc close the saloon. One of the most significant signs of tilt times, says tho National Advocate, is tht j growing opposition to the saloon by th< ! lloman Catholic Church. The growth oi 1 this sentiment the past year is remarkable, i Not only through its "Leagues of the Cross" j and the Catholic Total Abstinence Union, but j an increasing number of Catholic papers are : outspoken in this direction. The Catholic Universe, published at Cleveland, Ohio, in a j recent article says: "The saloon at night is the panderer of ! ninety-nine-hundredths of the ^rime and vice of a large city. "Close the saloon at night! "Let the City of Mexico plan be followed in our large cities?six a. m. to six p. m.?and give the father and husband an opportunity to make the acquaintance of his family. The saloonist ought to himself work for thnV opportunity, and make his calling more respectable and lass odious. "Drafc a bill closing saloons from six p. M. to six a. k.j with imprisonment and penalty that will dismay offenders; closing saloons j on Sunday; making the license no less than i $1000; punishing with imprisonment and fine I the adulteration of liquor or sale of adulterated liquor. "Then organize your committees; go to Columbus and push this legislation. Let i bishops, priests and ministers throw their I open influence into the scale of this moral movement." a pitiful scene. A venerable old man, hale and hearty, stood before Justice Duffy at the Jefferson Market Polico Court, New York. Although the snows of nearly seventy winters had whitened bis head and moustache, he was as straight as an arrow. He had Roman features, flashing gray eyes and a ruddy com plexion. Ho held asiJk hat in his left hand, and his attire ?is faultless. A smaller man, made prematurely old by dissipation, stood at his side. His clothes were shabby, and he twirled his frosty m? ustache with tremulous " fingers. His hofiow jyes had a feverish lustre, and there were d^ep lines in his face. His manner was apprehensive, and he moistened his lips wi n his tongue as he pleaded with the whit< -haired gentleman. "Judge," said the P.i-man-faced veteran in a courtly manner, "I .~ish you would commit my son to the Island. He is a hopeless drunkard. It is my only hope for his reformation." "Father, oh, father!" exclaimed, the man at his side, in accents of grief, "not this time, not this time! Please give me one more chance." There were tears in his eyes. The old man was as immovable as a statue. He kept his eves fixed on the Judge. In terms cold and almost pitiless he urged the Judge to send him to the workhouse. "Don't listen to him, Judge," said the younger man. "He don't mean it. Oh, Fm sure he don't mean it. Father doesn't know what he i3 saying." "Be quiet," said the Judge. "We will hear you in due season. Old age must have the precedence. Gray hairs must bo respected." In set terms the stern parent aeaiu urged the punishment of his son. He had evidently steeled his nerves before entering court, and he was as firm as a rock. Not for an instant, however, would he trust his eyes to look upon his son. Though deaf to his entreaty, the sight of his boys misery mignc soxien ms heart. "Aro you this gentleman's son?" asked Judge Duffy of the younger man. "He is my father, Judge," was the reply, after the fervrish lips had again been moistened. "How old are you?" the Judge inquired. "Forty-three years," was the almost inaudible answer. "Forty-three years!" exclaimed the Judge in a ton? of surprise, "fs it possible? Dissipation has made you preaiaturely old. You are older in appearance than your father." Then turning to the father, he asked: "For how long do you want your son committed?" The old man was stone. He had not taken liis eyes from the Judge. "For one year," he replied in an impassive tone. "Oh, father!" broke in the son in a thin, tremulous voice. "For God's sake don't makeit a year. Give me three months. I'll try and be satisfied with three?not more. Please, Judge," turning to tho bench appea!ingly, "make it three months. Here's Mr. Manierre here," pointing to a gentleman in the background, "he'll say a good word fo: me." The father was obdurate. The son pleaded so strenuously that even the heart of the Judge was touched. "I might make it nine months," he said, with an observant look at the old man. "Twelve months," the Roman urgeu, despite the sobbing of the degraded son. "Father," the son cried, "not twelve, if you ever loved me. Make it six, oh, Judge, makeit six months. I'll take six months willingly, but not twelve." "It is the Judge's duty to flx the term ol imprisonment," the police justice sternly said. "You musl both remember that. I'll give you five mouths, and if you behave yourself I'll let you off before that time." "Thank you, Judge," the young man sobbed. 4' Y ou have treated me better than I deserved." He turned toward the father, but the ironwilled parent had abandoned him, and was walking from the court-room as stiff as a ramrod. The commitment was mado out, and the officers took the son into prison. Five minutes afterward the unforgiving father stood in the corridor of the down-town elevated station at Eighth street weeping as though his heart would break. TEMPERANCE NEWS AND NOTES. One can get drunk for a halfpenny in Kim,)erley, South Africa. Nearly 2000 English churches have adopted :he use of uufermented wine at communioD. In Switzerland seventy per cent, of the young men are said to be unfitted, by the use of alcohol and tobacco, for military service. The Rev. Sam Joiies expresses his opinion of liquor as follows: "I think liquor is a good thing in its place, but I believe its right place is in hell." Mrs. J. C. Bateliam says that the rope which threatens to strangle our nation has three strands?the saloon, impurity and Sabbath desecration. Six "joint keepers," of Dodge City, Kansas, were lately sentenced to thirty days in the county jail and a fine of $100 each for violat ing "the prohibitory law. Athol (Mass.) Y. W. C. T. U. has rented an entire block on a business street and begun to "take boarders," to aid her financially and give her a larger field of influence. Alcohol, soys Joseph Cook, is not only a poison willi special local nflinity for the brain, but it is a poison with a fish hook barb?it cannot be "pulled out without tearing the flesh. A monster meeting in favor of "Sundayclosing" was held in Central Music Hall, Chicago. The hall was literally packed with all kinds of people, three-fourths of them being voters. More than a dozen speeches were made, all heartily cheered by the audience. The popular sentiment is unaoubteuiy 111 favor of this movement. An empty whisky bottle found in a row boat tells the cause of an accident which occurred on South Watuppa Pond, Fall River, Mass., whereby five persons lost their lives. Louis Dubois took a party rowing aoross the jrand to gather grapes. While returning the boat was up3et, and though the water was but five feet deep, only one person was resr.tiari. i SABBATH SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR , OCTOBER 20. Lesson Text: "David's Thanksgiving Prayer," 2 Sam. vli., 18-29? Golden Text: 1 Thess. 18?Commentary. 18. "Then went King David in, and sat be- j fore the Lord." The word "then" takes us back to the first verses of this chapter,where we read that the Lord having given David | rest round about from all his enemies, his | thoughts turn to the Ark of God dwelling within curtains, while he dwells in a house of cedar, and the prophet Nathan encourages him in his purpose to build an house for the Ark; this leads to a message from the Lord j to David, in which he is told that not he but ! his son shall build the house, and that through | kAiifft L-ir?arrlrvm flnH I llUd &U11 V iu O UVUOC HUU ? I throne shall bo established (R. V., made sure) forever. So, with the assurance from God r>( a wonderful Son and an eternal kingdom, lie sits before the Lord and says, "Who am I, i 0 Lord God? and what is my house that Thou hast brought me hitherto?" "When Moses j said. "Who am I?" (Ex. iii., 11) God's answer j to him was, "Certainly I will be with the#." j When Gideon said, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel?" the Lord's answer to him was, "Surely I will be with thee" (Judg. vi., 1 15). If we would ba used of God and madd a blessing to others, it can only be by remem? ! bering that we are nothing and God is everything, and that Our highest place is lying low: at our Redeemer's feet, a broken and emptied vessel, for the Master's use made meet. 19. "Thou hast spoken also of thy servants' . house for a great while to come." Not only was David amazed at the past goodness of i God to him in taking him from the sheep- . :ote and from following the sheep to be the ruler over God's people Israel (v. viii), but he was overwhelmed by the revelation now; j made to him of the future glory and stability i I Df his house and kingdom. 20. "Andwhat can David say more unto ' I Thee? for Thou, Lord God. knowestThy ser- j vant." Inasmuch as God Imew all about David before ever He began to lead him out, j he felt that there was nothing more for him ; | to say. 21. "For Thy Word's sake, and according | to Thine own heart, has Thou done all these I great things to make Thy servant know | them." In Ezekielxxxvi.. 22-33, speaking of this very kingdom when Israel shall be reI stored and cleansed from all their sins, the j Lord says that He will do it, not for their j Eakes, but for His Holy Name's sake. When j we remember that one of the orecious names ; of Jesus, Son of David, is "The Word of God*' (John I., 1; Rev. xix., 13), then we understand that "for Jesus's sake" He will accomplish all things concerning His elect . church, and His elcct nation Israel, "according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph. iii., 11.) I 23. "And what one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like Israel, * * * Trincfi. thou reaeemeast/ 10 1 uee xrom j^Kypi*, | from the Dations and their gods." Israel alone of all the nations was thus honored of God, and surely He had a right to expect from them great things in the way of obedience, in return for the great things which He had done for them. The church of Christ, I compose*! of believers gathered out of all i nations, has been redeemed by His precious blood that she may make Him a name on : this earth; and He has a right to expect from every one thus redeemed a holy life and a whole hearted devotion to Himself in His , present great work of preaching the Gospel J to every creature. 21. ''Thou has confirmed to Thyself Thy ; people Israel, to be a people unto Thee forever, and thou Lord art become their God." "I know that whatsoever God doath, it shall j be forever'' (Eccl. iii., 14). The sun, moon and star? as we look upon them in the heavens are a sign to us that Israel shall never ceaso to be a nation before God; and that He ; will never fully cast them away, notwithstanding all that they have done; but will i restore them to their own land, pour out His; spirit upon them and make them a blessing in the midst of the earth, getting them Eraise and fame in every land where they ; ave been put to shame. 25. "And now, O Lord' God, * * * do as Thou hast said." David follows up his heartfelt thanksgiving by placing himself entirely in the will of God and at His disposal; like Mary when she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word." (Luke i., 38.) It is not for us to won- I der how God can or will do as He has promised, but in quietness and confidence to say: "Hath He said and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken and shall Ho not make it good?' (Num. xxiii., 19.) 26. "And lot Thy name be magnified for ever." David seeks not his own glory nor the glory of Israel, but that through him or his house or his people the name of Jehovah may I be magnified. We can by the Holy Spirit be I ' - J xu-i. m?;^4. ?I enabled to pray trmy muu vmuu mar ua magnified in our body whether by life or death (Phil. i.. 20). I 27. "For Thou, O Lord of Hosts, God of Is- i rael, hast revealed to Thy servant, sayinp. I ! will build thee an house," and therefore Da- ! vid prayed this prayer. This is the right thing to do with all the revelations which God makes to us in His word concerning His great goodness toward us, and His purposes not yet fulfilled; just receive them gratefully, eat them joyfully, and pray for them with expectation. 28. "And now, O Lord God, Thou art that 1 God, and Thy words be true, and Thou hast Dromised this goodness unto Thy servant." | Re here acknowledges that he firmly believes ' that all God's words are true, and he simply pleads His promises. This is what we need to-day on the part of Christians; to lay hold of God's promises and plead them with the same confidence with which we would present a check at the bank for payment; but as the j check will not be paid until we endorse it. so we need not expect a promise to be fulfilled till we endorse it?that is, write our own name upon it as if it meant us individually. 23. "Thou, O Lord hast spoken it; and with Thy blessing let tha house of Thy servant be blessed forever." "Satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord" (Deut. xxxiii, 23), who can estimate it ? "A blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive" (Mai. iii., 10), why should we , not have it? Only let us fulfill tne conditions ! of this last one and it will surely come in His time; and as to the blessings of Matt, v., 1? notice tho conditions and fulfill them I wish that space permitted me to notice the titles of God in this lesson; let me just mention them, and may some student seek them out and feed upon them. Jehovah, by itself, twice; Jehovah Elohim, twice; Jehovah Tsebasth, twice; Adonai Jehovah, six times; Elohim, by itself, six times; the name of God eighteen times in this lesson under five different titles and each full of significance.? Lesson Helper. A STRIKING TEMPERANCE LECTURE. Jumes Thompson, of the Washington Ice Company, who is a big man in the Mystic Shrine and a leading "0. 0.," is a good story teller. He is a good story toller for the reason that he never makes an effort to tell a story unless he has a good one to tell. His company has a transfer ice house over on May street, near the railroad tracks, where many of the wagons get their supply of ice every morning. Just inside the door of this house there has always been a hydrant, and this hydrant has been liberally patronized by the railroad hands who work near by in the yards. When 'JOG men or more go to a hydrant every day, says Thompson, the hydrant is bound to wear out in a short time, and it was found necessary to renew this hydrant quite ofteu on that account. This was rather expensive, and the company cast about for another mode of quenchiug thirst. In a short time the problem was solved by one of the men. Out on the curb he placed a heavy barrel, and this he kept filled with fresh water, cooling it with a chunk of ice from the house. On the side of the barrel was nailed a tin dipper, and this outfit was kept in shape day and night, the ice men keeping a watch 021 it during the day and the railroad men?for whose benefit it was arranged?watching it during the night. On ono very hot and sultry day pot long a?o, says Thompson, along came an honest, sturdylooking Irishman, clad iu overalls and jumper, and with the tan of houest labor on his face. Ho looked hot and tired. He wanted a drink, and, evidently remembaring the hvdrant. ho started to go inside. A man at the door met him, learned his wants and I pointed out the barrel of ice water. The Irishman walked out to the curb, dipped up a dipper ful and quaffed it at a swallow. Then ' he disposed of a second in the same manner. Dropping the dipper and wiping his mouth with the back of his horny hand, he turned to the man in the doorway and said, with a great sigh: 4:Ah, me bye, if I'd known that 1 oico-wather were so good I'd a had mo house an'lot yet!" There was a temperance lecture that could be hung up in the street cars.? Chicaoe Tribune. =========== EeTolrer or Sabre. j Few soldiers, says YouihU Companion^ >, were ever braver than General Custer/ but even be was not without some feel- . J ings of nervousness as be rode into his first battle, the battle of Bull Run. H&. _ was hardly more than a boy, only three'T> days out of West Point, and was in front $ of a company of old soldiers, all of* whom' ' would have a sharp eye upon their new Lieutenant. He knew also that Walker, %i one of his brother officers, a man fresh ^ ] from civil life, was looking up to him as . a West Pointer, who, of course, knew all . about the art of war. As we rode up the hill, he in front at his platoon, and I, abreast of him* in. front of mine, Walker inquired in fire mnof cnlornn fnnpsr ..2 "Custer, what weapon are you going. to use in the charge?" , ? From my earliest notions of the true cavalrymen I had always pictured him in the charge bearing aloft his curved sabre and cleaving the skulls of all with whom -j he came in contact. We had but two weapons to choose from; each of us carried a sabre and a revolver. . I promptly V. /k? replied: "The sabre," and, suiting the action to the word, I flashed my bright if v new blade from the scabbard, and rode forward as if totally unconcerned. Walker, yielding, no doubt, to what he '-'fiM believed was "the way we do it at West '' .3 Point," imitated my motion, and forth '" % came his sabre. But if I seemed to him unconcerned, I was far from enjoying that feeling. A3 we rode at a deliberate V, walk up the hill, I began arguing in m^ own mind a3 to the comparative merits ' '> ? of sable and revolver as weapons of at- . tack. If I remember correctly, I rea- "m soned pro and con about as follows: '. ' "Now, the sabre is a beautiful weapon; v it produces an ugly wound; the term, 'sabre charge' sounds well, and, above/ all, the sabre is sure; it never misses fire.^jgA It has. this drawback, however. In or-'' der to be made effective, it is indispensa-A -' ble that you approach very close to your j adversary, so close that if you don't un1 ? JJ-aWa V?/i TTTlll nurse uf upuuic uiiu] uv nu. ?. f, do as much for you. "So much for the sabre. Now, as to ^ ' the revolver, it has this advantage over the sabre. One is not compelled to range ,.g himself alongside his adversary before/ . ? beginning his attack, but may select his own time and distance. To be sure, one , may ihiss his aim, but there are sir chambers to empty, and if. one, two or three miss, there are still three shots left te fire at close quarters. As this is my first battle, hadn't I better defer the use of. the sabre till after I have acquired a lit- . lie experience?" The result was that I returned my sabre I to its scabbard, and, without u^teftng a word, drew my revolver and poised it" opposite my shoulder. "Walker, as .if v : following me in my mental discussion, do sooner observed my change of weapon jg?S than he followed suit. With my revolver ; in hand, I put it upon trial mentally, v First, I realized that in the rush and ex- . citement of the chargc it would bp difficult to take anything like accurate aim. Then, might not every shot be fired with- " , out result? by which time, in all probability, we should be in the midst of our . '1 enemies and slashing right and left at each other, in which case a sabre would be of much greater service than an empty revolver. This seemed concincing?so much so that my revolver found its wqr to its holster, and the sabre was again aO my shoulder, and again did Walker, aijjp* in pantomine, follojv my example. ^ How many of these changes of purpose _ ind weapons might have been made^I know not, but meantime the cavalry reached the crest of the hill, and*, findng that no direct attack upon our battery was meditated by the enemy, returned to a sheltered position. How to Use a Watch. Having obtained a really serviceable article, says a watchmaker, you should, La order to produce satisfactory results, follow out these rules: Wind up your watch every day at the same hour. Avoid putting it on a marble slab, or near anything excessively cold. The sudden transmission from heat to cold contracting' - **-'? the metal may sometimes cause lug mainspring to break. Indeed, the cold coagulates the oil, and the -wheels and pivots working less freely, affect the regularity of the timekeeper. In laying aside your watch be sure that it rests on its case. By suspending it free the action of the balance may cause oscillation, which may considerably interfere with its going. If you would keep your watch clean you must be quite sure that the "case fits firmly, and never put it any pocket but one made of leather. Those pockets which are lined with cloth, cotton or calico, give by the constant friction, a certain quantity of fluff, which enters most watches, even those the cases of which shut firmly. A skillful watchmaker one day thus reasoned with a customer: "You complained," said he, "that your watA. gains a minute a month. "Well, thel*?." you will congratulate yourself when you hear me. You are aware tnat in your watch the balance, which is the regula- 9 tor, makes five oscillations every second, 9 which is 432,000 a day; so that yojUL I watch, exposed to all the vicissitpdes^-B which heat and cold occasion ityJUe va? rying weight of the air, and ttfe shaking H to which it is subjected, has not varied more than a minute in a month, or two fl seconds a day. It has only acquired with H each vibration of the balance, a variation flj of the 216,000th part of a second. Judge, S then, what must be the extreme perfec- M tion of the mechanism of this watch."? H Xew York Star. B Mexican Banks. 9 There are only eleven banks in the fl City of Mexico, says a correspondent of I the San Francisco Chronicle, and of tiieso M only the Banco Nacional and that of B "Mexico, Londres and Sud America" H may be trusted by the traveler in the mat- B ter of exchange. And the greatest care I must be taken in the acceptance of bank B notes from even the National Bank, foi B those of the main bank are discounted B throughout the interior, and thos? H whose perforated punch shows them t<J B be uttered by brauches of the same house jS are discounted :n their turn in the capita!, B saving only those of the Vera Cruz branch, B which, I believe, are always at par in B Mexico?except when they are at pre- B mium. Janvier, generally so accurate, B says that small coin of the United States B n* "\ruvl/>r> 1mi+ flii3 4a a HB id UUYCIl Ub lu UUV VUM Mr w IKS mistake. Save in one or two ports? >H Mazatlan, for instance?it is not takeiLflt H all save by the money changers, thievfc^ or homeward-bound Americans. All in all, I think most of my compatriots will'^jj concur with me in saying that the Mexican money system is a badly jumbled Hj confusion, the reasons for whose vagaries, Hj aside from bad Governmental manage* IE ment, "no fellow can find out." SB