The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, July 09, 1890, Image 2
52: * "
NAY AND YEA,
A pretty little maiJea
Lives across the street from me;
Her father is a captain,
Who is gone away to sea.
I often nod to her,
And she does not say me nay;
In fact I think she likes it,
Though she does not say me yea.
I met her in the wood roadShe
had been walking tliiro alone,
[ And had stoppsd to rest a moment,
| By .he path, upon a stone;
So I sat me down beside her.
And she did not say me nay;
In fact I think she liked it,
Though she did not say me yea.
I met her one bright morning,
Walking down the village street;
Her dress it was so pretty.
Her face it was so sweet,
That I walked along besido her,
And she did not say me nay,
I rather think she liked it,
Though she did not say me yea.
We were wand'ring one evening,
In the lane beyond the hill;
The air was calm and fragrant,
Thn nlaofl was cool and still:
And I took her band a moment,
She did not say mo nay;
Then I claimed her mine forever!
At last she said me yea.
?Emilia Elliott,in Commercial Advertiser.
An Unsuspected Criminal.
A THUE 8TORT.
While I was journeying through Denmark
as a young man, my stay at Copenhagen
was prolonged by the intense interest
which I took in the following case,
which, for barbaric injustice and the
severity of the penalty for the crime
committed, exceeds any punishment
which could be administered at the hands
of a civilized community in modern
times.
After having viewed the Danish capital,
I began to explore the surrounding
country.
In the course of one of my rambles,
" and while proceeding'in the direction of
Elsinore, I was overtaken by a sudden
storm. The thunder growled, the lightning
flashed, and the rain came down in
such torrents, that, hardy as I was, and
inured to such accidents, I was fain to
- look round for shelter; and observing a
cottage, through an opening in the trees,
I hastened toward it. My request for
shelter was cheerfully complied with, by
Peter Jansen, the owner of the cottage; 1
his wife kindly pressed me to take some
refreshment, while her daughter brought 1
me a seat. Being well acquainted with
the Danish language, I entered into conversation
with the good old man.
"You seem to be very comfortable 1
here," said I.
"Yes, truly, that I am," he replied; 1
"I have reason to be contented with my 1
lot; I have sufficient means for the sup- '
port of my family; I have a good wife, a 1
son to work for me, and," continued he, 1
looking at his daughter with a good
? - o w w
humored smile, "a daughter to plague "
me."
The old man went on to tell me that
his son Joseph, -who was daily expected
home, was a sailor, and that his daughter,
who was betrothed to a young
sailor, a shipmate of her brother, was in 1
th? service of a lady residing near Copenhagen,
who had permitted her to spend 1
a few days with her parents. So soon,
however, as the important business of <
preparing the winter provisions of the 1
. family was over, she was to return to <
her parents' house, when the wedding
was to be celebrated. There was an ap- s
pearance of so much worth and goodness <
about these simple people, that I willing- I
ly complied with their invitation to rc- 1
main all night under their roof. 1
After having partaken of their
frugal repast of rye-bread, milk and 1
eggs, I war conducted to a neat chambcr,
where I slept as sound as a top till next ]
morning. Soon after breakfast, I took j
Iaawa ?m?v V% 4-o tttIia ttaiiM nnf 1
leave KJl IUJ 11UOIO) nuv ?vutv*. iivv j
accept of any remuneration from me, 1
saying that if his sailor boy ever visited ]
my home, I should repay what I had re- 1
ceived in kind. This I promised to do*v i
p? and after having accepted an invitation i
to witness the marriage of Elise with |
Eric Polsen, I set out on my return to <
Copenhagen. I had not, however, pro- ]
ceeded fur, when I heard some one run- <
ning after me and calling on me to stop. ]
I turned round, and was surprised to see J
Elise running up the hill, quite out of 1
breath with the haste which she had i
made to overtake me. I observed that i
she held something in her hand, whicti, 1
on her nearer approach, I discovered to i
be my purse. <
"Oh, Bir!" cried she, "I was so afraid <
I would not overtake you. You left your
purse on the table; and we were S3 1
vexed, for we did not know where to <
send it to you; and what would have be- <
come cf you without your purse in a for- i
eign land?" i
"Why, my amiable Elise," I replied, 1
"if all hearts were as good and kind a* 1
those I found under your roof, I should <
not have missed it much." 1
I pressed her to take a piece of gold, <
but she steadily refused; and, after re- i
minding me of my promise to be present 1
at her marriage, and expressing many (
good wishes for xny journey, she returned I
home, and I pursued my way to Copen- 1
hagen, which, however, I soon after left I
on a tour through the country.
I returned to the capital a short time <
previous to the period fixed for the mar- '
riage of Elise, and my employment on i
arriving in Copenhagen was to purchase i
for her a quantity of bridal finery and '
some useful household furniture, and on
a clear, fine morning I set out to visit
my former host.
On approaching the cottage I ob- i
served that an unusual stillness reigned <
around. The door was closed, and the i
curtain of the little window of the room
which the family generally occupied was 1
closely drawn. I feared that some evil |
had befallen them. I knocked soltly, i
but no one seemed to observe it; so I :
lifted the latch and catered. But how i
. _ r_ : .1 i_ _ J _ l a.1
were ray leeways suuc&uu at tuo scuae
which met ray view. The good old maa i
6at with his bands over his eyes, apparently
overwhelmed with grief, his
snow-white hair hanging in disorder
round his face. His wife stood leaning
over him, her eyes red and swollen with
weeping, while a tall, handsome youth,
in a sailor's dress, was pacing about the
room, while big tears rolled down his
sun-burnt cheeks. I looked round for
Elise; she was not there, and I doubted
not that her parents were mourning her
loss.
"My good friends," said I, advancing,
"I sympathize in your affliction; this is
a sad stroke for parents to suffer."
"You have heard, then?" said Peter,
in a stifled voice.
. r.
"I have heard nothing," I replied,
"but I find you in grief. I do not see
your daughter; she has been taken from
you. Lament not too deeply an early
death; she ha3 been removed, but, I
tru3t, to a happier coontry."
The old man groaned.
"Joseph," said lie to the young sailor,
"tell him your sister s state; I cannot."
"Although all Demark was to pronounce
her guilty, I will not credit it!'
cxclaimcd Joseph, with impetuosity.
"But what difference doe3 that make?"
continued he, dashing away a tear.
"Who will believe me?"
A considerable time elapsed before the
sufferers were sufficiently composed to inform
me of the cause of their grief, of
which I at length collected the following
particulars: A few days after I had
last visited them, Elise returned to the
family in whose service sbe was engaged.
About this period, her mistress, Madame
Muller, began to complain of missing
valuable articles of wearing apparel,
which Elise, under whose charge tho articles
were placed, declared must have
been stolen from tho paddock in which
the clothes were dried. The losses at
first were few, and Madame Muller, after
enjoining a more strict watch to be kept, |
passed them over; but this seemed only
to embolden the culprit; and when damask
napkins, laces and many other expensive
articles disappeared, madame became
exasperated, and charge Elise with
having secreted them. Elise protested
her total innocence, but in vain.
The articles had been especially
committed to her charge;
they had been put into the paddock to
dry; this paddock, which had afforded
pasture for a cow, was surrounded by a
wall so exceedingly high as to render it
impossible that any one would venture
over it. What made the affair appear
still more against poor Elise w^s the fact
that these thefts were committed in open
day, the clothes never being ieft in the
green after dusk, and also that the "window
of the laundiy looked into the paddock;
so that, if any one had come over
the wall, Elise must have seen them.
Poor Elise could only declare that she
had put out the things to dry, that she
had seen no person enter the paddock;
but what became of the thiugs she knew
not.
Matters were in this state when a
small silver spoon disappeared. A servant
recollected having seen it in Elise's
hand, who said tnat sue iiaa t>een using
it for making starch, and that she had
laid it down on the outer sill of the laundry
window for a few minutes, while she
went up to her mistress s chamber with
jome clothes, and that when she returned
the spojn was gone. The servants,
all being examined, swore that ,
they had never gone near the window, .
and* that no one but the family had en- ,
tered the house. In short, everyone be- (
lieved that Eliso was secreting these j
things for her new household. She was (
charged with theft and committed to (
prison, and the time appointed for her ,
trial was fast approaching.
You may well suppose how much I was ,
distressed by the account. The silent (
iffliction of the parents and the mprc (
frttrrnr orn'of nf thn vminir and ardent I,
b""* J O
jailor affected me deeply.
"My friends," said I, "do not despair.
3he is innocent; I am certain sliJ 13 inlocent."
As I said this the young man -wrung
xiy hand.
"Oh, sir," he exclaimed, "what a
:omfort it is to hear these words; but
how shall we be able to prove her inno:enc3?"
"I can declare what at least is presumptive
proof, that she is incapable of
committing this crime," I replied; and I
;hen reminded them of the incident of
ler bringing me the purse and of her refusal
to accept of the gold I offered her
?circumstances which I hoped would
weigh greatly in her favor.
XT r? At.At.fmnB f/% nnnQAln fhndf* nrnrtfl
1TXJT UACl 11VUO KV V/VUoutv tuvwv gw>? 1
people were not without effect, and they ]
gradually became composed. I learned l
from them that Joseph was to return 1
next day to Copenhagen to take every |
possible step to prove the innocence of (
his sister, and that Eric Poison was al- ]
ready .there and eager to assist in clearing
the fame of his betrothed. The (
cater part of the night was spent in j
iiscoursiug on this mslancholy subject, j
Early next morning I returned to the 1
:ity, accompanied by Joseph; and I re- \
paired without delay to the prison, where t
[ was permitted to see my young friend, |
with whom I had a long interview. If 1
iny doubt of her innocence had arisen in j
ay mind, her demeanor would alone i
aave been sufficient to dispel them. Her i
? ?Ttraa inrlnnrl 1
mgUUUUUa UUUUICUUUUU *uuvwv? j
ilouded with grief, but no secrct feeling <
jf guilt troubled her calm brow. ]
i conversed a long time with her, but ^
without gaining*any information which 1
;ould lead to the discovery of the real ]
culprit. I learned that she was on the t
most friendly terms with all her fellowjervants;
that they gave evidence against i
aer with the greatest reluctance; and that |
they all bore the highest testimony to her <
character previous to the time at which <
these thefts were committed. I shall not ]
iwell on the details of the trial; suffice j
it to say, that the proofs of her guilt, |
upon the strongest circumstantial evi- i
ience that could be produced, appeared j
beyoud a doubt. It was proved by the t
witnesses that the articles missing hat.1 )
beeu in Elise's hands the last time they i
were seen; and it was shown in an espe- j
cial manner that the silver spoon, of
which she was accused of robbing her ?
mistress, had disappeared in such a way ]
that no one else could have taken it. The <
unfortunate Elise could urge no defense (
that made any impression on licr judges. f
In their opinion she was clearly guilty of |
the heinous offense of carrying on a reg- <
ular depredation of her mistress's prop- <
erty, and, according to tiie cruel laws 01
the country, was condemned to death.
I took on myself tho painful task of
breaking the afflicting intelligence to the
parents; but the shock was so severe a3
to lay the good old man on a sickbed,
from which it seemed more than probable
that he would never rise. Joseph (
stifled his own grief, aud strove to con- ;
sole and comfort his sister under this |
terrible stroke. But the grief of Eric
would not be controled, and a brain-fever
was the consequence of the agonies of
his mind. I never allowed a day to pass
without visiting the poor prisoner. Conscious
of her innocence, she had never i
ceased to believe that this would be 1
manifested, till the fatal sentence put a
period to her hopes; but she bore her affliction
meekly, and courageously prepared
to meet her fate.
The more that I saw of the unhappy
Elise, the more did I feol myself interested
in her case. I perceived she was .
the victim of some extraordinary mystery,
which would sooner' or later be
cleared up, aud establish her innocence;
, V _ lU , -- . . ' .
but, ia the meantime, she would bo put
to an ignominious death, and it would
serve little purpose to have her innocencc
proved after she had yielded up her life.
With these impressions on my mind, I
lost no time in trying to procure a delay
to her execution, or a mitigation of her
sentence, in which I was assisted by the
humane clergyman who attended her in
prison. Through the kindness of the
British Ambassador, I procured an audience
of one of the principal men of the
court. To this nobleman I communicated
all that I knew and felt respecting
Elise's case, the honesty of her family,
and her own hitherto unimpeachable
character, and besought him to procure
for her the merciful interposition of the
reigning Prince.
"Stay but the execution for a few
weeks," said I, "and I have no doubt
whatever but the innocence of the young
woman will, in that interval be madcapparent."
My urgent representations did not,
however, seem to be of much avail; the
Baron was a courteous but a somewhat
positive man; he did not like it to be
supposed that he required any one to
suggest a line of policy which he should
follow. Bowing me out of the bureau, he
said he would think of what I had represented
to him, and see what could be
done. Elise's religious attendant was at
the same time busy in another quarter,
and we yielded ourselves to a faint hope
that the execution would be stayed, or
the punishment altered.
Day after day fled, yet each descending
sun shone upon Elisc at the grating
of herdungeon. Time flies on with frightful
rapidity, when the moments arc
counted by those who arc condemned to
die on the scaffold. The eve of the day
of execution at length arrived, and it
harrows up my very soul when I recall
to remembrance the horrible preparations
which were making for the
takiug away of the life of one of the most
simple and amiable creatures that ever
breathed. That night I could not retire
to my place of residence in the town; I
wandered round the prison in a sort of
distraction, while the stillness was ever
and anon broken by the noise which
the workmen made in erecting the scaffold
and preparing the apparatus of death.
Morning dawned, and as soon as I could
gain an entrance, I repaired to the prison
with a heavy heart. Elise wa3 pale, but
perfectly composed. After thanking me
for the interest I had taken iu her misfortune,
she said:
"I have yet another favor to ask of
you. Will you deliver these tokens of
my affection to my dear parents and
friends'*"
I promised to fulfill her last wishes,
and she then gave me a number of little
packages, a lock of hair to her parents,
and a favorite brooch for Joseph. Her
companions and fellow-servants were not
forgotten. There was some little gift for
?very one. She also made me the bearer
vf n loff-or trt Ti!p!f tn lif> rrivpn to him
should his life and senses be spared.
"Pardon me, sir," said she, with a
smile, "for tasking your kindness so
leeply; but I feared that if I addressed
my dear brother on this subject, his grief
svould destroy the fortitude which I have
struggled so severely to acquire."
Joseph now entered; but I shall pass
jver the scene that followed. It is many
pears since I witnessed it, but the recol.cction
still brings tears to my eyes. As
jhe was conducted to the scaffold, all
the spectators were in tears. Her
youthful and modest appearance, her
>weet and ingenuous countenance, and
tier air ot resignation ana piety interesteu.
ivcry heart; sobs and groans were heard
:hrough every part of the assembled
nultitude; women wept aloud, and many
i gray-bearded man turned aside to dash
iway the large drops that fell from his
;yes. The feelings of her brother aluost
baffle description. On first encountering
the moving mass assembled to
.vitness his sister's execution, Joseph i
ooked around with an expression of
iercenes3 and disdain; but, on meeting
:heir sympathizing glances and seeing
:he tears that bedewed their faces, his
countenance changed and he appeared
icarly suffocated by emotion.
The fatal moment at length arrived;
;he term of her earthly sufferings was
ibout to close, when a sudden tumult
trose at the extremity of the crowd. I
ieard a confused murmur which gradlally
increased in loudness. The sensa;ion,
as it soon appeared, wa3 caused by
;hc approach of an officer of government,
Hearing an order to release the culprit, a
iardon having been granted in her
:'avor, or rather, as it appeared, her inlocence
having been made apparent.
From gloom and sadne3s, all became
suddenly joy and hilarious exclamation.
[ confess my inability to depict the scene
;vhich followed in a way it deserves to
>e portrayed; so let me explain, in a few
lappy words, the cause of so happy a
;crmination of thia singular drama.
Perhaps you may smile when I inform i
irou that the true culprit, the only robber
of Madame Milner's premises, was j
Jiscovcred to be no one else but the j
iow which browsed in the paddock belind
her mansion. Its voracity in seizng
upon and swallowing articles, certainly
ill calculated to serve it for food
ivas discovered in time to save poor EI
se's life. The animal was slaughtered,
ind in a cavity in its stomach was found |
:he spoon which had been carricd off so ;
njsteriously; a fact which explains everything
else.
The new3 of this remarkable event,
ind the release of the deeply wronged I
Elise, were received by all classes of
citizens with the utmost gratification. |
Crowds from all parts of the city?and, i
imong the rest, Eric Polsoa, who would I
permit no restraint on account of his rc- j
cent illness?attended at the prison to
congratulate the now fully acquitted
Elise. A shout of joy met her oat- as
iho stepped forth hanging on the arm of
ler lover; the be3t men in the city shook
aer by the hand; her fortitude was the
;hemc of every tongue; and when I deaarted
from Copenhagen on my jouruey
:hrough Holstein to Kcil, I had the exceeding
pleasure of leaving her comfortibly
married and restored to the affections
of he" pareuts.?New York Ledger.
CI ,i,4A In Doi\nat*
diilic 111 i
All cpicurcs arc very particular about
their pepper, ana experience much difficulty
in obtaining a kiud to suit thcin.
The spice is so easily adulterated that
few if any manufacturers can withstand
the temptation* The Biddcford (Me.)
Journal say that ground slate is "one of
the neatest pepper adulterates," and that
it is an opeu secrct that a few years age,
quite an extensive business was carried
on at the slate quarry in Saco, grinding
and shipping slate to New York for the
express purpose of increasing the peppei
output.
:V3 ' t -m-.pl '
.* >' ':\- . ;V"' :' 'v. ~ '
kev.dItalmage.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject: "Lessons From the History
of Orpah."
Text: "And they lifted up their voice, and
wept again; and Orpah kissed her motherin-law;
but Ruth clave unto her."-?Ruth i.f
14.
Moab was a heathen land. Naomi is about
to leave it and go into the land of Bethlehem.
She has two daughters-in-law, Ruth
and Orpah, who conclude to go with her.
Naomi tells them they had better not leave
their native land and undertake the hardship
of the journey, but they will not be persuaded.
They all three start out on their
journey. After awhile Naomi, although she
highly prized the company of har two oaughters-in-iaw,
attempted again to persuade
them to go back because of the hardship and
self denial through which they would ba
obliged to go. Ruth responds in th3 words
from which I once discoursed to you:
"Entreat me not to leave thee,
nor to return from following after
thee, for where thou goest I will go, and
where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy psople
shall be my people, and thy God my God,
where thou diest will I die and there will I
be buried; the Lord do so to me and mora
aiso 11 augnc duc aeaua part cnee ana me.
Not so with her sister Orpah. Her determination
had already been shaken. The
length and peril of the journey began to
appall her, and she had worshiped the gods
or Moab so long that it was nard to give
them up. From that point Orpah turned
back, the parting being described in the
words of my text: And they lifted up their
voice and wept again and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.
Learn from this story of Orpah that some
of those who do not leave the Moab of their
iniquities are persons of fine susceptibility.
It was compassion for Naomi, in her wido whood
and sorrow, that led Orpah to start
with her toward Bethlehem. It was not because
of any lack of affection for her that
she turned back. We know this from the
frief exhibited at parting. I do not know
ut that she had as much warmth and ardor
of nature as Ruth, but she lacked the courage
and persistence of her sister. That there
ore many with as fine susceptibility as Orpah
who will not take up their cross and follow
Christ is a truth which needs but little
demonstration. Many of those who have become
the followers of Jesus have but very
little natural impressibility. Grace often
takes hold of the hardest heart and tha most
unlovely character and transforms it. It is
a hammer that breaks rocks. In this Christ
often shows His power. It wants but little
generalship to conqner a flat country, but
might of artillery and heroism to take a fort
manned and ready for raking cannonade.
The great captain of our salvation has
^awoa/1 uio tttott i?f/% monv on ftrmprl nojat.la
I doubt not that Christ could have found
many a fishermau naturally mora noble
hearted than Simon Peter, but there was no
one by whose conversion He could more
gloriously have magnified His grace. The
conversion of a score of Johns would not
have illustrated the power of the Holy Ghost
as much as the conversion of one Peter. It
would have been easier to drive twenty
lambs like John into the fold than to tame one
lion like Peter. God has often made some
of His most efficient servants out of men
naturally unimpressionable. As men tako
stiff and unwielaly timbers, and under huze
handed machinery bend them into the hulk
of great ships, thus God has often shaped and
bent into Eus service the most unwieldly natures,
while those naturally Impressionable
are still in their unchanged state.
Oh, how many, like Orpah, have warm affections
and yet never become Christians 1
Like Orpah, they know how to weep, but
they do not know how to pray. Their fineness
of feeling leads them into the friendships
of the world, but not into communion with
God. They can love everybody but Him,
who is altogether lovely. All other sorrow
rends their heart, but they are untouched by
the woes of a dving Christ. Good news fills
them with excitement, but the glad tiding3
of great joy and salvation stir not their soul.
An-rimis to do what is richt. vet thev rob
God. Grateful for the slightest favors^ they
make no return to Him who wrung out the
last drop of blood from His heart to deliver
them from going down to the pit. They
would weep at the door of a prison at the
sight of a wicked captive in chains, but have
no compassion for their own souls, over
which Satan, like a grim jailer, holds the
lock and key. When repulsive, grasping,
unsympathetic natures resist the story of a
Saviour's love it does not excite our surprise,
but it is among the greatest of wonders that
so many who exhibit Orpah's susceptibility
also exhibit Orpah's impenitency.
"We are not surprised that there is barrenness
in a desert, but a strange thing is it that
sometimes the Rosa of Sharon will not grow
in a garden. On a summer morning we are
not surprised to fiad a rock without any dew
on it, but if going among a flock of lilies we
saw m them no glittering drop we would
say: "What foul sprite has been robbing
these vases?" We are not surprised that
Herod did not become a Christian, but how
strange that the young man Jesus loved for
His sweetness of temper should not have
loved his Redeemer. Hard-hearted Felix
trembled, proud Nebuchadnezzar repented,
and cruel Manassa'a turned unto the Lord;
but many a nature, affectionate and gentle,
has fought successfully against divine influences.
Many a dove nas refused to come in
the window of the art although finding no
rest for the sole of her root.
Again, the history of Orpah impresses upon I
me the truth that there are many who make |
a good starting, but alter awmie change
their mltids and turn back. When these
three mourners start from their home in
Moab there is as much probability that
Orpah will reach Bethlehem as that her sister
Ruth and hsr mother-in-law Naomi will
arrive there. But whita these continue in
the journey they commenced, Orpah after
awhile gets discouraged and turn3 back. This
the history ot many a soul. Perhaps it was
during a revival of rel gioa they resolved
upon a Christian life ana made preparations
to leave Moab. Before that they were indifferent
to the sanctuary; churches were necessary
evils. The minister almost always
preached poor sermons, because they had not
the heart to hear them. They thought the *
bread was not good because thair appetite
was poor. Religion did very well for invalids
and the aged, but they had no desire for
it.
Suddenly a change came upon their soul.
They found that something must be done.
Every night there was a thorn In their pillow.
There was gall in their wina. They
found that their pleasures were only false
lights of a 3wamp that rise out of decay and
death. Losing their self-control they were
startled by their own prayer: "God ba
merciful to me a sinner." They did not suspect
it, but the Holy Ghost was in their soul.
Without thinking what they were doing
they brushed the dust off the family Bible.
The ground did not feel as firm under them,
nnrdid the air seem as bright. They tried
to dam back the flood of their emotions, but
the attempt failed, and they confessed their
anguish of soul before they meant to. The
secret was out! They wanted to know what
they must do to be saved.
With Ruth and Naomi weeping Orpah
started for the land of Bethlehem. Tney
longed for the Sabbath to como. Straight
as an arrow to the mark the sermon struck
them. They thoight the minister must hava
beard of tueir cas:e and was preaching right
at them. They taought the sermon was very
short, nor did thoy once coil themselves up
in their pew with their eyes shut and head
averted with an air of unmoved dignity.
They began to pray with an earnestness that
astonished themselves and astonished others.
Shoving the plane, or writing up accounts,
or walking the streets whon you might have
thought their mind entirely upon the world,
they were saying within themselves: "Oh,
that I were a Christian 1" Orpah is fully
started on tho road to Bethlehem. Christian
friends observing the religious anxiety of the
awakened soul say: "He must certainly ba '
a Christian. There is another soldier in 1
Christ's ranks, another sick one has been
cured of the leprosy." The observers turn 1
their attention another way; they say: "Or- '
pah is safe enough, she has gone to Bethle- s
hem." '
Alas! alas! Starting out for heaven is a
very different thing from arriving there. '
Remember Lot's wife. She looked back 1
with longing to the place from which she 1
came, and was destroyed. Half way between
Sodom and the city of refuee that '
strange storm comes upon her, and its salt 1
and brimstone gather on her garments un- (
til they are so stiffened she cannot prosead, 1
nor can she lio down booau33 of this dreadful
wrapping around her garments and ]
limbs,*and long after her life ha3 gone she i
still stands there, so covered up bv the 1
strange storm that she is called a pillar of i
7'^jTii 'fitl T M* t-vl'' V-- w- i.T-'.i"F*.
salt, a? soma sailor on ship's deck in ths
wintry tempest stands covered with a mail
of ice. Ten thousand times ten thousand
men have been destroyed half way between
Sodom and the city of refuse. Orpah might
a3 well never have started as afterward to
turn back. Yet multitudes have walked in
her footsteps. Go among those the least interested
in sacred things, and you will find
that they wereonce out of the land of Moab.
Every one of them prayed right haartily and
studied his Bible and frequented the sanctuary,
but Lot's wife looked back wistfully
to Sodom, and Orpah retreated from the
company of Ruth and Naomi. It is an impressive
thought that after Orpah had cone
30 far as actually to look over into the land
of Bethlehem she turned back and died in
Moab.
Again, let our subject impre33 upon us the
truth that tho3e who have once felt it their
duty to leave their natural state cannot give
up their duty and go back to hardness of
heart without a struggle. After Orpah had
thoroughly made ud her mind to go back to
the place from which she started she went
through the sad scene of parting with Ruth
and Naomi. My text says: "They lifted up
their voico and wept." Ah, my hearer, it
requires more decision and perseverance to
stay away from the kingdom of God than to
enter it. Although she did not know it,
Orpah passed through a greater struggle in
turning back into the land of Moab than
would have been necessary to take her clear
through to Bethlehem. Suppose you that
those persons who have remained in their
evil ways have had no struggle? Why, they
have been obliged to fight every inch of their
way.
auo iuau iu uoauu u iivv ouwa mmor
fng as some ministers have been accustomed
to describe it. From beginning to end it is
fighting against the sharp sword of the
Spirit. ItTs climbing over the cross. It is
wading through the deep blood of the Son of
God. It is scaling mountains of privilege.
It is wading through lakes of sorrow. It is
breaking over communion tables and baptismal
fonts and pulpits and Bible3. It is
wedging one's self tnrough between pious
kindred who stand before and press us back
and hold on to us by their prayers even after
we have passed them in our headlong downward
career. No man ought to think of undertaking
to go back into Moab after having
come within sight of Bethlehem unle33 he
have a heart that cannot be made to quake,
and a sure foot that will not slip among inflnite
perils, and an arm that can drive back
the Son of God, who stands in the centre of
the broad road spreading out His arms and
shouting into the ear of the thoaghtles3 pilgrim,
"Stop! stop!"
"Wo talk abont taking np the cross and
following Jesus, but that cross is not half so
heavy as the burden which the sinner carries.
It is a very solemn thing to be a Christian.
but it is a more solemn thing nob to be
a Cnristian. There are multitudes who,
afraid of the self denials of the Christian,
rush into the harder self denials of the unb>
liever. No yoke but Christ's, however tight
and galling! Orpah goes back to her idolatries,
but she returns weeping, and all who
follow her will find the same sorrows. Just
in proportion as Gospel advantages have
U Ml k? /x#
VW311 UULLUOl UU5 Will UO IUO UI9UU1 U^UUO UL WiU
heart that will not come to Christ.
The Bible says in regard to the place wlnro
Christ was buried: "In the midst of the garden
there was asepulcher;" and in the midst
of the most flowery enjoyments of the unpardoned
there is a chilliness of death. Although
they may pull out the arrows that
strike their soul from the Almighty's quiver,
there remain a sting and a smarting. If m9n
wrench themselves awav from Christ they
will bear the mark of His hand by which He
would have rescued them. The pleasures of
the world may give temporary re ief from
the upbraidings of conscfenca, but are like
stupefying drugs that dull th9 pain only
temporarily. Ahab has a great kingdom,
and you would think M
ouzht to be happy with his courtiera
and chariots and palac33, yet he go93 to bed
sick because Naboth will not sell him his
vineyard. Haman is prime minister of the
greatest nation in the world, and yet one
poor min who will not bow the head makes
him utterlv miserable. Herod monopolizss
the most of the world's honor, and yet is
thrown into a rage because they say a little
child is born in Bethlehem who may after
awhile dispute his authority. Byron conquered
the world with his pen, and vet said
tnat he felt moro unhappiness from the
criticism of the mo3t illiterate reader than
e experienced pieaaiuo h ulli mo prauo ul
all the talented.
In the last century in England lived tin
immortal Shenstone. Portions of his life
were given to the writing of p39try, but this
was not evidently the fl9ld for which nature
had equipp3d him. His name will never ba
forgotten, bacause of the home which he
adorned and beautified until thare probably
never has been so bright a spot since the
Garden of Eden as what he loved to call
"The Leasowos." In addition to the marrels
which nature had wrought he added the perfection
of art. Arbors and terrace and slope
and rustic temple and reservoir and urn and
fountain here had their crowning. Oak and
yew and hazel put on their glory of verdure.
What the greenness of deep grass and the
foam of cascade and the glitter of the still
lake could give of beauty were added. No
life was more diligent and no soul was more
ingenious than those of Shenstone, and all
that genius and diligence directed to the
adornment of that treasured spot. What
more could one want to make home happy?
Yet there is one man who site sighing in
those bowers, and casting gloomy looks upon
those parks, and the mirth of leaping waterfalls
makes no melody in his ear. It is
Shenstone, the owner of thg Laasowas. "I
have lost my road to happiness," say3 the
despondent man. "I am angry and envknn,
an? dejected |mj frantic, and disregard all
present things, just as It baiooaai a madnau
to do." My menus, taere 13 uj saiia unpEiness
in anything but religion. I care not
ow bright a homa Orpah has in Moab when
she turns away from duty she turns away
from peace. Amid the bacchanalia of Bslehazzar's
feast and the glitter of chalice3
there always will come out a handwriting
on tha wall fearfully ominous: "Pekel?
weighed in the balances and found wanting."
Again, this subject teaches that a religious
choice and tha want of it frequently divide
families. Ruth and Orpah and Naomi were
tenderly attached. They were all widows,
and their life had bean consecrated by a baptism
of tears. In the of fire trial their affections
had baen forged. Together thay were
so pleasantly unitedyou can hardly imagine
them separated. Yet a fatal line i3 drawn
dividing them from each other, perhaps forever.
Naomi cannot live in a heathen country.
She must go into Bethlehem, that there
among the pious she may worship the true
God. Ruth make a similar choice, but Orpah
rebels. "And they lifted up their voice
3 HrnoK IH-aaftH hflr
tuiu >?Opu a^aiu, aitu v? {a*u i?.wwvM ? ?
mother-in-law, but Ruth clava unto her."
The history of this family of Elimelech is
the history of many families of this day.
How often it is that in a circle of relatives,
while they look alike and walk alike and talk
alike, there is a tremendous difference. Outwardly
united in the affectional relations of
this life, they are separated in the most im
portant respects. Some now are the children
of light and others the children of darkness.
These are aliva in Christ and those
are dead in sin. Ruth in the land of Bethlehem,
Orpah in Moab. Of the same family
are David and Solomon, worshipers of the
Most High God, and Adonijah ana Absalom,
wno live and die the enemies of all righteousness.
Belonging to the sama family was tha
holy and devont Eli and the rackles3 Phinea3
aDj Jonathan E I wards, the good,
and Pierrapont Edwards, tfia bad, belong to
the same family. Aaron Burr, tha dis3oluta
a A~UX.HA..*. i. I
uau u lu^u cao.iidju lauuoi . x/jmu? jou lUi*
mortal hearer, by tho solemnity of the
Earental and filial and conjugal relation,
y the sacrednos3 of tho family hearth, by
the honor of the family nam 3, by the mamory
of departed kindred, I point out this parting
of Ruth and Orpah.
Again, this subject sugge3t3 to ma two of
the prominent reasons why people refus9 the
kingdom of Christ. There may have been
many other reasons why Orpah left her sister
and mother-in-law and wont back home,
bus there were two reasons which I think
wore more prominent than the rest. She had
been brought up in idolatries. She lovod
the heathen god3 which her ancestors had
worshiped, and though these blocks of wood
and stone could not near she thouzht they
:ould hear, and though they could not see
she thought they could see, and-thouzh they
;ould not feel she thought they could feel.
A. new religion had been brought to her attention.
She had mamodagoilymin. Sin
iiuit often haye heard her mother-in-law
:alkof the God of Israel. She was so mil eh
shaken in her original belief that sin concluded
to leave her idolatries, but coruia? to
the margin of the land of Bethlehem ner
determination failed her and speedily she returned
to her gods.
This i3 the yery reason why multitudes of
persons never become Christians. They cannot
bear to give up their gods. Business la'
tho American juggernaut that crushes more
men than the great car of the Hiadooi To
10 ouojr nay tueir morning ana evening prayers.
A little of Christ's religion may creep
into the Sabbath, but Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
are the days devoted to this American
idoL Every hour there is a sacrifice on the
altar. Home duties health of body, manly
strength and immortal affections must all
burn in thi3 holocaust. Men act as though
they could take their bonds and mortgages
and saws and trowels and axe3 and day
books with them into the kingdom of heaven.
There are many who have no unholy
thirst for gold, yet who are devoting themfelves
to their worldly occupations with a
ruinous intensity. Men of the Stock Exchange,
men of the yardstick, nnn of the
saw, men of the trowel, men of the day ,
book, what will b9come of you, if unforgiven,
in the great day when there are no
houses to build, and no gooJs to sjII, aai
no bargains to make? It is po33lble to devote
one's self even to a lawful calling until
it becomes sinful. There is no excuse on the
earth or under the earth for the neglect of
our deathless spirit. Lydia wa3 a seller of
purple, yet she did not allow her offemlva
occupation to keep her from bacoming a
Christian. Daniel was secretary of State
and attorney general in tha empire of Babylon,
and yet three time3 a day he found
time to pray with his fac3 toward Jerusalem.
Tha man who has no tima to attend to
religion will have no time to enter heaven.
But there are others who, while their
worldly occupation has no particular fascination
over them, are entirely absorbed in the
gains that come to that occupation. This is
the worship of Mammon. The ring of dollars
and cents is the only litany they ever
utter. Though in the last day the earth itself
wui dod 09 worsn a iarining. a neap or asnej
scattered ia the whirlwind, tney are now giving
their time and eternity for the acquisition
of so muoh of it as you might at last hold in
the hollow of on9 haul.
The American Indian who gave enough
land to make a State out of for a string of
beads made a princely bargain compare!
with the speculation of that man who gains
the whole world and loses his own soul. How
much comfort do the men take who died unforgiven
ten years ago, leaving large fortunes
to their neir3? Do they over coma up
to count the gold they hoarded or walk
through the mansions they built? Though
they could have bought an empire, tiny have
not now as much money as you have this
moment in your pocket. Solomon looked
upon his palace and tbe grounds surrounding
it, pools rimmed with gold and circling
roads along which at time3 rushed his fourteen
hnndred chariots, while under the outbranching
sycamores and cedars walked the
apas and peacocks which by the navy of
Hiram had been brought from Tarshish, and
from the window curtains with embroidered
gold and purple through which came out the .
thrill of harps and psaltiri63 min^'hig with
the song of the-waters.
When Solomon saw that all tho33 luxuries
of sight and sound had been purchase! by .
hi3 wealth, he broke forth in the exclamation,
"Money answereth all things." But we
cannot receive it as literal. It cannot still
the voice of conscience. It cannot drown
fhn anrrAwra nf fchA a/vil Tf. nannrth nut: a
briba in the hand of death. It cannot unlock
the gate of heaven. The tower of Siloam
fell and killed eighteen of its admirers;
but this idol to whose worship .the exchanges
and banks and custom houses of the world
have been dedicated, will fall and crush to
death its thousands. But I cannot enumerate
the idolatries to which man give themselves.
They are kept by them fro an a religious
life. ?-Ye cannot ssrv9 God and Mammon,"
ahd the first thing that Christ do33
when He come3 into the temple of the soul is
to drive out the exchangers.
But it was not only the gods of Moab that
made Orpah leave her sister and mother-inlaw.
She doubtless had a dread of the hardship
to which they would be exposed on the
journey to Bethlehem, and Orpah wa3 not
alone in the fear. Doubtless soma of you
have been appalled and driven back by the
self denials of tha Christian life. The taunt
of the world, the charge of hypocrisy which
they would sometimes 09 obliged to confront,
ha3 kept many away froin the land of Bethlehem.
They spend their life in counting the
cost, and beoauso a Christian life demands so
much courage and faith they dare not begin
to build. Perhaps they are courageous in
awamt Af.Kai? Thatr at*a nnh timid In
Eresenca of an/danger excapt that of trustlg
in the infinite mercy of Christ.
The sheep are more afraid of the shapiiard
than of the wolves. Th9y shrink away from
the presence of Christ as though Ho were a
tyrant rather than a frieai who sticketh
closer than a brother. They feel more safe
In the ranks of the enemy whera they must
suffer infinite defeat than in the army of
Christ, which shall ba more than conquerors
through Him that lovei them. Men shiver
and tremble before religion as though they
were commanded to throw their life away,
as though It were a surrender of honor ana
manliness and reason and salf-re3pact and all
that is worth keeping.
What has God ever done that His mercy
should be doubted? Was there ever a sorrow
of His frailest child that He did not pity?
Was there ever a soul that He left unhelped
in the darkness? Was there ever a martyr
that He did not strengthen in th9 flames?
Was there ever a dying man to whosa relief
He did not came at the cry of "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit?" Aye, my soul, what has
God done that so basely thou has doubted
Him? Did He make the whole earth a
desert? Are all the skies dark and storm
swept? Is life all sickness? Is the air all
plague? Are there nothing but rods and
.scorpions and furnaces? 'God kuew how
many suspicions and unbeliefs men would
entertain in ragard to Him, and therefore,
after making a multitude of plain and
ITanltnaa Wi'a Kand An TTia
pi ouiyua JJt v/m uv L/iuvw I r t umuu vu - own
heart; ana swears by His" own existence:
"As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no
pleasure in the death of him that dieth."
Why then fight against God? This day
the battle rages. Thou art armed with thy
sins, thy Ingratitude, thy neglects, and
Christ is armed against thee, but His weapons
are tears, are dying agonies, are calls to
mercy, and the battle cry which He this day
sends over thy soul as He rushes toward thee
is "Save thee from going down to the pit,
for I have found a ransom." I would not
[ envy thy victory, 0 hearer, if thou dost conquer,
for what wilt thou do with the weapons
thou hast snatched from the armed
Redeemer, what with the tears, what with
His dying" agonies, what with His call* to
mercy? Would God that Orpah would get
tired of MoabI Would Goa thai Orpah
would go to Bethlehem 1
AN inquest recently held in Calcutta
on the body of a wealthy Hindoo disclosed
a curious custom. The deceased
trATvi mnlanftl fpvpr. and
iiau. SUUCiOU avxu ,
after his death arsenic and mercury
were discovered in the stomach. A servant
stated that an hoar before the
death of the deceased a do3e of medicine
properly prescribed was administered
as a stimulant. The coroner oxplained
that this medicine contained
mercury, which along with other
poisonous drugs is given to patients
on the foint of death. The jury returned
a verdict of death from natural
causes?to wit, malarial fever.
A romantic young woman named
Barbara, who gets her mail at Oketo,
Kan., wrote her address on an egg, and
in due course of time a postal card arrived
at the Oketo office from James
Miller, of 521 Flushing avenue, Brooklyn,
N. Y., saying that in a lot of eggs
received at hi4 store thn one was found,
and if the young lady was so inclined |
he would be pleasvjl to hear further
from her; also that he was single and
alone, but that it was by 110 means certain
tliat he would always remaiu so.
Further developments are awaited.
Is a prehistoric cemetery, lately uncoverd
near Montpo-llier, France,
among other things found and reported
to the Paris Academy, were two skulls
evidently belonging to the Aryan race,
and some bones that must have beI
longed to a man at least ten feet in
I height.
- ^~Ti - iaijjgfljjjii
SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JULY 13.
_________
Lesson Text: "The Great Supper,"
Luke xiv., 15-24?Golden Text:
Luke xiv., 15?Commentary.
" f S3?
In our last lesson we saw the religious leaders
of tho people contending with Him because
Ho healed a woman on the Sabbath
day; but He put them to shame and caused
His followers to rejoice. So shall it be again
when those who cast out others for His sake
say, Let tho Lord be glorified; but He shall
appear to the joy of His people and His
enemies shall bo ashamed (Isa. lxvi.,5), He
then repeated tbe parables of the mustard
seed ana the leaven, both of which had a fulfillment
in Israel at that time, and
are having a fulfillment in the '?
church to-day. He added a prophecy
concerning tbe coming desolation at
Jerusalen because of her rejection of Him,
indicating its continuance until He should
come again. After this we find Him in tbe
house of a Pharisee on the Sabbath day,
where He had evidently been invited to dine.
He here heals a man who had tho dropey, and
speaks a parable to the invited guests to
teach them humility, after which He tells
His host that if, when be makes a feast, he
would invite those who were unable to return
the compliment, he would have a recompense
at the resurrection of the just;
and this leads one of the guests to give utterance
tothe first words ot our lesson.
15. "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in
fVm Irfnonrlnm nt Hrvl " AoonrHinrr tn fHa
first part of this verse, that which caused the
guest to utter these words was the Saviour's
remark concerning the resurrection of the
just. Thoso who dj the Spirit have eyes to
see may find the doctrine of the resurrection
in the story of the cherubim in the Garden r
of Eden. Tho eleventh chapter of Hebrews
makes it plain that Abe), Euocb, Noeb, \
Abraham, Moses and the others believed and
rejoiced in the resurrection. And while
Ps. xvi. speaks of the resurrection of Christy
Ps. i., 5 speaks of the very resurrection -3
which Jesus referred to, tho resurrection o? ^
the blessed and holy of Rev. xx., 6, leaving Jk
the bodies of tho uugodly to remain in their
graves a thousand years longer (Rev xx., 5).
16. "Then said He unto him, A certain
man made a great supper, and bade many."
This parable is somewhat similar to that in
Matt, xxii., but that was spokeu durinz Passion
week in Jerusalem, and this while on ^ .
His way to Jerusalem (Luke xiii., 23; xviii.,
31).
17. "Come; for all things are now ready."
This was the message which the servants
was to carry to John the Baptist, and the
twelve were some of the servants as they
went forth, saying: "Repent, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is at haud."
18. "And they all with one consent began
to make excuse.*' Nothing to d? but to t*ko
it; simply to accept the invitation and bs
there;" yet they prefer not to. How anxious
many are to get au invitation to anything
great in this world, and how disappointed u
left out. Here is the God of Heaven inrit
rirr fraolw flirt rirtlioc aP Rid CTTA f*A HTI/1
giory, and it is not considered worth accepting.
"I have bought a pieoe of ground, and I
mu3t needs go and sea it; I pray th9e have
me excused." His little piece of ground for
which he has paid a few shekels is of mora
importance than that which ha3 cost so
much. "I pray thee" seeuis to imply an admission
that ha ought to go, but be evidently
does not waut to. How Moses and all the
prophets entreated Israel to walk in God's .
ways that they might enjoy His favor, bat
they preferred their own ways (II Chron.
xxxvi.. 15, 16; Jer. ii., IS).
19. ''I have bought five yoke of ozen, and
I go to prcvo them; 1 pray thee have me excused."
Lands must be seen to, and oxen most"' :
be proved, but the great feast provided by infinite
love may go a begging. It is nothing
to them. The earth is the Lord's and the
fulness thereof; the cattle on a thousand
hills are His (Ps. xxiv., 1; 1, 10); yet there
are fools (and plenty of them today) who
prefer a little which they can purchase to the
great riches which the Lord of all offers .so I
l'roely to "whosoever will." I
20. "I havo married a wife, and therefore 1
I 1 cannot come." This is no better than the ^ J
other?, yet the refusal is even more decidesf*"^^?
"I cannot come." If tho invitation didlSot
include his wife, he rai*ht have had some excuse;
but God's invitations include all who V
are willing; and while tho other? might V
have to leave their lands and oxen, he could
bring his wife with him if he had minded to I
comc.
21. "So that servant cam a, aud showed hit
lord these things." A servant has only to doliver
his master's message, and take the answer
back, if there is any; Ua has do power
to excuse people. Our responsibility ceases
when wo have lovingly and faithfully given
the invitation, proclaimed the glad tidings.
Then it becomes us, liko the disciples, to toll
Jesus all wo had done and taught (Mark vi.,
30). leaving results with Him. "Go
out quickly into the streets and lanes
of the city, and bring in thither tho poor,
and tho maimed, and tho halt, ana the
blind." These have no earthly possession*
or pleasures to entangle them; they will b?
more likely to accept the invitatioa. It was
just these four classes which Jesus advised
the Pharisee, in whoso house Ho was, to invito
to his feast in order that he might be
recompensed at t^o re^jxrrcction .of the just*
and Jesus does not advise another to ao what
He does not do Himself.
22. "And the servant said, Lord, it is don#
as Thou bast commanded, and yet there is
room." The servant has only to obey, lovingly
to deliver His message and report for
further orders. It is not said whether any
among theso classos excused themselves or
not, but it is said: "Yet thero is room."
What abundant provision! What riches of
HU erace! What plenteous redemption! I
What a Kingdom id hero foreshadowed when
'The eyes of tho blind shall be opened, fl
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, the fl
lama leap as a hart, and the tongue of th? I
dumb sing'' (Isa. xxxv., 5-6). And thank I
God, yet there is room, and whosoever will ~-fl
may come. fl
23. '-And tin Lord said unto the 3<*rvaot; fl
Go out into the highways anl hedges.1' fl
Again it is "Go!" Tne word for the oat- fl
sder is "Come!" And the encouragemant is: fl
"Him that cometh onto Me I will in no wiw
cast out." "Coma unto Me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden." "Coma now and let y
usreasjn together, sail the Lord. Though
your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white
as snow, though they be red like crimson
they shall be as wool" (Tohu vi., 37; Matt,
ri., 23, Isa. L, 18).
"Compel them to coma in, that my house
may be filled." We are not simply to invite,
but to urge and lovingly constrain them to
come. Our indifference to the salvation of
others is a strange sight. We believe that w?
are joint heirs with Christ to au inheritance
which is incorruptible and everlasting, and
that all who are not in Christ are on the way
to everlasting punishment; yet we can meet
them, do business with them, havj fellow
ship with them, and never even invit9 them
to share our inheritance, much less compel
them to come to the feast.
24. "For I say unto you, That nono of
those men which were bidden shall taste of
ray supper." Rofusing to accept His graaous
mvitation they doom themselves to near ttto
learful words, "Djpirt from Ma ye cursed
into everlasting fire, preparel for the devil
ind his anpjeLi" (Mitt, xxv., 41), as to tue m
irst invited who refused, an I the others B
jathered from strosts an 1 lanes, highways B
and hedges; we know that Israel has lost tho B
privileges of the Horeb covenant (Es. xiz., B
j-S; Deut. v., 3. 3), and they are to be given Bfl
bo the elect church gathered from all na B
tions. "The Kingdom of God shall he taken B
from you and given to a nation bringing B
forth the fruits thereof' (Matt, xxi., 43) tm
This does not, however, conflict with the B
fact that when the church has bean gathered B
the promises to Abraham shall ba made fl
good to a believing remnant in Israel who B
shall be converted at tho appearing o! the SB|
Lord (Mic. vii., l'J, 20; Luke xxi., 24-38).? B
Lesson Ileloer
James Sparks, of JDahlonega, Oa., I
the ditch-walker on the lower section H
of the hand-ditch, has been walking H
this line daily for eleven years, a dis- H
tance of sixteen miles. At this rate he^^^B
has walked 41G miles per month, 4,992^^M
miles per year, or a total of 54,912 B
miles, or nearly two and one-half times H
tho distance aiound the world. Mr. H
Sparks is now some seventy-odd years H
old, and is still apparently as active ag H
a young man, JH