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r-. i GlVfc HIM A LIFT, ! Hard as the mill-stone that grincU i Destiny often appears; | Never a mortal but finds ^ Pleasures outnumbered by tears. : ? But the dun cloud of despair ^ Broken may be by a rift, i i If you another's grief share Gladly, and give him a lift, Give him a lift, give him a lift; Do not permit him to helplessly drift) On the breakers of life's ruin-makers, Give him, 0 give him a lift! Both of you thus may extract Peace from adversity's frown; Never a help-giving act Goes to oblivion down; ; Never a service humane Proves a regrctable gift; Aid tho ill-starred, and sustaiu; Give him the 0DD0rtune lift. Give him a lift, give him a lift; Strings of remorse may embitter yonr shrift, Should you not labor for good of your neighbor; -Give him a lift, O, give him a lift! In the fierce bread-getting strife Mpn are to selfishness prone; Riches and offspring and wife 1 Take what affections we own. But it should never be ours, Brothers, our duty to shift, When evil fortune o'erpowers One who is worthy a lift. Give him a lift, give him a lift; Hearts should ba willing, hands ready, feet swift "When to our healing his wounds are ap;,' pealing, Give him, O, give him a lift! ?John Talman, in Chicago Herald. M LAYING A MAN-TRAP. BY STANLEY MKENNA. RVvo tracfl x*nrlr\TC nrirl ttottt ripli fifiA lived in one of the handsomest houses on Fifth avenue, and was closing up to fortythree. She had a grown daughter, a French maid, horses and carriages to her heart's content, and jewels and laces -enough to fill a Saratoga trunk. She had ! been a beautiful woman, and was now in love for the first time. The objcct of her affection was a young lawyer. He had met'the daughter at a ball, and had since been paying her attention. The young lady wrs engaged elsewhere, and took the lawyer's politeness to her as a delicatc way of showing preference for her; mother. The good lady was not so roundabout; indeed, she went straight at the mark. She began by encouraging the man to go to the house, and then sent him little presents. The trifles were conveyed anonymously, of course, but somehow or another they generally went in papers or boxes or cases that had the widow's name ! carefully half erased. They began with a cut-glass inkstaud, aud continued through a scries of gold pens, silverhandled penknives, then double watch -chains, match boxes, cigar cases, and sleeYe buttons, up to a large oil painting in a frame. The lawyer accepted the i things as tokens of the widow's approval ' of his suit, and never hinted at their reception. The lady saw she was not advancing in the young man's esteem, And determined on a bold flank movement. She consulted the . French maid, and together they concocted a plan, Her birthday was near at hand, and she would invite him to call and pay his respects. He should be ushered into a darkened room where her beauty would be set off to the best advantage and he should be surprised into a declaration. A young j lady friend of the daughter would be , asked to come for the afternoon, eo that; jv it could be said fehe had company, and 1 they were to occupy the front parlor; * while the widow would carry on the siege ! in the back. Th> back room was luxuriously furnished, and was generally used by the ^idow as a sitting-room. Pale brocaded satin lined the walls, and it contained l(*w Turkish lounges, Persian carpets, igri^^recliniBg chairs, pictures and ^fl^^HRes, and heaps of odd and curious pi^Wrnaments. Everything had been prepared wjll beforehand, and when noon of the eventful day arrived nothing was ( missing. The French maid was in her elegC ment, and the daughter and her iriend entered into the scheme with much spirit and energy. It was decided that the widow should repose gracefully on a sofa, and when the lawyer called he must be shown into that room with the excuse that the daughter was entertaining in front. The room was to be darkened so that only the i*intr>st. golden tint of the morning sun should steal through the apartment, and one could not pcrceive objects there for some time after leaving the open day. The French maid was to say she thought her mistress was out, but she would go find inquire of the butler. She would leave the lawyer in the room and give him time to become used to the darkness, dis- j cover the lovely picture on the sofa and capitulate. At twelve o'clock exactly the i | hiir dresser was sent for and instructed j to dress the widow's hair so that she i could recline and not disarrange it. The French maid then robed the; . widow in a black-lace dress, and with ; I long flowing sleeves not to hide the j chiseled wrists and arms. She clasped | three diamond bracelets on one arm, and 1 four composed of diamonds, emeralds, J rubies and opals on the other. She put i largo pearls set in black in the ears, so ' as r.ol to force too strong a contrast will t ti e chc:l:s, a d then 3 e I r->u?ht the pimtbox. She penciled the eyebrows .a d uufer the (ye? with b'aok, aud fait.'lieda tiny bit of court plaster at the -co;air of the eye, to throw out its lustre. She sdou' eel the face, neck and hands wLh vasehne, and then wiped it oil with chamois. She corded the barae surfucc with a white powder so fiue that it b irely 1^^.. left a snowy shadow on the skin; then she piinted the cheeks, the forehead, the insiuc of the eyes and ears, and tipped the chin with rcsc to imitate a dimple. The widow sat at a large mirror, and held one in each hand so that she could J see herrc'.f from every poiht of view during the operations. She gave her opinion of effects here and there as the maid proceeded, and, when the task was completed, looked like a dazzling beauty of twenty-two. The maid then threw a r large rose brocaded satin spread over a Turkish lounge and placed the widow on it. She sprayed her from head to foot with cologne, and subdued the light to a tint. Some difficultv arose over the position gf the widow was to assume, and the daughp ter and her friecd were called in consui1 tution. The maid wanted a half-slum| l ering attitude, as if the widow -were 2 ..nking a nap, but the lady thought that was not poetic enough, and wanted something like a goddess reposing on a shell in the twilight, or Undine rising from the sea. The disposition of the arms, too, caused some trouble, and it was a long time before the ladies could decide on anything quite up to the widow's notion. The French maid was shrewd enough to know that her mistress would not be satisfied until she had her own way, and waited to hear all she had to say on the subject before speakiDg conclusively. Tftc lady nnauy rememoerea mac sue had seen a picture, in an art gallery 021 Fifth avenue, of, she thought, Cleopatra, and that one hand was bent and resting beside the head, the other cast across the form and holding a fan made of the feathers of rare birds. The widowdesired the hand up by the head, as she had really exquisite arms, and the sleeve of the lace dress was flowing. With one arm like that, and the brilliant whiteness of the other peeping through the meshes of the lacc, there was hardly a man in existence who would not risk a limb to have both around his neck. The widow was at length set out in that matter, with the head gently leaning back on a gold and crimsom pillow, the chin slightly raised to bring forth the whole swan-like outline of the throat. Little white-satin shoes that looked like toys were placed on her feet, and the French maid retired several times to ad)ioi' nrivrlr nrifl fflll over it. The widow was complete at three o'clock, and the young ladies took their postion in the front room. The maid went upstairs to reconnoitre from the front window, and calm and peace reigned through that auxious house. The lawyer delayed, and the widow became uneasy. She called her daughter and asked if she was su:e he would come. The daughter wa3 quite sure. The French maid was summoned and asked her opinion. She was certain he would not fail. The widow was not comfortable, and wanted u drinlc. They gave her lemonade, the maid holding the glass to her lip3 with a napkin under it for fear of a drop falling somewhere. She had then to carefully wipe the lips with the corner of a lace handkerchief, and add a little rose salve to keep the ruby glowing. . All then returned to their posts, and fifteen minutes elapsed. They seem like years to the widow. She was not omy in a state of high cxpeccation bat getting hungry. The daughter's friend was a noted harpist, and part of the performance was that, as soon as the lawyer was seated in the back room she should play something soft, suggesting moonlight and fairies. When the lawyer fell before the shrine she was to change the music to the old French song, "Comme jet'aimc," so as to give the widow a chance to say "Tfaat music speaks my heart." The maid advised that the daughter sing the song, as she had a sweet voice and could give it feeling, but the widow said "No," her daughter singing the song would remind h'im of the daughter, and that he was about to become a step-father. It would not do at all. As the young friend's fingers swept the harp the widow called out to stop, as the sound vibrated on her nerves and irritated her. She had fixed upon a smile, and did not want to lose it. She needed something to eat, and the maid placed an olive betweeu her lips and afterward removed the stone. The widow was growing tired and beginning to feel that the whole business would be a failure, when a sharp pull came to the bell. The ladies rushed to their stations, and the maid upstairs. The butler opened the door and called the maid. He did not know whether the lady wa3 in or not. The maid came down and did not know either. She requested him to go into the back room, as the young lady had friends in the front, and she would go and see if her mistress were at j home. She had a long hunt. In the meantime the lawyer became accustomed to the light in the room and could discern objects. All of a sudden his glance encountered the lounge, and he fell back?what a revelation 1 His movement roused the lady, and she turned with a little cry. At the same moment a? tiny foot stepped to the floor, and the lawyer was entranced. The widow sat up and recovered her surprise at seeing a gentleman ,n vnnm onrl Itoinnr in a 4U v"v 4VWm' ?**** wv'uo %%,"vv moment of dreamy forgetfulaess. She iang for the maid, and when that person appeared, chided her for not knowing she was there. The maid excused herself and went away. Then the harp rang out in the front room, and the lawyer fell at the widow's feet, declaring he had; been blind up to that instant, but the whole fragrance and beauty of crcatioa vrere revealed to him, and he would seize it on the spot if he dared. The music on the harp changed under the direction of the daughter and the maid, -who were watching through an opening between the folding doore. An easy chair had been placed carelessly by the lounge, and the lawyer accidentally took it. As he did so he touched the widow's hand and inquired how she felt toward him. She answered according to agreement, and laid her head upon his shoulder. He was detained to dinner. On returning to the drawing-iooiu he took advantage of a moment contrived by the widow when they were alone. He approached her slowly and timidly, and she thought at last he was going to propose. She became anxious, nervous aud feared she would break down before he could declare his love. The lawyer began cautiously, as became his craft, and the lady hung on to every word. lie explained his position, and she assured him there was ample means iu the family. He did not, however, wish to be a pensionsr on his wife, and as his affairs had lately prospered he had concluded to changc his condition. The widow almost fainted at the word "wife," but with great courage and effort bore up. She wished, though, he ; would come to the point, and the next moment he did so. "I have never seen such grace, such 1 beauty, tuch s weetness as I have this night," ho said. | "Yes, yes!" ejaculated the widow, ' breathless. j "And I hav? the honor, madam," he ! went on, "to ask for the hand " "Yes, yes! the hand " and she put 1 hers out to him; he took it and couj tinued: "Yes, the hand of your daughter." ? - ?" f i? * - V il.. I She swoonea anu icu pacii ou tut ' sofa. He was compelled to call for help,and while the maid and daughter were endeavoring to restore the widow, the lawyer walked out of the house.?Belford's Magazine. r* * ???????? REV. DR. TALMAGE. 5 T ai THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN. * DAY SERMON. cc Subject: "The Birth of Christ." {? E Text: "Let us now go even unto Bcthle- es hem."?Luke ii., 15. Ci Amid a thousand mercies wo give each P1 other holiday congratulations. By long TT established custom we exhort each other to healthful merriment. By gift, by Christmas ai trees which blossom and fruit in one night, by early morning surprise, by clusters of 6 lighted candles, by children's processions, by QX sound of instruments suinetimes more blatant tn than musical, we wake up the night and pro- P long the day. I wish you all, in the grandest, noblest ana best sense, a merry Christmas, br The event commemorated is the gladdest of is the centuries. Christ's cradle was as won- it derful as His cross. Persuade me of the first th and I am not surprised at the last. The door N< by which He entered was as tremendous as CI the door by which He went out. "J I was last winter at the housa where Jesus W lived while He was in Africa. It was in tu Cairo, Egypt, the terminus of that terrible E ' journev on foot which He took when Joseph tie - J it! ^3 ?1 Z4.\. TTZ r r\ ttnu axnry ueu vrnu aim nuui x>Kuuieuem lu ?? Egypt to escape the massacre of Herod. All svi tradition, as well as all history, points out this house in Cairo as the one in which these be three fugitives lived while in Africa. The In room is nine steps down from the level of to the street. I measured the room and found it twenty feet long and seven and a half feet r( high. There are three shelvings of rock, one tt of which I think was the cradle of our Lord, ci There was no window, and all the light ai must have come from lantern or cradle. The tl three arrived here from Bethlehem, having hi crossed the awful desert. ci On the Mediterranean steamer going from tl Athens to Alexandria I. met the eminent ti scholar and theologian, Dr. Lansing, who for w thirty-five years has been a resident of Cairo, si and he told me that he had been all over the road that the three fugitives took from tc Bethlehem to Egypt. He says it is a desert F way, and that the forced journey of the in- di fant Christ must have been a terrible jour- C ney. Going up from Egypt Dr. Lansiug w met people from Bethlehem, their tongues R swollen and hanging out from inflammation gi of thirst, and although his party had bat one tl goatskin of water left, and that was import- D ant for themselves, he was so moved with w the spectacle of thirst in these poor pilgrims w that, though it excited the indignation of m his fellow travelers, he gave water to the qj strangers. Over this dreadful route Jo- SI seph and Mary started for this land of a* Egypt. No time to make much preparation. q Herod was after them, and what were these ni peasants before an irate king? n, Joseph, the husband and father, one night nj sprang up from his mattress in great alarm, the beads of sweat on his forehead and his whole frame quaking. He bad dreamed of J massacres of his wife and babe. They must r( be off, that night, right away. Maryputup S? a few things hastily, and Joseph brought to w the door the beast of burden, and helped his wife and child to mount. Why, those loaves" n, of bread are not enough, those bottles of 6i water will not last for such a long way. But C( there is no time to get anything more. Out iE and on. Good-by to the dear home they exf eet never again to see. Their hearts break. p( t does not need that ours be a big house in ai order to make us sorry to leave it. c< Over the hills and down through the deep Ci gorge they urge their way. By Hebron, by tl Gaza, through hot sand, under a blistering n sun, the babe crying, the mother faint, the tc father exhausted. How slowly the days and 0i weeks pass! Will the weary three ever reach jE the banks of the Nile? Will they ever see w Cairo? Will the desert ever end? When at a| last they cross the lino beyond which old Herod has no right to pursue their joy is un- fl; bounded. Free at last! Let them dismount fc andiest. Now they resume their way with tl less anxiety. Thr-y will find a place some- tl where for shelter and the earning of their tl bread. Here they are at Cairo, Egypt. w They wind through the crooked streets, fc which are about ten feet wide, and enter the w humble house where I have been to-day. But H the terminus of the journey of these threo h< fugitives was not as humble as their starting cf ^ Tf tliof inn?nOTT nnnnco 1 puilll/ Ul jurtljioiicui. XL buuu JWUI UP? uwft ut The desert ended in a cellar it started from 01 a barn. Everthing humble around that barn, p. but everything glorious overhead. Christ's ti advent was in the hostelry called the house le of Chim Ham; the night with diamonded oi finger pointing down to theplacs; the door ni of neaven set wide open to look out; from I c( orchestral batons of light drippiuz the ori- j b( torios of the Messiah; on lowest doorstep of I L heaven the minstrels of God discoursing of I B glory and good will. Soon after the white- el bearded astrologists kneel, and from leathern pouch chink the shekels and from open sacks C exhale the frankincense and rustle out the rr bundles of myrrh. The loosened star; the G escaped doxology of celestials; the chili De- | ei cember night aflush with May morn; our la world a lost star, aud another star rushing ! tl down the sky that night to beckon fhe wan- hi derer home again, shall yet make a. > -.tions p< keep Christmas. " d( Are there no new lessons from the story tl not yet hackneyed by oft iepeatal? Oh. yes! J C Know in the first place, it was a side-real ap- C pearance that led th e way. Why not a black sf cloud in the shape of a band or finger point- G onni'fl/l Kirfh.rtlano^ A plntul ! .Ti ilig uunu iv buc ouutu wh ku i/iwvv, ?.?. v*vu? | " means trouble, and the world Lad had trouble i B enough. Why not a shaft of lightning quiv- j al ering and flashing and striking down to the C sacred birth-place? Lightning means destruc- j ir tion, a shattering and consuming power, and j ai the world wanted no more destruction. j w But it was a star, and that means joy, that si means hope, that means good cheer, that fc means ascendency. A star! That means 0 creative power, for did not the morning fo stars sing together when the portfolio of the ie worlds was opened} A star! That moans de- b< fense, for did not the stars fi.^ht in their courses against Sisara and for the Lord's ov people? A star t That means brilliant cou- M tinuance, for are not the righteous to shine ea as the stars forever and ever? A star! That re means the opening of eternal -joy. The day ^ star in the heart. The morning star of the gj Redeemer. ' The unusual appearance that night may have been a strange conjunction of worlds. As w the transit of Venus in our tima was foretold ^ many years ago by aitronomers, and astron- jj omers can tell what will be the conjunction w of worlds a thousand years from now, so they ifi can calculate backward; aud even inSdel as- | tronomers have been compelled to testify that about the year 1 therj was a very u:i- q usual appearance in the heavens. The Chi- cj ne3e record, of course entirely independent of the Word of God, gives as a matter of his- q tory that about the year 1 there was a ^ strange aud unaccountable appearance in the g heavens. But it may have been a meteor such as you c and I have seen flash to the horizon. I saw i a few years ago in the northern sky a star +; shoot and fall with such brilliancy and pre- I. cision that if I had been on a hill "as high a; ? that of Bethlehem, on which the s :epherds j. stood, I could have marked within a short distance the place of the alighting. The University of Iowa aud the British museum ? have specimens of meteoric stonos picked up t in the fields, fragments flung off from other ? worlds, leaving a fiery trail on the uky. So | that it is not to me at all improbable the stellar or the meteoric appearauce on that nicht 0 of which we spaafc. 1 only care to know a that it was bright, that it was silvery, that ci it flashed aud swayed aud swung ani halted st with joy eelestial, as though Christ in liasta to save our world had rushel down without ? His coronet,and the augels of God had hurled ^ it after Him! ^ The wise men of of the East came to Christ. * "They were not fools, they were not imbeciles. s} The record distinctly says that the wise men Ql came to Christ. We say they were the magi, or they were tha alchemists, or they were a; the astrologists, and we say it with depre- cdating accentuation. Why they were the w most splendid and magnificent men of the 7! century. They were the naturalists and the scientists. They knew all that was known. You must remember that astrology ? whs the mother of astronomy, and that alchemy was the moiiior of cuemistry, ana 10 because children are brighter than the P1 mother you do not despise the mother. It was* tho lifelong business of these astrol- J" ogers to study the stars. Twenty-two hun- 16 dred aud nrty years DJiore nrist ?us UU1U | 41" the wise men knew the precession of the th equinoxe?, and they had calculated the orbit w and the return of the comets. Professor th Smith declares that he thinks they under- al .. . ?? stood tne distance or me sua uum mc ??.a, We find in tlio book of Job that the man of dr olden time did not suppose the world was flat, as some have said, hut that he knew, and to the men of his time knew, the world was & globular. The pyramids were built for as- CI trological and astronomical study. Than, ce the alchemists spent their lives in the study of metals and gases and liquids >ind solids, of j and in filling the world's library with their h' wonderful discoveries. They were vastly ci ise min who came from the East, and traifcion says the three wisest came?Casper, a suns; man; Balthazar, a man of midlife, id Melchior, an octogenarian. The three isest men of all the century. They came to le manner. So it has always been?the wisest men >me to Christ, the brainiest men come to tha anger. Who was the greatest metaphysician lis country ever has produced? Jonathan dwards, the Christian. Who was the greatt astronomer of the world? Herschel, the hristian. Who was the greatest poet ever oduced? John Milton, the Christian. Who as the wisest writer on law? Blackstone, l6 Christian. Why is it that every college id university in the land has a chapel? They ust have a place for the wise men to worip. Come now, let us understand in ounces id by inches this whole matter. In postortem examination the brain al distinlished men has been examined, and I will id the largest, the heaviest, the mightiest onai. rMv-idnrori in America. and I will aIU wTOi pvuw-w? ? , k what that brain thought of Christ. Hera is. the brain weighing sixty-three ounces, e largest brain ever produced in America, jw let me find what tbat brain thought of irist. In the dying moment that man said: jord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief, hatever else I do, Almighty God, receive a to Thyself for Christ's sako. This night shall be in the light and joy and blessadss." So Daniel Webster camo to the manger, le wise men of the East followed by the is? men of the West. It was in closing December that He was irn to show that this is a Christ of people sharp blast, for people under clouded sky, r people with frosted hopes, for people itb thermometer below zero. That is the sason He Is so often found among the deatiite. You can find Him on any night )ming off the moors. You can see Him ay night coming through the dark lanes oi le city. You can see Him putting His and under the fainting head in the pauper's ibin. He remembers how the wind whised around the caravansary in Bethlehem mt December night, and He is in sympathy [ ith all those who in their poverty hear the j lutters clatter on a cold night. It was this December Christ that J^ashing>n and his army worshiped at Valley ?? A VI I- ? .? *1 orge, WOCU WXWIUUU uiauucuo I/UOJ taj Dwn in the December snow. It was this hrist that the Pilgrim Fathers appealed to hen the Mayflower wharfed at Plymouth ock, and in the years that went by the raves digged, were more in number than le houses built. Oh, I tell you, we want a ecember Christ, not a Christ for fair eatlier, but a Christ for dark days clouded ith sickness, and chilling with disappointlent, ana suffocating with bereavement, 3d terrific with wide open graves. Not a >ringtime Christ, not a summer Christ, not 1 autumnal Christ, hut a winter Christ, h, this suffering and struggling world seds to be hushed and soothed and rocked id lullabiedin the arms of sympathetic Omipotence! No mother ever with more teu?rness put her foot on the rocker of the adle of a 6ick child than Christ comes 3wq to us, to tins invalid world, ana ne )cksitinto placidity and quietness as He tys, "My peace I rive unto you; not at the orld giveth give I unto you." Notice also the fact which no one seems to otice?that this Christ was born among the leep. and the cattle, and the horses, and the imels in order that He might be an alleviatig influence to the whole animal creation. 5 means mercy for overdriven, underfed, Dorly sheltered, galled and maltreated aimal creation. Hath the Christ who jmpared Himself to a dove no care for the uelties of the pigeon shooting? Hath 10 Christ who compared Himself to a lamb 0 care for the sheep who are tied and con>rted, and with neck over the sharp, edge J the butcher's cart, or the cattle train 1 hot weather from Omaha to New York, ith no water?fifteen hundred miles of jony? Hath the Christ whose tax was paid by a sh, the coin taken from its mouth, no care >r the tossing flns in the fish market? Hath le Christ who strung with His own hand is nerves of dog and cat no indignation for le horrors of vivisection? Hath the Christ ho said "Go to the ant" no watchfulness ? 4.1. _ A a ? T i U-4.U ir me trauouAeu iiideubdr uai>u uuc v^ui iou ho said "Behold tbe fowla of the air" imself never beheld the outrages japed upon the brute creation which innot articulate its grief? This Christ Lme not only to lift the human race at of its trouble, but to lift out of ing and hardship the animal creation. In le glorious milennial time the child shall ad the lion and play with th9 cockatrice lly b3cau.se brute and reptile shall have no lore wrongs to avenge. To alleviate tho jndition ot the brute creation Christ was jra in the cattle pen. The first bleat of the amb of God heard amid tho tired flocks of ethlehem shepherds. The white horse of ternal victory stabled in a barn. But notice also in this account the three hristmas presents that are brought to the langer?gold, frankiucanse and myrrh, old to Christ?that means all the nffluica of the world surrendered to Him. For .ck of monev no more asvlums limDinsr on leir way like the cripples whom they elped, feeling their slow way like the blind ?ople whom they sheltered. Millions of allars for Christ where there are now lousands for Christ. Railroads owned by hristian stockholders, and governed by hristian directors, and carrying pas* sngers and freight at Christian prices, eorge Peabodys and Abbott Lawrences and ames Lenoxes no rarity. Bank of England, ourse of France, United States treasury, II the moneyed institutions of the world for hrist. The gold for Christ. Gold not Lere'y paid the way of Joseph aud Mary ad the divine fugitive into Egypt, but it as typical of the fact that Christ's way lall be paid all around the world. The gold >r Christ, the silver for Christ, the jewels r Christ. Australia, Nevada and Golconda ir unrist. ino ongnc, rouaa, ueauuiui wel of a world sot Bke a solitaire on the jsom of Christ. But I notice that these wise men also shook it from th 3 sacks the myrrh. The cattle ime and they snuffed at it. They did not ,t it because it was bitter. The puugeat gum sin of Abyssinia called rayrra brought to the feat of Christ. That means bitterness itter betrayal, bitter persecution, bitter iys of suffering, bitter nights of woe. yrrh. That is what they put into His cup hen He was dying. Myrrh. That i9 what ley put under His head in the wilderness, yrrh. That is what they strewed His path ith all the way from the cattle pen in Bethhem to the mausoleum at Joseph's country at. Myrrh. Yea, says the Psalmist, "All Thy irments smell of myrrh." That is what le wise men wrapped iu the swaddling -j.1 _? ?l? t-_ l.? +V.Q ObllCS UJL Ull'J UOLUry. iuau vuo [arys twisted in tin shroud of a crucified hrist. The myrrh. Oh, the height, the epth, the leDgtb, the breadth of tha aviour's sorrow I Well might the wise men mke out the myrrh. But I notice a'so from another sack they lake cut the frankincense. Clear up to lie rafters of the barn tho air :'s filled with erfume, aud the hostlers and the camel rivers in the farthest part of the building ihale it, and it floats out upon the air util passersby wonder who in that rough lace could have by accident dropped a box f alabaster. Frankincense. Thaf- is what hey burned in the censer in the ancient temle. Frankincense. That means worship, frankincense. That is to fill all the homes, nd atr tlia churches, and all tha capitals, nd all the nations from cellar of stalactited ivft clear up to the silvery rafters of the arlit dome. Frankincense. That is what a shake out from oui* hearts to-day, so that le nostrils of Christ once crimsoned with le hemorrhage of the cross shall b3 flooded ith the perfume of a world's adoration, rankincense.' Fra'ikincanso in song and irmon and offertory and handshaking and ecoration. Praise Him, mountains and hills, valleys nd seas, and skies and earth and heaven? pclone with your trumpets, northern lights ith your flaming ensign, morning with our castles of cloud, and evening witn your illowing clouds of sunset. Do you know r.v they use.l to hold the censer iu th9 den time, and what it was made of? Here a metal pan and tin handle by which was held. In tha inside of this motal m wera put living coals, on the top of ietn a perforated cover. Iu a square >x the frankincense was brought to the mples. This frankincense was taken out id sprinkled over the living coals, and en the perforated cover was put on, and hen they were all ready for worship, then e cover was lifted from the censer and from I the other censers, and the perfumed smoke ose until it hung amid all the folds and onpad amid all the altars, and then rose in eat columns of praise outside or above the mple, rising clear up toward the throne of od. So we havo two censers to-day of aristmas frankincense. Here is the one nser of earthly frankincense. On that we put our thanks for the mercies the past year, the mercies of all our past res, individual mercies, family mercies, soal mercies, national mercies, and our hearts v - ; .' j burning with gratitude send aloft the incense of praise toward the throne of Christ. Bring on more incense, and higher and higher let the columns of praise ascend. Let them wreathe all these pillars and hover amid all these arches, and then soar to the throne. But here is the other censer of heavenly thanksgiving and worship. Let them bring all their frankincense?the cherubim bring theirs, and the seraphim their3, and the one hundred and forty-four thousand theirs, and all the eternities theirs, and let them smoke with perfume on this heavenly censer until the cloud canopies the throne of God. Then I take these two censers?the censer of earthly frankincense and the censer of heavenly frankincense?and I swing them before the throne, and then I clash them to* gether in one great hallelujah unto Him OTUnm tVu? mart nt 'Rnqfc hrOllcht thfl t' gold and the myrrh aud the "frankincense. Blessed be His glorious name forever I HOUSEHOLD MATTERS. DELICIOUS MUTTON STEW. Here is the most delicious mutton stew that can be imagined and is made of mutton chops. The following quantity is for two persons: Two mutton chops cut from near the shoulder. Put them in a shallow pan having a tight cover. Pour on boiling water to the depth of one inch; cover and simmer one hour; add more water as it boils away, using only enough, however, to keep the meat from burning. Add iwo slices of turnip, two small onions whole, and when the meat and turnip are nearly tender add two common sized potatoes, hiving first soaked and scalded them. Add one teaspoontul of salt and a little popper. Remove the vegetaDie3 witnout Dreatnng; ies me water boil nearly away, leaving enough for a gravy. Remove the fat, thicken the gravy with flour and add salt and tomato catchup to taste. Pour it over the meat.?New York News. ORANGE PBE8ERVE3. Hare you ever tried any orange preserves? asks Mrs. True. These are excellent: Grate the thin yellow outside from the oranges and score them round with a knife, taking care not to cut beyond the white part into the juice of the orange; keep them in cold water for three days, changing the water three time3 a I Antr fliftm in ?i hnrr onr? i^nil Ut?j, 3 until the skia is soft; you can determine when they are done by piercing with a 3lim darning needle. Put half a pint of water with each pouncl of sugar, using as much sugar in weight as you have oranges; let it boil a few minutes, then strain and put the oranges in the syrup until it jellies and turn3 yellowish. It will not be necessary to have the syrup cover the oranges, but they should be done the same. The syrup may be tried by putting some in a dish to cool. When it begins to harden a little it is done.? Prairie Farmer. I FRUIT SOUPS* The ripest fruit only is suitable for this soup, thin slices of which nearly j melt in the mouth; the rind and seeds J of the melon removed and the flesh cut in small, thin slices placed in a china I tureen or a punch-bowl slightly dusted j with salt and cayenne and covered with ' a strong lemonade, may be served cold at once. Any of the rather inspid fruits,. ' such as apples, bananas, musk or water ! melons, Bartlett pears and pine apple3 j require the addition of lemon-juice to j bring out their flavor; strawberries, : cherries, plums, currants and similar ! juicy, acid fruits need only very cold | water and the stated flavorings. If they are deficient in taste and juice tart j orange juice win Dnng mem to uie proper standard. j There are three kinds of fruit soup. | The juice nearly clear, thickened with ft : little of the pulp of the fruit and a few j whole fruit, the brown soup like tho cherry soup, and that composed of fruit ! and sago or arrowroot. No person can decide in regard to these soups without haying tasted them. The first variety, which may be made either from a quart of cut melons or California pears, is treated as follows: The fruit is first peeled and stewed to a pulp, with just enough water to prevent burning; meanwhile boil a cupful of soft white bread to a jelly in a pint of water, with a dozen cloves; rub the fruit through a sieve with the bread, return the pulp to the saucepan, add a cupful of mixed lemon juice and powdered sugar, and boil the soup once, stirring it smooth; it will be ready to serve, hot or cold, with some very thin wafers or sponge cake,? sr.,-. ?t11/ w/o# HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Grease spots may be taken out with wjak ammonia in water; lay soft white paper over, and iron with a hot iron. A gargle of salt and water used before retiring at night will strengthen the throat and keep off bronchial attacks. Canned fruits should be emptied as soon as opened, and never add vraegar or sauce to canned fruit while in tin cans. Should the hands become stained with aniline wash them first with a little bleaching powder, thin rinse them in alcohol. Horseradish, cut in two, lengthwise, and laid on the top of your pickle kegs, wm Keep tuem irom Decommg state ana moldly. Blood blisters should be plunged into spirits of camphor and kept there for five minutes, to prevent blistering and ease the pain. Prepare kindling .... % going to bed, that in ca3e any one is taken sick in the night a fire may be had at once. Dip a corn cob in coal oil and use it to start the lire. Clean oilcloths with a wet towel pinned over a broom; rub with long, sweeping strokes and polish with a mixture of linseed oil, beeswax and turpentine, rubbing it in well. Paiut can be removed from silk goods by first saturating it iu equal parts of turpeutine and ammonia, washing it in soap suds and letting it dry between blotting papers under a heavy weight. A little powdered borax thrown into the bath makes the water very soft and greatly invigorates and rests the bather. This is particularly beneficial to those who arc troubled with nervousness vr sleeplessness. It has been asserted that chewingwooden toothpicks sometimes produce Ji* flin mniitli nnH flint* nvnti I OUiUU UI^LIO 1LX IUV. mwwwii) " %'" j the stomach has been similarly affected i by the action of the small particles of wood detached by chewing. Pots and pans in which onions, cabbage and any strong vegetables have been cooked should be first thoroughly washed and then set on *he stove with soda and water?two or three tablespoonfuls of soda to a gallon of water. Whetf this solution comcs to a boil rinse the vessel out well, wipe dry aad hang away. * : r- : RELIGIOUS^ EADING. A HYSrtr OF TRUST. J Thou sweet, beloved will of God! I My anchor-ground! My fortress bill! My spirit's sileflt, fair abode! In thee I bide me, and am stilL ] Upon God's will I lav me down, As child upon its mother's breast; No silken couch, nor softest bed, Could ever give me such sweet re3t. Thy wonderful, grand will, my God! t AVlth triumph now I make it mine, S And love shrtll cry a joyous "Yes," i To every dear command of thine. t Thy beautiful, sweet will, my God, ? Holds fast in its sublime embrace j My captive will, a gladsome bird, , Prisoned in such a realm of grace. j Within this place of certain good ' Love evermore expands her wings; Or, nestling in thy perfect choice, Abides content with what it brings. j 1 O sweetest burden, lightest yoke, It lifts, it bears my liappy soul; * It giveth wings to this poor heart: Sly freedom is thy grand control. J ?(Madam Guyon. j ] CHBI8T, THE GEE AT SUBSTITUTE. It is not by incarnation, but by bloodshed- ( ding, that we are saved. The Christ of God j is no mere expounder of wisdom, no mere deliverer or irracious bcnefactor; and they , who think that they have told the whole gos- ] pel when they have spoken of Jesus revealing the love of God, Jo greatly err. If Christ ; he not the substitute, He is nothing to the j sinner. If He did not die as the sin bearer, He has died in vain. Let us not be deceived on this point, nor , misled by those who. wbeu they announce Christ as the deliverer, think they have i preached the gospel. If I throw a rope to a drowning man, and risk my life to save J another. I am a deliverer. But is Christ no < more than tbat? If I cast myself into the sea. and risk my life to save another, I am a deliverer. But" is Christ no more? Did He . but risk His life? ( The very essence of Christ's deliverance is the substitution of Himself for us?His life for ours. He did not comc to "risk" His ' life; He came to die. He did not redeem us , by a little loss, a little sacrifice, a iittle labor, ' a little suffering; He redeemed us to God by ! His blood?"the precious blood of Christ.'' He gave all he had?even His life?for us. That is the kiud cf deliverance that awakens the song, "To Him that loved us and washed us from our sins ill His owu blood."?|"Dr. Bonar. j "llE CAISETU FOR YOC." ' ! Among the golden words uttered by Prcsi- | dent Carter, of Williams College, in his Baccalaureate sermon on Sunday on the text. "He calleth bis sheep by name" ami leadeth them out," were these: "What cares evolved ( nature for a fractured wing, for a lost aheep, for a breaking heart? What matters it to her tbat one less bird soars into the cm- 1 pyrean? that one less song greets the flush of dawn? Nay, what matters it ift'housands of songsters are swept off by a sudden storm, ( or that the passing of darkness into morn 1 comes without a note of joy, in awful still- i ness, or tbat all the sheep perish on the mountains, or that tbe noblest hearts break and no immortality beckons beyond the set- ] ting sun of time? "But Christ cares for tbe fractured wing, 1 for the lost sheep, for the breaking heart, for 1 every form of life, but most of all for the ] life of conscience and faith, for character. < And when he calls one by name and is ' beard, the factory, the mine, tbe prison has room enough for and light enough from tbe ' risen Christ and the eternal Spirit, and the J passions of tho Anarchist are exchanged for 1 peaceful obedience, for joyful dependence on < the divine Master. * i " 'And he leadeth them out,' out of the > mis-reading ot history that the mere con- I teuipl:?tion of caune and effect produce# into < the grateful, reverent recognition of the guidance of tbe divine Father: out at last of 1 the heart-brcakiugs and confused lights of a 1 brief, temporal scene, where we see in a ; glasn but darkly, into the steady serenity i and peacc of an eternal day." To be the ' i postles of evolution is to utter Hungering ; > humanity a stone for bread, but to preach . the Gospel of Christ is to {jive men the Bread of Life, of which if a man eat he shall live ! forever.? [N. Y. Observer. ' : AX INCIDENT IX THE LIFE OF MR. SPURGEOJT. 1 When I was a young child staving with ! my grandfather, there eame to preach in the village Mr. Kniil, who had been a missionary at St. Petersburg, and a mighty prcaclier of the gospel. He came to preach | for the London Missionary Society, and arrived on the Saturdaj before at the manse, lie was a great soul-winner, and he soon spied out the boy. He said to me, Where do you sleep, for I want to call. you up in the morning? I showed him my little room, j At six o'clock he called me up, and we went \ into that arbor. There, in the sweetest wiy, . he told me of the love of Jesus, and of the ; blessedness of trusting him and loving him j in our childhood. With many a storv he t-.j 4. rr., i...An preat'lieu io mtr. nc nut-ii uunuiu , that arbor and proved for me, with his arms about my ncck. ite did not seem content unless I kept with him in the interval between the services, and he heard my child! ish talk with patient love. On Monday morning be did as on the Sab1 bath, and again on Tuesday. Three times bfetaught mc md prayed with me, and , before he had to leave, my grandfather had j come back from the place where he had gone , to pteach, and all the family were gathered ^ for morning prayer. Then, in the presence of them all, Mr. Knill took me on his knee , ! aud said: '-This child will one day preach , the gospel, and he will preach it to great 5 multitudes. I am persuaded that he will preach it in the chapel of Rowland Hill, where I am now minister.'' He spoke very , j solemnly, and called upon all present to j witness what he said. I was made to prom- j ise that when Ipreiched in Rowland Hill i I chapel, tho hymn "God moves in a mysterious way" should be sung. Would it ever ! be other tliau an idle dream? Years Hew i { by. After I had begun for some time to j preach in London, Dr. Alexander Fletcher had to give the annual sermon to children ! in the Surrey chapel, but as he was taken ill, . I whs asked in a hurry to preach to the i children. Yes, I said, I will, it the children will sing "'God moves in a mysterious wav." i I have nvide; a promise long ago that that j should be sung. And so it was I preached ; in Dowland Hill chapel, and the hymn was sung. My emotions on that occasion I can- i not describe. Still that was not the? chapel I which Mr. Knill intended. All unsought bv me the minister at Woltonunderedire, which \vas_Mr. Hill's summer residence, invited me i to preach there. 1 went on condition that I I ?A..,r^n.nt;An oVinillil Cirii/ M ft Vf?Q in 1 IUC U'II^IVQUIIVI. umvm,? " -> vvx. .... a Mysterious Way," which was also doue. After that I went "to preach for Mr. Itiehard Knill himself, who was then at Chester. What a meeting we had! 'God moves in a mysterious way, Ilis wonders to perform." After more than 40 years I sat under that 1 arbor! Xo doubt it is a mere trifle forotheis < to hear, but to me it was an overwhelming j moment. The present minister of Stum- t bourne meeting house, and the members of his family, including his son and grand* i children,"were in the garden, and 1 could 1 not help calling them together around that ; arbor, while I praised the Lord for his good- i ness. One irresistible impulse was upon t me; it was to prav to God to bless those lads s that stood aroutnl me. Do you not see how s the memory begat the prayer? I wanted 1 them to remember when they grew up. my : testimony of God's goodness to me, and for < that same reason I tell it to you voutig peo- t pie who are around me this" mo/ning. Remember that special promise. "I love them ' that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me." t t G An Egyptian soytlio, recently un- t earthed, is exhibited among the aiitiij- | uities in tho private museum of Flin- j dors Petrie, in London. Tho shaft of ( tho instrument is wood, supporting a j i <iinf oawa whifih are securely t comentcil into it. Thin discovory will sot at ro.st tlio speculations which have been made as to how the crops of the land were gatheroil in the Hint and I early oopper age. It has loug been sus- i poeted that such an instrument as Mr. 1 Petrie has brought to light was used, I but there was no direot evidence. i . mSs INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOB * > JANUARY 18. 4 Lesson Text: "God's Care of Elijah" ?Golden Text: I Kinga xvii. 1-10?Commentary, 1. "And Elijah the Tishbite, who was ot ;he inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab.9 3ixty years have passed since the kingdom ras divided. Six Kings have reigned over ' he ten tribes (Jeroboam, Nadab. Baasha, 21ah, Zimri. and Omri), each seeming to exhis predecessor in wickedness (xvi., 25, 10), ana all walking in the ways of Jeroboam, vho made Israel to sin (xiv., 16; xv., 3d, 30, 14; xvi, 19, 20), and now we have Ah&b, the teventh, the worst of all. the perfection of rnckedness (xvi., 38). "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor ain these years, but according to my word." 5Vo are here for the first time introduced to ' >n9 of the most wonderful men that ever > ived; a man who never died, who lives still, ind who is yet to come on earth again as a witness for God before Christ comee in power and glory . One of the only two mere nen from whom we have heard since they left tbe earth (Lake ix., 80, 81). Yet he was i man of like passion with us, but be lived ,, ilose to God in a day when God was little known. God had said that If Israel turned * iflide to serve and worship other gods He irould shut up the heaven that there should be norain(Deut u., 16. 17). Elijah was jealous for the glory of God, and prayed earnestly that God would do as He had said. If perchance His people would return to Sim (Jas. v., 17). God had evidently given him assurance of answer to bis nrtyer.hence this message to Ahab. c 2. "And the word of the Lord came unto bun, saying." There is nothing under the sun like "the word of the Lord." It *is pure, surd and unchanging like the' Lorn Himself. 3. "Hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan." "Get thee hence" teaches us that one who would live close to God must not tarry long with those who know Him not; just long euough to testify for Him and then be gone. "Turn thee" eastward" is suggestive of the sun rising, the _ V J morning for which we wait (II Sam. xxiii., t; Ps. xlix.. 14; xlvi.. 5 margin). "Hyde thyself" is the key to all trueeervice. It is suggestive of Paul's "Not I, ^rat Christ;" -3 "Not I, but the grace of God" (Gal. it, 20; I Cor. iv., 10). * -J 4. 'Thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." No earthly company, no dainty food; but "He shall dwell on high, his place of defense shall be the munitioos of the rocks, ? bread shall be given him. his waters shall be suvt" (Isa. xiriii., 10). J 5. "So he went and did according unto the ~ word of the Lord." Here is one man who is obedient; he questions not, but simply obeye. ' He is subject to the word of the Lord. V "< 6. "And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and oread and flesh V'*j in the evening; and he drank of the brook." He could sing the song of Hab. iif., 17,18, and say: "Though vineyard, field and flock all fail, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will - joy in, the God of my salyation 1" 7. "Andit came to pass, after a while, that i the brook dried ap, Because mere naa been ao rain In the land." The source of this brook was not unfailing; it waa dependent ' g upon the clouds, which empty their con tents uponr the earth. Elijah, however, de- V. pended neither upon the brook nor noon the - 'I Jouda, but upon Him who is far above all Barthly sources. 8. "And the word of the Lord came unto dim." God doee not forget those who trust in Him, nor is He ever too late with His presiding. Elijah saw the brook drying un iay by day, out so did his God whom he served. Just enough of the necessaries of * this life, and one day's supply at a time, * . keeps one very close to God, while an abundince is apt to .lead us to forget Him. 9. 4,Anse, get thee to Zarephath,. * '* < behold I have cBmmanded a widow woman thereto sustain thee." oung says that Zarepln'.th signifies "place of refining;" and ifChen.h signifies "cutting," as the word would soem to indicate, we can see the processes by which the Lord was fitting His servant for the great day on Carmel. Without the cutting and refining of Cherith and Zarephath he never would have been able to stand alone for God as he afterward did on Car- mel. - 10. "When he came to the gate of the city. behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks." It was quite a journey . .: from Cherith to Zerephath, but the journey '3 is not noticed. 11. "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand." As he came near to the city and saw this poor woman the Spirit must have whispered, "This is she." He asked her to brine him a drink a water, and Bs she was going ne asked her to bring also a little bread. Put yourself, it you can, in >5 his place. Think of a long and weary journey, your arrival at a strange city and such an one pointed out as your hostess. Have you been living near enough to God and ia , such close communion with Him that your heart fails not because of things seen and felt, but byHis grace you patiently endure as seeing rlim wno is umsioie ana quietiy rejoice in Him (Heb. si., ST; II Cor. iv., 16-18)? 12. "Asthe Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a bar* rel, and a little oil in a cruse." Behold the larder that is to sustain the prophet in this widow's home. By tha brook he had bread ind flesh twice a day; but now there is i 9eab, and only enough meal to make one las? cake for the woman and her son, after which bhey expect to die. The man who can stand this without faltering must have been well cut off from all reliance upon human resources. He who can see the hand of God in this kind of provision for him must have learned to live far above the clouds. 13. "And Elijah said unto her, Fear not> '-i> 20 and do as thou hast saidHe wavers not, Ee trembles not, he is not moved; "his heart s fixed, trusting in the Lord;" "he waits only jponGod; his expectation is from Him." 14. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth." It would seem from this that God had * told Elijah how He would provide in this case, viz., by a miraculous increase of the meal and oil from day to day; and this is told the widow for her encouragement, for she has nnt: hpon livinc at f!harith. and hn* not learned the secret of peace when cut off from seen resources. This meal and oil ' would make unleavened bread, symbol of the putting away of all evil (I Cor. v., 7, 8), for we cannot know the power of God unless we walk with Him in sincerity and truth. 15. "And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house did eat many days" (Margin: "A Cull year"). Here again is obedieaca ancf coiTiequent blessing. It was a poor time to take in a boarder, with not enough in the house for the present company. It seemecf to the disciples a poor time tb have 5990 hungry men around when five loaves and two fishes were all that the disciples had for themselves. But they learned, and this widow learned, that "there is that scatterith andyetincreasath" (Prov. xi., 24). Many ?re poor because they keep their little all for iheniselves. 10. "llie uarrei wi lutsai wasmu uuu, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to ;he word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah." This is the fourth time that we have met in this lessou the expression, "the word of the Lord." We called attention to it in the second verse, urging full subjection. Observe now its sure and complete fulfillment. Sot one word of God can ever fail (Josh, cxiii., 14; I Kings viii., 56). In time and in jternity we shall find all just as He has said."?Lesson Helper. i Un*e of the remits oi the development of Africa will be an increase in ho supply of ivory. The annual laughter of tho elephant on the contilent at present reaches 65,000. The vorv moduct is worth $850,000. "With ;ho inllux of European capital and suterprise, it is to be supposed that ;he elephant will be exterminated, as ias boon oar American buffalo hero. A Michigan man to cure himself of | the opium habit smoked cloves until he 1 is a confirmed clove-smoker. There is Nf but one downward step left for him to bake and that is to contract the cigarette habit, . j T "J