The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, August 02, 1893, Image 7
| REV. DR. TALMAGE.
[THE BROOKLYN' DIVINE'S SUNDAY
SER3ION.
Subject: "Comfortfor Business Men.'*
( Text : "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusajtem."?Isaiah
xl.. 2.
! What an awful six weeks in commercial
circles! The crashing of banks from San
iPrancisco to New York and from ocean to
iosean. The complete uncertainty that has
Ihalted all styles of business for threo months
land the pressure of the money market for the
!last year have put all bargain makers at
itheir wits' end. Some of the best men in
the land have -falterod?men whose hearts
tare enlisted in every good work and
whose hands have blessed every great
teharity. The church of God c^n afford to
* . [extend to them her sympathies and plead bejfore
heaven with all availing prayer. The
W schools such men have established, the
lohurches they have built, the asylums and
i (beneficent institutions they have fostered,
Ell be their eulogy long after their banking
ititutions are forgotten.
| 8uch men can never fail. They hive their
[treasures in banks that never break and will
jbe millionaires forever. The stringency of
the money market, I am glad to say, begins
(to relax. May the wisdom of Almighty God
(ooma down upon our National legislature at
their convening next month in Washington
land suoh results be reached as shall restore
foonfldence and revive trade and multiply
[prosperities! Yet not only now in the time
of financial disaster, but all through life, our
active business people have a struggle, and I
think it will "be. appropriate and useful for
me to talk about their trials and try to offer
pome curative prescHptions.
i In the first place, I have to remark that a
jgreat many or our business men feel ruinous
,trials and temptations coming to them from
Ismail and limited capital in business. It is
Everywhere understood that it takes now
three or four times as much to do business
yell as once it did. Once a few hundred doltlars
were turned into goods?the merohant
rwoiild be his own store sweeDer. his own
salesman, his own bookkeeper. He would
manage all the affairs himself, and everything
would be net profit. Wonderful
ohanges have come. Costly apparatus, extensive
advertising, exorbitant store rents,
heavy taxtation, expensive agencies, are
only parts of the demand made upon our
oommerolal men, and when they have found
themselves in such circumstances with small
ioapltal th^ have sometimes been tempted to
run against the rocks of moral and financial
i destruction.
hk I This temptation of limited capital has
9 k trulned men in two ways. Sometimes they
F ihave shrunk down under the temptation.
rThey have yielded the battle before tfte first
phot was fired. At the first hard gun they
purrendered. Their knees knocked togethef
jat the fall of the auctioneer's hamn.er. They
(blanched at the financial peril. They dl^
(not understand that there is such u thing a
(heroism in merchandise, and that there are
(W&terloos of the counter, and that a man
loan fight no braver battle with the sword than
|he can with the yardstick.
i Their souls melted in them because sugars
were up when they wanted to buy and down
when they wanted to sell and unsalable
goods were on the shelf and bad debts in
i their ledger. The gloom of their countenances
overshadowed even their dry goods
and groceries. Despondency, coming from
limited capital, blasted them. Others have
felt it in a different way. They have said .
"Here I have been trudging along. I have
been trying to be honest all these years. I
Lnd it is of no use. Now it is make or
fcreak."
The small craft that could have stood the
stream is put out beyond the lighthouse on
the great sea of speculation. 8tocks are the
(dice with whioh he gambles. He bought for
* few dollars vast tracts of western land.
purnc uiau at luc nooi itvrn^ vu a lai nvLutrStead
meets this gambler of fortune and is
persuaded to trade of? his estate here for lots
In a western city with large avenues and
oostly palaces and lake steamers smoking at
the wharves and rail trains coming down
(with lightning speed from every direction.
- There it is all on paper! The city has never
peen built nor the railroads constructed, but
everything points that way, and the tning
(Will be done as sure as you live. And that
Is the process by which many have been
tempted through limitation of capital into
labyrinths from which they could not be extricated.
I X would not want to chain honest enterprise.
I would not want to block up any of
the avenues for honest accumulation that
jopen before young men. On the contrary, I
jwould like to cheer them on and rejoice
When they reach the goal, but when there are
such multitudes of men going to ruin for
this life and the life that is to come through
fwrong notions of what are lawful spheres of
enterprise it is the duty of ministers of religion
and the friends of all young men to
.utter a plain, emphatic, unmistakable protest.
These are the Influences that drown
men in destruction and perdition.
I Again, a great many of our business men
are tempted to over-anxiety and care. You
know that nearly all commercial businesses
are overdone in this day. Smitten with the
love of quiclc Rain, our cities are crowded
With men reeolved to be rich at all hazards.
They do not care how money comes. Our
fbeet merchants are thrown into competition
/With men of more means and less conscience,
and If an opportunity of accumulation be neIgtected
one hour some one else picks it up.
From January to December thestrugglegoes
ion. Night gives no quiet to limbs tossing in
metleesness, nor to a brain that will not stop
Hunting. The dreams are harrowed by
imaginary loss and flashod with imaginary
gains. Even the Sabbath cannot dam back
the tide of anxiety, for this wave of worldliness
dashes clear over the churches and
leaves its foam on Bibles and prayer books.
Men who art living on salaries or by the
culture of the soil cannot understand the
wear and tear of body and mind to- which
L our merchants are subjected when they do
^ not know but that their livelihood and their
r Business nonor are dependent upon tne uncertainties
of the next hour. This excitement
of the brain, this corroding care of the
heart, this strain of effort that exhausts the
spirit, sends a great many of our best men in
midlife to the grave. They And
that Wall street docs not end at the East
Biver. It ends at Greenwood! Their life
dashed out against money safes. They go
with their store on their back. They trudge
like camels, sweating from AJeppo to Damascus.
Thev make their life a crucifixion.
Standing behind desks and counters, baulshed
from the fresh air, weighed down by
oarking oares, they are so many suicides.
Oh, I wish I could to-day rub out some of
these lines of care ; that I could lift some of
the burdens from the heart; that I could
give relaxation to some of these worn
muscles! It is time for you to begin to take
It a little easier. Do your best, and then
trust God for the rest. Do not tret. God
manages all the affairs of your life, and He
manages them for the best. Consider tho
lilies?they always have robes. Behold the
fowls of the air?they always have nests.
Take a long breath. Bethink betimes that
God did not make you a pack horse. Dig
yourselves out from among the hogsheads
and the shelves, and in the light of the holv
B&ODatn day resolve tnat you will give to the
Kinds your fears, and your frstfulnsss, and
vour distresses. You brousht nothing Inf-n.
the world, and it Is very certain you can
carry nothing out Having iood and
raimant, be therewith content.
The merchant came home from the store.
There had been great disaster there. He
opened the front door and said in the midst
BS of his family circle: "I am ruined. Evm
erythlng is gone. I am all ruined!" His
wife said, "lam left," and the little child
throw up its hands and said, -'Papa. I am
here." The aged grandmother seated in the
room said, "Then you have all the promises
" Of God beside, John." And he burst into
tears and said : ''God torgive mo that I have
P been so ungratsful. I find I havo a graat
many things leit. God forgive me."
Again, I remark that many of our business
men are tempted to neglest their homo duties.
, How often it is that the store and the home
?eem to clash, but there oueht not to be any
collision. It is often the case that the father
Is the mere treasurer of the faintly, a sort of
agent to see that they have dry goods and
grocorios. The work of family government
fie does not touch, Once or twice in a year
he calls the children up on a Sabbath afternoon
when he has a half hour he does not
exactly know what to do with, and in that
half hoar he disciplines the children and
chides them and corrects their faults and
gives them a great deal of good advice, and
then wonders all the rest of the year that his
ohlldren do not do better when they have the
wonderful advantage of that semi-annual
oaatteatlon.
Tne family table, which ought to bo the !
place lor pleasant discussion and cheertul- 1
ness. often becomes the place of perilous expedition.
If there be any blessing asked at
all, it is cut off at both ends, and with the
hand on the carving knife. He counts on
his lingers, making estimates in the Interstices
of the repast. The work done, the hat
goes to the head, and he starts down the
street, and before th<? family has risen from j1
the table he has bundled up another bundle "
of goods and says to the customer, "Any- [j
thing more I can do for you to-day, air?"
A man has more responsibilities than those m
which are discharged by putting competent
Instructors over his children and giving A
them a drawing master and music teacher. .1
The physical culture of the child will not be
attended to unless the father looks to it. He 0
must sometimes lose his dignity. He must k
unlimber his joints. He must sometimes ^
lead them out to their sports and games, ri
The parent who cannot forget the severe du- bi
ties of life sometimes to fly the kite, and w
trundle the hoop, and chase the ball, and t<
jump the rope with his children ought never fc
to have been tempted out of a crusty and un- u
redeemable solitariness. e:
If you want to keep your children away si
from places of sin, you can only do it by w
making your home attractive. You may w
preach sermons and advocate reforms and ft
denounce wlokedness, and yet your children p
will be captivated by the glitterinj saloon of i
sin unless you can make your home a si
brighter place than any other plaoe on earth
to them. Oh, gather all charms into your
house! If you can afford it bring books and al
pictures and cheerful entertainments to the 0,
household. But, above all, teach those ohil- jt
dren, not by half an hour twice a year on the r(
Sabbath day, but day after day, and every ^
day teach them that religion is a great glad- w
ness that throws ohain3 of gold about the di
neck; that it takes no spring from the foot, ai
no blitheness from the heart, no sparkle from tt
the eye, no ring from the laugilter, but that pj
"her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all s\
her paths are peace." a,
I sympathize with the work being done in 3?
many of our cities by which beautiful rooms s,
are set apart by our Young Men's Christian
Associations, and I pray God to prosper them [
in all things. But, I tell you, there is some- q
thing back of that and before that. We need
more happy, consecrated, cheerful Christian
homes in America. 5,
Have vou ever ciDhered ont in the rule of
loss and gain the sum, "What shall It profit 3j
a man If he gain the whole world and lose tj,
his soul?" However fine your apparel, the rc
winds of death will flutter it like rags.
Homespun and a tnreadbare coat have some- ^
times been the shadow of coming robes m
made white in the blood of the Lamb. The
pearl of great price is worth more than any a
gem you can bring from the ocean, than A ustralian
or Brazilian mines strung in one car- ^
canet. Seek after God, And His righteous- ?c
ness, and all shall be well here; all shall be
well hereafter.
But I must have a word with those who
during the present commercial calamities
have lost heavily, or perhaps lost all their
estate. If a man lose bis property at 30 or 40
years of age. it is only a sharp discipline gen- a:
erally by which later ho comes to larger sue- vi
cess. It is all folly for a man to sit down in
midlife discouraged. The marshals of w
Napoloon came to their commander and tb
said, "We have lost the battle and we
are being cut to pieces." Napoleon took "]
his watch from his pocket and said: "It tb
is only 2 o'clock in the afternoon. You have <sc
lost that battle, but you hava time enough in
to win another. Charge upon the foe!" m
Though the meridian of life has passed
with you and you have been routed in many
a conflict, jjive not up in dlsoouragement.
There are victories yet for you to gain. But
sometimes monetary disaster comes to a J11
man when there is something in his age or
something in his health or something in his
surroundings which make him know well th
that he will never pet up again.
In 1857 it was estimated that for many al
years previous to that time annually there .
had been 30,000 failures in the United States. P?
Many of those persons never recovered from 01
the misfortune. But let me give a word of j"
comfort in passing. The sheriff may sell you dc
out of many things, but there are some Bl
things of which he oannot sell you out. He ai
cannot sell out your health. He cannot sell to
out your family. He cannot sell out your c0
Bible. He cannot sell out your God. He J"
cannot sell out your heaven. You have more
than you have lost.
Sons and daughters of God, children of an
eternal and all loving Father, mourn not
when your property goes. The world is
yours, and life is youra, and death is yours, w
and immortality is yours, and thrones of im- \y
poiiai ^iquucui aio juu.it), auu xxvoio vi
gladness are yours, and shining mansions ,u
are yours, and God is yours. The eternal
God has sworn it, and every time you doubt ja
it you charge the King of heaven and earth m
with perjury. Instead of complaining how fri
hard you have it, go home, take up your m
Bible full of promises, get down on your u,
knees before God and thank Him for what ^
you have instead of spending so much time fr
lh complaining about what you have not.
Some of you remember the shipwreck of ^
the Central America. This noble steamer
had, I think, about 600 passengers aboard.
Suddenly the storm came, and the surges ro
trampled the decks and swung into the ^i
hatches, and there went up a hundred voiced ^
death shriek. The foam on the jaw of the ^
wave; the pitching of the steamer as though ^
it were leaping a mountain ; the dismal flare w]
of the signal rockets; the long cough of the 0I
steam pipes; the hiss of the extinguished 0;
furnaces; the walking of God on the wave!
The steamer went not down without a Struggle.
al'
As the passengers stationed themselves in
rows to bale out the vessel, hark to the ,
thump of the buokets as men unused to toil, ^
with blistered hands and strained muscle, t
tug for their lives. There is a sail seen
tkucW Tka fl.iah nf
<??aiixok oa;, Xiao uwu v*. vuo uwucoa
gun is sounded. Its voice is heard not, for
it is choked in the louder boomiug of the sea.
A few passengers escaped, but the steamer
gave one great lurch and was gone! 80
there are some men who sail on prosperously of
in life. All's well, all's well. But at last wi
. some financial disaster cornea?a euroclydon. tr
Down they go ! the bottom of this commercial
sea strewn with shattered hulks. fe
But because your property goes do not th
let your soul go. Though all else perish, fo
save that, for 1 have to tell you of a more th
stupendous shipwreck than tha? which I w
have just mentioned. God launched this ti<
world 6000 years ago. It has been going on th
under freight of mountains and immortals, be
but one day it will stagger at the cry of Are. w
The timbers of rock will burn, the mountains pi
flame like masts and the clouds like sails in nc
the judgment hurricane. Then God shall at
take the passengers oft the deck, and from hi
the berths those who have long been asleep m
in Jesus, and He will set them far beyond fr
the reach of storm and peril. w
But how many shall go down? That will se
never bo known until it shall be announced w
one day in heaven?the shipwreck of a world.
Oh, my dear hearers, whatever you lose,
though your houses go, though your lands
go, though all your earthlv possessions perish,
may Almighty God, through the blood of
the everlasting covenant, save all your souls. yp
h<
A Detkoiter possessed of the idea e\
th .t he was a sleuth of the class iu
which Vidocq made his great fame, w
went to Chicago, and succeeded in jf*
having his name placed on the list of
Columbian Guards. He was bright te
and full of business. He thought
very well of himself, and as a result e
of all these considerations he was ^
made a detective. This sudden ele- w
vation of a tyro to the position of a lo
full-tledgfd thief-catcher suggested to 10
the light-fingered gentry that their
ability was being under-estimated bj
ihe management, and they proceeded y]
to show just how much of a "fly cop" tb
the man from Detroit was. They [j]
robbed him twice in rapid succession, |><
and then at rather brief intervals until
he really began to wonder whether
he was enough of a detective to keep
his uniform from being stolen off his
person in broad daylight. lie has entirely
revised his opinion of himself
as a sleuth-hound and is deluging his
friends at home with requests to get ci
him a job as a street-car driver.
b
"Ded the wholo company rise and
drink Howler's health?" "He didn't
say, but I guess they did, for he isn't je
able to sit up tt1 U morning."?later .
Ocean. - - - m
RELIGIOUS READING.
THE CHILDREN'S OOSrKL.
Louise Chandler Moulton, in an .article m
Childhood," says: "I thick my first real
isson in the true spirit of human brotherood
came from a lady who weut long ago to
er reward. There were no factories in the
laco where I lived, no crowded tenements,
o starving poor, but there was a certain
mount of poverty and of ignorance, and
lore was in this place a lady?the richest
idy in all the country, so I heard the people
ly?and I watched her comings and goings
ith a sort of a romantic eageress.
She used to drive about, al[
ver tho bi# sparsely settled township, in a
ttle open wagon, and in that wagon were
ooks for children who had no home libraes,
dainties for sick people, toys for fretful
abies, whose mothers had their own houseork
to do. And this rich lady?who seemed
> my childish eyes a sort oi Goddess of good
irttine?never iudulged herself in any luxry.
Fashion for her was as if it did not
?cist- She wore a simple cotton gown in
immer, an equally simple woolen one in
inter, and she went on her errands of mercy
ith a sunbonnet shading her sweet face
om tho hot suns of June, or a warm hood
rotecting her ears from the blast of January,
don't know that I ever said to myself, "Of
ich is the kingdom of heaven," t>ut I surely
ilt it.
One dav I was sent to her house on a
ight commission for my mother. She was
ut, as usual, but her housekeeper, diacernig,
I suppose, ia my face something of the
sverence with which I regarded her mistress
sked me suddenly, ''Do you want to see
here she prays?" and thereupon opened the
Dor of a room almost as simple as a monk's,
ad pointed to a couch where I could see
le impression of a head bowed in
rayer. ''There," she said, ''is where
>e kneels." The housekeeper was called
way, and shyly, and almost as if it were a
icriloge I was committing, I kneeled in the
>ot where the Lady of Heaven, as I called
sr in my thoughts, was wont to pray, and
said a hurried prayer that T. might, with
od's help, walk in the holy way she trod. I
?d been taken to church all my life, I had
sard prayers enough and sermons enough,
it I do not remembor that any ono
f tham had ever moved me to a
ngle thrill of spiritual longing and aspiraon
such as I experienced in that hushed
>om, where she was wont to kneel, whose
lily life seemed to me more than prayer or
>rmon..... There is no truth in the world
ore solemn than that our lives are the gosjl
of our children, a gospel that outweighs
thousand-fold any teaching with which our
ps contradict it. Put on what deft dislises
we may, the thing we are is apparent
the young eyes that watch us so unoeasgly.[?Message
and Deaconess World.
THS BLOTTED PAOE.
The writing master entered the class room
id passed from one pupil to another to re
OW LUU UUH UO lliiu W3L UVIUIO UICUI.
He paused before the new comer; the page
as blotted, scratched, and disfigured with
ie stain of many tears.
"Master," said the boy in trembling accents,
[ have labored in vain; my hand is crippled j
iere is no resemblance between these crook1
lines and the model I have endeavored to
litate; but, master, pity me, for I have done
y best."
By his side sat his companion.
"Behold my page!" he exolaimed.
"It is fair and clean, unsullied by a bio*.,
ltouched by an ungainly mark. Oh, masr,
in my wisdom I forbore to incur your
spleasure. Is not a blank page preferable to
e tear-stained, misshapen attempts of a
ippled hand that can not and never will be
>le to make a fair copy?"
The master threw aside the clean white
ige without vouchsafing to cast a glance upi
it, but he leaned with nfinite compassion
id tenderness toward the pupil who had
>ne his best; gently he took his hand ' and
lided it over the lines, with words of love
id encouragement?and the humble pupil
ok courage and rejoiced whilst his idle
mpanion looked upon his (air white page,
id saw its brightness overshadowed by the
spleasure of his master.?[N. Y. Observer.
THE HKLPINO HAND.
I shall never foreet the feelines I had onc?
ben climbing one of the pyramids of Egypt,
hen half way up, my strength failing. I
ared 1 should never be able to reach the
mmit or get back a^ain. I well remember
e help given by Arab hands, drawing me on
rther; and the step I could not quite make
yself, because too great for my wearied
ame, the little help given me?sometimes
ore and sometimes less?enabled me to go
>, step by step, stop by 3tep, until at last I
ached the top. and had a grand outlook
om that lofty height
And so in life's journey, we are climbing,
e are feeble. Every one of us, now and
en, needs a little help; and if we have
sen a step higher than some other, let ns
ach down for our brother's hand, and help
m to stand beside us. And thus joined
ind in hand, we shall go on conquering,
up by step, until the glorious eminence shall
) gained. Ah. how many need help in this
Drld?poor afflicted ones; poor sorrowing
tea; poor tempted ones, who have been
ercome, who have been struggling, not
lite able to get up the step;' trying, falling;
ying, falling; trying, desponding; hoping,
most despairing! Oh, give such a one help,
little kindly aid, and the step may be taken;
id, instead of dying in wretchedness at tho
ise, he may, by a brother's hand, be raised
safety, and finally to glory.?[Bishop Simp
n, in limes 01 fteiresmng.
mr
HCRRIED, WORRIED, WKAUIRD.
Worry is a token of weakness and a cause
weariness. There is a calmness in strength;
aakness struggles and exhausts itself in
uitless efforts.
Probably nothing tires one so much as
eling hurried. When in the early morning
e day's affairs press on one's attention berehand,
and there comes the wonder how in
o world everything is to be accomplished,
hen every interruption is received impaintly.
and the clock is watched in distress iis
e moments tlit past, then the mind tires the
>dy. We are wrong to drive ourselves with
hip and spur in this way. Each of us is
omised strength for the day, and we must
)t wear ourselves out. If only we keep cool
id calm, we shall be less wearied when wo
ive reached the eventide. The children
ay bo fractious, the'servants trying, the
iend wo lovo may fail to visit us, the lotter
e expect may not arrive; but if wecanprerve
our tranquillity of soul and demeanor,
e shall get through everythiug creditably."
"He that believeth shall not make haste."
The story of grace has a beginning, but
ace itself has none. We cann "t lovo a
i..J Ull ?/> I... U/>n,l ln,,a. K,,t H.J.
1UUU, tlAi yy iuno II II icuu ly wub mo
'art which loves bus throbbed within us
?er since we breathed. We cannot weep
,-er the dead, till there are the dead to weep
. er; but the soul that feels and the eye that
eeps were not created by the sight of death,
was the night of the multitudes that awoke
le compassion of Jesus; it was the tight of
le city that broko up the fountain of his
are; but the tender spirit that commiserates
iffering was his always. Ho it was the sight
! sinning, suffering man, that called forth in
den the grace of God; but the grace itself
id been there during all the infinite past
was only waiting for an object towarda
hieh it might flow out; and now, like a
ng pent-up river, it burst forth in strength
i overflow the earth. ?Rev .H. Bonar.
If so be that you know much of the Holy
[>irit and he, as the Holy Spirit, openeth to
?u the things of the Father and the Son,
ten you are walking in light that is noar to
le holiest of all; for he comes to show us all
lings, and you shall soon learn what it is to
arfeot holiuetis in the fear of God.
"Things are coming my way at
st," murmured Hamphat, the tra;dian,
as he dodged a deceased cat
id received an ancient egg in the
ght ear.?Philadelphia Record.
"Do you tnink a porous plaster can
ire him from stuttering?" Doctor
-Yes; when he comes to take It off
e wilJ swear without stopping.?
Qter Ocean.
That graduate from school or col>ge
has learned most who best realms
how much knowledge U yet to be
squired.
SABBATH 8CH00L.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST 6.
Lesson Text "Paul at Miletus,"
Acts xx., 22-35 ? Goldea
Text. Heb. xlil., 7
?Commentary.
22. ''And now behold, I go boitnd In the
spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things
that shall befall me thera."List week ws left
Paul at Ephesus alone, his companions having
gone to Macedonia. Then followed the
uproar, after which Paul left Macedonia,
went as far as Greece, tarried there three
. months, then returnea tnrougn aiaceaouiB,
and w? now find him at Miletus on his way J
to Jerusalem, hastening to be there if possi- <
ble by Pentecost (verse 16). Touching at
Miletus on their homeward voyage, he sent
to Ephesus to have the elders come down to
him, and our lesson to-day is his farewell to
them. Ha reminds them of his manner of
life among theih and of his teaching. Doing
must precede teaching. See Math, v., 19;
Actsi., 1; Marie vi., 30, Josh, i., Ifc
vii.. 10.
23. "Save that^the Holy Ghost witnesseth
in every city, saying bonds and afflictions
abide me." While he did not know what
particular events might befall him, he had a
general knowledge that it would be as itliad
been, and even so to the end. It was in his
commission that he should suffer (Acts lx.,
16), and large foretastes had he already in
the stoning at Lystra and the scouring and
imprisonment at PhilippL
24. '-But none of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself, so
that I might finish my course with joy."
The ambitions of this servant of Christ may
be seen in such passages as this in connection
with I Cor. ii., 2; II Cor. v.. 9 ; Phil. L,
20, Gal. vi., 14. To make known the gospel
of grace, to make Christ known through
these bodies, to be in all things pleasing
unto Him and have his service accepted of j
Him, these were his constant aim, and in
these directions he exhorted his son TimcA
thy (H Tim. ii.. 3; iv., 15), and through his
writings exhorts all believers.
25. "And now, behold, I know that yo all
among whom I have gone praaching the
kingdom of God, shall see my faoe no more."
In some way he knew that he would not
meet them again till he should meet them at
the judgment seat of Christy and therefore
he would speak to them thtf more earnestly
and waste no time on vatn words. If when
we speak to people, even in ordinary con*
versation, we felt that we might not meet
lr? fKla urnrlH twA tpnnlrl hft mnrfl
feuoiu a^nm IU nvk*u. n? ?w...
apt to say something about Jesus and things
eternal.
26. ''Wherefore I take you to record this
day that I am pure from the blood of all
men," not only In the sense of having
wronged, corrupted or defrauded no man
(II Cor. vii. 2), but he had oleared himself
of all responsibility in reference to their
soul's salvation. If we, as the messengers of
God faithfully declare His messages of salvation,
then we are dear of the blood of
those who hear, whether they believe or not.
See Ezek. iii, 7 9 xxxiii.; 17-19.
27. "For I have not shunned to declare
unto you all the counsel of God." That
which he had received of the Lord he had
made known unto them without diminishing
a word (I Cor. xv. 3 Jer. xxvi.. 2). He had
kept back nothin?-(verse 20) through fear of
man. He believed in his heart that it his
was to please men he was not worthy to be
called a servant of Christ (Gal. i.. 10). So
he lived and labored not as pleasing men.
but God. who trleth our hearts (I Thess. ii..
4). What a needful word this is, "He that
hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully"
(Jer. xxlii.. 28).
28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
unost nam mtwe you uYoreww, iu mo
churoh of God, which He hath purchased
with His own blood." One of the risen
Christ's last words to Peter was a threefold
exhortation to feed His sheep and lambs
(John xxi. 15, 17), and Peter passes It on to
us, saying. "Peed the flock of God which is
among you" (I Pet. v., 2). Nothing can feed
us but the word of God. The written word
is full of Him who is the living word, and He
Himself said, "He that euteth Me, even he
shall live by Me" (John vi., 57).
29. "For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among
you, not sparing the flock." It was Paul's
delight to maintain himself by his own labor
that he might haveto giveto the needy things
temporal and spiritual. But there were and
there are those who, professing to be shepherds,
not only do not feed the flock, but
take good care to live upon the flook?wolvee
in sheep's clothing (Math, vii., 15, 16).
30. "Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciple# after them." It Is one thing for a
man to be accused of drawing people after
him, while his whole aim is to point them to
Jesus (I Cor. lii., 4, 5). It is quite another
matter for a man to live and labor for the
sake of a following (Acts v., 36, 37).
31. "Therefore watch and remember that
by the space of three years I ceased not to
warn every one night and day with tears."
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and
scatter the sheep of My pasturage, saith the
Lord (Jer. xxiii., 1). See also Ezek. xxilv.,
2. Prayerfully, tearfully and unceasingly
had Paul labored for their souls' welfare, and
as he foresaw the possibility of false teachers
and souls ruined and lost his heart was
I prrieved.
32. "And now. brethren, I commend you
to God and to the word of His grace, which
is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance
among all tnern which are sanctified."
He knew that If they would only hold
fast to the word of God they would not waver
nor be led astray. The only safety then and
now is "to the l#w nnd to the testimony. If
they speak not according to this word, surely
there is no morning for them" (Iaa. viii., 20,
It. V.).
33. "I liave coveted no man's silver or
gold or apparel." He was not seeking theirs,
but them. He wanted nothing from them,
but he hud something to give them. Though
he was poor, yet he made many rich ; though
he seemed to nave nothing, yet he possessed
all things (I Cor. vi. 10). When any gave
him gifts, he was especially glad for them,
because it was just so much added to their
account in heaven.
33. "Yea. ye yourselves know that these
hands have ministered uuto my necessities
and to them that were with me." Therefore
when the false teachers would come, seeking
theirs and not them, only wanting to make
rtometblng out ot tnem. not caring iur iu??r
souls, they could say "Thus did not Paul.
He never asked us for anything for himself."
See further instruction upon this point in II
Thesa. ili.. 9.
35. "I have showed you all things, how
that jo laboring ye ought to support the
weak, and to remember the words of the
Lord Jesus, how He said, It Is more blessed
r'? give thun to receive." It is not recorded
:hat Jesus ever said just thesa words, so that
jossibly Paul has here given us some oi the
inrecorded words of Jesus. This principle,
lowever was certainly hi His teaching and
vwry prominent (Luke vl.. 30 . xiv , 13, 14).?
L,easou H0'"-'
A sTonr is told by the New York
Times of a certain young New York
woman, who was recently abroad,
and while walking oat in Dresden
one day the stolidity of the soldier
sentinels, pacing back and forth like
automata, attracted her notice. A
sudden impulse seized her to test this
cast-iron rigidity, and, waiting tili
one had passed, she slipped into his
little sentry-box. When he reached
it on his return, marching with
mcasurod precision, she suddenly
jumped out before him, crying "Boo!"
In Ilia vorv T'hr* soirllf>r was
completely upset at this most unexpected
performance and actually
dropped his rausket and ran away,
while the young woman, having thus
routed a portion of the German army,
walked on and demurely rejoined her
friends. The incident, it is said,
came to the ears of the Emperor himself,
who expressed a wish to meet
this extraordinary young woman, but
Miss admitted that her desire
did not equal his, as she was not sure
in quite what light her Jesting .impulse
would be officially regarded.
A "dkab, bwkbtthing"?the sugar
?ruat?Philadelphia Record.
KEEP THE CHICKS DBY. 8
Look out for showers, especially for
the young broods. Not a few chickens a
are lost every year by reason of becoming
drenched with rain. A coop 0
with a tight roof and a bottom raised '
a short distance above the ground, low 8
enough to be easily accessible to the cchickens,
so placed that the rain can- *
in 1 a all fViaf ia J
Given suoh a coop, and warm rain will
not injure the chickens unless the storm 8
be a long continued one. ?American
Agriculturist. f
t
KEEP THE WEEDS DOWN. t
Tt is estimated that weeds draw so 6
much nutriment from the earth that s
the same amount represented in vege- I
tables would be sufficient to supply the *
whole population of the country for '
one season. This may startle some of c
our readers, but we believe it to be I
true. This is the season when the ?
weeds begin to appear. The harder 1
you treat them the better it will be for 8
both you and the crops. Peter Hen- v
derson has aptly said that a man will v
hoe and rake over six times the surface 1
of the soil when the weeds are quite c
small than he would do if the weeds *
were six inohes higher, Keep all crops
clean and use the hoe with plenty of
muscle. Let the rake also come in 1
use.?American Farmer. 0
; a
CELEBY LEAP DISEASES. *
Investigations at the New York State c
station by S. A. Beach and C. E. Hunn t
show that when sprayed celery is
stripped and ready for market, that rj
the sprayed plants are no more poisop- ^
ous than the unsprayed. Thus copper
mixtures of the usual strength
may be used without fear of poisonous
results. Celery Septoria attacked the J
3eed as well as the foliage. The ex- *
periments indicate that strong Bordeaux
mixture (three pounds copper ^
sulphate, two pounds lime and twenty- t'
two gallons water) is to be preferred ^
for celery leaf spot. It is recom- g1
mended that diseased seed be rejected;
that plants be thoroughly treated with '
strong Bordeaux mixture in the seed
bed; that the treatment with Bor- Q
deaux be continued from transplant- ^
ing time to blanching time if there be ^
reason to expect attacks of leaf spot; x
and that the refuse of a diseased crop
be not allowed to rot on the ground if ^
it is expected to grow a crop of celery ^
there the following year.?American
Agriculturist.
HOW TO CULTIVATE CABBOTS.
Carrots may be profitably raised for ^
winter food for cattle. Horses fed on.
them will always be in good condition
and they will increase the flow of milk
whnn to nnfrn. Each horse or cow I
eats about twenty pounds a day, or f'
one and a half tons during the winter.
Carrots yield from twenty to thirty p
tons to the acre, and a fair crop can be
had even from poor land. The pro- ^
duce of one acre will therefore be
enough to feed twelve cattle through
the winter. Mellow land plowed deep 8
is the best for carrots. A dressing of
well rotted manure will greatly improve
the orop. c
The ground should be well harrowed v
before planting. The seeds, which
have been soaked for a few days, are b
covered with about an inch of soil e
and planted in rows twenty inches
apart, thinned to six inches apart in a
the row. These rows must be straight g
if a cultivator is to be used. Planting
may safely continue as late as the 10th e
of June if the seed has been properly 1
prepared by soaking. The digging is
done by running a turning plow close
to the row, always throwing the furrow ?.
away from the carrots. They are
pulled, the tops cut off, and then left
in the sun to dry. When they have h
dried two or three days they may be w
stored, either in a cellar or in pits,
like turnips.?Colman's Rural World, tl
ci
TOMATOE8. h
There is nothing which strikes a foreigner
more than the abundance of to- ai
matoes in this country. Great im- ri
provement in their culture has been 11
made in the last few years. The ground
Bhould be well turned up and heavily fi
manured, though the lighter covered ft!
varieties will succeed in almost any b
soil. Tomatoes allowed to trail on the
ground bear much more plentifully a;
than when prutied and trained to t* s<
trellis. The fruit on the latter plants, ai
however, is free from rot and larger,
and therefore brings better prices. An ^
insufficient amount of pollen will produce
misshapen, smaller fruit, with ^
fewer seeds, than where an exeess of
pollen is applied to the stigma. The .j
cultivation should be thorough At first ^
until the roots begin to spread, after
which it is only necessary to keep
down the weeds. For a late crop the
seed should be sowu between the 1st
and the 15th of June. A purple tomato f*
is the best for market purposes, as it 11
can be picked before it is quite ripe,
but the number of first-class varieties w
is now so great that each per3on must ci
be guided by individual preference. s(
One great enemy of the tomato is
the disease known as the tomato ai
HHrrht. The first svmntom of the dis- tn
O "" t t ? f 15
easo is the wilting of a single leaf near tl
a head, as though suffering from Ci
drought. The other leaves soon follow
suit, and the whole head wilts. The ^
death of the plant is then a mere ques- -g
tion of time. It is suggested that the ^
ground becomes contaminated with j Q(
bacteria, and that therefore tomatoes
should not be planted on any soil
where the plants showed signs of :e
blight the preceding year. It is also
advisable to destroy the vines by burn- r?
ing as soon as they show signs of dis- ei
ease.
As the tomato blight appears to be 111
the same as the potato blight, it is tl:
probable that the following recipo, dj
which has proved effective for the lat- C
tor disotiae. may also answer for the fr
forcer: Forty-five pounds of copper cc
I
riv
ulphate (blue stone) are inclosed in a ^
iag of coarse canvas and suspended in ^
, vessel of -water containing 220 gal- Yu
ons. In a separate vessel 22.5 pounds 8111
if ntiinHitmfl ova alaVoi^ Ktr Th
'A. I^UIVUIIIUV/ U1W 04t#ttV;\A KM J HUV4^U
rater and are passed through a fine ftre
ieve into the copper solution- This ev*
[uantity of the mixture should be
snough for one acre of land.?New
fork World.
int
UMMER CASE OF YOUNG FRUIT TBEBS. 8^C
The first season after the young ?*,
ruit tree has been transplanted from ^
he nursery to its permanent home in ,
he orchard is a critical period'in its ?
nistence, and it is hardly too much to .
ay that, on its growth during this
>eriod, depends, in a great measure, '
he future value of the tree, writes P18
,Vebb Donnell, in the American Agri- on
inlturist. If it receives a check at this ^ei
>oint in its career its full possible per- 1
ection will probably never be real- er
zed. Of course much of the first ?ea
eason's success or failure depends 0
ipon the care or carelessness with J*1
rhich the transplanting has beemdone *
n the spring, but still the summer ? a
are will have much to do in helping ,
he tree through the first season. !
The greatest danger the tree will
ncotinter is the scalding effect of
aidsunimer heat, and the weakening B 1
if its vitality by a drying of the earth waj
bout its roots. The first difficulty
rill be at least partially obviated, and
he latter almost wholly, by taking
are that the earth is made firm about P j
he roots when the tree is transplantd,
and kept thoroughly well mulched.
lire mulching should be spread on If"
hickly and as far out from the trunk ,,e
f the tree as the roots run, and if car- ^
ied considerably farther it will be all
he better, as the moist condition of "J*
he soil beyond the extremities of the e*^
oots will induce root growth.
Another care of summer is to be on , e
he lookout for the eggs of the apple UI
ree borer that may be deposited upon mo
he trunk, from which eggs, if not de- ?ep
broyed, will come a brood of larvae /,
apable of inflicting irreparable dam- j,
ge upon the tree. Another important ^
ummer care is tne cutting off at once '
f all branches that are not desirable m j
or the growing tree to possess, as in
his way much strength can be saved
o be expended in growth, where ^
rowth is desired. Care at all points
hroughout the season is amply repaid
y the orchard in after years. tor
wh:
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.
Pumpkins are excellent feed.' of ,
Sorghum will grow on any land' that a a
ill grow corn. Ion
Keep the summer stable clean and ^ .c
ree from all odors. . ^
fnr
Good clover hay is one of thft best . (
eeds for the dairy cow. . .
Currants and gooseberries are easily
ropagated from cuttings.
Shallow cultivation is easier for the sou
oraes and better for the corn. An<
Small quantities of oil-meal are con- a A
idered valuable as appetizers for the bar
wes. the
There is no "sure cure" for hog
holera, but cleanliness is a good preentive.
Timothy is a very valuable grass, con
ut in many sections it is sown too t^e
xclusively. ^
Excess of milk cannot be more profit- mei
bly disposed of than in feeding it to gun
rowing pigs. ' mai
It will pay to give a little grain rea
ach day to the cattle, even if they - ket
re on pasture. bag
When selecting a dairy cow look
ut for a hearty eater. She must eat a8?
; she milks well. ' ' ma'
A good pasture for low, wet and ^
eavy soils is redtop, especially if ^
hite clover is sown with it. u8e
If the fodder is going to be scarce
lis winter, part of the oats may be m0(
it while in the milk and cured as bus
ay- son
A cow should be judged by the wot
mount of butter fat her milk contains mo<
ither than by the amount of the hav
.ill. rir f
LUfW. The
Shropshires are noted for the per
ne quality of their wool and mutton, han
i they have quality and growth com- twe
ined. . sole
Work horses need a liberal allow- moJ
nee of grain during the working ma(
?ason, and a variety is far better than OCCl
ay one kind. raP
by
The farmer who keeps a good dairy
as a more constant source of income ^
ian one engaged in almost any other
ranch of farming. ^aQ
When the hives are moved again let me2
lem rest in the shade of some tree. but
lmost any kind of tree will be of ben- an<j
St in hot weather. glot
Never stand directly over the hive nett
hen working bees at this season, and, woo
possible, never open the hives dur- hou
lg the working period. foui
One ton of hay properly cured is
orth twice as much as if improperly m c
ired, and the extra labor required to ers
jcure a good article is very slight. ec^
During the summer three changes ,
nt alwf
rts UKUbSSttl V Wll/U PUCO|J yituvj ui ]jf(.
i>od pasturage, all the pure water ^
ley can drink and salt where they
m help themselves.
The right time to place on surplus j8 t
oxea is when the hive or lower story j3 e3
full, or nearly so. As long as the keej
ees have abundant room there is no pasi
eed of any surplus boxes. the <
The cost of production can be own
sseaed by having better cows, a Trit
etter milking season and a cheaper
ition. In realizing tho best profit A
rery advantage must be taken. facti
Use the best combs for the brood 0169
ist and the oldest and roughest near ara 1
le outside for storage. Do not allow weai
rone comb to remain in the hive exspt
the colonies you wish to breed ^
om. Cut it out and izwert workers' ^50,
>mb in its place. WW
HAMMOCKS,
kKING SUMMER COUCHES IS hi
YUCATAN INDUSTRY..
Itlvatlng the Sisal Hemp on PIaa-*
tatlons?How the Fibre fa Prepared
for Market?Pretty
Girls at Work.
7
DEOPLE who use Mexican hammock
perhaps would like tolearn
something about their
r" history previous to their aral
In the United States. To begia
;h just imagine yourself in a very
ge field in the famous peninsola of
catan, under a scorching midday
i, and not a tree anywhere near.1
is field and several adjacent one*
planted with "agave silalensis," an
srgreen succulent plant indigenotw
Yucatan. It grows well in stony s
1 and requires little care. Tha
k brown natives, perspiring in tho
ense heat, are removing the young
>ots which grow out from the roots ' '
the mature plant. These shoots
ich they call "sons," hare be?a
b to gather strength from the parent
,nt during one year; now they ax*
KA AlflAwlt 4A?I mi
UU nauo^iouifou CiDOTTUUlO vou \jm:
jive feet distant from eaoh other.
is space is necessary because whoa
tore the leaves are about five feci.
ig, and as they are tipped with
y sharp point, the laborers must
re room to pass between them. Afthree
years' growth the leaves aire
kdy to be cat; the plant continues
yield filament for about twelve
irs, after which it runs to seed and
) stems are utilized where they : ^
nd by planting beans there, so thai
! vines may twine about them. The
np plant is commonly called "hen??9n."
Another familiar name for it
"sisal hemp," beoause it used to bt*
pped from the port of Sisal, which t
9 afterwards abandoned for Pro!80,
from which place some $7,000,)
or $8,000,000 worth of the fibre ia
w exported every year, the greater
rt being landed in New York.
[n one field are found laborers roving
the young plants; in another,
nsplanting them; while in a third
iy are cutting mature leaves fromi'
stem and throwing them into
eelbarrowfl. Their implement is the
chete, a heavy steel blade nearlj
hteen inches long. The loaded bar?8
are wheeled to another part of i
plantation, where there is a large
tiding, in which, with machinery
ved by steam power, the filament is
arated from the green part' of the
I. mis ib inrown out to serve as
der as cattle, and they thrive on it. >%
vlao helps to enrioh the sofl^ but
Lie rotting it burdens the air with s
st unpleasant odor.
n the last few years the machinery
d for henequen has been improved
>n and its dangers somewhat obvia- ^
Accidents are therefore less
quent than formerly, but even yet m
rkman's hand or arm is occasionally
n off by being caught in the machine
ile feeding it with the leaves. The
ives have their own primitive ways
extracting the filament. They use
jraper of very hard wood, a foot
g and four inches wide. One end
larved to form a handle; the other, '
a and sharp, is scooped out in the
m of a crescent. There is a grove
the leaf.* This is placed on a round
ik, which is held obliquely. Wrtk
scraper the leaf is then split lengthe
in two or three parts, each beingf
eezed between stick and scraper.
)ther method is to place the leaf oa.
at board and scrape' it with a twoidled
wooden knife. Working thus,
most diligent man can obtain only
nty-five pounds of filament in a day.
ien these methods are employed the
:k is begun at midnight and aban-'
ied at sunrise, because the plant
.tains an acrid principle that, witb
heat of the day, blisters the skin.
liter the squeezing process the filar
at is spread on trestles out in tha
to dry and bleach. It it then
i'e up in bales of 300 or 400 pound*,
dy for export or for the home mar,
to be converted into hammocks,
^ and cordage. These are most
>ortant industries. Twenty year?
comparatively few hammocks were
le for exportation, but they were,
hey are yet, the only couoh used
oughout Yucatan. Beds are con;red
uncomfortable. The hammocks
d there cost from $2 to $30 each.
m came the demand for cheap haxn:ks
abroad, and the pretty girls and
:om matrons were set to making
lething very much coarser than tha
k they were accustomed to?ham;k^that
they themselves would not
e deigned to rest in?worth fifty
lixty cents when finished. An ex
t can make three or four of these
imocks a day, and receives about
Ive cents for each. The article ia
I ip New York for SI or a little
re. Formerly all the twine waa
le by hand; now this is only done
asioually. Men and boys twist it
idly. Colored hammocks are made
combining red, blue and yellow
ae, the dyes being obtained from
native woods.
f a hammock were made in Yucar
it is probably the work of a pretty
stiza (half-breed) girl. Barefooted,
jn flowing white cotton garments*
With her black hair smooth and
wy as a raven's wing, she stood
;ing the hammock on an upright
den frame. In the hut or outse
whore she worked were three or
: other members of the family,
1 with their frame and a hammock
ourse of construction. The workwere
cheerful, gentle and contentfor
they were earning their bread
making the best of everything,
tys looking at the bright side of
; such is their happy disposition.
1 the eastern part of the peninsula
.rticularly fine, soft hemp ia projd.
It is called "pita" and
10 highly appreciated that none
iported, the people of the country
nns; it for their own hammocks,
liouable young women of Merida,
capital, taue priue 111 neuing ineir
luxurious hammocks. ?New York
>une.
new England firm of shoe mauuurers
has twenty-two retail agenwhere
Bhoes purchased of thorn
shined free of coat as often as tho
rer desires.
is estimated that there are 62,?
000 horses-in the world, 195,150,*
cattle and 134,500,000 sheep. 4