The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, September 22, 1897, Image 7
BILLIONS OF STAMPS.
UNCLE SAM PRINTS AN ENORMOUS
NUMBER EACH YEAR.
All Kinds and Colors,'From the Pink TwoCenter
to the Lordly One HumlredDollttr
Stamp?How They Are Turned
Out by the Washington JSureau.
Uncle Sam makes and issues in the
course of a year postage anil other
stamps to the number of more than
four billions. The exact number for
the last year of which record is obtainable,
says the New York "World,
was 4,243,289,261. It is hard for the
human mind to realize the magnitude
of a sum as great as four billions. A
better idea, probably, can be obtained
of the size of the stamp output for a
year by the statement that if they were
pasted together, end for end, the strip
thus obtained would encircle the earth
seven times around at the equator.
There were all sorts and conditions
of stamps in this aggregate of four billions.
There were postage stamps,
from the humble little one-center and
the familiar pink two-center that every
one sees to 'the lordly one hundreddollar
stamp that lives an exclusive
life and never shows itself to the vulgar
herd. The latter is called a periodical
stamp. It is sold to the publishers
of periodicals, who present it
to the postmaster with so many pounds
of mail matter, aud the stamp is then
cancelled aud kept in a book. Over
ten thousand of these were pointed last
J Cttl .
There were about one hundred million
of the long green beer stamps used
in the internal revenue service, that
you see the barkeeper remove from
the bunghole when he taps a fresh keg.
There were about four hundred million
of the little green stamps that seal
the end of a cigarette box. There were
more than half a billion of tobacco
strip stamps, with countless millions
of other kinds. .
The everyday two-cent stamp, with
its cheerful pink color and mucilaginous
back, was printed to the numbeikof a
little more than two billions. If the
> magnitude of this number is difficult
to grasp, it is easy enough to measure
a two-cent stamp and figure for one's
self how mauy thousand miles those
il '
PRINTING INTERNAI
/ two billions would stretch if pasted end j
L to end.
I All of the stamps used by the United j
^ States are printed at Washington in ;
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
the same institution that turns
out the paper money of the Government.
Formerly they were made by
the bank note companies in New York,
but in 1893 Uncle Sam concluded that
as he was going into the printing
business very extensively at his capital
he might as well save the profits on j
the stamp making. The Bureau makes
the plates from which the stamps are j
printed, does the press work and |
mamif.af'fiippa ninoilaorA Onlv t.Vip i
paper ami the ink are purchased in
open market. This preparation of the j
mucilage is an art in itself, and is con- j
ducted upon purely hygienic principles,
for the benefit of the several '
billions of people who annually lick j
postage stamps.
The operation of the manufacture of!
postage stamps through the several
branches is an exceedingly interesting
one to follow. A small army of men
and young women, skilled artisans, are
employed in the work, and the great
red brick building on the banks of the
. Potomac under the shadow of the
Washington monument is a busy bee
hive for eight hours in the day.
The first step in the manufacture of
postage and revenue stamps is the
making of the plates from which they
are to be printed. The plate for the
ordinary two-cent stamp of everyday
use is a sheet of steel twenty-one
inches by about thirteen inches. The
engraver uses a sheet of soft steel upon
L I. - i.1- ? .1. * f r
wuiuu ue engraves me uesigu ui iour
hundred stamps.
L The custody of these plates, together
W v "with others, is confided to one man.
Erery afternoon the plates must be
A STAMP ENGRAVER.
accounted for arid locked in a vault. 1
Until the la^t plate is in no employe |
of the division is allowed to leave the '
building.
The plate now being finished, it is
sent to the pressroom. Some of the
I stamps are printed upon hand presses
and others upon revolving steam
[ presses. The day I visited the Bureau
the hand pressmen were working upon
INAAM ofnr>irMi TliOVtl U'OrO fu'tili + Tf
UCCi. 0VulU|/0. 1UV4V; " vt v tnvuij \ji
these upon a sheet, and the printer and
his assistant were enabled to turn out
from 700 to 800 sheets a day. The
prossman's assistant is always a young
girl, as c woman's deft touch in re
quire;l to handle the thin sheets of j
paper and place them accurately under
the press.
The paper upon which the stamps !
are printed is made especially for this !
PRESSING THE STAMP SHEETS.
purpose, aud every sheet of it is
counted. In fact, from the time the
paper enters the press.until it e nerges
a sheet of stamps in the storage rooms
it passes through fourteen divisions,
every one of which registers the sheet,
and these must tally as to totals at the
close of the day before an employe is
permitted to leave the building.
Every time the pressman runs a
plate through his machine he removes
it and reinks it. Upon this largely
depends the perfection of the impression.
After inking the plate he rubs
the surplus ink from the surface with
a brush. Then he passes his hands
over a cake of chalk and rubs the plate
briskly with his bare palms. This
cleans the exposed parts of the plate
thoroughly and leaves the ink in the
lines which are to convey the impression
to the paper. The printer soon
becomes a mass of ink from his hands
to his elbows, and sooner or later communicates
it to his face, as well as
daubing it over his apron. A carmine
colored ink is used in printing the twocent
stamps, and the pressroom has a
decidedly sanguinary appearance. The
young lady assistants average about
$1.25 a day, while the pressmen run
i REVENUE STAMPS.
frnm SJ. tn a rlnv in pnrnini? rtimarti t V.
- v ' o ?
Where the steam presses are used
four steel plates, each one printing
400 stamps, work upon an endless
chain passing in front of the pressman.
In this operation his duties are confined
to cleaning the plates with his
hands, as described above, the machinery
doing the inking and pressing.
He can press about seven sheets
every sixty seconds, and has two young
women to assist him, one to feed the
press and the other to remove the
sheets.
The sheets of stamps are now ready
to be gummed, perforated and divided.
After the ink has been dried and the
sheets pressed flat they are sent to
another room, where another gang
handle them. The gumming machine
is a simple apparatus which distributes
an even flow of mucilage upon the reverse
side of the stamp. It is done
automatically, so that there is no
waste ami no surplus of mucilage upon
any part of the sheet. The mucilage
is composed of glucose and dexterine,
mixed in stipulated quantities and absolutely
harmless.
"When the sheets are coated with
mucilage they pass upon an endless
chain through a steam chest about
sixty feet long, where they are subjected
to a temperature of about 135
degrees, coming out after several minxxtes
thoroughly dried. Then they go
to a hydraulic press to be pressed flat,
having become warped in the steam
chest. The sheets are are laid between
stiff cardboards and a stack of them
put into tho machine, where they are
subjected to a pressure of 5000 pounds
to the square inch. There are no
wrinkles left when they emerge from
this gentle squeezing.
Their next journey is to the perfora
ting machines, operated by skillful
young women. This is apparently a
simple piece of work, but it requires
close attention to feed the machine, so
that the perforating wheels run
straight down the spaces between the
stamps. Even with the utmost care
slips occur, and a row of stamps is
perforated down the middle. Every
spoiled sheet is preserved, however, to
be accounted for, and if so much as a
corner of a stamp is torn off it must be
patched on again, so as to present a
whole sheet to the next checker.
One of the most interesting places
in the building is the room where the
stamps are examined and counted. This
is an immense apartment, filled with
long tables, at which several scores of
young women are working. Piled
upon the tables in front of them are
stacks of ten dollar, fifty dollar or one
hundred dollar bills, government
bonds and sheets of stamps. A rustling
sound like the whisper of the
wind through a thousand trees fills the
room, as the counters rapidly turn the
bills and sheets, keeping a mental tab
upon the number, while their eyes,
trained to the utmost vigilance, seek
out imperfections in the printing.
I saw one young woman at work
counting and examining the stamps
whose record was from ten thousand
to twelve thousand sheets a day. Her
fingers seemed to fairly fly as she
lifted the sheets, and although it was
but a fraction of a second during
which the stamps passed under her
gaze, her quick eye would detect the
least imperfection, passing over two
hundred stamps in that time. For this
skillful and exacting work these young
. ifo
i
women are paid from $1.50 to ?2 per
(lav f
When the perfect sheets are thns as- J
sorted and counted, they pass to the 1.
storage vault, a firejjroof and airtight >
structure. The Bureau keeps a stock .
of about six hundred million stamps 1 ^
011 hand constantly. They are fur- j
nished to the Postoftice Department at
the rate of about twelve millions a day, i
upon requisition by the Third Assistant
Postmaster General. A steel
wagon, with padlocked doors and accompanied
by a guard of armed men,
conveys the stamps to the Postoffice
Department. This wagon is also used
to transport currency and bank notes
to the Treasury Department, and goes
trundling along the street with millions
of money inside of it.
KLONDIKE PALACE CARS.
First Effort to Put Reindeer to Use in
The rush to the Klondike has been
the means of establishing a novel
transportation line at Circle City,
Alaska. Twenty sturdy bucks have
been selected from the United States
Government reindeer herd at Teller's
Statioh and are now on their way to
the mining districts. This is the first
effort to press the reindeer into the
ALL ABOARD FOR THE KLONDIKE. (1
a
practical commercial service of the [
civilized American; heretofore the Eskimo
dog has been used in all expedi- j
tions through the Klondike country. [
That the reindeer possesses tremend- s
ous advantages over the Eskimo dog 3
is illustrated in the matter of their re? q
spective food. That of the dog must ^
be carried, while the reindeer paws the r
snow from the roots on which he subsists.?New
York World.
1
Wllllns: to Do Her Best. | ,
Several years ago when the famous ^
old siren whistle was blown so fre- (1
quently at the river mouth?no, not by }
the river mouth?a certain East End ?
family owned a cow. She was just a:a ^
ordinary cow in all respects, says the ! j
Cleveland Plain Dealer, save one. The I t,
siren whistle had a remarkable effect \ -j
upon her. Every blessed time the j ,j
whistle started in to wail and moan : j
that cow started up a vigorous series i l(
of moos. And the most curious fea- I
ture about it was that the cow's vocal !
effort ran up and down the scale in a !
fairlv close imitation of the whistle, j (
"Too-oo-oooo-ooo," would go the 3
siren. ^
' "Moo-oo-oooo-ooo," would go the 11
cow. ?
But there was always a wild cres- s
cendo shriek at the eud of the siren's ,(
effort that no cow?no matter how accomplished?could
hope to rival.. And 1
this cow?being a sensible and rather 11
phlegmatic animal?didn't attempt to. 1
But her efforts within reasonable limits }
never failed to arouse the hilarious at- *
tentions of the neighbors, and fre- 1
quently caused strangers to pause by "
the fence and listen open-mouthed to ^
the astonishing performance.
Houses Without Chimneys. >'
It is curious, though true, that of all )
the houses, dwellings, stores, hotels >i
and other buildings that dot the island
of Key West, Fla., from one shore
to the other, not one of them has a si
cliimnev or anvtbinir that will answer
the purpose of a chimney. Handsome j
residences and lowly hovels are alike I ;]
in this respect, and from an eminence j v
gazing out over acres of roofs on all ,]
sides one is struck with the want of i r
something to complete the symmetry : ^
of the picture. Wood and coal or fuel | \
of any kind are unknown quantities, j r.
as the tiopical atmosphere furnishes
all the heat required, and for cooking
purposes sticks of carbon are used,
which are sold by peddlers, who hawk
their wares about the streets.?Atlanta
Constitution.
A Woman Colonel.
Miss Lewis Butt is a colonel on the
staff of Governor Atkinson, of Georgia.
There is only one other woman colonel
in the United States, and that is Colonel
Nellie Ely, of Tennessee. During
the Civil War the dashing Confed.
erate cavalry leader appointed more
than one fair Virginian aide-de-camp <
011 his staff, and it is recorded that the
prettiest of them, a Fairfax girl, repaid
Stuart by marrying a Union officer.?New
York Journal.
PRINCE OF PICEONS. '
He Few 1000 Miles In Seventy-flve Houri
and Holds the World's llecord.
Pedro, the great homing pigeon
which broke the world's record for
1000 miles in his swift journey in the
air from New Orleans to Mishawaka,
Ind., is the pride of the Mishawaka ! j
Homing Club. Pedro's superb race j C
was made in seventy-five hours total, | v
or less than fifty hours of actual fly- j fc
ing. Carrier pigeons never work after i
? t
I
TEDISO, PRINCE OF CARRIERS.
dark. Pedro is a pretty red pigeon,
is three years old; and is owned by a
Secretary Tallens, of the club. Pedro ! [_
is a brother of Lulu, the winner of ?
the 500-mile race in Mississippi. Both D
are imported birds. When Pedro ar- j
rived at Mishawaka he flew straight to f
his loft, seeming none the worse for [
the journey. t
During the year 1896 dead dogs to
the number of 10,002 wer? taken out
of Chicago. . ? ...? - i
- ; :7gp*r'' -
M niun w?it? luvvcn.
s 102 Feet High and Huh a Capacity <
2000 Gallons.
TLe towns of the plain districts at
orced to resort to various expedient
o obtain a suitable pressure for th
listribution of their water supply. A
WARREN (ILL.) WATER TOWER.
Varren, 111., the water supply is dis
ributecl according to the Engineerin
Jews, from a water tower of masonr
02 feet high from the water table t
he bottom of the tank. The masonr
s founded on solid rock about twelv
r thirteen feet below the water table
Lt the level of the water table th
r'alh are four feet thick, and from thi
liey decrease with a uniform taper t
thickness of two feet at the top. Th
lasonry is of limestone laid in cemen
lortar. The tank is made of re<
jouisiana cypress and is twenty-foil
jet high and twenty-one feet in dia
leter, with a capacity of 2000 gallons
'he standpipe which supplies 1;h
ater to the mains is ten inches ii
iamjter and is connected with th
ottom of the tank with an expansioi
>int and a balance float valve. This
alve automatically shuts off the wake
hen the vank is full.
Water is pumped to the tower fron
deep well located in the brick power
oust' about sixty fuet away. Thi
rell is about 800 f^et deep. Th
^ater is lifted from the well to the to]
f the tower without relian&ling
Iveni.ually the water will be discharge!
ito ,1 reservoir, where it will b
andled by another pump for firi
ervice, but in the meantime a ver;
lir pressure is had direct from th
ink, which is elevated some forty o
fty f set above the larger part of t'n
>wn.
"Out of Soils."
Many common expressions are o
'gitiiaate parentage, although mos
eoplo believe that they spring up lik<
'opay. The printing craft, for in
tance, originated several very popa
tr sayings. Take the case of a mai
ho is "out of sorte." In a hand
Dmposition printing office the wort
sorts" applies to the letters anc
larks which should be in the typ<
ig. A man who, in the days befori
le coming of linotype machines
>und his "e" box barren or his com
la box desolate and bankrupt wai
lid to be out of those particular sorts
iy his profanity the calamity wai
lade known, and by his impatient re
larks to this day is the man who i
ut of sorts known, whether he is (
anker or a policeman.?Chicago Rec
rd.
A COUNTESS CREATES A STIR.
be Declared That Dancing Has Degeii
erated Into a Graceless Romp.
The Countess of Ancaster, who ha
reated a great stir in the fashionabl
orld of London by her declaratioi
lat dancing has degenerated into
raceless romp, is the wife of Lor<
7illoughby de Eresby, the Baron o
.veland. The Countess' daughter
Ivelyn Clementina, is married to Ma
COUNTESS OP ANCASTEB.
or-General Sir Henry Ewart, th
Jueen's equerry. This fact and th
ery high social position of the Cour
ess herself, give more than ordinar
mportance to her opinions upon ma
era cor.cerning society, and dancin
s certainly one of these.
IVftles Lilrennfd to Oivo PIU?.
The Prince of Wales, at the la:
neeting of the Royal College of Phi
icians, having been solemnly electe
, member of that augu3t body, froi
low on has the right to commenc
nailinnl nrantlAO ill fllA TTnitml TCitlf
1" ? C
lom wilhout any interference on til
>art of i;he authorities. It is hardl
lecessary to say that England's fntnr
;ing understands little or notliin
,bout medicine, and that his doctorshi
if medicine as well as his brevat as
>hysician is only of an honorary chai
,cter.?Chicago Record.
Chattel Slavery In Missouri.
According to an old law in St. Lom:
. man may he sold at auction to tb
lighest bidder for a term of si
Qonths' service for deserting his wil
ind failing to support her. The la
a to be applied in the caae of a cor
irmed loafer, and an announcement <
lis sale is posted on the front door c
he City Court House.?Chicago Jou]
lal.
Crude petroleum is au excellei
emedy for rheumatism. ?-?
WORDS OF WISDOM.
>f We are what we are in private.
You never know a man till he knowl
e you.
A lion never kills anybody while h(
? i is roaring.
1 In society nothing succeeds like s
good fortune.
Honesty is the first chapter in th<
oook of wisdom.
To love one that is great is almost t<
oe great one's self.
Oh, how exceedingly wise are tliej
ohat agree with us!
One truth in the life is better thar
i hundred in the memory.
He who promotes the good is grea'.ei
;han he who performs it.
The wasted mental force would do
til the work of the world.
No man is good who behaves himielf
simply because he has to.
A man's sins find him out more
. eadily than the best detective.
Any girl's name becomes beautiful
.vhenyou love the owner of it.
He cannot be a perfect man not be*
mg tried and tutored in the world.
The better men and women know
iach other the less they say about
. ideals.
A great many people would know
- nore if they thought they knew less.
'* A man always has something to look
f? forward to; those who owe him may
y pay.
?- There are ways of doing everything.
^ The way some people love makes
? others sick.
e Fate is circumstance's "You're not
8 30 warm!" to the man who th'nks he
0 knows it all.?The South-West.
Went Like Hot Cukes.
^ The Cleveland Plaindealer tells an
amusing anecdote of the ruse a member
of the Ohio Legislature adopted to
?et rid of a big pile of agricultural re'
ports that had accumulated in his
jffice. One of his neighbors fixed him
ap a placard reading:
0
1 ; ALL ABOUT AGRICULTURE.
3 : How the Grasshopper Makes :
r : Grass!
; How the Butterfly Makes Batter. :
; TAKE 0NE1 :
a ; .
The lawyer was pleased with this
S 1- __.i TT- .1 i.1. ?
i wotk 01 an. ne iouubu uuwu me i
e office boy with volumes, and put the |
? sard on top. Then the boy went
downstairs and laid the books by the
jnrb with the card leaning against the
e pile. As he started upstairs for an0
ather load he noticed that a small
^ 3rowd was gathering. When he
8 reached the sidewalk, with another
r load there wasn't a book left of the
B original pile. The card was lying on
the walk, aud perhaps twenty people
were staring at it. As he advanced a
f number of them grabbed the books
t before he could laj' them down. They "
3 met him at the foot of the stairs when
. he appeared with the third load, and a
swaying mass of eager people pressed
1 forward for more. They were on the
stairs waiting for him when he brought
1 the fourth load, and over the heads of
] the people he could see men running
j from various directions to find out the
jause of the trouble. Well, the books
2 were soon gone, and the card went,
9 tuu.
Tlie lawyer who planned the scheme :
3 was delighted.
"My first annual free distribution
3 of books was a rip-roaring success,'
. he complacently remarked.
s
A Battle For Life In the Congo llapids.
* "Cruelty in the Congo Free State'
is the title of the final paper made up
from the journals of the late E. J.
Glave, and it appears in the Century.
Mr. Glave tells the following story:
Stanley Pool is a majestic place, and
is well named, for it is a monster pool.
9 A.t each end it is narrow, and widens
e out in the middle. It is studded with
11 islands and sandbanks, and encircled
a by hills move or less timbered.
1 A native of Kinsassa is said once to
f have passed safely the rapids below
'? Leopoldville. He was in a canoe, ana
r endeavored to cross the river, but was
swept into the rapids. By dexterous
paddling he managed to keep his bark
afloat through two miles of the wildest'
waters; then she fillet! and swamped,
and the native swam safely to a small
island. Here he remained six days.
To cross the rapids and relievo him
was impossible. Every day he could
be seen waving his arms frantically,
and his cries for help could sometimes
be heard above the. roar of the waters.
After six days he was reduced by hunger,
and determined to risk his life
He gathered tpgether some light logs,
lashed these with vines into a rude
sort of raft, then dropped down from
* the end of the island, and, paddling
with a stick, was hurled about by th?
rapids, which, however, are not sc
strong as above; aud although carried
, down a great distance, he managed at
^ last, by working his craft into a back
current, to get ashore. Battered,
terrified, and almost dead with hunger,
he reached a fishiug camp.
Hiding an Ofttrlch.
"I don't believe the stories tolc
,e about the natives in Africa and Aus
e tralia riding ostriches," said a Califor
i- nia man the other day. "American:
j are the best riders on earth, but the]
t- cannot ride ostriches. I saw thii
g pretty thoroughly tried 011 one occa
sion. A cowboy who had vanquished
every pony he ever undertook to breal
in was induced to try an ostrich. Af
j ter an hour's hard work he succeedef
7- in mounting the bird, which at lirs
d | tried to shako him oft", then to ge
n : away by running, but these tactics, 0
;e | course, had no effect upon the cow
J- boy. Then, in spite of all the mai
e j could do, the ostrich succeeded ir
3 , getting its head around and seizini
e j the man by one leg. He doubled hig
I feet under him, and the ostricl
p [ succeeded in getting a gooil I10UI o
a his back, throwing him heavily to thi
r- ground and trampling 011 him. I
took three ot us to chase the infuriat
ed ostrich away, and we accomplishec
it barely in time to save the man's life
?, I don't believe the native Australian;
e ride ostriches."?Chicago News.
g l'arlit Kninfiill.
(v From records extending back t>
1080, M. Camille Flaminarion find
)j that the rainfall of Paris has graduall;
)) increased about three inches, beini
r. now a little more than twenty-twinches
a year. The amount of differ
ence seems to indicate that the in
d crease is real and not due to greate
aocurao.y of observation.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR SEPTEMBER 26.
.Review of the Twelve Lessons of the
Third Quarter?Golden Text: Matthew
v., 10?Commentary on the Quarter's
Lessons by the Rev. D. M. Stearns.
Lesson I.?First Converts in Europe
(Acts xvi., 6-15). Golden Text?Ps. cxix.,
130, "The entrance of Thy words giveth
light." The golden text for the quarter,
"Let your light so shine," etc. (Math v.,
16), suggests that Christ, who is the light,
is to be allowed so to work in us that God
may be glorified in us (Gal. I.. 2i). Paul
testifies that it pleased God to reveal Christ
in him (Gal. i., 16), and as the Lord Jesus
Christ never sought His own will or pleasure
(John vi., 38; Rom. xv., 3), so Paul,
when hindered from going into Asia or
Bithynia, was satisfied to cross over to
Macedonia at the call of His Lord and patiently
wait for the opportunity and cheerfully
accept the seemingly small one of
speaking to a few women by the riverside.
Lesson II.?Paul and the Philipplan
Jailer (Acts xvi., 22-34). Golden TextActs
xvi., 31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy
house." To be arrested, beaten and Imprisoned
did not look much Uke success In
their work; neither did it look like success
when our blessed Lord was arrested, buffeted,
scourged, cruoified as a malefactor.
Lesson III.?Paul at Thessalonlca and
Berea (Acts xvii., 1-12). Golden TextActs
xvil., 11, "They received the word
with all the readiness of mind and searched
the Scriptures daily." Some were added
unto the Lord at Philtppi, and Paul passed
on to other cities, for he believed that it
was His calling to cause all whom he could
reach to see and hear the Gospel. It Is to
be seen in our lives and heard from our
lips, and whether we are free or bound,
resting in one place, or persecuted from
place to place, it is that under all circumstances
people may see and hear of Jesus
Christ. Not all will receive him, but some
will, and some, like the Bereans, will earnestly
search the Scriptures.
Lesson IV.?Paul Preaching In Athens
(Acts xvii., 22-34). Golden Text?John
iv., 24, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and
In truth." He found the people of Athens
worshiping all manner of gods, but Ignorant
of the only living and true God, and
giving their time chiefly to hearing and .
telling the news regardless of anything beyond
the present life.
Lesson V.?Paul's Ministry In Corinth
(Acts xvili., 1-11). Golden Text?I Cor.
ill., 11, "Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Here He works at His trade as a tentmaker
and on the Sabbath days preache3 Christ in
the synagogue as long as the people will
listen to Him, and when they will hear Him
ao more He preaches in a house right beside
the synagogue. Many are saved, Including
the chief ruler of the synagogue'and all His
house. The Lord Himself visits and en3onrages
Paul, and He continues eighteen
months at Corinth.
Lesson VI:?Wooing and Waiting For
""htHaf ft TViteoa fr 9 tn v V\ ftnlHnn
Text?John xlv., 3, "If I go and prepare a.
place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto Myselt.Uhat where I am there ye
may be also." Turning to God from idols
is the first step, the coming of His Son from
heaven is the consummation, and all between
is included in serving the living and
true God (I Thess. i., 9,10). We need to be
assured of our salvation or there can be no
peace of mind.
Lesson VII.?Abstaining For the Sake of
Others (I Cor. viii., 1-13). Golden TextRom.
xlv., 7, "For none of us liveth unto
himself." The love that bulldeth up the
body of Christ is better than the knowledge
that puffeth up oneself. To pity self, or
please self, or live in any way unto ourselves
(Math, xvl., 22, margin; Rom. xv., 8,
II Cor. v., 15), is directly opposed to the
3pirit of Christ, and, therefore, cannot,be
pleasing to Him; but to deny self and dally
to die unto self that Christ may be seen in
s (Math, xvi., 24, 25; II Cor. iv., 11), this Is
Christlike and glorifying to God, and thus
30uls will be won to Christ.
Lesson VIII.?The Excellence of Chrisdan
Love (I Cor. xiii., 1-13). Golden Text
?I Cor. xiii., 13, "And now abideth faith,
hope, love, these three, but the greatest of
these lb love." God is love, and Christ was
God manifest in the flesh, and this chapter
is a nhotofirraoh of Christ, so that, although
His name is not in it, we cannot mistake
the picture any more than we would
that of an intimate friend.
Lessor IX.?Paul Opposed at Ephesus
(Acts xix., 21-34. Gold Text?"Take heed
and beware of covetousness." The trouble
at Ephesus aro9e from those who paid, "Our
crbft, by which we have our wealth, is in
danger." This is not to be wondered at
when it comes from those who have in this
world all they ever will have, but when it is
seen in those who bear the namo of Christ
in connection with our ohuroh, or our board,
or our society, or our denomination, is pitiable
indeed, and must bo grievous to God,
who; by 1Mb Spirit, is soeking to gather
from all nations a body of people irrespec- .
tivo of all names but that of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Lesson X.?Gentiles Giving For Jowlsh
Christians (II Cor. ix., 1-11). Golden Text
?II Cor. viii., 9, "Yo know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He
was rich, yet for your sakes He bocame
poor, that yo through His poverty might
be rich." God so loved that Ho gave His
only begotten Son; the Son of God loved
me and gave Hirasolf for me. If wo see
others need that which we have and we
give not to them, how can the love of God
be dwelling in us? (John iii., 16; Gal. ii.,
20; I John iii., 16, 17.)
Lesson XI.?Christian Living (Eom. xii.,
9-21). Golden Text?Rom. xii., 21, "Be
n/Nf nrofonmn nf m-il hnfc overcome evil
with good." This Is again ou tho same
line of thought as some previous lessons,
and begins with, "Lot love be without dissimulation,"
and it both begins and ends
with hating evil and loving good. "There
is none good s&vo one, that ia God."
Lesson XII. ? Paul's Address to the
Epheslan Elder* (Acts xx, 22-35). Golden
Text?Acts xx., 35, "Remember the words
of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more
blessed to give than to receive." He Is
able by the graeo of God to testify that
tho exoeeding abundant grace of God to
him (I Tim. i., 14) enabled him for three
years to give himself so fully to them that
with all humility of mind and temptations
and tears he had testified the gospel of the
grace of God, preached the kingdom ol
God and declared the whole counsel oi
God, and now he cared not what awaited
him if only he could still glorify God, so
fully was he given up to Him who appeared
to him on the way to Damascus.
The same Lord Jesus will do the same^in
and through us if we are only willing.?
Lesson Helper.
3
DECREASE IN IMMIGRATION.
An Increase Expected Under Improving
ISuftinesri Conditions.
The United States Treasury uepartment
has prepared figures showing the immigration
for July. The total was 14,756, against
21,476 for the corresponding month last
year. This decrease is considered rather
remarkable, in view of the stimulus in business
conditions in the United States in the
last few months, experience having demonstrated
that the tide of immigration follows
closely the opportunities which exist
here for those seeking better conditions
under which to make the struggle for life.
In the last few years of depression im iigration
steadily decreased. Lust year tho
total was less than the number which came
in a single year from Germany alone. It is
believed at the Treasury Department that
the Ilgures for July are ebb-tide figures,
and that as soon as the improving business
situation in the United States becomes a
matter of public knowledge in Europe tho
immigration to this country will once more
begin to increase.
Of the total of 14,750 immigrants, 1094
came through Canada. The largest number,
21)28, eaine from Italy. Russia was
next with 2376; Germany sent 1377 and Ireland
1285. Th<> figures for July, like those
for the last fiscal year, show "a predomi- |
nance in the number of female over mam
immigrants from Ireland. This te the only
country from which more women than men
come.
Survived a Great Fall.
John Swan, of New York City, a Harvard
*enior, fell 300 feet from a precipice on
.Monument Mountain, between Stockbridge
ind Great Barrlngton, Mais. His left arm
ind leg were broken and injury to the
jplne is feared.
god;s message to manT*
PREGNANT THOUCHTS FROM THE
WORLD'S CREATEST PROPHETS.
A Hymn of Thanksgiving?All Things in '-"J
the Iliindo of the Father?A Prayer for
Strength?Discipline firing* Courage?
The Self 1Ate a Banner.
For the dear love that kept us through the
night,
And gave our senses to sleep's gentle sway,
For the new miracle of dawning light.
Flushing the east with prophecies of day.
We thank thee, 0, our God!
For the fresh life that throueh our being
flows,
With iw lull tide to strengthen and to bless,
For calm, sweet thoughts, uprising from
repose.
We praise thee. 0, our God!
Thou knowest our needs, thy fulness will
supply
Our blindness?let thy hand still lead us on,
Till visited bv the davsDrine from on high.
Our prayer, one only' "Let thy will bel
We breathe to thee. 0. God!
?W. H.( Burleigh.
All Thing* In the Hands of the Father.
Some feel bom to fly, but have no wings.
Others think they are made for public life, ^
but the public thinks differently. Soma
have wealth, -while others can never get
ahead; their inferiors wear the honors and
reap the harvests. Hearts made for homes
have no homes. Those nt>t fitted for responsibilities
struggle under them. Work,
Sacrifice, saving, are followed by loss. The
rainy day comes, and nothing is laid by.
Health goes, ana brave and daring spirits
are shut within four walls for years, leaving
them only for narrower walls. Today there
is a cloudless sk^: tonight a swift shadow;
tomorrow all will be dark. These are fre- *.
quent experiences. They burn like white
hot iron. They startle, then daze; then
comes the vague wander whether there is
anything but everlasting disappointment
and never-opening mystery. What shall
be said? This is the golden key which will
unlock all dark doors: Interpret God by
His fathei hood. Try any other; the doors
move not. Try this; they swing on silent
hinges. God is Father. He sees and knows
all,and he allows that to come to each which
each most needs." His purpose is blessing.
All are in the hands of One who is doing
what earthly fathers do for their children?
the very best possible. "But lam disap- \\ij3
pointed!" Do you never disappoint your
ohild for his good? "But I do not get . v'ftj
what I wajit!" Do you allow your child to . 'jfi
have everything he wants ? "But I suffer
terrible agony!" Do you never have to
p rmit your child to suffer? "But my
heart is breaking over what can never
come back to me !'' What do you do when ,
your child sobs with a broken heart ? Do j
you not take him in your arms and stroks
~ KUiaA *rsA onaoL- annthinor wnrH
I lie iiUb UCAU aUU wvvvmmb ?
What if the heavenly Father is anxious to
do the same? Interpret God by his fatherhood.
When there are limitations which 'v$B
cannot be broken, remember the Father
placed them there; when ideals are unfulfilled
forever, ask If your ideal for yourself
and the father's are the same. When wealth
goes something better will come in its place.
When death Invades, the peace of God waits
to come in. If all things are in the Father's
hands, they must work for the good of all.
And they do. The hours may seem dark,
but the years are bright. The years may ;
seem in shadow, but the centuries are in -X&k
sunlight. Out of the darkness of tonight is
born the brightness of tomorrow. Interpret
God by His fatherhood.
"No harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore."
?r6v. Amory H. Bradford,D. D.,in "The
Growing Revelation."
A Prayer for Strength.
0 God, in whose presence is our love's
content, help us s) to use all human affections
that they .may speak to us of thee.
Pardon their failures and shortcomings
and make them wholly thine. -For strength
in ministry to those we love, for opportunities
of service and for glad humility in receiving.
we humbly pray. To love is thy
gift. Help us to use it nobly, In all sorrow
and all delight Choose thou our happiness
and sustain us with thy patience in our
grief. When in humility of self-knowledge
we are afraid to think of the great love that
others bring us, may we grow strong and
pure by the remembrance of their affection. - re
We are awed and humbled by the thought
of thy great love in Christ, 0 God. Help as
to know its power for joyful righteousness.
And may that holy love surround and purify
all earthly ties of affection, that they may be
as enduring as our life that is bid with
Christ in God. And to thee be praise, O
God. through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Discipline Bring* Courage.
The life that has not known and accepted ; S
sorrow is strangely crude and untaught. It
can neith r help nor teach, for it has never
learned. The life that has spurned the
lesson of sorrow, or failed to read it aright,
is cold and bard: but the life that has been
disciplined by sorrow is courageous, nnd full
of holy and gentle love. Without sorrow '
life glares. It has no half-tones or merciful
shadows. Disappointment in life is inevitable.
Pain is the common lot of humanity.
Sharp sorrow, at one time or another, will , ; f ; ?
come to each of us. If Indeed it has not already
come. But this same sorrow is a .
gentle teacher, and reveals many things that
it would be bard to understand.?Anna
Brown.
The Self-Life a Barrier.
You often see beautiful fruit displayed behind
a plate glass window or in some shop;
and the hungry little boys look and long for V
it, but they cannot reach it. If you were to
tell one of them who has never seen glass to
take some, he might attempt it; but he finds
something invisible between him and that
fruit. Just so many Christians can see that
God's gifts are beautiful, but they cannot
take, because the self-life comes in between,
even though they cannot see it What glorious
blessings we should have if we were
only willing to give up the self-life and take
what God has prepared for us?not only ,
righteousness, not only peace, but the joy
of the Holy Ghost?Rev. Andrew Murray.
1
Our First Thought for God.
That the period immediately after rising
should be scrupulously consecrated to God;
that the earliest thoughts of the homage of
self dedication should be renewed before
starting on another pilgrimage; that we
should listen to his small voice of warning or
encouragement as it issues from his written
inner word.or from the inner consciousness,
or from the outer world?all this is so esseni
1 ihu ntfioH nnil holiness
uauy uuuuu up ??**** ??
of the day that one might almost say the two
are inseparable. The tone and sentiment
and feeling throughout the day are sure to
take their coloring from the morning hour.
?Goulburn.
The Attitude of Strength.
There is another attitude as important aa
that of truth and of duty for the development
of great personality. It is the attitude
described in the word ''love." Ever and *'
everywhere be a lover! The occupying of
such a point of truth and duty and love will
make vou a personality which shall be like a
cathedral, strong with the strength of buttressed
principles, beautiful with the memory
of holy deeds, and seen from afar as th?
symbol of the presence of God.?Charles f.
Thwing.
Be true and real in all thvsacred acts; remember
with whom thou hast to do.
Dinner TV a* Late and He Hanged HlraseTT.
Andrew Heinritz, twenty-seven years old,
living at Wilkinsburg, a suburb of Pittsburg,
Penn., made an engagement with
friends to go to Turtle Creek. His wifa
:ooked dinner late and he saw he had missed
:he train. He had an ungovernable tem?
per, and, afterseolding his wife, went down
;o the collar. His friends came to go with
iiim on a later train. Heinritz's wife sent
:hom downstairs, and they found him hanging
dead by a rope.
Blur Price for Apple*.
A * G^rtnonHAoh Vailav
VUH Ittnuwr 1U Uin ououwuuvwu
Virginia, has sold his crop of apples?1000
barrels?to a London firm for $3.50 per b&S?
rel.
; Mi