The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, October 06, 1897, Image 7
f PROGRESS Wl
I FI.YI
% Working Out the Man-Flij
W tific Lines N
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The day is almost at hand when man 11
will dispute with the bird for sujirem- j <
in the air. For hundreds of years
his ambition has been at work with j
auch persistency of effort that he now i
begins to see the end. He has grap- 1
pled with the invisible forces of the i'
atmosphere, sometimes blindly, but I!
always courageously; generally to i
meet with disappointment, but happily j 1
with enough success to keep alive his '
determination to master the most dif- 1
ficult of all problems in physics. Lives ]?
have been lost and fortunes hare been j i
expended in the pursuit of this baffling 1
question of man-flight. Ridicule has
b?en heaped upon the heads of those <
who sought to cope with the feathered :
messengers of the air, and their sanity I!
questioned by the world at large. {i
? ' 1 ? j . x j I
Tne advancement maue rowaru mc
full solution of the problem of manflight
during the year 1896 was greater
than that of any previous year, and
attracted the widest attention among
scientists. Probably more interest
, centered in the experiments conducted
thirty miles southeast of Chicago on
' the shore of Lake Michigan by Octave
k Chanute, of Chicago, than anywhere
* ?lse. The prominent position occupied
by Mr. Chanute in the scientific
world was accepted as a guarautee that
, he had faith in his experiments, and
that he had.no other purpose in view
but to demonstrate certain principles
involved in the problem.
At the time he was thus engaged Mr.
Chanute observed much caution in his
utterances concerning the results obtained.
Fearful lest his conclusions j
might not be properly formed, or that |
he might be misunderstood, he re- <
framed as far as possible from commit- J <
ing himself on the subject further thau : j
to say his experiments were very satis- j <
factory. Since then he has gained j
courage, so to speak, and has become ]
enthusiastic over what has been ac- ,
complished. He is now confident that \
the way is clear for the solution of the <
problem, and modestly takes to him- j
self a goodly share of the credit for j
pointing the way. He claims that his .
exDeriments have marked out the best \
* I
lines for investigators to follow, and
numbers them as follows in the order i
of their importance: 11
1. The developmsnt of the self-pro- 1
pelled aerodrome. , 1
2. The development of the motor- i
less air sailer. i
3. The development of the motor. i
Daring the past week the experi- <
ments of last year have been renewed i
near Dane Park, Ind., and Mr. ]
Chanute has been almost a daily I
^riflitor to the scene of action. His in- i
terest in the result will not let him <
i stav awav longer than one day for sev- 1
^,.eral reasons. One reason is that the ! <
machine being nsed is one of his own 1
invention in its most important details, <
and another is that the experiments <
are following the second line of in- '
vestigation, which he laid down as i
necessary for the solution of the J
* problem of man-flight. It is said that!
Mr. Chanute is the real one who is j!
conducting the experiments, but this ! 1
he denies in favor of A. M. Herring, a \ ]
, young man of considerable scientific j
knowledge, who was associated with \ i
Mr. Chanute last year in his extensive i I
experiments at the same place. j \
The machine with which Mr. Her- i
ring ia now experimenting daily repre- , !
sents the ideas of both himself and ]
Mr. Chanute. It belongs to the same ^ <
class as tiie maciune wnicn tne late i
Otto Lilienthal, of Berlin, brought out' 1
in 1894 and in the use of which he met |
his death last year. It might well be
termed a flying machine, and yet this |
PROFESSOR CHANUTE'S L
i
description does not fit accurately. It '
is technically known as an aero-curve, j
or a gliding machine. Better still, it
might be called an air coaster, for in j
-if a o/tfmn if vorv tn !
the motion of those machines known ;
as roller coasters. The resemblance '
is carried still further in the applica- j
tion of the principles of operation.
It is one of three sailing machiues !
invented by Mr. Chanute, including a j
steeriug apparatus designed by Mr.
Herring. The first machine was based ;
upon a reverse of the principles evolved
in the Lilienthal apparatus. Instead j
of the man moving about under the j
machine to bring the center of gravity
under the center of air pressure, it i
was constructed with a view to bring- j
ing the center of pressure over the !
i center of gravity by the aid of wings 1
> moved automatically. This machine j
t ? ? i 1. e ..L i
nail twelve wings, eacu si.\ xeei iuug .
and three feet wide, and each pivoted 1
to a central frame. It had a total
wing surface of 177 square feet, aud
weighed thirty-seven pounds.
By a process of evolution this apparatus
became the machine in use at :
the present time with which such re- I
markable results have been obtained. |
Experiments showed many defects in 1
i
TH THE 1:
NO MACHINE. I:
-* w 1
t
jht Problem Along Scien- y
ear Chicago. 11
^ T
t
the machine, and it was rebuilt on a 3
ilifferent principle. The twelve wings L
were discarded, and in their stead a
were substituted three superimposed i c
concave surfaces, each sixteen feet i
long and four feet three inches wide, s
with an aggregate surface of nineteen ! c
3quare feet. Attached to the rear of ! c
this machine was a combined horizon- | a
tal and vertical rudder, designed by p
Mr. Herring as a result of his frequent a
trials of the machine. In the course c
}f the experiments it was found neces- | r
3ary to remove the lower surface, and r
this left the present machine.
The several changes therefore re- o
iuced the sustaining surface of the f
machine from 177 square feet to 135 1
square feet. The weight was lowered t
it the same time from thirty-seven t
A GOOD ?
pounds to twenty-three pounds. This r
general reduction did not impair the 1
strength of the machine, while at the r
same time it improved its efficiency to a
i remarkable degree. Repeated trials fi
showed the machine capable of sus- fi
raining an aggregate weight of 178 t
pounds, this figure representing the t
combined weight of the operator and v
ihe machine. The frame is con- c
str'ucted of spruce wood, braced with s
tine piano wire, ana ine concave sur- i v
Faces are formed by varnished silk i o
stretched over the frame to the highest [ a
tension. s
Will this machine fly? Mr. Chanute t
tvill answer this question by replying li
:hat was never intended to fly. He t
will inform those asking the question a
:hat the machine is made for experi- f
mental purposes solely, with the end
in view of developing the motorless n
rir sailer. At the same time, Mr. Chanute
might say, the experiments
may lead to a solution of the most important
part of the problem of manlight?the
maintenance of the equilibrium
of the machine under all circumstances.
He holds that this prob?
? A. T ^ U AO
,eui U1U?1 Ut3 9U1VCU UlOU At u?o I;cou
iemonstrated to his satisfaction that
antil automatic stability at all angles
3f flight and conditions of wind is
jvolved and safety thereby secured it
tvould be premature to seek to apply a
iiotor or a propelling instrument to a
iull-sized machine.
The ordinary observer would an- ^
?wer that the machine does fly, nevertheless,
after witnessing a day's experiments
among the sand dunes. The
distinction between sailing and glid- ^
ing and flying would not appeal to any ?
but the scientific mind while watching
the "double-decker" travel through .
the air a distance of 200 yards with ?
Mr. Herring hanging by his arms beaeath.
If the spectator was daring ^
enough to tackle the machine himself '
ind succeeded in getting the right ,
kind of a start he would be willing to
take oath that the machine flew. He
would also be willing to testify that
his sensations while the flight lasted v
_ 1/
i
(
1
ATFQT PT VIVr. -\r\rTTTVP
were indescribably thrilling and de- (
lightful.
All the flights begin from an eminence,
the numerous sand hills near
Dune i'arfc offeriug all the opportunities
desired for starting. Another requisite
is that the operator must start
facing the wind, although with proliciency
good results may be obtained
with the machine traveling at an angle
with the wind. Those who have seen I
a buzzard or most any other large bird i
begin a flight from the surface of the j
earth will have noticed that the bird \
invariably faces the wind and runs a
few steps before rising. For the same
reasons the operator of the Clianute
Hying machine must face the wind,
holding the machine over his hea'l,
then run a few steps down the side of
the hill on which he stands and finally
give a jump outward into space as J
though he never expected to come
down. He will be doing nothing more, '
in effect, than he did when he jumped j
from the top of a fence in boyhood
days with an umbrella over his head, j
The wind rushing again><the lower
sides of the two surfaces of varnished ;
silk holds the operator suspended, '
while the angle at which he holds the
surfaces either iinuels it forward or
etards its motion. Sometimes a
trong pust of wind comes along when
east expected and suddenly raises the
aachine higher than the starting point,
lilt fnr the automatic rndrler this
aight prove disastrous to the operator,
le would, in all likelihood, turn a
tack somersault with the machine and
;et badly hurt. Again, a blast of air
rom above might strike on the top of
he machine and cause it to shoot downward
at a terrific rate of speed. This
3 what happened to Lilienthal last
ear, and was the cause of the accident
rhich resulted in his death.
The line of flight of the machine in
he hands of such a skillful operator as
>Ir. Herring may be controlled very
orgely. He has demonstrated time
,nd again his ability to steer the mahine
in broad curves by simply shift
tig iue weigut ui iiia uuu) irurn uue
ide to another. Last Monday he suceeded
in describing a compound
urve during a flight of about 300 feet,
nd landed with his back almost comtletely
turned to the md. It has
Iso been demonstrated xnat the mahine
can be made to travel almost at
ight angles with the wind at a high
ate of speed.
Flights have been made in all sorts
f winds, the speed of which varied
rom ten to twenty-one miles an hour.
?he latter wind is higher in its speed
han any gliding machine was ever
ried in before and tested the steadi3TART.
iess of the machine most thoroughly.
?he speed at which the machine travels
ests very largely with the operator
nd depends upon the angle of descent
rom the starting point When he
inds that he is approaching the ground
oo swiftly it is only necessary for him
o tilt the front of the machine upward,
rhen its speed will be immediately
i?Un in
ucLixcu, uuu uiuauiu^ v.uu uc xuuuc iu
afety. The range of flight is also
ery largely within the control of the
perator, one who is skillful being
ble to alight within ten feet of any
pot indicated while the wind mainains
an even rate of speed. The
angest flight recorded is the one made
his year by Mr. Herring, which was
lmost 900 feet. Another flight of 600
eet was made last week.
Long flights are not the aim of the
len who are conducting the experiALBATROSS
WHICH FAILED.
aents with the gliding machine. They
re seeking to arrive at intelligent
onclusions concerning the problem of
? A ~ ? V? r? n Ant4l\tn/v
Ul/U LLl.il LIU aw* unit J uiuic tuau aujiuiug
lse, and it is claimed by Mr. Chanute
hat many new facts have been discovred
bearing upon this question. In
.nticipation of an early solution of the
[uestion Mr. Herring is hard at work
>n a motor which he hopes to be able
o apply to the gliding machine. An
vidence of the faith that is within him
s shown by the fact that he predicts
hat an air ship will be constructed
rithin another year which will fly to
few York with but four stops on the
ray to replenish the stock of fuel.?
Chicago Times-Herald.
Rewarded For Finding a Feather.
The Gazette of Moscow says that
rhile the King of Siam was passing
hrough the streets of that city a white
eather fell from the plume of his helr>At
and was nicked ud bv the Deasant
Foukianow, who is in the service of
kl. Koch. Toukianow hastened to retore
the feather to the chief of police.
Ie was greatly surprised several days
ater upon receiving from this official,
u the name of His Siamese Majesty, a
asket containing a portrait of the
?ing and a massive gold chain decoated
with a token of the same metal
earing the arms of Siam in enamel,
toukianow has not yet recovered from
his unexpected piece of good fortune.
Odd tise for a Flower Pot.
Frequently ice is hard to keep at
land with campers and picknickers
md the food suffers for the want of it.
v common* ciay nower poi muy ue
nade good use bf in keepiug the buter
cool and firm. Place the pot over
he plate of butter and wrap around
t a cloth wet in cold water, sprinkling
vater over the outside of the cloth as
t becomes dry. Milk will remain
:ool and sweet if treated in the same
nauner.
Prehistoric Mexican Doll.
The sketch illustrates a prehistoric
Mexican doll unearthed by a French
mthropoiogist, Dr. Chipault. The in
A DOLL OF ANCIENT DAYS.
side is hollow and contains a rattle,
which proves that prehistoric childreq
were not unlike the little ones of today.
SHE IS A MILITIA CAPTAIN.
Two States Bestow a Title Upon a Chivalrous
Yon rig Woman.
Miss Mamie Telford Combs, better
known now as Captain Combs, has created
a sensation among military people.
When the Fonrth Regiment
of Missouri National Guards was
camping in Carrollton in the summer
CAPTAIN COMBS.
of 1896 Misn Combfi, who was visiting
her sister with a number o:F girls
from various States, went daily into
camp. Miss Combs took such an unfeigned
interest in military affairs
that she soon found herself on a footing
of comaradarie with all the soldiers
in camp. Her favoritism, which was
unusual, culminated in a suggestion
to adopt her as "daughter of the regiment."
Fearful, perhaps, of a complication
of relationships that might
ensue if their daughter offered to be a
sister, etc., the boys begged that she
be given a rank on the grounds that
only a resident of Missouri should be
accorded a # daughter ship. Accord
ingly Colonel Corty accepted ner as a
member of his sta T. she was designated
captain, and u.pon camp breaking
up she was duly commissioned.
Of course, when she returned last
fall to her home ia Lexington, Ky.,
accounts of the "honors th;:ust upon
her" by Missouri were heralded
abroad. Infected with the fever of*enihusiasm,
Kentucky, her adopted
State, vested her wi th the same title,
and now she is commissioned captain
by both States.
Captain Combs is a handsome woman
of commanding appearance, and
in her dark blue uniform, which offsets
to a nicety her exceptional blonde
beauty, she could not fail to attract
I attention anywhere. Doubtless Miss
Combs inherits her military instinct,
I as she is a granddaughter of that character
well remembered in the history
of Kentucky, General Combs.
Influence of Music on the Hatr.
An English statistician has recent
ly been engaged in an original lass,
that of studying the influence of
music on the hair. The investigator
establishes, in the first place, that
the proportion of beld persons is
eleven per cent, for the liberal professions
in general, -with the exceptions
of physicians, who appear to
hold the record for baldness, which is
thirty per cent. Musical composers
do not form an exception to the rule,
and baldness is as frequent among
them as in the other professions. The
cornet-a-piston and the French horn
act with surprising surety and rapidity;
but the trombone is the depilatory
instrument par excellence. "It
will clear the hair from one's head in
five years. This is what the author
calls "baldnessof the fanfares," which
; rages with special violence among reg
(mental bands.?Scientific American.
TROPICAL TRAMPS.
Weary Wastries Is a Hustler Betide the
Product of Equatorial Countries.
For real, downright appreciation of
the sweets of doing nothing no being
in the world can hold a candle to a
tropical tramp. He is so restful. The
, Weary Waggles and Wandering Willies
of the North are bustling and energetic
people when compared to the tramp of
the tropics. The Tropical Tramp never
i goes rushing about the country hanging
on to the buffers of freight cars; he
J would die at the mere thought of mov|
ing so rapidly.
! Nowhere in the world is the art of
j laziness so well understood, anyway,
TYPICAL COLOMBIAN TRAMPS.
I by all classes of people as in tropical
i America, and a tramp in those regions
; understands it best of all. Then South
! America is such an ideal place for a
i tramp?summer all the time, ,and all
| nature providing bountiful "handI
outs."
I Here is a picture of Senor Weario
! Wagglee and some of his companions,
who pursue their vocation of Tropical
Tramp iu the Republic of Colombia.
I3allari Making.
Ballads spring i'rom the hearts of
I the people, Hit from age to nge, from
j lip to lip of the shepherds, peasants,
; nurses, of all the class that continues
: nearest to the state of natural man.
I They make music with the Hash of the
I fisherman's oars, the hum of the spin!
ning wheel, and keep time with the
J plowman as he drives his team. The
country aided man in their making,
I the bird note rings iu them, the tree
; has lent her whispers, the stream its
j murmur, the village bell its tinkling
tune, the shells on the seashore their
dreamy echoes. ?Ramsey.
Sprigg?"Hello, old man, I'm awfully
glad to see you out ago in. I heard
that the doctors gave you up." Bowles
?"Yes, I guess I'd have died if they
hadn't."?Cleveland Leader.
GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN.
PRECNANT THOUCHTS FROM THE
WORLD'S GREATEST PROPHETS.
Ho Liven Are Incomplete?Like Drifting
of Human Experience ? A Prayer of
King Alfred ? Character Wants Sunlight?The
Power of Prayer.
There aro no lives unfinished, incomplete,
God gives each man at birth some work to
do.
Some precious stone of strange, prismatic
hue.
To carve and polish, till it shall be meet
To place within His temple, still and sweet,
Ere that be done the soul may no. pass
through
The door to grander worlds, to aim more
true,
To wider life with love's sweet joys replete.
And if the working time be short, and earth
With its dear human ties be hard to leave,
Be sure that God, whose thought hath given
thee birth,
Still holds for thee the best thou canst receive;
Be sure the soul in passing through that
door,
Though losing much, gains infinitely more.
?Mabelle P. Clapp, in Chilstlan Leader.
Ijlke Drifting of Human Experiences *
Up and down the wild, barren Arabian
stretches of desert and mountain wilderness,
which, after all, only measured from
south to north a fourteen days' journey direct
from Sinai to Palest ne, the Hebrew
people wandered and encamped, leading
their nomadic lire for forty years longer.
What was it all most like but the drifting
of our human experience up and down the
earth and along tne ages of it, between the
first Oivini? of the Commandments of Life
ancl the entering into its full fruition V
With the very heaven almost within our
reach?with only such a little distance between
the 'Bidding and the Reward, if we
would follow the direct way?we wind and
tangle our paths in a blind bewilderment;
we make our long tarryings in a few scanty
feeding-places; we grow old and pass uway
without ever having come to the full faith oi
the heavenly nearness, to the sure, realizing
vis-ion of the glory that waits close by. It is
like being lost in storm and darkness, toilins:
exhausted up and down within short
step and call of one's own door, and perish'
lag in the night at the threshold of one's
k oine.?A. E. T. Whitney, in "The open Mystery."
A Prayer of King Alfred.
Lord, who hasf wwught all things worthy
' and nothing unworthy, to thee I call, whom
everything loveth that cac love, both those
that" know that they love and those who
know not what they love?thou who art the
Father of that Son who has awakened and
yet awakens us from the sleep of our sins
ancl warneth us that we come to thee. For
every one fails who flees from thee, and
every one rises who turns to thee, and every
one stnnds who abides in thee, and he
dies who altogether forsakes thee, and
he, quickens who comes to thee and he
in JonJ nrU/\ nVlllf oKl'll HO In
uvea luurcu W ll\J lUUlUU^iiij ?u?uv^ ?u
thee. Thou who hast given us the power
that we should not despond in any toil, nor
in any iiconvenience, as is no wonder, for
thou well rulest and makest us well serve
thee ; thou hast loosed us from the thraldom
of other creatures and always preparest
eternal life for us and preparest us for eternal
life. Hear me, Lord, thy servant! Thee
alone I love abo.ve all other things ! Thee
I seek ! Thee I follow! Thee I am ready
to serve! Under thy government I wish to
abide, for thou alone reignest. Amen.
Character Wants Sunlight.
Character is like unto a plant. Shut up
your plants in the cellar, and though you
give them the right soil, the due amount of
moisture and sufficient heat, the absence of
the sunlight will turn them into a collection
of ghosts, pale and colorless caricatures of
plants. So is it in the experience of the
soul. Follow implicitly every rule of conduct
in the Bible, grimly bend all yout
powers of will to the discharge of daily
duty, resolutely fight against every temptation
that besets you, and yet without the
warmth and sunlight of that grace which ie
the vital principle of the religion of Jesus
r* KiJot Q rifrn n1 KPa trill ahHvfil nn
because of dullness and disoouragement.
Progress in Christian manhood is determined
by the measure of obedience to the
apostolic injunction: "Keep yonrself in the
love of God." Once the geniality of Christianity
is grasped by the soul striving after
the white flower of holiness, the assurance
of final victory is vouchsafed, for the truth
dawns upon the mind that the very genius
of Christianity is its sunny helpfulness.?
Rev. D. Sutherland.
Unliapplness of Our Own Making
Jonn iiunyan, in his immortal allegory,
brings his Pilgrims to certain ''Delectable
Mountains," which are clad with orchards
and vineyards, with gardens and fountains
of water. -From these sunny heights they
caught some glimpses of the Celestial City,
and were regaled with pleasant fruits. Now
there is no reason why any of us should be
content to live down among the ''dumps" of
the low grounds, or in those marshy regions
where the malaria of despondency prevails.
* Much of our unhappiness in this world is ol
our own makiug. We might have a great
many more joyous days during our earthly
pilgrimage. When we have had a conflict
with some temptation, and by Christ's imparted
help have conquered it, then we
reach a deiectabl? mount, and can sing our
psalm of gratitude. Every good deed
wrought for the master or our fellowmen,
every answer to prayer,every new discovery
of Christ's love, every new attainment in
the spiritual life,carries us up into a higher,
purer atmosphere. We can read the eighth
chapter of the Romans up there, and sing
the one hundred aud third Psalm.?The
Christian.
The Power of Prayer.
Are you in sorrow? Prayer can make
your affection sweet and strengthening. Are
J'ou in gladness? Prayer can add to your
oy a celestial perfume. Are you in extreme
danger, whether from outward or inward
enemies? Prayer can set at your right hand
an angel whose touch "could shatter a millstoue
into smaller dust than the flour it
grinds," and whose glance could lay
aa army low. When St. Felix of Kola was
hotly pursued by murderers, he took refuge
in a cave and Instantly, over the
rift of it, the spiders wove their webs, and,
seeing this the murderers passed by. Then
311 Hi tile sa'nc, "wiu're woa is uut, u wuu ir
but a spider's web; where Go<l is, a spider's
web is as a wal'." What will prayer do for
you? I answer. All that God can do for
you? When He bids us prav it is as though
He said to us. "Ask what I shall give thee."
?Cunon Farrar.
A Sanctifying Force Needful.
I heard some time since of an oculist who
j was very fond of cricket. But he had given
it up, much as he enjoyed it, for he found
that it affected *4ie delicacy of his touch,and
for the sake of those whom he sought to
relieve he sanctified himself and set himself
apart. That is what we wantthat
there shall come into our lives
a force that prompts us always to be at our
best and readiest for service,"our fullest and
richest to help?a tree that is always in leaf
| and always m bloom and always laden with
! its fruit,"like the orange tree, where the
! beauty of the Mo^om meets with its rraj
granee the mellow glory of the fruit.?Rev.
j Mark Guy Pearse.
j If wo look down, then our shoulders stoop,
j If our thoughts look down, our character
bends. It is only when we hold our heads
up that the body becomes erect, k is only
when our thoughts go up that our life becuuics
erect.?Alexander McKenzie. D. D.
, MULE SHOT TO LOOSE HIS HOLD
j Baseball Player of Lost Creek, Penn.,
Flas His Hand Lacerated.
Michael Covlo. pitcher of the Lost Creek
(Schuylkill County, Penn.) Baseball Club,
I was tho victim of a very peculiar accident.
He was petting a mule, when the animal
I ut him xntelilnir his hand.
| .......
It crushed it.i teeth through the hanil,
and, despite all efforts made to have the
animal release its hold, it obstinatoly refused
to do so.
As a last resort the mule was shot and
tho young man's hand pried out of the dead
brute's mouth. All the bones were broken
and the hand was mangled terribly.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
.INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR OCTOBER 10.
I -sson Text: "Paul a Prisoner at Jerusalem,"
Act* xxll?, 17-30?Golden Text:
I Peter lv., 16?Commentary on the
Dsy'n Lesson by Ker. D. M. Stearns.
17,18. "Make haste and net thee quickly
out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive
thy testimony concerning Me." In
our last lesson Paul was on his way to
Jerusalem in spite of the Spirit's warning
that he should not ro (chapter xxl., 4, 11,
12). He had not b*>en many days in Jerusalem
when the Jews of Asia laid hold of
him in the temple, drew him out and
would have killed him had he not been
rescued by the chief captain with a band
of soldiers and carried into the castle. He
asked permission of the captain to speak
i/U mr nuu iiaviii^ li no
addressed them In Hebrew from the castle
stairs. He described his former life and
the maDnei; of his conversion, and has now
come to the Lord's message to him at Jerusalem.
The child of God who is willing
to be wholly the Lord's, may be sure of the
Lord's guidahce in all things, and if it
should be necessary an angel from heaven
or the Lord Himself will see to it.
19.20. "And I said, Lord, they know that
I imprisoned and beat in everv synagogue
them that believed on Thee." It is all right
for us to confess to God all our sins, but it
Is not for us to argue or reason with Him
when He commands us to do anything or
go anywhere. He knows where and how
He can make the most use of us. He knows
who will receive testimony through this
one or through that one, and it is for us to
say, "Here am I, send me where Thou wilt
and when Thou wilt."
21. "And He said unto me, Depart, for I
will send tbee far hence unto the gentiles."
We cannot expect the full blessing of the
Lord unless we are ready for that work to
which He has called us (Acts xiii., 2). May
it not be that many ministers who cannot
seem to find an open door at home are being
called far hence to some of the millions
who have never heard of Christ and cannot
hear until some one shall tell them? Let
each Christian ask, "Am I really willing
and obedient, and does my heart say honestly,
'Lord, tfhat wilt Thou have me to
do?'"
22. "Away with'such a fellow from the
earth, for it is not fit that he should live."
That the same privileges should be set before
uncircumcised gentiles as before circumcised
Jew3 was to them intolerable,
and it was for this same thing that Peter
was called to account (chapter xt., 2, 3). I
am not sure but the same spirit in a worse
form is seen to-day when people of one
church or denomination look down upon
and make little of work not done by themselves.
The ambition of churches or boards
or societies to excel each other instead of
all uniting to honor Christ and completa
His church is tainted with the same spirit.
23, 24. "The chief captain commanded
that he should be examined by scourging
that he might know wherefore they cried
so asralnst him." Paul had been speaking
in Hebrew (xxii., 2), of which language
probably neither captain, centurions nor
soldiers understood a word, and the Idea
was that a little suffering might bring from
him a confession of his wrongdoing. Paul
was certainly having a rough time of It, for
he had been beaten by the Jews (xxi., 32)
and was now threatened with scourging by
the gentiles.
25. Is it lawful for you to scourge a
man that is a Roman and uncondemned?"
This he said to the centurion who stood by
while the soldiers bound him with thongs
preparatory to scourging him. While Paul
was willing to suffer all that was necessary
for Christ's sake, and unjustly, too,
here was something wholly uncalled for,
from which his Roman citizenship might
deliver him. I am writing this on the
North Pacific Ocean on my way to Japan
as I start on my tour round the world for
"Him that I serve. I carry with me a pass
L I A 1 fl ? 01.4M 4U/\
pon irom lae oeurmary 01 emtio ui mo
United 8tates Government asking all Nations
not only to allow me safely and freely
to pass, but in case of need to give me all
lawful aid and protection. As a child of
God and citizen of heaven I feel free to
accept and carry this and use it as occasion
may require, feeling no lack of faith
in so doing.
26. "Take heed what thou doest, for this
man is a Roman." Thus said the centurion
to the captain. As far as heaven is abov?
the earth, so far are the privileges oi
heavenly citizenship above all those of
earth. The devil could not touch Job,
neither could he have Simon Peter without
asking permission of God (Job 1., 10; Luke
xxil., 31, R. V.), and he tnat toucheth a
child of God toucheth the apple of His eye
(^ecn. li., o). iiei us rejuiceiu our uomou'
ly privileges and walk worthy of them.
27. "Then the chief captain came and
said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman?
He said, Yea." So a believer should be
ready always to give to every one that asketh
as definite an answer concerning his
standing in Christ. Paul did not think
or hope that he was a Roman citizen. He
know it and said yes. Any one who has
truly adcepted Christ is accepted in Him
and has redemption, even the forgiveness
of sins (Eph. i., 6, 7), and should never
hesitate to confess it to the glory of God.
It is not honoring to Qod to think or hope
that we are saved. We should know it (I
John v., 12,13), and live it and ever gladly
acknowledge it.
28. "And the chief captain answered,
With a great sum obtained I this freedom.
And Paul said, But I was freeborn." The
heavenly citizenship cannot be bought by
money, or good works, or any merit whatever
on our part. "Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them."
"Not by works of righteousness, which we
have done" (Zeph. i., 18; Titus lit., 5). See
also Rom. iv., 5; Eph. ii., 8, 9. The only
way to become a child of God, an heir of
God and a citizen of heaven is bv a new
trirth. a birth from above, even as our Lord
said in John iil., 3, 5, 7, and I believe a
careful study of Jas. i., 13; I Pet. i., 23
Eph. v., 26, with John vi., 63, will make it
very plain that the new birth is wrought in
us by the word of God and the Spirit of God
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.
29, 30. Paul was saved from scourging at
that time, and we will in some way be saved
from all that it is not best for us to endure
(I Cor. *., 13). The captain was still in
aoubt as to the real cause of the uproar,
and so called the chief priests and council
together that he might set Paul before
them. But Paul's testimony before the
council caused such a disturbance tbat the
chief captain had to rescue him again and
bring him to the castle. Then followed the
discovery of the plot to kill Poul, through
Paul's nephew, and his being sent under a
guard of soldiers to Felix, the Governor ait
Ciesarea. Notice how in the midst of all
this and of Paul's seeming disobedience in
going to Jerusalem at this time the Lord
was with him.?Lesson Helper.
OUR WESTERN PARKS.
Reports Submitted Regarding the Sequoia
anil General Grant.
The acting Superintendent of the Sequoia
and General Grant National Parks has rendered
his annual report to the Secretary of
the Interior for the past fiscal year. The
report is dated Wershar's Mill, Cal. The
report states that no trespass has occurred
?i? v.:n limi+a nt thrt narks durlnc the
last fiscal year. There was one forest lire
caused by carelessness of sheepmen or hunters.
Several hundred acres were burnedover,
but no serious damage was done. The
report recommends that the boundaries of
Saquoia Park be properly marked and that
a fence be constructed around General
Grant Park. Game and fish are more abundant
than formerly in the park. A recommendation
is made that 82500 be appropriated
by Congress under the title of
"National parks" for providing a suitable
summer station for the guard of the Sequoia
National Parle and its outlying detachments.
Novel C:ti?c of liny Fever.
Hay fever is unusually prevalent in Kaih
fias City, and the -ohief cause is said to be
the pollen of the rag weed which has been
illowed to grow A3 it listed in the streets
ind doorways.
Prlestn Jliiy Not Hide JJloycles In Montreal.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Montreal,
Canada, has forbidden priests to ride
bicycles within the city limits on tho
ground that it is undignified.
A Machine to Brush Away Insects.
A Hungarian farmer of Beevllle La., ha9
invented a machine which.it is saiil, will
brush away all kinds of insects from cotton
plant*.
m
A TEMPERANCE COLUMN. . |
THE DRINK EVIL MADE MANIFEST
IN MANY WAYS.
Important to Drinkers?Pathetic Story of
a Sailor Who Broke Bin Promise to
, Give Up Drinking?Remorseful Refrain
ol a Condemned Wife 3Iurderer.
A man who drinks whisky may feel awhil?
frlolrr a
>/?
And paint the town brilliantly red:
But soon in the gutter with misery utter
He will curse and wish himself "dead.
A man whb drinks brandv may feel like a
dandy, * '
As long as the smell's on his breath;
But soon in the tremens, snakes, bogies
and demons ,
Will chase him and scare him to death.
A man who drinks wine may feel very line,
And play funny antics and shout;
But for it he'll pay with headaches next
And die when he's young, from the gout.
A man who drinks gin with pleasure will
grin,
And have what he calls a good time;
Till with a red nose and dirty old clothes,
He, homeless, will be for a dime.
A man who drinks beer feels good for a ?.
y?ar,
And thinks it don't hurt him a bit;
TCI bloated and red, he goes to his bed,
Or falls on the street In a fit.
But he who drinks water, as everyone
oughter,
Enjoys to the utmost his life;
He's happy and healthy, respeoted and
wealthy,
And loved by his children and wife.
?H. C. Dodge, in Chicago Son.
Forgot His Promise.
When W. Burns Thomson, known
throughout Scotland as the medical , missionary,
was a young man prosecuting his
medical studies, he was assistant chaplain.
of tha RHinhnroh orison. There manv
strange and sad experiences in the lives of
conviots came to his knowledge. The following,
told by himself and inoluded In hi* ':1
biography by Mr. Maxwell, shows how on?
mistake In conduct may prove fatal to
character and even to life Itself.
Mr. Thomson was leaving C<on jail ono
Afternoon, when the Governor, stepping
from a group of officials, said to him:
"Please wait. We are expecting a heavy
sentence."
In a short time the gates vere opened
and the police van came in. When the '
clatter of bolts had ceased, a prisoner
stepped out of the van. After glancing fox
a moment at the papers handed to him the
Governor -whispered to Mr. Thomson one
word, "Death!"
After the man was taken to his cell the
young chaplain went to see him. When
the Warden had left the pell, the prisoner
looked earnestly at his visitor and said,
"So you don't know me?"
"I do not recall having seen you before,A
I waa rAnlv
"Bnt I remember yon," the prisoner ex- -J%
claimed, so bitterly that the chaplain
wondered for a moment whether he could
ever have done him an Injury. Almost Immediately
the condemned man broke Into a
paroxysm of grief, wringing his hands and
crying:
"Oh, if I had kept my promise! If I had
only kept my promise, I should not be here
to-day."
He was a typical British tar with a free
hand and a generous heart when he was
sober. Under the influence of Hquor he had ' *
quarreled with his wife and had pushed her
down stairs to her death.
It seems that three years previous to his
trial and conviction for murder he had been '
sentenced to thirty days' in prison because *
of a drunken row. Then he attended, the
prison meetings held by Mr. Thomson, ^ho,
after one of these gatherings, took the
sailor into his private room, add warned
him earnestly against drlnk; The murderer
now told the chaplain this and ended his
confession in these words:
"I promised you faithfully that I would ^
? ? - ' * JU S L|fA U?4. It ; l'J
give li up, ana so j. aia iur a wunu, uui u
came back on me. Since then I have been
all around the world, and to think that I
am here and that It has come to this!"'
Then followed an outburst of agony and
the plaintive wall, "Oh, If I had kept my
promise!" ' ' '
This for weeks was his remorseful refrain
until the moment of his execution.
Beer and Life Insurance.
Very many persons honestly believe that
beer-drinking Is helpful, and laugh at the
idea that It can be In the least harmful.
They say that only fanatics and temperance
cranks would speak against such an
innocent drink as Deer. Such persona
ought to read what Insurance doctors say
about It. At a recent convention of the
doctors the subject of beer drinking was V . ^
thoroughly discussed In a scientific way.
What conclusion did they arrive at? Is
beer good for. us to drink, will it strengthen . X
us and prolong our lives? Surely the doctors
should know. They said that the
habit of drinking beer Is injurious and
makes persons bad risks for life Insurance.
Dr. Rogers, of the New York Life
Insurance Company, said:
"Recently I had occasion to make some
study of wliat happens among persons engaged
in the manufacture of beer, defined
generally brewers. My cases in- '
eluded not only the workingmen engaged
In the breweries, but also the proprietors
of breweries. It is a curious fact that the
mortality among the proprietors is about /
as high as among the workingmen, jhow- -v, ^
Ing that they are all given to copious libations.
"The mortality is low among brewers in
early years. Up to forty or thereabouts
brewers seem to be about as good risks as
pretty much anybody else. After forty the
mortality rises very high, and I should
say that at flfty-flve or sixty years of ago -y-2
about three brewers may be expected to
die where one average person dies."
Figure* That Tell.
For ten years, 1885 to 1894, the average
| death-rate of the Ancient Order of Forest1
...
J ers, England, was over ten ana unaer eleven
per thousand. For the same period, the '
average death-rate of the Manchester Uni
ity Independent Order of Odd Fellows wa3 , . ' .
twelve per thousand. For the same period,
J the average death-rate of the Independent
I Order of Rechabites was a little over six per
I thousand. The Alliance News calls atten!
tion to these figures and says:
"If the death-rate of the Ancient Order
J of Foresters for the ten years had been the
same as the death-rate of the Independent
Order of Rechabites, there would have been
fewer deaths by 42,038. And notice, that if '
the death-ratii of the Manchester Unity In- ;
dependent Order of Odd Fellow for the ten
years had been the same as the Independent
Order of Rechabites, there would have
been fewer deaths by 39,807, making together
81,897. Does alcohol poison?"
Temperance News and Notes.
The Advantage of the sanitarium in the
medical treatment of drunkards lies in the
fact that it is easier in the sanitarium to
control the meutai;coudltion of the patient
and keep him out of temptation. Any good
physican can treat acaseof alcoholism successfully
if he can win the. confidence and
co-operation of the diseased man.
The superintendent of police matron
i work in Chicago reports that 10.130 women
I had been arrested during last year; 1121
lost children had been cared for and re|
turned to parents, 574 destitute woman
cured for. and 213 destitute children. She
gives it as her opinion that liquor is the
major cause of all this pity-exciting woe.
Open drinking is bad enough, but this
surreptitious tippling is infinitely worse.
It has led to the break-up of many a home
and brought misery and ruin on whole >-,
; families.
They have a local wine in Scotland known
| as "sweets," which carries about twentyseven
percent, of alcohol. "Strong" would
be a better title, and it is so intoxicating
that the authorities propose special restrictions
on its sale, such us now exist in Eugland.
' An amusing illustration of the good effects
I of restraint is given in a recent letter re- '
| ceived by a magistrate from a m**n who
thanked liim sincerely for having given tils
wife six mouths' imprisonment, which had
changed her, he said, from being a drunken
scold to a steady, sober woman.
nj
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