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m ; Bp ' orTtalmagfs sermon. i " SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED DIVINE. v % -Jubjeet: Tlie World ?? It Will B?-Improvement in Hamau Conditions After the Earth Han Been Kevolntloniied for Good?The Coining Century. [Copyright, Loci* Klopsch, 1899.] Wabhikotox, D. C.?By a novel mode Dr. "T&lmage in this discourse shows how the world will look after it has been revolutionized for good; text, II Peter Hi., 13. '"A new earth, wherein dwelletb righteousness." ' ' Down in the struggle to make the world better and happier we sometimes get depressed with the obstacles^ to be overcome -and the work to be accomplished. Will it not be a tonio and an inspiration to look it the world as it will D? when it lias oeen 'brought baok to paradlsaioai condition? ,, So let us for a few moments transport ourlelves Into the future and put ourselves forward in the oenturiea and see the world la its rescued and perfeoted state, as we will see it if In those times we are permitted to revlglt this planet, as I am sure we will. We all want to see the world after it has been thoroughly gospellzed and all -wrongs have been righted. We will want 'to oome baok, and we will come back to 'loolc upon the refulgent consummation tof which we have been on larger or smallSI scale tolling. Having beard the opening dVthe orchestra on whose strings SB Rome dlscordTtrtrwied, we will want to EV hear the last trlumpMnt bar of ,the?perfected oratorio. Having ?en the picture as the painter drew its first 'Klines upon M -oanvas, we will want to see It wTA3.it is as Be complete as Reubens'"Descent FromUje Cross" or Michael Angelo's "Last Judg-1 ment." Having seen the world under the Hf gleam of the star of Bethlehem, we will B want to see it when, under the full shining ^ of the snn of nghteousness, the towers I mnu striKe l ? at noon. There will be nothing iu that coming century of the world's perfection to hinder r our terrestrial visit. Our power And velocity of locomotion will have been improved Infinitely. It will not take uslong tocome iiere, however far off in'God's universft heaven may be. The Bible declares that inch visitation is going on now. "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of sal, vatlou?" Surely the gates of heaven will ? / not be bolted after the world is Edenized nil hlnHnr the redeemer! from descend jng for a tour of inspection and congratulation and triumph. You know with what interest we look V ' upon ruins?ruins of Keniiworth custie, i ruins of Melrose abbey, ruins of Rome, i f ruins of Pompeii. So this world in ruius Is j I an enchantment to look at, but we want to " . { see it when rebuilt, repiiiared, retowered, / realtered, rededicated. The exact date of c the world's moral restoration I cannot / foretell. It may be tbat through mighty f awakenings it will take place in the middle of tlie nearby twentieth century. It may be at the opening of the twenty-flrst century, but it would not be surprising if it took more'than 100 years to correct the Parages of sin which bare raged for GOOO years. The chief missionary and evangel (fltlo enterprises were started m mis cenhy^.and be not dismayed if it takes a . couple of centuries to overcome evils that - /- have bad full swing for sixty centuries. I tats .no responsibility in saying on what page of the earthly calendar it will roll in, but God's eternal veraoity is sworn to It that it will roll in, and as the redeemed in heaven do as they please and hare all the facilities of transit from world to world, r jrou and I, my hearer or reader, will come /' knd look at what my tnzt calls "A new > ftarth wherein dwelleth righteousness." I Imagine,that we are descending at that . \ period of the world's complete gospellzation. There will be no peril in suoh a de?cent. Great heights and depths have no alarm for glorified spirits. We can como down through obaams between worlds Without growing dizzy and across the tpaces of half the universe without losing bur way. Down and farther down we co:ne. hs we approach this world we breathe the . . . perfume of lllfmitable gardens. Floral Izhtion tliHt In centuries post was here and there walled in lest reckless and dishonest "? hands pluck or despoil it surges its billows of color across the fields and up the lillllldes, and that wbich was desert blossoms as the rose. All the foreheads of crag Browned with flowers,the feet ot the mouutains slippered with flowers! Oh, this perfume ot toe continenta.this aroma of hemi' spheres! As we approach nearer and neurer I , we hear songs and laughter and hosannas, f bnt not one groan of distress, not one sob of bereavement, not one clank of cbalD. Alighted on the redeemed earth, we are Iff ' ftrst accosted by the Spirit of the twentyfirst century, who proposes to guide and hbow us all that we desire to see. Without His guidance we would lose our wny, for the. world to so much changed from the time when we lived in it. First of all, He points .out to us u group of abandoned buildings. We ask this Spirit of the twen > ty-flrst century, "What are those structures whose walls are falling down und whose gates are rusted on the hinges?" Our esoort tells us: "Those were once i . "* penltentluries filled with offenders, but tbe }.[ crime of tbe world has died out. Tlieft lind arson and fraud and violence have (lultted the earth. People have all they want, and why should they appropriate 1 the property ot other* even II they had the j desire? The marauders, the assassins, the : i buccaneers, the Herods, the Nana Suhibs, the ruffians, the bandits, are dead or, transformed by the power of the Christian religion, are now upright and beneficent ? and useful. After passing on amid columns and ' statues erected in memory of those who } have been mighty for goodness in the world's history, the highest and the most exquisitely sculptured those in honor of fiuoli as have been most effectual in saving life or improving life rather than those renowned for destroying life, we come upon ' / another group of buildings that must have / bean transformed from thetr original shape \ ana aaaptea to oiner uses, -wnai is uu , this?" we ask our escort. He answers: "Those were almshouses and hospitals, f tut accuracy in mnlting aud prudence in running machinery of ull sort? have almost N abolished the list ot casualties, and sobriety and Industry have nearly abolished pauperism, so that those buildings which ouce were hospitals and almshouses, have been turned into beautiful homes for the less prospered, and if you will look In you will aee the poorest table has abundance, aud the smallest wardrobe luxury, and the harp, waiting to have its strings thrummed, leaning against the pjuno, waiting tor its keys to be Angered. "Hospitals and almshouses must have been a necessity once, but they would lie useless now. And you see all the swamps S bave been drained, the sewerage of the great towns has been perfected, and the , world's climate Is so improved that there are no pneumonias to come out of the cold, or T&eumatisms out of the dampness, or on pAntnmnHftna hfln. Jsbed, pueumoniiis banished, diphtheria banished, ophthalmia banished, neuralgias banished. As "near as I can tell from what I have read, our-atmosphere of this oentnry Is a mingling of the two months of May and October of the nineteenth centgjg ory." But I say to oar escort: "Did all this merely happen so? Are all the good heijB epontaneously good? How did you get the old:shipwrecked world ufloat again, out of the breakers Into the smooth seas?" "No, no!" responds our twenty-flrst century escort. "Do you see those towers? Tnose k. are the towers of oburohes, towers of rer formatory Institutions, towers of Christian schools. Walk with mo, and let us enter : r": some of these temples." We enter, and I And that the music is In the major key und none of It in the minor. "Gloria In Excelsis" rising above "Gloria In Excelsis." Tremolo stop In the organ not so much used as the trumpet stop. More ol Ariel than of Naomi. More obants thau dirges* Not a thin song, the words of which no one understands on the lip of a soloist, but mlghiy harmonies that roll from the outside door to chancel and from floor to groined rafter as though Hafidel had come out of the eighteenth century Into the twenty-flrst and had his foot on the organ pedal, and Thomas Hastings had come out of the early part of the nineteenth century into the twenty-flrst and were leading the voices. Music tbHt moves me eartn ana maites heaven listen! But I say to our twenty-flrst century escort: "I cannot understand tills. Have these worfllilpere no sorrows, or have they forgotten their sorrows?" Our escort responds: "Sorrows! Wliy, they had sorrows more than yoa could count, but by a divine Illumination that the eighteenth and fc". ' ' fe--'' ' . A . ? . nineteenth centuries never enjoyed tbej understand the uses of sorrow aud are comforted with a supernatural condolence such as previous centuries never experi< enced." I nsk again of the Interpreter, "Hnj death been banished from tbe world?** The answer is, "No, but pooplo die no\* only when the physical machinery is worn out, and they realize It la lime to go and that they,are certainly and without doubt going into a world where they will be infinitely better off and ure to live in a mansion that nwaits tbelr immediate oc> oupancy." But how was all tbis effected?'I ask our escort. Answer: "By flood ol trrisnpl nnwnk YoU'who lived in the Hlne teenth century never saw a revival of rell? glon to be compared with what occurred in the latter part of the twentieth and the early part of the tweuty-flr9t century The propheoy haa been fuilllled that 'a nation shall be born In a day'?that is, ten or twenty or forty million people couverted in twenty-four hours. In our church history we read of the great awakening ol 1857, when Ave hundred thousand souls were saved. But that was only a drop of the coming showers that since then took Into the kingdom of God everything between the Atlantic and the Pacific, between the Pyrenees and the Himalayas." The evils that good people were in the nineteenth century trying to destroy have i been overcome by celestial forces. What human weaponry failed to accomplish has been done by omnipotent thunderbolts. As you and I see in this terrestrial visitation of the coming centuries that the church fitis under God .accomplished so much, wa ask our escort, the spirit of the twenty-first century, to ?how us the different kinds of churches. So we are taken in and otit of theohurches of different denominations, and we find that they are just as different in the twenty-first century as they were different in the nineteenth when we I wynhiped in them. There is unity In them ! as to the greaiesj^tlals of salvation. But J we enter the Baptist Churtfc.j'i.ifViVrswptismal day, anif no sec the candidates for membership immersed. And we go into a Presbyterian Church and see a group of parents around the baptismal font holding i up their children for the christening. And we enter the Episcopal Church and hear the solemn roll of her liturgies, and her ministers are gowned and burpilced. And we enter the Lutheran Church, and we hear in the sermon preached the doctrines of the greatest of German reformers. And we go into the Methodist Church just in time to sit down -at a love feast and give miHihln "Amca" when the service stirs us. At least fifty kinds o( churches in the twenty-first century, as thero were 150 different kinds of churches In the nineteenth century.' "0 spirit of the twenty-flrst century, will j you not show us something of tbe commercial life of your time?" He answers, "Tomorrow I will show you all." And on the morrow he takes us through the great marts of trade and shows us the bargain makers and tbe shelves on which tbe goods lay and the tierces and hogsheads in which they are contained. I notice that the fabrics are of better quality than anything I ever saw In our nineteenth century, for the factories are more skillful, and the wheels that turn and the looms that clack and the engines that rumble are driven by force that were not at century ago discovered. The prices of the fabrics indicate a reasonable profit, and tbe firm In, the counting room and tbe clerks at't&e counter and the draymen at tbe doorway and tho errand boy on bis rounds and . the messenger who brings the mall and the men who open the store In the morning as | well as those who close It at night nil look as 1( tbey were satisfied ana well treated. No swallowing up of small bouses of merchandise by great houses, no rulnouB undersoillng until those In the same line are bankrupt and then the prioes lifted, no unneossary assignment to defraud creditors, - no overdrawing of accounts, no abscondlngs, no sharp practice, no snap judgments, but the manufacturer right In his dealings with the wholesaler, and the wholesaler with the retailer, and tlie retailer with the customer. No purchasing of goods that will nevtr be paid for. All right behind the oounter; all right before the counter. No repetition of what Solomon describes when he writes, "It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer, but when he Is gsne his way (hen he boastetb." "0 spirit of the twenty-first century, bow glad I am that you showed us these stores and factories and places of bargain aad sale! It was not always so In the nineteenth century, when we were earthly residents. Many of those merchants who are good at ciphering out other rules In arithaaetio never could cipher out that sum in the rule of loss and gain, 'What shull it profit a man if he gain the whole world una lost his soul?" "But," I say to our escort, the Spirit of the twenty-Qrst century, and vou and I say to each other, "we must go home now, back again to heaven. We have staid long onough on this terrestrial visitation to see that all the best things foretold m the Scriptures and which wo road daring our earthly residence have come to pass, and all the Davldic, Solomonic and Faulinlan and Johannean^rophecies have been fulfilled, and that the earth, instead ot being u ghastly failure, is the mightiet success in the universe. A star redeemed. A planet rescued! A world save>l! It started TOith n. imrfiau. nud It is colnir to close with a garden. What a happiness that we could have seon this old world after It was righted and before It burned, for its internal fires have nearly burned out to the crust, according to the geologist, making it easy for the theologian to believe in the conflagratiou that the Bible predicts. One element taken from the water end that will burn, and another element taken from tbo nir and that will burn, and .surrounding planets will watch this old ship of a world on fire and wonder if all its passengers got safely off. Before that planetary catastrophe, hie us back to heaven. Farewell, spirit of the twenty-first century! Thanks for your guidance! We can stay no longer ?* ?"? "?? fhof narar anH In , temples never closed, In a da; that bus no sunaown. Wo must report to the immortals around the throne the transformations we have seen, the victories of truth on land and sea, the hemispheres irradiated, and Christ on the throne of oartb, as He Is on the throne of heaven." And now you and I have left our escort as we ascend, for the law of gravitation has no power to detain ascending spirits. Up through immensities and by steliur and lunar and solar splendors, which cannot be described by mortal tongue, we rise higher and higher, till we reach the shining gate as it opens for our return, and the questions greet us from all sides: "What is the news? What dl(J you And in thaj earthly tower? What have you to report in this city of the sun?" Prophetic, apostolic, saintly inquiry. And, standing on the steps nf tiiH hniisn of ma.nv mansions, we crv i aloud the news: "Hear It, all ye glorified I Christian workers of all the past centuries! We found your work waa successful, whether on earth you tolled with knitting needle, or rung a trowel on a rising wall, or smote a shoe last, or endowed a university, or swayed a sceptor; whether on earth you gave a cup of cold water in the name of u disciple, or at some Pentecost preached 3000 souls into the kingdom.' "Iu that world we have just visited the deserts are all abloom, and the wildernesses are bright with fountains. Sin is extirpated. Crime is reformed. Disease is ctired. The race is emancipated. 'The earth is full of the knowledge of Ood, aa the waters cover the sea.' 'The redeemed of the Lord have come to Zion with soprs and everlasting joy upon their heads.' The Lord God Omnipotent reignetb, and the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Let the harpers of heaven strike the glad tidings from the strings of their harps, and i"* *>nv fliutn in Mia mrtnflu aI L II O U UUi^OlOIC] pilb kUOtM IU ?r? their trumpets, and the orchestras roll them into the ?raud march of the eternities, nnd all the catheirul towers of the great capital of the universe chime tbein till over heaven." j?.And now I look up and see the casting down of the bejewetodund radiant crowns at tbejsacred feet of the enthroned Jesus. Missionary Carey Is casting down before those teet the crown of India saved. Missionary Judson Is casting down the crown of Burma saved. Missionary Abeel casting down the crown of China saved. David Livingstone casting down at those feet the crown of Africa saved. Missionary Brain erd casting down tbe crown of this eoun try's aborigines saved. Souls that went uf from alt the denominations in America it holy rivalry, seeking which could soonest cast down th? crown of this continent al the Saviour's feet, and Amcrica saved. The churches of the United Stales olala 27.000.000 communicants. ? ' ? # ! i | L ? - SOD'S; MESSAGE TO MAN. \ PRECNANjT THOUCHTS FROM T^E \A/npi nte GREATEST PROPHETS, ? y. \ ( Shut In?Tile Yearninjj of the Soul?No Loneiina** Wilb the Lord?Spiritual Benefit <>f Rent? Sanctified Afflction# Are God'* Will?The Three HI. A little strip Cf city yard With country greenneBS spread; A narrow riftlbetween two roofs. But glory overhead. Without, the cjlaagor and thedia Of dusty, sum-scorched -streets;* Within, the peafce and quietness Of ifkture s gneen retreats. I lie upon the sofV.green turf And watch the dVstant sky; And see the ever-cnVpuging train Of white-capped clouds roll by. Some seem to be His vslHnds Where the fronded taalm trees grow, Some seem like angellfaces Of the lost of long ago. Great soft-winged birdsl and white-fleecod sheep \ / Go calmly sailiug by; \ Then clear and blue, and bear and true,_ I see the undecked sky.\ ?" Aye! turf Is turf wherever found, And heaven is always there! We flud between lite'n narrowest walla That God is everywhere. ? * 5Iy little greensward sprewds and grows To meadows, hills anrt/Viiles; The clcuds seem oceap/s wave-beat shores Tossed by the summer gales; The city's clansror Mending makes The drtjcy serf s soiemn roll; ^ uile peace and rest come softly down And touch my weary soul. \ , Mrs. E. A. Hawkins, iii Zion's Herald. The Yearning of the Sonl. Private prayer gives opportunity for meditntfnn. One cannot stoo in Dnblic Draver I to discuss prr s and cons, to answer objections, or even to see if there be objections. ' One cannot pause to correct rhetoric in j public supplication. Nor is it well to ''pad" i prayer with exhortation cr reproof for some | human listener. But in tbe closet, medita- | tion and soul-debate, with God for umpire, j become quickeners and clariflers of conscidnfte. It is in private prayer that the soul puts the brook Jabbok between self and nil earthly ties and wrestles and prevails with a 8tranger, to the learning of Divine revealing and transforming. And it is after such victories that there comos in public the illuminating glory of the Mount ' of Transfiguration, and perhaps the attest- 1 ing presence of patriarch and prophet. With such praying there comes to the listener the witness of the voice divine. But howevei ! and wherever, the best of praying, like the *mothei^tongue,must be that which is learned from a mother's lips. The soul's desire finds expression in unstudied and familial forms of speech. It has no foreign accent, it is couched in no strange 'Ifr-.m, but rolls along a homely vehicle of ihougbt which best expresses the yearnllg of the soul for communion with God and its transforming 1 power. No Lonelin*>s With the Lord. There is no loneliness?the most solitary wav is bright and peaceful?to one who knows that the Lord is always with him. There is no such thing as failure for one who can (as it were) feel the nearness of that Divine Form which the eye cannot discern. Then difficulties seem to be swept from before us, as the summer wind sweeps away the mi?ts lhat have settled upon land and sea. Then fear and doubt are dispelled, as when after many days of storm the sun breaks forth again, and all the sky is clear. So it was that the disciples,believing that the living Lord was going before them, went forth, in the might of an invincible faith;not to Galilee merely, but to the ends of the j ??rtb. The nower bv which they accom pushed their great work was not in themselves. It was in Him whom they obediently and gladly followed,and who not only manifested Himself repeatedly to them, but gave them strength andfortitudo and courage foi the stupendous task which He called them to undertake. Ob, the comfort and the glory of walking thus afterthe unseen Lor<li Oh, the glory, greater still, of walking witb Him by and by, in the light and peace and ;?Edwurd B. Coe, D. D., ii "Life Indeed." Spiritual Benefit of Heat. It is not uncommon to speak of pby&ica rest as necessary for the welfare of th? mind, it being conceded of course that the body itself needs repose and vocation. Bu' the need of the soul is equally involved The soul is as closely connected with th< body as the Intellect is, if, indeed, they b< not one. And weariness of the flesh, whici ?- -??l. ./irao/l,, Kf ru?r?ntir>n ?ml lihancfl WO SC*7JV bV 4 Oiuvuj MJ ft vv? especially in summer, never fails to hrtve iti effect upon the spiritual nature. Howmuct easier it Is to lose tae temper, to make unohari table judgments and utterances.to form plant which involve some element of evil, whei we are tired and In need of rest! We bavt learned to make excuses for each other'i moral shortcomings in a measure for thb very reason, but probably we do not nlwayi appreciate as we ought how great is th< spiritual benefit of a vacation wisely em ployed. The mere change of those objects which engage the mind, the mere substitu< tion of new themes for reflection it stead O' the old ones, the mere observation of loresand mountain, of cliff and breaker, tonei up the heart as well as the intellect, and in | spires us with new end more invigorating and ennobling thoughts of ourselves auc our relations to God. Sanctified Affliction* Are God's Will. I Suffering is unavoidable, but ^hen w? ' clearly perceive that it is, when properly ac cepted, wholly remedinl and most hopefu the development of highest character, it ii a direct minister of happiness. Troublei are the tools by which God shapes us int< beauty and usefulness. Borrow is Mt. Sina where we may talk with the Lord face u face if we wiil not be afraid of the thundei and lightning. Trials are the rough file t< rub the rust off our virtues; they are the sharp, wheels that cut and polish th? jewels of character; they are the flery furnace purging away the dross that the pun gold may appear; they are the medicines, bitter but healing, that cure us of oui I-J J ft A.l ? m ,'A?(Al.a Iw LHUIttUItJS. oaucwucu nnutuvus Oic vm shadows of God's will. They show us out weakness and drive us to Christ. Thej wean us from tbe world and draw us toward heaven. If we take this sensible scriptural view of ptdn we shall turn our crosses intc crown9, our burdens into blessings, through union with Christ, and it may be done sc swiftly ns to leave ub seurcely conscious ol anything but the blessing.?James Mudge, D. D. The Three Gi. The ten spies differed from Caleb and Joshua in their report of the land of Canaan! There are three words here beginning with G?the word "God," the word giant,*' and the word "grasshopper." Now, note, these spies made a great mistake aa to the position of these three words; they compared themselves with the people of the land and said,"And in their sinht we were as Krassnoppera. n mey nau compnrea the people of the land with God. they would have comu back, as Caleb hq<1 Joshua did, who said in effect. "We have compared the giants with God, and the plants-are as gnisshoppers."?Rev. F. B. Mevor. Men talk as though God were an absentee. But every true believer, every audience gathered in the name of Christ, is the home, the seat, the body of God. the lloly Spirit.? F. B. Meyer. in tnti roornuune lie isuilt. The stonemason who laid the cornet stone of the City Poor House in Cincinnati. Ohio, In 1868 applied a few days ago foi admission to that institution and was received. His name is William Brlnkschroder, and he is seventy-six years old. Foi several years he haa*lived with a daughter in a suburb of the city, hut he finally decided to relieve her of the burden of supporting him. Mr. Brtnkschroder, who if still In good health, spoke of bis work on tbe infirmary over a quarter of a centurj ago, and said that be iost $500 on tbe contract. Learning to iBe Agriculturists^ It Is estimated that there are 30,000 puplli In tb? agricultural schools of tUe United 8tate?. _ - . ' | THE SABBATH SCHOOL. I ' ' I INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR DECEMBER 24. Snbjeet: Christ** Coming Foretold. Ioa. is., 2-7?Golden Text: Lake 11., 11? Memory Verne*: Iia. lx., 0, 7?Commentary on the Dmy't Lenon. 2. "The people that walked In darkness.' Tbe people of Judah. Tbey were at thl? time under a two-fold darkness: (l)Tn? darkness of outward trouble. See 2ji.lnjf.-4 15:37; 16:4-8, 17; 2 Chron. 23:5-8. Tn?J were in moral-darkness. They were attacked by the klog of Israel and by the king of Damasous, and afterward by the king of Assyria. Great multitudes wero carried aaptives, St were slain. In thin dtjep affliction o? the Jewl*h nation her old foes rose up. against her. The Edomltes, on the southeast, and the Philistines, on the southwest, poured in their troops upon the devoted laad and Added to Its calamities. '.The Phillatlnos took permanent possession of the territory which they had overrun, occupying it and adding it to their dominion. Judah was indeed "brought low and made naked." 2 Chron. 23:18. Her country was desolate, her cities were barne.d with Are; her land?strangers devoured it In her presence, Isa. 1:7. The territory tbat remained to her was truly but a very small remnant, and even that was threatened. To escape from these troubles kiag Ahaz appealed to Tiglath-Plleser II., of Aaavrtn. for hnln " lift sarnn. and the result was that Ahaz bad to rob the temple and bis palace of tbelr treasures In order to pay the required tribute;:aad, still more, be sacrificed the Independence and honor of the realm itself.?Peloubet. 3. "Thou hast multiplied the nation." ? The prophet shows them the Messiah and His times. He would move them co hope, awaken faith, arouse to righteousness, by the vision of good times coming. The only way to such a blessed consummation was by the path of holiness, obedience and faith. "They joy before Thee." The prophet notes it to be a religious joy because it is said to be before Rod?that is, in His presence and with a grateful acknowledgment of His benefits. This seems to denote that the events predicted would be the source of greater joy to all true Israelites thun any of their former deliverances; though, at the same time, the unbelieving Jews who constituted the bulk of the nation would be drh'en into darkness, as tliey were, both as to their outward miseries and their dark and blinded state In respect of splrltualconcerns. 4. "Thou hast broken the yoke." The Jews were successively delivered from the burdensome and gallia-g yoke of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians and Macedoninns; bat these deliverances wore oaly n shadow of redemption from the yoke of Satan; and that redemption seems here especially predicted as If already accomplished. "As In the day of Mldlan." As Gideon with a handful of men conquered the hosts of Mldlun, so Messiah, the ?chlld'^{v. 6), shall prove to be the "Prince of peace," and the small company nnder Htm shall overcome the mighty hosts of intlchrlst. See the same contrast in Hlc. , 5: 2-5. 5. "For every bailie." It was the ens- ] com of antiquity to pile the arms of prostrate enemies, tbe spoils of less value, an<t their spotted garments, intoheap .and then burn them. All that bekrtuc* to war jhall be swept away; the war Itself shall die. Tbe Messiah abolishes all; war; but not until His foes are either swept away by His judgments or melted lntc penitence and won over to submission by His love. These promises were a great oomfort, jiot only for the promise of victor? over the then . lliMitonlna a nam f. hllfr frf\m thfl ftSStir. once of final triumph and success. The: tide from the i ocean of future blessings : flowed back upon the present. The lightfrom Jesus Christ shout) back on Judah all. through the seven hundred years that lay between. The best things In life are bat dimly seen and partly known. 6. "Unto us." The'prophet spake of the predicted blessings as If already communicated. Angels say, "Onto you," but this child was born for the beneilt of us men, of as sinners, of all believers, to the-ond of the world. In tuo far distance the prophet foresaw the Redeemer of the world. It is Interesting to notice how this promise gradually dawned upon the world through the proxhets. A little later came tho vision of the suffering Saviour (Isa. 53); then the town where He should be born CMlnah 5-2}; n. more comDlete revelation oame through Daniel. T'hese prophecies were so spread abroad that at the time of His oomlng there prevailed throughout the entire East an Intense convlotlon that ero long a po serial monaroh would arise In Judea and gala dominion over the world. Virgil, who lived a- little before this, owns that a child from heaven was looked for, who should restore tho golden age and take away sin. "A son Is given." God's gratuitous gift, npon whloh man bad no claim. John 3:16. A gift of love, of joy, of universal fitness to our needs, of eternal enrichment, of forever increasing value; and this gift Insures nil other gifts. Horn. 8:32. A? Son of man Jesus was "a child bbrn;" as Son ^f God he was a "Son given." "Government." Tho ensign of government, the sceptre, tho Bword, or key, was borne upon or hung from the shoulder. All government shall be Vested In him. "His name."' A name stands for all that is in the man?bis character, his principles and his property. "Wonderful." Because His nature was both human and divine. Whoever refuses to believe in the supernatural must pause nt the manger. He can go no farther. How Godhood and manhood could be knit together in the person of Christ is beyond us. But things incomprehensible are not incredible. All divine works are wonderful. There are marvels enough in a drop of water to bewilder the wiseit. "Counsellor." One who has wisdom to guide himself andj>ther?. Je3U3 was tho embodiment of tbeWisdomof God. "Mighty Goj." Goatne : mighty Oae. As He baB wisdom, so He has strength; He la able to save to the uttermoat; aud such is the work of the mediator that no less a power than that of the mighty God could accomplish It. Hw has control of ail forces for the salvation of men; He can conquer all enemies, make His kingdom triumphant over allpbstacles, can always stand bafore and above Hl.w people, leading them on to higher and bfgher developments. "Everlasting Father." Expressing the divine fove and pity for men, a love that can never fall, fot it Is everlasting. The Father pitieth His children that are weak In knowledge, and Instructs them; pities them Vben they are froward, and bears with them; pities them when they are slok, and comforts them; when they are fallen, und helps them up again. "Prince of Peace." As a King He preserves, oommands, creates peace. His peace both keeps the hearts of His people and rules in them. He Is the Author o< all that peace which Is the present and future kllao nt TTIc onviiopfu Phhoa (5 llSflfl to Eress all tba blessings that come to a ingdom where there Is peace from oatward enemies, peace between rulers and ruled, pence between the different members of the kingdom; do disorders, no Idleness. no criminals. NEWS FROM PITCAIRN ISLAND.' Many Male Descendants of the Bounty Mutineers Hare Left It. The British ship Centurion, Captain Collins, arrived at Philadelphia a few days Rgo, aud brought the first news received tor a long tiim from Pltcatrn Island, in the South Pacific Ocean, where reside the descendants of the mutineers of the fumous ship Bounty, who lauded in 1789. Tlut Island Is about two and a quarter miles long, n mile and a hair wide, and lies out of the beaten track ot travel. Captain Collins said there are at present about 130 persons on the Island, nearly all of whom are women, the men and boys as a rule having JOURht work on passing vessels or whalers. According to Captain Collins, nobody on the island Induces in intoxicants, tobacco, or profanity. There are no cattle, but goats are plentiful. The main paths are attractively bordered with orange groves and palm trees. ? Tlie Public Doutaln. Tte annual report of Commissioner Hermann of the general land office shows a grand total of 929,308,063 acres of unappropriated aud uureserved public lands tn the United Slates. Tbo disposals ot public lauds duriug the fiscal year show an innrMiian at SIR nurnu na nnmnnrnH with tlio aggregate of the previous veur. Blllliona'sturvlng In India. The famine In India this year covers at area of 850,000 square miles, In whlon is popnjatiou.pf $0,000,000 people. _ * ' " , ; . ' A*-' -v" f THE GREAT DESTROYER. I SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. Come Away From the Rye?The Itnpor. tanca of Improving the DweUlDfii of the Poor aa a Counteractive to the la* flnences of the Saloon. If a body's always drinking, Everything's awry. Should a body get to thinking Sure he'd stop aad sigh,. All such bodies think teetotal Very hard and dry, x>ub ?ro moy say luoy uuuiu uoi Keep u Ought they not to try? ?National Temperance Advocate. Better Home* For the Poor. Some very wLse and practical suggestions are contained in tbe report presented to the Presbytery of New York by Its Committee on Temperance. Tbe report dwells on the lmportanoe of Improving tbe homes of the poor as a counteractive to the influences of the saloons. ft says: The liquor traffic makes unceasing and deadly war upon the home. The saloon is the stronghold of this trade. It supplies the weapons and pays for the campaign. It entrap9 tbe breadwinner of the household and robs him of hi9 wages, his strength, his character and his enjoyment. It.robs the wife of the love and protection pledged to her at the altar. It takes from tbe children the care and affeotlon- of a father. It steals from every mdmber shelter, food, clothing and an honorable name. To exterminate the saloon is, then, the wnv to rava thA iiAmA* hut fhia muv Aftan be done moat effectively by making the home more attractive than the saloon. , Laws have been enacted, sermons preachqd, public meetings held, pledges obtained, reformatories established, lecture halls, coffee houses and other substl* tutes tried?and all hAvo done good in a greater or les9 degree?but why should not effort, intelligent, comprehensive, liberal, persistent, self-sacrificing effort, go back;o[ttie original source; why should not the chief solicitude center around the home? What can missions and ohurches among the poor acsomplish'unless the homes from which the congregations come are auxiliaries of such agencies? Philanthropists, sanitary reformers, shrewd investors And public officials have done npt a little to improve the dwelling places of the lower classes; but Is there nothing the churches can do in their organized capacity and individual activities? , Doubtless the accepted policy of most missionary operations bus nail this general end la view.' Saloons, however, stltl occupy every available corner, and sometimes bait the stores on the blook. It the law cannot close them, the loss of patronage will?but patrons will crowd the saloon door until some other door, more InvltlDg and with more behind it, shall be opened. This should be, and we believe oan be, the door of each man's own home, even it that home consists of only one or two rooms. No attempt at concerted action by the churches of any one denomination or of the entire city would probably effect large results; but If each particular church in its own immedtate sphere, and with such resources as it can command, will practically, patiently and resolutely und ttake 1 to Improve the actual living places of the' ooor, something might be hoped for. Poisoned Beer.' The United States Senate Commlttea on Manufactures has been Investigating adulterated malt liquors, and. examlngaheralsts and other expert witnesses. Their testimony shows that salicyllo acid is used in beer?particularly imported European beers. European Governments have a way of benevolently prohibiting adulteratou iu home-consumed beers, but blandly permitting adulteration in beers made for foreign consumption. That is the kind we get. However,as beer Is possibly the worst driolc tbat human beings can put into their stomachs?except champagne?beer drinkers probably deserve their penalties. There ure jertaln acute forms of kidney diseasewaxy, cirrhotic types?found only umong beor-drlnkers. Life insurance companies will not insure browery-workmen. Rich brewers ana all' their families have been known to ale or- Kidney disease, in is :s From beer presumably pare, for probably brewers drink their best beer. What huppons to those who drink the worst, heaven alone can tell.?San Franclscov Argonaut. One Caaso of Poverty. In order to learn some definite facts tvhlch would bear upon the question as to what causes poverty, one of the agents of the Municipal Reform League of New York was stationed to watch an entrance of a :enement on lower Broadway one evening from seven to eleven o'clock. He saw nineteen men go in with buckets of beer, fourteen women with buckets of beer, and seven girls from ten to twelve years of age .with buckets of beer; three women nbo carried in bottles of whisky. Forty buckets of beer and three bottles of whisky in one evening carried into a building in which the average weekly earnings pgr family will not exceed three dollars seems to fuimlsh n suggestion of the cause of poverty. On the evening of the 10th the same Agent took observation on a tenement of a better olass. Between bait-past seven and ten o'clock he saw ten boys from eight to fourteen years old carry In buckets of beer. The betterclass tenement had fewer buckets )f beer. The more b?er the worse home. Oue Saloon a Menace. It may go without saying that no community can be perfectly happy and pros parous throughout all its borders while a single d rinking place remains within its confines. One saloon argues the presence of un evil and harmful thing; It is a dark and baleful spot in the life of a community; It menDS misery and unhapplness for some one. Tile snloon can only live and thrive as It develops and feeds on the vices of men. Its presence is inconceivable in a community where every home Is a home indeed and in truth, and where purity and virtue make up the life conduct of every mau and woman. It Injures the Memory. Over-Indulgence In spirits injures the memory to an incredible degree. In years gone by no person who was known to be of intouiperate habits was permitted to appear as a witness in the Spanish courts of justice, the authorities maintaining tUat alcoholism was so prejudicial to the brain that it was unsafe to accept the testimony of an inebriate. A Sail Lack of Thrift. In a recently published book, "Shall We Drink Wine?" written by Doctor John Madden, it is proved that the American laboring man pays about twenty times as much for the food he obtains In bis beer? and beer is shown to be the most nutritive of alcoholic drinks?as for that he obtains In his bread. The Crusade In Brief. The amount of alcohol given to-day is not onr-tenth of that prescribed forty years ago. In private and hospital practice its use Is steadily declining. Wben it is considered that among the ruling classes in Chile it Is usual to drink seventeen whisky cocktails before break U J- ?a ku mAnH oh f hflf IHSt, |l 13 U'Jl IU WD ITV/kuu.cu ~~ lighting ia one of the principal amusements. Railroad companies tura a cold shoulder to all applicants for position? when the faintest suggestion of whisky 19 detected, knowing, to their sorrow, thatevea a modorate indulgence in alcohol clouds tli'e brain unil places u leaden baud upon muscular power. Life insurance companies look askance at the moderate drinker, and either refuse outright to accept the risk or take it with certain qualifications. Since the sale of alcoholic liquors In France has been unrestricted, the numbet of drinking places has increased until now there Is one saloon for every elghty-flva Inhabitants. If you feel yourself almost unconsciously slipping into the habit of drinking It Is time to stop short. Every day the habit increases iu strength. The pledge In time saves many a man. Alcoholic liquors, as a beverage, have never beeu so uupopular, so disreputable as to-day, and no one, mau or woman, can habitually indulge In them without losing business or social oasto. < 4 r' . HOSE fflMPS Ml r ?* Secretary Long Urges the Construction of Eighteen Vessels. - . COST OF ARIWR DISCUSSED. tlii Removal of Price Restriction'Desire* ?Reward For North Atlantic Sqnmdrbi OtBcers Urged? Union of Bureaus Pro posed?The Prdgnrnme of InortM tor 1900?The Cost of the Navy. Wahhixoton, D. C. (8peclal).?The ailaual report of the Seoretary of the Navy 1? n rinnn on Ant nt urinaria! JnfArAtF H anil no not only with the work of the navy in thi laat year and Important recommendation* .(or the future, but also discussing the morr Important questions relating to the navy! Including the authorization oj. eighteen new warships, tbn imperative need of-spqgs lal legislatlo?-ia the early days of Congress (or armor At the best quality that can be obtained, and the proposition that the thanks of Congress b? given ,to the commander-ln-chfu' of the North Atlantic Squadron andto the officers and-men unier his command for the part they took in the naval operations at Santiago. These larger items of the report receive extended attention at the hands.of Secretary Long. On the subject -of Increasing the navy, be asks for three armored cruisers of about 13,000 tons trial displacement, of a maximum draucrht not to oxceed twenty-six fept, carrying the heaviest armor and most powerful ordnance for ves-' 3e 13 of tfaefr class; twelve gunboats of about 900 tons trial displacement, and three protected cruisers of about 8,000 tons trial displacement, carrying the most powerful ordnance for vessels of their class. He also asks that, if satisfactory bids cannot be obtained for the new ships, authority be given to build them at the United States navy yard?. Concerning armor for warships, the Secretary shows that 7853 tons of armor are needed for the battleships Maine, Ohio and Missouri, about 9009 tons for the new battleships not yet begun, and about 5100 tons for the armored oruisers already au-^ tborlzed, a total of 21,458 tons. He say that $400, a ton' probably will buy armot made by the ordinary process of facehard*. enlng, which, though, good, is not the best, and the department does not. therefore, consider it suitable for vessels of the Maine class. His recommendation is as follows: . , "It Is urgently recommended that in the early days of its next session Congress enact such special legislation/ by Joint resolution or otherwise, as may be necessary to enable Che department to make contracts early in the coming year for 7353 tons of armor of !:he best quality that can be obtained in this country for the Maine, Ohio and Missouri, and that the provision of the act of March 3,139?, limiting the price of armor to #300 per ton, and the restriction preventing the armtrtd vessels thoreln authorized from being oontracted for until thn amor is contracted for be removed. "Whatever may be the future action of Congress regarding the establishment of a Go verflm'ont* armor factory, It can-' hardly affeot the supply of armor for thei'Maine, Ohio and Missouri, as it will, under any circa mats noes, be impracticable to obtain It from such a source in reasonable time to complete the vessels above referred to." Secretary Long refers to the return of Admiral Dewey and his enthusiastic welcome from the whole country. After .speaking of the New York reception and the sword presentation in Washington,.the Secretary sums up by saying it was the Nation's tribute. The report shows that the percentage ot Americans in the navy is rapidly lacreas HJR. pot uoui, ui LUO yokkj officers ace citizens of tbe United States and sixty-five per cent, of tbe remainder bare declared their Intention of becoming citizens. .Seventy-five per cent, of tbe en- < listed men are cltlzehs and forty-eight pet cent, of the remainder have deolared tbeli Intentions of beoomlng citizens. In th?co.se of the apprentices over ninety-one per cent, are native born. Among the many other topics treated it ( that for fostering the Naval Bes'erve, tha consolidation of the naval bureaus of Construction, Engineering and Equipment io <ue Interest of more harmonious action; t;he construction of barracks for enlisted men and a review of the various bu. rea recommendations; tbe desirability of obanging the material of tbe League IslI and aud the Mare Island dry docks from timber tc stone and concrete. The totals of appropriations, expenditure* and balance for the fiscal year ending Jane 30, 1899, were: Appropriations,exclusive of public works, $80,576,426; amount expended, $39,049,113; balances, $41,531,913. The estimates for 1900 aggregated 149,011,338 and the appropriations $49,205,069. The estimates for 1901 aggregate $74,230,309, or $25,025,239 over the appropriations for the present fiscal year. This increase is in tbroe'ltems of public Improvements, the construction ana repair oi vessels, and increase of the navy?construc* I tlon and machinery; Abase of Mall* Causes Deficit. Washington, D. f!. (8peclal).?The able! feature of the annual report of Postmaster- j General Smith is a plan for Congress to I stop the abuse of seaond-clas3 mall privileges,'which, he says, results in an annual waste of upward of 920,000,000. The financial exhibit .for the fiscal year shows total, erpecdltures of 4101,632,161 [ and total receipts of <95,021,384, the deficiency being $2,122,747 leas than last year. WEST POINT VICTORIOUS, Twenty-Five Thousand Spectators See thl Navy Beaten by the Ariny. Philadelphia (Special).?As a fitting climax to a football season bristling wltb .surprising upsets, the West Point Military Academy eleven conquered the Naval Cadets from Annapolis on Franklin Flel<? by a score of 17 to 5. The victory waf witnessed by 25,600 persons, In which wen many Government officials together wltb Army and Navy dignitaries. Annapolis has been figured as a winnei on form and the navy was out in force wltt blue and gold banners and brass buttoni -calore. The "middles" had made such ai excellent record against various strong unlVerslt} teams that they came upon tb? field primed to score a complete suocess But tue"army boys> had a little surprise t< spring on the multitude and they did it ti tue queen s s The game marked the renewal of the ath letlo contests between the'two Governmea academies alter a lapse of several years. * * THE SAMPAN TREATf SIGNED. It Will Not Go Into Kflect Until Ratified by the United St^tei Senate. Washington, D. C. (Special).?The forma act of signing the treaty providing for the division of Samoan territory between th< United States and Germany toolc place a( the State Department. The ceremony was conducted with the greatest simplicity It the Diplomatic Reception. Room. 8ecr? tnry Hay signed for the United States, Lor<! Pauncefote, of Preston, the British Ambas sudor, for Great Britain, und Herr von Halleben, the German Ambassador,for Ger many. N#ir<r Ule-iinn*4. Un^le Sam has 11,000,000 cows. It has been decided to build a $50,000 ?**' r?<x?! m 'ofr Wni'Uil T*j4 Uo>M n f OCIJIILIL- IUH3CUU4 <*V n - ?- 1 ouce. The granting of franchises lu Cuba wll | be one of tlie questions brought before th< j present Congress. The surplus of Boston's Porto Blcan re i Jlef fund will be used to build cheap-rent 3 lug houses lu Ponce. It is reported that the Sultnu ot Turkej Iihs ordered a cruiser to be built by thi Crumps of Philadelphia. , The Marconi Wi^efass Telegraph, Com pnuy ot America, St oaplUi pf tlO, 000,000, has been Inoorporatoi'W^xruattn, N.J. HOUSEHOLD MATTERS;, To Protest tbe Baby, 'r ; A crib net of soft string and wi<i? / meshes,. fastened to, the -tour post* and top rails of baby's crib, is a/new device for protecting the little one from falls. Sufficient sag is alloireA for the head to strike the netting without injury to the child. A ITalM Economy. It is a carious sort of economy that makes housekeepers fyny . cheap _ matobes and ignorance or dfcrelessnett that prevents them frdm teaching every member of their hcrasehold'tfiow .. ; to ase them properly. Thereally safe matches are those that can be lighted only on the box. and these should^e^^ used. Every cnild should be tatiight \ that a match must .never be thrown away while burning, and never shaken to extinguish; it must be held still in ^ the fingers and blown out Many valuable lives have been lost and pro* ;* perty destroyed from the careless usfog of matches. An unlighted njatohdropped on the floor may be as. dangerous as a loaded revolver. Matches 1 are so common that their danger ie overlooked, but the statistics of every Fire Department in the oonntry will attest to their deadliness Unless carefully used. 1 . J Earthworms In'Flower- PoU. Earthworms, or angleworms u they are often commonly called, in the soxL in pots is a matter that ever seem* to trouble the flower-grower. It has been a disputed point as to whether or not they do any real harm, cm whether they are not of some value in assisting drainage. I think they are better oat of the soil than in. Being of a somewhat slimy nature like mails, only not so'bad, they'impart to the soil, by constantly working through _ it, much the same consistency as Ahat induced by plowing or cultivntingland when itas too wet and pasty. It seems to kill the natan^ life and friableness of the soil, msftyng it tough and patty-like. Whdu practicable it is well to repot the planf;, using new soil. If daring the wirOer, saturate the soil in the pot containing the worms with a solution of lime-Water. Give enough,to insure the penetrating and saturating'of all the soil. This should exterminate the pests. There is no danger of getting too muoh lima in the water, as it will hold only certain quantity.?Woman'# Home Companion. . ,'...? | The Coueh Repl*ee? the Voiding Bod.] It is just possible that the folding bed will ?not become entirely extinct for some timo yet, for there are too* 1 many of them in existence/but they > are- going out very' rapidly as far A up-to-dateaeE8 is concerned. They Jt hare been going for some time, and ''V people have hardly realized it. The , ?; "?. coach has taken their place, and it has > , undoubtedly come to stay. The big pieces of furniture that pretend to-be './ something that they were not, and never really deceived anybody, wore ' j always.ugly. They were not nanitary and there have been accidents enough j . to prove that they might be danger- ; ous. Then the coUoh came and filled i almost every want. It is broad enough -j and comfortable enough also ;o make a delightful bed. The lower part can be utilized, if desired, as a receptacle for gowns and beddingand all sorts of' ' things, and with.a fancy cohering and a few cushions in its davtime ancearo ance, the con oh is a thing of beauty* a joy forever, and is really what it seems. In many of the furniture shops of New York City they hare had , no folding beds in stock for several years. It does not do for even furni- /j tare to pretend to be what it is not. ?llt is only the real things that attain any degree of permanency. The folding beds, however, are not of recent origin, for early in the elghteenth century they were to be found in this Qpuntry, in the slaw bank, our great-great-grandmothers' folding beds. These were fitted into closets in the wall. There were doora-Hn front ? of them which, when they opened, re- r vealed the under side of the bed readj^ to be let down for use. There was no ? pretense about that. A closet might contain anyttung, ana u is just as Iegimate if it is a bed standing on its* bead within its fonr walls, as pillowr or bed clotbes.?New York Times, i Becipes. ^ Vegetable Salad?One cnpfal of cold green peas, one of string beans, ~ ? Jwo tablespoonfnls of chopped rawonion, one boiled beet, two hard-.boiled eggs; mix all together with salad dressing, and serve in the corled leaves of a lettuce head. \f onln SoncP VAr Fritkftra?One fourth pound maple littgar, one-half cupful of water. Boil tilt it string*, then add stiffly beaten- wili^es of t:jo eggs, as one rfould for boiled frosting. Then add one-half onpful of eweet cyeam and jnice of a lemon. Fruit Sandwiches?Make a dough . as for biscuit, using a trifle more shortening. Boll out an inch thick, cut with a biscuit cutter and bake in a hot oven. Split open, butter lightly and . j lay between the pieces half of a canned / or preserved peaoh or pear, from wbich / the juice has been drained. When / cold, press firmly together. Any other / fruit may be substituted. / Glazed Chestnuts?Dip a half poundf of sugar in as mnoh water as At will absor'). tfoii tne sugar m a stewpan until a little dropped in cold yater , hardens directly. Have readj /some chestnuts, boiled and peeled.ara<| unbroken. Put six or eight at a time on a steel wire, dip them in a ttjrup and quickly plunge them into pold water, then slip them off the wiyfe o? a dish. . Chicken (Porto Rican Sityle)?Roast a spriug obicken and ininco the meat line. Boil half a cup of rice, season with pepper and spit, and mix with the chicken. Bal$6 three-quarters of an hour in a deep/dish, first pouring over it tho following sauce: Add to the cliickeu gravy half a cup of cream, two level teaspoonfuls of flour, salt, pepper and a clove of garlic; boil for two minutes and pour over tlie chicken mixture. / Pot Cheese? Put thick pout milk into a snucepan. Get it on side of stove to heat'gradually, till quite hot, taking care not to let it boil; remove from fire, put a bit of cheese cloth iu a colander and set it over a bowl. Dour in tie contents of saucepan ami let it drain several hours. When wanted for use, mix it with a small piece of butter aud season with salt, or it may be eaten as it is. Some mix it with a little sour cream and some with finely cut ob've*