The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, January 10, 1900, Image 6
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(Copyright, and 1*93, by
^ ? - - - t
' CHA1T.UK A.
A DANGEROUS GIFT.
Stanley's amazemant was comic.
Notwithstanding his recent experience
with Dolores, and the fact that
he was practicing what he called "the
modn8 operandi" of mesmerism,' he
had no thought of the possibility of
throwing Yan Tassel into a trance;
but, after his first momentary surprise,
he was quick to see that the
chance which had befallen him might
be made to prove a very lucky one.
Although he was profoundly ignorant
on ^he subject of pyschology in all its
phases, he had, as he would have
said, "picked up something of the jargon,"
and this he now proceeded to
make use of.
He brought a couple of pillows
from a sofa; and, having placed them
under the professor's head, in order,
ns he told himself, that "poor old
Van sha'n't get a crick in his neck,"
he drew a chair in front of him, sat
tia Annl/1 toon VlTR fTH7.fi
U.UVVU OKJ Ui/ai uw V/wuivi ?? 0
|k on the worn, pale, unconscious face,
S and began to catechise him in a low,
incisive tone.
,s\ j "Are you asleep?" he asked.
To this there was, at first, no reply.
Stanley saw the speaker's face
twitch and hps unclose in the effort to
speak, but no sound issued therefrom.
He repeated the question at
intervals of a minute, and when this
had been done several times Van Tassel's
voioe was suddenly heard, clear
and distinct, but sounding as though
it came from a distance. The effect
was weird and startling, as if speech
had suddenly proceeded from a galvanized
corpse, and the words were
calculated to increase this effect.
"I am outwardly asleep, but my
spirit is fully awake and willing to
help you." ~
Stanley's heart bounded with triumph.
He felt that his experiment
was becoming very interesting.
"Canyon read this parchment?"he
asked, indioating the mysterious
cipher.
"All that i3 written or traced on
that side vre have already made out;
the key to it will be found in the manuscript
now in the possession of the
Senorita Mendoza."
"What manuscript?" exclaimed
Stanley, for he could not remember
having spoken to Van Tassel on that
subject. "I have said nothing about
H IIKHI UOW1 ijj/W.
"No; but yon are thinking of it at
this moment, and I am now in communication
with your mind, so that I
can read your inmost thoughts."
Stanley involuntarily recoiled with
such foroe as to send his chair backward
several feet. What man, even
of the moct pure and noble mind,
would be willing to submit his inmost
thoughts to another? The situation
was particularly startling to the Honorable
Clarence Stanley. A faint smile
passed over the professor's face, and
his next words had a touch of satire
to the ear of his listener.
"Don't be alarmed," Van Tassel
continued; "I shall know nothing of
alj this wljen I return to ordinary consciousness.
Go on, get all the information
you can; it is not safe to keep
me in this condition too long."
1 Stanley drew a breath of relief, and
hastened to put his ideas into the form
of questions.
"How can I gain possession of that
manuscript?"
"To do so will be difficult, perhaps
impossible; but you have already
' < epoken to Polly Hamilton about being
present when the manuscript is read.
That is your opportunity. You must
arrange the details yourself."
nn ? ?i A. _ii L.I xi
^an i you ten me wuai uie mnuuscript
contains?"
"I can tell yon nothing except what,
is either mirrored in your own mind
or connected with some object in this
room. My vision does not travel, it
sannot leave the atmosphere controlled
by your thoughts. I can feel that the
manuscript is connected with the
cipher,because both are in your mind."
"And the cipher, then? Can you
tell me no more of that?"
"Look on the other side of the
parchment."
Stanley seized the parchment eagerly,
and turned it over.
"It is blank," he said, with an accent
of bitter disappointment; "there
is nothing on it at all?not a line?not
o m o vlr !*'
M U1U1 A
"Apparently so, and yet I can see it
closely covered with fine -writing.
Hold it for a few moments before the
fire."
Feeling very much as if he was in a
ilream or had passed into a new existence,
Clarence Stanley did as he had
oeen directed, and to his amazement
he saw, under the aotion of the glowing
heat sent out by the blazing coals,
word after word and line after line of
fine writing come into existence on
the hitherto blank side of the parchment.
Of course he understood the mys i-.
tei^y in a moment. The writing had
; ^been done by means of some chemically
prepared ink, visible only under
the action of heat. The writing was
so fine and close?the piece of parchment
being small?that he was obliged
to find a magnifying glass before he
could read it. This took some time,
and when he had tried the glass he
found the writing already so faded and
indistinct that he could with difficulty
make out a word or two, which only
served to show him that the language
was Spanish, the same ae headed the
mysterious cipher on the other side.
^ "Confound the man who invented
this puzzle," he thought. "But, no!
I won't Pay that either; for if it had
H^^been a simple one it would not have
99^^^maincd for me to discover it."
^^^^KVith the magnifying glass in hand,
S^^^^wice more took the piece of parchthe
fire, and as the writing
B^H^HHAmteared, he read it word by
HHHBB&ly thinking out the English
^^NngSB^BRs each line of the Spanieh !
before him by the j
come to
face flushed with
At
bbbhsm
?VEL.
?etl\ G. ?ir^cr. "*
:astelar.) ,
Robirt Bonvek'k Sons.)
triumph even more than by the glow
of the coals, he seated himself by the
table, and made, first, a copy of the
writing in Spanish and, afterward, an
English translation of the same.
To do this had been a difficult and
tedious task, and more than once, as
the parchment cooled and the ink
faded, he had been obliged to leave
off, to recover the writing by the magic
of heat; but at last it was completed,
and the well-hidden secret, translated
into English, read as follows:
"The spot is twelve paces from a
sycamore-tree, out of whose roots grow
twelve separate arms (or trunks, perhaps).
On the arm (or one of the
trunks) is cut the rude outline of an
Indian woman, the much-wronged ancestress
of the American Mendozas.
mi av - i ? tfco
mere me ueusurc ?ao uui Vu mv
night of October 12, 1792, by a descendant
of the Indian princess and
her treacherous husband. It is believed
that her spirit guards the spot.
The treasure can only be found by
true descendants of the Mendozas. It
can only be rightfully possessed by
true heirs, male and female, mutually
beloved and joined together in lawful
wedlock. This secret can only be
read by a Mendoza. To all others
this parchment is a blank. Every true
Mendoza inherits in some form the
birthmark of our Spanish ancestry,
and in some degree the mystic, spiritual
gifts of our Indian ancestry. To
that heir who discovers this treasure,
and whose heart is honest and his soul
pure, be blessing .and honor and all
happiness in its possession; but to
that heir who wrongfully acquires this
treasure, and whose heart is deceitful
and his soul impure, may it bring sorrow
aud loss and all the train of evils
* ' * 1 * J i - J.U _
cast aoroaa Dy ine wrong uuue iu me
Indian woman from whom we are descended."
The drawing of a little flower, whose
star-like blossom seemed to tremble
on its slender stem, completed the
hidden message of the parchment, and
under it was written the jvord "Anacaona,"
through which was drawn an
Indian arrow.
"Well," exclaimed Stanley, as he
leaned back in his chair, "all the indications
point me out as the true
heir! I have deciphered the cryptograph!
I have discovered the mysteriously
hidden message! I bear on
my brow the birthmark of the Mendozas,
and apparently I possess some
mystic gift, or I couldn't so readily
have thrown the learned professor into
a trance?though of all my claims to
be a true descendant of the Mendozas,
this last one pleases me least; unless,
? ? ?* .1.1. vJ-.*
inaeea, it proves vamauie iu giving
me control over that beautiful -Spanish
girl."
This reflection drew his attention
again to the still unconscious Professor
Van Tassel; but he failed to see
that, the man's face showed even paler,
more worn and pinched than it had
yet looked, while his eyes were so
deeply sunken and turned upward under
their closed lids that they seemed
almost lost in the sockets.
| "I have made out the whole story,"
said Stanley gayly, as he placed his
hand on the parchment, from which
the appearance of the writing had
again faded quite away, and here I
have the whole secret of the Mendoza
treasure at the tips of my fingers."
"T Irnnw it,. T taavi followed von
through it all," answered Van Tassel. !
His voice was very faint and sounded
further away than when he had last
spoken, but Stanley's own senses were
so sharpened by excitement, tliat he
failed to notice the change; "but are
you the heir who is likely to obtain
happiness in the possession of the
treasure?"
"Am I the heir?" exclaimed the
other, "of course I am the heir!
What do I care for the curse of
that dusky princess? I believe in
none of that rubbish! Let me but'
get these hands of mine on the treasure,
and the curse may take wings to
itself!"
"But you will not be the only heir;
in your character of the Honorable
Clarence Stanley, and making your
claim through the Countess Windermara
mill nnt rmir alrlov Virrtt.l??r anrl
J w * ?*
bis family claim an equal share of the
treasure?"
A look of perplexity for a moment
came into the face of the listener.
"I certainly did not consider that,"
he said, sharply, "but no matter! In
the first place they are not immortal?
both may die; and, besides, the treasure
belongs to him who unearths it.
I will snare it with no one except the
fair senorita, and she is saintly enough j
to avert all possible evil. Tell me, '
my wise friend, now that you are in
what you call 'superior condition,'
shall 1 ever gain the love of Dolores
Mendoza?"
"She will never love you, but there
is some strong bond between you. I
cannot tell what it is. She is too far
away from me and from you. It may
be the mysterious tie of blood and inherited
tendencies. You may gain a
power over her, through that you
?" - *?? ?! aw ? ? <1 imfln a?%aa It av Knf T
may pciJJICA nuvi xuuucuwo uui^ uut *
can see no more " ?
"No need to, old fellow! That's
enough," interrupted Stanley. "Let
me gain an influence over any woman,
and I will take care of the rest. Tbey
are but weak creatures at the best,
and already I noticed a difference in
that girl. She no longer shrank from
me to-day as sbe did on the occasion
of our first meeting."
He spoke merely as if uttering his
thoughts aloud, and. when Van Tassel
had replied, it had been also like
listening to an echo from his own
mind. Suddenly, he became aware
5f this, and, turning to the unconscious
companion beside him, he said
imperatively:
"Forget all that has been paid and
all that has been thought since you
fell into the trance! And now,
awake!" /
Eut the professor did not stir, and
as Stanley bent forward and looked
keenly at him it seemed as if he did
/ . , * ~ ' ** %v " ?v
. f'
i . SagPjjSi
"v/
V * i * j :j Jl
not even breathe. The Honorable
Clarence felt uncomfortable, but, retaining
perfect self-possession, he began
to make the upward passes ovei
the pallid face with the same calm
deliberation with which he had in.
duced the trance.
"Awake! Awake!" he said again, in
his most imperative tone; but the professor
gave no evidence of obeying; od
the contrary, the trance seemed
deeper and more deathlike than be
1V1 t
A chill of apprehension caused Mr.
Stanley a slight shiver, as of cold.
"He can't be dead!" he muttered.
"It would be devilish inconvenient,
and just as he promised to be of use
to me!"
Again he made the upward mesmeric
passes and again he said, in low, intensely
concentrated tones:
"Awake!"
CHAPTER XI.
DOLORES IS TROUBLED.
"I don't like that girl," said Polly
Hamilton, in a tone of great decision,
when she found herself alone with
Dolores.
"Which of them?" asked her companion,
absently, while she bestowed
a farewell loving glance on the face
of her mother, before closing the miniature
which she still held in her hand.
"Not Bertha, of course?no one
could help liking Bertha; she's just as
sweet and good as she can be; we have
always been the best) of friends, and I
am really quite fond of her, in a way.,
Not as I am of you, Rita. I never
could love any girl as I love you, dearest;
but the other one?Olive Gaye?I
I think I could positively hate that
girl!"
"How severe you are, Maruj^; but
perhaps you are justified iu feeling so.
I hardly looked at Miss Gaye, and I
had 110 conversation with her. But she
seemed to me like a charming girl."
"Exactly, that is just what people
call her; but I don't think I ever in
my life liked the sort of young woman
that is called'a charming girl.' And
I tell you, dear, my instincts about
jvomen never deceive me?Olive Gaye
may be charming, but she is not nice."
"I will remember what you say,
Maruja, and I will observe if future
knowledge of Miss Gaye confirms it."
"But didn't Mr. Stanley look handsome,
Rita? I know you don't like
him, and it terrifies me to think that
it may be an instinct with you to understand
men just as it is with me to
understand women. But I hope you
will learn to like him a little, Rita,
just for my sake, and you must admit
that he was very handsome to-day."
"I think him the handsomest man
I ever saw," said Dolores, with a sigh.
"Perhaps that is not saying much, for
I have really Been but few men, or, to
be more correct, I have looked at few,
and I have never seen any one like
Mr. Stanley."
"Oh, you darling!" exclaimed Polly
Hamilton. "It makes me quite happy
to have you say that, but you mustn't
rush to the other extreme now, and
fall in love with him, for I'm afraid
I'm awfully jealous by nature, and that
would be a terrible complication."
A quick crimson flamed into the
clear olive cheeks of Dolores, and
some inexplicable emotion thrilled
through her to the tips of her fingers.
Was it pain or anger or sorrow? It
surely could not be pleasure! And
then she was conscious of a feeling that
certainly seemed like fear. Ste drew
herself quickly away from the embrace
of her friend, and answered, coldly:
"No, I don't think I shall fall in
love with Mr. Stanley."
"Now I have hurt your feelings,
Rita; don't be over-sensitive, dear."
But Dolores protested that &he was
in no degree offended or hurt. And
the two girls presently separated, the
former tocorrecther friend's exercises
in Spanish, and the latter to consult
one of her assistants iu tne many
charitable work3 in which she spent
both time and mouey.
With a commendable spirit of independence,
Dolores had, from the first,
declared that she must be permitted to
make herself useful; and Mrs. Hamilton,
seeing that it would greatly contribute
to her happiness and self-respect
to feel a certain independence,'
engaged the young girl, at a fixed
salary, as companion and teacher of
Spanish to her daughter. >,.
"Besides which, you are always to
be oue of us?like'our own child, Dolores,
for wo owe you more than life,
in knowing that you risked your own
life to save Mary."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Indian He turns to His Tribe. .
When Spotted Horse, the yonng
Cheyenne Indian who has returned tc
the ways of his tribe in order to marr$
bis sweetheart, was united to her f
month ago, the ceremony was celebrated
with great formality. The
girl's name is "White Dove, and she it
said to be the prettiest girl on the re
servatipn. Her fath^ was an Armj
officer, and her . mother, although e
full-blooded Indian, had been wel!
educated. "When White Dove was
born the whole tribe stood sponsor foi
her and cared for her during her child'
hood. She was stolen when ten years
old by a Kiowa chief, and was rescued
later by her people. It is said she
was at wild as any of her people, anc
ran away from one home to anotbei
until she met Spotted Horse. Her re
gard for him has stood the test of time,
and for her sake lie has given up trying
to be a "white man."?New York
Tribune.
1l*nlr Annmmt Fnr Kvi?r* fliilil.
Municipal authorities ot .Mons, Bel
giura, have just adopted a resolutior
which will prevent children from be
ing born paupers in that city. Everj
child born in Mons, after being regis*
tered officially, will have a bank ao'
count opened in its name with tllfil
City Saving Bank. The authorities,
will deposit one franc for the infant*
who, when he arrives at a sufficient
age, will find this as a nucleus to augment
with hie penny savings. The
original deposit of one franc cannot
be drawn a; any time, but the interest
accruing is the property of the young
depositor.
g ?
Note issues of the Imperial Bank of
Germany last year ran beyond the
non-taxable limit sixteen times, and
thffvtax paid to the Government footed
up ^80,000. ,-ffi
Chestnuts form a portion of the
dailv food of the Mediterranean nations,
though in America they are not
ground into flour, but are eaten simply
as nuts.
I r '' >
ni5nS
jj? Designs For Costu
Pc& :?yy.^?*)U'ar*!
New York City (Special).?With
the comine of the rude blasts of win
ter the veil becomes an important adjunct
to th^ toilet of all lovers of trimness.
Women declare that it is impossible
small chenille spoil ^^lain and figured
nets in silk ind"cotton are also;
lines are popular.
big velvet jdots is becoming tOwtfRj
complexions, bat great care marinm
taken in itjr adjustment. ' Three^r*
fonr dots to a veil is the rule, and'if
one dot is allowed to come under the
eye, another to the sidfi vof the chin
and a third well back on the cheek,
or nerffc the hair on the temple, the
effect is piqnant and striking.
A pretty French veil is of light
COIFFURES FOK
weight net, bordered with a narrow
ruche of lace. Chiffon veils with and
without spots are worn ou frosty days
by women with delicate skins.
All the newest veilings come in
eighteen-inch width, to fit the toqueshaped
hats so universally worn. Few
colors fceaides black, white, browns
and grays are in demand, although
navy blue and mauve are occasionally
?een,on well dressed women.
Oroainentlns the Hair.
One of the charms of the present
fashion., btfing eclecticism, one may
select for ornamenting the hair other
ornaments besides fringes withoiit
being outlawed. Just what styles in
coiffures are most prevalent is re
vealed in the following chat by a New
York woman of fashion. She said:
"Last week I went to bee my hairdresser.
She is the one who gets up
those stunning coiffures for Mrs. Willie
Vanderbilt, Jr., and for those beautiful
blond Levi Morton goddesses.
Her quick fiugers did up my locks in
three styles, and all of them, she
assured me, were bound to hold first
place for evening attire for the next
six or eight months. My hair she
pomipadoured, so to speuk, all around
in a soft roll above the face and then
elaborately puffed the length of it on
the crown. ,Tast a^ove-lock or two
she permitted to 'rfray out ori my
forehead, and then she inveigled me
into the purchase of three distinct
Btyles of hair ounaments by the shrewd
device of fastening them in among the
coil tmd. pufl jfcand leaving the mirror
*and wfy vaiiftjHo ddfthe rest.
I'. "However,; $hey'are the smartest
little aids to beauty. The first is a
butterfly made of 'Jisse, covered with
opalescent spangles and with a delicate
white osnrev springing in place
of antenme from bis spangled
wrought head. The second is a rose
of black lisse, to the petals of which
spangles in charming imitation of!
tiny diamonds, are attached like dew
drops. This rose is to set right in
the centre and front of my hair, and
from its stem, at the back of the
petals, springs a black osprey, rather
thickly threaded with twinkling little
rhinestones, and anything more
sweetly becoming to a woman with
blond lights in her hair you will not
ree this season. - My third extravagance
was a serpent,' There now)
'* .W f "
: fammT]
mes That Have Be- p
i the Metropolis.
don't gasp "with horror, for it is not
one of those wicked-looking reptiles
made of frivolous metallic-colored
paillettes, but a very up-to-date 'and
lovely ornament, having the flexible,
tapering body covered wholly with
breast plumage from a pheasant. She
had a whole family of them, some
covered with the blue-black raven
feathers. These the blonds usurp,
and a number are made with the rich
mottled plumage of the breasts of
wild ducks.
"Whatever one's prejudice may be,
the serpents are already vigorously
adopted, and so entirely fascinating
did I think myself with my new coiffures
that I have had my picture taken
in every one just as the hair-dresser
completed them, in order to have an
authority to refer to when I begin to
do my pOmpadouring .and puffing at
home." The coiffures for ^evening
wear spoken of are shown in the large
illustration.
-The Box-Plaited Skirt. &; I
EST
f' T&e box-plaited skirt has evidently
Despite all talk to the
contrary, ever* new skirt will be full.
There will b?fitb more of the habit
back except with dressmakers who
,do not understand the progress of affairs.'
The new box-plaited skirt has the
'box p)ait cut separate and set into the
bacfc of the garment. The box plait
is single, about, three inches wide on
top, and broati&hs to form twelve to
..fourteen inches' toward the.bottom of
the sfcjrt, where it is confined by an
elastic t*pe to hold it intorform.
Many other fdrihsof fullness are
being introduced, bu? the box plait is ;
in the ascendancy. SomCexoellen^
models are shown with two box plij&ifl \
.others, as we have mentioned mloH/
using a great many- side plaits! Thw L
effect over the hips is quite as smootlr ;
as before.
The objectionable flatness of the^
back is taken away and the severity f
of . the -habit back is dispensed with
?withqttf^dding materially to the fallfOess'^the
drese. Altogether the in^oduOTibn
is more than satisfactory.
N?W?Mat?rIal For Tea Gowni.
'' ' Samethibjfjaew in material for tea
jfowns and wrappers is a smooth-facecl
ig$oth, glossy as satin on ono side, and
Coolly after the manner of eiderdown
flannel, on the other. It io lees
clumsy, however, than the latter, bnt
very soft and pliable, and much thick-J f
er than the broad-cloths.
Chenille Fringe In Favor.
Chenille fringe is greatly favored as
Ik' yj > fi ~rSt>nL Jl
EVENING WEAR. '' !
i '-Ti -ay""
garniture. This is sliown chiefly in .
colors, its width varying from tbtee
inches to twelve inches, according"to
the purpose for which it is required. 5
Corduroy an a WaUt Fabric.
Corduroy as a shirt waist fabric
promises to be very popular.
Charming Bodice Fashion. j
In the accompanying cat is illustra- i
ted a "cunning little bodice" which '
has just been designed by a versatile J
modisto in New York. The owner,
describes it as follows: "My bodice is
- 1 ?i-;i- _?/i ?;n, f
01 piain auu tvuitu sjjullcu icu mm,,
tbe collar toned down with straps of;
.black taffeta and plenty of little clear/
glass buttons at the points of straps,/
on the cuffs and elsewhere. My only
f
A BED AND -WHITE SILK BODIES WIT? '
CLKAB GLASS EUTTtUTS. ';>
objection to red is tkat^jlvjpfelly appears
less worn tliis winterjlhan ever.
Yon almost might take lor granted
that the whole worm of women is in
full or half mourning item the overwhelming
jjggyfonjferqince of de?d
blaok^grq^H^pKpj^fthlift es mnlw".
^
DB. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE BYTHE NOTED
DIVINE.
Snhjoct: Cradle of Christ?^harioTr* ami
Sunshine on That Lowly Bed?The
Story of the Incarnation Told in a
New Way?Use* of the Festival.
[l'opyripht, LouIh Klopsoh. 1W.1
"Washington, D. C.?The story of the Incarnation
is here told by Dr. Tnlmago in a
new way, and practlaal use is made of
these days of festivity; text. Matthew, i.,
17, "80 all the generations from Abraham
to David are fourteen generations, and
from David until tbo carrying nway into
Babylon are fourteen generations, and
from the carrying away Into Babylon unto
Christ are fourteen generations."
From what many consider the dullest
and most unimDortant chapter 0! the New
Testament I take my text and find it lull
of practical, startling and eternal interest.
The chapter is the front door of tho
New Testament, thronch nil tV>?
iplendors of evangelism and npostoliclty
enter. Three times fourteen generations
are spoken of in my text?tbat is, fortytwo
generations?reachiBg down to Cbrist.
They al! had relation to Him, and at least
fortj'-two generations past affect u?. If
they were good, we feel the result of the
goodness. If they were bad. we feel the
result of tbeir wickedness. If some were
good and some wero bad, It is an intermingling
influence that puts its mighty
band upon us. And as wo feel the effect of
at lenst'forty-two generations past we will
in turn Influence at least forty-two generations
to come, if the world shall lost a
thousand years. 80, you see, tho cradle
is nrore.lmportant than the grave.
I propose to show you some of the shadows
Upon tbe Christie cradle of Bethlehem
aurl then the sunshine tbat poured in upon
the pillow of straw. Notice among tho
fthndnvQ nn fhnt Tnfnn**a ha/1 fl*of
wns here and there n specimen of dissolute
nncestry. Beautiful Ruth His ancestress?
Oh, 3*esl Devout A?a one of His forefathers?
Oil. ye?! Honest Joseph His father? Oil,
yen!" Holy Mary His Mother? Oh, yes!
But in that, Renealoslcal table were idolHtrous
anil cruel Ammon and oppressive
Rehoboam and some men whose abominations
may not be particularized. So you
pee bad men may have good descendants.
One of the most consecrated men I ever
knew wns tbe son of a man wbo lived and
died a blasphemer. In the line of an oppressive
Behoboara eoraes a gracious and
merciful and slojrions Christ. Grejfttfe,
conr.ieercenKfor those who bail ft tqp'
forty-two generations that preceded then?,'"
however close by or howevef/fRr back?],
some instances of pernicious and balefal
n^d corrupt ancestry. .
r; *To ray amazement, I found ltWjjMarts
of Australia to whicjn many yeaniHfarfelon<;
were transported from Enf^nuj^t
^600^ mfa #i'1 ModMvomeD^ Some
1 j^jjjcQfg^ypdlcid benches in Austrn
governmental positions,
ro?toraamed and useful professions, and
m Ifer* in social life, arc the ffrandsons'nnd
granddaughters of-'men and women who
were exiled from Great Britain to AtUfljraHa
for arBon and theft and assault and
fraud and murder. So you see it is possible
for the descendants of those who do
wrong to do right. \'w>
Meanwhile keep carefully your family
records. The old place . for the family
record in the Bible, between the Old and
New Testaments, is a most appropriate
place. That record, put in such impressive
surroundings of chapter, bounded on
one side by the prophecies of Malachi and
on the other side by the Gospel of
Matthew, wiH receive stress and sanctity
IroniittSi position. That record is appropriately
t>ound up with the eternities. Do
Sot limply say in your family record,
"Bort af such avtime and died at such a
time," but if there has been among your
ancestocB sooye man or woman especially
consecrated ?na: useful make a note M It.
for tb?encouragement of the following
generstloju^^Fo family records of the
J3ible?tb#0>Bm Matthft# reaching from
by tbe.^jS^itfl&faCenenitions whioh ait)
past and thytgffiFWteo amarntloaa which
are to come. ItjSM
fc?rHlrtbd; *17 '
Another slit lie" ^k|{& cradle
tc wthat It stood Tindor r q^^Hft&klag.
Herod was at that ttrntornlerVP^Hft^riv
plete impersonation or all It
was an unfavorable time for*jfl^K|ce to
expect pood treatment. So JEj^HEs lb*
shadow dropping on tho eraTfa^^ma that
iniquitous throne that tlie p.eflgBHnotber
had to ltrt her babe out of it^HKflaiike
hasty flipht. Depraved hatijtay^npfte in
authority urn apt t^e_copieBj|HBgect?.
and from v4W^ffltllOrHt5 |
thro^jXjrfdge of the lmmort^B9RpUlon.
riiJr* ttrs a malaria of sin lnJMKBh: when
thejinfant Christ first breathdj^H^bickesf?
shrjwl could not keep the when
in :bat wintry mouth witb^ffiEmSbther He
Historian.* say tb.it it was jdgSpttlme of
peace that Christ was bora, ]&w||lji??lrth
arohsed an antagonism of wMotftbe feethleh^m
massacre was only a feeble expression.
War of the migbtiesteniiltoif of the
aarJh o.iuneri nmlnBtthcit cradle! Tbe in
that oamo 'forth that nightlfom
^ijprroahd&ff of"canals and sbeep'and
o^K^UqIM^H the Iniquities of all the
eowatfloi aadrwill notjs&ase until It has
deBKa them.'''flWanpjhfram n elatnento
w$M forth from that jRekand barbarian
tffifiuo, prnctfcally' snyfiifir, "Slay rill the
iMgffa under two years Of age, and that
ttltip-- slaughter will surely include tbe
agSth of the one child that roost threatens
my dominion." Aw/ul time It was'for the
occupant 01 that cradle! If He escape tbe
knife oMh? assassin, then the wil$oeust*9
paw or the bandit's clutch or tbe-jBanlght
chill between Bethlehem of Jud?a and
Cairo, Egypt, will secure His destruction.
All the powers of earth and all the demons
of hell bombarded that eradlo.
Another shadow upou that Christie
cr.-idle wns the obscurity of the place of
birth. Bethlehem wns au obscure viilage.
David, tin) stiepueru uoy, naa oueu uuru
there, but after Ijh became general and
king he gave it no significance, I think
never mentioning it but to ask for a drink
or water out of tho old well to which he
used to go in childhood?the village sc
small and uuimportant that it hud to be
separated In mind from another Bethlehem
then existing, and so was called Bethlehem
of Judica. There was a great capital of
Jerusalem: there were the fifteen beautiful
cities on tho beach ol Galilee, any of
them a good place to bo boru in; Mere
wore great towns famous nt thai time, but
tho nativity we to-day celebrate was in u
village which Cbrlstintlmnted had been
called by some "tho least among the,
princes of Judn." Christ Himself was to
make the town fuaiou-j for all time and all
eternity.
0 meu and women or r/essfanic opportunity.
why do you not make the plaice of
your nativity memorable for your philanthropies?by
the churches voa build, tho
rrcf^libraries you open, the colleges you
jndow? Go back to tb? village where you
ivere born, as George Feabody went buck
to Danvers. Mass.. and with your wealth
bless the neighborhood where in childhood
von played ajid near by where vo ir father
sud mother sleep tho last sleep. Tuere are
scores of such villages iu America being i
generously remembered by prosperous men
iuring life or helped in their las: will and
testament, and there are a hundred neighborhoods
w litiug for such benediction
from their prosperous sons. Lv some such
siiarity invito the Jiethlehem angels to
como back again ?nd over ttie plain hou^e
of your nativity ring out the old untliem or
-' - " ----- > nv^.? j? ??
"UOCU Will IQ lUl'U. vuuni, win
obscure p ace, made it so widely known by
BUs self sacrlliees and divine charity that
nil round the earth th<* village of liethlehetfibas
Its uanio woven iu garlands and
t- Deums'-and built in houses I
jFoUt is.tlme wo see some or the sunshine
brenking through the shadows on
that cradle. For we must have jubilance
dominate the Christmas festival, 'ihat
was Walter Scott's opinion when in ' .Murea
ion" be wrote,
A Christmas gambol nit would cb<?er
A poor man's heart through halt the year.
It wa9 while the peasant and his wife were
on a visit lor the purposes of enrollment
that Jesus was born, 'iud Bible translators
cot the ?vroDg woid when they, said that
Joseph and MaTy bad gona to Bethlehem to
fee "taxed." ^eopJeweut 4o farther then to
eci tared than they do co^-, I'he effort of
most
people always has been t* escapd
taxation. Besides tbat, these two bnrablo
folk had nothing to tax. The man's turban
tbat protected his head from the nan
was not worth taxing; the woman's sandals
wbich kept her feet from being cut by tbe
limestone rock, of wbich Bethlehem is
,il" ??iTA?f>i farlntf.
juusiiy iijttue uy, wcio uui tfvtvu kU^.MPV
No; the fact is that a proclamation had
been made by tbo emperor that all tbe people
between Great Britain and Fortbia and
ot tbose lan-ls included should go to some
appointed place and Rive tbeir name-! Id,
be registered and announce their loyalty totbe
Roman emp ror.
They had walked eighty miles over a
rough road to give their names and take
tbe oath of allegiance. Would we
eighty miles to announce our allegiance ',/
our king, one Jesus? Cie3ar Augustus
wanted to know by tbe record on wbleit
that man and that woman wrote their
names or had them written, Just bow many
people in bts empire he could dep?nd on in
case of exigency. How many men wonld
unsheathe sword for the Roman eagle and.
how many women could be depended ou to
take care of the wounded on battlefields?"
The trouble is that in the kingdom of
Christ we do not know how many can bt?
depended on. There are so many men and
women who never givo in their names. -?3
They serve the Lord on the sly. Tbey do- * "IS
not announce their allegiance to the kiDg
who, iti tbe battles to come, will want A'JjB
all His tro<ps. In nil cur 'churches- ; 1$
there are so many half aDd baif disci- .j.
pies, so many one-tbird espousera. . -j|
Ibey rather think tbe Bible Is true, at any jj
rate parts of it, and they hope that some- *
bow Christianity will disenthrall tbe na- A
tions. They stay awiy from church on Otjjj
| communion days'aiul hope when tbey have- [
lived as long as tbey can in this world they
can somehow sneak into heaven. Ob, givo^
in your names! Bereglstered on tbo church- ?
record down here and in the Lamb's Book c
of Life up there. Let all the world know , j
where you stand, if you have to go n?far
as Joseph and Mary walked, if you have t& *
<Tn nioliM7 mllu hofnro von And lUSt tlj?- .
J J . ?
right form of worship and just the right < j9
creed.
Another gleam of sunshine striking
through the shadows above that Christie |
cradle was the fact of a special divine 15
protectioa. Herod was determined upon
the child's destruction. The monster put >.-j
nil his wits together ia stratagem for the- I
stopping of that young lifo just started- .<3
He dramatized piety; lie suddenly go: relfgious;
be would leave his palace and tatse
chariot nnd have steeds whipped up, sothat
he could kneel at that cradle. We
have to smiie at what the imporlnl villain
said wheu he ordered, "Go and Search
diligently for the young Child, and when
ye liaye found Him bring me word, that I \.J.
may go and worship Him also." Dore'n
picture of tho "Massacre of the Innocents"
iiti"Herod's command?a picture full of
1 over walls and dashed
xnd writhing under assasi
us a littlo impression of
wbich Herod would haveil
Child if lie could have
hands -on It. But Heroil
Dnd that, cradlc. All
he sent out failed!
Id tbe.^BjMixeii. Yet it nau Deeu
pointed by flashlight from tbemktoteht
beayens. All tba Jtolghborbood
ktwBj,ab?ut It. Tfae nngelle ehoruH in theclriHhad
called musical attrition to it.
XoHfBBtlnel Ruarded it with drawn sword,
passing up and down by the pillow of time
Bethlehem caravansary. Why, then, was
it that tbe cradle was not despoiled of its
treasure? Because it was divinely protected.
There were wings hovering that
mortal eye could not see; there were armed
immortals Whose brandlsfited-SW&rd-jaortal
eye could not follow; "there were charTdB_
of the Omnipotent the rnnble of whos^ x
wheels only supernatural could hear. God :*
bad started through tbe cradle to save our >.1
world, and nothing could fctop Him. ,-^j
You cannot reasonably account for tbat '.}
unburt cradle except on the theory ot a :'?
special, divine protection. And most
cradles are likewise defended. Can yon
understand why so many children, wltb all to
the epidemics tliat ascnuft them, and alt,
their climbing to dangerous heights, and
all their perilous experiments with explo* if;:,'
sives and their running against horses*
boofs, and daring of trolleys and eartsfast
driveD, yet somehow cet through, especi-,
ft 'ly boys ot high spirit and that are goto#-' , 1
to amount to mpoli? I account for tbeix j
coming through all right, with only a few f
wounds and bruises, by the fact that they J
are divinetr protected. All your charge# j
of "Don't 4o this" and "Don't do tbat" M
and "Don't go there" seem to amonnt to
-'nothing. They are the same reckless orea- 'jfl
tares about whom yoa are constantly anx- 1
lous and woplerl^g what Is the matter JM
I Another glea&Jjjf light, scattering some ll
I qLjithe gl<jom!<Bijjrtliac ClirlsMc pillow in m
Btolehem^a^ ^bo fact that it was the[
gtfft^gjJ9Kp4fthe most wonderful of all V
' careers.^O^kil^r^at Christ's iife from <9
mere womlly standpoints it was amazing V?
beyond ail 'capacity of pen or tongue or, JH
canvas to express. Without talcing a year** 3
curriculum jn any college or even -\ day ac - '^W
any school, yet saying thiugs luat the- 7)S
mjc^jest intellects of subsequent days |
; Ifltf? ar.d tried to expound! Great -^3
Hltertiy worWhy^UMlWti*^; part beea
the result of mucWwanorntfon., Edmund ,.-.3|
Burke rewrote the Conclusion or his speech j
Avnlnat Warren Hastings sixteen times. a
Lord Brougham rewrote bis speech 1q be- j
halt of Queen Caroline twenty times, buf ? a
the sermon on the mount seemed extern- jf
pornrleoas. Christ was eloanent without-, va
ever having studied one of tnelaws of ora*. '51
tory, *JEte was'the greatest orator that .ever ,3
Hyeffrvlt was not an eloquence Demos- A
th6nw or. Ciceronlc or like that of Jean M
Brfptlste MasBilion or like that \7bicl1
iam Wirt, himself a great orntor, was over- 'jfl
come with in log cubln meeting house o* ,jB
Virginia, when the blind preache* cjfcJeil 'm
out in his sermon, "Socrates died lift a I
philosopher, but Jesus Christ dledfjfe? b.
Cut we must not only look at "^nHlrom a-- -*S
worldly standpoint; How He smojyVWtitrU
wiuds into sllenae, and madejCgApPkTtis ot ffi
the sea lie down, anil opened?,#? doors of ;9|
light into the midnight of tbojpr who had .?
been boru blind, and turned dwtf ears into ifl
callerle* of music, and 4gtti one touch J|
made the scabs ot inca?|bie leprosy fall jBl
off, nnd renewed berilthy circulation
through severest paralysis, and made the J '*
dead girl waken: nnd osli for her inotM$ j
and at His crucifixion pulled down the; <
clouds, until at 12 o'clock at noon it was as ,
dark lis at 12 o'clock at night, aDd starting "<
an influence that wilt go on until the ln*c
desert will grow roses and the lust weak ,f
luug make lull inhalation, and the last
case of paresis take bealthinl brain, am!
the last illness become rubicund of cheek
aud robust ol chest and bounding of foot,,.
and the las: pauper will get his palacc," ,
aud the last sinner taken into the warm ?
bosom ol a pnrdoning God! Where did wl
tliis start? in that cradle with sounds Of i
bleating sheep and bellowing cattle and
amid roush bantering of herdsmen and ;
came! drivers'. What u low place to start
for f-uch great heights! O artists, turn J
your camera obsenra on that village ot .
Iielhlelieiu! Take it all In? the wintry skiev'
lowering, the flocks shivering in thecbilf f.
air. Mary the j-ale mother, and Jesus the Si
Child. '"[M
But sundow.? bave their use?. There
must bo 11 background to every good pic- < vj|
ure. Turner aiwuys put at least a fieck
or Cioud on lils canvas, and the clouds cl <,-;5S
earth will be the background to bring out 4]
ir.ore mightily the brightness of heaven. ;jl|
And will it not bo glorious it alter all till* v.?|
scene of earthly vicissitude we meet itgaiu
in our Fi'therV house aud talk over ttie &j|
past in an everlnstiug holiday? Bat
meanwhile look out for tho cradles. How
much tbey decide for this world ami
the next! When Wellington was l)OriV '-? <
nr. Mornington, England, that decided
Waterloo and saved Europe. When Han- *'<<
del was born ic Hallo, .Saxonv, that decided
th? oratorios of "Judas itaccabffiuV] ./r and
"Esther"' a.ud "ifrael it> Egypt" ;uWi'"'
' Jephrimh.' aud "Messiah."' When Elf
Whitney was bom at Westhoro, t'uat de
cided tee wcmili or ail the eottou uelds ol |
the South. When Guleuberg was bom at
Metz, Germany, thnt decided the librariej
of alj Christendom. Wben Ciarkson was
boru'in Cambridgeshire, England, that do
cided the doom of human bondage. Whet
Morse was lorn at Breed's Ilill, Mas?.
that decided that the lightnings ot
heaven should become galloping couriers'
or stretch a throbbing iron nerve clom-^- j
under the sea. When Washington wat
born ajt Westmoreland, Ya., that decided <
American independence. When Christ wat
born at Bethlehem, "'?.t decided there,
doinption of the world. Oh, look out for -]
the cradle."! May a Bethlehem star of hop* , .1
point down to each one ol them and everj ;
liovtying cloud be tilled wttb chanting :iih
gels ol mercy.
Ia aU Spain there are only 3230 chil-dres 'J
in the Sunday-schools. , M
J