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r* I DR. T ALU AGE'S SERMON. SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE Br THE NOTED i DIVINE. V Suhjoct: Drama Discussed?-It C.tnnot I5e I Suppressed?Christianity Should Cnn' trot and Reform I'ublie Amusement? The Church .Should Go to the Theater. {Copyright I'.iuu.! Washington. P. C.?At a time wh^n trio whole country is in controversy as never before com-eming the theater ami somo plays are being arrested by the police and others are being patronized !>.v Christian people this sermon of Dr. Taltnage is of j much interest. The text is I Corinthians vii., 31, "They that use this world as not J abusing it." My reason for preaching this discourse is j that I have been kindly iuvited by two of i the leading newspapers of this country to inspect and report on two of the popular | plays of the day?to go some weeks ago to I V Chicago and see the drama ' Quo Vadis" I and criticise it with respect to its moral efr feet aud to go to New York r.nd see the drama "Ben-Hur'' ami write my opinion of it for public use. Instead of doing that I propose in a sermon to discuss what we shall do with the dramatic element which God has implanted in many of our natures ?not iu ten or 100 or 1000, but in the vast majority of the human race. Some people speak of the drama as though it were something built up outside of ourselves by* the Coogreves aud the Goldsmiths aud the Shnkespeares and the Sberldans of I, literature and that then we attune our f tastes to correspond with human inventions. Not at all. The drama is an echo _ from the feeling which Ood has implanted I in our immortal sou!?. It is seen first in the domestic circle among the children three or four years of age playing with their dolls aud their cradles and their carts, seen f tea vears after in tne playhouses of wood, I ten years after in the parlor charades, alter [ that"ia the elaborate impersonations in the I academies of music. Thespls and .Escbyf las and Sophocles and Euripides merely dramatized what was in the Greek heart; r Terence and Plautus and Seneca merely dramatized what was in the Roman heart; Congreve andFarqubar merely dramatized what was in the English heart; Racine, Coroeille and Alflerl only dramatized what was in the French and Italian heart; Shakespeare only dramatized what was iu the great world's heart. The dithyrambio and oiassic drama, the sentimental drama, the romantic drama, were merely echoes of the humau soul. I do not speak of the drama on the poetic shelf or of the drama in the playhouse, but I speak of the dramatic element In your souland mine. We make men responsible for it. They are not responsible. They are responsible for the perversion of it, but cot fop the original implantation. God did that work, and I suppose He knew what Ea was about when He made us. We are nearly all moved by the spectacular. When on Thanksgiving Day we decorate our churches wltii the eotton and the rice and the apples and the'wheat and the rye and the oat*, our gratitude to God is stirred; when on Easter morning'we see written in , letters of flowers the inscription, "He Is Risen," our emotions are stirred. Evfry parent likes to go to the school eitiijhltioti, with its recitations and its dialogue and its droll costumes. The toTChUghCoNK cession of the political campaign iS'Meffwr the dramatization of principles involved. No intelligent man can look in any Secular or religious direction without finding this dramatic element revealing,'-,unrolling, demonstrating Itself. What shali we do with it? Shall we suppress it? Ton can as easily suppress its Creator. You may ' direct it, you may educate it, you may jpayify if you may harness it to multl-poteflfcueefulness, and that it is your duty to do, just as we cultivate taste xor tue ueauuiui auu sublime. x ^ " Now, I have to tell you not only thaLGod Las Implanted this dramatic element in our natures, but I have to tell you In tbe Scriptures He cultivates it, He appeals to It, He develops It. I do not care where you cpeu tbe Bible, your eye will fall upon a drama. Here it is in the book of Judges, the fir tree, the vine, the olive tree, the bramble?they all make speeches. Then at the close of tho scene there is a coronation, aud the bramble is proclaimed king. That is a political drama. Here it 1s in the book of Job. Euter Elipiias, Blldad,' Zopbar, Elihu and Job. The opening act of the drama, all darkness; the closing act of the drama, all sunshiue. Magnificent drama is the book of Job. Here it is in Solomon's Song?the region, an oriental region: Vineyards, pomegranates, mountain of myrrh, flock of sheep, garden of epices, a wooing, a bride, a bridegroom, dialogue after dialogue?intense, gorgeous, all susrgestive drama is the book of Solomon's Song. Here it is in the book of Luke; Costly mansion in the night. All the windows bright with illumination. The floor n-quake with the dance. Returned eon in costly garments whioh do not very well fit him perhaps, for they were not made for him, but he must swiftly leave oft his old garb and prepare for this extemporized levee. Pouting sou at the back door, too mad to go ia, because they are making such a fuss. Tears of sympathy running down the old mau's cheek at th? story of his son's wiiudering and suffering and tears of joy at his return. When you heard Murdock recite 'The Prodigal Son" in one of his readings, you did not know llglou have started ju3t under the reading ot that soul revolutionizing drama of "The Prodigal Son." Here it is in the book of Revelation? crystnlline sea, pearly prate, opaline river, 1 amethystine capstone, showering coronets, one vial poured out incardlnatlng the waiters, cavalrymen of heaven galloping on white horses, nations ia doxology, halleluiahs to tho right of them, halleluiahs to the left of them. As the Bible opens with the drama of the flr3t paradise, so it closes With the drama ot the second paradise. Ulnd you, whea I say dramu I do not mean myth or fable, for mtf theology is of the oldest type?860 years 61<J, thousands or years old, as old as the Bible. When I speak of the drama c rat the beginning and close of the Biblei I do not mean an allegory, but I mean the truth bo stated that in grouping and in startling effect it is a God glv^n, world resoundiug, * heaven echoing dragaa. Now, if God implanted this dramatic element In our nature?, and if He has cultivated and devel oped It iu toe scriptures, i ueuiouu mm ? ' you recognize it. Because the drama has again and Again L been degraded and employed for destrdor tire purposes is nothing against the drama ? any more than music ougUt to be acdajetard because it has been taken again and again into the saturnalian wassails of 4000 years. i Will you refuse to enthrone music on the church organ because the ?jirt has been r' trampled again and again under the feet of the lascivious dance? It is nothing against painting and sculpP ture thnt in Corinth and Hercalaneuin they were demonstrative of vulgarity and turpitude. The dreadful museum at .* . Pompeii shall throw no discredit on PovrI ] ers's "Greek Slave" or Cburoh's "Heart L.' of the Andes" or RubensV "De* t.. ?v.? n ii __ i>r .>? BCODl rtuui luu vivap v& ay^oiv c Judgment." The very Tact that again and again the drama baa been dragged throngh the sewers or iniquity Is the reason why we should snatch It up and start tt oar on a grand and a boly and a magniflccnt t! mission. Let me say at this point In my IL sermon that the drama will npver be lifted to its rigbtfal sphere by those people who have not sense ?nouRh to distinguish beHvtween the drama and the playhouse. The W drama is no more the theatre than a hymns' book is a church. I am not speaking in regard to the theatre at all. The drama Is a literary expression of that feeling which Ood Implanted in the human soul. Neither will tbe drama over he lifted to Its proper sphere bv wholesale denunciation of aStg dramatists. If you have not known meu j a Lid women connected with the drama who' i- are pu" in heart and pure in speeoh and pure in lire, it is becuuao yoa have not had very wide acquaintance. Ji? Wholesale denunciation of all dramatists f will i:ever elevate the drama. Yonder ? stand a church and a theatre on opposite h sides of the street. The church shouts over E to the theatre, "You are all scoundrels!" ? The tlieatreshouts back, "You are all hypoorites!" Aud they both falsity. Dropping fe; all indiscriminate jeremiads against draeL matists and realizing that the drama is not B; necessarily connected with this Institution K" or with that, I want to show you bow the E dramatic element iu our natures may be K' harnessed to tho chariot of civilization and K/ Christianity. E- . Fifty essays about the sorrows of the us.- poor could not affect one as a little axaina of accident and suffering I saw one slippery morning In the s'-eets of Philadelphia. Just aliead of m<? ?vas a lad, wretched In apparel, his limb, amputated at the knee; from tlie pallor of the boy's cheek, the amputation not long before. He had a package of broken food under his arm-food he had begged, I suppose, at the doors. A? ho passed on over the slippery | |?u\uim:ui, tauuuuJiiy iiun uuoianj, x steadied him uutil his crutch slipped and he fell. I helped him up as well as I could, gathered up the fragments of the package us well as I could, put them under one arm and the crutch under the other arm, but when I saw the blood run down his pule cheek I burst into tears. Fifty essays about tlys sufferings of the poor could not touch one like that little drama of accident and suffering. Oh, we want in all our different dopurtmeuts of usefulness more cf the dramatic element and less of the didactiJ. The tendeucy in this day is to drone religion, to whine religion, to eaut religion, to moan ; religion, to croak religion, to sepulcharlze religion, when we ought to present it in animated and spectacular manner. I What we want, ministers and laymen, is to get our sermons uad our exhortations and our prayers out of the old rut. The old : hackneyed religious phrases that come snoring down through the centuries will 1 never arrest the masses. What we want j to-day, you in your sphere, and I in my sphere, is to freshen up. People do not . want in their sermons the sham flowers I bought at the millinery shop, but the japonicas wet with the morning dew, not the heavy bones of extinct megatherium ' of past ages, but the living reindeer caught : last August nt the edge of Schroon Lake, i We want to drive out the drowsy and the prosaic and the tedious and the humdrum and introduce the brightness and the vivacity and the holy sarcasm and the sauotiQed wit and the epigrammatic power and the blood red earnestaess and the lire of religious zeal, and I do not kuow of auy way i of doing it as well as through the dramatic. ; But now let us tarn to the drama as au 1 amusement and entertainment. Rev. Dr. Bellows, of New York, many years ago fn a very brilliant but much criti- : cised sermon took the position that the thoater might be renovated apd tjaade auxiliary to the church. Many Christian people are of the same opinion. I do not agree with them. I have no ldda?that success is in that direction. WUatl have said heretofore on this subject, aaufer as I can remember, is ray sedttmeut now. 'But today I take a step in advance of toy former theory. Christianity is going ta&take full possession of this worl.d .'anjfcrcobtrol lis maxims, its laws, its literature, its scleuco and Its- amusements. Shut out from the realm of Christianity anytMag ami you give it up to sin and%eatb. If Christianity U mighty enough to manage everything$nt thefliiousemeuts of , the world, tbenU &a very defectiveChristianity.4 Is It capiMb o{ Jumping account of the tears of theJnagW-Iand Incompetent to m?kt record offlKluRHes? Is it good to follow the fpnea?fiM(t3Wmb at tlie world's play? Can it cagrajfuul the other elements of our nature lm??ihe dramatic element? Myildea of GhrtjMMHt.is that it cau aud Now, what w& 'want to "to hasten that time. How will itta'dbua? By the church going over to tlio,', t neater? It will not gc. ! By the theater aoprtsg >to the church? It ! will not come. WSat.wft want is a reformed I amusemeut association in every-city and town of the TJjjitW States. Once announced and ejtflalned and illustrated, j the Ohrlstlan apfti JiWlantUroplc capitalist will come forwSgHRestabllsh it, and there will be public spUtittd men every where who | will do this worl&wif the dramatic element j of ournatpres. ne?d a new institution to meet ana&ecognize and develop ; and defend tbV.pfcmatic element of our nature. It naeda 4#-be distinct from everything that Is or has been. I would have this .^reformed amusement association having in oharge this new institution of the spectacular take possession of some hall or academy. It might take a smaller building-at the start, but it would soon need the largest hall, and even that would not hold the people, for he who opens before the dramatic element in human nature an opportunity of gratification .witiujut comproiaiaafe.und without donffbf dods the mlghtte8f*illing of this centurr, and the tides of neh .ria institution would rise as the Atlantic rises at Liverpool aockt., ' \ luwrw tiro (cus ui liiuusuuus vi vu^t^biwu homes where the sods and. daughters nre held back from dratnutio entertainment for reasons which some of you would say a re good reasons nud others <irould say are poor reasons, but still held back. But on the establishment of suoh an institution they would feel the arrest of tlmir anxieties I and would say on the establishment of this new institution, which I have called the ! spectacular, "Tlittnlc, God. this is what we j have all beeu waiting for." Now. as I believe tbat I make soueagton of aa institution wi>ich wiser -H^ll develop, I want to give some clutofct eristics of this new institution. this sptoWctl- | lar, if it is to he a grand soolal anflStoyU j success. Iu the first pUo*, it* Oik^vSHMu monts must be compressed wUb|n aPfHflH ami three-quarters. What kills serawW prayers and lectures and entertaimne^H of all sort# is prolixity. At a reu'sonaSH hour every nlgbt every certain of put^K entertainment ought to drop, every chunH st"vit: ought to cease, the. Instrument* JH orchestras ought to be unstrung. & Oa the platform of this new insUtmHH there will be u drama whlcfi before rto?M ing has beeu read, expurgated, abbrffljMjBgB ami parsed upon by a board of trusttjfifl connected with this reformed anansemdaH association, xr snere do iq a uraau^HMBg trace suggesting evil. It will be strfefcatig out. If there be in a Shakes peareah plafri word with two meanings?a good meaning and a bad meanlug?another .word; substituted, an honest word loaidAgSian*': way. The caterers to suftUe taste ^raay? to learn that Shakespearean better than CongMVjM^jiwrtigS^f;:,jtdn.'. say, "Who will dare tocbahge by eXM?g ;!,l tion or^ abbreviation ; a fl^4^1WPBW,e4p tbla reformed amuse moat. aj^btjiutlOQwlil the abbreviation ofitV>iw>Wjj^c^^toa| thirty or forty pages Lost" read at^one time"."be tbn spectacular, under fUeftattlo^^SSs best men and women in tliti'bon^abi?tM there Bhaii be noting ..witn^e^ ^tiyWi would beunQt for^a paxlOK. An.y.Httttnd^,'any look, any word tbi(t'woajd.^ftaa<?y^ seated at youx own Article," Hi lyoSMwraf^ eircle, wlli"be prohibited' from. ijiat pta'f * form. By 'what law of.eoinimoh j3Bg&-$Q&f morality does that .whiflth-1s.:notv&t to.Hlfe. seeu.or heard, by A ve people'ityc.Oq*# t\A daun ak liaunA Kw 1 KfW 'i^rtnldJ 'TiAn'-ratt I WU slUWIf Vi . I/J " A WV. |^y ~~,VH ' 1W* 'j platform ot that spectaouUr aUtbewiena^ of the drama will b? as dy?^1 a lecture by Edward Ever&lioir-i ireito&ri,' by P. W. Robertson. /'.'Oa.^hat ,pUt!iu$i: there shall be no oaroa38rr np:toet|tftt'e: BOuyprian, no foe of goad mor*]i? nif4ii^utld?r. or femlQlh^. Now let us have a new ittstltartlifcU'vwtth expurgated drama and witLt the aur^oiuudings I have spoken or, an InattwwoMMdl^ we can Without sophistry aadwlt fiout sett deception support aad' patronize, t&.VarfPyt tution so uncompromisingly good ,,tba((,w oau attend It without any shoos to oar. religious sensibilities, $hoQ$jftthe,Sabbath: before we sat at the hbhraaonuDenf.i ; The amusements of llfenre 6ea?tll(fl, ba<1 tliey are valuable, but they cannot jay you tor the loss of yoursduL I cofct&. riot tell* your character; I could not tell jtttt pros. Dects tor this world or the next t?y the particular church yon attend, bat it you will tell raw where you were last night and where yon were the night before and where you .have been the nights of the last montb Ithlokl could guess where you will spond et&rul^. t ' fc-JJ to tire drama oryont life and mine it 1 WTIl soon end. There will be no encore to bring us bask*. At the beginning of that drama of life stood a cradle; at the end of it will 3taud a Kruve. The flrst act, w<U-_ coino. The last act, farewell. The intermediate act?, banquet aud battle, processions bridal and funeral, songs aud tears, laughter an-J groans. Scene: The last day. Stage: The rocking earth. Enter: Dukes, lords, kings, beggars. clowns. No sword. No tinsel. No crowu. For footlights: The kindling flames of a world. For orchestra: The trumpets that wake the dead. For applause: The clapping floods of the sea. For curtain: The heavbns rolled together as a scroll. For tragedy* wfhe Doom of the Profligate.'' For the last soene of the fifth aot: The tramp cf nations aoross the stagesome to the.right, others to the left. Then the bell of the last thunder will ring, aad tbe cr rtaln will drnn 4 ' GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN. PREGNANT THOUGHTS FROM THE ' WORLD'S CREATEST PROPHETS. Inn I>i?y i:i S(>vi)n-f.r>(! Will Do Hi? I'sirt ? K<*4|>o:i4iS>itity Cannot I*?* Avoi'ieil? The SeaDon'A Opportunities ? MukI Work for (iod or Home. On* rainbow spans Time's oea.ui I>r?a3i, Novell colors make God manifest: His work and rest are heaven's bov.'; Ours their Jim mirror far below. While r.jsts tho race oue day in sevaa, (lod <j;>ens wido the Kates ul heaven; Ho soothes the weary heart aud brain, -I ~ ? Ul';UU3 uuu n?uw. A goldeu candlestick the week? Seven branched. its flumes ail upward seek Gud's face, and contra! is the flame Tbat bears His Sabbath's matchless name. Time's coming golden ages wait Ou work and worship, alternate; Toil givos the face heroic light. And hallowed rest is holy might. Tbou and thy servant both shall pause; Thou and the stranger.- Equal lawn Shall rule the race in toil and rest; .So brotherhood is born and blessed. Creation and Redemption thou Shalt glorify, with blissful brow, And into God's own likeness grow; His Sabbaths into heaven-flow. ?Joseph Cook, in Coagregatlonalist Goil Will Do HI* Fart. Yeats ago a patriarchal layman in the church told of his Christian experience that bus been of profit to many. Far back in his young manhood,he said,he was awakened by the Spirit of God and the preaching of the truth. Under deep conviction, he asked me prayers 01 innsuans, out iiner uuys 01 seeking he hail found no clear or satisfactory assurance of Divine accept mco. At length in bis darkness there came to his ruind some of '.he old teachings of Calvinism ?the suggestion that perhaps he was not one of the elect aad h mce there could be no salvation for him. For a time he was almost in despair, but at length decided that, whether salvation was lor him or not. he would strive to do the will of God as lonn as he lived, and if dually lost ho would be lost crying to God for mercy. Ho did not seek long in that spirit before he found peace and joy. The old saint's course is a safe one for all men -to renounce sin. confess Christ, seek divine guidance and serve God whether saved or lost. Such a course will not fail to lead out pf darkness into light and peace.?Zion's Herald. Responsibility Cannot Be Avoided. i Personal responsibility involves oae'a re(ation to God aud the relations of others to j God. so fur as it is within one's power to influence them. Wo often shrink from admit- I ; ling responsibility, especiallfhn the latter | respect. We not only feel thai our own obligations are all which w^-can manage, I but also are reluctant to lake the trouble involved in concern for others. But. j whatever our state of mind, responsibility ! cannot be escaped. We are in this world and we have personal duties to God which ! iannot be evaded. No thoughtful niind can fail to realize that it is better for us to have them than it would be not to have them. Moreover, we are surrounded by other peo- J pie. We cannot avoid coming into more or less close relations with them from hour to I ?..MU Uurvrvrr if la a mioa. I UUlir. 'TO UUUIU U'v'ti UU U<%|']rj? ?t? *o (? ljuwa- , tion if we could live, but for this intercourse and it inevitabiy clotho3 us with a measure Df control over their thoughts and actions, und subjects us to their Influence. We cauot avoid responsibility. | ?? T'te Season's Opportunities. ; Now is the time to mediate our mast seri jus concerns of life anew. If the main i question is still uuseitled or unattended to there is no other so good ^imfe for a duty that requires so much of concentration. If 'we have grown slack iu our principles! now is the time to set them up and be ourselves set up iu their company. H the fascinations of time have stolea Jtsayay from the invisible uood now is the time to set our gaze more | steadfastly on it when the good that is visible I is frosted and hid under suows from the feight. I Now is the tirno to be rational and stroug j to revise our mistakes shake off our self, indulgences, prepare o r charities justify our friendships shed a sacred influence over our families , sot ourselves to the service of our country and our God by whatever cost Df sacrifice. Doing this as we may it will not much concern us, I think if our flight [ jhould also be iu the winter.?From Horace Busbueli's Essay on Winter. > k" (r y'Nuiit Work for God or Home. fefc;Atiy right-minded mail, who desires to Efflaka tho must ot bis life and to be of use Kibe world. will accept his responsibility, Kbth for himself and tor other.-*, and try to j^^Ktfgt^uitabl^. This is what Christ ^^^^pooaideratioa of the claims ^ of other people better or aflHButn they would be if they had not <BHKfa pontaot with us. It is inevitable good or harm in some degree. th* long 1 us be and (lite, as not only c spirit. it before i supargbi an ?- cou?o.-ivu?uou uuuU f uu., au^vr?Spot-6Vil. wilt7 re veal tbemseh*;^; . .'.J . No66'of US really finish aaythlag In But #hort1ife. We only begin tblngt^strtHhezi loavQ t^em for o.thei**o take up and carry ^ojL It iirbetter, therefore, that we should work as for the longest life* though our days be but few. Jlence It Is better we shoald'not know the time we are to live. It keeps in'our heart nil the while tbe element cat expectation and hope, for we may live to reach fourscore. At the same time it holds upon us perpetually the pressure of urgency and haste, for any dav raav be our last.?J. B. Miller. I). P/ ' So^uicrs to virrr CartnaKDi m Wrutleta. The Board of Ordnanoe aud Fortlflca:lona of the United States Army has recommended tjiat tbe Ohlef of Ordnance be auhorfeed to accept 5000 ammunition wrist.ets, a'devlbe for carrying cartridges, invented by Tbomas C. Orndorff, of Worcester, Mass. Mr. OrndorfTs offer is made without expense to the Government for :he purpose of experimental trial. Tbe wristlet encircles tbe forearm and holds twenty cartridges. It weighs less than one-hat' ounce. a Horn* for itespectable Old Hstmii. Articles of Incorporation of. the Eqnlne Provident Society nave bee# filed In tbe County Clerk's offlca In Brooklyn. 3h? object or the socloty is "to provide and ranoh whore boraes who have served: their masters rulthfully can be taken care of In their declining veurs." * The sabbath school/ INTERNATIONAL LESSON! COMMENTS FOR APRIL 8. | Subject: Precepts anil Proinlson, Matt. I vii.f 1-14?Gohtca Te*?. 3I?tt. vll., 13 1 ?Memory Verse*. 7, S, 13, 14?Comj mentary on llio Day'* Lesson. 1. '"Judge not." Rash, harsb, uncbari, table judgments; the thinking evil, where j iio evil seemy, and speaking it accordingly. Unkind, condemnatory, uncalled-for judg- I i meats, which are neither dictated by duty uor prompted iby love. "That ye be not judged." It is the prerogative of God to judge men. If we judge others we must i expect to be judged by others uud our acts I r. t ? 1 1 1 /"I i Ktr i will also D'J juhkuu uy vjuu. -no mercy shall be aliowu to the reputation of those ; who show no mercy to the reputation of I others." 2. "It shah be measured to you again." j In the moral order of things an unjust blow will recoil on him wbo has dealt it. With your measure shall it be measured to you. Our judgment of others frequently condemns ourselves. Rom. 2:1-3. What would become of us If Ood should be as severe in' judging us as we aro in judging others? When we endenvor to raise our- 1 selves above Others by severely judgiug them, we only lower ourselves in the estimation of God dad all good people. / 3. "The mote, etc." The "splinter" as opposed to the '^eam." On one side selflove blinds us to oocslslves; and oh the otber, envy and malice give us piereing eyes in respect to others. When we shall have as much zeal to correct ourselves, aa we have inclination.tovreprove and correct others, we shall know our sown defects better than now we know those of oar neighbor. ' V4. "In thine own eje." That man Is /wholly unut to point otaers to tne way 01 life who Is utmself walking tn the way that leads to death.. Those who.blame others ought to be blameless and harmless themselves. 5. "Thou hypocrite." Oar Lord tears off the mask and gives people their right aacne. A hypocrite Is one who. professes to be what he U not; who claims to be a devoted Christian, "While his heart is vile.' But in this cose a person is called a hypocrite because he does not apply to himself the measure b? which he judges his brother. He appeared to have a aaije for others, but his zeal was only n pretence, a mere show for.the purpose of exalting himself. "First cast out."" Wo should attend to thelntewsts of our own souls first. Let us seeft to- know -ourselves, and-get ourselves right, and then it wiU?be>our duty to, look after the souls of others. 6. "That whio'h fcoly untp the dogs." Do not give the sadrlficial meat that lius been consecrated to God to the dogs. Give not the holy ordinances, which have been Instituted for th^ true followers of Christ, to unholy and sinful m.eni who try to destroy the characters/'of others by evl!speaklng, backbiting;-.,and slandering. Dogs alludes to tba^ijj^lch<3 low, uncleaa and Ill-natured; Sjgwsii^wjbborn realstauce, sensual granulations "and Impurities. , ''Your peopw^Y^Wbclous things. "Trample them." Tbiey wttl reject and ae spise them, and turn them to an unboly acoount. * , 7. "Ask?seek?knock." This verse contains very important direction?. In every thing, by prayer and suppllq#tlon, we are to make our roquest9 know unto God; and th^r we are to 'Meek'l-rcontinue to ask and knock at the door:.of His mercy. Our approaches to God should be in earnestness and 9iucerity. These three words include the ideas of wuuts and loss. We are destitute of all spiritual' good, and have lost God, and are in danger of losing eternal life; be In ^arnest; be importunate; ask with confidence and humility; seek with ciira .and application; knock loudly and long. 8. "Every one that asketli receivetb, etc." Christ binds llliusolf to h3.ir and answer. No soul can pray in vain that prays as God has directed. If we bring Christ's words and Christ's sacrifice .with us, not one of heaven's blessings can be denied us. But our asking roust be in harmony with the will of God, aud in faith. James 4:2, 3. 9. "What mau is there of von." No ono is so wicked as to give his child a stone if he should ask bread. The child is hero represented as aslclug what is necessary and wholesome. Tbe Lord does not answer our requests unless they will be for our good. 11. "If ye then, being evil." Sinful people aro ready and anxious to give good gifts to their children. From natural affection they are ready to provide everything necessary to their support and comfort. "How much more." How much more will ! One whose nature Is love and who is infinitely holy and good give good things to them that ask Him. The world often gives stones for broad and serpents for flsh, but (toil UBVOr uuca. UUUU 1U1U^. iu; I Father, through Chri9t, give8 "goof | things." Christ, gives the Hbly Spirit (Luke 11:13); His words of admonition and command; His peace and joy (John. 14:27; 15:11); His love (Roui. 5:5); in a word, Ha gives Himself. 1 Cor. 1:30; Coi. 3:1J. 12. "That men should do to you, etc.' Ttfis is the Golden Rule. The principle here stated is the second great commandment, "Thou shalt love thy noigbor us thyself." Place thyself in the condition of thy neighbor and act accordingly. 1. It i? fundamental, and underlies government, I society and religion. 2. It Is reasonable, 3. It is universal. 4. It is equitable. 5. It | is portable; we can carry it with us. 6. It I is evangelical. In order to carry it out l fully, we need the grace of God in a large I degree. "The law and the prophets." This | is the sum of all that is contained in thn i Old Testament, pertaining to men's couduct toward each other. It is brief, yel comprehensive, and cannot be improved upon. 13. "Enter ye In at the strait gate." Or, j by this strait gate, referring to the precept ! just laid down. But, in general, this is tha I narrow gate of humility, repentance and I true conversion. It lstlie entire absence oi j sin that makes this gate narrow. And we [ are toid to "enter in." Luke says, "Strive (or agonize) to enter in." The entrauce.is ! riifflpiilf 1 KAPfinqn it is narrow. 2. The gate must be diligently sought. 3, The devil, the allurements of the world, the inspiration of the crowd and the desires of our own wicked heart will all tend todrtfw us away from the narrow gate, and these must all be resisted and overcome before we cau enter in. "Wide is the gate." The , pate of unbelief, of camel affections, of fleshlylusts has many allurements, and Is open to all. "To destruction." The end i3 eternal death. "He that purseth evil pur. sueth it to his own destruction." Prov. 11:19. The way of sin loads to ruin. ".Many .;..go in thereat." The way is easy of access. It is broad, and popular, and requires no effort. The train will run down an incline without steam. 14. "I^gadoth unto life." Spiritual life ^consisjte xii being united to Christ. Without OftOTttutMtf isd?ad. Epb. 2:5,6. The sljLorwbftjh we Ar^'.gullty (Johu 5:40) is rdPctiofr Chsftf^iojlife. "Few there be." j Few care to renounce their sinful pleas-, nres. "That And It." Although the narrow, way must besought, yet it is possible to? find it. All mankind may bo saved if ther will moettb^cbbdltlons. ' ENGLAND'S GREAT EXTORTIONER. ? of Iinur Gordon. Who Wrecked 31or? Hoine* Tlian Any Other Man. '-The money-lender Isaue Gordon, whc 4idd from consumption in Birmingham, England, aped thirty-five yeur9, was a iwtirer orthe perfect penny dreadful type ;fle not only exacted interest varying from fifty to fire hundred per cent., but took mallclou* pleasure iu terrifying and insult i?g ns well as fleecing his clieuts. Ha con ducted business, In half a dozen different towns under different names, and,'it is said sometimes bud dealings with the samp via tim under nil Ills dilates. > He went to EuglAriU penniless, hut- a [tot a short apprenticeship to a Woauestei money-lender, started on his own account He testified under compulsion before tht Usury Committee of the House ot Com , mons In 1897, when his conduct became sc truculent aud deilant that he was threat ened With punishment. Among other typl cat cuses he admitted that he had extracted frnm n HnmfnrJshlrH fjirm??r a DrOiniSSOH uoto for 11000 for a- loan of $260, while e Chester gentleman vrbo borrowed $25,00( repaid $70;000. Gordon was sentenoed to twelve months imprisonment on n charge of false pretenses, but was released.a(ter eight month! .owing to the serious 6t'rfte of his heaith Since then he lu^s been more implacabh than eyer. Ho admlttW to an average oJ _ Mo loans yeaAf, u trials fluid to bwN 3 P?eoked muAiflLes fry any other mur in England. HeTOJIgntad in the ruin am' pain he wrought. His fortune ia said tc be more than *7.500.000. BOERS DENY TREACHER! President Steyn's Answer to the Ciurges of General Roberts. PREFERS COUNTER ACCUSATIONS, Oranje Free State I'reiident Say? That tli? 1 THE GREAT DESTROYER! S ;OME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. 1 Tumbler of Claret?An Ohio Editor'* Scorching; Arraignment of a Uanquet to Newnpnpcr Me:t Which He lteceutlj Attended?A Shocking Scenc. poured out a tumbler of claret, Or course with intention to drinit, Uid, holding It up la the sunlight I paused for a moment to thlnlc; i really can't toll you what made me? I never had done so before, Chough for years every day at my dinner. I hud emptied one tumbler or more. 'A friend" in the lonliest hours, "A companion" I culled the red wine, Andcnllud It .1 "noctar divine." Ind sometimes I poetized slightly, 3ut to-doy as I Razed on the claret, That sparkled and glowed in the sun, [ asked it, "What have you done for mo That any true friend would have done? 'You have given me some pleasant feelings, ) But thev always were followed by pain; You have given me ten thousand headaches, And are ready to do It again; You set my blood leaping and bounding, Which, though pleasant was hurtful no doubt, And if 1 keep up the acquaintance, I am sure you will give me the gout, "I remember a oertain occasion When you caused me to act like a fool. And, yea, I remember another, When you made me fall into a pool. And where la Tom Smitber?you killed him! Will Howard you made a poor knave; , Both my friends, and I might oount a dozen You have sent to prison or grave. * "Is this a "loyal friend'a treatment? And ure you deserving the name? 3ay! What do you give those who love yov But poverty, sorrow and shame? A. few paltry momenta of pleasure, An age of trouble and grief; Nowonder yod blush in the sunlight, You robber, you liar, you thief 1 ' * " , Yv, Til have nothing more to do with you From this moment, this hour, this day To send you adrift, bag aiid baggage, I know is the only safe way." And I poured out that tumbler of olaret, Poured it out, and not down, on tbe spot. And nil this, you see, was accomplished, * By ju9t a few moments ot tbdaght. ?Ella Wheeler Wijoox. . , ' i-Vj \! Far From the Mlllennlam. ** On the occasion of the inauguration of GoveraorNUsh, ot Ohio, the Press Committee gave u big spread to the editorial fraternity of the State. A daily paper ic Zanesviile was so profuse in its thanks as to compare their treatment at the bauquot to the dawu of the millennium, This moves Editor Palmer, of the Danville Citizen, to remark that if the editor'* views or the millennium are correct, he don't care to be in it. After defining millonDium to mean "heavenly place whore Christ relgus," he says:' "How do yoa suppose It would look tcsee a thousands fifteen hundred men whe were erroneously dabbed the 'Conservators of Morals and Oood Citizenship of the State of Ohio* smoking ^ornoob pipes and spitting flae tobaoco juice, and drinking . beer and whiskies and uttering foul oatha -1 etc., how would such a picture look through the glasses of the Saluts? "The cold facts In the case are namely: That the Chairman of the Press Committee was most courteous to tho visitlug delegates while in his office, but when the time for refreshments came,, to which all the press representatives were invited, a direct iDSiilt was offered to temperaooo and morality. On one side of the room tlireo men served lunch which incl&ded uroaa, DU'cer, two icinus 01 meat, puiuto i salart and pickles. vNo water.or coffee. On the other side of the room intoxicating liquors in the form of whisky and beer wore served, all of wbioh were free to the press representatives. 'Cigars also < were freo aud freely used, as also were the j intoxicants. "Itumocraoy has great cause, for re- I joiolng, while temperance hides her face ! in shame!" , "The Citizen has looked in vain for a word of reproach from any of our exchanges, but on the contrary a great number of the press publications endorsed the action in highest terms, and liken it to the millennium. May God save us from the millennium if that occasion was a simile." V "It'* a Pltj to Find Tliee Here." A tall, rough-looking mas, holding a child by the hand, entored the barroom of a much frequented saloon. Ordering a g'ass of beer, he sat down and joined In conversation with those around him; another and auother glass was ordered, and soon all thought of his child, who stood noar t!iO doorway, vanished from his mind. "Hollo, youngster!" oried the landlord, < who had been too busy to notice the child before, "whoso son are ye, an* where do ye ftninn from?" "I'm my daddy's son," whimpered the child, a9 bis large blue eyes met the gaze of the stem, stout landlord. "Oh?ah?aheni!" stammered the landlord, as ho reooguized the man to be one of his best customers. "Thou'rt a bonnie bairn, to be sure; but, after all, it's a pity to find thee here," he said, apparently In deep thought, and scarcely knowing what he said. "LandlordI" cried the father, as he threw down the glass be bad held in his hand, "them are the very words you aald to my father when I first came in here with him thirty year* ago. v "Laudlord!" he cried again, bringing his hand heavily ou the oounter, "my lad nor I shall never come in here again. I see it all now. My father died a drunkard; I, too, shall do so unless I am quiekly res cuou. auu tuts mu-?wnat wiu.ueaor i Kin going home to ask God tio keep mc from this accursed drink. I shall ask Him to help me to train up my boy In the way He'd have him go, and when lie Is old he will not depart from It. I thailk you for thorn words of yours. Good night!"?rue Inland. a Sensible Young Woman. A young couple at Philadelphia were preparing for marriage?the day was fixed and invitations seat out. Just a week before the time, the lady smelted whisky oh hoi lover's breath. She at onoe declared the engagement oil and nothing/could Induce her to chauge)her mind. He brought suit for broach of promise.- The judge Instructed the jury that "If Is a woman's privilege to annul her promise of marriage if she bellevegj th good faith, that good reasons for so doing hare arisen since she entered Into the oontraot." The jury considered whisky drinking a good rtmson foi breaking the contract and found for defendant. Wisely the brave young woman said: "I'd rather have to work ail my life and die an old maid than marry a mar who drinks whisky." J _ The Cruaaile In Brief. The people build jails and the saloon; All them. The saloonkeepers are ex-offlclo criminals. Not one in tea obeys the laws. He who drinks alcoholic liquor makes the "temple of the Holy Ghost" a dancehull for tiiedomons of hell. Satan himself officiated at the marriage of the Government and suloon, but what Satan has joiuod together let all men put asunder. .?T.ae love of money Is a root of all evil i&'d the llceuse pluu is a gigantic Irrigation system, with whisky for wator aud th? suioon Tor ditches. The saloon that would pay what it cost; would bo iusolvout iu twouty-four houra. "The Beach aud th? Bar: It it were not for J; he Bjr there would he but ilttio usi for tltt.Beuch." Wby.ahoulcl not tlip Natloa ::nd tho State: grant local ODtlon for polygamy? It would So qufob*?? 'oorslsteut as to grant loca op tlon; to- th^quor saloous. The Govej^W^bt that would turn saloon keeper in orflfer to lesson the evils of tin liquor traffic would be equally justified^* turning murderer so as to lessou DM of yirtimi., ;v Jmgmm \,M dispensary system '&ms' of liquor than doubtful, it would stll^BB^^^H|^H bouto to with the i>o?r? uavo ^oc > loiaieu cue ugages oj of Civilized Warfare?Rarjliera Wer? Fired on byt|UritlsH Troops After tUi White Flue Had Been Kalsed. London (By Cable).?The following dis. patch hH3 been received at the War Office from Lord Roberts, at Bloemtontein: ' I have received the following reply tc ray telegram o? March 11, to the Presidents o' the Free State and South African Republic: PRESIDEXT STEYN. _________ : i "'Your Excellenoy'3 telegram reachec me yesterday, I assure you nothing would grieve me more than that my burgher; should males themselves guilty of a deec sack as that laid to their charge by you. 1 l am, however, glad to say you must hav? bee a tate token. , " 'I hare made personal Inquiry of Gen i erul Delarey, who was la command of our burghers at the place mentioned by you He denies entirely that oar burghers actec as stated byyott, bat he says that on Saturday, the date being Illegible, the British troops, when they were about fifty yards | from our position, pat up their hands as Well as a white flag, while at the same ! time your, cannon bombarded the said | troops, With the result that Commandant ! De Beer was wounded. Yesterday moru- ! 'log the head Commandant wrote In his ufc- ! 'count of the battle as follows: "Th? soldiers hoisted the white flag, but were then flred at by the English can- ; nons ajd compelled.to charge." Perhaps It la nj>'t knowQ foyour Excel- {. lency that tlie'-^ame thing happened at | Spion Hop, wbere;'when-a portion of th6 { troops hoisted a fehlte flag and put up theli > hands, and while oar burghers were busy j disarming them,- another portion of cbe j troops fired on oar burgbers, but some of | the British troops were,killed. It has al-ic : been reported that at the last battle of tb( : Tugela, English cannon flred on troop9 who , had surrendered. " 1 " 'With reference to the explosive bullets found In Cronje's .laager and elsewhere, I . can give yonr Excellency assurance that | such ballets were "hot purchased or allowed by the Government. I have, however, no reason to doabt your statement, as I know many of the burghers of, this State and of the South African Republic took a large ; number of Lee-Metforarlfles and dum-dutn 1 and other bullet9 from British troops. "'May I. request your. Excellency, as the j cable Is closed to me, to make my reply | known to your Government and the neutral by 4able? ' 1 State Pbesldent.' " | The dlspatoh from Lord Bobercs con- , olades as follows: "As the (nqairy into that matter proves , his Honor's allegations to be unfounded, j and as I personally saw the holding up ol I annas wuica ue uenies, 1 u?vo uui iuuukui , it desirable to continue tiie correspond- j enc'e." PROPERTY BIGHTS OF THE DUTCIA. ' ?:? Great Britain Will Not Ktcotniie Alienstiona or Co occasions. Cape TowH,\South Afriou (By Cable).? j Sir Alfred Milner, the Governor of Cape i Colony and British High Commissioner of South Africa, has issued a proolamatfou declaringI that the Imperial Government will not recognize as valid or effectual any alienations of property, whether* of lands railroads or mines, within the Transvaal or the Orange Free State, or any interest therein or encumbrances, or any concessions granted by the said Government. 4 1 New Zealand Offers More Aid. London (By Cable).?The Earl of Ranfurly, Governor of New Zealand, has cabled to Colonial Secretary Chamberlain that' that colony wishes to Indorse the position taken by Great Britain in reference to intervention in South Africa. He assures Mr. Chamberlain that New Zealand sup ports the mother opuntry, and will maintain that portion irrespective of cousequenees. Boer* Blow Up Bridge*. Ca.pz Tows, South Africa (By Cable).? The Boers hare blown up the bridges north of Bloemfonfein, including those at Wluburg aud Kroonstad. The bridge over the Mojlder River, fourteen miles north of the Free State capital, bus been destroyed. Tlio law courts at Bloemfonteln have bestreopened. ? BOLD ROBBERS CET $90,000. Kan OS With a Satchel Being Sent (o a | Bank In Pari*. Pajbis (By Cable).?A.n audacious robbery of $80,000 was committed from the North ern Railroad. The company, which thret timea weekly deposits large amounts witl: the Bank of Franco, 9ent $126,000, ol which amount $80,030 was in smalt bills. Tills'w.13 pluced in a satchel, and the money was conveyed from the station tc cue OaUK la a Cart, WUICll wus m cuatgi; u. two clerks. Before tliey started one of the clerks placed .the autchel beside the coachmaa. Two men approached and engaged tue at' teution of the clerk nnd coachman, while a third man picked up the satchel and bolted with it. The loss was not noticed un til it was too late to catch the robbers. Woman Killed by a Jealous Wife. Mi-*9 Annie Strother, night cashier In a restaurant in Chicago was soot and almost Instantly killed by an unidentified woman, who escaped. Five shots were fired. The flrst struck the cashier In the breast. MIs^ Strother turned and fled toward the kitehan TIia arnmnn wltli revolver followed her nud flred four more shots. The murderer then coolly walked out of the place. Later in the day Sirs. Charles Smith, twenty-throe years oil, wife of a saloon keeper, was arrested and made a confession, suyiug she hud shot Miss Htrother be 3ause the latter bad taken her husband'; love. The I.ubor World. New York bousesinlths and iTlujjeaaea get *3.20 for eight hours. Berlin upholsterers to the have goue ou strike lor Button workers iiiiEocha^H^H^^^^H s u bs t a u t i Louis w m -Mvcrnmxq&BmKrf&W- '< *"v < ' r? ;<*pr HOW THEY CUT DOWN BIG TREESl The Method Employed In Felling th? Giunt Redwoods of California. j It ia a most interesting sight to behold one of these giant redwoods falU' The process of cutting is effected through the use of the axe and the saw. All axes are double-faced, through which much time is saved in sharpening. Sometimes the axes start the cut on both sides of the trunk aad at places about opposite each other through the thickness of the tree. Affcer the chopping has penetrated to the depth of about two feet on each aide, the saw is started in the line of the iucisiou and the job completed with that instrument. Generally, however, the direction in which the tree is to fall is determined, and the cut is made in that side to the depth of from one three feet. Then the choppers pass to the opposite sid$ and begin sawing at a point saveral feet higher than the place of the iucision. As the saw moves through the heart of the giant he begins to sag down on the side where the wound is gaping. In doing thft he lifts apart the out and opens the section whiok the esw is making, ^thereby keeping free play for the saw. This is aided at times by driving wedges at the place where the saw entered. Presently it is apparent that the section is opening wider and wider and that the tree is beginning to lean away from the cutters. They con" tinue with their work a momen| longer, then is heard the cracking ol the wood fibres in front of the saw teeth. Another Mvish of the saw anq these increase. They give a report like I- J il. 3fi? J -L unug pisiuia nau .me rapiuuy 01 ueionafcion of a Gatling gun. The sounds, getting more rapid, presently - mergi into a contindous roar. Then, if you are standing near >by and the tree is large, you will get the impression that everything above is coming to earth; that the whole forest is falling. The great mast starts slowly tc topple, cracking and exploding evet louder at its base, until with a frightful momentum, it comes sprawling down, cracking and crushing anc roaring and hitting the earth with s clump and thump as if a wholf broadside of thirteen-inch bombs hac simultaneously struck a bastion. The choppers quickly run over th? triyik with their axes and cut awaj all the branches. Almost before yot oon rannvor vmiraalf flio lnnfr af.alb is bare of limbs, and then the met begin cross-cutting it into logs or sec tions of from twenty-four to thjrtj feet, as long as it is desired that the boards into which it is to be reducec at the mill shall be. This done the logs are peeled of their bark, the crowbar being used to pry. off the thick integument, which is some' times a foot in depth, the log being turned with jackscrews, when such is practicable, to get at the under side. ?San Francisco Call. , IVto tin tain ltati In Colorado. H. P. Ufford, writing in the Century of "Oat of Doors in Colorado," describes the mountain rat as the only plague worse than the Canadian .lay, popularly kaown a9 tne "camprobber." Of the rat he says: This fierce rodent is nearly twice' the size of the Norway species, and is always ready for a fight. Besides his bellicose propensities, he is an arrant thief. The miners have a saying thathe will steal anything but a red-hot stove. He does not steal to satisfy hunger alone; he appears to be a klep tomaniac. Provoked by the depred# tions of one old graybeard whc haunted our cabin, I one day assisted iu harryiug his castle, where J. found , < the following articles : Four ^ y caudles, one partly burned, three intact; two spoons, one knife, %. ; j, two forks, twenty-seven nails, M. '' all sizes; one box of pills; one coffeepot lid aud one tin cup; two pairs oi cn/?lra- tlirno lio.niAffl! nilfthottlf of ink; three empty phials; one stick of giaat powder with tea feet of fuse; beaas,. rice and dried apples galore. His spirit of mischief is as strong as his passion for stealing, and the honest miner solemnly avers that if yon leave open a bag of beans or one of rice, he will not rest till he has made a clean transfer of all the beans to the rice-bag, and vice versa. I know that more, than once he has, during the night filled one or both of mj boots with the cones of the spruce tree. Ihave<heard, also, of a ver acious pruopcuiut nuv, icimuiuo from a trip without coffee pot, frying pan and bake oven, accounted tor their absence by declaring that the mountain rats had carried them off, and emphasized his assertiou by shooting through the leg a skeptic who was so injudicious as to doubt the fact. Not n Leeal Poaod Weiirlit. ' A farm laborer went to a small shop kept by an old woman, and asked for "a pound o' bacon." She produced the bacon and cut a piece off, but could not find the pound weight. ' "Oh, never mind t' pound weight," said he, "my hand weighs just a puud, so pat ther bacon ou ther scales." The.woman confidently placed the bacon into one side of the scales, while the man put his hand into tbfe other side, and, of course, took good care to have good weight.While the woman was wrapping the bacon up the pound weight was found, and, on seeing it, tu,e maa said: "Now, yon see if my hand fcon't just weigh a pund." 'gThe pound weight wtii accordingly put into one scale and the man'a hand into the other, this time only just to balance. The old woman, on seeing this, said: ' a.."Wha, I niver seed aught. so neat afore! Here's a red herria' for thee honesty, masoa."?Iearson'aWeekly. WImt'i In a Name. There is more truth than poetry ia the following: Call a girl a chick and she smiles; call a woman a ben and she howls. Call a young woman a ^ft^ond she is pleased; mil aa old JJ^witch ..and sh^U indignant.