The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, August 22, 1900, Image 7
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THE WOODLAND CAMP.
'There is a spot where the nlumy pines
"O'erliang the sylvan baiiKs of Otter;
IVVherc pigeons feed among the vines
That hang above the limpid water.
'There wood-ducks build in hollow trees,
And herons among the matted sedges,
While drifting on the summer bree/e
Float satin clouds with silver edges.
*' 'Tis there the bluejay hides her nest,
In thickest shade of drooping bushes,
The fish-hawk, statue-like in rest.
Stands guard o'er glassy pools anu
reaches.
The trout beneath the grassy brink.
* Looks out for shipwrecked liics ana
midges.
The red deer conies in search of drink
From laurel brake and woodland ridges.
""Beneath a hemlock prim and dark
Where shrub and vine are intertwining,
Our shanty stands well roofed with baric,
In which a cheerful fire is shining.
The smoke ascends in spiral wreaths.
With upward curves the sparks are
trending.
The coffee kettle sings beneath.
Whore smoke and sparks and leaves are
blending."
?Forest and Stream.
\
1 Held For Ransom. I
r r was evening among
il ^trie "olive-sandaled
^ gUshinan and his
1 1 VH^e* ^ad climbed
1 3xf I tlie 8teeP ^ ^ru*
fj SS I cis, and,seated upon
i-jLimr | a projecting rock,
/ Pl$ / were entrance(i by
/ |the bewildering
HI ^Ue tlle Medi"
m u /v
i terranean. jluc
v; breeze from the
JI bills was ruffling
the blue into purple, and. further off,
where the sea was silvery green, the
distant mountains of Corsica rose fatnt"
ly from its breast.
' Jack," continued Cathcart, turning
to his valet, "an hour hence it will be
dark and we have not yet struck upon
the hospice of San Columbo, where
we thought of spending the night." - |
"We are on the right J&th," said the;
valet, "of that I am sure; but threa
good miles have yet to be done
fore we get shelter."
"Th^n we had better go on. Th$
shadows are beginning to darken the
yallpys with their gloom."
"That is not our way," said * the
valet. "It is an unfrequented pa&$
You can see, sir, there arp no footsttfflr
on it"'
Cathcart examined the two paths,
-and after some thought said:
"Jack, you are rig||t, I think.*
The route selected led into a narrow
gorge overhung by frowning precipices.
Twilight soon faded away and
Hg&rkness gradually encompassed
travelers. Cathcart was a brave man
and cared little for danger; bat Jack,
the valet,, began to/grow uneasy at
the situation. Two or three times they
saw a dim Hgnt m tae^istance, out
merely for a moment. This was the
only indication they had of life until
a low whistle startled them.
"Did you hear that?" asked Catlicart.
as he turned round and peered into
the darkness behind.
"There are no brigands here: so the
innkeeper told me. Indeed, I have left
my pistol behind me."
"Let us make off:" cried the valet.
"Xo," said C'athcart, firmly. "We
must stand our ground. Here they
come."
As he siK>ke two men of dark visage i
came up. They wore long, loose
cloaks and slouched hats.
"We have lost our way," said Cathcart
to the strangers. "Can you point
out the path to San Columbo?"
"We can." answered both of the
.voices. "This is the road.",-..
All journeyed on together, Enrico, as
one of the strangers called himself, beguiled
the way with song until he
reached a mountain cavern.
"We are :it S:in Columbo," he said.
"Giotto handcuff these men." And
Enrico produced a heavy horse-pistol,
and threatened to shoot at the tirst
man who made any resistance.
Cat heart and the valet were led man_
acled into the mountain gorge, and.
making a gradual descent, they found
themselves in an isolated hollow.
Around a bright wood tire were scattered
a motley group in strange costumes.
Four sinister-looking ruffians
were lounging on the grass. Two or
three were attending to the horses. An
ucly. haggard old woman, like a Pythian
sorceress, stirred a pot which hung
V?t l I tic 1UU.
"We have really fallen into the hamls
of robbers, Jack," whispered Cathcart.
In an instant the prisoners were
surrounded hy the whole group.
"Art thou an Englishman?" asked
Enrico.
ma. "I am," said Cathcart.
"Then thou art rich like all thy
countrymen, and thou canst afford to
pay a good price for thy ransom,
r.ruthers!" he added, "what's to be the
. ransom V"
"Five thousand crowns." chorused
the whole gang
All Cat heart's valuables were taken
from him, but he was allowed to keep
a small portrait, which he earnestly
begged he might be allowed to retain.
Three days were given to Cathcart
wherein to pay his ransom, and lu* and
his valet were left alone by the lire.
As the prisoners talked over the sit
nation a young gin appeared upon the
scene, briujiin.^ them some food. There
was an air of tenderness and compassion
upon her face as she gazed on
the captives which inspired them with
hope.
"IIow conies one so beautiful as you
among these mountain wilds':" asked
Cat heart.
"My fa!her is the captain of our
band," she answered, "and I wait upon
his fortune, though I little like our
life."
Three days passed alternately in
bone si ml desnair, Teresa becomiue
hourly more friendly with Cathcart.
Tin* ran.-'om was not furthcoming,
anil threats of violence had bom muttered
more than once, in menacing
toiH'S. Catheart could easily see that
his situation was critical, and was at
a his-; to know the cause of the mysterious
delay.
l>u tiie tiltii night of his imprisonment
he sat moodily at tho lire. Ilis
memory reverted to his wife, and he
opened the locket containing her portrait.
.While gazing at it Teresa entered.
and. Touching Cat heart upon the shoulder.
she said, with sudden surprise:
'lyio is that beautiful lady? The
face is not strange to mo."
"That,** he said, "is the portrait of
my wife, Anina."
Your wife! She ^as my best friena
when I was ill in Rome. She tended
me in the hospital; she supported me
during the weary months of cohvales
cenco. Slip was more than a mother
to mo. You must not suffer, for her
sake alone. I came to tell you that
the Government troops have been j
scouring the hills. To-morrow, should
tliey approach, you might be made
away with. You must fly to-night."
"Fly!" said Catlieart. "Wo are
watched and guarded."
"Fortune favors your escape to
night." she said. jymy birthday.
and before an MiuS^es^flMre
will be high carnival here. You will
be asked to drink. Do not refuse; but
the cups of all the other*" shall be
drugged. When they sleep we shall
set pff. Will you put yourself to lily
hands?"
"Certainly," said Catlieart. "You are
as noble as you are beautiful." ,
Amid the wild revel of the birthnight
celebration Cathcart's heart
trembled "within him. What was Teresa
doing? Did she repent of her
promise While these thoughts occupied
Cathcart Teresa reproached Conrado
with not having toasted her
health that evening. Indescribable enthusiasm
followed as Conrado tilled
out a flagon.
' To Teresa, our beauty!" they said,
as they drank the insidious draught.
The deed was done.
One by < ope the noisy brigands \
dropped to sleep, and Teresa beckoncd |
to the prisoners to follow hor.
' They journeyed through the small j
hours of the morning over many rugged.
treeless steeps and through many
windings of the mountains.
The beautiful face of Teresa, her
jubilant spirits, captivated the heart
of the wjet. When they reached (lenoa,
M^Mkbcart begged Teresa never
again.,upturn to her mountain life.
?New"York News.
An Antediluvian Fish In a Glacier.
Slate Rish and Game Commissioner
JttgBson *|g one of the oldest cowboys
in the State. He is an exceptionally
[entertaining talker and a man who in
past years has been considered mod- j (
est,' truthful and kind to those easily !
induced to believe stories concerning ! '
rtoe beasts of the field and the fishes of j j
fme seay j (
BuytM?,has apparently changed. This
marnft^he claims to have seen a man
w^wf^sk frozen in the ice in the ,
perpetual glacier of Long's Peak. I |
"Thi^-^tory is a true one." said Mr. '
JohnatgL .for the man who told it to
me w^t ?iciei:tl3t and "one of the most |
prominent men in the country. His
dfscoyery wfll be announced at Washington
and a scientific investigation ,
may follow. J3e tells me the fish ap- i
pears to bg^bout eighteen feet in
length, as shirty as one could estimate
lookihg tficd^li a field glass."
"But there are no fresh water fish j
of su?h proportions." was ventured. j
' 'Tisn't a fresh water fish. It's a
salt water fish." j i
' Rut how did it get there?"
' Easily enough to a fish man. That J
fish has boon frozen in the ice glacier
there ever since the time of the
Flood, when all the land was inuu- j .
dated. That is the reason the find is
an important one."?Denver (Col.) j '
Times.
Garlic Katera in tlie ('lilted State*. i ,
'"There are he twee u 2."0.000 and 300, j
000 pounds of garlic aunuallv con- j ]
suuied hy Italian. French and other |
foreign residents of the United States," (
said a wholesale dealer in the vegetable
in New York City recently. "About
three-quarters of the garlic eaten in
the country is imported from Italy and j
the rest is raised on farms in Connecti- i
cut, in Louisiana, in Texas aud in | j
New Mexico. All garlic, both import- i .
ed and American, is put tip in strings i
or bunches. The vegetable is put up '
in tl.at torui because it keeps better i
and can he easier handled. The work |
is done entirely by hand, and an ex- j i
pert buncher can -put up irom 400 to j
."?()?) bunches a day. ,
"(Jariic comes in hampers containing
about 110 pounds. It is sold by the 1
pound or by the bulb, which is worth
one cent, in its commercial rorm ury
garlic does not yield tlio strong smell i
for which it is famous. When stacked 1
up in large quantities or packed in a J
hamper, there is no noticeable odor
from the vegetable. But if one of the
several bulbs of which each set is com- j
posed, and which are called cloves of ,
garlic are broken off and cut in two <
the powerful and characteristic odor
at once becomes perceptible."?Wash- ,
ingtou Slar.
i
How to Dentroy Monqultoen.
' Two and one-half hours arc re* J
quired for a mosquito to develop from 1
its tirst stage, a speck resembling
cholera bacteria, to its active and von- 1
onions maturity. , .
"The insect in all its phases may i
be instantly killed by contact with
minute quantities of permanganate of
potash. It is claimed that one part
of this substance in l."00 of solution f
distributed in mosquito marshes will
* ? -i r\i% lum'OA im.
tVIMKT I 111." lU'U'iujmum, vi tuw ?u*
possible: that a handful of permanganate
will oxidize a ton-acre swamp,kill 1
theemhryoinsectsand keep it freefrom
organic matter for thirty days at a
cost of twenty-live cents, that with
care, :i whole State may he kept free
of insect pests at -a small cost. An
ellicious method is to scatter a few
crystals widely apart. A single pinch
of permanganate has killed all the
germs in a thousand-gallon tank."
It is generally believed that the filling
in of marshes with ashes from
cities, etc., prevents the development
.of these pests. It is doubtless because
the potash leaches from the ashes and
like ;i solution of permanganate of potash
renders the development of insect
life impossible.?l'uhlic Health Jourmi
1.
I nich Trier* For Chinese Tottery.
In London recently very high prices
were given for some pieces of Nankin
pottery, the purchasers hoi 115 prohahly
moved to unusual prodigality by a
suspicion that after the present Chinese
troubles shall have been sott.'ed
such pottery will bo more than ever
dillicult of procurement. Three vases,
each ton inches high, brought $lli>5,
and a pair of Jong-nccked bottles sold
for *lUoO
DR TALMAQE'S SEBMON.
y
SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
fiabjeet: The Kind of Religion That the
World iseede?Only That Which Cornea
Straight Down From Ileaveu Can Be
of Benefit to Humanity.
[CopyrlRht lHuu.1
Wasitingtox, d. u. ? from ivorway,
whore Dr. Talmage is now staying, he
sends the following discourse, in which he
shows that the world can nev^r he benefited
by a religion of human manufacture,
which easily yields to one's surroundings,
but must have a religion let down from
heaven; text, Amos vii, 8: ''And the Lord
said unto me, Amos, what secst thou? And
I said, A plumb line."
The solid masonrv of the world has for
me a fascination. Walk about some of the
triumphal arches and the cathedrals, 400
or 600 years old, and see them stand as
erect as* when they were btiildnd, walls of
great height, for centuries i?ot bending a
quarter of an inch this way or that. So
greatly honored were the masons who
ouildcd these walls that they were free
frm taxation t.nd called "free" jnasons.
The trowel gets most of the credit for
these buildings, and its clear ringing on
stone and brick has sounded <tcoss the
ages. Hut ther? is another implement of
just as much importance as the trowel,
and my text recognizes it. P.ricklayers
and stonemasons and orpenters in the
building ol walls use an instrument made
of ? cord, at the end of which a lump of
leatl is fastened. They drop it over the
side of the wall, and, as the plummet naturally
seeks the centre of gravity in the
earth, the workman discovers where the
wall recedes and where it bulges out and
just what is the perpendicular. Our text
represents God as standing on the wall
of character, which the Israelites had
built, and in that way tes.ting it, "And
the Lord said unto me, Amos, what secst
thou? And I said. A plumb line."
XX'Uof it-nnfa ia afrrncrVif nn I
and down religion. Much of the so-called
piety of the day bends this way anil that
to suit the times. It is oblique, with a
low state of sentiment and morals. We
have all been building a wall of character,
and it is glaringly imperfect and needs reconstruction.
How shall it be brought into
perpendicular? Only by the divine measurement.
"And the Lord said unto me,
Amos, what seegt thou? And 1 said, A
plumb line."
The whole tendency of the times is to
make us act by the standard of what oth- (
era do. We throw over the wall of our
character the tangled plumb line of other
lives and reject the infallible, test which
Amos saw. The question for me should
not be what you think is right, but what
God thinks is right. This perpetual refer- '
cnce to the behavior of others, ns though (
it decided anything but human fallibility,
is a mistake as wide as the world. There
arc 10,000 plumb lines in use, but only one
is true and exact, and that is the line of ,
God's eternal right. There is a mighfv at- \
temnt being made to reconstruct ana fix ]
up the Ten Commandments. To many they ,
seem too rigid. The tower of Pisa leans ,
over about thirteen feet frt>ra the perpen- <
dicular. and people go thousands of miles j
to see its graceful inclination and tolearn j
how, by extra braces and various arebftW*" |
tural contrivances, it is Kept leaning irom
century to century. Why not have tne ten \
granite blocks of Sinai set a little aslant? ,
Why not have the pillar of trujh a lean- ,
ing tower? Why is not an ellipse as good !
as a square? Why is not an oblique as J
good as straight up and down? Mv ,
friends, we i. ust have a standard. Shall j
it be God's or man's?
The divine plumb line needs to be thrown ,
over all merchandise. Thousands of years .
ago Solomon discovered the tendency of !
buyers to depreciate goods. He saw a j
man beating down an article lower and ]
lower, and saying it was not worth the (
price asked, and when he had purchased
at the lowest point he told everybody ,
what a sharp bargain he had struck, and ,
how he had outwitted the merchant. "It j
is naught, saith the buyer, but when he is .
gone his way, then he boasteth" (Proverbs
xx, 14). Society is so utterly askew
in this matter that you seldom find a seller
asking the price that he expects to get. <
He puts on a higher value than lie expects J
to receive, knowing that he will have to >
drop. And when ne wants fifty he says
Beventy five, and is he wants 2000 he asks
2500. "It is naught," saith the buyer. .
>a fho oK'ln nf onnrlR
A lie IWU1 IV IO UWV*.V??VJ vuv w?rf.v w. n |
is poor. I can get elsewhere a better ar- ,
ticle at a smaller price. It is out of fashion,
it ?s damaged, it will fade, it will not ,
wear well." After awhile the merchant, ,
from overporsuasion or from desire to dis- j
pose of that particular stock of goods, says,
"Well, take it at your own price," and the j
purchaser goes home with light step and ;
calls into his private office his confidential J
friends and chuckles while he tells how ,
for half price he got the goods. In other
words, he lied and was proud of it.
Nothing would make times so good and !
the earning of a livelihood so easy as the J
universal udoption of the law of right, j
Suspicion strikes through all bargain making.
Men who sell know not whether they 1
will ever get the money. Purchasers know '
not whether the goods shipped will be ac- 1
cording to the sample. And what, with 1
the .large number of clerks who are male- 1
ing false entries and then absconding and ]
the explosion of firms that fail for mill- '
ions ot dollars, honest men are at their j
wits' ends to make a living. He who
stands up amid all the pressure and does
rimn. is accomplishing something toward 1
the establishment of a high commercial ;
prosperity.
The pressure to do wrong is stronger
from the fact that in our day the large
business houses are swallowing up the 1
smaller, the whales dining on bluetisii ana ;
minnows. The large houses undersell the 1
Bmall ones because they buy in greater '
quantities and at lower figures from the '
producer. They can afford to make noth- '
ing or actually lose on some styles of (
goods, assured they can make it up on otli- '
era. So a great dry goods house goes out- 1
Bide of its regular line and sells books at :
cost or less than cost, and that swamps 1
the bookseller, or the dry goods house
sells bric-abrac at lowest figures, and that 1
swamps the small dealer in bric-a-brac. ]
And the same thing goes on in other
styles of merchandise, and the consequence 1
is that all along the business streets of all 1
our cities there arc merchants of small '
capital who are in terrific struggle to keep 1
their heads above water. The ocean liners 1
run down the Newfoundland fishing 1
3maeks. This is nothing against the man !
who has the big store, tor every man has J
as large a store and as great a business as
he can manage. 1
To feel right and do right under all this 1
pressure requires martyr grace, requires 1
i ivine simnort. renuires celestial re-en
forceinent. Yet there are tens of tliou- I
sands of such men getting splendily '
through. They see others going up anil !
themselves going down, but tliey keep '
their patience and courage and their Christian
consistency, and after awhile their 1
success will come. There is generally re- I
tribution in some form for greediness. The
owners of the big business will die, and
their boys will get possession of the busi- 1
ness, and > th a cigjir in their mouths and 1
full to the chins with the best liquor and
behind a pair of spanking bays they will 1
pass everything on the turnpike road to (
temporal and eternal perdition. Then the j
business will break up, and the smaller j
dealers will have fair opportunity, or the >
spirit of contentment and right feeling will
take possession of the large firm, as re- <
cently with a famous business house, and
the firm will say: "We have enough money <
for all our needs and the needs of our i
children* Now let us dissolve business <
and make way for other men in the same |
line." Instead of being startled at a soli- I
tary instance of magnimily it will become .
a common thing. I know of scores of
great business houses that have had their
opportunity of vast accumulation and who i
ought to quit. But perhaps for all the days ]
of this generation the struggle of small '
houses to keep alive under the overshadow- j
ing pressure of great houses will continue. |
Therefore, taking things as they are, you i
will lie wise to preserve your equilibrium j
and your honesty and your faith and throw
over all the counters and shelves and casks j
the measuring line of divine right. "And ;
inc Lord saitl unto me. Amos, what sccst
thou? And I said, A plumb line."
In the same way we need to rectify our
theologies. All so.ts of religions are putting
forth their pretension. Some have a 1
spiritualistic religion, and their chief work <
is with ghosts, and others a religion of j
political economy, proposing to nut an end
to human misery by a new style of taxa- .]
tion, and there is a hi%ianj(;arjan religion
that looks after the qbdies of men and
lets the soul look afterlitself, and there is
& legislative religion tlfot proposes to rectify
all wronrs by enactment of better
laws, and there is ?n aesthetic religion
that by rules' of cxqii1site taste would lift
the heart out of itsydeformities, and religions
of ah sorts, religions by the peck, religions
by the square foot and religions by
the ton, all of tbe^ devices of the devil
that would- take thb heart away from the
only religion.that yrill ever effect anything
for ine i man race, and that is the
straight up and down religion written in
the book which begins with Genesis and
ends with Revelation, the religion of the
skies, the old religion, the God given religion,
the everlasting religion, which says,
"Love God above all and your neighbor as
yourselx." All religions but one begin at
the wiong end and in the wrong place.
The Bible religion demands that we first
get right with God. It begins at the top
and measures down, while the other religions
begin at the bottom and try to
IIICIIOUIC up.
I want you to notice this fact, that
when a man gives up the straight up and
down Teligion of the Bible for any newfangledreligion
it is generally to suit his
sins. You first hear of his changc of religion.
and then you hear of some swindle
he has practiced in a special mining stock,
telling some one if he will put in $10,000
he can take out $100,000, or he has sacrificed
his integrity, or plunged into irremediable
worldliness. . Ilis sins Are so broad
he has to broaden his religion, and he becomes
a) broad as temptation, as broad as
the soul's darkness,'as broad as hell. They
want a religion that will allow them to
keep their sins and then at death say to
them. "Well done, good and faithful servant,"
and that tells them. "All is well,
for there i-. no hell." What a glorious
heaven they hold before us! Come, let us
go in and see it. There are Herod and all.
the babes he massacred. There are
Charles Gaiteau and Robespierre, the
feeder of the French guillotine, and all the
liars, thieves, house burners, garroters,
pickpockets and libertines of ail the centuries.
They have all got crowns and
thrones and harps and scepters, and when
they chant they sing, "Thanksgiving and
-onor and glory and power to the broad
religion that lets us all into heaven without
repentance and without faith in those
humiliating dogmas of ecclesiastical old
fogy ism."
My text gives Hie a grand opportunity
of saying a useful word to all voung men
who are now forming habits for a lifetime.
Of what use to a. stonemason or a bricklavn"
is a plumb line? Why not build the
wall by the unaided eye and hand? Because
they are insufficient, because if there
be a deflection in the wall .it cannot further
on, be corrected. Because, by the
law of gravitatiqn, a wa}l must be straight
in pjtjeir ta be'vsymmetrical and safe. A
voaafc man is ui danger ot getting a a eiect
in his troll of Character that may never ?e
Remember that-ft'he wall may be 100 i
feet high, and%e(? a deflection one foot J
from the foundation affects the entire I
structure^ And if you live. 100 years and
do right the last eighty years you may
nevertheless do something at twenty years
of age that will damage all your earthly
existence. All you who have built houses
for yourselves or for others, am I not right
in saying to these young men, You cannot
build a wall so high as to be independent
of the character of its foundation? A man
before^thirty years of age may commit
ataoogb kv to last him a lifetime. Now,
Johiijbr George or Henry or whatever be
your Christian name or surname, say here
ind now;."No wild oats for me, no cigars
or cigarettes for me, no Wine or beer for
me, no nasty stories for' me, no Sunday
Bpr.^es for me. I am- going to start right
md keen on right. God help me, for I am
very weak. From the throne of eternal ,
righteousness, let down to me the princi- j
pies by which I can be guided in building I
everything from foundation to capstone, j
Lord God, by the wounded hand of Christ, j
throw me a plumb line."
Hear it, men and boys, women and girls, I
ill the fun is on the side of riiht. Sin may j
seem attractive, but it is deathful. and like I
the manchineel, a tree whose dews are j
poisonous. The only genuine happiness is j
in a Christian life. i
There they go, two brothers. The one !
was converted a vear ago in church one |
Sunday morning during prayer or sermon
or hymn. No one knew it at the time. I
Ihe persons on either side of him sus* j
pected notning, but in that vounq I
man's eoui mis process went on; uuiu, i
here I am. a young man amid the temptations
of city life, and I am afraid to risk
them alone. Come and be mv pardon and i
mv help. ?ave me from making the mis- |
take some of my comrades are making, and i
save me now." And quicker than a flash
Uod rolled heaven into his soul. He ig
iust as jolly as he used to he, is just as
brilliant as he used to be. He can strike
i""ball or catch one as easily as before he
ivas converted. With gun oriishing rod in
thfe slimmer vacation he t.r iusV.is skH]ful_
is before. ' The world is brighter^' nrnT
than ever.- He appreciates pictures, music,
innocent Hilarity, social.life, gobd jokes j
\nd has plenty of fun, glorious fun. But
Ill's brother is going down hill. In the
morning his head aches from the champagne
debauch". Everybody sees he is in
rapid descent. What cares he for right
sr decency or the honor of his family
name? Turned out of employment, depleted
in health, cast down in spirits, the
typhoid fever strikes him in the smallest
room on the fourth story of a fifth-rate
Hoarding house, cursing God and calling
for his mother and fighting back demons
irom his dying pillow, which is besweated
*nd torn to racs. He plunizes out of this
u-orld, with the shriek of a destroyed
snirit. <
Young man. there is no fun in shipwrecking
your cnaracter, no fun in disgracing
rour father's name. There is no fun in
breaking vour mother's heart. There is
no fun in the physical pangs of the
iissolute. There is no fun in the profit- |
rate's deathbed. There is no fun in an unlone
eternity. Paracelsus out of the ashes
>[ a burnt rose. Baid he could recreate the
rose, but he failed in the alchemic undertaking,
and roseate life, once burned/down
n sin, can never again be made to blossom.
God is now throwing that plumb line
jver this republic, an'd it is a solemn time :
with this nation, and whether we keep i
His Sabbaths or dishonor them, whether
-ighteousness or iniquity dominate, whether |
we are Christian or infidel, whether we
fulfill our mission or refuse, whether we
ire for God or against Him, will decide
whether we shall as a nation go on in
ligher and higher career or go down in the
same grave where Babylon and Nineveh
ind Thebes are sepulchered.
"But." say you, "if there be nothing but
i plumb line, what can any of us do, for
there is an old proverb which truthfully
leclares, 'If the best man's faults were i
written on his forehead, it would make |
lira pull his hat over his eyes.' What shall |
we do when, according to Isaiah, 'God
diall lay iudgment to the line and righteousness
tfce plummet?'"
Ah, here is where the gospel comes in
with a Saviour's righteousness to make up
for our deficits. And while I see hanging
>n trie wall a plumb line. T see also hang*
ng there a cross. And while the one conic'tns
ns. tin? other saves us, if only we
will I'old to it.
And hero and now you may be spt free
with a more glorious liberty than llanip- j
:len or Sidney or Kosciusko ever fought '
for. Not out yonder or down there or ? '
here, but just where you are you may get ;
....
The invalid proprietress of a wealthy |
;statc in Scotland visited the continent of l
- -:J -f I-? nn/l I
r>uiu|ic in gut nu in nci iiKuaiiiuo, t?4?vA
<he went to Baden-Baden, and tried these
ivatcrs, and went to Carlsbad and tried
those waters, and went to Hombuiff and
tried those waters, and instead of petting
better, she cot worse, and in despair she
said to a physician, "What shall I do?"
[lis reply was: "Medicine can do nothing
for you. You have only one chance, and
that is the waters of l'it Keathly, .Scotland."
"Is it possible?" she replied.
"Why, those waters are on my own estate."
She returned and drank of the
fountain at her own Rate, and in two
months completely recovered. Oh, siek
and diseased and sinning and dying, why
jo trudging all the world over and seekin"
hci' and there relief for your discouraged
soirit when close by and at your very
feet and at the door of your heart, aye,
within the very estate ot your own consciousness,
the healing waters of eternal
life may be had and liad this very hour,
this very minute? Blessed be God that
uver against the plumb line that Amos
saw is the cross, through the emancipating
power of which you and 1 may live anil
live forcv:rl
}
L
|P?' ' * ' " '
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUCUST 26.
Subject: Jcaan the Good Shepliort!, John
x., 1-1G ? Golden Text: Jolin x., 11 ?
Memory V?r??>, 9-11 ? Commentary
on the liay'? Luiuu.
1. "Ry tlie door." The sheepfolds of the
East are not covered like our stables, but
are mere enclosures surrounded by a wall
of loose stones with thorn-bushes upon the
top, but usually ah cti'er *-.ual barrier against
the wolves. There is only one door to
Oriental sheepfolds. Here the door is the
way appointed by God for entering Ilia
kingdom, and the leadership in it. It includes
consecration to God's service, unsel
iish devotion to the good of others, preparation
by the knowledge of the truth, by
spiritual experience, by the presence of
Cod, to enable the disciples to shepherd
the sheep. Later, Christ Himself is represented
as the door, all the above being
found in Him. "The sheepfold." The
true church of Christ. "A thief and a robber."
A thief endeavors to gain his booty
slyly and avoid detection; a robber is a
brigand prepared to do violence. These
false teachers, who rejected Christ and
who were devouring the sheep from a purely
mercenary standpoint, were the thieves
and robbers.( The application was easy.
2. "By the'door." Openly, with no need
to conceal His purpose. By the way which
He directs the sheep to enter. There is
not one salvation for the -teacher and another
for the taught; the door is the same
to all.
3. "To him the porter openeth." The
Holy SpirjJ is one who opens the door to
the shepherds; see frequent uses of this
.symbolism by the apostles. Acts 14:27; 1
Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col, 4:3. The
Holy Spirit recognizes true shepherds by
especially annointing and qualifying them
for the work of rescuing lost men. "The
sheep." True Christians. Those who, like
sheep, are "innocent, trustful, teachable,
obedient." "Hear His voice." His voice
IN cl JJilVtSrUlt VUIt'C. It KUIIieU IIICS HUt'IIlH
severe, hut is always in love, "By name."
In the East in a Hock of hundreds each
sheep would have its own name. Christ
knows us and loves us as individuals.
"Leading them out." l'sa. 23. When we
trust oureeTves to the leadership of our
great Shepherd, He will lead us out of our
trials and difficulties, into "green pastures"
of joy and blessing and heavenly sunshine.
4. "The sheep follow Him." We must
follow where Christ leads. Sometimes the
best pastures and the waters of rest lie beyond
deserts and mountains, and rough
ways lead to'them; still, Jesus leads Hiy
chosen ones there.
5. "A stranger will they not follow."
This is true among the sheep in the eastern
Countries, and vt is equally true among
God's people. Shrewd men may deceive for
a time, but some day the mask will be torn
off by Christians themselves.
v 6. - Understood not." Aware that these
descriptions were leveled at themselves
(Matt. 21:45; Luke 20:10), they did not sec
the exact hinge on which the application
turned. They did not wish to understand
Him. The blind beggar found no trouble
in knowing what He meant.
7. "I am the door." Works, ordinances;
character, are not the door; the church is
not the aoor; Christ alone is. Eph. 2:18
1. Jesus brought the truths of salvation.
2. He made an atonement for sin. 3. Hs
brought new spiritual life. 4. The sheep
enter this door by faith.
o maii iu.1. -\r~ ? an.
o. aii tiiiiu uumc uciuru Die. x nuat
who came pretending to be pastors or
guides to tne people. The scribes and
Pharisees claimed to be instructors of the
people; claimed the right to regulate the
affairs of religion; whose only aim was tc
promote themselves and oppress the people.
9. "If any man enter in." What are the
benefits to be received by entering in
through Christ? 1. Salvation?"shall be
saved." 2. Liberty of soul?"go in and
out." 3. Soul satisfaction?"find pasture."
Isa. 58:11. 4. Protection and care.
. "Go in and out." We must "go in" to
trust, to rest, to think, to pray, before we
can "go out" to do effective work for the
Lord.
10. "And may have it abundantly." (R.
V.) Christ is able to give His people
abundant life. Many are seeking "more"
life; whht such need in "life"?the Christ
life, the abundant life. "By this is meant,
1. Fulness of life. 2. Overflowing life."
Such a life is a growing, increasing life.
11. "Giveth His life for the sheep."
Precious truth? John 3:16; 1 John 4:10.
What a contrast was this, between Himse'
arf) the unholy men He was address'i,.
' hireling." The hireling is the
one who labors simply for wages, with no
love or uonaTii iui uuv vvum. fuui a jit-ison
seeks his own interest and happiness," "*
and neglects and destroys the flock. He
"-sacrifices the sheep for himself, and not
himself from tTTe"stIeb??r?i|Xbe wolf." The
wolf is the enemy of souls iflT&ny of his
manifold disguises, such as persecution,
heresy, worldly living, or a low standard
of morals
14. *'I am the good shepherd." Watching,
feeding, guarding, teaching, dying for
the flock. "Know My sheep." There is a
mutual affection between the shepherd i
and the sheep. There is a mutual affection
between the Father and the Son; one is
parallel with the other. As the Father
knows the Son. so does the Shepherd
know the sheep; as the Son knows the
Father, so do the sheep know the Shep- (
herd. As His Father read His heart, so 1
did He read the heart of man aftd recognize
His own.
13. "Other sheep I have." The Gentiles
who were soon to be brought into His
church. The Good Shepherd sweeps the
world with His thought. Here is the universal
relation of Jesus to sinners of all .
j.: i ,
iiiiliuds aim ci'iif^uca. unaii i;ci.viiiv unt
flock." (R. V.) One flock not in creed,
or name, hut in what is far more essential
?one in Christ. One in heart, one in purpose,
one in the service of God and man.
Teachings.?Christ's sheep. 1. Know
the Shepherd's voice. 2. They hear?or
heed His voice. This is one of the surest
marks of a sheep. 3. They follow Him.
The way may seem dark and difficult, and
even dangerous. but where He leads they
follow. 4. They know not the voice of
"strangers" and will not follow them.
Strangers talk glibly, and many professed
Christians will go after them, but the
sheep will not. 5. On the contrary the
sheen flee from them. The Good Shepherd.
1. Knows His sheep. 2. Is known by His
sheep. H. Has a personal interest in iTis
sheep. 4. Gives them liberty. 5. Gives
soul satisfaction. 0. Careth for the sheep.
7. Giveth His life for them. 8. Giveth
thcrn eternal ,ite. ,
i
CHINA MAKINC CUNS.
A United States Army OIHcer Writes of
IIli VUlt to thfl Kalnjj-Wan Arsenal. j
A letter was received by a Government
official in Washington from a United |
States Army ofiicer traveling in China, in <
which the officer detailed a visit he had <
made to the Kaing-Wan arsenal. He i
spoke of the immense works, covering j
acrcs of ground, in which thousands of ,
Chinese were constantly at work. There j
were facilities, he said, for manufacturing ,
rifles and cannon up to nine inches bore, j
and they were turning out many guns of j
vet y creditable workmanship. He went '
all through the works, and there were but
two foreigners there, both Englishmen,
who w-'Vi superintending the works. <
PLICHT OF PlTCAIRN ISLANDERS. 1
Women Ttrilileiit* Are Compelled to <
Wear Male Apparel.
The ship John A. Uriggs, which rgrived
a few days ago at Philadelphia froiii
J'ort Townscnd. touched at I'iteairn Island
i;i the South Pacific, and found 150 per>
. . .1.:...!.. ?f ii'prc Worn.
sons, ahti'.ii uvu-niiKin .?
en, almost all descendants of the mutineers
of the ship Ilounty.
Lack of feminine apparel lias compelled
the women to adopt male pari). Almost i
all wear coats and trousers, in which com- J
fort rather than Jit is aimed at. The crew i
of the IJripss pave the women some femi- s
nine clothing, and in return were reward- <
ed by the grateful natives with gifts of i
veleniablcs and fruit.
Cincinnati'* t'o|>uiMTioii, :r:3,!
Director of the Census Merriam. at ,
Washington, has made public the ofiicial J i
count of the population of Cincinnati, I i
Ohio, showing a population of 323,902. '
' i':'< " ' " ";,-V
GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN.
PREGNANT THOUGHTS FROM THE
WORLD'S CREATEST PROPHETS.
The Hen venly Sowing?I.ove tlie Supreme
Teat ? There It Always a Response ?
Rose Leaves and Old Lace?A Piayer
by Phillips Brooks?There Will be Joy.
Sower Divine!
Sow the good seed in me,
Seed for eternity.
"fia a rough, barren soil,
Yet by Thy care and toil,
Make it a fruitful field,
An hundred fold to yield.
; Sower Divine!
Plough up this heart of mine!
Sower Divine!
Quit not this wretched field
Till Thou hast made it yield;
Sow Thou by day and night,
In darkness and in light
Stay not Thy hand, but sow;
Then shall the harvest grow.
Sower Divine,
Sow deep this heart of mine! <
Sower Divine!
Let not this barren clay,
Lead Thee to turn away;
Let not my fruitlessnesa
Provoke Thee not to bless;
Let not this field be dry,
Refresh it from on high,
Sower Divine!
Water this heart of mine!
Love the Hapreine Test.
In these days, when much is said and
written about confessions of faith and
the tests that should l>e applied in determining
who are Christians, it is well
to bring to mind the statements and requirements
of the Xew Testament. The
(Juspels and Epistles have much to offer
directly and inferentially on the subject.
"Hereby shall all men know that
ye are my disciples, if ye have love ohe
to jnother." "By their fruits ye shall
know them." Peter said to the inquirer
by the wayside, that in asserting "I be
neve unit .it'su.s jurist in ine con 01 ,
God," lie was entitled to be baptized as
a Christian disciple. Paul declares that
"as many as are led by the spirt of God
they arc sons of God," and he also declares,
"he that hath not the spirt of
Christ is none of his." John wrote. "He
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh, is of God." "He that loveth,
is born of God aud Unoweth God."
Jesus emphasized the two great commandments
as expressing the essential
principles of the religions life. Again,
Paul, in harmony with Jesus and John,
says, "that love is the fulfilling of the
law." This is the essence of the Gos
jiri. ijvyc is iuhch* tne condition or ciose
fellowship with the Father, of true discipleship
with the Saviour, and of right
relationship with the world. Jesus was
the groat exemplar of the divine love
for man and of man's duty toward God
and his fellow-beings. Love is the supreme
test of sonship with God and of
discipleship with Jesus. He who manifests
this love is a Christian, because he
has Chrit's spirit and is seeking to live
the Christ ilfe.
There Is Always r? Reaponse.
"High hearts are never long without,
hearing some new call, some distant '
clarion of God, even in their dreams;
and soon they are observed to break up
the camp of ease and start on some fresh
march of faithful service." It is the
privilege of the Christian teacher to
sound this new call, and to create the
inspiration in the "high hearts," now
resting in the "camns of ease," and
Quickened them for the onward march.
The responses are oft-times encouraging
to the faithful minister, and he rejoices
when his leadership is acknowledged and
followed. Every faithful minister has
the assurance that the divine voice of
dnty, voiced by one who would sincerely
and prayerfully do good to his fellows,
always finds an answering response in
duo time. "Xo voice, however feeble,"
writes Whhtier. "lifted up for the truth
ever dies amidst the confused noises of
time. Through discords of sin and error,
woe and death, it rises a deathless melody
to blend with the great harmony of
a reconciled universe."
Rose Loaves and 01<l Lace. i
Yon cannot nutate thorn. There is
something' in the soft yellow of ancient
meshes and something in the delicate
fragrance of the leaves .of roses which
diifr nll Efforts to copy them. They are
the gift of the long years ?nd
the summer sunshine. Rose leaves
and old lace have taken time
into partnership and the bond cannot be '
broken. How gracious they are! You
do not need to pull the odors out of the
rose jar. Just leave the cover off. The
odor of the rosi s and the spices will
steal out of itself. You must never.pull
hard at lares. That only vends them.
Let the soft folds fall as they will.
There is grace enough in the pliant veil.
It is nothing that the leaves and the
laces have put on. It is something that
is in th'jir very nature, this ministry of
grace and fragrance. If it were cxter- 1
ua!, then we might make rose leaves and
old lace by mechanical processes. But
just because it is within and of the very
nature of the thing itself, we are baffled.
A Prayer by Phillip* Brooks.
On my country's birthday ... I ma)
nsk you for your prayer in her behalf.
That on the manifold and wondrous
rhance which <Soil is giving her?on her
freedom (for she is f ; <><>, since the old
*tain of slavery was washed out in
Itlood); on her unconstrained r. iigiou*
life: on her passion for education, and (
lier eager search for truth; on her jeal- 1
mis care lor me poor man s rigais aim i
opportunities; oil her countless quiet .
liomes where the future generations of
tier men arc growing; on her mi 1111 fa c:ures
ai::l her commerce; o:i her wide
;ates open to the east ami to the west;
111 her strange meetings of the races i
>ut of which a new race is slowly lie- ]
ins Itorn; on her vast enterprise ami her 1
illimitable hopefulness?on all those ma- \
ferial* ami machineries of manhood, on (
ill that the life of my country must
mean for humanity, I may ask you to
l?ray that the bless!tig of (Jod the Father 1
>f man, ami Christ the son of man, may t
rest forever.?Phillips Brooks.
There will be joy for us in unexpected
luarters if we will only look. Our temp- <
ations are not joyful; but it is written, .
'Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye
fall into divers temptations." Life is j
iften hard, yet it is the school which (Jod '
ieliberately chose for us and glorifies by <
lis presence. We have special trials,
persecutions, grievances; but of worse
jiitluranees than these I'aul wrote, "Nay,
in all these very things we are more than <
omitierors." If joy be hidden, she is i
not hidden far if with full confidence of (
love we only seek for her in unexpected [
places.?J. 0. Itankln.
t
dood-bye to Pain and Care! I take j
Mine ease today; I
riere where these sunny waters break, (
And ripples this keen breeze. I shake
&1! burdens away from my heart, all
weary thoughts away.
?Whittie?. (
(
plight of pitcairn islanders.
Women Aro Compelled to
MVar iUiile Apparel.
The ship John A. Hriygs, which ar- ]
rived a few days a;j? at I'hilaueipnia irom
i'ort Townsend, touched at 1'ilcairn Island
In tlie South I'acilie. and found 1.10 per- i
>o;is, about two-third* of whom wore worn n.
aimost all descendants of the muti- ]
neers of the ship Jlounty. t
Lack of feminine apparel lias eompelled
the women to adopt male garb. _ Almost
ill wear coats ;iu<l iron-its. in which com- l
fori rather than lil is aimed at. The crew t
l)! the liri^ gavo the women some fejni"'He
clotliiii!!. and in return were rewarded
by the- grateful natives with jjii'ts of f
l"ele*tab!es aud fruit. i I
_i .
- WWm$?m
A FATAL TRAIN ROBB^R^!
Sleeping Passengers Wakened Ona?
at a Time?One Killed
"A'Sr-.
Cqndactor Carried the B*r?TI?bt)eri R?..
turned His Watch So He Codld
Ban Train?A Woman's Base.
Sallna, Kan. (Special).?Union Pa
ciflc east-bound passenger train No.
4, from Denver, was stopped by several
men west of Hugo,. Col., ninety
miles this side of Denver. The paqsengers
In. the Pullman sleeping cars
were robbed of their .money and valuables.
An old man named fay, a resident
of California, who had been visiting
in Denver and* was on his way to St.
Louis, refused to surrender his valuables
and fired a shot at one of the
robbers, but n^lssed. Thereupon the
robbers fired, one shot entering Fay's
mouth and coming out of the back of
his head, killing him almost instantly.
The robbers got on to one of the
eleeping cars near Limon, and after
the train had started the men made
a noise at the door. The conductor,
thinking they were tramps, opened the
door to put them off. The robbers,
who were masked, pointed a pistol
at his head and ordered him to lead
the way through the coaches. All
of the passengers were asleep, and the
conductor was ordered to wake them
up one at a time. The frightened passengers
were told to keep quiet or they,
would be killed, and at the same time
were asked to hand over their money
and valuables. The robbers obtained
about $100 in cash and a number of
feUlU WULUUCO UUU U L11VJ1 U1 JC Tt"
elry.
The conductor, who was compelled
to hold the bag while the robbers relieved
the passengers, lost his watch,
and asked that It be returned to him
in order that he might run his train
on, time. The robbers gave It back.
After ransacking the two coaches, the
men made the conductor pull the bell
cord, but the train was going so rapIdly
that It arrived at Hugo before It
slowed down enough to enable them
to jump. They compelled the conductor
to get,off ahead of them, so
that if any of the passengers had been
watching for them they would have
shot him first. After the robbers had
dismounted they ordered the conductor
to return to his train.
Miss Shaw, of Denver, a passenger
on the train, stated that when the
men entered the cars every one was
asleep, and very few knew anything
of what was going on until they were
awakened by the robbers. When the
men came to her berth a pistol was
pointed at her face and she was told
to be quiet and hand over her valuables.
With great presence of mind
she opened her pocketbook, letting a
number or Dins rail out, ana men
handed the purse containing some silver,
to the robbers. She also managed
to save her watch, which was pinned
to her dress, by placing her arm over
it
TWO BUILDINGS WRECKED.
Eighteen Peraona Injured by an Explosion
In Scranton, 1'enn.
Scranton, .Benn. (Special). ? An erplosion,
the cause of which the police
are investigating, brought about the
collapse and total destruction of two
large brick buildings in the heart of
the city. On structure was that occupied
by the Merchants' and Mechanics*
Bank, oue of the oldest institutions of
Via L-inH in Hir> TIlP other build
ing was occupied by D. I. Phillips as a
furniture warehouse. This was owned
by the James Blair estate. At least
eighteen persons were Injured, but all
of them are expected to recover with
the exception of the bank watchman,
Frank Woelkers. It is declared that
the affair was due to nn explosion of
illuminating gas.
The concussion was terrible, and
was heard for miles. All the windows
of the buildings adjoining and across
the street were wrecked. The two
buildings collapsed like broken eggshells.
The front walls shot out into
thn street, injuring several persons on
the walk, and one young girl was buried
In the debris. How any one Inside
the two buildings could escape alive Is
difficult to comprehend, and yet many
were there and none was killed. The
loss is $30,000. Many deeds of daring
were witnessed In rescuing the injured. >
FOUR KILLED IN A FICHT.
Harris Brother* and the Dooleys Have
Batlle in Missouri.
Farmington. Mo. (Special). ? Four
nna fflfflllw
It'II >\ t'l c utltcu auu vuu
,/ounded in a shooting affair at Doe
Run between William Dooloy and hla
four sons ou one side, and the four
Harris brothers on the other. William
Dooloy. Wesley Harris. James Harris
and John Dooley are the names of
those killed: Frank Harris is fatally
tvounded. A young girl. Mary Littrell,
tvas struck just above the ankle by a
rifle ball.
A few days ago the Harris boys sent
word to t lie Doole.vs. with whom they
had a feud, that they would be at a
picnic at Doe Run, aud intended to run
:he Dooleys off the grounds. Just how
the shooting began is not clear, but
)nee begun it was deadly.
Three of the Dooley boys, who were
unhurt, came to Farni/ngton anC ^ave
:nemselves up. They are in Jail.
91,000,000 Fire In Aaliland, Wit.
Fire at Ashland, Wis., destroyed
COAA AAA nt tha
?>1,WU,WU 01 ?puvv,vw U 4 iUV
loss being lumber belonging to the
Hlnes Lumber. Company, of Chicago.
The mills .were saved by the use of
lynamite.
Tliirteen-Tear-OId I'olftoner.
Freil Hines, thirteen years old. has
:onfessed that he poisoned his father,
svho is lying dangerously ill at tne
bounty Hospital at Fresno. Cal. The
)oy said his father treated him cruelly
?nd refused to allow him to drive liis
:eam. He concluded to kill him. He
ind his younger brother bought the
loison. which Fred put ia his father's
oll'ee.
I.oulfiville Ilaii 20-1,731 Soult.
T1k> population of tilt' city of Louisrllle.
Ky., according to the official
:ouut of tbu twelfth census, is 201,731.
The Xntlon.il Game.
Lajole's return to the team has groaty
braced tip the PhilnriHphias.
Just now tlio New Yorks are playng
the best ball in the League.
Manager llanlon considers Ely. oT
?ittsliurg. the greatest iicldiug short
itop in i!ie business.
The reiurn to his old place of Ilernan
I.??ng on the I'.ostou team has
lone wonders to help the team along.
IMtehcr Dolniiy l::ts been "farmed"
mt by the New Yorks to Comiskey's
,'lilcago team of ibe Atuer' ^n League.