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I Mynhe: BY ST. QEORQI COPTRICHT 1890, ROBI A. CHAPTER XXII. [Continued.] "Impossible, Ben! I don't even want your men to see me, so that the cock-and-bull story you may tell them later will have an air of probability about it." "Eh! What's in the wind now?" bursts out the other, looking in Joe's fcce. "Come over here under this overhanging wall, and I'll tell you quite a yarn that may awaken your interest, even if it doesn't harrow up your bl?od. At any rate, I am in hopes that it will arouse your chivalry." "Hello! Three to one there's petticoats in It. Wouldn't talk about chiv airy otherwise. Well, Here's iJen ?iazen. rough sea-dog that he is, always willing to remember his mother? God bless her?and do a favor in her name when there's a woman In trouble, not to speak of Daisy." Mynheer Joe gives him a look that must thrill his heart, It is so full of thanks. Then, knowing the value cf time, and desirous that the sailor shall learn all the particulars before making his decision, Joe starts in. v He is a fine story-teller, though some , one else might do better just here, , since so many of his own achievements . enter into the affair, and he falls to ( even do them simple justice. , The captain gets an inkling of this , fact, and makes ample allowances. Although he does not know all that , Mynheer Joe has been doing of late years. Bombay has been ringing with j his praise as the avenger of Brave Gor- , don; and, besides, Captain Ben has not 1 forgotten that his friend was ever ] modest even in their old school-days. ' , Several times he stops Joe to ask ( questions, for it is plainly evident thnt , he wants to know all that is going on. At last the story is done. Captain , Ben holds his head with both hands. , Rppms to be studvine the ground , between his feet. Joe does not disturb him, but calmly lights a cigar. He knows his man, and does not fear for the final result. All at once the sailor puts out a horny hand. "Shake, Joe, old boy," he says quietly. "Well?" accepting the palm. "You can count upon me." "That means " "The baron will have the chance of his life to study the geography of that quaint Chilian city of Valparaiso ere many months elapse." "I thought I knew you, Ben," said the elated Joe, on hearing the bluff captain's words, expressing agreement with his plans. "Now, as to the pay for this risky job " "The what?" bellows the excitable slflpper. "I mean just what I say. I'm a man of wealth, and you have your way to make in the world. I must arrange a decent price for this business. What, would be fair? A thousand dollars " "Three times too much," grumble3 Ben. "Well, I shall put something in your kand before you sail, and don't you open it on your life, old man. I hav?* not forgotten the demure little girl you were sweet on as a boy, and who you tell me ir now your wife. When ] you get home to Philadelphia about next Christmas, place this in her hand , and tell Daisy it comes from her old ] schoolmate, Joe Miner." 1 "I'll do that with pleasure, Joe, only ] don't make the present too costly. , Daisy and I have often talked of you. This is my last long voyage. If I live through it I am promised a captain's berth on one of the new Clyde coasting steamers running out of New York." < "Hnw m.mv children hnvp vnn Ben?" ] "Two?Marguerite and Joe." ] "What! You named your boy ** i "After the only chap who could outwrestle, outthrow, outrun me at school ] ?the same boy who dragged me out i of the Delaware when I went in 1 through the ice?one Joe Miner, who 1 actually wants to pay me now for do- < ing him a small favor." "Small favor be hanged! This man i Is a secret emissary of the czar." i "All right." i "You may get into a war with Russia." "Well, I can lick 'em," with a grin. "Joking aside, Ben, this is a serious business, and you must neglect no opportunity to shield yourself, for trouble is almost sure to come of it." "Oh, I'm willing enough to appear an innocent tool of yours or an unknown party shipping this crazy Russian out to Valparaiso. I've no desire to embroil my beloved country in a war with the czar. Why, they might capture Philadelphia, and, think of it, my little home is on the outskirts!" "Well, let's talk now about the plan to be pursued: You must have a document, written by some fictitious person, asking whether you would be willing to take as a passenger to Valparaiso a gentleman who, at times, is c little tint of his hpnd nnd mnv hnvp tn be treated as a prisoner; that if suitable terms can be arranged, he will be brought aboard at a certain hour." "That's straight enough. Meanwhile, I'll enter several notes on' the log about receiving such and such a letter. Trust two Pennsylvania Dutchmen for hatching up a plot to confuse the natives, eh, Joe?" They talk a little longer, and the details are arranged so that there may be no blunder. Unless some accident occurs, the shadow of which has not yet been seen, they appear to have a firm hold upon the game, and the chances indicate a sudden and astonishing surprise, together with an unexpected sailing on the part of the ivUBslan nobleman. ( f\ jjfii \ ? q|; er Joe. i , a J^ATHBORNE. b I kbt Bonnkb'b Sons. _a ^ When Mynheer Joe leaves the skip- ^ per of the Avalanche he has arranged * everything to his satisfaction. They J' understand each other thoroughly anJ nothing Is lacking save the production . of the baron's body. c' Joe has plenty more to do. Already s half the morning has passed, and the 81 heat grows more and more intense. He has become somewhat used to li during his Soudan campaign, and calls himself a salamander, since he never flinches from the hottest sun. p From the Burning Giant, as the place of Incineration on the river-bank is called, he heads once more for the hotel at the foot of Malabar Hill. Bombay Is bustling with life, from distant Mazagon on one side to Cala- ^ bah on the other. Joe finds it difficult to even make his way along some of * the streets, and soon hails a palkee 1 gharry, into which he tumbles and is soon dropped at his destination. The first person he sees is the faith- e' ful Kassee; and when he crooks h's c< q] finger, the other comes to his side like a flash. He takes his orders from his mnetor ritiIIpr nods and Is cone. That wonderfully active brain of Kassee'n 1 will handle the matter well. No fear of his making a blunder. The only one Joe has ever known him to mak>.? 01 was in bumping his head against that obstruction in the Nile, at the time m they were thrown out of the boat 'n the darkness, and losing his master. e< Having finished with Kassee, and seen him well on his way, Mynheer Joe looks up the others who are lo 14 figure in this little drama that means so much to the baron. He finds them P' upon the piazza of the hotel. Sandy lying in a hammock and taking in a S 3tory told by a gray-haired old officer of that dreadful scene he witnessed " [Juring the Sepoy rebellion when en- 111 ?aged on the column sent to the relief P* of Lucknow: Mr. Grimes trying to smoke a native hubble-bubble with in- a< 3ifferent success; while Molly and her {e father have made themselves as easy *8 as possible In cane chairs, where the grateful shade is densest and the cool- cl Ing breeze may fan their cheeks. er Rather a picturesque scene they pre- A sent, the traveler thinks, as he stops to 80 - - - ? take it in. At this moment Moiiy spies tiim and starts up. tr Thep, as if remembering herself, she ai turns scarlet, makes a movement as st though about to be seated again, changes her mind and bravely advances toward Joe. "Well done!" is the mental comment af that gentleman, who has noted all w the phases of this struggle, and be- se ?ins to believe deep down in his heart there may be some truth in what Mr. Grimes has told him. la He is too shrewd to give himseif se iway, however, and looks very inno- w :ent as he greets Miss Tanner. ca "Great Jehosaphat! Is that you, Joe? sc Come up here, young man, and give a ar 3trict account of yourself!" burst out w the sweet voice of the big Illinois ca 3enator. ac And if the crocodiles of the Ganges ?ould hear the full tenor of his siren a+aft yltalll/1 tttaa*% +ao fo a# fin rv I El U\J LLO, lutj TTVUIU nccj/ bvui a vl vu? ind bellow no more. Talk about your steam fog-horn! The Honorable De- co mosthenes could extinguished such a toy with one blast, and then hardly ce half try. is This is an Invitation such as Joe 0E wants, and to 1he Interested quartette m tie Is soon relating what he has dono to relieve them of the baron, whose presence in India means trouble for vf all. . SI> Wi CHAPTER XXIII. j1 le rHE NOTE THAT DOWNED THE RUSSIAN i The facts are soon made plain, and ti< svery one understands the game that d( Mr. Grimes and Mynheer Joe have T1 hatched up between them. It is sim- lil pie and yet seems to have the neces- tt 3ary qualities to insure success. w As Mr. Grimes predicted to his companion, the young American girl is ready to join in the game. She knows the risk and dares to undertake it for ^ the good of the little company. The case has at any rate reached a pol'it j when heroic treatment is necessary in r>ri1oi? tn ownmnlleh n /' nrp Kneh In *"v* fcw MVVV "*" ~ pj stances arrive in the affiairs of men as well as In surgery. When all has been arranged, each one of the company is satisfied, and ^ the game goes on. The baron has not ^ been seen since Mr. Grimes pointed ^ him out, but he can easily be found when wanted. pi It is now well on toward noon, and the balance of the drama must be ^ played within twelve hours, for Captain Ben hopes to sail long ere another morning breaks tup^n Bombay. 1 Each goes to the appointed task. ni Within the hour a messenger is search- ,C( ing for the baron, bearing a note without a signature, but which is couchcd c' in language calculated to cause the Russian to smack his lips with pride a: and satisfaction, confident that bis " conquest is nearly completed, the beautiful American girl almost within nis grasp, being unable to resist the charms of a title. tl These foreigners have come to the oi conclusion that any American beauty cl or heiress will give up even the man h o fow erlnrincr Instnnwa nf this ktn.-l A she loves to grasp a coronet. Perhaps e: have made them believe that wnv. h They need taking down, and Molly si Tanner is just the one to champion her' r< sex, and teach the aristocracy a les- it son. All American girls are not for lj sale. Those whom these foreigners a< buy do not represent the true element ci of Yankee lassies, but are in them- u selves tainted with that abject rever- ti ence for titles so noticeable in Eng- fj land and other foreign countries. tl It was just ten minutes of two when d the baron receives this scented billet fl doux. He is in a fashionable club, to bl rhlch he has pained entry through itters of Introduction, and for puroses of his own. At the time he hances to be engaged in a game of iiliards with a French gentleman of ote, traveling in India to see the ountry, go it is said, although there re suspicions that he meets the baron y appointment. France and Russia are hand in glove, 'heir interests do not clash, and both ecretly hate England. In the event f a general European war, in which treat Britain received a drubbing, 'urkey and India woufa be the spoils f Russia, while Egypt must fall ?:o 'ranee. These things are talked of in ndia, where the British troops are ut a drop In the bucket compared to le nativefi, and every move upon the hess-board of Europe finds its response throb over the Indian Ocean. Beides, the peculiarity of this position auses them to see things in a different ght. When the baron has read his note, he >oks pleased, and his French comanion laughs aloud. "Success, baron, eh? You are a ladyiller. Who would think it, a man lven over to diplomatic intercourse uch as my friend, and yet finds time >r these little amours. I congratulate ou. Who Is it, mon ami?" xne Daxon suu&eei mo ucuu, ?iuu 6"y deposits the perfumed note In his iner pocket. "That would be telling, monsieur. I ever give my secrets away until I aiu jre. The bird flutters, but I cannot ill it mine until my hand cIose9 round it. Enough to say, I am afral-j le baron is caught at last." "Mon Dieu! Is it so serious as that? had not thought it meant so mucb. : is too bad, baron, that the event of jur life should come upon you while i this trip.". The Russian gives him a look that eans much. "Never fepr, Monsieur Lamar; I am jual to the occasion!" They drop the subject and knock le balls about for some time longer, is evident, however, that the baron's tter has broken up his style, for he lays like an amateur and finally ops his cue in disgust, excusing himilf to his friend. He hardiy knows how to pass the me away until evening, and the hours ust seem like an eternity to his imitlent soul. During the afternoon he has callers ; his rooms; several men come to conr with him In a mysterious way. It evident tnat me Daron nas corniceons here In Bombay with a powerful ique. This makes it doubtful wheth the clever little scheme of the mericans can be made a success, for >me one of these elements may hap>n upon the game and discover the uth. Still, such men as Mynheer Joe id Mr. Grimes can be trusted to and up against all comers and hold lelr own. Thus the day draws to a close, and e momentous night creeps over the ty on the sacred river?a night that ill be fraught witfi great events to veral of our characters. All hail the coming of evening with y, for the hours have dragged to the st. Even the natives rejoice at the tting of the sun. Some of them are orsblpers of the great fire-god, and n be seen doing reverence to his deent behind the watery horizon. There e Mohammedans on their knees, ith their faces toward distant Mecoblivious of all save their prayers, icompanied by the most fantastic nding of the body. These sights are so common in all astern countries that the old traver fails to notice them beyond a sual glance. Baron Popoff, after his dinner, proeds to make an elaborate toilet. He always something of a dandy, but i this particular night he waxes his ustache with particular care, bo that e ends stand out like needles. When ready to sally forth, he sur>ys himself in the glass, smiles with tisfactlon, as though personally ell pleased with his appearance, give9 last twirl Lt his mustache and then aves the house. Already he has seen to his preparajns, and a shigram is waiting at the >or, managed by one of his own men. lie baron is suspicious by nature and ies not the Idea of being driven about ie dark streets of Bombay by one la hom he puts no confidence. [To be Continued.] Hay In Rouud Bales Now. Hay as well as cotton Is put up nowlays in cylindrical bales, a standard und hay bale being eighteen inches i diameter and thirty-six inches in ngth. Such a bale packed at the essure under which it would be put ) for domestic use would weign aoout K3 pounds; as packed for export such bale would contain about 275pounds, here is put up for army use a bale of le same diameter, but ouiy eighteen tches In length, which contains aproxlmately 140 pounds of hay. In the cylindrical bale a given quanty of hay Is got into less than half le space that it would occupy in a juare bale, and Including freedom om mould, preservation of the sweetess of the hay and greatly reduced )mbu8tlbility. Thousands of tons of hay in cylindrltl bales have beeL shipped to tht* merlcan array in the Philippines, nd large quantities of it have been sed by the British army in South frica. Why Yon "See Stars." If you are one of those who frequent le police courts, you have no doubt rten neara tne vicnms or assuuns ue[are that their assailants hit them so ard that it made them "see stars." nd, indeed, the sensation which you xperience from a violent blow on the ead resembles very much the sight of tars. The fact is, there is a phosphojscent power In the eye, which shows self when the head is struck violentr, and is often perceived even in the ct of sneezing. The jar to the system aused by the blow produces a pressre of the blood vessels unon the re na, causing either total darkness or a lint blue light which floats before le eye, and in which the imagination iscovers thousands of faatastlc gures, the majority of which re6emle stars. : scieS^MS i Torpedo tubes made of aluminium incfnflfi nf stppi have been placed on | board two destroyers at Portsmouth, i The use of those tubes at present Is experimental, but so considerable will i be the saving in weight?an important matter in connection with light craft i like destroyers?that if successful alu( minium tubes will be generally used in place of steel tubes. In Plawaii enormous quantities of ducks are raised by the Chinese upon the edges of the ocean. Twice a day, within restricted areas, they are permitted to eat the young fish which swim in the inclosed coves. Fish are reported to be growing scarcer every year, and by some this diminution is attributed to the wholesale destruc tion of the young fry by tne uninese. Consul-General Guenther at Frankfort. reports to the State Department, at Washington, that a new method for producing anaesthesia was discussed at a recent meeting of the Medical Society of Berlin. Dr. Wohlgemuth has constructed an apparatus by which patients inhale chloroform mixed with oxygen. It has been tried by many prominent surgeons, with results that are reported as satisfactory, the disagreeable sensations being obviated. An important publication on Indian forestry has been issued, in which certain conclusions as to the climatic influence of forests are set forth. The book is entitled "Forestry in British India." Prom a review of this work in Nature it appears that while the author does not distinctly maintain that by increasing the acreage of forests the climate of India might be so far Improved as to stop the recurrence of droughts, he 's evidently inclined to that opinion. "In a warm climate," he says, "the denudation of a country diminishes its moisture, and, consequently, its fertility." The regulations of surface drainage by forests is clearly pointed out. It often happens, according to L'El* eveur, "that in cleaning fowls wc find pins, bits of iron wire or the like, in their gizzards. This is the case with fowls that have no gravel at their disposal, and are driven by instinct to swallow Jiard bodies. If a. pin thus swallowed Issues from the intestine and reacbf he shell-sac at the moment wh an egg without a shell reaches the same point, it will be en' veloped In the shell and thus enclosed in the egg. Perrauet, the famous architect of the eighteenth century, relates a case in his memoirs. He tells of an egg in which a pin was found without anything to show how it got there. The pin was covered with a | thin whitish crust which made It look like a frog's thigh-bone. Under this crust the pin was black and somewhat corroded." Dr. A. D. Waller states in a recent paper that he is able to tell wbeth9r a bean is alive by its peculiar response to electric stimulus, says the Baltimore Sun. If dead it fails to respond. His method of distinguishing is to place tne bean between a pair of moist electrodes and sending an electric discharge through the same. After the Impulse the bean electrodes are connected to a sensitive galvanometer, and if the bean is alive it will give a relatively strong discharge, usually in the direction of the stimulus. Sometimes the test kills the bean, but sometimes it may be made to grow. The electric current from the bean may gradually diminish during half an hour after a sudden rise at the beginning. This experiment gives an opw^-r+iiTiI+tt tn qnnrnnnti tho nrnhlpm nf the relation of life and electricity from a new standpoint. The peculiar manifestations and the various forms of energy into which electricity can be transformed have given the hope that there may be a close relationship between this subtle energy and life force. A Mark Twain Story. Mark Twain tells thus the story of bis first great Lonuon banquet, at which, by the way, there were 800 or 000 guests. He admits that, not having been used to that kind of dinner, he felt somewhat lonesome. "The lord mayoi. or somebody, read out a list of the chief guests before we began to cat. When he came to prominent names the other guests would applaud. "1 found the man nest me rather a good talker. Just as we got to an interesting subject there was a tremendous clapping of hands. I had hardly ever heard sucli app'.ause before. I straightened up and set to clapping with thp rest, and I noticed a good many people round about me fixing their attention on mc, and some of tbein laughing in a friendly and encouraging way. I moved about in my chair and clapped louder than ever. " 'Who is it?' I asked the gentleman on my right. " 'Samuel Clemens, better known in England as Mark Twain,' he replied. "I stopped clapping. The'life seemed to go out of me. I never was in such a fix in all my days."?M. A. P. Gold in Scotland. A few weeks ago the report of ttoe discovery of gold at Leith was an nounced. Now the further news if afforded that gold has been found ai Turbeckhill, near Annan, in Dumfriesshire. It appears that this latest discovery relates to a find of the pre c-ious inetal in a cave which, curiously enough, is srJd to have been workec by Germans in the eighteenth century Expert evidence is said to be at banc demonstrating that the Annan deposits yield four pennyweights ol gold and ten ounces of silver to tlu ton.?London Cnronicle. Of Course, He Never Does. "I never tell a pretty girl she's pretty," he remarked sententiously; "lt'i unnecessary, it goes without saying She's knows she's pretty just as wet as I do, and to ten ner so is muupij piling on the agony. I reserve irj compliments for the poor things wh< need them. By the way, Miss you look awfully well in that graj frock with that little touch of cherrytruly you do?positively pretty, don'1 you know."?New York Sun. V " THE SABBATH SCHOOL I1 INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR AUCUST 18. (Subject: Abraham's Intercession, Gen. xvlU., 16-33?Golden Text, James v., 10?Memory Verses, 23?25?Commentary on the Day's Lesson, Tn+rn/fii/itinn ?fhtr leKHOn pnntain? t.h<? fireliminary events of one of the most awul tragedies in the world's history. The cup of Sodom's iniauity was full, making that city ripe for destruction. Although God is merciful yet He will not always strive with man, and there is a line which individuals or nations cannot cross with impunity. The only safe place is in the mountain, Jar away from the smoking plain. In Abraham's prayer we see his great faith, his humility, his charity and his boldness. 10. "The men." The three angels. "Toward Sodom." "As with the Lord there is mercv, so He is the God to whom vengeance belongs." They looked toward Sodom for the purpose of destroying it. "Went with them." Public roads did not exist and guides were necessary. 17. "Shall I hide?" "That is, I will not hide." Abraham was the "friend" of God, and "communication of secrets is one of the special privileges of friendship." The way to know the divine purposes about this present evil world is not to be mixed up with it in its schemes and speculations, hut to be entirely separated from it. ?The more closely we walk with God, the more we shall know His mind about every thing. "Thing which I do." Which I purpose doing, or am about to do. God gave Abraham the look of kindness and love, but to Sodom it was a look of indignation and wrath. The right hand of the judge implies his left. 18. "Mighty nation." The Jewish nation. "Shall be blessed in him." "The | world" would be blessed in the Messiah iU.i j. :? t A 111(11 W?J LU D}SliUg JUViU AI/IOXMUU. 19. "I know him." His character and destiny. "Will command his children." He not only prayed with his family, but he taught ana commanded them, and was "prophet and king, as well aa priest." Aoraham made it his business to promote practical religion in his family, ana this is given as the reasdii why God would make known to him His purpose concerning Sodom. 20. "Cry?is great." That is, these cities have sinned very grievously. 21. "I will go down." I will inauire Into the facts. God could no't have oeen in doubt, but He desires to show to Abraham that He was not judging hastily, or without full knowledge of all the facts. 22. "The men turned," etc. The two angels who accompanied Jehovah were now sent toward Sodom, while the third, which is called the Lord or Jehovah, remained with Abraham. As God is never seen in any bodily shape, consequently the great angel of the covenant, Jesus Christ, must be meant. 23. "Abraham drew near." (1) In bodily presence, (2) in spiritual nearness. (3) in holy fervency. (4) with boldness. (5) in humility, (fl) with confidence. "Wilt Tnou also destroy." It is a principle of justice that the righteous shall not be punished for the crimes of the wicked, and this Abraham lays down as the foundation of nifl supplications. 24. Fifty righteous." These were more righteous than. existed hi the city. We would not even "know that Lot was righteouB had not the apostle Peter told us. But true charity and goodness always hope the best and not the worst. 25. "Shall not the Judge?do right?" "Abraham must have had aivine teaching concerning the fact that Jehovah was the world's Judge." This implies that God would certainly do right, although Abraham might not see how. 26. 'Tf I find?I will spare." So faithfully would bod Drotect His chosen ones when appealed to by Abraham in their behalf. Nor does this go to show that He will not protect them unless urged to do so by others. It does show, however, the power and value of prayer. 27. "Dust and asnes." Dust is my origin and ashes is my end. By these expressions he shows how deeply his soul was humbled in the presence of "God. They who stand nearest to God are the most humble. The boldness of prayer must be , ever tempered with humility. 28. "There shall lack." The safety of ; the city being granted on the condition { that fifty righteous could be found, Abra- j ham takes courage and asks still larger i things. He drops to forty-five, then to < forty,-then to thirty, then to twenty, and finally to ten. He was climbing the-ladder | of i.ope and faith; with each promise he j took courage to ask for more: he grew , into larger visions of God's goodness. i 32. 'TJut this once." Abraham's inter- j cession was limited because the interces- < i-..*. .-4 j:j sor Was DUt H mtiu, it uiu uuv l cava iuv need. He said, I will speak yet but this once, and there he stopped short, as if jfraid of having presented too large a draft at the treasury of infinite grace, or forgetting that faitn's check was never yet dishonored at God's bank. It was not that God wa9 not able to give, for there was an abundance of grace and patience in Him | to have harkened to His servant had he proceeded to three or one; but the servant was limited, and afraid of overdrawing his account. He ceased to ask and God ceased to give. Not so our blessed Intercessor; 1 of Him it can be said, "He is able to save [ to the uttermost?seeing He ever liveth to make intercession." May our hearts j cling to Him in all our need, our weakness and our conflict. 33. "The Lord went His way." The an- ' gel?Jehovah?with whom Abraham had ' been communing, went His way. Abraham's praver was answered, though not in 1 the way he expected. 1. The righteous were delivered from the city. 2. cy the destruction of the city righteousness was j promoted. Sin was bringing forth death; , such vile cities would contaminate and cor- , " " " *? 4. f I rupt tne race; tne cancer mum uc vuv ( lest the whole being be destroyed. In chapter 19 we have an account of the destruction of Sodom and the cities of the | plain. The two angels that left Abraham | went to Sodom (10: 1), where they were t received kindly by Lot, but shamefully used by the people of Sodom. The angels told Lot to warn his friends to flee, for they had been sent to destroy the city. In the morning the angels hastened Lot, his wife and his two daughters, telling them to leave the city and not to look back le6t thev be consumed. Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. It was not enough for Lot to go outside the walls of the city, but they were commanded to leave tne plain. Spiritually, those who stay in the plain are those who do not forsake all their sins, and who rest in conviction and good resolutions without having been truly converted. The Newspaper as an Educator. Professor VV. H. Lynch, of Mountain Grove Academy, at Mountain Grove, Mo., is. credited with reading more paid-for newspapers than any other man in the United States. He subscribes for fiftyeight newspapers, six of them dailies. The professor says: "I use the newspapers in my classes. They are the best instrument in the world for teaching current history and geography.. The real drama of life in its varied forms of commercial, political and social relations must be seen and learned through the mirror of the world, the newspaper. Every Friday morning in the academy is devoted to tne reading of " I newBUHueio. Industrial Growth of the Sonth. During the past twenty years, while the manufacturing interests have beery, growing so steadily and in such gratify-;' ing manner the increase in railroad mile* age in the South has been keeping pace. In 18S0 there were 19,170 miles ox track, in the South. In 1900 there were 49,62? miles of track. In the former year the South produced about 375,000 tons of pie iron; in the latter year the production of pig iron was more than 3,000,000 tons. iVenty years ago Birmingham was unknown; to-day is is a great iron and steel, centre. Number of Fkinii In Vermont. For Vermont the enumerators report 13,109 farms; in 1880 there were 35,52*2, tnd in 1890, 32,573. The number of farms in 1900 is 536 in excess of that of 1890, ind 241^ea8 than in 1880. ? fc. THE GREAT DESTROYER SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. Pledge For the Intemperate?A BarlenqtM Declaration Which Showa the Pen altlea a Man Pays Who Becomes a Sot ?A Doable-Barreled Card. We suggest that a double-barreled pledge card, to be kept in the pocket for distribution. says the editor of the Brotherhood Star, naving the regular total-abstinence declaration on one side and the following inscription on the reverse: I hereby agree to drink all the beer and liquor I can get by cash or credit or treat. I agree to drink in all hours and weather. I also agree to keep this pledge if in so doing my brain, stomach, liver and kidneys arc permanently injured, my reputation lost, my fapnily impoverished and I myself damned forever. I also pledge that I will not murmur aa I look upon the Dalacea of the liquor dealers. their fashionablv-clothed families ana superb "turn-opts, or when I make the comparison with my dirty, squalid ?[uarters, my rag-covered family ana my requent "turn-outs" on the street for nonpayment of rent. I further pledge myself to advocate rum and beer, and always to vote as my masa J * -l fTLJ. T 1 ?1_ _ i *JxL - xers direct, xnis x euoscriDe to witn a clear view of all the penalties that come to a man who makes himself a ?ct to support a syndicate that does more to make hard times in the billions of dollars used to supply the drink habits of its customers, tne expenses of lawsuits, supporting paupers and criminals than all other trusts combined. Signed Date Witness. When signed please hand over to the nearest saloon-keeper and pass it on to the brewer. Directed Against Alcohol. It is not from France that legislation looking toward the restriction or the prohibition of trade in intoxicants is expected. The Chamber of Deputies, however, has adopted unanimously a resolution calling upon the Government to prohibit the manufacture and sale of all alcoholic liquors pronounced dangerous by the Academy of Medicine. The resolution was directed against absinthe, that demoralizing distillation of wormwood, the consumption of which has increased so alarmingly in France. Since 1894 the quantity has doubled. Admittedly the use of ab- < sinthe has done much to increase insanity in the republic, until it is recognized that Bomethincr must be done to stop its rav ages. For a country su<*h as France, where wine-drinking is as common as the drinking of water with us, to enact a measure prohibitory of the use of even one liquor is almost as radical as general prohibitive legislation would be in the United States, where the whole traffic stands in doubtful relation to public welfare and j public sentiment. i The Only Bemedy. I What is to be done to counteract the I enormous amount of disease and misery I attributed to strong drinks? Ever since I humanity has been acquainted with these i liquors people have been preaching moder- | ation, and that has had no effect. In j proof of that, Look at the increasing con- , sumption of spirituous drinks, especially beer, among all classes of society. There never has Deen any real success except ' where total abstinence has been the ! watchword of the masses, for every drinker considers himself moderate. Only those who avoid the first glass are secure from the second and all that might follow. The total abstainer with, his drinks that contain no alcohol is a perpetual demonstration against- the drink customs, an unan- 1 ewerable argument against the popular 1 prejudice that a man must drink alcohol I to keep well. Let nobody declare his in* I ability to get along without alcoholic ( liquors; people have no right to express i an opinion on this question who have not i tested the experience for a considerable | time. , Drink and the Brain. The fact is really moderate quantities ' of spirituous drinks diminish tne work j power of the brain, a fact that has been | demonstrated by modern scientific appa- j ratus. Alcohol never makes a man wiser, , it only lowers a man's demands on himself until at last nothing is too silly or boorish , to satisfy him. This temporary injury to ! the brain, if the use of alcohol is continBed, leads innumerable people into permanent brain disease. Alcohol is to-day one 1 + V?r? mnof infliifinfiol CAurPfla nf mPnflll 1 disease. It has come to such a pass that ' in some years more than half of the men who go to the State insane jusylums of 3outhern Austria owe their insanity to the use of alcohol. And this enumeration does not even include the insane by rea- 1 son of the drinking habits of their ances- 1 tors. Neither does it take into account < the epileptics, idiotic and defective chil- ] dren obliged to suffer for the want of un- < derstanding and the crime of drunken ] parents. , The Road to Prison. Alcoholic injury to the brain does not ' always lead to the insane asylum. Very i often it becomes the road to prison. Seven j to eight-tenths of all the unlawful trans- j actions, from breaking windows to break- , ing heads, conscientious officials attribute . to the influence of alcohol. Countless ac- . cidents, especially on Mondays, are also nothing but the nrfter effects of alcohol, making people foolhardy and blind to danger of every sort. The very worst effect of alcohol uponthe brain is the change of character it j produces. Sometimes people of the very 1 Best disposition are permanently changed 1 through alcohol and become irritable, vul- 1 gar, abusive aixi quarrelsome. Thousands 1 on thousands of marriages have become a i hell for both husband and wife on account ] of the drinking habits of the man. In < oiipVi Mens t.lip children suffer most, are badly brought up, neglected, treated with cruelty. ' Dies of Alcoholic Diseases. Ability to endure much liquor does not indicate that the organs of the body are protected against injury from alcohol, but only the oower to conceal its effect on the brain. Men employed in the manufacture and sale of liquor are seldom seen drunk, but the statistics of mutual benefit associations show that a greater majority of Buch people die of alcoholic diseases than people in other employments. Drnnkennes* in England. If I were asked to say in one word < what was the matter with England I should reply "drunkenness." What causes , this drunkenness? I will not venture tc ( declare, but from it spring practically all 1 the ills to which the British social organism is heir.?London Interview with Mis> McDowell, of Chicago. The Crusade in Brief. The statement is made on medical authority that more deaths are due in Eng land to alcoholism than to diphtheria 01 typhoid fever. A hundred dollars is not much to get for "cutting out booze for a year," but the workman who gets it from Millionaire Schwab will be more than a hundred ahead in twelve months. Mrs. Vina Peeters, of Tipton, Ind., has been given a judgment for $300 against tS> O ? y~i L _ ?l ?? ...u " 1J IT. O. VJOURn, a uaiuwu wuu buiu her husband liquor while he wae in a state of intoxication. Mrs. Peete^B has four similar eases pending against other saloon men. The saloon is a legalized drunkard factory. The majority of people in Galesburf, 111., have twice voted to abolish saloons, ! but each time have been thwarted. This year the vote in the City Council stood seven for the passage of the ordinance 1 and six against, ana as it takes eight votes to pass an ordinance, the Mayoi ! decided the ordinance lost. The Duluth (Minn.) Council has placed itself on record as opposed to the estab- j lishment of more saloons in Duluth till the * __ _ _ 1 r numDer is reuuucu to a saioon ior every 500 persons in the city. An ordinance tc ! that effect has had its first reading, and ii the wishes of the vast majority of Dusiness ! men and citizens are respected it wiil be- j come law and be so raaarded. * V . .-v-T, .... .. ,-f GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN. PRECNANT THOUGHTS FROM THE WORLD'S GREATEST PROPHETSL / I Children and Flower* ? Answering the Cull of Christ ? Keverence for sacred Ihinsb? A Life of Love and Peace ? A Joyful Answering Love ? A Prayer* If we planned for a lovely garden, That the buds and the blossoms fair Might gladden our eyes as we walked therein, While their fragrance filled .the air, Should we suffer the weeds, unnoticed. To flourish there day by day, With never a thought that thei* strength might draw The strength of the flowers away? If we planted a smooth, straight sap-? ling, And loaged for the tree to grow That its cooling shade in the summer time Might shelter the sward below, ? -- ' * - SDoultl we give no neea 10 uie v?uii?wind That twisted its trunk awry, Tiii only a crooked, unsightly thing It lifted its head to the sky? Oh, no; we should pluck from our garden Each wei?d as it came in sight; We should carefully shield our precious flowers Prom insect and frost aud blight; We should give to the tender sapling Something to hold it fast Against-the weight of the winter snows, Or the strength of the wintry blast. Do we give to our little children The same kiad care and thought That we give to the perishing trees and flowers, That we know will come to naught? We clothe them with dainty gannenta. We joy in each childish grace? Do we strive as hard for a beautiful soul As we do for a beautiful face? ?S. E. Brown. Aniiwerlnc the Call of ChrUt. So maDy bells ring out in onr lives. The morning awakening bell, and the school bell; the work bell for the mechanic, and the shop bell for the assistant; the visitor's bell on one side of the rloor, and the tradesman's on the other; the wedding bells with their merry peal, and the funeral bells with their sorrowful monotone; the bicyclist's bell warning the foot passenger on to the pavement. and the bells on the sleigh horses. as they draw the vehicle over the frozen enow. To many of these, in times past, we have given a lethargic, listless, and indolent response; we have resented their intrusion on our slumbers and plans; we have chafed against their peremptory summons. But enough of this. Henceforth, let us hear in their clangor or chime the call of God to the tasks to which He summous us; let us Dbey with alacrity, looking to Him for ijraee and strength to do whatever He ivould have us do, and realizing that on sach the inscription of Aaron's frontalpiece is engraven: "Holiness unto the Lord."?Rev. F. B. Meyer. Rcver?ne? for 8ncr?d Thine*. A noble quality indeed is reverence, and one which young people should carefully foster. But it is to be distinguished from its counterfeit presentment. The savage prostrates himself before a painted idol, the nominal Christian man mumbles a creed in church while his mind is busy forecasting tomorrow's shifts in the stock market. There is no more real reverpnee in the one case than in the other, v A man is not necessarily reverent because he refrains from conundrums in " which Biblical characters and events figure. A sufficient reason for not putting Biblical conundrums is the fact that there hasn't been a new one inrented for the last fifty years. Nor is one necessarily reverent because he keeps a handsomely bound copy of the Bible unopened on his parlor table. Reverence goes far deeper than external display of sanctimoniousness or a passing emotion of awesomeness.?Rev. 3. A. Bridgman, in Congregationalism A Life of Lore And Penen. Men do not go to church to hear the music, for better music can be found at the concert halls. Men do not go to church because of the club attractions, Tor there are more entertaining clubs elsewhere. Men do not go to church to listen to an oratorical address, for there are few orators in the pulpit, and no man can be an orator fifty-two times i year. People do not go to church to tvhile away an hour. They go because they want to know about God and an invisible world. What they are seeking is a life of love and peace. You ministers must give it to them, must show them the way, or you have no business in the pulpit.?Lyman Abbott A Joyfnl An?w?rlnj Love, Most loving God, who by the name ot Father callest us to dwell with Thee ia filial affection aud unity of will, grant us, we beseech Thee, strength and grace to do our part nobly in this present world. Thou hast planned our life and sustained us day by day. Thou hast so loved us as to give thy Son for our redemption. Thou hast pardoned our iniquities. Help us to love Then with a joyful answering love that shall become our strength for duty, make us more helpful to our friends and neighbors nnd more natient with the trials of our lot. And thine shall be our heart's praise evermore. Amen. Prayer for Spiritual Guidance. Lord, guide and direct me. Teach mt what I should do. Show me Thy will. If it so please Thee to give me work, enable me to do ail that comes in my way with a siugle eye to Thy glory. Lord, let me learn that which Thou seest best, lo prepare me for any work Thou mayest yet call me to. Enable me to grow in the knowledge of what may help others, but, above all, in the knowledge of Thee, my Saviour, from whom eom??g the will to work for Thee. Amen. Acknowledgment of the goodness 41 God is a part of every.true prayer, and ' !--* as we tittor our TnanKS?ivni?, uuiu iui what we have always known as blessings, and for what we did not onet realize to be such but are now understanding more completely, the gratitude for the past brings with it a calm and loving committal of the future to Hiir who has guided us all the way from tht beginning.?Timothy Dwight. God is a great God and therefore b* will be sought; he is a good God and therefore he will be found.?John Maeoa. Mastodons' Remains Found. Members of committees on history, eth* n?l?gy and authropology, with Secretary, V\. B. Stevens, of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, have just visited an extensive deposit of mastodon remains near Kimmswick, on the Mississippi River, twenty miles below St. Louis. Mo. The deposit is said to be one of the most important yet found, becausc of the great number of almost perfectly preserved bones. Whole tvifh nnnor on/1 I/\Ttv*r iawa onrl also femurs five feet in length, are in excellent condition. Professor Beeler believes he h:is cnonfrh bones to build up several skeletons of the mastadons. It bas been proposed to make a suitable exmoit of these remains at the coming fair.