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THE OLD COUNTRY. Where'* the land o* Dreamland* How ?hotild I know* On the moon'* further Hide, Where the drift cloud* ride. And the star* hang Ion*. What'# the nound o' Dreamland? How should I hear? Bell ti>n?*? from far below. Night'* haunting cockcrow, Olden ?ong* and dear. Where'* the gate o' Dreamland* How ?hould I tell? Sudden you utand before, Slip through the quiet door? Ah. but all's w*ll! ??Jo?ephine Dodge Da*kam, in Harper's Magazine. 11 An Up-to-Date iji, ;; Burglar.. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Tbe ulglit bring balmy and moonlighted. Mrs. Wallace Morton bad left the doors of her French windows open, and was sitting In her hotel suite contemplating tbe beauty of the lake sparkling in the moonlteama. Between her and the water laj a sensitive atrip of lawn, across which a diaphanous shadow occasionally flitted. 1 whether friend or foe she could not surely tell in the half light Mrs. Morton would hare smiled at the sug- ' festlou of a foe. yet at that moment j one darkened her windows who was not only a natural foe and Intruder ' bat a menace to her existence. Yet she did not stir as tbe man, wearing a mask that was obvious in tbe sernldarkues*. partly entered, then stopped cautiously to look around. Mrs. Morton being in the shadow of a room Qnllghteri from within, could not be seen at a first glance. .She did not move nor did her voice tremble as she asked: . _ ___ * -waai uo you waoc nave you j made a mistake in tiie room?" "Not at nil." tra* the decisive 1 answer as the man stepped Inside and ^ aw that no one else was present. "I am here on business. but I may as well { confess that I did not expect to see Mrs. Wallace Morton herself slttin; alone In the dark." "Oh. then you know me?" the lady akl coolly. "Please state your busiBess?but I think your mode of com- c Ins to my apartments explains your g errand?you have come to rob me!" j "I have no Intention of harming you? ^ have no fear, madam; I am here to c get the pos:<e?$lon of the Morton dla- : toads?when yon hand them over I x will relieve you of my pre.*?nce at r onrp I h.iv?. n i time rn mirlar " "You speak like an educated man. I mm not afraid, as it would do no g iod g to use violence. The" were sent this , afternoon to the bank vault, where I j have a box. so that I am nared from a jj great lots and you from tbe commission d of a great crime. I Mrs. Morton spoke witb a convlc- ? Hon. and the man standing there in f tbe moonlight knew she was speaking* t tbe truth. He muttered an oath and e turned to go. but Mr*. Morton halted . him by a sudden question. "How lone have you followed this kind of life?" "Ever since I left college, with my i ( head cramm<*d full of fads and noth- r lag for my hands to do. I was told to out aQd make a living. Well. I r tried honest work, and I wouldn't do. t A raw boy from the countrv who never saw ch.i inside of a college was better adapted to the necessities of the boar, lie coui 1 begin at the foot of the ladder and rea?'u the room at the top. I was at tlie top and there was uotliiu^ for me but to come down, and I was not titled to begin over again. Not mucb excuse? Then my mother cut me off. That was the last straw." "But if you were to reform?" "The De Greys are proud?they nevct forgive disgrace." "The De Grvys? You canuot mean the Horace Devon De Greys?" "Yes. I am the degenerate son of that family, much to their chagrin. If II could b* killed incognito tbey would be rejoiced, but a black sheep of the a Do Grey stock reformed or caught on I an expedition of robbery? that would < crush their haujli'.T spirits to tbe i dosti* 1 "But Mrs. Morton ro*e to her feet to t make her announcement, "do you not : know that Mrs. Horace Devon De Grey i Is a guest lu this hotel at this very I moment? Can i: he pqfsible that she 1 Is your mother?" < "Mho is, and with the De Grey mil- ( Hnnit ft * hor i-nmmiin.l aim . .n-.-i ?.? . mm^rn vvrMJkUtiMU CUV IUIUCU LU?~ out to accomplish work that I was never Intended for. Do you wonder that 1 became a bold-up man. as we re facetiously calledY' MI shall consider It my duty to tell Mrs. De CJrey?your mother?of my? my?seeing you. 1 am sure that you re not all bad; perhaps I can bring bout forgiveness and a reconciliation. You must lie tired of your presentprof e^u ion V" A knock at Mr*. Morton'* door interrupted the conversation and the masked burglar, mho bad been poised for Instaut flight, disappeared like magic, while Mr*. Morton, who bad been steadily repressing her excitement, nearly fainted at relief from tbe great tension. She opened the door to admit a snarklinc soeietv irlrl . Whose fa ui 11 j occupied adjoining Oites. "Have you the time, dear?" she asked j In a flutter. "I let my sister take my watch this afternoon." "Yes, certainly. Alice, my watch is i right hereon the table," and she stepped to % stand that was between her and . tbe window, but she could not tlnd it and turned on the light. The watch !Vras gone. Her caller bad Improved Ida time by appropriating it while he told liia pitiful otory. Mrs Morton said nothing of the visit, but remarked that he had bern careless to leave it near the open windows. That watch was her dearest i*rs?nal belonging from aasociation. She felt sure be had taken It from habit and would return It iwben she had restored him to home and society as she intended. In spite of her years Mrs. Morton was not grorldly wise. Her seat at the table d'hote was next to Mrs. De Grey. When they net at breakfast that lady saluted her with tbe atartiing question: I "Have you heard of tbe robbery?" I "No. Who baa been robbed?" ''Everybody except myself, and I'm sore I don't know bow I happened to j escape, I bad dined out and all my j Jewels lay in plain sight waiting for the maid to put them away." "I know?my watch was taken. I ! know who did it. wbo committed the ! robbery, dear Mr*. De Grey. I must i see you alone after breakfast. I have ' something very Important to say." Mrs. Morton was so nervously flus? . trated tbat ber friend overlooked tbe : mystery in her manner or attributed it to tbe loss of her watch As soon as they had concluded their meal Mrs. l>e Grey led the way. to her apart* , rnents. whert she requested Mrs. J Morton to be seated. "Is it about tbe robbery?" she asked. "It is about tbe robbery. I saw him ' nod talked with him." "And did not give the alarm?" "Wait. He told me who he was; j that he had been bred a college lad. i ftven every luxury, then turned out in the world to care for himself as ! test he could. His own mother dis- I >wned him when be was not success- ' 'ul And be told me bis name?one of j >ur oldest and best families?your own j lame, Mrs. De Grey." "Well, what have I to do with that?" i "He said?dear Vrs. De Grey, listen. He said that you was bis own mother." Mrs. De Grey laughed hysterically. 'That Is a very plausible story." she laid, "quite romantic and affecting. It only lacks one essential?tbe truth. : never had a son."?Chicago Record- ] herald. i Catting Canaries' To* Xaila. Much has been said from time to i :lme of tbe many curious means of >arninK a livelihood practiced in this rlty, which In this respect Is in every vay tbe equal of London and Paris. )ne man makes a living by cutting the - L.I Tkl. m.? oe UJI1I3 ui faijarj mruj. iuis mo; touDd absurd. hot It I? true nevertheless. and shows what is possible in a city vhere the people are very rich, very veil educated and very Intelligent, and vho. In consequence, hare more want? ban the simple folk of a small town n the States. Canaries, like all birds living in capivity. and unable to keep their nails, j >r claws, or rather talons, down to the tormal size by scratching about in ] .nnd. rock, gravel and wood, have tal- < ins that, unless trimmed occasionally, j ioon grow to an abuormal size, and , n such condition are a positive bin- ; trance and clog on the bird's move- ( uents. Moreover, such frngthy taloni < ire liable to cause accidents that may j esnlt In birdie's death, and so it bapkens that it falls to the lot of some on? j o pare them down to normal length. ( This is a (ask not only very difficult I ind tedious, but one that few under* I tand or can perform correctly and sat- ( sfactorily. A slight mishap or bunging may cause the death of the canary, ind so It happens that a certain enter rising German of this city, who has pent a lifetime handling canaries, inds profit and a livelihood in trimuing the claws of feathered pets in very well-to-do household in the city. -Washington Post. A Coralth Daitfall. In the course of a paper on "The 'ornlsh Dustfall of January. 1902." ead before the Royal Meteorological k>c!ety. Mr. H. It Mill said that since he Krakatou eruption In 1883. when he volcanic dust thrown into tin* air uade Itself apparent for many months ill over the world in a long series of I wiiiiant sunsets, the most remarkable nstance of far-traveled dust was that vliich occurred la March. 1901. Id taly the rain fell so thickly charged vith red sand that the peasants took it or blood and became panic-stricken, 'or three days the dust cloud traveled ?orthward over Central Europe, subitantlal traces falling as far north as he Danish Islands, and instances in vlilch it reached parts of England and Scotland had been recorded. A large juantity of similar dust fell about Janlary 21 last in Cornwall over an area if 2000 miles, and the conclusion n-emed to be that about this time the itmosphere over the extreme west of Surope consisted of air which had ome from the African deserts, carryux with It a qauntlty of fine duat. of rbich a mere vestige?aome 100.000 on* or so?bad been caught in it* fall md carried to the shores of the chanlei. There seemed to be little doubt hat the farmers of the west of Engand had this spring plowed many tons >f the sand of the Sahara into their 'urrows. A Cat or Baby. "I don't know." said a man. "which [ bad rather dispense witb on a railroad Journey, a cat or a baby, but I (aw both on their way to a mountain esort the other day. The infant was toss and fractious aud gave its mother 10 peace. In fact. I never met a baby hat was the embodiment of perpetual notion until this young one plumped lown before me. It was all over the place, sticking its fingers into the mother's hat trimmings and pulling her necktie, and thumping the window pane and sliding off onto the car floor, rvimr for nourishment and tearimr Its i iparse hair or sucking its thumb at rare | 1 Intervals of quiet. I supposed it was > i i boy until informed he' was a girl, j 1 The fate of the child is assured, and , so, too. the husband's who marries her. | I pity him. Ills life's going to lm I wretched! Eh. what, smallpox and | automobiles? No. I don't wish the little ! thing to fall a victim to any such ! means of discipline. And the cat? j Oh. the cat behaved like an aucel. He looked at the scenery."?Boston Her- ! aid. CorMt War In Roamula. The outbreak which threatens Ron mania has been caused by the Minister of Public Instruction forbidding girls iu the higher and secoudary schools to wear corsets, aud. in case of refusal, directing the forcible removal of the offending article. The future mothers of Koumania, remembering that the ancient Romans, from whom they claim indirect descent, wore a kind of stay* (doe* not Martial make fun of fat women, and does not Ovid tell us that a big waist kills love?), and that the corset, with a short Interval, has been worn ever since, are naturally up in arms against the arbitrary decree. It Is a case of war to the whalebone, and it Is pretty safe to prophesy that the schoolgirls will win. DR. CHAPMAN'S SEBMON A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED PASTOR-EVANCEUST. Subject: The KnratN of Ood?%lph?b?t of DIvIm Lot* ? Not Enough of Ood la Nature to ftatlsfy Oar Hoal*-N?*d of the Lord's "Mtarutu." New Yobk Citt.?The Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman'* lermt-.m continue to excite the greatest interest and to g>ve the greatest satisfaction to that large body of American people who demand a striking discourse for their weekly reading. The distinguished pastor-evangelist has prepared the following sermon for the press. It w entitled "The Nearness of God," and is preached from the text, "Thou art near, 0 Lord." Psalm 119: 151. This text it taken from one of the longest Psalms in the Bible, but it is remarkable not only on account of its length, but because of its teaching. Like the celential city it lieth four square; the heighth and the depth and the length and the breadth of it are the same. There is but one theme in all the Psalm and that is the word of God, and reminds one of nothing io much iit a diamond which as you hold it as the I:-V* it from everv side it sends out to all beholder* the evidence* of iU beauty tad of its worth, and this 119th Psalm ia the make-up of the word of God, for ererr terse except two, namely, the 122d and the 132d refer in some way to God's word, and it is mentioned either under the figure of law, or testimonies, or word, or precepts. The writer of this Psalm most hare been inspired with the word of God ss he knew it. I bare beard of an old Christian who meditated his way through the Bible three times. Surely this is the secret of a wholly happy life. In 1889 at the time of sreat political excitement William Wilbcrforce made this note in his diary, "I hare walked this mornin* from Hyde Park corner repeating the 119th Pstfm. and having great comfort." Martin Luther said on commenting on this Psalm, "Darid must hare shaken ererr fruit tree in God's garden and gathered fruit therefrom." Like other portions of the Scripture this Psalm has been cenerally named. It has been called the alphabet of dirine lore, perhaps because of its dirision, because it is separated into groups of eight rerses. and each group is under a letter of the Hebrew alphabet until the alphabet is exhausted. It I if really the Alpha and Omega of the word of God. In the New Testament the incarnate word or Sariour is represented as the Alpha and Omega. May it not be because the alphabet has beea exhausted in displaring to us His graces, and also because in the Old Testament the alphabet has been exhausted in speaking of His glorious word? It has also been called the paradise or ail doctrines. and I hare been amazed to aee how many are here presented. Pardon, justification, sanctification, they are all here. Tt alio has been represented a* the itorehouse of the Holy Snirit, for really in ao part of the Bible ia He more wonderfully presented, and it ha* been spoken of is the school of troth, for really nothing is ?mitted. We might lose all the rest of the Bible, bat if we had this we would know Bod and might find oar way op to Him. Through 150 verses David has been speak* ing of aO these things and has been talk* iag of God, when suddenly as if he were impressed with the fact that He of whom be had been speaking waa near he bursts jut in the cry of oar text, "Thoa art near, 0 Lord." It is a possible thing for one to preach so profoundly that he loses sight of Him of whom he speaks; or a Sundayichool teacher to teach her lesson and almost to be unconscious of the presence of Christ of whom she has been teachiw. It is a good thing for us all to stop again and igain and say, "Thou art near, 0 Lord," for He is indeed nearer to us than any sarthly friend. L Kindred texts. There are certain texts in the Scripture which are akin to the one r t. L f-_ 1. p..lm in i OA TO CODKU, mm, tut CUUI|IK, ? ?- J. "The Lord it thy keeper; the Lord is :ny shade upon thy right hand." If the Lord is oar Keeper why need we go astray, for He neither lumber* or sleep*. Psalm H: 18, is another text, "The Lord is nigh into them that are of a broken heart; and laveth such aa be of a contrite spirit." 1 im sure I am speaking for you all when 1 lay there never has been a heartache if we lure accepted our discipline as He intended, that He has not been graciously near to i*. Philippines the fourth chapter and the ifth verse, the last clause, is another illustration, and is very much like the text, 'Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Paul has i>een speaking of peace and the joy of Christian fellowship, ' when suddenly he ipeaks out like David of old. "The Lord is it hand," and immediately he begins with this .Wntence, "Be careful for nothing." Of :ourse we need be careful for nothing if the Lord is at hand, for He will bear every burden with us and help us to overcome svery trial. The 23d rsalm is another iwautiful illustration. It haa been my privilege within the past few days to sit by the death bed of a young man who may tven now be passing out into the eternity, ind when I told him that the end had :ome for him he said, "It is a long journey to make alone, is it not?" My only answer raa this 23d Psalm, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [ will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.' md he brushed the tears out of his eyes ind said. "Then I am not afftid," nor need we be at any time, for He is always frith us. We learn by contrast to admire many things. Those who hare studied the [Minting* of Sir Noel Paton must have obnsrved that part of their peculiar beauty lies, by a trick of art, in their partial ugh* ** " i a_ _ new. I here are Bowers ana oiras, mights and ladies, gossamer xrinaeJ fainea ind children of seraphic beauty, but in the corner of the canvaa, or juat at their feet, tome uncouth and loathsome form?a toad, * lizard, a alimy snail?to lend, by contrast with ita repulsiveneas, a lovelier beauty to the rest. So in ancient sculpture the znftin and the dragon grin among the angel faces on the cathedral front, heightening the surrounding beauty of their deformity. Many of the literary sitjationa of the New Testament powerfully exhibit tbia speciu of contraat. The twelve diaciplea?one of them is a devil. Jesus upon the croaa, pure and regal?on either nde a thief. And here, aa conspicuously, in this fifteenth chapter of Luke, the most exquisite painting in the Bible is touched off at the foot with the black thundercloud of the elder brother?perfect aa a mere dramatic situation. Ana eo here we understand better that the Lord ia by our tide when we imagine for a moment all He is from ua. In Pualm 118: 8, we read, "The Lord ia on my aide; I will not fear; what can man do unto ms?" This, of course, ia for the child of God, but in Proverba 15: 29, we read, "The Lord ia far from the wicked, but He beareth the prayer of the righteous." God pitr ua if we stand in thia position. In Psalm 145: 18, we read. "The Lord ia nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth," while if wo would know the contrasting statement for those who are not yet children of God we hare the aolemn statement in Proverbs 1: 28, "Then shall they call upon Me. but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not tind Me." n. He ia near. There are so many ways in which He ia near to ua. First: In creation. It ia & great mistake, however, to think that we can tind enough of God in nature to satisfy our souls, for we cannot. There u a verse written by Browning, if I mistake not, in which be uys something like this: "Earth is crammed with heaven, and every bush ia on fire with God." But it is a great mistake to seek to find Him only in this way. He is near to us in providences, and as a rule for the Christian God is never nearer than when we pass through trial. We sometime* see farther through our tears than in any other war, for they are like telescopes. A friend of mine wan showing me a picture the other day taken with a telescope camera, iu which a mountain fifteen mifes away was brought no near that you could study it in minutest detail. But He ia nearest, of course, in Jesus Christ. First: He U near as a ain-forgiring God. "There ia therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8: I. The thought of the judgment ia something awftu. but let it be .v jurihti aisu , IJLM\ remembered that the word "condemn*tion" is the same in the Greek a* "judg* : ment," and for those who are in Christ ' Je.ius, whatever their sins, judgment ia forever past. I Second: He in near a* a promise-keeping t God. "For all the promise* of God in j Him are yea, and in Him nmcn, unto the clary of God by us." II Corinthians 1: 20. There ii not in all the ctigcr.cies of our J lives a trial that cannot be offset by a promise of help found in the Bible and ' these all centre in Him. Third: He is near as a pnyer-anjwering God. John 16: '23-24. "And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verilr, verily. I j say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall oak the Father in My mine, He will give it yoa. | Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name; ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. This is God's own word. * and if our prayers have not been answered , the difficulty is with ourselves. Fourth: He is near as a gracious Father. : John 14: 9^10, "Jesus saith unto him. I Have I been so long time with you ana ; vet hut thou not known Me. Phiiin? He , that hath seen Me hath seen the Father, and how sarest thou, then, Show us the j Father1 Believest thou not that I am in the Pather and the Father in Me? The j words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself, but the Father, that dwelleth in Me; He doeth the works." By these | words Jesus wanted Philip to know when , he had seen Him touch the eyes of the blind and raise the dead ind comfort the , sorrowing he bad nan a vuion 01 io? Father in Hia infinite love. IK. We have lost the aetlse of Hia nearnem. First: In Genesis 28: 10, we read, "And Jacob awaked out of hia sleep, and he said. Sorely the Lord is in thus place; and I knew it not." After Jacob had bad his day of flight and bis night of dreams he awakes to aav, "The Lord was in this place and I knew it not," and the reason he did ' not know was because be was deceitful . and dishonest. If we give this the right i name we shall say he was sinful, but sep- : ante us from God and hide His face from ) us ao that He not only will not hear but He cannot see. "Blessed are the pure in j heart, for they shall see God." Second: In Exodus 3: 5. we read, "And He said. Draw not nigh hither, but off thy j shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." ' Moses had no idea that he would see G*>d in the burning bush, for he wis not ex- [ pecting Him. and let it be remembered that we have failed to aee Htm becauae our minds are not set upon Him. He is on every side of us. and if we did but look for Him we sbou:a see mm at every ium ?i life and every hour of the day. Your posi- ! tion may be very unsatisfactory to you, ' but it ia possible for you in the most me- . nial place to see Christ just as Pan) had j visions of Him constantly, and yet b<> was j onlv a tent maker. ! Third: In Amos 3: 3, we read, "Can two , walk together, escept they be agreed?" ; ind that word "agreed" in the Hebrews is [ betrothal. in the Greek is "sym* . phony." The reason we have lost step { with God is because we have disagreed ' with Him. If we were as indifferent to ! that one to whom we were betrothed is we have been to the claim of God there would have been no marriage, and if we were as indifferent to the wife of our home as wu have been to Him there would be no happy home. Oh, that we might agree with Him to-day and keep step with Him, we would see Him constantly. IV. He ia near and He will preserve. Psalm 37 : 23-23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and He dcliKhteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly caat down; for the Lord upholdeth i him with Hia band. I have bMn young, | and now am old; yet have I not seen the ! righteous forsaken, nor hia seed begging bread." It is written in the Bible ana God'a word is always true. Psalm 121: 3, "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. We may not be conscious of His nearness, but He is near, juat the same. We have some time been in a dark room all alone, nothing about us. We have touched the electric button, when suddenly we realized that the furnishings of the room are on every side of us. We were not conscious of them, but they were near, and we have !oat consciousness of God, and yet if we had but time to illumine the placc where we live we would tee all about us the evidence of Hia pretence, peace, pardon, love, joy. Oh. that we might live in the furnished room of God, for He is near protectiug us, defending us, keeping back the , ncstilence, and so turning aside the arm of death from us. Trouble may come very near, but it cannot overthrow us. In Psalm 27: 2, there is a graphic description of this. "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." The Psalmist hss a vision of the enemy coming j fiercely against him, just about to lay his i hand upon him when suddenly he stunp b'.es and falls. Then in the 12th chapter I of Acts there is a picture of Peter sleeping : between the two soldiers. Herod is iust 1 about to lay hand* upon him to bring him ' when suddenly the chain snaps and he ia | free. This is just like God. Trouble al- ' most breaks our hearts, but not quite; rea so? is almost dethroned, but not alto- ' gether. He will not suffer us to be cut ' down and utterly forsaken. V. I What a help. If we could only get into J the way of saying over and over, "Thou : art near, 0 Lord," we should be greatly strengthened. First: It would keep our , lives pure, for we would not so frequently be lost to sin if we were conscious of Hia I nearness. Seco:>d: It would strengthen us in the hour of temptation to suddenly pause and say over and over, "Thou art near, O i Lord," for He would immediately give us the strength to escape. "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace all sufficient shall be thv supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only dc- | sign Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine." Third: It will greatly help us in trial to I say, "Thou art near to me, 0 Lord." It would greatly assist in the transfor- j mation of character if we but realized His i nearness. Mosea saw Him, and bis face J shone; Paul bad a vision of Him and never > was the same again. "Some times I am faint and weary, He knows that I am weak, And as He bids me lean on Him His help I gladly seek. He leaiis me in the paths of light, Beneath a sunny sky. And so we walk together My Lord and I." It will greatly help us when the need ! comes, for He-will then be near. One of my friends in preaching to tha oldiers in the time of tne war visited a ' hospital, and was asked by a nurse if he ! would not when he had finished his service cross over to an adjoining hospital and ! minister to the comfort of a dy;ng boy. He i agreed to come and finished his service I with the soldiers by joining tvith them in | singing, "Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me." When he reached the second hospital tent the j nurse told him that the young soldier was j dead, and he died, she said you sang the last hymn. While you were singing ! it be said it with you, and this was tha \ hymn: "When at last I near the shore. And the fearful breakers roar "Twist me and the peaceful rest, Then while leaning on Thy breast, May I hear Thee say to me, 'Fear not, I will pilot thee!'" Aimless Living. There is no department of life free from I the aimless and purposeless who live by ; the day to see what may turn up next, who wish to till places of trust and im- | portance without naving fitted themselves : tor any place m particular, who desire to gather and consume the plums of life from the tree which other* have planted, tennea and watered. An aim, if worth anything, cornea out of the whole trend of the nature, and has the whole character behind it. It is ?u instrument of power for the labor of the world. It i* a pledge to God and humanity to bear one's ahare of life's burdens, to be faithful to all trusts, to hirk no responsibility, never to run away from the day's work, never to appropriate what does not belong to us, to fulfill all obligations, and to stand steadfast in tho tight for truth uid righteousness.?Christian Register. GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN READING FOR THE QUIET HOUR WHEN THE SOUL INVITES ITSELF Poem: Power of the Cross? Ife tVlio Will Not Own God's Authority Cnnuot lt?cel?? Hit (iulilincr-I't>r?ti For P?<l Mercies Are Prayers For Futnre Need*. Lord, let me know the power of Thy cross, So that l count all other thing* hut lo?s; So riches. pomp. and all the world hoidi dear Fade into naught whey Tiiy dear cross 11 near. Lord, when I wander, foo'.uh. fir from Thee, When doubt and fear molest and trouble n.e. Then may Thy cross ita radiance o'er rae shci. And I to Thy sweet rest once more be led. Through all the baste and worry of the day Grant that Thy cross may ever guide my way; Sin's subtle skill to foil and fears to quell As thinki my soul of Him who loves so well. When dawns the day that I His face shall see, Sixrn of my faith Hi?precious cross shall be; AM. all of heaven mine, because He died, Mine joy and jife in Je?us crucified. ?Ernest U. Wellesley-Weslejr. A Conditional Promise. nr. _ii i i-J ft; ^ ..J in ail my ways acunuivicuge n.m, anu He shall direct thy path*."?Prov. 3: <?. The p-omwcii are all conditional. But the condition* are not strings tied to the promises, drawing them back and making them worthless; they are logical and not merely arbitrary, the promise cannot be fulfilled without the faithful performance of the conditions any more than you can jrow without eating or see without looking. Submission is the essential condition of direction. He who will not own God's authority cannot receive His guidance God cannot direct our path* unless we accept His precepts. But the man who acknowledges his Lord by taking one step in loyal obedience will be ied the next one in loving power and wisdom. God can lead Hi* obedient ones to Canaan; but Egypt He can only lead to the Red Sea and the disobedient ones to tiie desert. He cannot lead rebels into Hu kingdom simply because they will not be led. So, perhaps, the tirst thing to do. if we are in doubt as to whether we are being divinely led in our lives is to discover whether we are perfectly acknowledging the right and authority of God over our lives. If you acknowledge the Hag the flag will protect you and God can only care for those who commit themselves to Him. The^e are man who earnestly pray on their knees to be led to heaven, and then as soon 4l iL r * a I.... ^ .. u cney ar? un intrir ir( incy ruu from it. They pray to be piloted into the *afe haven while they pull the wheel over for the isles of pleasure and sin. If you want Ood to pilot your life you nuit give Him the briage. You muat leave Him there in all kind* of weather. We arc always ready to pray for guidance in our perplexity. when no path can be seen through the storm and too ready to take the helm ourselves when the gale has none down. Everj* Christian life ought to bear plainly written on it. where all may easily *ee and read. "Jesus Christ, Master." He cannot confer His blessings unless we acknowledge the benefits received, but if you openly avow His goodness He will freely vouchsafe His guidance and every other blessing. Our praises for past mercies make our best prayers for future needs. Gratitude is a Christian virtue; guidance seems to be conditioned on it. The trouble is a good many of us have forgotten how to say, "Think you" to <*od. Life's multitude of merc.es pass unnoticed. SVe only stop to give thanks when we have been delivered from some manifest danger ar have had some very narrow escape, as inougn u wad man* wonneriui mai we ihoufd be snitched alive from a wreck with the loss of all our belonpinjpt than that we ihould be brought safely along our way without any discomfort. Awake, my heart, and sins Hu praises; number up the known mercies, and, still more. ble?s Him for the unknown, and let men everywhere know that in Him we acknowledge the secret: of any goodness. thesource of all power and the sovereignty of any service we may have. Then we can truat Him to keep Hi* promise with uj.? Henry F. Cope, in Ram's Horn. A VIn Esmnpl*. It in related that a cavalry officer, with t small number of followers, was pursued by an enemy who were in large force. He discovered that his saddle girth was becoming loose, his comrades were urging him on to greater speed, but he dismounted. tightened the loose buckle, and then rode on. amid the shouts of his companions. The broken buckle would have cost him his safety?perhaps his life. His wise delay insured his safety, and cent him out j[ the reach of his pursuing enemies. "This incident," says the Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, "suggests several spiritual lessons. A very obvious one is that the Phricti.in u in liiwfp to riu'n nff to his busmen* in the morning that he does not spare any time tor his Bible or for prayer, is quite likely to 'ride for a fall' before sundown. One of the most eminent Christian merchants of New York told me that he never met his family at the breakfast table until ho had had a refreshing interview with his God over his Bible and on his knees. His family worship afterward was not only a tightening ot the buckle for himself, but was a gracious means of safety to his household." The Guiding Star. Laughter, amusement, pleasure hare a conspicuous place in the religious life. Be sad when you must, but be glad whenever you can. The sadness will come of itself, unbidden, but the gladne** must be sought, and it is a duty to search for it until it ?.* found. But behind the snule*. the frivolt:e?. the gayette*. every reasoning soul finds food tor grave questioning. To the youth come moments when the vision of great possibilities visit* him. Life is stern, grave, laborious. He dreams of success and stirs hw inner depths with the determination to make it ni?. But what shall the success be? Wealth, fame, position? Thene are well enough, and quite worthy oar ntmost effort. Still, if we liave only wealth, or fame or position, yea, if u'#> hire all tl?r??e m nur ornsri tiiev are not on<9u3h Without iiMtilinei!*, honesty, solf-rcRpect. the ability to look back on the path we have traveled without a stjih. they count a* nothing when the soul trillci*es and measure.-* itself. A life of moral principle, of honor, of even handed justice is the only life worth living. Therefore. with all your striving. let nobility of heart, an unblemished career, be your guidics star. Grow OIH Grnrafntljr. One nav -^row old sracefully by ftittini always at the Master's feet, learning of H.ni, by benefiting others with the knowl wise <jained. by ke?M>iug closer to the infinite Father the neircr life's evenri.le corncs, .mil never rca-inp to have a definite vjmeth.-ng jood to live for Cr??4i. Creed* arc followd by con.?Vjuenc-?s. Tlti? inner li:V and the .?:stei- lite cannot I* divorced. Wh.it i* in tin- t'ouniain will find it." way into tin* stream. Thought* me seed*. and they bring forth after their kind.?Tiit Rev. R. F. I'ojrle. J)enver. Col. Don't Want Married Officer*. The Secretary of N ar ha* !a:d dovm a rule that no married man in civil life *hall be examine*! for ap|?ointment a* second lieutenant in the army. Only Mingle men are to be considered. Thin is in accordance with the new army regulations. There are few other change* from previous conditionn. Candidate* must be netween the age* of twenty-one and twenty-ieven years. If a candidate t? a graduate of a military school or a member of the National Guard he mmt present recommendation* from the school or National Guard authorities 8Us of Kmrtlalqas. Martinique is thirty-five miles in length tod seven to sixteen miles wide. - . . V k. - J ^ THE SABBATH SCHOOL\ nternvhonal lisson comments FOR AUGUST ! 7. I Subject: Journrylns Toward Cannan, . Num. x.. 11-13 anil *39-30?lioldan T?xt, , Pu. xxxl.. 3?M?m>iry V?rM?> 31.31? Com??Dl?ry on the Dt|'? Umob. 11. "Twentieth day." ctc. The chil- ! dren of forael probibly reached Sinai on I the first day of the third month (Ex. 19: j 1), and left it on the twentieth day of the I tecond month, thiu making their stay eleven month* and twenty day*. "The , cloud." The pillar, or column, which ap- , pe.ircd a* a cloud by day and a fire by j niaht, wu the *ymbo! of the divine pre# . ence. It wa* the Shekinah. or divine dwelling place, and v;as the continual <i^n j of the presence and protection of (jod. ! The cloud not only served the purpose ol j a guide, but it was a covering to them, | protecting them from the burning ray* ol . the sun. I'na. 105: 39; I<a. 4: 5. At nist'nf | the pillar of fire gave light to every, part of the camp. Chap. 9: 16-18. 12. "Out of?Sina:." The rcajon for the long delav at Sinai i* apparent. The people left Etypt a mere crowd of fugitive tfl.n-M uhtli nnlff ihi> ruHiment* of national i organization, and the riimeat religiou? idea.*. But the interval had effected an immense change. The}* had now become an organized people, with laws, a constitution or covenant, a priesthood, a relig ious ritual and house ot worship, and with a political and military organization?their t'udge* and officers placed over thousands, tundreds. fifties and tens (Ex. IS: 23; Deut 15), and a general council of sev enty elders (Ex. 24: 1; Num. 11: 24-28), which the rabbis believed was the origin of the Sanhedrin. 14-28. In these verses we have an ac count of the order in which the Israelite# marched, together with a statement re Carding the taking down and putting up of the tabernacle. '"This fixed order, rigidly adhered to. was necessary not only for military reasons, but to prevent tbe host from beconvne a confused mob. 29. "Mose* said." Although this invitation is placed between the setting out and the march itself, yet it must have preceded the departure. "Hobab." There are several opinions regarding this person. It seems likely that Hobab was the same as Jetliro. Compare Ex. 3: 1 and Judges 4: 11. "Ragucl." The same as Reuel. Sec Ex. 2: 18. It would thus appear thai Reucl, Jethro and Hobab were three names for the same person, bnt this could not be because it is distinctly stated that Hobab was the son of. Reuel. "Father-inlaw." The word for "father-in-law" in Hebrew has a wide signification and signifies any relation by marriage. Hobab may have been brother-in-law to Moses. Hobab had stopped contentedlv with Israel while encampcd at Sinai, near his own country, and now on their removal n? | proposed returning to his own abode. "We , are journeying." God had wrought them thus far from Egypt, even to the wilder new of Sinai, and they were journeying to ward Canaan, trusting in His promise, guided by His presence and supported by His power. "I will give it you." This promise was made to Abraham (Gen. 12: 7: 13: 15; 17: 8). and repeated to M">ses. Ex. 3: 8. Thus was the matter estab lij)hod bevond a doubt. Moses was not making this journey on any uncertainty "Come thou with us." Moses urged him to remain in company with them, both foi his own benefit in a religious point of view, and for the service he could render them, in his knowledge of the wilderness 30. "I will not go." This refusal must be imputed to affection for hij native ait and soil, which was not overpowered, as it ought to have been, by a believing regard to the promise of God, and a value for covenant blessings. Thus do many decide to return to the haunts of sin even after thev have enjoved the communion of God and the fellowship of His saints. 31. "Leave us not." "It is like!v that Hobab changed his mind, even if he did go back to Midian. He surely returned ajptin to Israel, as Scriptures show that bis posterity dwelt among the Israelites in Canaan. Judge* 1: 16; 4: 11 and 1 Sam. IS: G. The earnest importunitv of Mows to secure the attendance of this man. when he enjoyed the benefit of the directing i cloud, ha* surprised many. But it should be remembered that the guidance of th# cloud, though it showed th?? general route to be taken through the trackless desert, would not be so minute as to point out the places where pastures, shade and water j were to be obtained, and which were often . hidden in obscure spots by the shilling I ?ands. Besides, several small companies | were sent off from the main body, and the j services of Hobab, not as a single Arab j hut as a prince of a powerful race, would j have been very useful. 32. "The same will we do." "Thos< I who sliart* with God's Israel in their la- | hors and hardships, shall share with them , in their comforts and honors." .13. "Mount of the Lord." Sinai, called the mount of the Lord because here the Lord had displayed Hi* nower, and given j the neople the law. "Three days' journey." B/ this we are not to understand 1 an unbroken march of the entire people during seventy-two hours with no halt, but that the ark was borne steadily oo during this period before it came to a per manent stopping place. "Ark of the core j nant." So called because it contained the j covenant of the law?the two table* of i stone on which God had written the ten ; commandments. ''Went before them.", The ark was earned separately from the ; rest of the sacred furniture, in advance ol j the column, wrapped in its own oeculiar i blue covering (4: 6). at once an object ol . veneration and a symbol of Jehovah's presence and His separateness from sin- ! ners. The ark was a type of Christ, and ; so Christ to-day goes before His people to 1 ? i n j*|1 frmtk | i;ui?ic iiiciii i?i?v uii ??h. , 34. "Cloud?was upon them." "W*i i over them." R. V. See comment oo ' verse 11. 35. "Mose* Mill. Rwe up. Ltfrd.*' : "Mo?es. as the leader of the people, uttered an .tonropriate prayer. both at the commencement and end of each iouraer ! Thu* all the journey* were sanctified by . devotion. They were now in a desolate ! country. but marching toward an enemy'* i country, and their dependence was upon God for since** and victory. an well u for direction and *uccor. If God did not arise and scatter Hi* enemies there couM lie no hope that Israel could get safely j through the wildernca*. God must go I first, in order that Israel might follow in , safety. For the scattering and defeating i of God's enemies there need* no more > than God's arising." ."UJ. "Return. O. Lord." These were the ?rords spoken by Moses at the moment the divisions halted in order to pitch the tents. Unless the ark rested with them, and the cloud of glory with it. they could j neither have rest nor comfort. Moses j praved for success abroad and pea^e at 1 home. "From marching in front. Jehovah | is now invited to Hi* customarv abode amid the many thousands or Israel." I i ??-? Waaic* DsIIt. Director Walcott, of the Geological Sur I vcy. ha* written a long letter to the Civil Service Communion at >Va?hington. asking . for permission to employ the services of a ' competent h?-n that will lay one ejfg a day I for tin? survey. The hen ia needed tor mak- | in* the albumen coating for the photolithographic work. The letter state* that the survey ia in great need of a daily egg and I add* "In making requisition for an j we alwaya experience much delay in ?et- i tins authority to purchase from the lowest I bidder, and the good*, owing to the method* of purchoae, are not ahraya in prime J condition.'' I 301 ICIIUd la Alp* in Tmn T**r*. I Statistics of the fatal accidents in the ' Alps for th<; last ten year* ?how a total 01 , 275. rhirty-(*ven per cent, of these were in the ventral Alp*, including Switzerland, and thirteen per cent, in the Western s Alp*, and nearly fifty per cent., 133. in the Ea*tern Alp*. Of the 3i?l death* which resulted from the 275 fatal accident*, 190 were (iermans or Austrian*, 48 Swiss, 23 j Italian*. IS Englishmen. 1"> Frenchmen and 27 of other nation ihtie*. Seven of those 1 killed were women. 73 were guides and II J porter* Extinct Eaillib BnttarflUs. Nine specimens of a kind of butterfly How extinct in England were recently sold in London for $i2Z. THE GREAT DESTROYER SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUTt THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. The "NoflRrktt" Drtnk?r U Directly **sponsible For th? Hcourjn ( 31 o.l urn CI vIlliAiion?It la Hli Ilia or* That X?kM Bam lolmtod. j The ravages of strong drink are, in one Benso, a very familiar subject, but in another they are to moat of us a sealed book. There are certa.n great truths of which Coleridge speaks as "lying bedridden in the dormitories of the soul"?truth*, that ia, too obvious to be disputed, but grown powerless from neglect and want of exercise, and commanding on occviton a vague and abstract recognition instead of a constant and practical homage. Cpon the aspect ot the drink problem which even for the moet thoughtless has almost the air of an axiomatic truth?I mean its magnitude and urgency?I shall have very fil-Ie to say tonigh: and nothing that is new, and what I shall say will be entirely directed toward a more disregarded aspect of the question, 1? .u .n,i.?,,4n.f uaiuui^, rcn^iiMuuikj v? miv Christian in the matter of this gigantic evil, and especially in relation to thoae who are 1*?* able to protect themselves tb*n he u. My endeavor will be to galvanize intd activity this belief in the enormity of tb? evil which in some souls is bat a bedrid* den truth, and to convert it into a vital power for the guidance of conduct. I ahaH sp?ak from the Christian standpoint, and aj the subject U important and I do not wish to be misunderstood I shall apeak aa plainly as possible. j A very brief summary of the kind of ?*? dence obtainable must suffice for a reminder of the mischiefs wrought by strong drink. In England, Scotland, Ireland, America and in Australasia judges haw agreed in branding it from the bench aa the most prolific source of crime, their es| timates of the proportion to be ascribed to it varving from the ninety per cent. o? Lord Coleridge, the late Chief Justice of England, and Isrores of others to the two{ thirds which is our own Chief Justice's ? } timate for this colony. Inside the prisons this testimony has been confirmed by jail-' crs and priaon chaplains. "Eighty per cent, of the men who have passed through my hand* would not have come there bat for the drink." was the opinion recently expressed by the keeper of the Wellington jail. A similar tale is told by philanthro> ))19U auu ciiy uiiMiunMici ui wuw nnd outcasts among whom. they havs^ worked. "Nine-tenths of our poverty J squalor, vie* and crime spring from thia poisonous tap-root," says General Boothq ninet7-nine per cent, was Dr. Guthrie'* calculation of the proportion of de?titvti( children who owed their destitution to drink, and Dr. Barnardo, who at fink thought the stateihent a gross exaggeration] arrived at a minimum of ninety per cent.} and became a total abstainer in consequence. In New Zealand a benevolent trustee of large experience and the bead of a charitable institution have both deb-1 ited liquor with ninety per cent, of the canes that hare come before them. T? any one with a sense of the value of bom# life and the sacredneas of childhood?W other words, of the worth of a human soel and its infinite aptitude* for good or far evil which are involuntarily shaped by early impressions and aaaodations?atitie* tics of this class tell a more tragic tale than any form of adult suffering. Ai to the death rate, the highest authority oil in*' ebriety in England. Dr. Norman Kerr, whoi took up the matter some years ago with the avowed object of upsetting the extravagant estimate which ascribed 00.000 death* in the United Kingdom annually to Uu? cause, came to the conclusion that 12lt,00q was nearer the truth. Such then being the evil, the qucstiotJ arise*: What is the cause? The ?Qswer( u. The strength of alcoholic temptation* and the weakne* of human nature, and; the superficial observer is. therefore, apt taf place the responsibility on the drink-seller, who holds out the temptation, and the drunkard who succumbs. But this is liks blaming the flame and the fuel for tl? fire. What we want to know is. Who set ths fire alight and who keeps it burning? la other words, Who permits and encourages the drink-seller to perform the function* of tempter? The state does thia by giving the dnnk-seller leave to sell; but it does cot do so tor his sake. For whose, then? Not for the drunkard's; not for the tee% totaler's, for the teetotaler disapproves of drink; but for the sai? ofc the moderate drinker, whose "rea-J sonable requirements" the State desires to satisfy. It is on account of the moder-) ate drinker that the liquor traffic is toler-j ated and licensed. And if there were net moderate drinkers? Then that terrible catalogue of evils which I have merely] glanced at would be swept away, toat| Utopian prophecy of Mr. Chamberlain's would be realized, and more would have b t-n achieved for human happiness andl virtue than by the combined labors of statesmen and philanthropists for the last 100 years. If, then, we ask again, Who ia ultimately responsible for the greatest tfourge of modern civilization, who is responsible for the ruthless waste of human' life and character, for the impoverished and degradation of the poor, for the aoH rows of the fatherless and the widow, thn shivering and the starving? our answes can only be, unpleasant as it may be to utter: Stand forth, O moderate drinker, for thou art the man!?Arthur R. Atkinson. Member of the New Zealand House of Ri>nr?<pntirivei Drunkard* X?t ToUrattd. The time consumed at fashionable* ditt* ners bad been much reduced u they hare Iieen simplified. The Ions luU of wiaaa formerly deemed obligatory at them hare been discarded and a few only of theaa beverages are now provided. The heavy drinking of the past ha* come to be looked v ' on as an evidence of ill-breeding ex* pressing itself in absence of decent eeUcontrol, or ot a deplorable malady. In, clubs and all congregation* of men there is much leu drinking than formerly. Habita of temperance are mide more and more requisite by m>>dern business methods. The drunkard is no longer tolerated a* a man of an amiable weakness, but is looked on as an offensive person of intolerable habits, or as a proper subject far r> ctr.nnt as a victim of a very obnoxjoaa lorm of insanity.?New York Sua. The Man That Pl?d?*d Himself. To a man raising objections to signtaf the pledge, a reformed drunkard said: "strong drink occasioned me to have mor# to do with pledging thin ever teeto'.aim has done. When I used strong drink 1 ?1?l~l m>. rv?f [ nledired mv bed. in I'iCUgCU 1U.T - r ^ m , short, .inythins that won pledgaole ,and wax losing every hope and blowing when n temperance friend met me and con vinced me ot my folly. Then I pledged myself, and aoou got more ;han rjy termer property about me."?The Inland. A Criminal Method. John Ruskin, in speaking of the liquet traffic a* a financial aid of a country, one* Mhi: "The cncourage:uent of drunkenew for ibe take of the profit on the nale o. dr:nk is certainly one of the most criminal method* of iUjaMination for money hitherto adopted by the bravo* of any age ot country.'' Athlete* Mast lie Temperate. All athlete*. of whatever kind, are forced to i*ad temperate and regular liver II thev <i:d not they wor.ld noon lose theit t.-vve ! fall out of the urocew! >n.?Chira^o Tribune. TItc Crnimlc In Crlrf. The National Temnerauce Society ha* r? r ?iv.*.l a check for $"JUOO from Andrew Car &.-<ie. A.>>ut forty bartender* attended *erviee? ii. .1 Cleveland church on a recent Sundaj by n\ ration. in the Canadian Parliament a re*olutiot i- to oe introduced asking for the passage o: a prohibitory liquor law. 1m l'J?> iie cost ot clenientarv ed'icatioc in Kiu>*<n 1 wa* C8.973.S17 the amounl ejieii! tti *trons drink wi< ?!ft).8:?i.7I9. '.h? London County Council a*yiumt tii.-re ii-it been a high pre ventage of insaa ity tram alcohol, more than double tht nuiiii'r o: uoaien than men bemj admitted fiaai t liar caute. -- -