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jlloldenhu m Copyrtrtu MM. tor B x CHAPTER XXXL Continued. *80 I thought," said uncle 8am; *T>ut"?breaking off suddenly ana pursuing another line of tbougbt?"marriige Is the xoost discussed yet least understood cf human Institutions. Though women so greatly outnumber men, good wires are as scarce as good husbands. Ol course nothing can counterbalance the want of good personal qualities in either husband or wife, but there can be no matrimonial paragon who is unfurnished with dollars. I remember In my salad days, soon after I settled in tills country. Van Rensselaer and I once amused ourselves by making some investigations as to the condition ef the marriage, market" "What do you mean, Sam?" asked aunt Gertrude, looking up from ber Work. "AHnit* tnntr tmtc aco." continued Bj ancle, "there lived in Rivington street. New York. ? matrimonial agent who used to advertise in the dally paper* that be was prepared to supply wives of every desirable quality to gentlemen of unblemished bonor and respectable means, while of course his usefulness to ladles weary of single blessedness was equally great To this professor's office Van Rensselaer and I one dny betook ourselves, and each planked down a fee of $5, which the agent, with a grateful smile, made haste to appropriate." "What induced you to be so foolish?" asked my anal "Sport, my dear Gertie, sport; nothing more, I assure you." said uncle / Sam. "Well, whit sport could yju fad la giving your money to a cheat?" "Very much; my 15 were well Invested. Admiwion to the agent's office alone wm worth the fee. He! ha! I remember the place to this day," and ancle 8am reclined his bead on the back of hie chair and ciiuliled. "What waa the place like?" X inquired. "It waa a fairly well-furnished office," said ancle 8am. "The walls ' were covered with shelves, on which stcod letter cases and Japanned tin boxes. In a corner of the office, on an elevated platform, a bald-headed old fraud of aboot sixty, the proprietor of the place, sat at a desk plentifully spread with ledgers. Packets of letters, held together by robber bands, and piles of photographs, lay about in confusion. while close to the door stood * !? t*hi? strewn with writing ma ferial* mad {Minted forms whereon client* might concisely state their qualifications and requirements." "Did the agent show you any of the photographs'/" asked Constance. "Doseus of them. One lady in par\ ticular I remember he recommended a a very suitable wife for me. his recommendation being based chiefly on the fact that she was an English woman, who, having passed the first blush of her youth (a statement which nobody who glanced at her photograph would for a moment question*, was free of the frivolities which usually Accompany girlhood, and having been for some years a member of the London music-hall profession, she was an accomplished vocalist, who could divert my leisure with charming songs f an ainuaing character, many of them unknown to the best musicians. These qualities, the agent argued, more than compensated for the lady's lack of property." "Was that all the old nan told you bout her?" I inquired. MI think It was," replied uncle 8am. * "But I wrote to ber the next clay under the assumed name of H old eu hurst, and a day or so afterwards received ber reply. dated from the Bowery, couched In orthography which I bad not previously met with. One if her ^ statements?that ber dear pa bad been killed some years before by a fall from scaffold in the Old Bailey?Impressed me a? a very pleasant way cf describing ao unpleasant fact." At iJkls point I interrupted undo Sam with my immoderate laughter, much to the surprise of aunt Gertrude and Constance, who, being Imperfectly acquainted with London, pcrccivcd nothing to laugh at "How about Mr. Van Rensselaer?" asked Constance, when my paroxyjm of laughter bad subsided sufficiently for her voice to be heard. "Did the agent recommend any of his clients as a suitable wife for that ugly old Dutchman?" "Gently. Conr.le, please. Martin Van Bensselaer was a capital fellow, as good a judge of a railroad as was tin utrtti vuuiujuujtc ui.u^ii; null ijir au* vice was always sound in matters where be wag not personally Interested. Poor old Martin is n^w beyond the veil against which I have been Minding beating." MYe?, 1 kuow." persisted Constance; *but you bare not answered my questlen. Did the agent recommend a wife for your friend us he did for you? If o. I would like to bear about her." "I'm afraid I cau't oblige you in that. Con; but of course tbe agent made recommendatif u. It was his business to do s? to everybody wLo consulted fclm." "Mr. Van Rensselaer didu't win Lis Wife by any sncb means as that, 1 am rare." said aunt (iertrude. "So am I." added nncle Sam. "Do you tbink. Sam. any marriage was ever brongbt about by sucb horrid methods?" my aunt inquired. "Without doubt, abuudance of thijrb,** replied uncle Sam. unhesitatingly. "Nothing that waa ever said is mere true than that humankind are mostly fool*. And it !s well t>iat sm-1) is (he ceae. Were it ftberwise, then proI?ahly, though no i.ne voui! rItvc. i obedy would be able to lire well. It is in the follies of bis fellow-creaturea 'lil' rilVf 1 ,[ ' v | ffitfjjifajL' . , iicifcnHaliy mmm* i>owu lb** > sv 7 ALTER BL'OOMFIELD kit bomii Sen. that a sharp nan finds hit chance* of aggrandizement. The matrimonial agent of Rivington street transgressed no law that I knew of, or that I would enact were I invested with the attributes of Solon. He merely preyed upon foola?a perfectly legitimate process, sanctioned by the doctrine of the survival of the fittest Paaa me the cigarcase, Gertie, dear." "Were you and your friends fools when you visited that office in Rivington street?" inquired Connie, with a mischievous smile. "Unquestionably we were," admitted Uncle Sam, with charming frankness, "and on many .other occasions beside s." "Nothing can ever Induce me to believe that it is right to use superior natural sifts or knowledge to entrap the Inexperienced and unwary." said my aunt "Power Is its own Justification. That which a mas can do he may dc." "That Is not right," asserted arot Gertrude boldly. "Nothing 1c right, nor likely to be." agreed uncle 8am. CHAPTER XXXII. BCSSKA. What is time? The past Las gone and cannot oe recalled; tin present is here, tut imperfectly under our control; tLe futfre no man knows. Is there another subject which mankind regards in ways to numerous and diTom si time, the most ceneric and indefinite of terms? Only for the miserable wretch condemned to die on as appointed dsy do the fleeting hours expire with maddening rapidity; to the sufferer from any other form of torture they drag their course with most exasperating slowness. U is the privilege of the perfccti7 happy (if indeed there be any such) and the perfectly foolish (cf whom everyone must surely know abundant examples) to disregard time. The week which elapsed between cur return to New York and my majriage tc Ccnstance seemed to me of stipernaturally long duration. Love is Impatient. and dressmakers and milliners monopolizing. Though living in the same bouse as my affianced wife, I now saw very little of her; she was nearly always engaged In being measured, or fitted, or experimented upon in some way by a contingent of French modistes, who came every day to the bouse and disorganized all its customary arrangements. Of the numerous dretses being prepared for my wife, though I bad heard n good deal about them. I'was not for the* present per mitted to see one; bat I would have endured that privation without murmuring if the companionship of my dear Constance bad been spared to me. However, all things come to those who wait?unless death comes first and captures the waiters, in which cas<? the latter escape from their wants. Man's comfort is not more dependent upon events than upon their convenient sequence, a course often difficult to secure. At last the wedding morning came and I was almost happy. Ah, that word almost! Has the man yet lived of whom it can be truthfully said that he was quite happy? Long and varied experience makes me doubt it With health, youth and strength; $100,000 to my credit at Drexel's; and a beautiful girl, magnificently dowered, for my wife; for what more could I wish, you A?t Whv for mT father's nreaence this day, and bit approval of the lifelong contract I was about to make. Somehow I could not keep from thinking of mj father on this my wedding morning; and as I waited with uncle 8am and a small party of his friends in the Presbyterian Church on Fifth i avenue, where the ceremony was to take place, the old church at Holdenbuntt. Its unlikeness to the sacred 1 buililug wherein I was, my father's : lonely life now that I had left him. and the probable effect of the recent tragedy upon hin and my grandfather Wolsey, largely engaged ny mind, despite all efforts I could make tj disregard them; until the crgan, pealing forth the'soul-stirring strains of Mendelssonn s \\euuing .\iarcn, announced the arrival of tbo bridal party, and my dear Constance, almost completely bidden in white gossamer-like l-ablilme iu apd attended by six maids, passed slowly up tbe church. Of tbe events between that moment and tbe conclusion of tbc ccrcmcuy. when we all left the cburcb, I for a long time retained only a confused and general recollection; but finally the particulars of the ceremony took shape in uv mind, oud now I can clearly recall the tall, commanding form and tb? clear, impressive voice of tbe grand old Ulsterman, the officiating minister of tbe church; end my uci easy glances at uncle Sam (whom I had never seen in such a place before), and my fear lest he sboulld create a diversion by some eccentric conduct. | *\oi anui aiier me weuuing puny was assembled at breakfast did unelc Sam jjivil' rein to bis usual pleasantry, and then to no very great extent. I remember be inquired, across tbe tabic, what my wife and 1 thought of tbc reverend gentleman's Loots. "Think of the reverend gentleman's I wots!" I echoed l.i surprise. "Really 1 didn't observe them. Did ycu, Con ! nic, dear':" "Not very particularly," stamereJ ay wife, ineffectually endeavoring to suppress a laugh. "Why. how can you say that?" asked uncle Sain. 'The reverend doctor wears the largest boots in New York, as many rash wagerers know to their cost; and 1 observed you both intently contemplating their dimensions wKile he was exhorting you to be mindful of your new duties. I assure you I am very glad if I am mistaken, for there could be no better proof of your attention to bis precepts." Tbere was a suppressed titter at this; oat aunt Gertrude came to the rescue and protested against remarks of a personal nature generally, and particularly in tbe cas? of a gentleman highly esteemed by all who had tbe privilege of bis acquaintance. Uncle Sam agreed, and declared that he had not only com* plimented the minister by asserting, in other words, that he bad a larger understanding than any other man in New York. Several of my ancle's friends tendered their congratulations in the timcbonored platitudes which have served on innumerable similar occasions, after which nacle Sum rose, and glass in hand. Invited all present to dr'a\: to the nealtb, prosperity ana long me 01 me bride and bridegroom. "For the happy pair opposite, *bo with all the courage of inexperience *nd in defiance of sages and satirists have given those hostages to Fortune which so many of us would like to redeem, I entertain a very special and real affection." said uncle Sam. "The bride is the only sister of my dear wife, and a daughter of my friend and benefactor. I have known her all her life, and I say of her, that no truer or more amiable lady can be found between Maine and California. She was my word; an<Lmy duty to her has also been my pleasure from the day I became her guardian until you saw me surrender her to her husband? and with her all that I held in trust for her, with something over and above. The br.'degroom is the only son of one, who. Id my youthful days in England before I entertained c. thought - ^ ~ Kfl/1 U1 Sflliug igut vj ixiin vwuuucui, uuu promised to bccoaie my wife?a prorate she was forced to break?and of my only brother, whom I Co sot expect to see again. It is for these reasons chiefly that I aw prejudiced in favor of the bridegroom?for he is no genius, and I don't suppose hio unaided efforts would ever have burdened him With much property; he is a trifle sentimental* and lacks resolution and fixity of purpose. Nevertheless he has proved himself a faithful friend and a pupil of at least avera,fe aptitude. It is with nuch pleasure and confidence thai I ask you to join me in wishing health, prosperity and long life to Mr. ana Mrs. Ernest Truman." Tbe toast w.ic drank with enthusiasm, everybody standing. In my brief reply I unreservedly admitted the accuracy of my uncle's estimate cf my powers, and congratulated myself on harlc:: woo not only bis good will bnt a wife the equal of bis fcwn In fortune and every personal grace, notwithstanding the natural defects to which he had called attention; a retort which, obvious as It was, seemed to put the ompan7 into great good humor. By this the hour was reached when it was necessary that my wife should prepare for our departure tc Saratoga, and the party left the tables to inspect the wedding gifts, which were exhibited in a large room devoted exclusively to that purpose?a valuable collection of Jewels and fancy articles, at which I x>uld not look without the painful thought that nothing from Holdenhurst was among them. It wanted not more than half an hour of the time fixed for ocr departure when uncle Sam. with an air of mystery, beckoned me to follow him. 1 did so, wondering what his purpose could be. He led the way to his study, where aunt Gertrude and my wife awaited as, the latter now in a plain. tightly-fitting traveling dress, ready to depart. My ancle closed the door lu a cautious way as soon as we hod entered tbe room, which circumstance, as well as tbe seriouc looks cf aunt Gertrude and my wife, filled me with alarm. I was about to inqr.ire the meaning of all this wben uncle Sam spoke, my wife meanwhile observing me closely to note tbe effect cf bis words upon me. "A letter from England arrived for you this morning," be said, "and by good fortune It fell into my bands. I bave kept it from ycu until now. for your benefit; for you would not have liked your marriage to have been again postponed. I don't know bow it may prove, but I greatly fear that it contains bad news. However that may be. take courage fir your wife's sake as well as your own. Remember my rccent experience, and never let It be said that tbe old man was braver than the joung one." And having ppoken thus my unci? banded me a black-bordered letter bearing an Engllok A# lIBtl niuuip UUU IUC IWwlUUIA VI J St Edmund's. To be continued. Saicid* ud Iniarkort. A recent decision ly the Sunrems Court of Ohio make:; ttc suicidal clause in policies of no avail. Most insurance companies have, we believe, practically given u;i tuc contention, so that wo may now consider tuc American method settled that the policies cf suicides must be paid the same as if dentil bad come ."-on natural causes. It is an indication of ?be growing tendency cf our times to livid that suicide is not a crime. The laws that have I b?eu passed to punish atteupteJ selfdestruction are inoperative, aid the habit cf the world is to pity rather than to blam? in such eases, aLd this is one cause of the increase cf sjicids in all civilized nations. If this increase shoull reach the degree that it did in Rrn:an ti::cs, tl.e eCfcct on the insurance companies would be disastrous, or all prcmiuuo j woul 1 have to be greatly raised.? American Medicine. IVacted to Ltid the Band. Captain T. Eentloy Mott. uilltar? attache of the Americau Embassy at Paris, is a West Point graduate, and in after years returned there an an nrtillery instructor. Upon cdc occasion he was assigned. a? is c ften the casi in suuine;'. to "show around" tlie visiting parents of a cadet. They wr-r* plain people from "Somewhere out West," Lut observant and impressionable. After a tour of the post, they Jellied tbe crowd assembled 10 witness evening parade?always an imposing spectacle. Tbe march past aroused the mother to a high pitch of enthusiasm and ambition (or her son. "Ah, sir." she exclaimed, turning to Captain Mott; "ah, sir. I shall not be happy until my boy gets that prcud position an J leads 'em all!" And she pointed in admiration to the drum major. A SEBMON FOR SUNDAY { AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED I "A NOTE OF WARNING." rbff R?f. Dr. J. Wilbur Chtpntii R^olm That the BlbU GIvh ImUicm of Fall* j or* to K?rr* u an Inspiration?If ow 1 to Avoid Similar MftUkw. New Yobk Citt.?The folio win; sermon < entitled, "A Note of Warning," uus ? reached by the great evangelist, the Rev. j lr. J. Wilbur Chapman. * 1 It is to the praise of God that He baa in I Hiit word giveu us repeated instance* of 1 men who nave fallen, that they might i serve as a warning and their very failure i be an inspiration to u* to avoid similar i mistakes. One can not read the story of I Adam and Eve without getting a glimpse i both of the power of Satan in hia over- < throw of our tint parents and the tenderness of God as He cried out in the cool of i the day: "Where art thou?" We can not i study the life and character of Noah with- i out being irnprewed with the fact that a man might be u*ed of God to-day. then to- j morrow wander away ao far from Him as I to make grievous mistakes. The whole of 1 the Old Testament is a cry to those who j baye wandered away from God to return. i In their wanderings we get our lessons, i and in God's cry we have certain evidence < - - ? l?- ??-J ?i u. , tUl moilgn we mmy nmc nuun, u? i* aiwayg ready to put our una away from i Him and from us. t One of tbe best illuatrationa in the Old I Testament, to my mind, it that of Saul. I He made a splendid appearance as a king. ] Wb^n tbe people demanded a king God sent Samuel to look one out, and he found Saul, whose appearance was kinfly. If nothing else recommended him to tbe J throne this did. The first thing Samuel did was to pour tbe anointing oil upon bis J head, which was an indication that God was tiking him for His own, and thus ! separating him from the world. A little later we read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and it looks as if he must bare been tilled with His presence, and must hare fulfilled the hignest expects- ! tione of the people. A little further on in ! bis history tbe man of God appears to j him. saying: "God is with thee, tbou J mighty man." And we bare come to tbe conclusion, as we look upon him, that it is 1 indeed tme, and when tbe people cry out ' for tbe king and Saul is cadea forth, he tends head and shoulders above tbe men ' gathered about him, and involuntarily tbe ! people, when thev look upon him, are J stirred to such enthusiasm that they shout. "GOD SAVE THE KING/' ' Afterwe-d, when be went to Gibeah, 1 there ga'hered around him "a band of men whose hearts God had touched." 1 Thus the story goes on, with Saul rising 1 ever higher and nigher in tbe popular es- j teem and favor. Yet in the end. and in 1 the face of it all, he blackened the pages , of the Old Testament, made tbe ruling of ' his kipgdom a failure, and died by his own 1 hand?really, in tbe sight of Goa, a mur- ' derer. ' One cannot read rack a story a* this ' I without trembling, and it is for each one j of ua to-day that the Bible waj written, . that we might know God, and that wc . might know ccrielves. ' I have learned from this story of Sanl, the king, that it is possible for one to be born of the Spirit, really to be saved, and ' to be tared forever, and yet MISERABLY FAIL is the fight of God. I remember preaching in one of the cities of Indian!.. For four days the church was crowded, but a crowd is not an indication of a blessing. Not infrequently the Sresence of a crowd is an indication of efeat. for preachers are apt under such circumstances to their confidence in men, rather than in God. During all the four days not a hand waa lifted for prayer, , nor a tangle indication given that there might be an awakening on the part of the 4 Christian people. The field I was next to labor in seemed quite ready for the har* 1 vest, and in the preparatory services many 1 people were being saved. I called the ministers of the Indiana city together and asked them to give me the privilege of * closing my engagement with them, that < there was some barrier in the way of the working of God's Spirit, and that I felt 1 when I preaebed as if I was bound with 1 chain*. After a little conference one of 1 the ministers requested that the decision { be withheld for a little, that he felt sure ' that he knew where the difficulty was. As < the leader of our force of personal workem we bad one of the members of this 1 minister's church, a man well known < throughout hi* own State, and a judge of ' one of the hizhest courts. Somehow it 1 seemed that when this man passed throuch J the audience be aent a cold wave over tne people. From the conference of minister* ( the pastor of this church went into the J office of this o!d judge and said to him: "I har? been hearing rumors on the * streets for a long time that your life is not ' clean and I have come to ray that if these * rumors are untrue I desire to take some * public stand with yon to contradict them, * but I have also come to say that if they * are true I will stand nearer to you than a ' brother, and help you to get free from the power of your be*etting sin." ' The old judze looked a moment at him, >a and then put nia head on his arms on the desk a.id sobbed out: "They are all true, and more." In a moment they were on their knees J in prayer, and it was but a moment more 1 before the old.judge rose a delivered man, .free from the power of his sin. c I was just lifting my hands to pronounce E the benediction at the close ot an afternoon ' service when the church door opened and 1 the old judge came in. Having lifted hia J band to aslc permission to speax ne maue ? this statement: v "My triends, I have been known for T year* as one of the members of the churrh J and as an officer of the church, but for a * long time my life has been robbed of its power and my soul of its peace. I have ? lost my influence in my home, and I fear 11 almost altogether in my city. But I have 7 gotten right with my minuter, and right ' with God. and I have comc to ask your lor- v giveriess." c The confession was made with sobs. n There was no benediction pronounced that afternoon. The people all filed out one * way. Some took the hand of the judge to say "God bless vou." some to say nothing, a but to pass with tear-wet cheeks and bumi ing hearts. But when the evening service c came, and the sermon had been preached h there was a remarkable change. The atmosphere seemed like heaven. Fully fifty a people pressed their way to the front to j1, accept Christ as their Saviour. The first ; man to conic was the o!d judge, with his " arm around a poor lost man, who was <* hopefully saved. In less than sis days ? more than .100 people came pressing their v.ay into the kingdom. '* ^t is likewise a possible thing to have I' been filled at one time with the Spirit, and h after ail to make a failure of one's life, ll is not enough to live on the o!d expe riences, however precious they may have |> been. It is not enough to have been onec ? filed, we must all the time be kept full. anu wo can oniv mua oc Kept uy iirmg m CLOSE FELLOWSHll? AN 1) UN1NTEK . nUlTED COMMUNION ,j with the Lor<l Jean* Christ. s< Mr. Meyer's interpretation of the expression, "Lest I myself should l>e a caua- Q way" I heartily accept. Certainly wo ? know inea to day who were once used o' b Cod in preaching, blessed of Him in sou:- ? winning, hut wno are set aside to-day; in other words they have become casta- f, ways. They arc objects of pity, botu to ti nnj^els and to men. Mr. Meyer, in describ- ^ ina these, tells us of his styio;rai?hic p?n. h It was one of some value, and had been r? ffiven to him for his private use. For a f, ong time he carricd it with him every- *, I- 1 1 _ _?% ? A J.I wnrrc, and useu it on an occasion*. /??m then a inure improved pattern canio out and lie used tnc new one instead of tlii' h old; the old one v.a* still hi-?, hut was di*- .. approved and set aside. Mr. Merer says he can imagine how the pen would say, as it thought of the past: * "There was oncc a time when he used 11 mi always?and now, never. There was a w time when 1 knew his thoughts before " any one else, and now 1 am set aside. 1 There nan a time when 1 was his closest f companion, and now 1 am never used." " Ala*, many a man who ha* preached the J* Oicl with power in day* gone by. whom ?' haa delighted to Uj<c, could ray the ame thine. This book ia aent forth n* .1 ai warning, that all such might turn squarely about sow. Let no man at the last take u thy crown. There were several reasons why Sanl fell. In the firat place, he was jealous of Da- w rid; it arotwed all the hatred in bva soul o Mf David beloved and honored, while . hese things had been denied to him. Bat t >B not toe end of his ain. It really aeeas | ia if iealouay muat hare been born in ' icll; if one has the aeed of it in hia na- i ure he ia aomehow compelled by a fore* le can hardly resist to go deeper into the (vil. In the second place we find Saul destroyng the Lord's truest friend. How true it a that when we have committed one ain ind failed to make that one right, the rest >ecomes easy, not infrequently almost a leiipht. In the third place we find him snaring *Rajr and the part of his flock. He the * * * ? ? tl:_ ;.nc with lying upon ms up*: inn bio jecomes very easy. If we allow the corruption of two or three days to lie in our too!* without being cleansed how aad the "CKU.ta! No one ought to close hia eyea at light until he baa absolutely made certain that all of the aina of the day have been iva^hed away in the precioua blood of L'hriat. The laat we see of Saul ia when he falls ipon hia aword and takea hia own life?a m:irderer in the aight of God and in the nrht of man. Sin ia awful. - In the very beginning of it rou aeera to get the hias of the serpent as lie traila through the Garden of Eaen. It | breaks up home, drags multitudes away ] From God and down to hell. But the framing cry ia given here that we muat J forsake the small aina if we would not be , overpowered by the greater onea. We muat be clficuoeA from little transgres- i rions if we wonld not finally be lost. If | iny one ahou'.d ask the sccret of failure. ' the reaaon why at last the crown shook! uc lost, it coula all be summed up in three etters?S-I-N. . THEN COMETH THE END. The day of awards is a great day. It is really the judgment seat of Christ, when ire are to receive the reward of the deeda i done through the body. It is not a time j irhrn we are iudced for sin. for the sin | Suction was all settled at the cross for jose who accept Jesus Christ.' It ia not to be confuted with the day of judgment spoken of in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew; and certainly it ia not identical with the great white throne judgment presented n the twentieth chapter of Revelation. It ia simply the day when the Master, before srhom the records of our live* are laid ! bare, shaSl give to na the reward for our | Faithfulness, or express His estimate of j aur faithlessness. I can see the Master, with Hia people fathered before Him. A name is called th?t i? familiar, and I see that one standing before Him with great expectancy. Then the Mnster speaks?with that voice that John tells us sounds like the flow of many waters, that voice that stilled the tempest tossed sea, and cauaed Lazarus to break the bonda of death. I hear Him ipeak. The crowna are being lifted up, ind the first one ia the crown of life. I bear Him say: "This is given to the one who haa done . little things well for My glory, or to the one who Has suffered for Mv sake. You might have had it, but you failed in your ?wn home. You had no testimony for your t>wn circle of friends. A kind word you might have spoken, but you left it unsaid, rhe cup of cold water was never given. You might have had the crown of life, but it has been taken bv another." I sic Him hold aloft the second crown. "This," He says, "ia given to the cne who baa done hard work for Me. I suffered the pains of Getbaemane and the ? 't j j iL. ' rciOCKingS Ol me crowa, ami me Bwn|nni vi ( the Roman flagellator, and the pains of j bell upon the erosa. Thia crown ia for the I >ne who has endured all things if only My j :ause might have been advanced. But ilaa! when there came a time when the I rhurch seemed about to move forward you j opposed it. When thousanda of sonli J nicht have been converted your prejudice * igainst the work of the Holy Ghost BLOCKED THE BLESSING. if on might have had the crown, but an>ther baa taken it." I see Him hold aloft the third crown, resplendent with jewels. All the angels ihout aloud: "This is the soul-winner's crown." There has always been ioy in the pre#. ?nce of the angels of Goa over those reieemed from sin. "You might have bad this crown, but das! your culture, your intellectual itrength and your social position never . iron a soul for Me. The members of youi ; >wn household were led into My kingdom >y others. The people in your own store lid not know you were Mine." I remember once holding a series of , nee tinea in Paris, Illinois. In walking lown tne street with one of my assistants [ heard him talking with a young man, taking him to be a Christian, but he made 10 impression upon him. I heard him say, i 'Your mother wants you to become a ' rhristiun, does ahc not?" And tbe young nan began to cry- Then I heard him ask, 'Your father want* vou to become a Christian, doea he not:" And there was 10 answer. But soon I heard him make his statement: "My father ia an officer in he church and my mother ia a leader in he work of the women'a society in the :hurch, but neither of them baa ever spo:cn to me about my soul." I believe many a father and mother will ' tand before the Judge on the great day of J wards and hear the words: "You are crowniess. Your children were lot saved, or if they were, in their salvaion you have had no part. You might lave had this crown, but another oaf aken it." i I can sec Ilim holding aloft the fourth rown, the crown of glory- I can hear Him ticture how one came into the charch rom great depths of ain; how hia constituion had been undermined by the power of n evil life; how he had been saved by he power of God and cheered bv the rarm' band clasp and the sympathizing rord, and brother'a sympathy to hold nit to the end. And I can almoat hear lim say: "Such an one sat beside vou in church nd walked with you in the streets, or ri the store, or possibly lived with you in our home, and you saia never n wore, fou let him alip away from fellowship rith Christ and when be wandered you xclaimed in aurpriae: 'I expected no sore.'" I can catch the tonea of Ilia voice, aa le saya: "You might have had thia crown, but nother has taken it.*' I see Him hold aloft the fifth and last rown?the crown of rightcouanesa. 1 ear Him say: "Did I not promise that I would come jpin? Had not I written it over and over gain in the book? Was not line added to ne, atatcmcnt added to statement, that a like manner as I went away I should ome back? Were not all the prophecies f My coming fulfilled, even to tne fast delils of Mv life, My suffering and My > cmtli ? I)id you not have faith that if one rophecy wa? fulfilled the others might ave been fulfilled also?" And then that crown, which is to me ' he most beautiful, the brightest and the est, is held aloft for a moment, dazzling i its glory, and I hear Him say: I "You might have had this crown, but J nother has taken it." We may mils the five crowns by our unlit hfulncs*. yet we may be saved, "so as y fire." Rut one thing must be: we must re Him fare to face. In the city of Indianapolis a celebrated luaker minister told me of a friend whose hild had been born blind. He was rought to Indianapolis, and this Quaker as a?';e<l to find a specialist who would ucressfullv treat hint. Such an one was mnd. When the operation had been nished he announced that the boy would rrtainly and sure enough he opened is ey?. His first glance retted upon his lother, whom he had never known but by ngei touch. The mother bent down to te if she was to be recognized, crying out: 1 "Oh. my son? my ?on!" Th?. bev eazed at his mother, and when [ n knew lipr fried out: OH. MOTHER, IS THIS HEAVEN?" It shall he heaven for u* when the sraita ball Ik; taken from our even anil the veil tiat dims our vision shall he removed, and 'e shall nee Him face to face. We may ii*s every crown mentioned in the New estament. but we cannot fail to ?ce Him. do not know if there can be sadness in eaven. but what feeling will it be that ill take poMc-mion of us when we hear [im nay: "You might have had the crown, but nother has taken it?" What feeling will it lie that (hall possesa i when we hear Him sav: "Well done, good and faithful servant, nter thou into the joy of thy Lord," and e shall have the five crowns, and A GLIMPSE OF HJS FACE! TEE BELIOIOUS LIFE HEADING FOR THE QUIET HOUR WHEN THE SOUL INVITES ITSELF. Fmm: BttlsBlai A train ? W* Arm Tm frost to Allrikato a Bad Motlro?A Kindly Jodmrat la Om of tka Baml TUiki on Earth. When sometimes oar feet grow weary, On the nigged hill* 01 life? The path stretching long and dreary With trial and labor rife? We pauae on the toilsome journey, Glancing backward in valley and alea. And ?igh with infinite longing To return and begin again. For behind it the dew of the morning In all its freshness and light, 'And before our doubt* and shadows. And the chill and gloom of the night. We remember the tunny placet We patted to carelessly then, And aak, with a paaaionate longing. To return and begin again. Ah, vain, indeed, ia the aaking! Life's duties preta all of ut on. And who dare thrink from the labor, Or tigh for the sunshine that's gone? And it may not be far on before us, Wait fairer placet than thenLife'* path* may yet lead by atill water?, Though we may not begin again. For evermore upward and onward, I Be our path on the hilla of life, And toon will a radiant dawning Transfigure the toil and the strife, And our Father's hand will lead us , Tenderly upward then; In the joy and peace of a fairer world He'll let us begin again. ?Lilian Whiting. I A Kindly Jndimtet. The habit of harsh judgment is ungracious, ungentle and unchristian, but altogether too common among ut. We are prone to attribute a bad motive. It is not too much to say that we rather reliah a rumor which tells against a neighbor, snd find a morbid comfort in the thought that people are not *o cood a* they pretend to be or seem to be. If a man give* largely to a charity, our first impulse is to declare that there ia a purpose in it which i? not quite as excellent as appearance* would indicate. If a woman commit* an indi*cretion, either willfully or through ignorance, we make it by our harsh criticism just as hard for her to heal the wound as possible. In a word, we are not helpful to each other, and are much more inclined to shove an offender down hill than to pull him up hill. We are more apt to look on the darkest side of other people's lives and to think the wont of them than to look on the bright side and think the best of them. At the same time we would be glad to have them look at us leniently and find a good rather than a bad motive. Doing unto others, however, aa you would have them do to you neither suit* our convenience nor our appetite. A painter of ancient times was commanded to'make a portrait of his monarch. It so happened that His Majestv had a very ugly scar on his face which greatly disfigured him. The artist, with kindly diplomacv, asked his sitter to lean bin head on his hand, saying it would give a finer pose. He then deftly arranged matters in such a nay that the finger* of the monarch entirely covered the scar, and o the portrait waa painted with no scar risible. If we were to follow the example of the artist and charitably cover up the scars on the lives of our friends, or if, conscious that we need mercy ourselves, we should excrcise that virtue toward others, or if, as commanded by Christ, we should make not a weak, but a loving judgment ui ?n? wuicn cume wunin our nonce, we thould noon hear the rustic of angel winda in thia hard world, and the sweet perfume of the millennium would be wafied earthwart. A kindly judgment ia one of the nreat things on earth, nnd it is also one il the moat e*cellent.?G. W. Hepworth. Llna Beautified. Tt ia not the great sorrows of life that Jo the moat harm. It ia rather thoae little pin-pricks that creep into our every-day existence that cause the most disorder, pain, worry and a whole list of unpleasant traits. For all thia there are but two rem' edies?good sense and good nature?both baring a wonderful power of changing cloom into sunshine. Dou't get into the habit of having a poor opinion of people, for assuredly they will have it of you. Unkindness breeds unkindness, while a happr consideration for others makes yourtelf the sweeter and them the Better. Morce people look at tbe spots on the sun. unmindful of the glorious radiance behind them. We all have our faults, but the only way to look at them is to look behind them into the bright skies of our better selves, which they fleck. In order to make our lives beautiful we must show good will, kindness and courtesy to all with whom we come in contact. A Horror of HtlMXwyllss. John Fiske said that Mr. Huxlcv had a peat horror of self-deception. Above all things he desired to be entirely candid with himself. It ia a trait that every one of us should have. But the outcome of honesty with one's sell cannot be other than a clear submission to the God of all, who know* as better than we do our* selves. The standing warning tc every man in the Scriptures is not to deceive himself. It is certain that we cannot deceive God; it is easy to deceive one'a self. When n man savs he has no sin he deceives himself. When he says he ha* no need of God or of Christ he deceive* himself. Self-honcstr demands a candle of stronger power than the poor blind light of perverted human nature. You ought U> nave a horror of self-deception. That man whose candid spirit leads him to turn sway from Christ is the mont wretchedly deceived man in the world.?Baptist Union. Thoughts. Let the heart speak freely, but see also that it speak* nrudently. If we are like Christ, sorrow is on the surface an unfathomed depth of joy. They hear the song of the angel* who are waiting for the coming of the Saviour. Thi* expresses the Christian's confidence: "If God be for us, who can be gainst us?" That is the best gift of love which will in some wav be h?!i>ful to the person receiving it.?United Presbyterian. Balldlag For Koertss. "Aren't you buiMing a pretty larce fhurcli for so small a town*" asked the city visitor. "We're building for * lanre man," the old sea captain answered. "He may not be very big when we get him? probably he'll be just out of the theological school?but we're going to love him, and trust him and back him up and help him to stow." This is no new method of man-building, vet no one need hesitate to apply it through a fear that it has brea worn out. * LoiIik the World. A man is not necessarily worldly because he is successful in business, but, if hi* po]<l i? finding its vray into hia heart, and if hia cutting is for the sake of possessing, and not in order that he may use hia pain* as a steward of God. then he is abusing the world, and when he is thus loving the world, the love of the Father is not in him? lvcv. Campbell Morgan. Necessity Tor Broadening. God grant that as our horizon of duty is widened our minds may widen with it; that at our burden is increased our stioulHrrs mav l>e strengthened to bear it." Dean Stanler. IVary TTnnld Try One* Mor*. Pc-j.ite the fact that he recently announced In* it: tent ion of never again attempting to find the North Pole. Lieutenant Kohert Peary, the arctie explorer, declared at the conclusion of a lecture upon his last journey to the Far North, delivered before the Philadelphia (Jeographical Soe-etv in Philadelphia tnat. provided any one vroulii plaec $130,000 at hi* disposal, he would Ik? willing to undertake another exjted.tion next summc- in a final endenvor to rea? h the pole. He *aid that he believed the discovery of the pole wax practicable, although it was bin opinion that there waf no land there _ . .. / 'THE SUNDAY SCHOOL I I * INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS WM FOR FEBRUARY & BjH I object i 111* Chwek at Corinth Fnad*# iH Acts *111., Ml-Ooldra Trat. 1 Cor. RH IU., 11-Mamory VtilM, f-ll?Cosm^H ntMT on tho Diy'i Lmhi. I. Paul'* arrival at Corinth (vs. 1, 2). L^H| "After these things." The event* tMH Allien* described in our la*t les?on. parted." Paul's stay in Athens was and he never returned to the city. lstel*^BB| leuual Greece had scornfully rejected thn^HH ftspel message and henceforth the apestin M vinted more Iraitful fields. "Came to Corinvh." About forty-five miles southwest of ^K9 Athens. Here he labored alone for som* HB til dp before his co-workers arrived. Cor* inUi was the seat of commerce in Sou therm ^Kj <i'cere. and at this time was the political xH capita) and the residence of the Roman pr'rconau). It wu situated on the iatb- * mua which connects the two portion* of Gieece. It *u the wealthiest and wicked at city in all Greece, and wu the aeat of I of every kind of licentiousness and excan. ] And yet in this wicked city Paul bad ft J j fcood revival and established a Christian C . church. 1 2. "Aquila?PriaciUa." "Moil devoted 1 friend* of PlsL persons of evltare ana I piety (v. 38). Titer are always mentioned 1 together. From tnis we coneloded thai :J ; thev furniah a happv example of harmony fl and sympathy in Cnrirtian life. Priscillft was one of those briziit, earnest women j called into action bv the work and teach* | ing of Christ and His cho?en friends; on* ; of the pioneers of that devoted band of ! women workers who hav'e. for 1800 year* done such splendid work for the Lord ia all climes and amonz all peoples." "Claudius." The fourth Roman emperor. Thia was the twelfth year of kis reign. "Jew* to depart." This took place early in A. D. 82 on account of a revolt ia Judea. Tfco Jews were very numerous at Rome, and * inhabited a separate district of tb* town, | on the banks of the Tiber. They were of' ten very troublesome, and were several ; times baniahed from the city. "The decrea ' did not remain long in force, for we find I Aquila in Rome not long after (Rom. lis ( 3) and many Jews resided tbare wbefl Paul came." j II. Paul's method of work (vs. 3, 4). t. 1 ! "Same trade." Paul's first concern whan be entered Corinth was to find a home for 1 a?il fliM mmmlr mhaIaMimL "Who could dream that this travel-stained K man. going from one tentmaker's door to K another, leaking for work, was canriaj C the future of the world beneath his rone?" Kj "Wrought." Paul labored for his own sap* 1 port in Ephestts (Acta 20: 34) and Thesss W ! lopica (1 Tbeas. 2: 9), as wall as in Corinth (1 Cor. 4: 12). fl 4. '""Reasoned?persuaded." Prom tho Scriptures, and the personal testimonies of eya witnesses. Pan! showed that Jasat I was the Messiah and the gospel true. The M . gospel appeals to reason and good sense. M The facta Paul presented showed how reap fl| sonable it would be to become Christians. S He sought oat his kindred and made op* M porttinities to tell them of Christ. ^ III. The arrival of reinforcements (r. ] 5). 5. "Were come." Silas and Timothy; J arrived together from Macedonia; Timo* 1 thy from Tbessalonica and Silas from Be* a rea. Their arrival encouraged Paul. Ha I i now learned that the churches ho had m formed were standing fast in the faith.' This led him to write nis first letter to tho Thessalonians, and soon after a second let* 89 tcr to guard them against supposing that Chriat'a second coming was near at Band. (n his first epistle be writes of his "distresa fl and affliction" (1 Theas. 3: 7) while in Cor* B intb. Compare 1 Cor. 4: 11-18. Paul waa GQ faithful in the midst of the greatest difi* 9 eu.'tie*. H IV. Panl turns to tho Gentiles (vs. $ ll).t 6. "Opposed themselves/' The word implies very strong opposition, h i?v? wb drum up in battle array. It waa an or- HE janixed opposition. The more than neually: violent opposition of the Java waa no faj doubt stirred up by the intense earnestoeaa of Paul in bis work, after the arrival of Silaa and Timothr, when be vaa "pressed and constrained by the word." fft "1 will go." When argument and appeal. brought no candid thought, but only oppo* MB ition and blacpbemy, Paul aaid, ?adlv and JH forever, to the Jews in Corinth: "1 will ' trouble you no more." "Unto the Gen- H tiles." In Corinth. Ha afterward preached to the Jcwa in other placet. HI 7. "A certain man'a bouae." Uaed for / teaching and worahip. Tor his own lod? ' ing he a till remained, with AquCa and fl Pnscilla. "Worshiped God. A proselyte, not a Jew by birth. No douh? he became 1 a Christian. Nothinc more w known of I Justus. "Joined ? the synagogue." "A jm standing protest to the unbelief of tho I Jews. It would draw in many who would 1 be coming to the synagogue. The owner M ' waa a Gentile, and would win the attend- m ance of the Gentiles." fl 8. "Crispus." His first convert waa the B ruler of tbe synagogue he had left. Bis de- H cided course made the conduct of others W equally decided. "Chief ruler." A man J of learning ana oifn ciuncwr. mm wu- m version took him oat of office in the Jew* I ish church. "All his house." The first re- I corded instance of the conversion of an J entire Jewish family. 1 9. "Then spake the Lord." It is like> I that Paul was at this time much distressed by the violent opposition of the Jews, and probably his life was in danfer, and he fl might have been entertaining suiowa m I a ought* of ceasing to preach, or of leaving fl Corinth. To prevent this and comfort Ida fl God was pleased to give him this risioa. M? "Be not afraid." "Isolation from his own flj people, physical weakness and the slownese K of tne people to believe, besides the danger M of sudden persecution oo>fleath, made Paul M question the wisdom of further effort in MB Corinth, since in other places he had with* SB drawn when opposition cam* Fear oo* H eratcs against faith, and Qod forbade H. 10. ''With thee. To sustain thee in trial, to give utterance in the Spirit, to aa give point and edge to thy words, to pro* HI tect thee from hostile enemies, and to Ml make thee victor in every conflict. Though men oppose and leave thee, I will not H Thus the assurance came in the hour of S necessity. "No man?hurt thee." Mo man |ffl shall oppose or condemn thee, to destroy n thee. He was not to inert death at that place. He should be attacked and brought 'H to the jedgnaent seat (v. 12). but no vio lenot should crush mm. -aiucn peop;c. v "Not man/ already consecrated to God, but many in whom be saw a preparedness 9 to receive the gospel." ] 11. "He continued." Paul's fear, or de? 4 I pondencr, was not rebellion. To know V God's will was to do it. He feared not tna!? bo much as a failure to follow tb? Lord's guiding hand. A word of command witb a promise of help settled all doubts, HH and gave courage for the undertaking. "Year and six months." During this time^HHfl he wrote the second letter to the Tbeaar^HB Vonians. Bit Tupt at Thrst Mil**. Extraordinary accuracy in markmanahip has cut short the heavy gun practice at gS the l'residio, the Government reservation [ at .San Francisco, Cal. The twelve-inch gun* were to lie brought into play, and the target was a wooden structure, pyramidal in shape, about twelve feet long at each base iine and about eight feet nigh. It was towed oreanward by a tug with a long tow line and while moving at seven mile* ^BN an hour was to lie tired on. When the tar- ^Hj pet wax about three miles from shore and under tow it appeared to be about the size of a man's hand. It was then that Corj.oral Re?an fired a twelve-inch gun. The Hn shot struck about eight yards astern of the moving mark. Carefully ltegan aimed the Hn sreond missile, and scarcely had the roar of the discharge ccascd when the target disappeared. The shot had hit "the enemy' amidships and shattered it into Vg kpiintcrs. Cart J*. Nnflon Fonndi Home. Mrs. Carrie Xation has rimed ncjrotiatioua for .1 large residence in Kansas City. Kan., to be used a* a home for drunkardn wive*. The price nr.id was $7500, and it le undentood that Mrs. Nation will ppend neveral thousand dollar* in improving the property. The mom-v to^ e?ublinh the nome was ra;?ed hv Mrs. Nation on a re* ccnt trip to the Hast. St. Lenta Men Flat-Footed. Lieutenant Blakeley, in charge of the HB | naval re?miting station at St. Louis, Mo., nays that over fifty per cent, of the men who offered to enlist have been rejected because of "flat foot." lie uya that mor^^HBH I eases of flat foot are found in the citieafl^^l than in the country.