The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, February 04, 1903, Image 6
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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.