The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, January 20, 1904, Image 2
f"
u amati
1 * Mil
IRv Anna Katharine Green,]
CHAPTER XXVI. ]
Continued.
^ "Do you fear that?" cried the artist,
coming hurriedly forward. "I have
feared it for weeks, and that is why I
ihave kept such a jealous watch over
her."
"How did you know of Miss Rogers'
existence?" queried the detective.
"Her name was not in the directory,
nor could you have heard of her in the
schools."
"No, I heard of her in another way,"
declared the stranger; "i was siuuuuj^
one day on the steps of my hotel when
two young fellows of fashionable appearance
came out and passed near me,
talking. The one was saying: 'Well,
If you want to see a pretty girl, get an
Invitation to visit Miss Aspinwall in
Great Barrington. She has a friend
!Witb her who is a beauty, I assure
you.' 'Bah!' was the other's peevish
reply, 'some stupid blue-stocking or demure
Vassar miss. Excuse me.' But
the other answered in these to me most
startling words: 'No, unless you call
the Slgnorina Valdi a blue-stocking.
That is the name, or rather, that is
not the name of this young beauty I
mention. Her real name is Jenny Rogers,
but she is lovely ' I heard no
more. The coincidence was startling,
but the impetus it gave me came in
good time. I made inquiries concerning
the prima donna, learned her touching
history, and, satisfied that she possessed
the necessary qualifications of
being a New York girl telegraphed at
once to Cleveland for the introducT
nn/t nn conn ss I TP
11VUO X JUVVUVUf MMM. ?
reived them came here." |
"A strange coincidence, as yon say,"
repeated Mr. Gryce, "but it gives me
no clue to the puzzle we are studying."
Then "with more earnestness he inquired:
"Where did you get the valet
1 whom you now employ?"
A look of surprise passed over Mr.
Degraw'a face, but he responded
promptly:
"In New York. He answered an advertisement
which I put in the Tribune
and as his letters were excellent I
biredhim." -.....-.uij. ,
"Do you like him?" ' *' * *
"Why, yes, as a valet. He is useful
and exact in his duties, and I have no
reason to find fault with him. But the
man himself is not very agreeable.
May I inquire "
"In la moment," interrupted Mr.
Gryce. "I would first like to ask
whether you consider him honest?"
"Honest? O, yes; I have never found
A pin lacking." ^
"That is not an absolute proof of
honesty. A man who will not steal will
i sometimes abuse his master's confirdence
in other ways. Are you sure of
this fellow's discretion? Have you
never seen him tampering with your
papers, or peering into places where
he had no business to look?"
>While Mr. Degraw was considering
his reply the artist drew near to Mr.
Gryce and excitedly inquired if these
questions referred to his fellow detective.
Mr. Gryce smiled.
"The name of your fellow-detective
Is Byrd, and you say this valet is not
tjyra." ,
"But you insisted."
"Oh, never mind what I insisted,"
was the quick reply. "I talk sometimes
to veil my thoughts. I knew
that the valet was no officer of ours."
The artist stared in amazement, confused
by a revelation whose full consequences
he could not in that one moment
measure. Turning anxiously toward
his namesake he waited for his
answer to the question which Mr.
Gryce had put to him, and did not
know whether to be relieved or not
when the gentleman finally remarked:
"I do not know to what you refer, Mr. I
Gryce, but have only good to say of
Barton. Never to my knowledge has
he gone a step beyond his duty in regard
to any of my effects. As for my
papers they are always kept about my
person. By day I carry them in an inner
pocket, and at night I place them
under my pillow. He can have had
no opportunity of handling them."
"And yet I most decidedly believe
that he has not only handled them but
consulted them; that, in short, he
knows their contents as well as you
do, and that it is solely on account of
this knowledge that he occupies his
present position near your person."
"Impossible! What makes you think
this?- You alarm me, Mr. Gryce."
And mingled with this exclamation
came that of the artist, who, if not so
greatly astonished as the other, realized,
perhaps, with even greater force,
the complications and conjectures to
which this suspicion pointed.
"You do not know the man," resumed
jui. JL/cgicnY, nnu ovuiv vu\^i0j.
>rWhen we came up here there was a
moment on the train when it looked as
if we were on the verge of a collision.
The care shook and trembled with
frightful suddenness, and while men
started up and women shrieked this
falet of mine threw himself in front of
me with an instinctive movement of
protection that I shall never forget. I
may not like him, but I refuse to consider
him a blackguard without very
good cause."
"He felt your life to be valuable. It
was worth three million dollars to him
and his accomplices," observed Mr.
Gryce, quietly.
"\vnat ao you mean.' My me worm
anything to liim? I cannot think you
are speaking seriously."
"Listen, Mr. Degraw. In the course
of our inquiries into this matter we
have lately come upon a woman living
In a certain doubtful quarter of New
York, whom, if you have not seen, 1
Will characterize as possessing deviltry
enough to make her waning beauty
dangerously piquant. She 5< called
Jcnr.y Rogers also?Mme. Jenny Rogers?and
long before v/e knew what
wag the aim o? 1b? conspiracy against
the other girls bearing her name we
were convinced that such a conspiracy
V
?
rER P
.LIONS. Jl
Author of "The Forsaken |
1 Inn," ?tc. ft
OBCRT BONNER'S SONS. M
existed, and that she 'was the centre of
jt, and that some unknown man, then
believed to bear the name of Hamilton
Decraw, was her agent and co-worker.
Your story betrays what the object of
this plot "was. To gain your millions
for Ibis base woman, other girls of her
name were to be suppressed, or in
eome way robbed either of their good
name or of the opportunity to win your
regard. You know, I suppose, how we
first became aware of the existence of
this plot?"
"No; I know nothing but what I
have told you and what you yourself
have already told me."
"Very well, then, understand that a
short time previous to the string of unhappy
events which we have been contemplating
a young man of unquestioned
respectability overheard a short
conversation uttered under his window
late one night between two persons
wbo were passing by. A woman's
voice spoke first, and these were the
words he heard: 'But if some other
Jenny Rogers ' Mark you, some
other Jenny Rogers, which we take as
proving that her own name was Jenny
Rogers. The answer was in a man's
gruff tones: 'Never let that trouble
you. In a month there will not be another
youDg girl by the name of Jenny
.Rogers remaining in town. 1 win sec
to them.' Does this not show the beginning
of a conspiracy? And do not
the explanations you have given us
prove that the aim and object of this
conspiracy were the millions which
have been left to you for the use and
benefit of some one by the name of
Jenny Rogers?"
"It does: it does; but?"
"And this threat, thus overheard, had
proved to be no vain one," proceded
the detective, with an apologetic wave
of his hand. "These girls have been
'seen to,' Mr. Degraw. As soonas yon
showed the slightest interest in any
one of them danger or dishonor has attacked
her and taken her out of your
reach. This I see now; an hour ago I
saw differently. Then I thought you
tho author nf th? throats I have Quoted
as well as the occasion of whatever
mischief has followed. But, with
your explanations to aid us I am now
ready to transfer all my suspicions
from yourself to the man you have employed
as valet. He it is who has
worked in this woman's favor; he it is
who poisoned the bonbons, wrote the
letters?"
"Pardon me, but what reason have
you for ascribing these iniquities to
him? I am not the man to take any
one, much less a low and unknown
body servant, into my confidence."
"I know; I know.- But this low and
unknown body servant may have oportunities
for surprising your confidence,
for all that. Tell me any one else who
has been near enough to you to have
access to these documents of yoors and
I may consent to transfer my suspicions
into some new quarter."
"He has not seen my papers, but
even if he has the plot you speak of
| was started before he entered my em?!nv"
"Are you sure?"
"I did not see him till after those
threats you have spoken of were uttered."
"Then I am wrong, or he has learned,
in some way other than through these
documents, the conditions under which
Mr. Delancy'g money was left you."
"There is no other way."
"You are wrong, there must be.'*
"Why, how?"
"Don't ask me to answer 'whys' and
'hows.' Just remember that a conspiracy
has been found and carried out
which proves that a man and woman
living in New York knew almost as soon
as you did that there was a great fortune
to be angled for by a girl owning
the name of 'Jenny Rogers.' Now, if
this occurred before this man applied
to you for the position of valet then it
is among the possibilities that he made
that application on account of the
knowledge he possessed of your affairs.
Has not the plot prospered better since
he has been in your employ?"
"Undoubtedly."
"Was it not by his hand you sent the
box of bonbons to their proper destination?"
"Good heaven! Yes."
"And has he not had ample opportunities
for using your paper and; stealing
your cards, and thus leading the
silly girl at Miss Hadden's school to
think that this letter he wrote came
from you?"
"Yes, if he has wit enough to concoct
such a letter, and knowledge sufficient
to know that it would produce the effect
he desired."
"Oh. he has wit and he has knowledge,
if he is the man who is acting for
the intrigante I have mentioned.
Though you have been too absorbed
iu your own affairs to be suspicious,
you have doubtless not taken a step
without his knowledge and surveillance."
Mr. Degraw looked disgusted, but be
simply remarked:
"You speak of the intrigante who is
at the bottom of this mischief. I think
I remember her, a despicable woman
whom I would not think of looking at
twice. I saw her during the time of
my first inquiries. Can it be possible
that she thought me capable of being
attracted by such as she?"
"Such women are blinded by their
vanity. Besides, she may have thought
you were under compulsion to give this
money to one of her name within a
stated lime."
"Well, it is nl! a mystery. I thought
I had kept this affair a sc-crct from the
whole world, and now you are trying
to prove to me that it has been shared
by the basest and most mercenary of
my kind. Why, I did not even spenk
llilS WUUIUU.
! "I oan believe it."
"Xor Lave I ever seen her since tha!
j owe."
' "I can believe that. too. She is i::
I hldiiiS. and knows that sbe lias but to
1show
herself to be arrested. Her aceoiEtplice,
on the contrary, has had full
swing, and if we have ?ot found him
in your valet " ,
"But we have," now broke in the
artist. ""Why else should he have deceived
me by saying he was a detective?"
I
"A detective?" repeated Mr. Degraw,
of Cleveland.
"Yes, and thus excusing himself for
me curiosity ne eiiowcu uver a. jcuci
which I was reading. If he has not
meddled with your pf per, Mr. Degraw,
be-certainly has shown a disposition I
to do so with mine." ;
"The scamp! And I have intrusted J
him with notes to Miss Rogers!"
"Did you send him to my rooms to- i
night?"
"No."
"Yet he has> been there. Did you <
ever utter threats against my life?"
"Against your life, Mr. Degraw! Do |
I hear you rightly?"
"Yet this man told me that I was in |
danger from your jealousy; swore that
he had overheard you mutter threats
against me."
"Sir, you overwhelm me! I, the most
peaceable man alive! I do not wonder
you looked askance upon me. Is it j
necessary for me to say that this villain
has belied me; that, for purposes I
dare not fathom he wished to raise an
enmity between us?"
"Say, rather," continued the other,
"that he aimed at driving me out of
town. He did not like the surveillance
I kept over Miss Rogers; it interfered
with his schemes;"
"True," replied the other, turning
pale. "If he is the conspirator you
deem him he has another victim in
prospect. Whither has the man gone?
I cannot rest till 1 see him in custody."
"That we may hope to do soon," asserted
Mr. Gryce. "Ever since we
knew that the Signorina Valdi, otherwise
Miss Rogers, had come to this
place unprotected we have kept a detective
here to guard her. Though you
do not know Mr. Byrd, who understands
his business too well to make
himself conspicuous, he knows you
and^this other Mr. Degraw and all the
rest of the persons connected with this
affair. That he should have suspected
your valet and followed him into this
other gentleman's rooms to-night (as
we know he did) adds to my own conviction
of your valet's guilt. My colleague
is now upon this fellow's track,
and if nothing unforeseen occurs we
shall presently have the pleasure of an
introduction to him under circumstances
that will make his escape impossible."
This was encouraging, yet the gentleman
he addressed still showed that he
was very anxious.
"And, meanwhile," he suggested,
"who is watching over Miss Rogers?"
At this question, so forcible and unexpected,
the artist started and a thrill
of emotion disturbed the countenance
of the detective.
11, CUJUliUUCU 11JC11 UU91, ci ,
acy has been formed of the nature you
describe, and every girl who seems to
stand in the way of its success is liable
to death or dishonor, how shall we
measure the peril now hanging over the
head of this beautiful woman, who, as
any one can see, has not only attracted
my admiration, but so won my regard
that no doubt can remain in the mind
of any one acquainted with my'purposes,
of the direction which this trust
money will take when it definitely
leaves my hands. Barton has been
anA io- rrmninsr awav. VOU
lli^uvtuvu uuvi ?w * ?? ? 0 ? , ?
say, but Barton may not be the only
enemy she has in town. A plot involving
60 much money is sure to have
more than two persons concerned in it.
How can we tell, then, that the woman
who brushes her hair has not sworn to
kill her before morning?"
"True," asented the detective, "there
is no telling from what quarter the
blow may come."
"She does not fear- any blow," put
in the artist, with increasing agitation,
"and that makes her position only
less secure. This villain?Barton, I
mean?has so convinced her that the
peril which surrounds girls of her
name is in her case directed: not toward
herself, but toward one whom she honors
with her regard that she is abso?
lutely reckless as to her own safety,
and will court any danger unflinchingly."
"Then," declared Mr. Degraw, with
firmness, "we must dispel this danger
*? - ?/?< Ar?/io lof Vim* ho
it ueusive uuu vuvt jv-t ?v* wv
known ns the legal owner of these
millions, and there will no longer be
any motive for injuring her. It is only
while they remain in my hands and
subject to the peculiar disposition
which I am under promise to make of
them, that the cause of these conspirators
can be helped by her injury or destruction."
"That is so," quoth the detective.
To be continued.
New Beacliy Head Llelithouse.
In 1S28 a lighthouse was erected on
one of the seven white cliffs of Beachy
Head, the well-known headland on the
south coast of England. The height
of the light above the sea was 2S4 feet,
the cliff itself being 2-12 feet above
tide. The lighthouse was originally
built 100 feet back from the^edge of the
cliff. Of late years, several heavy falls
of chalk have occurred, and the structure
is now less than seventy feet from
annihilation. It is evidently simply a
question of time when the whole mass
of masonry and iron will fall into the
sea. This has led to the construction
of a new lichthouse on the' sands below
the cliff. This has just been completed;
its light was shown first on October
2. It is 142 feet in height, and built of
stones, each oue of wh*ch is dovetailed
into its neighbor, so that the whole
mass really consists of one immense
boulder. Its light is made by an oil
vapor burner working on the Kitson
plan, and is of 2-10,250 candle power.
It gives two flashes every twenty seconds.
The old Beaehy Head light gave
22,000 candles. The new light not only
gives ten times (he light, but uses only
one-tenth of the oil required for supplying
its predecessor.
Woman1! Dream.
When a woman really loves a man
she pictures to herself the day when
he will come to her with some great
grief and sob with his head in her lap
until he arises eomfortcd and strong.
--New York Pre.??.
| Hi* Motto.
Til? stock broker's motto is: "If nt
irst you don't succced, buy, buy |
I. ^ain."?rbilade.pliiu Kceord.
=>
4
A SERMON FOE SUNDAY ed;
ei
A BEAUTIFUL DISCOURSE BY THE REV. tl
DR. C. L; COODELU J
. d<
D
Subject: A Sure Method With Donbt?Do r
noi i>r jnupaneiik nuu n, umj mi
tinne to Move Toward the Light Yon w
Do See?Truth will Free You. ^
t
Brooklyn, N, Y.?Sunday morning, in er
the Hanson Place M. E. Church, the Rev. pi
Dr. Charles L. Goodell preached on "A ?'
Sure Method With Doubt." The text waB ol
taken from Daniel v:-16, "And I have Vl
heard of thee that thou canst make inter- V1
pretations and dissolve doubts." Dr tj
Goodell said: bi
If Daniel were alive to-day, with his T1
ability to dissolve doubts unimpaired and t'
unimpeached, he would be tne busiest tl
man of his time. And yet ours is no n
more an age of doubt than any other hi
which preceded it. There was infidelity w
a hundred years ago in our universities ?:
and a flippant skepticism among educat- |e
ed people which is now quite outgrown,
but it will always remain true, that every is
generation must settle its own doubts. ?
The generation is made ud of the indi- B
vidual and the great questions of the soul n'
nr? nercnnal fillPBtiotlK. Thev milst be
wrought out for the most part by individual
stress and struggle. There are tl
phases of doubt that receive greater em- b
phasis than others at a given time. In one st
generation a deistic philosophy seems to w
triumph in another agnosticism is at the "w
fore. The generation now passing has
fought out the great battles of evolution P
and we may fairly say that its theory is It
in no way a menace to the Christian faith, n
There have been hot battles on the field tl
of biblical criticism. Positions once held ai
by the two great forces have been proven
untenable and the orthodox party by giv- tr
ing up what could not be defended has j*
made its position stronger than ever be- ir
fore. n
The doubts to which I wish to refer and ^
which I would be glad to scatter as spec- 7'
ters of the night are not so much of the n
theoretical as of the practical sort. They 01
are the kind which make stout men weak, ?'
which paralyze great upward movements "
in society, and cut the nerve of personal o:
devotion. P
It is not strange or unreasonable that ?
we should have doubts. We begin life
knowing nothing. We journey in the A
land of the unknown at every step. We ai
investigate and experiment and question. "
Little by little with material brought frpm *
the unknown we Duna ine structure
which we call knowledge, and in doing V
this wc form a habit which masters us. It v
will not let us rest. Life has become a "
great interrogation point, and our jour- 11
ney a voyage of discovery. We sail into n
every beckoning bay. One is a fair har- ?
bor and nothing beyond; another a stretch jl
of sandbar and shoal and we are fortunate
if we are able to put again to sea; while jj
another proves to be the mouth of a d
n-eat river ud whose tide we go to glorious
discoveries in a delectable country. '<
The man who thinks cannot stop his 0
thinking. Often he is mocked by it and a
pitilessly punished, like some adventurous y
mountain climber, but climb he must s!
though he fail in his quest. cl
"That low man seeks a little thing to do, s]
Sees it and does it; %
This high man with a great thing to M
pursue a
Dies ere he knows it." y
It is no wonder, then, that we are driv- P
en to doubt, for life is too short to know y
all. o
It is not to be wondered at that our "
doubts concern themselves chiefly with k
religious truth. In the very nature ol Jthings
religious truth is supernatural. It s]
is not so much contrary to, as beyond, our ci
senses. Its principles are not like the ax- .
. -t xl TUo an|/> fiPM ot f?
10ms OX mainemnuice. xuc nuv.v
religion is beyond the realm of the senses C
and of scientific rules; therefore, it is to t!
be wondered at least of all when we find b
that in this field speculation and doubt si
run riot. f]
There is another fact to be considered t!
which Horace Bushnell states admirablv: y
' Our faculty is itself in disorder. A brolc- If
en or be?t telescope will not see anything v
rightly. So a mind wrenched from its true
lines of action, discolored and smirched t:
by evil, will not see truly, but will put a f<
blurred, misshapen look on everything, a
Truths will only be as good as errors and n
doubts as natural as they." h
In view of all this, let us have done h
with abusing those who doubt. Doubt c
properly pursued is only knowledge in the t:
raw, and Dr. Parks was right when he p
said: "Infidelity is the ultimate result of n
checking_ the desire for expanded knowl- a
edge." Let us frankly tell our young peo- a
nle that doubt is not a final condition save g
to a dishonest mind. Through the doubt 1
of to-day they will come to the knowledge t
of to-morrow, and let us also remind them t
that what they hold as the truth to-mor- u
row should have great expansive power, r
so that coming day6 will give more light
and add to the proportions of the truth s
"I have heard of thee that thou canst p
make interpretations and dissolve doubts," u
was the K.ing's greeting to the Hebrew, h
mi:- kaH ctnnrt before the h
J-illb same ? _
King's father when he, too, was sore bur- c
dened with mystery. He did not claim g
for his own unaided wisdom the power "
to settle doubts, but stoutly and honestly
owned the source of his power, saying: t
"There is a God in heaven that revealeth v
secrets." It may be said truthfully that o
the only sure method for the solution r
of life's problems and the dissolving of its s
doubts is by entering into right relations q
with Him. If it is objected that one of
the great doubts of life relates to His n
very existence the answer is, Every man y
is conscious of the great ethical impera- t
tive, I ought. This relates him to 6ome f
great law, and hence to some grea-t law t
giver. It would not seem to be a very t
exalted prayer, "Oh God, if there be a a
God, enlighten my soul, if I have a soul," a
and yet even a prayer like that, with an a
honest purpose to follow each faintest ray y
of light, would not be unavailing.
In the matter of dissolving religious u
doubts, the ultimate purpose is everything.
No man ever comes to the truth by being
simply curious. Speculation for speculation's
6ake leads nowhere. The mind is g,
filled with conflicting arguments. It i$ a f,
poor cause which has not something plausible
about it. and so the mind chases if- gl
self from sophistry to sophistry, from con- 8'
troversy to controversy, darkening counsel
and coming out nowhere. 0
The first thing for an honest seeker af- 0
ter truth to do is to pledge himself to g
fcith ao hp finds it. To oiav J
UUIUC U.v tue w uv.. m
fa6t and loose with one's convictions is the j,
first and second death. To fail to use 0
the light we have to refuse to live up to f,
hat we know is right, is to put one's a
self into the darkness of eternal doubt, j,
Plato was right when he said: "Atheism g'
is a disease of the soul before it becomes v
an error of the understanding." French e
atheism was a foregone conclusion when v
one considers the condition of French mor- j
als. Why should a man believe in God j.
when his life was one long rebelling t
against Him? Why should lie not cry
"after us the deluge" when conscious tha-: 1
nothing: but an unfathomable sea ctuld
cover the putrefaction of his lift? When
a man has made up his mind to give hiqj- ,T
self to the sensual and .the material, it is J
hollow mockery for him to profess a de- ?j
sire to know the truth. The truth abides 2
with no man who will not use it. and. on ^
the other hand, if he be, Hke Romanes, F
pure of heart and purpose, he will think 11
hia way out of the darkness into the full 0
light of revealed religion and pillow his; 6
dying head upon a certain faith. Knowing
the life of Shelly we would expect him 11
to be proud to write himself down "an
atheist;" knowing the life of Wordsworth,
we would expect the epitaph in Grass- F
mere Church to read as it does. "To the ^
inemorv of William Wordsworth, a true
philosopher and poet, who, by a special
gift nna calling of Almighty God. whether
he discoursed on man or nature, failed not f
to lift up the heart to holy things, tired a
not of maintaining the cause of the poor s
and simple and so in perilous times wac r
raised up to the chief minister, not on!v s
' 1 1 nn/1 r*n /IVO/I a
Ot noniest poesy, uui/ ui ui^u u-u-ii au.Lu v
truth." li
Before vou seek any further for the dis- 1
solving o? your doubts, ask yourself hon- v
estly the question: "Am 1 unalterably F
piven over to right doir.g? Am 1 ready to
obey the voice within me as steadfastly v
as Socrates obeyed his daemon,' even
though it should cross, my purposes and
bring bitter losses?"
It will be easy to beiieve in immortality r
when we try to live a life trial; is good v
enouirli to last forever. We shall uol I t
\ V.
jubt the fatherhood of God -wien we
ve ourselves to the practice 'of'the brothhood
of man.
Our doubts trouble us and thereby prove
lat doubt is not a state of equilibrium;
e must move on toward the light. Action
the panacea for doubt. Jf any man will
) God's will he shall know His doctrine,
o you doubt the power of prayer? To
hom do you think the reality of that
atter is revealed? Certainl** not the man
ho never prays. Put yourself as best
du can in the attitude of prayer and lisTi
You will then be able to know wheth
God talks back. You have sat in the
2\v for years and you have heard sermons
ithout number on the great fundamentals
I the Christian faith. To some of them
ju have given-intellectual assent, and yet
au find yourself in doubt and uncertainr.
Why is it tbus with you? There can
e but one answer. You have thrown^
ourself in holy surrender at the feet-of
e truth you have known. It costs someling
to do that. I pity the man who had
o Bethel in his life; no place where he
as faced God and duty and said: "I
ill" to the divine "you ought." Paul
ad his Damascus, Luther his Erfurt, Wesy
his Aldersgate, and Brshnell, lecturig
to the students of Yale, said: "There
a storv lodged in the little bedroom of
le of these dormitories which I nrr - God
[is recording anctel may note, allowing it
ever to be lost." '
Do not be impatient with your doubt,
aly be sure that you are moving toward
le lighl you do see. Not what we are,
t wnat we are becoming; not where we
;and, but whence we come and whither
e go?these are the great things about
hich we should be concerned.
The fruit of the tree of faith may be
lucked too soon and it is then valueless.
; takes a full season to ripen the best of
ature's products and there are some
lings in ^faith which only years and frost
nd storm.will bring to maturity.
It has been said that one of the greatest
tlents in religious discovery is the findig
how to hang up questions without belg
anxious about them. Look at them
ow and then as they hang and by and by,
hen you turn some corner of thought,
ou will be delighted and astonished to see
ow quietly and easily they open their eeret
and let you in. I know a great teachr
of mathematics who always kept some
ard problems by him. He would work ,
n one awhile and put it back in his
ocket still incomplete. After weeks or
lonths the problem would be solved and
nother take its place in his thought,
here are manv who say with easy assurnce:
"Lord, I believe," but they have
ever thought enough to have any doubts,
hev have no sympathy with those who
ie for a man or a cause. They could beeve
anything that seemed to be necessary
:r a good position in.society and a com?/?????
The man who is honest
)L laUiC lUCUUiv *uv
lust adjourn some of his questions and
ot be impatient. I expect to carry some
f my questions with me into that larger
fs toward which all men move, but that
ict does not trouble me. Some things I
ave settled and others can wait until the
ay when all mystery shall be made clear.
One of my parishioners some years ago
lught me a great lesson. She was a lady
f culture and refinement. She had been
t the head of a great school for many .
ears. Her eyesight at last failed her ana
he became totally blind. I saw her at the
lose of a service feeling her way up the
isle from pew to pew, that she might
(lake hands with me. The thought of her
reat suffering and loss finally overwhelmed
me and I said with deep emotion
s I clasped her hand: "'It will be light up
onder and you will know why God has
emitted this great affliction to enter
our life." She lifted a face transfigured
y ineffable peace and said: "If I am so
appy as to get to heaven, [ shall let byones
be bygones and shall not. trouble the
iord for any explanations." If one has a
pirit like that, whatever doubts he has
an wait.
Remember finally that there are but a
?w things that are absolutely necessary to
!hristian faith. Be 'sure that you have
hem. whatever the price demanded may
e. Do not try to make a bargain for a
r~ ?i /.mirao That is an aw
lie arm JJieuaaui. wuiav.
ill mocking of the truth. But having setled
the great problems be assured thlt
ou need not be greatly troubled about the
sser ones. Men have set up standards
rhich God never ordained.
We have multiplied dogmas and docrines
to the confusion of the mind and I
ear to the joss of the soul. Worse than
11 men have forgotten that right living is
lore important than right views. They
ave burned heretics to get rid of their
eresy, and have banished good men beause
they disagreed with them. Have paience
with other men that they may have
atience with you. Let your life recomlend
your creed. Right opinions will
vail us no more than they avail the devil
nd his angels unless we hold them in the
olden chalice of a pure and honest life,
.'he great truths of life are not simply inellectual
truths and the method by which
hey are revealed are not chiefly intellectal.
With the heart man believeth unto
ighteousness.
Doubt which is in moral earnest is a
ervant of God to bring the truth. It has
receded all great reforms in the individal
and in the community. A faith which
as been forged out through the awful
leat of doubt is the only kind that beomes
an anchor to the soul. It is worth
oing through the fiery furnace to find
the form of the Fourth."
The conviction which honest doubt leads
? ?v:?k Viqo eVialren the
o is tbe convicuou wmvu ~
rorld. Do not scorn any man, and least I
f all the truth he holds. Keep the integrity
of your mind. Think honestly, think
eriously, for life's questions are solemn
uestions.
Do not be obstinate and refuse to own a
iew truth which contradicts some position
ou once held. Above all things realize
hat the truth is the only thing that will
ree you from an evil life. The verdict of
he aces and the verdict of the facts is
hat the truth is to be sought in a personlity
and not in a theory, and no one has
risen to dispute His words who said, "I
m the truth." It is to Him that I ask
ou to come. Well may you sav to Him:
'I have heard of Thee that Thou canst
fiake interpretations and dissolve doubts."
True Forgiveness.
Phillips Brooks once beautifully decribed
the meaning of true forgiveness as
allows:
"The true sign of forgiveness is not
ome mysterious signal waved ' from the
ky; not some obscure emotion hunted out
i your heart: not some stray text culled
ut of your Bible; certainly not some word
f mortal priest telling you that your
atisfaction is complete. Ihe 6oul full of
ocnnneive love to Christ and ready long
- -tig,
hungry to serve Him, Is its own sign
? forgiveness. Must there not be sorrow
or sin? Must there not be resolution of
mendment? Surely there must, but it
5 not sorrow for sin for the sake of the
orrowfulnesa that Jeaus ever wants. He
rants sorrow for sin only that it may bring
scape from sin. * * * I think that,
rith all we'know of the divine heart of
esus, He would far rather Bee a soul trust
lim too much, if that ie possible, than to
rust Him too little., which we know is
ossiblc enough."
Sunshine of Praise.1
Jf you see anything that is worthy of
iraise, speak of it. Even if you cannot do
worthy deed yourself, commend one who
!oes. Praise is a power for good; both
*od and1 man prize it. No prayer is comilete
wnnout praise. The be6t worker for
lis fellows who fails to give praise fails
f doing as well as he can. Mrs. Stowe
tates the truth effectively when she says:
Praise is sunshine; it warms, it inspires,
b promotes growth: blame and rebuke
ain and hail; they beat down and beIraggle,
even though they may at times be
lecessary" Do we do our part in givng
praise. "-Sunday-School Times.
IVhat Better?
Tfc is not. of course, the highest argument
or Christianity, but it is always wen xo
sk one who is refusing Christ what subtitute
he has for Him. Upon what is he
dying to escape from his sins? What
ure comfort has he for his sorrows? What
vidence has he of immortality? Whence
las he earned certainty as to the character
of God? What UDholds him in his
i-ork in the world? Where >. oes he find
lower to eonquer temptation? Often, if
man can be made to see his poverty, he
fill seek the true riches.
The Rudder of the Day.
The first hour of the morning is the
iulf.er the day. It is a blessed baptism I
. hu ll giv?s the first waking thoughts into '
he bosom of Cod.?Henry Ward iSeeeher.
: .
h
>
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JANUARY 24;
yi v / <
' tjpn .r-r ! ?
Subject: Jesus Rejected at Nazareth. Lnlc?
iv., 10-30? Golden Text, John i., 11?
Memory Verges, 18, 19?Coremontar
on the Day's Lesson.
T. Jesus preaching in Nazareth (v$. IC'21).
16. "Came to Nazareth." This was a
trying visit. His own people were in no
mood to receive Him. hut Jesus verv DroD*
erly opens Hns public work in Galilee at
Hie own home. "His custom was:" This
is a good example for us. There are many,
evidences that Jesus had fixed religious
habits. "Synagogue." The synagogues
were not in use until after the Babylonish
captivity. They could only be, erected
where ten men in easy circumstances
(called "men of ease") could be found to
attend them. The people sat with thenfaces
toward the temple; there were "chief
seats" for the elders, and the women sat
by themselves. "Sabbath day." We
should, on the Sabbath day, always avoid
work, conversation and reading unfit for
the Lord's day, and give ourselves to spiritual
exercises. This was His custom. If
He needed the means of grace surely we
do. "Stood up." They stood up to read
the Scriptures,.but sat down to teach. The
whole congregation stood during the reading."
17. "Esaias." Greek form of Isaiah.
"Opened the book." The roll. The Scriptures
were written on parchment, with two
rollers, so that as they were read ?ne was'
rolled on and the other rolled off. The
portion selected was Isaiah *61: 1, 2.
18. "Spirit?is upon Me." This was
given Him as Hie baptism. "Hath anointed
Me."' I have been set apart for this
very purpose. This is the first great qualification
of a true preacher. "The Gospel."
Good news concerning Himself, His mission
and the deliverance He brings. "The
broken hearted." Those overwhelmed
with sorrow for their sins or sufferings.
"The captives." The gospel comes as a
great moral emancipation proclamation to
those in bondage to sin, evil habits or the
devil. "The blind." The spiritually blind.
THp liorht. of the world has aDneared?one
who is able to unseal blind minds as well
as blind eyes. "Bruised." As the great
Dhysician He comes to heal those who are
broken and crushed because of sins committed.
The "wounds, and bruises, and
putrefying sores" may now be "closed"
and "bound up" and healed. Note the
difference between the prophets and Christ:
They proclaimed liberty, He sets at liberty.
19. "Acceptable year of the Lord."' A
reference to the year of jubilee. Lev. 25:
8-17. This was the year when, 1. Debts
and obligations were released. 2. All Hebrew
servants were set free. 3. Each resumed
possession of his inheritance. This
was a type of gospel times. The genuine
jubilee year goes beyond the gospel picture.
The liberty proclaimed is soul liberty.
20. "Closed the book." Rolled up the
roll. "To the minister." The ruler of the
synagogue or his servant. "Sat down."
See on verse 16. This indicated that He
was through reading and wa& now about
to teach. "Eyes?fastened on Him."
Many things contributed to arrest their attention:
1. The report of His teachings
and mighty works which had preceded
Him. 2. The remarkable character^of the
words He had read. 3. His manner and
bearing. 4. The fact that they knew Him
so well. 5. The unction of the Holy Spirit
upon Him.
r ?< ' ~ ? ? Jf TT~
21. ".fuiniiea in your eans. jzc a?
their condition and He knew that He
could save them., He is prophet, physician.
Redeemer,' deliverer. They are poor
captives, blind arid bruised. He stands before
them with the calm consciousness of
power "to grapple with and overcome all
their miseries."
II. The discussion (vs. 22-27)-. 22.
"Bare Him witness." "Gave signs o? approbation."
"Gracioup words." This passage
and John 7: 46, give us some idea ?f
the majesty and sv/eetness which characterized
our Lord's utterances. "Joseph's
Son." How can it be possible that tne jon
of this obscure family?a carpenter who
has made furniture for our houses a man
without education, without rank or office
?that He should be the Messiah, the King
of the Jews? * .
23. "Ye?say." Jesus shows that He
knows their thoughts. "Proverb." Or
parable; denoting any kind of figurative
discourse. "Physician, heal Thyself." That
is, they would ask why He did not perform
miracles in Nazareth?at home, instead of
at Capernaum. Jesus had, only a few
months before, healed a nobleman's son
at Capernaum (John 4: 46-54), and this
was probably only one example of many.
"Do also here." Let us see Your power.
The best modern equivalent is. "Charity
begins at home;" do something here.
Work a miracle and prove* to us that You
^ "Tr? TT?fl mvn ponn
are me iuessiau. ?. ?
try." No prophet is received in his own
country as he is elsewhere. It is wry difficult
for any people to believe in the greatness
or power of one who has grown up
among tnem. This is the reason He gives
for declining to work miracles in Nazareth.
Their unbelief hindered Him. He
would not display His power merely to
gratify curiosity.
25. "'I tell you.". He now proceeds to
show how Elijah and Elisba, two of their
greatest prophets, had' gone to the Gentiles
with their blessings, and that by divine
direction, while many in Israel were
suffering unnoticed. "In the days of
Elias." See 1 Kings 17: 1-9. "The heaven
was shut up." There were two rainy seasons,
called the early and Jatter rains.
"The first fell in October, the latter in
April. The first prepared the ground for
the seed, the latter, ripened the harvest.
As both of these were withheld, consequently
there was a fjreat famine." 26.
"Save unto Sarepta." Greek form of Zarephath.
Elijah was not sent to the widows
of Israel, but to a widow of Zarephath?&
village on the Mediterranean coast.
27. "Eliseus." Greek form for Elisha.
The meaning of these two verses is, God
dienenses His benefits when, where and to
whom He pleases. No Derson can complain,
because no person deserves any good
from Hi', hand. Jesus mijrht justly do the
same in the displays of His grace. Thus
He showed that His blessings were intended
for Gentiles as well as Jews.
"Naaman." See 2 Kings 5: 1-14.
Til. The rejection (vs. 28-30). 28.
When their race prejudices were struck
they at once "were filled with wrath."
prejudice is stronger than reason. They
couid not give countenance to a preacher
who even inferred that the Gentiles whom
they hated so bitterly, could be blessed.;
29. "Brow of the hill." Nazareth spreads
itself out upon the eastern face of a mountain,
where therf- is a perpendicular wall
of rock from fortv to fifty feet high. 30J
"Passing through." His escape from thenij
was no doubt miraculpus. They desired to
see a miracle and here they had one.
Feak ?f Moant Tacoma Falls.
In Washington a great rock and land
slide has reduced the height of Mount Tacoma
and changed the entire configuration
of the southeastern peak of the great
mountain. As near as can be ascertained
at least the greater Dortion of the highest
peak of the mountain, the one that rises
from its southeast slope, has toppled over,
and millions of tons of rock and eartb
were precipitated down the side of the
mountain for a great distance. The altered
configuration of the peak shows that nun
dreds of acres of rock must have fallen.
Finger Tip Worth S400.
The Monumental Manufacturing Company.
of Baltimore. Md.. has been ordered
to pay $400 to Miss Maggie Wallace, an
emplove, hv the sealed verdict of a jury.
The nlaintiff allezed that the tip of one of
her fingers had been cut off in a stamping
machine, and whenever she touched anything
with the tip of her affected finger
she fell in a fit.
Canal in Mountain.
The first shovelful of dirt has been
turned on the Huntley Flats irrigation
project, intended to reclaim 30.000 acres.
A canal fifteen miles long, piercing a small
mountain will be constructed at a cost of
$60,000.
Italian Exposition in 1905.
The completion of the world's longest
tunnel, bimplon. it to be celebrated in 1905
at .Milan, the nearest important Italian
e?.y- an international exposition, for
which a fund cl' $000,000 has been raised.
_
mreevKHsJi
A Prayer of Gratitnfie.
Lord, for the erring thought
Not into evil wrought;'
Lord, for the wicked will %
Betrayed and baffled still;
For the heart from, itself kept, <
'* Our thanks giving accept.
For ignorant hopes that were
Broken to our blind prayer; .
For pain, death, sorrow sent.
Unto our chastisement; '
For all loss of seeming good,
Quicken our gratitude.
?W. D. Ho well A,
.' * *
i i
A Lost Opportunity. . v
It was the Sunday before Christmas '
Chwstmas cheer was everywhere?in the ?
fragrant wreaths of evergreen, in the joyous
strains of church choirs, in the emiH
ing faces of men. women and children, if
seemed as if pain and loss and struggle
and failure and death were forgotten ifll y
the joy that Christ was born. yY.
But not even Christmas could ease til8 /
ache of one heart. In al! the great city
there was probably , no. woman more
wretched than Agnes Farrar. .She had
once had all that seemed best *b;
health, beauty, wealth, charm, lege. Sbe
had had them, and had spent tb^e>. She vl
had chosen ten years before to % ignore
the requirements of her world and to become
a law unto herself. She had founa
the fate which surely waits for a woman
who** so chooses. On Chriiftmafc 'Sunday!
she faced the truth. Her money was
gone. She had bartered her health for
Ei | leasure. Only faint traces remained ot
l| er heauty and her grace. Of the abun- I
cant loves once given her without stiht* . i
sne had chosen the cheapest and poorest, . i
and the last fragment of that was gone. i ]
"I've come to the end of it all! she
said to herself, as she. stood before the
dull mirror in her cheap lodging an Christmaa
fiitnflav mnrninft . Wlfll fHftt WAT(f
'UU J ?JUUUl*J , , I W w. ?
upon her lips she resolved to go to church
?for the last time. She thought with a'
bitter sinile that she would at least be
warm there. > ' ' ,
She entered the church as if in a dream',* j
As fihe w&s shown up the broad aisle a'
flood of memories swept over her. >An? j
niem and Scripture lesson and pcaves j
pa-ssed unheeded." One scene after anotne^ ]
of her life unrolled before her inward viaf
ion, until she was suddenly conscious thaiV
she was weeping, and that a gracious woman
beside her looked at her with fjentle?
pitying eyes.- She roused herself ana
turned her face up to the preacher. He
had been speaking some minutes, although
she had caught no word of the sermon* ,
Now this was what she heard: #
"One night a man was groping his way
done across a dark and dangerous mborJ
Suddenly he slipped and fell into a deep ,
pit. In vain he cried for help. In "Vain
be struggled to climb up the steep sides *
of the pit. Morning broke, and found him
wounded, thirsty, exhausted, despairing. *
?rn xi ~ fK?
1UCU mere came iu ^uc uiuuiu v? v?w
Eit a Buddhist. He looked down at'the "
roken figure and said, '0 wretched man* J
your struggles are useless, and your suf-j
fering is because of your struggles. "Cease,
to desire to Jive and all will -be wetf. sFix
your thought upon eternity, and present-'
I" you will find Nirvana/ and the Buddhist
passed on.
"Then there came a student of Confucius.
He also bent over the pit to' see .
whence the cries csme. I hen he said,
poor man, I see plainly that you have/
disobeyed the great moral i laws of . this
world. You have neglected to reverence
your parents or the st^te. If you yiere
up here I would gladly instruct you in
these duties, but as. you are quite in cap-'
able of getting out, I must leave you.' |
'"Then there came a Mussulman, and'he
counseled patience and belief- in >one God,
and also went his way. '< < \
But at last there came a Christian. .He
leaned over the pit, and he called to. the
man, who by this time- was almost dead.
'Courage! Courage, my brother! ' We will
help you. I was once in that very pit
myself. Be of good cheer; keep yoar
hope a little longer and I _ will ieturp/
Then the Christian burned away, ?na
quickly returned with men and ropes and/
food and drink. They all worked together
to lift the injured man out of the pit; j
and among them as they worked his dim
eyes seemed to see a strange Figure, Kke
as it bad been the Son of God. So pres-.
ently the man was saved from hia? dire
extremity, and was carried by strong, lov-',
ias: hands to his journey's end." .
The woman in the pew hung on ibe
preacher's words. When theyi ceased she
fell upon her knees as he gave the benediction.
There was a hushed moment, and
then the congregation rose and began to
move slowly out. The lady in whose pew,*
the woman bad sat glanced at her tear-'
Stained face. She thought quickly, "That'
woman is in trouble.1 She looks' as if she
had been hearing her own story. I woader
'if I dare*-speak to h?r?" ''
While she hesitated a friend whispered*
"What time to-morrow can you come to ,
the Christmas sale?" 'The two moved
down the aisle talking auietly. Agnee
followed thein?hoping she knew not
what. They halted at the door and others
joined them. "What a thrilling sermon!"
6aid one. "I never heard him
more inspired." answered another.
'Jne woman, now very pale, listened for
a few minutes to their friendly chat. She
heard one call back. "A merry Chriatmaa i
to you all!" and then as the vestibule
was almost empty, she made her way out.
A fire, dry snow was falling, and the wind
was bitter cold. 4
* * a
i For an instant salvation naa seemea
I possible to hc-r. although she know not
now. But the moment of hope had passed.
x ne black pall of temotation, failure and^
despair wrapped it3elf again around her,
and hid her forever from the eyes of thoaj
who might have rescued her.
The next day the preacher said to one
of his most useful parishioners, "Who was
that striking woman in your- pew yesterday
?" ,
"I never saw her before," Rhe replied. .
"Do you know, I was almost tempted to
speak to her after service; she seemed
much moved by >he sermon. But some
friends came up. and she slipped away."
"I wish you had snoken to her," eaid
the preachcr.?Youth's Companion.
Life a Reality.
Life is reality?a useful, usable, noble
realitv. Happy, too. when once the grim
idol Self has been dethroned forever. For
it is a truth which we all have to learn?
oftentimes through many a bitter lesson?
that we can never be happy until we cage
k trying to make ourselves so.?Dinah Mulock
Craik.
Simply Way* Up the Mountain.
Trouble and labor and weariness ar?
simply ways up the mountain of loftier
destinies. Tears may be given to wasn
our eves that we may see these loftier
destinies more clearly.
"The grave itself is but a covered bridge
Lead fog from light to light through a
brief darkness."
Rejoice then even in the difficult and
darkened ways: the reason in them is just
larger, loftier life.
The Best Advice.
Whatever you do, begin with Qod.?
Matthew Henry.
Experiments "With Radium.
Dealers complain that 750,000 pounds
sterling per ounce, widely quoted as the
price of radium, is too high. In Franc?
and England and Austria chemists aro
working wherever they think it is possible'
to extract a milligram. Professor Himstedt,
of Freiburg, has made an interesting
discovery. His experiments have provecf
that all the products of water and petro-'
leum sources yield a heavy specific gas
which closely resembles and is probably,
identical with the emanation of radium,'
from which he concludes that a very largo
niimhpr ni bodies are imbued with a nual-'
ity emitting a kind of becquerel rays. In B
this resDect radium differs from other bod- H
ies in the degree onlv in respect to magnevfl
tism as stetl differs from iron. . H
l