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jrp r ' . * W- ' >fKSi^HBZE8B H A-^at'I : J^mil M J9r%m JfWe J&tf* Ffttt lift I By Anna Katharine Green, f COPYRIGHT, 1B80, BY ?C CHAPTER XXXIV. ' NEW FEARS. 'As Mr. Dograw rushed from Miss Hogers' presence a woman was passing through the hnll against whom he inadvertently ran. Shocked at his discourtesy lie drew hack, surveyed with a startled air the woman he had jostled and mechanically stretched forth his arm to detain her. But she. without noticing this gesture or his muttered words of apology hastened up stairs, and as he had no excuse for following her lie could only vent his doubts and fears in the exclamation: "It is the Portuguese! I am sure it Is the Portuguese! She is disguised; she is well disguised, and looks like a respectable "working woman, but 1 lenow her walk and cannot be deceived In the stoop of her shoulders." She was going up 10 Miss Rogers' rooms. She had evidently come from the street for she wore a bonnet and a long cloak, but she went up with aD assured and accustomed step like one la mi liar with tbn way. "My darling!" thought he; "is my darling already under the paws of this wolf, without knowing it?" A servant girl coming along at this moment he stopped her. "Who is that woman who is just going up?" he asked. "That Is Miss Rogers' hairdresser," the girl returned in evident surprise-. "She comes every day to arrange Miss Rogers' hair for the evening." ^ T-T? e+nnrl nwhnct mnrtifiPil and Tier plexed. Could he liave been mistaken? He was not ready to Jhink that. "Is this woman a foreigner?" he inquired again. "She speaks English." was the rather ' unsatisfactory answer. The Portuguese did not, or rather pretended that she could not. Was he mistaken? He looked toward the parlor door and hesitated. Never in his life before had he known what it really was to struggle with an overmastering Jmpulse. To leave the signorina with this doubt in his mind seemed impossible, but. to go back! He dared not do that, for it would/ ^certainly bring defeat to his purpose. No, he must trust Ibis matter to the police; be could not meddle "with It himself, but? He tore himself away, he rushed out of the front door, and went immediately in search of Mr. Byrd. That gentleman received this intelligence with on expression of mingled surprise and satisfaction. "We have been searching for the Portuguese," said he, "but never thought of looking for her in Miss Rogers' house. She is disguised, you say?" "Admirably, if the woman I saw is ehe. Her very complexion is changed, : and in her present, dress she looks quite respectable. If 1 had not been in a very sensitive condition I do not think I should have felt a doubt concerning her. It was the sudden shrinking of my nerves that made mc look at her." "And you saw traits that assured ( you that it is she?" "Yes and no. I thought I saw a like - 1 A.nnMi, 1,,,+ 1 am ' lltrbS ill Alex iu /vuiiri.(4i, imh wimi * sure .of is that I felt a gre.it physical revulsion at the sight of her, just the . revulsion I experienced "when I first beheld the Portuguese's old ugliness j Jn conjunclion with my?with ]Miss Rogers' youthful innocence and beauty." "And is this all?" *" "Ali? But it is enough, Byrd, to make you look into 1 lie matter. Remember I shall not sleep till 1 hear whether this creature, who evidently fcas daily access to Miss Rogers, is aD | honest woman or not." "I will go up immediately to the bouse." "And if it is the Portuguese?" f "She shall be looked after." ' 1 r "Byrd, I trust you. You know how much I have at stake and how reasonable I consider my fears. Yon have yourself said that you thought it possi ble that the Portuguese "would be lively to carry out the schemes of Montelll. If she has lost all hope of making anything out of the heiress she can. at least, show her hatred ami "wreak her revenge. These foreigners are so vindictive. "We will -watch her." "And 1 may sleep?" "Soundly." "You are a good fellow, Byrd. 1 never thought the day would come when it would be a matter of satisfaction to me to have a friend among the police. Byrd smiled, but somewhat constrainedly. He was evidently not in as candid a mood as usual. But Degraw did not perceive this; his mind was relieved and he was almost angry. "Shall I hear from you to night?" lie asked. "Yes, if there is anything to disturb yon; otherwise not." "Then I will go." "All right, but tell me one thing first. IW.is this woman so different in appearance from the Portuguese as to be likely to Impose upon Miss Rogers?" "I think she was, if she showed as much skill in altering her conduct and manners as she did her dress and expression." "I do not think it is the Portuguese," asserted the detective. "She would not run 60 great a risk for mere vengeance. But we will see. She can't deceive the police even if she can the bright eyes of her old mistress." And the twu parted. Mr. Degraw did not. hear from the police that night nor the next, nor in all the days that elapsed before Miss Aspinwall's reception. CHAPTER XXXY. BEFORE THE RECEPTION. It was li o'ciock anci time Tor Miss Rogers to dress for Miss Aspinwall's reception. Sh6'was in her room alone, and before lier lay spread upon a couch two dresses, one of phiin brown cloth vbich we well know, and the other of Richest velvet tluu bad been hurriedly 'ER * M LIONS.! Author of "Tlie Forsaken ^ i Inn," Etc. IBERT BONNER'S SONS. J& made during the post "weefe. She is gazing at these dresses and deciding the most momentous question of her life. That it is momentous you can discern from the absorbed expression of her face, and that she hesitates is equally evident from the anxiety with which ber eye passes l'rom cloth to velvet and from velvet to cloth, as 6be listens alternately to the suggestions of her heart and the promptings of her ambition. And not her eyes alone but her hands ut'iruy me cuuuiri mat jc? vn within her. For they rest by instants with a loving: touch on the humble material, only to fly again to the richer. Where will they finally rest? The question is between love and wealth. Which will she choose, which, which? She must soon determine; Ibe clock tells of the passage of time. Not much longer can she stand thus, weighing :it her ease these two heavy alternatives. Pear, fascination, awe, tenderness, all expressions and all emotions show themselves in turn upon her face. That she loves him 6he knows; that she will never feel such a wild and ecstatic throb for any other man is equally certain, but shall she sacrifice everything for him? Is it right 1o do so? Is it wise to do so? Is it safe 1o do 60? She grasps the velvet and holds it up against her throat. How warm it feels, how natural and how suitable to her face, her style and her ambition. But the plain cloth wooes her glances nKi.lp and before she knows it the vel vet Las dropped in a heap on the floor nnd she has the eloth dress strained to her heart and her decision is made. But just at this moment a knock If fieard at the door and she flings the dress on the bed and stands palpitating like one caught in a guilty act. It is only the hairdresser who comes every day, but her presence is an interruption, and Ibe young heiress shows it by the loss of her beautiful color which had but a moment before tinted her cheek with roses. Turning her back upon both dresses she bids the intruder come in, and tries to hide her agitation by bending over her dressing table and unloosening the locks of her long hair. But the nest moment she looks up in surprise and drops the curling tresses from her hand. The woman she sees advancing toward her is a stranger, a pleasant faced French looking girl, who, upon meeting Mies Rogers' eye drops a courtesy and says: "I hope mademoiselle will pardon me, but my employer is not well to-day and begged that I would do the hair of mademoiselle. Is it for reception or dinner? And does mademoiselle like it high or low?" Miss Rogers drew a long breath and sat. down with a smile. The fresh voice and lively manner were wel- *' come: they chimed in so with her thoughts. "Dress it low," said she. "I am going to a reception, and I wish to be ilressed simply, but becomingly." She flushed so brightly, looked so lovely, that the young hairdresser could not restrain her admiration. "Ah! what beautiful hair! so black, so wavy, so long. I shall take delight 1 in making mademoiselle- look like an angel." And her deft fingers passed caressingly among the great curls flowing over her hands ami wrists. Miss Rogers ' continued to smile. Suddenly she asked: "Is your employer, as you call her. 1 very sick? What is the matter with bcr?" "I cannot tell, mademoiselle. Eut she is bad, very had. Something sinl- : den; there were doctors with her last night!" "And she sent you here to-dny?" ''Yes, mademoiselle. She did not forget that you would expcct Her. She has much thought, has madame." "Anil Kf? ill?" "All, oui; she may not live til! night. I fool very l)ad for madame." The young lady made a sudden move. "It is distressing," said she, but her ' bright eyes lost none of their brilliance. Indeed, they seemed to seinlillate afresh? Had she her secret doubts of this same hairdresser, antl could she in any way have shared the fears of Degraw? When her hair "was dressed she dismissed the girl and prepared to complete the rest of her toilet alone. The velvet dress was before her on the bed, but she passed it by without a glance and took up the plain brown cloth. "I will be the artist's bride." said she, and vapidly, joyously, donned the garment which conveyed this decision, murmuring as she did so: "His delight will compensate me for all. 1 could not meet his look of disappointment. t 1-1 x * it,. 41>a J I'UUIU LlUl, iUL" Jill iJLie ncitliu 1U luv universe, see scorn take the plnce of 1he loving trust that has always beamed in his face. I love him,, and would risk more than wealth to have him always near me." If 6he did not say these words she thought them, and her fingers flew and the dress was on, and she stood, clad and in her right mind, beamiug at her own image in the glass. "Ah! this is better!" she now cried, sinking on her knees, almost in the attitude of prayer. "I will not regret this; 1 cannot; whereas " She threw a mocking glance at the velvet, and, rising, hung it up in the closet and brought forth her bonnet and gloves. Suddenly her hand flew to her throat. "I have forgotten my talis man," said she. She -went to her drawer and took out a simple locket. It was the only article of jewelry which hpr admirer had ever seen her wear, and she prepared to clasp it about her neck with an air of satisfaction, when she bethought herself to take a peep at the faded forget-me-not which she kept shut within it. But when she opened the locket she did not find the memorial flower which she had once placed there, but a faded paper. Surprised she drew it out and unfolding it read these wordB Jjefore she realized what their presence meant: "I am net-to intrude myself. 1 am ' to forget I have wishes or hopes- I am to remember that he loves her and , that it is for her happiness to love him. 1 am to encourage this love and to lend all my influence toward the preservation in her of those charming qualities i which in adversity made her lovely, and which, if added to her wealth, will make her a mate for the nobles. This is my future task. May God give me strength to acquit myself of it chcer- i lully?" < Hilary's handwriting! Hilary's 1 words! Jenny Rogers held in her liand Hilary's locket, which had in some t way become interchanged with her ' own, for they had them just alike, and j by this chance had she stumbled upon ] that dear friend's secret at a moment ; when her own fate hung trembling in 1 the balance. Jenny Rogers sank, over- 5 com-e, upon a chair and read the words i again, and uttered a cry as she read i them, then sobbed with 6udden, wild ' and passionate grief, then bid her face j with her hands and sat thus for many j minutes, though the clock spoke, with ! every tick it made, of the rapidiy pass- ' ing time. I What were her thoughts? What , could they be but of past hours and i past occurrences in which she had ' shared her companionship with Mr. ' Degraw! She understood now as she j never had before "what certain looks I and changes upon her dear friend's ' countenance had meant. She perceived ( that she herself had not been the only , one to love, and that with the selfish- I ness of a suddenly enriched "woman she had trodden on the heart to whose ( clinging affection and lofty sympathy i she owed much of her prosperity and I a great deal of her distinction. And J she saw more; she saw to what heights ( a generous and self forgetful nature can go, and felt humiliated in her own i estimation as she contrasted the mer- 1 cenary struggle sbe had just been ( through with the firm putting by of every selfish consideration conveyed ( by the words she had just read. { "Hilary would not have hesitated seven days," exclaimed ,Jenny, WTitbing in bitter remorse over the memory 1 of her own weakness. "She would have seen the right way at once and , taken it. She loves him more than I * do. She is worthier of him than I am. ' Sbe would make him a better wife." Then her thoughts flew to the time, 1 when she and Hilary had bought these! 1 lockets. They were in a jeweler's) ; store together, and the whim had si-' multaneotisly seized them to have some i one thing alike, which they could wear' as a symbol of their mutual affection. They decided upon two lockets, identi- \ cal in make and size, and Hilary i bought one-and clasped it about Jen- 1 ny'9 neck, and Jenny had bought the :' other and clasped it about Hilary's,, , and thus had they sealed the bond be-! i tween them with a gift and a smile. ! ^ When the second exchange between, , these trinkets had been made she couldl i not tell, but she thought it mu6t havej i been done when she and Hilary last' * bathed at the beach. They had both. , worn their lockets that day, and as; ] they had used one table for their; ' things the possibility of one of them: j having taken up the wrong locket was1 \ easy. 1 But the. "when" and the "how" of 1 .?: rpK/i 1 mitt Luisume were iiuiuij;ui uiui. au<~ exchange bad been made in some wayv and a revelation had followed which had shaken her to Ihe core of her' being:. Hilary loved Mr. Dcgraw, and be would love Hilary if he.r own unworthy beauty were not ever before him. How could she let all the sacrifice be on one side. How could she c-njo.v her happiness if she knew that her friend was suffering from a despair, the depth and poignancy of which she could faintly measure by the emotions gnawing at her own heart? She could not; though she was J far from perfect she had advanced (line foi- it 1 nficf imr>n tho tn lin selfishness that her friend's ease now occupied her more tlian her own. She could not ignore it; she would not. She had her wealth and a score of unlisted pleasures before her, while Hilary liad tasted of every pleasure save that of which she was about to rob her. Hilary thus left to herself would s-ee no joy in the empty space before her. while 6he could imagine many, I l hough none so sweet, none so satisfy- I ing asithis of bis love. Ah, is the end- | less struggle about to recommence? j No, for in a few minutes, with a deftness and celerity marvelous undor the I circumstances, Jenny Rogers has doffed the cloth suit ber lover was hungering to see and has put on the rich velvet, which means repulse to blm, disappointment to herself and possible happiness to Hilary. To be continued. "Lunuon" Liken It "'ot." It may be that the quality of imagination was lacking in the Boston and Salem merchants who attempted. In < 1842, to introduce American ico into London. One of them tried to attain this end by demonstrating the merits of American iced drinks. He hired a hall?as the story goes?and trained a number of men to mix tbe cool beverages of his native laud. The members of the Fishmongers' Association?presumably as fond of turtle as aldermen themselves?were the guests. The waiters made an imposing entry?but alas! the first sound that met the ear of the American "promoter," expecting a chorus of approval, was that of an English voice calling for hot water, and saying, "I prefer it, all In all." The American completes the story: "I made a dead rush for the door, nest day settled my bills in London, took train for Liverpool and the steamer for Boston, arid counted up a clear loss of $1200."?Atlantic Monthly. Lord Alvnnlcy'* Arivire. A great deal of varied advice has been given to the subalterns in the guards as to what they might have done when their senior comrades subjected them to indignities. From fists to teeth, from canes to pistols, have ranged the weapons "with which they ! are told they should wage war upon "ragging." In the midst of 60 many bellicose enjoinings, one recalls with something like gratitude the quiet counsel given by Lord Alvaney (the present Earl Russell's father) to a young friend who came to him for advice, saying, "Somebody has threat- , ened to kick me?what am I to do if i he comes into the room?" "Sit down," ' said Lord Alvaniey curtly.?London : Chronicle. ; A SEEMON FOR SUNDAY { i 1 SUBJECT : " WHAT ARE THE PERMA t NENT ELEMENTS OF RELICION?" j ' * c t In Eloquent and Forcefnl Discourse toy j 1 he itev. oonu jn. unviunuii-jiiau ? ? lerest the Iucarnation?A Striking Thought About the "Divinity of Man.' Brooklyn, N. Y.?In the Fourth Uni:arian Church. Flatbush, Sunday morning, he pastor, the Rev. John M. Davidson, sreached on "What Are the Permanent Elements of Religion?" He said: In this period of questioning, when old structures of religious faith are being torn iown and new ones are taking their places, ,vhen what seems the very foundation of aith is being removed here and there to nake way for new material, it is well worth our while to ask the question that 6 consequent upon such a condition, What jlements of our religious faith are permalent and are likely to resist the tendency ;o change? It is a question that is agitating more people than ever before in history. We have been told that there is a growing indifference to religion, that men ire abandoning the churches, that paganism has re-absorbed large sections of the country. even Puritan New England ehar? /ficcAlnfinn. ;ug iu tiic j^cu^joi u<i?ov/.?.*.vM. No one can deny that the influence of i the church is not as great as it was when I almost the only educated men were min- i isters. We who occupy the pulpits to- ' iay frankly recognize the fact that the < occupants of the pews are not only our 3 ?quals in intellect, but are capable of giv- j ing us instruction in many departments of ' thought wherein the minister of old time I was held to be supreme. The minister of 1 to-day must recognize his relatively 1 changed condition. He addressee minds I ait least as well informed and as bright as i bis own?and on many subjects more so. ? And he is woefully mistaken and unalert 1 if he does not welcome the change as an i advantage to himself and his work rather < than a detriment. Nevertheless, for the 1 time being, this condition tends to bring i down the church attendance figures and ] to lessen the church's influence. It will J continue to do so until the church finds men who are leaders (if not in intellect) < in the efi'ort for social amelioration. They 1 must be specialists and authorities in 1 their field, as the physicians and lawyers 1 sire in medicine ana jurisprudence. 1 That the temporary falling off in the in- ' fluence of the church as an institution ar- ] gues for an indifference to religion I do not believe. The church has not yet learned its work. It is still delving in theologies and philosophies, when men nre no more interested in the one than the other. Both theology and philosophy Fire vital matters, but the old manner of discussing these subjects cannot now interest men who are touched by the spirit of the scientific age. Until science and the whole new method of thought that follows upon recent scientific discovery have entered into and vivified-theology and philosophy, they will cease to interest or influence man. They have no point of contact with his interest?. But men are interested in religion. This very questioning and unrest proves it. Even the return to paganism, as it has been called, that trend, particularly noticeable in rural New England, away from the formalism of the church and back to nature, it not so alarming as appears at first glance. We are learnine to 6ce that, although for centuries we have called certain peoples "pagans," thinking to give them a bad name and so to avoia more tedious investigation into the character of these same pagans, we have much to learn about religioh, and we may not seldom sit with pront at the Feet of many a pagan prophet.. Men are asking whether, after all, a comparatively small Beet is right and all the rest wrong, or whether there is not a bit of truth in 1 them all. They go further. They ask 1 qow whether that truth may not make ail peoples free; they are wondering whether, ifter all, salvation is to be found with one md universal destruction with the other, whether the Creator of all nations is likely to make one of them His favorite, to jive that one a true and final revelation md to withhold it from all others. Men ire going even further than this in their juestioning. They are putting the religions side oy side for comparison. They ire inquiring whether or not the truth that is in one may not be found occasionilly in another, and they are finding through this comparative etudfv of religions that, at bottom, all are alike. Great ireas of parallel beliefs and aspirations are Found making the claim of exclusive revelation ridiculous. Jn fact, when it is found that every single form of religion on the face of the earth lays claim to an exclusive revelation of some sort, and we find that the term '"heretic" is merely an , f rnnn'e np errmin of men's. :Aj.fiCQOiV;U ' X VI1V Q r , point of view, we begin to open our eyes i to the fact that our own past claims in the j natter may not carry so much weight as j ive had thought. j The discoveries that we have made dur; * ing the last century about the habits of life and the character of thought of the 3ther half of the world, the scientific methods of investigation into the subject of re- ] iigion, it origin, rise and?often?its delay, into religious literatures, and among i them our own Bible, are broadening in ) new, even while, and perhaps because, they disturb our complacency. Religion is j riven a new interest. We find that we i Christians are not the only members of Sod's family, and that there are others ( ivho care for Him as much as we do ?nd | whom He loves as greatly as He loves us. j I say that this is the tendency of men's j minds to day. Hardly do the most of us ldmit the changed point of view as an . iccomplisned fact, even to ourselves, and n many localities the old exc'usiveness is j is impenetrable as ever it was in the dark ! ages. Universally, where religious cxclu- j siveness is found it is accompanied, bred J ind safeguarded by some form of claims to . 5nal revelation or final authority for truth 1 ?some artificial guarantee that the doc- 5 trinp nreaehed in that church in the be- * jinning is now and ever shall be preached ' without change, world without end. That ' such claim is manifestly impossible to sub- J stantiate has never deterred the church from making it. It is one recognition? J though a weak one?that absoiute truth j s unchangeable, and every religion and ' jvery church that claims to have a final ' ind true revelation must, of course, claim J ;o possess a knowledge of that "absolute" ? ivhich Spencer calls "unknowable." Not f jne such body could step forth boldly and 1 ay hold on the great affirmation of to-day. 1 that the faith of to-day is but the stepping c stone to the faith of to-morrow: that revelation is not sealed; that truth is a living thing, growing as we grow; that mankind is saved through perpetual evolu- c tion from lower to higher, or, in other s ivords, by fulfilling one meted destiny of t becoming perfect as the Father in Heaven ( is perfect. Our business to-day is frankly I to admit that the final revelation is ytt a Far ofif and that we have by no means s Found the "absolute" truth. The kn'-wl- e fdge of to-day is but a little section of that t absolute. The thing for us to remember, t ind to take courage from remembering, is t that we are here to enlarge, ;.nd that we t ire enlarging, that section of knowledge. t I have said that whatever religious ex- 1: [ilusiver.ess is found it is accompanied by r some kind of authority purporting to guar- i intee the permanency and integrity of its 1 Faith. The creed has been changed from j its original meaning?"credo, I believe"? \ to an imperative "thou shalt believe." 1 b'rom being a simple statement of an indi- i ridual faitn it has become a formal state- J< rnent of a system of dogma to which all t who would bp saved must subscribe. No t latitude is allowed for individual inter- c pretations or for the Krowth of religions j and theological conceptions. The aim is simply to lay down a body of dogma that embodies iinal truth, and a confession to j which tne whole world must subscribe re- | ( gardlcss of individual reason and unaf- t fected by the- growth of knowledge and i moral consciousness. The attempt nas ai- \ ways failed. There is no erecd that holds the same meaning for us to-day which it s he'd for mankind a century ago. If it is I not now actually changed in form, as iri t the case of a notable number, it is changed t in content to the minds of its adherents. a If we are but willing to open our eyes we s Bhall find that there are hundreds of means of salvation, and each me hod breeds a sect. But what does the method signify beside the tremendous ultimate fact that j all the world is looking for salvation': < Here is the universal and permaneut thing, i U tome wa.v the truth has percolated < hrough every mind that -we are put into hie world m order to grow.1 we *ie uvb iniversallv interested in speculations about Nirvana, or about atonements, or about he "survival of the fittest." nor in the liscussion as to the proper aim, whether or happiness or virtue. Perhaps every >ne is interested in one or another of hese means to the end. but we are all inerested in the outcome?salvation for the luman race. It is a universal longing. It s one of the permanent things of religion. Then mankind has been universally invested in another thing?the incarnation. Ever since man became man and learned :hat there was a power outside of himself .0 which he was bound, he has thougftt of :his power as in some way entering into ind becoming the guiding power of some object of the visible worla. At first it ivas a mere stick or stone, a tree or river )r wild beast'that was the chosen dwelling place of deity. Then in good time the feeing grew that none but man would make a suitable habitation for the Creator; so we rjear of the Greek heroes, "descendants of L~ J? ? Tlmii/lin an si TVlnhir Oracles LUC gUUJ, -..v. -ind of prophets in all lands whose speech was controlled in an especial way by Deity. We hear of a perfect incarnation of Deily in Buddha, born of a virgin, with his divine parentage attested by miracles of various kinds, and teaching that there are many incarnations similar to his own; that whenever the world has advanced to i condition in which its needs are different From the old, God incarnates Himself in a mortal who thereupon becomes a great leader and prophet. Our minds, of course, low revert to another incarnation, that of Sod in Jesus, who also taught that there ire many incarnations; who prayed that His disciples might be one with God as He Himself was one with Him. And again we see the tendency of men to obscure the jreat truth by the particular example. The truth which has most obviously appealed to men is the incarnation of God in a single man, or, formerly, in' a class of men, is prophets or priests. The truth of that snaures, and that has been pointed out by Jesus and all the greatest leaders of men is that of perpetual and universal incarnation. God has breathed the breath of life and has lit the spark of divinity in mankind, for we are His children, made in His moral image, inheritors of His divinity because we are natural eons and heirs. This is the tremendous fact toward which the world is groping. It explains the now proven fact that mankind's trend is upward rather .than downward. It gives us the courage for going on, for keeping up the struggle when to our restricted view the obstacles seem insuperable. It compels us to believe that this world is found?d upon good, that the good is "hastening jn toward immortality, while evil is self destruction. If "God's in His heaven," Sod's in His world as well, the guarantor ?f its fundamental integrity, the inspirer jf every good thing in the heart of man. Do you not see how intimately connected ire the two ideas, the incarnation of God md the divinity of man? Both ideas are jverywhere recurrent in the theologies of the world, thouch their particular expression in one faith is utterly different from that in another, and it is the difference in the isolated expressions of the truth that keeps men apart. The permanent thing, the larger truth must wait upon our further enlightenment and broadening of view before it can bring i^s together. We are learning, it is true. The existence of an unwonted spirit of toleration and unity in religion, the modern armation of the iniversality of spirit shows that we are matching some glimpses of the larger truth that lies behind our incarnations and itonements, our theophanie/s and oracles, aur Buddhas and Jesus of past time. If ive had heard the real message of Jesus and the prophets and poets we should long ago b.ave discovered this truth. To be a man is to be a descendant of God, to be a descendant of God is to be His prophet, His ncamation, the inheritor of His divinity; this is the larger permanent truth, one which is prepared for by every religion that the world has ever known. After having agreed that to do right is the end of conduct, can we not take each Dther by the hand in the fellowship of that profession, even though we may differ as to the adoption of means to that end? If ive all recognize the fact that the salvation )f humanity is the permanent object of all religious effort, then our various methods )f attaining salvation will soon take their jroper places as subordinate elements of * ^ J *? - xL? laitn ana vanaDje according as me ueeua jf men vary. The creed then will be not i Shibboleth by which to save one and to :xclude another, but a covenant of kindred ninda bent upon a common object and Irawn together by the natural sympathy )f similar beliefs. Religion will be no onger made up of religions?some false, some true?but will be recognized as fundamentally a unit wherever man has lifted jp his head and called on the power that s above him. We shall see that the essen:ial elements of religion are not the differences that divide, they are the permanent ind fundamental things upon which all rorm8 of religion are founded, and which, ? ? ^ will imifA mon in tho 1 >VC UUV iCb UlClli, ytju uiiut. uivij < > win. ympathy of common aspirations and inspirations. Seeds Tliat "Will Grow. True culture ie simply soul growth.? Ram's Horn. It is impossible for that man to despair ,vho remembers that his Helper is omr.ipo;ent.?Jeremy Taylor. Your daily* duties are part of vour re'igous life as much as your devotions.?H4 IV. Beecher. There is no self-complacency in feeling mrselves in harmony with the divine, for ;he more you feel so the more yon .'eel that t is God that worketh in you to will and ;o do of His good pleasure.?Gail Hamilton. When I found that it was Christ's nature ;o lift men out of weakness to strength, mt of impurity to goodness, out of everyj; ;hing low and debasing to superiority, I elt that I had found a God.?Henry Ward Beecher. A commanding love has made a homely ace beautiful with aspiration and self-sac ifirp Wh.it mav we exnect when the spirit of God, without measure, breaks hrough a physical nature molded to the perfection of grace and harmony??S. S. -Ielker. If one carefully notices the course, of the vorld, every man. be he religious or irreigious, will come, at the middle or-end of ife, to the same conclusion as David: "I me been young and now am old; yet have [ not seen the righteous forsaken nor his leed begging bread." Not that all is smooth or easy or fortunate; on the conrary, "Many are the afflictions of the ighteous, but the Lord delivereth him out >f them all."?Dinah M. Craik. Good Out of Bluuderp. What we intend to do is an indication if our spirit and purpose. We are responsible lor our words and acts as we endeavor o have them effective for good or ill. But Sod is ever working in love. He often jrings good out of ill, or out of thought ind speech beyond the best motive of a peaker or doer. A co-worker in Christ's ervice in Cuba notes the statement in hese columns that Emerson's search for ruth made discoveries which are helpful o those who think far more of Christ j han he did. Then she wiselv a<ld&:*MHow - ? n? j?? iu;. ...xtr.j IIilL JH I'UJlUUU&iujr uuitc 111 into vvuxiu iiao >een illustrated to me for years. One who nakes a true picture of anything in the iniverse?a leaf or a flower, a shell, a andseape, a cloud or a star, an agony, a oy. or any such thing?may and must repeal to some others more than he himself ias seen. A child describing in a childsh way some new flower might, without mowing it, give valuable information to a >otanist." How good is Hod. to use for he welfare of others not only our best ndeavors. but our very blunders and our loorest efforts! The Alloy of Self. Achievement fused with relf js too brittle 0 stand the test of time. The secret of he success of one who hail accomplished nuch in many fields was well expressed vhen it was .said that lie had learned to oncentrate his powers 011 the result, irrespective of how ihat result would affect limself. Every atom of force deflected oward self becomes friction. Introspecion, self-consciousness and egotism are ill synonyms for wasted energy. Are you triviug to rid yourself of this waste? Example*. The world, lying in sin and sorrow, with 1 thousand desires to he better, simply alls to the church for examples of those vho rise above evil and walk and talk with jlod.?The Rev. Ray Palmer. 1 THE' SUNDAY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR MARCH 20. Subjeirt: lenne Feed* th? Five Thousand. Matt, xiv., 13-'43 ? Golden Text, John vi., 3i?? Memory Verges, '-40, '41 ? lom, luentary on the Day's Lesson. I. The multitude and its great need (vs. 13-15.1. 13. "Heard of it." The death of John the Baptist. "Departed thence." Left Capernaum. He crossed to the northeastern shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. Across the lake Jesus was out of the dominion of the murderer of John, and within the tetrarchy of Herod Philip. "The people." Prom John 6: 4 we see that the i'assover was just at hand, and there were throngs of people going up to Jerusalem. "On foot."' The people, watching the sailing of Jesus across the northern enif of the lake, ran around the northern shore so rapidly that, according to Mark. Jhey "outwent" the boat and "came unto Him' as He landed. "The cities." At this time the western and northern shore* were populous with cities and villages. 14. "Went forth." From the boat. "Compassion." Jesus walked among the pepole. teaching them many things and healing their sick. 15. "Evening." This was in the afternoon. "when tne day began to wear away" (Luke 9: 12). The Jews had two evenings. The first began at 3 o'clock, the sec? J ? a ?i. j? iu:.. ? UIJU ilL U U I'lUCA. ill tins vex DC Hit uiov evening is meant; in verge 23, the second. "Disciples came." By combining the accounts of the evangelists the conversation may be supposed to have been about a9 follows: Jesus said to' Philip: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?'< (John.) Philip replied that "two hundred pennyworth of bread" would not be sufficient for them (John). Then the disciples urged Him to "send the multitude away" that they might purchase food. Jesus said, "Give ye them to eat," where-, upon the disciples in dismay asked if they should go an a buy this great amount of bread (Mark). Jesus replied, "How many loaves have you? Go and see" (Mark). They replied that there was a lad there (John) who had "five barley loaves and two small fishes." II. The miracle wrought (vs. 16-21). 16. "Need not depart." Christ had fed their eouls and healed their bodies, and now He proposes to feed their bodies, and thus show that He is able to provide for all their necessities. John says that the question He asked Philip was for the purpose of proving or testing him, for Jesus knew what He would do. 'Give ye them." Phillip's reply to Christ's question, that 200 pennyworth (about $32 worth) of bread Would not be sufficient, has caused many to believe that this amount represented' the total resources of Christ and His dis-i ciples; and would certainly seem unwise for them to use their last penny for this1 purpose. 17. "We have here." The multitude had not thought of their temporal necessities,! eo anxious were they to see and hear Jesus, and a lad had all that could be' found. "Loaves, fishes." The loaves were round, flat cakes like large crackers. Barley was their poorest fooa. The fish were email, dried or pickled, and were eaten .with bread, like our sardines. Andrewi said, "But what are they among so many?" Hardly enough; "five crackers and two, sardines for 5000 hungry men, besides women and children!" 18. "Bring to Me." Here was the secret. Christ was able. All must centre in Him. We may have but little, but if we ,will give the little we have to Jesus. He will multiply it a thousand fold and pass it back to us, and grant us ,the privilege of/passing it out to the starving, sin-burdened multitudes. : 19. "To sit down." In orderly ranks for the convenient distribution oi the food. Mark says they sat by hundreds and fifties. "Grass." The grass was ready for mowing at this time of the year. "And jtook, etc." Thus, acting like the master of a family among the Jews, who took .the bread into His hands to give thanks to God befose any at the table were permitted to eat. Jesus had one loaf for 1000 men, besides the women and children. ."Blessed." Jesus thus sets us an example; .we should never eat without first thanking God for our food, and asking His blessing upon it. "To His disciples." There has oeen much discussion as to just bow the miracle was performed. Did the bread multiply in the hands of Jesus, or in the hands of the disciples, or, as some think, did the disciples nut a piece' of bread and fish in the hands.of those who Bat at the ends of the ranks- with orders to give it to their companions? Ther^ is no doubt but that the food multiplied all along the line. Jesus handed out to His disciples; it increased in their hands as they handed out to the multitude. 20. "Were filled." Here is one miracle, of our Lord attested by at least 5000 men. nrnhnhlv 10 000 nersnns. No one need ever! leave Christ's table hungry. He is able to-' satisfy every need of soul and body. He! is the bread of life. Whether we demand) "little or much," it is an easy matter for Christ to fill us. There is a fullness in His mercy and love that only those who partake of can understand. "Fragments." Broken pieces which remained over. According to John, Jesus directed them to gather up the fragments, "that nothing be Tost." "Twelve baskets." The word translated "baskets" means pockets or wallets. The twelve baskets were probably the twelve wallets of the twelve apostles, which they carried on their journeys. Jesus evidently intended that He and the apostles wou'd eat the pieces as their needs demanded them. 21. "Five thousand men." There must have been 10,000 to feed. Jesus had arranged theiri so thev could easily be counted. III. Events following the miracle (vs. 22, 23). 22. "Constrained. Commanded. The disciples seemed unwilling to go and leave Him alone. By the exercise of direct authority He compelled them to embark. They went toward Capernaum and Be-thsaida. "While He sent, etc." The multitude would not leave while the disciples were present. 23. "Apart to pray." Jesus was conscious that a solemn and awful crisis had come. He perceived that the people would take Him by force and make Him a king (John 6: 15), and that the disciples were drinking in the same spirit. Where elde would they find a king who could feed his army without expense or / nnlr) rtivf his wm>nr)ed sol 1: UUU1C, tniw - diere by .1 word, who had wisdom and power divine? .Such a kinz could easily overcome the Roman power. But Jesus iesisted them and spent the night in prayer. "Alone.'' Jesus frequently went, alone to pray. If He needed such seasons, much more do we. He remained in the mountain, alone with His God, far into the might. Some time between 3 and 6 o'clock Jin the morning He waiked on the sea to His disciples who were hindered by the wind and the waves in reaching Capernaum. Fasted Forty-nine Days. ' J. G. Myers, a farmer at Joplin, Mo.. ha8 just completed a fast of forty-nine days, and during that time he did not take a bite of food at any time. He says he deaired to starve to death. _ Grows Ncw 1'eeth. George Krause, sixty-eight, years old, of Tamaqua, Pa., suffered from a recent at tack of neuralgia, causing several of his teeth to become loose. They were all ex tracted and new teeth are growing in the cavities. Seven Hundred I/iitmie Let Loose. Seven hundred inmates of the insane asylum at Cienpozuelos. Spain, will be set at liberty, as the General Consulta has refused to vote funds necessary for their mainI tenance. Sicnai Service Makes ix?cord.' The United States Signal Service made the world's record by flashing sun-ray messages between mountain peaks 180 , milea apart. Slept Outdoors Two Year?. ~~ Eussell Leonard, of Warsaw, Ind., has completed his second year of sleeping in the^pen air in all kinds of weather. ( Our Coal Imports. " u ( Tn 1903 the United States imported 2,- i 887,000 tons of coal; 1,532,000 tone in 1902. i ''f: i ^ akufrfos : Gracious Words. We cannot tell how sweet must be ; The heavenly speech they use above; What cadences deep as the sea, J .What holiest phrase or tone of love. j Yet human speech has many a word x< More sweet than angel-lips can sound J Forgiveness, grace in Christ the Lord, Mercy, with loving kindness crowned*' They breathe upon our hearts like songs 1 That swell around, below, above; fl Immortal words on mortal tongues, . ) The words that tell God's wondrous love^ -> We cannot want for words to men, While still we strike the mercy chord; i God grant us power to speak again \ \ The words of life in Christ the Lord! \ V ?Mrs. Merrill E. Gates, in New York Oft T server. J \ What if Christ Came to Oar Town? ; Suppose, one of these-bright mornings* / as you are going about your work and j preparing to go out for the morning er- J rands, a neighbor comes to your^door with 1 face all alight with news and tells yon 5 ffl "TV; J 1 9 t.on.4 (I JLSJV1 JSJll A11U >V i uavc JUU UCCUU wu?? Christ has come to our town? I met Him quite early as I went to the store for something for breakfast. He told me He would come to my house to-day, and I must burr* home to make ready. I thought you would like to know, for He may be here, too. He is to speak over at the cnurch to-night." And with her wonderful news ?ne hurries onward. And you stand there startled. Can it be true! Cnrist come to tho earth again? And how did your neighbor know Him? Yet she must have, for she is one of His veryown. v i And He may come here, to your, owaj bouse, "iou look quickly around. There lies the book you were reading last night/ You hastily put it out of sight and the color rises in your cheeks. It is not abook you would like Christ to find you reading^' And He is to speak at the church tonight. YeSj this is the regular church nrnvpr Tiippfmff nitrhi. Ah! Yfill hnd fnr* gotten. For it is also the night of you? euchre club, and you were to nave enter* tained it. And now? What can you dp? The salad is already made, the cxeam an<J oysters are ordered. Your guests will think it strange. But what will Christ think? You could explain, of course, that you do not approve of having euchres on Wedneat .; day evening, but this was an unusual thing because?but you d? not Kke to think ol\ facing Christ with excuses. \ The invitafiAna mnat. )m> rppatM. tut 1 couree. Yon hasten to "the train to stop YH your husband before he goes to the city to (H his business if possible, and all the -way you say to yourself: "Christ is here; Christ has come to our town! There is opportu- H nity now for men to be saved! That poor drunkard who has tried 60 hard to reform fl and cannot, that sorrow-stricken woman who can find no comfort anywhere may find it in Him. That tick child who w doomed to a life of suffering may be healed!" " >' V...f Then, as .the thought grows upon you, what it means to have Christ come to your town',* you forget your honor over vojir owri'position and how meatfly you * will ap- pear as His follower when He look?-upon you as you really are, and go to eagerly, planning how others may be told of the wonderful news. Your heart sinks at tbe thought that He has come <m a week-day night, and because every one is so gives over to his own plans and pleasures yon ' feel very certain there' Will be but a poor ' showing at the church to-night, not more ' than the usual handful who attend tbe prayer meeting where Christ is always ? > pected of course in spirit. H is a pity He ' could nothavecome on a Sabbath and bad it announced long beforehand. You would have then done your best to ma^e jk knowu and urge such and such a one to come to the meeting, and you would have prayed for a pleasant night that a large audience migtit tie out, ana?wouia yon; Are yon. eure? Has He not been expected at every meeting for prayer that has.been held in His house all these years? Has He not promised to meet there? Have you ever by so -much as a word invited those people, to come and see Him and learn what manner of person He be? Have you ever put off an evening gathering to go to hear Hinfc unless it was more than convenient to dot so? Have you hid away the books yoav have been reading and resolved to read them no more because you would be. ashamed to have Him see you at such books? Have you spread abroad the ne^s of His presence with you and of the wonders He has done for you, even so much as the poor Samaritan woman, who testified, "Come, see a man who toll me all that ever I did!" Marcus Dods says: "The disdplce were good men. but they went into Svchar judcing the Samaritans good enough-. 'to- trade Bffl with, but never dreaming of telling them HK the Messiah was outside their town. Thejr must have been ashamed' to find how much H more capable an apostle the woman was than they. I think tht.v would not wonder BB another time that their Lord ?hould condescend to talk with a woman. The simpie, unthinking, untroubled directness of a Hn woman will often have a matter finished while a man is meditating some ponderous > contrivance for bringing it to pass. Let ua HWi not fall into the mistake of the disciples, H| and judge men good enough to buy and sell |jf|j with, but quite alien to the matters of the HS kingdom. * * * The woman's testimony was enough to excite curiosity. The men, 19 on her word, came out to judge for themselves. What they saw and heard completed their conviction. And they said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not" because MH cf thy speaking, for we have heard for our- KB selves, and know that this is indeed the |H Saviour of the world.' " ?H It is not a fairy tale, nor a parable, r.or. Hfl nil impossibility, tnis supposition oi our topic. "What if Christ should ccroe to BH our town?" He may come. He dee*- come ^B every day. He came to you last week io a HB special answer to prayer and saved a loved HB one from death. He came to you in the BdC silent watches of the nijrht when you communed with Him, and He spoke peace to M your soul. You know He is the Christ. mH And yet, have you told others to come and BIH see? And if Christ should come in real HB bodily presence to-morr-w, would you and BBC 1 be ready or be ashamed to meet Him?? H Grace Livingston Hill, in the New York Mail and Express. BH Progress Means Effort. nB iTou cannot expect to pain without effort BH that which cost Christ all His life?Ram's Horn. HI Realizing God'a Nearness. t fio9| How can the sense that the living God i*8 near to our life, that He is interested in it and v/illing to help it, survive in us, if our life be lull of pretty things? Absorption in trifles, attention only to the mean- HB& er aspects of life, is killing more faith than HB is killed by aggressive unbelief. For if all Bh a man sees of life be his own interest*, if all he sees of home be its comforts, if all lie sees of religion be tho outlines of his H| own denomination, the complexion of his preacher's doctrine, the agreeablencss and ^B| taste of b-3 fellow-worshipers?to such a HMj man God must always seem far away, for BBS in those tHngs there is no call upon cither HQj nund or beart to feel God near. jSfl ~~ Exports or uar Adopted islands."^ vnlno nf rorrriandise brousrhfi ^^B [nto the country during the year 1903 frpm EH blands which have recently come under; HQ the American flag was: Porto Rico, $11,- H 551,195; Philippines, $11,372,584; Hawaii, ^BE $$242,860, a total of $48,666,648, againet EH f20.252.5a3 in 1897. ., Q nvc cnnaren iti on? rear," - EH Mrs. Tracy Lineweaver, wife of a farmer, Hj )f Shenandoah County, about two and a Kl lalf miles east of Edinburg, Pa., ba? pre* H| tented her husband with five children dur- Bfl Dg the past year. Twins were born early n the year 1903 and these were followed ^E| ay triplets a jhs?ltjtime aao, U DH I