The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, April 20, 1904, Image 2
fl A J[ ATI
Jk ^ Mil
I By Anna Katharine Green, j
C0rtR1GHT,.1890, BY f.
CHAPTER XXXXIII.
Continued.
-* - ?*i.:u ),*
Hilary came imo uie ruum wum- w
was talking, and the arrangements for
the evening's ceremony were discussed.
Pew. if any. of thoir friends
were expected to be present, and the
only bridal celebration which they decided
to allow themselves was a linksupper
to precede their departure cn
the midnight train. The plan war. to
spend the honeymoon among the Connecticut
hills. When this was settled,
and all the words said which seemed to
be necessary, Mr. Degraw prepared to
leave. As lie did so. he cast cne look
at Jenny. She at cccc came to his
eide.
"I have not forgotten," she Paid.
"The ceremony is set for eight. You
will see me a half-hour before. And.
darling," she had never addressed him
Jby a word of endearment before, "will
you sliow me one last invcr.' i nave
my carriage yet. and it is my pleasure
, tbat you come to our bridal in it. Do
you object? It is the last time it "will
be used in my service."'
"No. Jenny. I "will ride in it if you
bo desire."
"Do; it will be at the studio at seven.
Eenjamin will drive you; trust him."
She seemed about to say more, but
though he waited with a smile, r.o
further word escapcd her lips. She
looked so stiancel.v. so very strangely.
that he liesitated to leave her. and came
back more than once to kiss her lips,
her brow or her cheeks. But she did
not speak, and when he went away at
last, he was conscious of a chilling sensation
about the heart, which all the
growing sunshine of a glorious September
day failed to dispel.
And yet it was but three hours to bis
bridal, and Jenny Rogers had looked
as beautiful as he hnd ever seen her!
*;rr CHArTER XLIV. "V
jexnt's marriage?and aftsr.
It was seven o'clock. The hour at
which Jenny had promised to send the
carriage for the intended bridegroom.
Hamilton Degraw, "who bad spent the
last half-hour of waiting in eager contemplation
of the picture in -which he
had perpetuated her beauty at its
sweetest and most unconscious moment,
rose joyfully as he heard tlie
clock strike, and with a lover's alacrity
prepared to go belcw.
When he found himself in the carriage
and riding swiftly up-town, be
was too busy calculating how he would
arrange the dainty home with which
he intended to surprise his bride some
day, to spare one moment for a less
pleasing occupation; nor did be rote
for several minutes tbat the carriage.
Instead of taking a direct route for
Miss Aspinwali's bouse, was coursing
rapidly through an avenue leading
In quite a different direction.
But when be did awake to this fact
he was certainly startled. Leaning
out of the window be bailed the man
on the box.
"Benjamin!" he called, "how's this?
Here we are in Lexington avenue when
we ought to he driving straight to Miss
AspinwalFs."
But Benjamin paid no heed, rather
drove faster, and before Mr. Degraw
could subdue his surprise sufficiently
to hail him again they had turned a
corner and entered upon a street so associated
with the memories in which
ue xiau jusi uuvu juuuijjmjj ioai ue lfii
dazed by a coincidence that bad the effect
of throwing him again into drcain^
land.
But in another moment he managed
to shout once more to the unheeding
coachman:
"Where are you going?"
But he did not expect any reply. He
knew himself whither they were bound,
and when a minute later the horses
slackened their pace and the carriage
came to a standstill he did not need to
look up at the row of brown houses before
him, with their quaint fronts and
pillared balconies, to know they were
before the strange and dilapidated
?trnr>tnro in tfhif'li hp li.ifl first ?pPn tho
signorina, anil where fcbe bad wakened
to life and love.
"Miss Rogers is here. sir. waiting for
you," announced the coacuman us be
opened tlie door.
Mr. Degraw nodded and hastened to
alight. It was doubtless one of her
whims to make the explanation which
she had promised him in this place of
their first meeting. It was a strange,
almost uncanny notion, but it was like
her to conceive it, and he knew no
other course for himself than to accept
the situation with good grace.
Toiling Benjamin that lie would seon
return with Miss Iiogeis be rati no the
steps. Put before be could ring the
bell the door opened, just as it had on
a previous occasion, and he perceived
before biin in the dismal hall the deaf
and dumb girl, standing in her old attitude,
and pointing silently up the
stairs.
It was not an agreenblc sight 1 o hiin,
but he laughed off the unpleasant sensation
it caused, and followed, without
demur, the guidance of her finger. Arrived
at the second story he found it
as dim and as dark as of old. No one
stirring, r.o sound to break the chilling
silence. But he cared not for this. In
another moment he would see his bride
find all would be brightness and cheer
again. Passing straight on to rhe room
w liiirii nail >vuh.ului.'u iiiiii uciuiv; lit:
went iu without knocking. It "was
empty and unfurnished, but he knew
by the light which shone around the
door-jamb communicating with the
back room that he should not tind this
equally barren or unoccupied.
Yet. when he stood before it. he experienced
a moment's hesitation, fancying
that he heard a voice speaking
somewhere. But another look behind
him assured him that ho was alone,
and conquering whatever agitation this
imagined utterance of his name had
caused him he thrust out his hand ivith
the quick appeal of "Jenny!" and violently
Dulled ouen the door. ' .
.c_, _ - . ; ..." l..--; L,\j. _ ,
per p
iLIONS. JL
OBfFT BONNER'S SONS. Jj
" She was there, but not as lie bad expected
to see ber? in some sweet attitude
of eager waiting?but lying outstretched
and cold upon ber snowy
cor.(^i, just as be bad seen ber montiis
before. only tben tbe candles burning
at her bead and at ber feet shone upon
btauty that would reawaken to life.
j iKJU -a ^tul l Vit'&ULLU ,iu imvu tibcuu
Mill; love and Lope and fenr. Now all
was ended. The beautiful, the {rifted,
the beloved wouid rouse t> life no
more. Jenny Rogers was dead, and on
ber bosom, amid blossoms so "white
that they must Lave been destined for
ber bridal, lay the letter!
Hamilton Pegraw bad r.o very distinct
thoughts as be flung himself at
the side of bis bride. an*i laid his bead
upon tlie pulseless heart. She had
killed herself, but be could not guess
why and he had neither the courage
nor tbe self-possession to open those
tell-tale pages that rustled upon tbe
silent bosom. It was enough that his
hones bad perished, that his darling
lay dead, and that never again in all
the days to come would be meet tbe
tender glance of, her eye or tbe wistful-smile
of ber mouth.
Tears bad risen to bis eyes four
months ago at the sight of these waxen
foMnrtc these RPeminelv Dulst'less
AVUIU4VM. k**V'"' " O V ? /
hands; bat lie could net weep cow.
Grief Lad gone too deep: Lis soul was
lost too darkly in the shadows of this
loss. He buried his face anid the
drapery that enshrouded her, and tried
to kiss her heart.
' Ah, darling: darling! darling!" went
up from his lips; "whatever thou hast
done I forgive thee."
And the row of lights burned on,
and an hour dragged itself heavily by,
before another sob disturbed the solemn
silence, and then it uid not come
from him.
From whom, then? He did not know.
Starting up, he looked about him.
What angel of consolation was this
"* " 1 - - -1 - - ? > 1 T"I !1? i n rrt
standing ucsiut* ujiu.' miuij, m
of white. Hilary, with tears flowing
down her cheeks and with her arms
outstretched toward him. Ah, this is
joy; this can make him weep. Hilary
loved her. Hilary can understand his
loss. Reaching out his hand, he drew
Jenny's friend toward him, an J together
they mingled their tears over
the pulseless hosom that once responded
to their mutual affection.
"Hilary, do you understand it?" he
finally forced himself to ask. rising up
to look again upon the peaceful, almost
smiling face of his perished
bride.
Hilary shook her nead.
"No," she whispered, pointing to the
letter he had not found strength to
touch. "There lies uer secret.'
He was overwhelmed with grief, and
it was Hilary who raised the letter
and placed it unopened in his hand.
"Read it!'' she entreated; "there may
be comfort there if not here."
I give you Jenny's letter. Contrary
to what he had expected, it was not
the one addressed to his rival, but a
new one, which she had written to
himself.
"Beloved: You have come! You
have.seen your bride, and now I give
you?not the letter you returned to me
?but this long one, written almost with
my blcod. which will tell you all you
ought to know, and tell it in less chilling
language than that with which 1
addressed your generous rival.
"I cannot marry you! Do you ask
me why? Because I wish to retain
your love, and this would be jeopardized
by my life, as it will not be by my
death. For I know your artist soul. I
know that when you see me lying amid
tiin flowers, as on that nirbt when you
first gave lr.e your love, you will forget
that I Lave deceived you, aDd by tbat
deception awakened in your breast
a passion I was not worthy to evoke.
You will forget, and I shall rest in
peace, happy not to have met your
look of reproach, or lived to experience
the withdrawal of that trust which
was my glory and my shame.
"I have deceived you. I am Siguorina
Yalui and I am Jenny Rogers, but
I am not the innocent-hearted girl I
have always appeared to be. The millions
which I received did not come
to me unexpectedly. 1 intrigued for
them and obtained them through the
arts and by the contrivance of the very
beings you thought to be my enemies.
.UOLlieiU JUIU il.C fUriUoUW, U1 >1 uuui
you Lave so ol'lcn told rut? to beware.
"They were my allies?I must say it,
for detection is on my track, and you
will Lear tlie trutL from others. if
not from me. They were my allies,
hut I was never with them in any
harmful schemes, and was, I swear to
you. only the tool employed by tLem
10 obtain control over Mr. Delancy's
fortune.
"She was the woman wLo starved
and ill-treated this gentleman in his
final days. You have suspected this,
and suspected, also, that she overheard,
in her sly way, the bequest he
made to Mr. Degraw and its strange
conditions. But what yo'i cannot sus
* -n-nmnn -rrm enw tvith
[Jftl JS lUUb UiJV jvv- ......
me in my room in street was
not the arch-conspirator who formulated
this plot, but her sister. Annetta,
a person of more sinister appearance
than she, but of less calculation and
but little resolve.
'How tiio Cleveland hag came to
know Montelli a ad take him into her
plans I have never heard. Neither have
I ever been sure what the real name of
this man was. That he was no Italian*
I am sure; for though he disguised
himself as such, he afterward showed
that he could speak English without
an accent. Was he Engli.sh, then? I
think so; the former valet of some
rich nan. probably. As tc his connec
tion TV" 1111 LliCf JL UilU^UL'dt, 1 U1J1?V
tliat when she carte to New York and
started upon the scheme of supplying
Mr. Degraw with an heiress who
should share with her the wealth to be
received, Montelli was at her side, and
that it was at his instigation she apm
proached the woman whom I once!'
heard Mr. Byrd characterize as the i
least respectable of my name. I was I
then hiding my heart in heart-breaking ,
despondency over my failure at the |
opera house, knowing none of these
three conspirators, and only desirous j
of preserving myself from the mockery ''
and jeers which I imagined would fol- 1
low my appearance in any crowd. I j
was wretched, but I was not wicked.
My ambition was foiled, but I never j
thought cf resorting to false methods j
in order to insure the wealth and po- J
sition I imagined myself 10 have lost, j
upon the fatal day when these two ;
(lemons called upon me. and. with a j
skill and suavity you would little ex-1
pect from them, made mo understand j
that an immense fortune was going \
begging, which i. if I would lend my- j
self to their guidance, might easily <
acquire, owing to my name and what j
they termed my beauty.
"The other Jenny Rogers to whom ,
they had already spoken had been a ;
failure; she had tried her wile$ upon i
Mr. Degraw, but witn so little effect j
that he would not even Jock at her; j
and they all saw that if success were i
to be reaped by them it must le I
through some innocent young girl who j
would arouse not only the admiration !
of this good man. but his pity. This j
they explained to me. and also told j
1 j \ Imf 1
me COW mey uaa iiearu uy imiuuvc mm
my real name was Jenny Rogers, and
that I had a history which, if known,
could not but arouse commiseration
Furthermore, they encouraged me by
saying that all which was required of
me was to go through a certain little
farce easy enough lor one who had
been trained for the stage, adding that
success would be sure to follow, as I |
had the requisite beauty and grace, j
and only needed to attract his at ten-1
ticn to my misfortunes to awaken an '
interest which would be sure to eventuate
in my being made the inheritor
of these tempting millions.
'I listened. It all seemed very simple.
and not at all wicked. I had
merely to swallow a small powder,
which would throw me into a deathlike
repose, and. when I awoke, as
they promised I should do while Mr.
Degraw was in the room, feign surprise
and indignation at not having
been allowed to die, as my misfortunes
had made me desire. The rest would
come naturally, and when I was estab
lished in my new weaitn. i was to g.ve
them each a hundred thousand dollars
as their share in the great uuderiakin.?.
"Do you wonder that a motherless,
friendless, disappointed child was
tempted by this glowing prospcct, and
lent herself to a chance which seemed
without risk, and was calculated to '
bring her everything?
''The other woman of my name did i
not obtrude herself upon me. nor did J
Montelli make himself disagreeable ;
by visiting me again. The Portuguese,
on the contrary, came and took up her
abode with me, making herself, bowever,
as little obnoxious as possible,
for she seemed to recognize from the
first that I was not like herself. *nd
must be held and cherished apart, in
order that I might preserve the almost
childish ignorance which was. as they ]
openly acknowledged, the one characnnnn
irllifh tllPV mOSt relied I
ICAJOUV. Uj/uu ? v
to win the fastidious Mr. Degraw. This j
was iu the last of April, and he had
already seen and disdainfully passed
by several girls of ray name. The <
little school-teacher had been interviewed
and the Detroit miss followed
and remarked; but I knew nothing of
this. Nor did I know until after I
had become irrecoverably involved in
the scheme, that Montelli. as I must
call him. had pledged himself to rid
the city of such of my name as seemed
to attract Mr. Degraw's attention. All
this was withheld from me. and being
young. I doubted nothing, but went on
my way. serenely waiting for the hour J
when these two schemers should de- )
cide that it was time for me to enter I
upon our premeditated farce.
To be continued.
In the Eyes of Their Servant?.
A great many people live to please j
their servants. They save and pinch I
in order that they may spread themselves
before butler, maid and cook. !
And, poor fools, they do not perceive j
that butler, maid and cook thoroughly j
understand the situation. But. serious- !
iy, trained servants are marvelous j
critics. There is a family in our j
swellest avenue who will admit that
they also are qualified teachers.
Good manners are acquired by children
in imitation of well-bred parents:
they are acquired by scrub adults
through social attrition. Mr. and Mrs.
V.. who came here from the West three
years ago with barrels of mined money. ;
very wisely leaned upon their servants j
for that education i) good behavior |
or etiquette which had beoD denied j
them in the long period of '.heir poverty.
TJae butler they engaged was
formerly in the home of an epicure of
great wealth. They paid bim $7000 a I
year and a commission on the menu. J
One maid was tempted from a leader j
of the Four Hundred, another was im- j
ported from Taris, where she bad attended
the Countess Q. Fabulous wages
were paid. The l'ootm:m came from a
fashionable club, receiving three times
his former wages. From these people
the Westerners learned "manners."
And they are to-day better behaved j
than many animals in the social men-1
agerie who were bore in the purple.? >
New York Press.
H.vsterJa In Do;?.
Nerr^s are the disease of the present i
day amonj human beings, but I did;
not know till recently that hysteria is j
also a malady of dogs. A friend of J
mine owned u dog which suddenly one j
day was seized with an attack of j
nerves. Since then it has been very i
ill. wandering incessantly round and J
round the room, refusing food, but still
rcecfcjnizing its owner. Another little j
dog suffered from liysteria in eonse-!
quence of fripbt from railway travel- i
ing and it really seems as though civil- j
ization. jn rendering dogs more delicate
and more smeeptible. had done them a
distinct physical injury. ? London ,
Graphic.
" Itfen of Nature.'
Gustave Xagel. the German "child of
nature." wlio scorns such trifles as i
shirts and trousers, eats only fruit and j
lives in the woods, has attracted a num. .
ber of adherents to his cause. A "So- i
ciety of Men of Nature" is to be formed 1
by those who regard our civilization (
as too advanced.
A SERMON FOE SUNDAY j
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
^ REV. A. B. KINSOLVINC, D. D.
Subject: rresnmptnons Sins?The Commonest
Sin Amone Men is Sacrificing
the Interests of the Spirltnal and Eternal
to the Carnal aiul Temporal.
Brooklyx, N. Y.?Dr. Arthur E. Kineolving,
rector of Christ Church, preached
an excellent sermon Sunday morning, on
"Presumptuous Sins." The two texts
were from Matthew iv: 5 and C: "Then
the devil taketh him into the holy city
and he set Him on the pinnacle of the
temple, and saith unto Him, if Thou art
the Son of Cod cast Thyself down, for it
is written. He shall give His angels charge
concerning Thee; and on their hands they
shall hear Tnee up, lest haply Thou dash
Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto
him, "Again it is written, thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God;" and Psalms
xix: 13: "Keep hack Thy servant also
from presumptuous sins; let them not
have dominion over me; then shall I he
upright and innocent from the great transgression."
Dr. Kinsolving said:
In pursuing our purpose of trying to in4f/Iin
lifo r\f IVia T.Tp. (
tci pici/ tiixr uu jv;iuui^ mv v*
sus and to read its lessons for ourselves,
we preached last Sunday the tempted Jeeus.
We found in the narrative of the
temptation a record of just a mental and
spiritual struggle as we should have exSected
Him to go through at this stage of
[is career. It is impossible to suppose
that He could ha\*e decided instantaneously
and without long meditation and conflict
upon the plan of His life as the "sent
of God." Clearly He had a plan and adhered
to it throughout life.
We remarked upon the deep interest
that each one of us lias in the moral struggle
and victory of Jesus, and how just in
proportion as we are led by the Holy
Spirit to lofty and noble ideals of life, we
are conscious of these subtle earthly lures
which would deflect us from our truest
paths.
We spoke of the fatalistic non-resistance
to temptation so much in vogue nowadays
as something not worth while, because in
a world where the frailty of man is exposed
to such overwhelming allurements
of world, flesh and devil, it is certain beforehand
that a vast percentage of men
and women will fall. The Maker of men
and not the victims of sin is the most responsible,
so this school teaches, and by
such doctrines the person assailed is induced
to yield without a struggle. Jesus'
conflict and victory teach us that this is
a libel upon God. Through a putting
forth of such strength as we have,
+ o -nravprfnl rlpftirP tft JlTlfl do
what is right, our vision is cleared and our
wills gcow strong, and while God can
never entirely shelter us from temptation
He can and does defend us in temptation,
and with every solicitation to wrongdoing
show us the way of escape.
Then -we tried to learn the lesson of
Christ's first temptation. The question
which first confronted Him as our representative
was the old and ever-pressing
question of daily bread. The tempter proceeds
upon the assumption that all man
needs for his sustenance is food for the
physical life. You have a right to this,
ne says, on any terms, and there is nothing
else to be considered by comparison with
this. So make provision for yourself anrl
the body's bread first. "You are to feed'
the hungry; feed first yourself." "If Thou
art the eon of God. command that these
stones be made loaves?and then You may
live to execute Your Father's business."
The answer of .Tesus came from a Man
gaunt and weary by long fasting and days
of conflict. "The physical life is not man's
only life, and I will not act as if it were,"
He says, "by exempting Myself from privations
which I have come to share with
My brethren. If I am hungrv. that lies
within the will of God for Me, and I
choose hunger in that will, rather than
satisfaction outside of and 'aeainst that
will. I will not hurt or kill My moral or
spiritual life as the filial, dependent and
ooedient Child of God by providing on
guilty_terms for the feeding of My bodily
life. .For if. through pnvauon, tne ooany
wrapping of life should perish there would
still be left My essential manhood and
My eternal relationship with the Father.
Therefore I choose the obedient and dependent
life, and will trust the care and
wisdom of My Father unto the end."
Jesus there enunciated a philosophy of
life which is as sane as it is lofty and spiritual.
Perhaps the commonest sin among
men is sacrificing the interests of the spiritual
and eternal to the carnal and temporal.
All about us they are prone to live
as if man did live by bread alone, and
where this is true they will have bread on
any terms, and getting it becomes the consuming
passion of life. By choosing, instead,
the hunger that resulted from dwelling
in the will of God, rather than the
passing gratification gotten at the price of
disobedience, our Master won for us the
Ereat initial victory over temptation, and
y His spirit and example has been leading
millions to victory along the same
path ever since.
In the second temptation?I take the
order given in St. Matthew as the natural
order?the point of attack has changed.
The tempter had sought to overthrow the
obedience of Christ by an assault unon
His physical appetites and faith in His
Father's care. He had overcome the temptation
through the strength of His trust
in God. So now the attack is made upon
Him through that very trust. _ An unswerving
loyalty and confidence in the will
of God has been discovered. That loving
trust it was which_ made Him choose to
suffer the pangs of hunger, rather than
arbitrarily terminate them by a miracle
wrought for Himself. Ah. then, here is
His strength, so near by there must lurk
His weakness! "Then," we read, "the
devil taketh Iiim into the holy city and
setteth Him upon that corner of the wing
of the temple which overlooks from its
dizzy height the priests' court below.,
where the thousands of Jewish pilgrims
have gathered from all over the world.
'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself
down.' That will be an ideal and perfect
test of your filial relation and your
Father's care for You. Descend, heavenborne,
into the midst of priests and people,
win instantly the acclamation and popular
welcome which You will else have to
V.. 1 fail.
conquer uy IU.IJ; jcmo ui PUUCIII^ U..U
ure. What worship and honor and homage
will he Yours! How quickly You wiJI stand
at the head of believing Israel! Surely,
there is nothing to fear, for it is written,
'He shall give His angejs charge concerning
Thee; and on their hands they sha'l
bear Thee up, lest, haply, Thou dash Thy
foot against a stone.' "
The very choice of the location of the
temptation attests the subtlety of the
tempter.. He is taken to the Holy City
and to a pinnacle, or wing, of the temple.
Think what must have been Jesus' sacred
love for Jerusalem and how naturally and
deeply His mind would have been influenced
by the surroundings. All the passionate
religious patriotism of His nature,
all His deepest springs of feeling would be
touched by the sacred associations 01 tne
Holy City. "Beautiful for elevation, the
joy of the whole earth, the city of the
great king, whither the tribes of the Lord
go up year by year for worship." How
precious were its sights: "As the mountains
lie around about Jerusalem, so encanipeth
the Lord about them that love
Him." "If 1 forget thee, 0, Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its cunning."
If for a devout Jew there was a spot on
earth which warranted the most unconditioned
trust, it was the temple of Jehovah
in the first religious capital of the
world. Here it was, while His soul was
vibrating with a triumphant sense of trust
won by overcoming the hrst temptation,
that the insidious attack is made whose
effort was to betray Him into presumption.
All the wonderful past dealing of
Liccl witix jus covenant peopte wumu si.uiu
Dut in memory; all the wealth of tenderness
over hopes and promises sorely and
long deferred, and now on the eve of fulfillment?a
tenderness which afterward
tame out in words wet with tears, when
lie cried: "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how
jftcn would I have gathered thy children
'I - -- - t.? K? ,1
LOgeuier as a ucu tauitltui 4|c*
under her wings, bnt ye would not." It
was in the heart of JI is own Jerusalem,
ind .roin the summit of His Father's house i
that Ho was tempted by His cunning and ;
ivily adversary to commit the plausible
sin. Beside the influence of the sacred
tlace and associations. the voice of tiie
*
tempter appealed to something r.ot less
sacred?to the written word of God?ap
guarantee of truth and action. The
Jr? nun to ?s>rinfiirp to his DUr
UCVJi, lUl', *.??.# 4-ww a
pose. "If Thou be the Son of God, cast
Thyself down; for it is written, 'He shall
give His angels charge concerning Thee/ "
etc.
It was so written, and the words contained
a precious promise, but here they
only strengthened a suggestion to do a
thing whicn was wrong. "Tt is written
again." said Jesus, " 'Thou shalt not tempt
or make trial of the Lord tby God.'"
Oh, if in the history of the past, so disfigured
by bitter contests for half truths,
the wisdom of this, "It is written again,"
of Jesus had only been realized! How often
have the advocates of a blanched Calvinism,
or men who had become the ritualistic
enthusiasts > for one particular
mode of administering baptism, or with
one misfit theory of the inspiration of the
Bible?a theory, for example, which put
*? ' ' -r.-i.1--_ ? l-:-U j 1 nrn?_
ine J300K OI il^SLIier, WlllUIi UUC3 nui> vuutaio
the name of God, on an equal footing
with St. John's Gospel, how often have
such misguided people cried out, "Jt is
written," as if that were the end of all
controversy. Never can the true balance
and proportion of life be discovered in this
way. "Again it is written," is Jesus' formula.
An isolated text does not settle the
matter. Every false teacher who has divided
the church has virtually done so by
an "it is written."
First, we must have recourse to the principles
of sanity and common sense; find
out if what we are tempted to do is in
sincere accord with what God has taught
us generally in His word and in common
sense, and. then decide. For* Christ to
have cast Himself from the wing of the
temple into the abyss that yawned below
would have been to tempt God. "We do
not make experiments with those whom
we absolutely trust." When a man begins
by a prayer test, or any like thing, to
make experiments with God, he snows
that he lacks the subtle, spiritual quality
called faith which is the only means by
which he can reach God. Therefore, it is
the habit of trust to calmly abide in God
?not trifle with cr put Him to the test.
As long as Jems remained within the
onVioTP nf the revealed will of His Father.
He could trust Him. If He should break
or contravene that will, then He should
no longer feel He had a right to God's
care. In other words, Jesus Christ, in
His second temptation, flushed with a
victory which must have given an impulse
to faith in the Father's power and sufficiency,
declares to usHhat it is necessary
to have a care for ourselves as well as
commit ourselves into the keeping of God.
Because we are God's children we may not
break the laws of the world to which we
belong and expect Him to miraculously
interiere to prevent the consequences.
Contempt for nature and practical reason
is a wretched policy to begin a religious
life with. We live under physical law,
under moral law, under spiritual law. To
fancy lhat because we have come to feel
the power of the spiritual and even the
supernatural, we are at liberty to fly in
the face of known physical laws, or sane
and widely received moral laws, is fatal
error, and for it men are always punished
in the end. God is the source of all these
laws and we tempt the Lord our God
when we break them. We are not to rely,
either, "too exclusively or presumptuously"
upon the care of God. As far as our
practical reason serves us, we must also
take counsel of that, recocrnizinir that faith
and self help, action and patience "meet
in equilibrium" and complete each other.
If Jesus, the exceptional and pre-eminent
object of divine care, had yielded to
this "Cast Thyslf down." He would first
have broken away from us, His brethren,
w!To live under moral and physical law.
and second. He would have "substituted
for a life environed by nature, guarded,
guided, fed by it, participant in its forces
because subject to its laws, a life divorced
from nature, hostile to it, refusing to
tempt God or to break away from our human
lot and world, showed us the sanity
and strength cf a genuine trust in God.
It is not nervous, fanatical or presumptuous.
"It neither courts nor shuns
death." It is prudent, wary, will not
overstep the limits of a sober faith, and
yet, when the will of God clearly demands
it in the path of dutv, it bravely faces
death and dares all hell!
My friends, the modern sin of presumption
turns up under many forms. Now it
appears in the guise of religious pride,
in the purblind assumption of some ecclesiastical
charlatan uttering with great
swelling words of vanity some oracular
opinion which he claims to be of equal aufnr?ritv
with t ho ton rhi nrrc nf tho firm nf
God. You havfc it in the vaticinations of
the "mother" of Christian Science with
the system's slavish literalism and preposterous
overclaims. The contempt for the
physical that the eystem breathes and
breeds, the refusal to give medicincs out
of those stores which God has laid up for
us in leaf and plant and flower and mineral,
and which millions of educated men
have given their lives to make available,
the willingness to cast themselves or a
child over the precipice, claiming the sanction
of certain Scriptures as their warrant
for escaping destruction is, in the eyes of
most men and woneen to-day, a sin of presumption.
The system is against the corporate
common 6ense of the race, against
the proportion of faith; it discards doctrines
like the blessed truths of Christ's
deity and atonement, which have been
held by the overwhelming majority of the
members of the Christian church in every
age Irom the beginning. "It is written,
they cry. Yes, Christ teaches us to answer,
and "again it i9 written: Thou shalt
nnt mnlfo iVip trial nf T.nrH t.hv Ond."
You have it?one hesitates to allude in a
Christian pulpit to the vulgar sect?in the
sacrosanct polygamy of the Mormon, of
which such an informing expose has been
made by a Congressional committee during
the past week. Not that the Mormon 13
the only adulterer; would God he were,
but he is the only man now before the
Christian public who claims a new revelation
of later and higher authority than
that made through the holy and sinless
Jesus, expressly sanctionijg his lustful
creed.
"I as the chosen of God uava had a vision
which uproots and supersedes the morality
taught by the Lord Jesus Christ; I
like Mohammed's about the family better
than Christ's, therefore I hear my preference
sanctioned by a voice from heaven.
Henceforth my revelation shall put me
above the law of the land. Outwardly I
may have to comply, but I secretly will
ignore it." There ! ^s not occurred in
modern times a more pestiferous example
roSfri/Mic hvnrtrriev anrl rlt?lnctrm! And
when we remember that repeatedly in recent
years emissaries from Utah have proclaimed
this accursed system here in the
East, chiefly anions simple minded rustics,
and mountaineers, we realize the sin of
permitting it thus iOng.
This country can never endure part
po!ygamist r.nd part monogamist.
But. my friends, the capital sin of presumption
is committed nearer at home
than this. There is self satisfied credulity
which makes men fancy that they can
break .ill manner of spiritual laws, cast
themselves down all sorts of religious precipices,
take all kinds of risks i i the affairs
of the soul at fc ..tan's dictation, and
yet that somehow at the end they will
come out without loss! It is not, too, the
ignorant about God, but those who have
had good opportunity to know Him aud
obey Him who fall into this sin.
Vi'hen any Christian man lets himself
orf easily and airily from a plain duty to
God, or does a sin against light, he nears
the sin of presumption. When a man of
the world deliberately violates the express
will of God. our Saviour, year after year,
relying upon some vague hope of deliverance
lor which we have no divine warrant,
he is approaching the sin of persumption.
Brethren, our safety lies in learning the
I* 11 1114 ir ?infl cimnli/'itv nf .Tocna
Christ.
"Keep back Thy servant also, from presumptuous
sins; Jet them not have dominion
over me; then shall I be upright
and iunocent from the gi >at transgression."
of a Cheerful Face.
To wear a cheerful face when tin heart
is aching is net deceit. When a good
housekeeper cleans the front steps and
poivh before she sets the house to rights,
she does not mean to deceive passers-by;
Khe merely shows some pride in her house,
nnd some consideration for her neighbors.
We conquer our heartaches more quickly
when we begin by considering the friend*
ivho are tear us.?Sunday-School Timea
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR APRIL 24.
i Subject: The Mission of the hfventy, Lukt
*., 1-10? Golden Text, Luke 2 ?
Memory Verses, 1, 2?Commentary on j
I the Day's Lenson.
I. The seventy sent forth (vs. 1-3). 1.
"After these Ibings.'" After Christ and
His disciples made their final departure
from Galilee. According to Andrews this
took place early jn November. They are
then supposed to have journeyed along the
borders between Samaria and Galilee eastward
to the River Jordan. They crossed
over into i'erea and then turned south
toward Jerusalem. "The Lord appointed."
This appointment was temporary and not
permanent like the appointment of the
twelve apostles. "Seventy others" (R.'V.)
The twelve apostles had been commissioned
1 and sent out about a year before this. As
| the number of apostles had reference to
I the number of the tribes ot Israel. so the
seventy disciples sent out call to mind the
number of e?ders who were chosen to assist
Moses in governing the people. The
number also corresponds to the number
of members of the Sanhedrin. "And sent
them." The chief purpose of this sending
was net to train these messengers for a
j later independent mission, but it was a
! new attempt to influence to decision at
least a part of the people, and by word
and deed to prepare the coming of the
kingdom of God in the midst of them,
i **Two and two."' The same manner in
! which He sent out the apostles. This was
1 done: 1. To teach them the necessity of
| concord among the ministers of righteousness.
2. That in the mouth of two wit!
nesses everything might be established. 3.
| That they might comfort and support each
other in their difficult labor. "Before His
face." They were to visit those cities and
I places that lie intended soon to visit.
2. "Harvest truly is great." The harj
vest is plenteous, the grain is ripe and
spoiling and must be garnered immediately
or it will be lost. There was need for
I such a mission as the district in Perea
j had been little visited by Jesus. There
I were multitudes who had not yet heard
! of the coming of "the kingdom of God."
I "Laborers are few." True workers have
I always been hard to find. This is the
greatest calling in the world, and yet there
i are so few wno are ready to make the
; cmnll temnorarv self-denial that is neces
i sary in order to see success in Christian
| work. "Pray ye therefore." They must
| set out with prayer, and have a deep concern
for precious souls.
II. Various instructions given (vs. 4-11).
j The instructions given them were distinct
I from an'd yet similar to the instructions
! given the twelve apostles. The twelve had
J greater authority to work miracles, and
j they were to receive persecutions which
j are not mentioned with reference to the
i seventy. 4. "Carry neither purse, etc."
Trust God for your support. The purse
J was a small leather bag for carrying money.
I The scrip was a traveling bag used for
j carrying provisions when traveling. "Nor
shoes." The shoes were made for use in
the house. They did not need these; the
sandals they were wearing would be sufj
ficient. In fact, they were to take nothing
not absolutely necessary for their jour
ney.
6. "Son of peace." Any truly pioug
man who is worthy of such a blessing.
7. "In the same house remain." Their
stay was to be short. They were not to
choose the best places and neglect the
; poor, and were not to spend time going'
j from house to house in search of better
I accommodations. "Is worthy." The one
I who really labors is worthy of being supi
?i?,?. ^rnr,M nperl not exDect the
j JJU11CU, UUV wvuvw
j workers 4o feed them very long.
I 8. "As are set before you." Probably
Christ here refers to the traditions of the
elders about their meat. They were extremely
critical, and a dish of meat could
hardly be set before them but there was
some scruple concerning it. Christ would
not have them regard those things, but
I eat what was set before them. 9. Heal;
J and say." Their mission was twofold: 1.
I They were to gain the attention of the
people by healing their bodies. 2. The important
part of their work was to preach
the gospel of the kingdom.
10. "Keceive you not." Do not receive
you kindly and accept your message. "Go
your ways." You nave no time to contend
with them. Do not cast your "pearls
(before swine." "Into the. streets." The
i moat public place. Let every one see the
| result of rejecting the truths concerning
j the kingdom of God. 11. "Wipe on
j against you." The Jews considered themselves
defiled with the dust of heathen
i countries, and the action here enjoined did
not express anger, but a warning. It signified
that these Jews were holy no longer,
and was, in reality, placing them on a
level with the heathen. "Be ye sure." The
message was again to be repeated, if, perchance,
some might hear at the last mo
| ment.
III. Impenitent cities upbraided (vs. 12I
16). 12. In that day." In the iudgment
[ day. "Sodom." See Gen. 19. This was
one of the "cities of the plain" that was
destroyed by God with fire because of its
J preat wickedness. It was situated in the
fertile plain of Jordan, but its exact loca
tion is not known. "Than for that city."
; Our Lord is here threatening the guilty in!
habitants of the cities who reject His gos5el,
and from His words we learn: 1.
hat there is a future day in which the
! inhabitants of the earth are to stand beI
fore the judgment seat of God and receive
i their sentence. 2. The degree of punishj
ment will be measured according to the
! privileges enjoyed and the guilt incurred,
i 3. Acceptance of the message of God is
l tfie only method of escape and the only
I means of salvation.
j 13. "Woe unto thee." "Alas for thee!"
I This is <m exclamation of pity, and it is
evident that our Lord used tne words in
I this sense. "Chorazin."^ A town on the
I northwest shore of the JSca ot uaiuee. irs
j location is not definitely known, but it
J was near Capernaum.^ "Bethsaida." On
the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee,
| north of Capernaum. It was the birthj
place of Philip, Andrew and Peter.
I "Mightv works." The great miracles. A
miracle is a sign, a wonder, and a mighty
| deed (Acts 2: 22: 2 Cor. 12: 12; Heb. 2: 4.)
14. "More tolerable." The degree of
i your misery will be greater than even that
j of Tyre and Sidon. "At the judgment."
j The final judgment. 15.s"E.\aIted to
! hfaven."' A Hebrew metaphor, expressive
! of the utmost prosperity, and the enjoyj
ment of the greatest privileges. "Down to
hell." Capernaum was to be brought down '
. to a state of utter ruin and deso'ation. I
I This prediction was literally fulfilled soon j
| after this in the wars between the Jews
j and the Romans. 16. "Heareth: despis|
eth." He that welcomes the apostles ar.d I
Al * ho vnipp ftf
j iibtens 10 mem i? n??.cinii^ i" -I
Jesus Christ and of God Himself, whi.'e
i the one who despiseth the apostles anil
will not listen to the message they bring
is really despising and rejecting .Tesus i
Christ and God the Father who sent Him. I
It was not lone before the seventy returned
with joy because of their success, i
Burled in His Own Coffin.
j The funeral, unique from the fact that
, the coffin was made by the man who was
placed in it, and because the service was j
arranged by the same man, of Dr. Jehu |
Barr was held at Chicago, 111. The body ;
was laid in a vault which he built in the 1
Oak Ridge Cemetery, and another coffin
of his manufacture was used at his widow's |
I funeral. Both coffins were painted blue, I
I with red and white trimmings. Dr. Barr I
! was sixty-nine years old and an author
and a follower of Robert G. Ingersoli'a j
I atheistic teachings. In Barr's book, "The !
1 Logical Eye WilT .See." were marked pas- <
I tagee! Whicli, DV ur. mrr s direction, were
read at tlie funeral. The pall bearers j
! whom he chose all wore badges made by
the author. j
Shivers Till He Adds Forty round*.
I .After six months spent entirely in thi
! onen ftir at tlie State Sanitarium. W'hitf
j Haven, Pa.. George Faeh, Jr., became
j forty pounds heavier. He has been cure*
I of consumption by sleeping with the ful
j benefits of zero breezes on the eoldes!
I days. i
I
I
The Denver Makes 18.8 Knot?.
On her trial trip the cruiser Denver ai? :
j tained a speed of 18.8 knots and an aver-,
; age of somewhat more than the seventeen! ;
! kiots called for in the contract with the j
1 Government- - ? - " ? ? -- ? '
> :'k
> v
Alway? Near.
| Whene'er my days are fair and bright
i And o'er my life the sky is clear;
1 1^ think of Him to whom I owe
Each hour of peace and pnre delight;
; And in my grateful heart I know
That God is near.
And when the 'days of brightness fade;}
When my hours are sad and drear;
1 think of Him who watcheth o'er
The humblest creature He hath made.
And in mv heart I know once more '
That God is near.
I . ".?!&
With all my days so will it be,
! Whate'er they bring of hope or fear,
Until at last shall come the day,
| That sets my trusting spirit free; I,
! And then as ever will I pray
That God is near.
?Mary Derereux* \
Advantages of Foresight.
These three advantages accrue from th? !
i. i 1-. r-- 4.1. a .f i*
^uijjuoc tu xiiaac rcuuy iur iuc cuu ui mvi,
First, it puts a man upon his mettle, stirn*
ulates his activities, nourishes and fresh*
ens them. Nothing .spurs a man to hid
task like the consciousness of the brevit*
of the time appointed. The corifractoreox*
fers an injury who is told to take his owtf
time. Contrariwise, the time limit for tha
expiration of his work keeps him up to his
best. Unfortunately many men feel thai;
they do not know when their life is to end,
and therefore assume that they have a.
score of years, or thirty years, to complete
their task. If every man bad a chart
placed in his hands so that he knew jus^
now much time had been allowed him to
work out his purposes, how would he he^n;
to the line, insisting upon finishing thii
| stint in one month, and a second stint in
the next month. i
We know that when Ajjricola crossed th?
Aips inio uermany, luininng nis emperor*
command, he kept his little handbag always
packed, that every night he footed,
up his accounts, so that he could close
them upon a moment's notice and start aft \
once with his dispatches for Rome. Everjj \
prudent man ought to lay out his life upont
that basis, and with reference to thorough-* "
uess, accuracy and faithfulness to his work
and his Master, be ready for the measeiM
ger whose coming is always expected, likd
the coming of a thief in the night. Bat
this foresight of life's end is also a buttrete
against temptation and safeguard against;
evil. What student is not made more *ci
curate for the reflection that the examiner;,
may come at any hour? What soldier i*
not the better prepared for remembering
that any moment the trumpeter may call
the charge? j , jy/
In those last days of the battle befortf
Richmond General %rant sent word along '
the line that the next would be the ks|
charge. The knowledge that the end waa
approaching and that they must round out
tiltir career as soldier3, was such a toniq
unto men that they coiqpeted with each
other for the most dangerous tasks and the
ir.ost difficult places. When Paul realized
that the time of his departure was at hand
he nerved himself for one more letter, foe
one more heroic deed, for one more act of <
supreme self-sacrifice, and he hungered fot^
the most difficult place of service and sufi
fering, as some brave youth desires withl
i exceeding great desire to prove his affection
to his beloved one. For all these rea*
eons, therefore, Christ tried to incite menf
to be ready for the end of the life career.??
N, D. Hillis, D. D. { .
one Meaning or rain.
| A few years ago a mother, carrying av lit*
j tie deformed boy, entered tie Hospital foe
j Sick Children. After a careful examine'
] tion the doctor told her that a cure was
possible, but the treatment would be ex*
:eedingly painful, and the child must be
jiven up entirely to the care of the nurse
and himself. Turning to the lad she said:i {
"You will stay with the doctor and the
taurse, won't you, Freddie?" 1
But he had heard the doctor's words and
begged to be taken home. With ell '
i mother's skill she argued and coaxed, but
: tithout avail. Freddie only tightened hie
arms about her neck and begged to be
| spared the ordeal. There were tears in th^
| mother's eyes and a sob in her heart as she
I nlp.ifl mitt Viim tn filihmit. anH tnlrl him o
the coming days when iie would be &B
straight and strong as others. But it was
useless to argue, for he did not want to bo' .
healed at the price of so much pain. Thenf ,
the voice of the mother assumed a sterner
tone, a tone which the child had never;
1 heard before. Firmly unclasping the fingers
i that were locked about her neck, and lift*
! ing the tear-stained face from her breast*1
she said: , ' ' nr
"Freddie, you must stay," and handing
him to the nurse she turned and walked
out of the room. In the next room she
fell upon a couch and wept with a.bitter-',
j ness that is known only to the mother's
heart.
i Go to that lad a few years hence when!
he stands straight and strong among the
i athletes and ask him if it was unkind of
I her to leave him in the hands of the sur!
geon and the nurse, and with eyes agio*;
! with love and a voice tremulous with gratj
itude he will tell you that he thanks God
for a mother who subjected him to a yean
! of oain to win for him a lifetime of pleaa-'
ure. It is evfcn so that He who has for oa
the heart of a father and a mother, too*
permits sorrow to do its work of fitting
up for the glory by and by. In all our afflictions
He is afllicted, and if He is will*
ing to bear pain for us we should not complain
when He asks us to share it with
! Him.?W. W. Weeks, D. D., in Baptist
i Union.
PerJl of the Tongue.
"Not that which entereth into the
j mouth detileth the man; but tnat which
; proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth
1 the man." It makes a vital and an eternal
difference to us how we express ourselves.
A man is in greater danger of
self-destruction by speaking than by eating.
Formerly many French words were
in common use by the Germans, but now;
j the Emperor's influence is toward the
t substitution of German terms for the
i French?the idea being that, as the people
speak, so they will become. This is sup- |H
posed to beget a higher and more solid H[
patriotic or national spirit?as, other. Hi
things being equal, it must. Statesmen I
perceive this truth in the bottom principle I^E
enunciated by Jesus, and thus apply it.^H
But in our individual lives we often for? HQ
get to act on it. It harms us to think HH
evil; it harms us even more to eay what
we think. It is for this reason that si
lencc is so often golden. But it is also on
;!ie same general principle that it is worth B?!
vlii'c to speak a pleasant word?if we can
do no more.?Sunday-School Times. MB
The Way to Lire.
l.-v so to live in the light o: God's love'j^K
that it becomes a second nature to y?u>B|B
tolerate nothing adverse to it, be continu-^E
ally striving to please i?ira in all things,^H
take all that He sends patiently; resolve HE
tirmly never to commit the smallest de-^H
liberate fault, and if unhappily you are HE
overtaken by any sin, humble yourself
and rise up speedily. You will not be al-^H
ways thinking of God consciously, but all^H
your thoughts will be ruled by Him. His^H
presence "ill cIicck useless or evil thouphts^H
and your hear: will be perpetually fixed
on 11 ini. ready lo do IlLs holy will.?Jean HE
Nicolas Grcu. JgJj
Whittled the Spinal Cord, 3BKj
To save the life of Beryamin Johnson, $Hb
barber, of New Orleans, La., who was shoi^H
in a quarrel, Dr. Stephen \V. Stafford, ol^H
the Charity Hospital, removed a part ot^H
Johnson's spinal cord. The bullet was
bedded in the vertebrae, causing total papHjS
aiysis 01 tne legs. -iner me upcranonHB
paralysis of the extremities was reduced,
and now Johnson is able to move the limbf^H
which had become numbed.
Eliza, the Oldest Hen, is Dead. H9j
Eliza, the oldest hen in New York Statej^H
is dead at Middletown at the age of scvco^^B
teen years. - "flfl