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I A Square Deal What is the biggest business prom- 11! lem this nation is facing to-day? One s man will speak up quickly and say: I "The question of an elastic currency, t: of course;" his neighbor will declare v that the attitude of the Administra- tl tion toward corporations oversteps g everything else in importance to the n people of this country. A little later n we are likely to be told that the re- v adjustment of the tariff is the over- t: shadowing question. b But all the time a problem bigger t; than any of these is being overlooked t; by the politicians of all parties, by h the press of the entire country, by o the political economists and by most fi of the people themselves. Only a h few men recognize the existence and c the bigness of this question, and they are of the kind that make very little g noise in the world. However, if they c are listened to and their words taken s to heart by the men who make up the fl greatest industrial class in the United s States, we, as a nation, will suddenly ti wake up to the fact that we have c hoon priTnmif-tinp- industrial suicide. a (The reckless and wholesale deple- g tion of the fertility of the soil, in t this good land of ours, is beyond all n question the biggest and most seri- t ous question now confronting the a American people?and it is bound to n remain the big problem for many o years to come. I am so sure of this, d and feel so deeply on this matter, v that I have determined to devote the a remaining years of my life to doing S all I can to arouse the farmers of v this country to the fact that, if they t go on taking everything they can out b of the soil and putting next to noth- e ing back, they are in the position of deliberately and knowingly creating c a hopeless run on the greatest bank In the world?the marvelous soil of a the United States?a run which can t result only in wreck and disaster as t Wide as the country. c This is the dark side of the picture, v the thing which will surely happen e if we do not wake up and give the c soil a square deal. There is another s side to the problem as bright as this s one is dark?a reward for well doing t: II just as great in proportion as me I punishement for wrong doing. If ti ! -only twenty-five per cent, of the far- tl ! mers of this country would wake up a to the situation and do their level 0 best in giving the soil a square deal, b they would not only save the abso- d lute loss of millions of dollars, but ^ they would make millions more?and tl make themselves rich in the bargain. p Unless there is a general and wide- s spread reform in this matter of the n mistreatment of our soil we are going 0 literally to put millions of acres of i good land out of business. All we t< have to do, to cut out our national a wealth land enough to make a dozen European kingdoms, is to keep right b on doing what we are doing, and r, what we have been doing ever since u < the first reaper and binder was put h into the field. In the matter of soil i'depletion the farmers of this country c have been going the pace that kills ?that kills land and robs the nation e of a yearly power to produce a vol- j, ?j| nme of wealth almost beyond tne r rag power of the average man to under- ^ -stand. d This problem is not a theory with n me; I haven't come at it from the a raj theoretical side. To the contrary, I a oil ' have bumped against it from the is Eg practical, the active side. I did not n Hj leave the farm until I was twenty-six v B years old, and there hasn't been a ii year of my life since when I haven't ii H been in some kind of business which o H , was close to the soil. And for many r || years I have owned and operated v Bfif several thousands of acres of farm I land?and do so now. And I may a H ;add that I have not a single farm 1) I which I have not made to pay a good b jS| and satisfactory percentage on the a If investment year after year. I say n ? this simply because the farmers do ii I not take kindly to advice from mere t I theorists: they naturally wish to s P kn?w that advice comes from a prac- I tlcal and successful farmer before they attach enough importance to it y ji to act upon it. This is right and g I natural, and it is because I am so I anxious to have them give to my t I plea the weight which it deserves H that I say to them: I am entitled to b If talk about farming because I was p g brought up on a farm, and operate t I several thousand acres of farm land t I divided iuto farms of 160 acres s g each. in a way which makes them c i pay me a handsome profit. r 3 ECILDING UP THE LAND. d Mj Right from the start I made up | my mind to buy good farms and keep I | them and run them for profit. This j * | meant that I looked at them as a ' I long time investment, not as some- o I thing on which to speculate or make t f a quick turn. In other words, the t I task before me was that of building c gj up and making the farms much better t a each year, stronger in their ability f I to produce profitable crops. How I many farmers treat their land in this * I way? Fewer, by far, than you would i I suppose! Of course, most of them I i intend to do this?but there is a wide i | sap between their intentions and < -** * ?N T5- avotraorotinn to say that the majority of farmers j in this country are living on their ! ""principal" instead of their "inter- ; est," so far as their treatment of i ; their soil is concerned; they are rais- ! Ing fair to excellent crops, putting up I good buildings and making, perhaps, J a fine showing on the profit side of j the ledger, but in doing this they are , \ literally bankrupting the soil?rob- f fcteg it of the capacity to keep up the s pace of production in the future. j i In any State of the Union, from the t richest to the poorest, the casual ob- { T server can see for himself how the \ 6oil is being bankrupted by heavy l cropping and poor fertilization. There are large tracts in Virginia, for ex- s ample, where farm after farm can be p bought at an almost absurd price, r Not very long ago thes* same acres e were the pride of the Old Dominion t State and produced fortunes to their owners in their unfailing tobacco j crops. Now they are next door to e useless as tillable land and about all i J their value is in the way of fine : c scenery. They have been depleted by taking from them the elements re-! c quired to grow crops, while compara- j f tively nothing has been put back Into t - For the Soil. hem to prevent bankruptcy. The ame thing can be seen in Southern llinois, where there are large disricts which produce scant crops and rhere farms can be bought at onehird?even a fourth of the price of ood farm lands in the middle and orthern parts of the State. Ordiariily these Southern Illinois farms . ere nearly, if not fully, as producIve as any in the State. They have een under the give-nothing-andake everything system of cultivaion, and the result is that the land as been put out of business because f mistreatment. And so you will nd it in every State where the land as oeen wornea on tms piau iur <xuy onsiderable number of years. Bue we are not left to size up in a eneral way the results of this suiidal method of land cultivation; the cientists who are working in the ield of agriculture have produced ome very exact information which alls the story in a pointed and a preise way. A careful reading of these uthorities points to the fact that the rain crops are reducing the produciveness of the soil, under present aethods of cultivation, at the rate of wo per cent, a year. Few men in imerica have gone into the subject aore deply than Professor Hopkins, f the University of Illinois, and he oes not hesitate to declare his coniction that, if we keep on farming s we are now doing it in Illinois, the tate will be an unproductive desert within a century. He has not come o this conclusion by guess work, but ? ? ? * 1 ?trofam a f O of 11 O 1 1 y a. LUUSL uaiciui s;gi.cm UJ. xperiments. On one piece of ground under his harge corn has been raised for tweny-eight consecutive years ? raised ccording to methods common hroughout the State. The produciveness of that piece has steadily delined, and it is certain that, in a ery few years, it will not have nough power left to produce either orn or clover. Our grain farmers eem to feel that crop rotation conists in alternating corn and oats on heir land. How does it work out? 'rofessor Hopkins has put this to the est. The land on which he has tried his system was as good, originally, s any in Illinois, and yet it produces nly three bushels of corn and three ushels of oats to the acre. Now how oes the other side of this scientific rork show? Practically alongside tie strips of land on which these exeriments have been conducted are trips not a whit better or richer, aturally. They have been handled n a different system of cultivation, 'he plots which have been subjected > true crop rotation ? clover, corn nd oats?and have been intelligently fertilized have produced ninety ushels to the acre. As showing what eal crop rotation will do without the se of fertilizer I cite the fact that e gets sixty bushels to the acre on ind planted to successive crops of lover and oats. My own experience 3 that I can raise seventy-five bushIs of corn to the acre on land subected to right crop rotation and ight fertilization as against thirty ushels per acre raised by my immeiate neighbors working by the old lethods on land naturally as good s my own. That I have done right long and on a large scale, too. What 5 more, my land under proper treatlent Is growing better year by year, rhile theirs is steadily going down a productiveness?and consequently a price. .If they stick to their methds their land will, in a few years, each a grade of unproductiveness at rhich it will not pay for cultivation. As nearly as I can arrive at it, bout seventy per cent, of the farm ind in Illinois, for example, have een cultivated for thirty years undei "crop rotation" consisting of alteriating corn and wheat, with nothng save the stubble put back into he soil. This is one important reaon why Eastern States?Maine, New lampshire, Connecticut and others get a very much higher average ield of corn to the acre than the reat corn States of the Middle West, n the East they practice crop rotaion and intelligent fertilization. Before leaving this question of iow our soil ib depleted, let me emihasize the fact that United States? he greatest of all agricultural counries:?is admitted by soil scientists tc tand first in the list in the rapiditj if its soil exhaustion, and that we are apidly adding to our area of aban[oned agricultural lands. And it may be well to add to whal have said of the experiments undei 'rofessor Hopkins a suggestion oi chat has been done in the same line if demonstration in England, where hey have had more time in which tc ry out things. At the famous Roth instead station they have growr vheat on the same piece of ground or fifty years?with the result thai 'the phosphorus actually removed rom one of the best yielding plots n five years is equivalent to fortj j.er cent, of the total phosphorus or ginally contained in the soil to ? lepth of seven inches." A PARDON Affords Best Chanee Pea A pardon in Brittany begins witt respers on the evening before tb< east. Pilgrims arrive for that anc ileep In the church, the chapel anc jnder the hedges. They chant hymn: ill they sing themselves to sleep The first mass is said at 3 a. m. ant vlien all the pilgrims have rcceivet loly communion they depart. An ordinary visitor arriving, say it 10 a. m., will hardly see a singh illgrim in the church. They attenc nass, take part in the afternoon pro ession and buy memorials and pic ures at the stalls. One of the most largely attendee >ardons, and a very representativ< iffair in its character, is that oi ^.uray, which is situated in Morbihan n the southern coast of Brittany. Here gather all whom the inter :ession of St. Anne d'Auray has savec rom some peril. Those who hav< >een saved from shipwreck earn ROTHEilSTEAD EXPERIMKNTS ITT CONTDTCTOTJS WHEAT FOR 51 YEARS. Average Yield, Bushels per Acre. Xo fertilizer 13.1 Farm manure ?14 tons per 1 acre 35.7 Commercial fertilizer: Acid phosphate, 392 lbs. per ( acre . f Sulphate of potash, 200 lbs. ( per acre ( 37.1 Sulphate of ammonia, 600 ( lbs. per acre ( The manure used on an acre contained nearly double the plant food i contained in the commercial fertilizer used on same sized plat. Again, it comes to a question of the use of fertilizers. Here are the figures from the famous experiments of Lawes and Gilbert: AVERAGE YIELD OF WHEAT PER ACRE. Bushels. No manure for 40 years 14 Minerals alone for 32 years 15% Nitrogen alone for 32 years 23% , Farmyard manure for 32 years. 32% Minerals and nitrogen for 32 years? 36% Minerals and nitrogen for 32 years.... 32% 1.86 pounds pf nitrogen as sodium nitrate. 2.86 pounds of nitrogen as ammonium salts. Now, io get nearer home, let me tell the experience of a farmer In , Northern Indiana who woke up to the fact that he must give his soil a square deal If he would get the same r from it in return. He first found out what elements his soil most needed and , then he fertilized accordingly. This cost him $1 to $1.40 an acre, and he kept close tab on the results. In a word, his fertilization cost has been thirty-five cents for the production of twenty bushels of corn, and he has had 500 per cent, left for investment. This matter of treating the soil is much like a bank account. If you keep drawing out and put little or nothing in, time will sooner or later write "no funds" across the ' face of the draft which you attempt to make against it. A farmer Ho?o nnl- riPPfl trv havfl fln elaborate scientific education to understand the really necessary things about the elements which go into the | making of a crop. The main ones | are phosphorus, nitrogen and potash. Phosphorus is the element which makes things mature and go to seed ? which makes the ears of corn and heads of wheat fill with plump and ripe kernels. Nitrogen gives size to the plant and potash contributes the element of health, or stamina. When your crop is yellow and does not grow to size it lacks nitrogen; when it grows rank and dark green and keeps on growing but doesn't mature and produce grain it lacks phosphorus; If, in addition, it is inclined to lodge and the stalk or straw is soft and lacks polish you know your land is short on potash. Speaking roughly, a clay soil is generally deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus, but contains potash. The tendency is for clay soil to bake and get hard, and the addition of a little lime is calculated to correct this. Then the addition of nitrogen, either in the form of plant legumes ?as clover, for instance?or in com, mercial phosphorus (or phosphate) will balance ud the soil. Black soils are commonly strong In nitrogen and short of phosphorus and potash and have a tendency to become sour. Drainage, together with a supply of the lacking elements and an addition of a little lime, is the remedy needed.?Saturday Evening Post. Friend That's Disappeared. "What's become of our old boyhood 1 friend the bootjack?" asked a shopper in a shoe store the other day. T*tm Koon in ohnnf Q 1 Y Inolrinff > for such a thing, and in half the : places the clerks don'.t even know what they are?never heard of such ' a thing. One clerk brought me an 1 ordinary shoe horn and supposed that ! must be what I had reference to. "The bootjack has gone, I suppose, for the simple reason that few men wear so-called 'boots' any more. The 1 stores ought to keep them, though, " if for nothing but souvenirs of the boyhood days of the present genera'' tion, when we used to get a penny ! occasionally for helping one of the f adult members of the family to pull off his boots. How those boots did '.'stick! I was reminded of those days (j not long ago when I got a pair of new fangled walking shoes on which the ' laces started too far up. But I'll have ' to get r.long without a bootjack, or " else make ono. There are none to be ' found."?Cleveland Plain Dealer. Song Birds .Die From Cold. Great numbers of birds migrating, : j north were caught here by the cold wave and storm and hundreds died, f There was one flock of estimated ! fifteen hundred cock robins which ; | alighted on the normal school > grounds and remained here for a . couple of days. The next most numi erous bird is the hermit thrush and I also there are a few bluebirds. Such t a visitation of feathered songsters [ has never been seen in Winona be5 fore. Citizens generally provided r them with food, as many of them - seemed to be in a starving condition, i ?Winona Correspondence, St. Paul Dispatch. IN BRITTANY of Seeing Crowds oi sants. II portions of the wrcckcd Tessel; oth i ers carry the shroud that had been I prepared for them; the lame carry I on their shoulders the cr ches which 3 have becorpe useless to them, while . still others carry the rop' <r ladder 1 by which they escaped from the 1 flames. Sometimes and in some places , there is an evening procession carryj ing lighted candles; in some there is I a bonfire lighted by the figure of an . angel that descends from the chapel - or church spire. Occasionally there are games in the afternoon and danc1 ing, but usually all is quiet and the 3 people disperse after the afternoon [ procession. By the sea the arrival of the boats with maidens in white and banners - is a pretty sight; at one pardon the 1 sailors proceed barefooted in par; formance of a vow made when delivr ered in a storm. costi New York City.?Such a simple little dress as this one is needed by every child. It can be made from lawn or batiste, from plain white or from prettily figured materials, from | embroidered muslin if something ?ery dainty is wanted, and it can be made from gingham and other inexpensive wash fabrics for the hours of play and hard usage. Also it is quite correct for cashmere, albatross, challis and the other simple wool material; that many mothers use for the coUL weather frocks of the girls who have reached the mature age of six. hpv*/* arAce 4fnrvif funiroH tn fnrm ths XUO U1COO itOVAl AM VUVUVM WW ?W. ?w?_ yoke, and consequently making is a very simple matter and the sleeves can be in full or elbow length, while the dress can be trimmed with banding qr left plain, as liked. The dress is cut with front and back portions and is finished at the neck with a straight standing collar. Whether the sleeves are cut to the wrists or the elbows they are gathered into bands. The quantity of material required for the medium size (four years) is three and one-fourth yards twentyfour, two and one-fourth yards thirty-two or two and one-eighth yards forty-four inches wide, with three yards of insertion, one and threeeighth yards of edging to trim as illustrated. A Tucked Sleeve. One gets rather weary of the everlasting sleeve formed of big, careless tucks caught up oue over the other from elbow to shoulder; but a newer Idea is seen in the tucked sleeve that Is treated perpendicularly, not horizontally!?aud the tucks are just as big and careless and loose, and taper off right up into the neckband, the rest of the blouse?the bodice part of it?overhanging a corselet skirt or one of the prevailing cummerbund belts. Panel EftVcts in Favor. A feature of all the new skirts is 1L - ?-?i in tlio front n nri hark. tuts iJiluci cucti 11-1 In ruany skirts the front panel extends above the waist line and forms a portion of the girdle. These panels give a perfectly smooth fit, aud are universally becoming. Yellow Linen Suit. If you can find a pretty shade of yellow in a linen, you will have a suit that is considered very smart this season. J I ? \l i ' II J fitting over the hips, and the pleated panels give long, becoming lines at the same time that they provide additional fulness. Pongee with trimming of buttons and finish of stitching is the material illustrated. When made in round length the skirt is adapted to afternoon dress, when ! made in walking length for general ! morning and street wear. The skirt is made in four gores with four additional panels. The side gores are lapped over onto the front and the back and the panels are joined to their edges. The closing is made invisibly. When walking length is desired both the gores and the panels are to be cut off on indicated lines. ^ ^ ' The quantity of material required for the medium size is nine and one! half yards twenty-four or twentyseven, five and three-fourth yards forty-four or fifty-two inches wide, width of skirt at lower edge four and three-fourth. yards, including pleats. ^ , Bridal Veils. One of the most important details in a fashionable wedding costume i? the arrangement of the bridal veil, which varies from season to season. Cap effects in veils with conventional orange blossoms are the latest style. Many brides will wear lace-bordered veils instead of tulle. Four-Piece Skirt. The skirt that provides slight flare at the lower edge is one of the very latest to have appeared, and this model shows that feature at its best. It is slightly high waisted and close Wheat Pattern Fashionable. Everybody who designs is making use of the wheat pattern. ^ Embroidered Gloves. ) Long gloves must be elaborate^ | embroidered to meet the require- ( | ments of fashion. I Linen Turnovers. ( Embroidered linen turnovers and ' Dutch collars of linen or lace appeal , in charming variety. Define the Figure. , All coats are cut so as to more i clearly define the figure, though the i box coat has by no means been given , up. 1 Spreading Collars. I It seems almost necessary to weai i some kind of a fancy pin to keep the collar from spreading, and to hold in place whatever bow or tie is worn. I At present there is a great fad for wearing either a bird or quaint Egyptian pin for this purpose. imSy TOW 7yy777y777TyyyysM, | HOUSEHOLD iTTEBsl fJtd i ** v W W t. W<T- v\.\.Crvx\' *? A New Sandwich. A joy In the sandwich line is the brown bread sandwich, with a cream ;heese filling, just tinged with garlic, rhfe garlic must be the young and Lender kind that is the bane of the iairyman and can be found only in country meadows, and must be sparingly used at that or the appreciative guests will rue their feast.?New fork Tribune. * ' Steak en Casserole. Trim fat Irom a thick beefsteak, place in a broad casserole or baking iiah with two tablespoonfuls of but-1 ter and a sliced carrot, sliced onion and two bay leaves, and simmer in a hot oven till the vegetables are lightly; browned. Now pour in a cupful or more of the beef stock from which the grease has been skimmed, cover the dish and bake for forty minutes. Now add a dozen potatoes, either boiled or browned, a aozen peeiea mushrooms if desired and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. At the end Df another ten minutes in the oven? this time with the dish uncovered? sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve*.?New Haven Register. Chicken Cutlets. Half a pound of cooked chicken, cwo ounces of cooked ham or tongue, one hard-boiled egg, two raw eggs, Dne gill of white sauce, six small * 1 1 ?, ??u onH musnrooms, ure<tu. giumus, ocm. pepper. Chop the chicken and ham or tongue finely, chop also the hardboiled egg and mushrooms rather coarselyj add seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir the mixture over the fire for a few minutes, then turn it on to a plate and let it cool. Have ready a deep frying pan of fat. When the mixture is cold divide it Into even sized pieces; shape each into a neat cutlet. When all are shaped brush them over with well beaten egg and coat them with bread srumbs. When a bluish smoke rises from the frying fat put in some of the cutlets and fry a golden color. Drain them well on white paper. Stick a piece of parsley stalk in the end of each cutlet and serve them ?n a lace paper.?New York Press. Maple Foundation. Put into a saucepan four cupfula of brown sugar, two cupfuls of maple syrup, two cupfuls of hot water and a level teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Stir over a.slow fire until thoroughly dissolved, but take care not to boil. As soon as it is dissolved wipe away the grains that appear around the edge of the pan with a damp cloth, taking care not to jar the pan or let any moisture from the sides fall back into it. Now push the pan over the Are and let it come to a quick boil. Cook until it makes a soft ball when nnH ttt ofnr frt toof "R pa Uiuppcu lUbU ?? MVV,. vv ?VMM move from the fire and cool very gradually In the pan In which it was cooked. Never t^y to hasten the cooling by setting the pan in the water. When cool, not cold, stir energetically until a thick, creamy mass, then knead with the hands on a marble slab, the longer the better. When light and creamy put in an sarthen dish and cover with a slightly dampened cloth until ready to use, which should not be under twentyfour hours at the least. Then flavor, shape and make what combinations with nuts you wish. If kept damp this fondant will keep for weeks. Avoid making any kind of fondant on damp days, as the sugar absorbs the moisture from the atmosphere and will not harden. If any fondant :omes out grainy after being stirred, cover a'gain with water, stir until thoroughly dissolved, put on the fire and cook again.?Washington Star. Don't forget, fresh meat should b.e put in boiling water; salt meat into cold water. To insure salt being kept out of the parfait mold never neglect to seal the crack with a strip of lawn dipped in melted butter. A few drops of grain alcohol will give a beautiful polish to tumblers, sherbet glasses or to any glass dishes. It should be added to the rinsing water. Parfaits satisfy the family taste for a frozen dessert without half the work of freezing. It takes but a few minutes to crack ice and pack a mold in salt and ice.Carpets should be beaten on the wrong side first and then, more gently, on the right. Never put a carpet Hnwn on a damp floor, for this often results in the carpet becoming mildewed. Turkey sinews are exceedingly tough, but If removed from the drumsticks before cooking, the meat will be as good as that of the second joint, considered by some the best part of the fowl. Pistachio nuts blanched and shaved make a sightly and tasty addition to almost any salad and to many other dishes. They should be sprinkled over the salad after it is dressed or over the custarci or cream wucu n ^ ready to serve. A bunch of herbs, the "bouque/ garni" of French recipes, consists ot a few sprigs of parsley, one sprig of thyme, one of marjoram, one stalk of celery, a small piece of cinnamon, a small blade of mace, and a peppcir pod, tied together with a string. Lemons are exceeding useful and wholesome. The rind contains a highly aromatic essential oil, which may be utilized by grating the rind, or by cutting the yellow peel off with a sharp, thin knife without cutting into the white. If sugar is to be used with lemon oil, rub the lemon with rough lumps of sugar or rub the lemon on a lp.rcUuak cf loaf Bugar. " THE PULPIT^ ft. BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY ADAM MACDONALD REOCH. . Theme: What Is Tour Life? Text: For what is your life? It is even a yapor, that appeareth for a llt[ tie time, and then vanlsheth away.? James 4:14. This is an apt metaphor with which to represent the brevity and. evanescence of life, but it does not tell the whole story. The cloud Trhich the text speaks of as floating idly in the sky we have imprisoned in our machinery and compelled to do mighty thingB. This ca- . * * pacity o? fleeting vapor for energy and work well represents the capacity of the human spirit for inspiration and service! This constitutes man's greatest endowment and is the life of every faculty and attainment. | Scripture continually speaks of man as a "vessel" or utensil which depends for its usefulness and worth apon .the value of its contents. When noble Ideals perish our life descends toward the level of .the brute, just as vapor, bereft of its heat, turns again to its nrieinai liauid form, comnaratively without value. Life and action carried on in accordance with true ideals will result j unfailingly in progress. Too often ' the monotony of life consumes the energy which should go toward the realization of our ideals, and when we stand before the doors of large opportunities we are overcome with fear and hesitation. Man, like the vapor, will never do his best work except under pressure. A. brook will bable until it meets the dam, when it begins to turn the grist mill. Without a sense of rgBprftislbllity a man will develop no" force of character. We should .think of our responsibilities as opportunities. Life is most truly described, in the broad sense, as a great opportunity. That is the way Jesus looked at it. "Treasure hid in a field," "a pearl of great price," "talentsintrusted to servants," ; these are the similes be used. Tney all emphasize the element of opportunity. Life is, in short, the opportunity to find out; true self, and until we have done that we can never hope to find the true God. If a man gain the whole world and lose himself It profiteth nothing, for a man can actually .and permanently possess nothing ex'cept himself. Is a man entitled^ to say "I live," simply because he eats and sleeps and is physically well? A human life is far more complex. The first reed pipe gave forth music, but Its descendant, thp great organ, gives . forth completed music in which the other parts are harmonized with the melody. The complete life is one in which the religious or spiritual note gathers into harmony the moral, the intellectual and the physical elements in our being, bringing them also into harmony with God, tlie source and fountain of liffe. Could You Pray? Coming from Chicago one day Defore I was a saved man, an elevenyear-old boy made an attempt to board my train at Hebron and, missing bis hold, fell under the cars. A section man pulled him out and laid him on the platform. The boy made a grab for his hat that was just beyond his reach, and then realized that j his other arm was broken and one leg gone. He began to beg ns to kill him. They placed him on a stretcher, and some one ran for his mother, who jfi lived just a block away. She came running.vand as she knelt at his side, cried: "My God, Frank, is this you!" "Yes, mother," he replied, "and > ^ won't you pray for me?" Wringing her hands, she sobbed:' "O Frank, I can't pray! I don't know ? how!" Tbere on her knees, at the side of her dying boy, she turned to us and pleaded for some of us to pray for him, but we each one had to admit that we did not know how, and he died before us without a prayer. I never shall forget the anguish written on that poor mother's face. I do thank God that I have learned to pr^y since that time and to hold up before the throne of grace not only my own children, but those of prayerless parents about me. . Poor, But Rich. A poor blind woman In Paris put twenty-seven francs into a plate at a missionary meeting. "You cannot afford so much," said one. "Yes, sir, I can." she answered. On being pressed to explain, she said: "I am blind, and I said to my fellow-strawworkers, 'How much money do you spend in a year for oil in yonr lamps when it is too dark to work nights?' They replied. 'Twenty-seven francs.' "So," said the poor woman, "I * - *1. round tnat i save so mucu m wa year because I am blind and do not need a lamp, and I give it to shed light to the dark heathen lands."? Detroit News-Tribune. ____? Moral Constitution. s ? Let a man build up his moral constitution by thinking noble thoughts, derived from the habitual practice of reading good books, performing noble deeds, association with pure worn- * en and honorable men. Let a man walk in the spirit and he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.?Rev. William C. Stinsman. Jrir 1 -Vi Beneficent Power. *[2 v . No matter how insignificant you may be, you can exert some beneficent power over the tide and flow of human passions, and diffuse a calm and I blessed light on those that tall witnin ! your environment.?Cardinal James | Gibbons. A Stronger Assurance. The faith of the heart is a stronger assurance than all the visions of the outward sense. \Vhen fortune smiles ' around me. I may think that I am happy; when sanctity and love breathe within me. I know It. Inspiration of Self.' I According to what a man is, is the t j quality and amount of the virtue that I goes out of him, and he cannot cease | to impart this peculiar life unless he ! sinks into the lethargy of death.? Sears. Rejoice Constantly. We should not found our praises of God on things that are far apart in their occurrence. We should look for ? His "wonderful works" in those that I are most constant. Tne rejoicing mat j is in the Eternal Father should be no I more suspended than are His bounj ties.?X. L. Frothingham. Faith Tliat is Able. x i Faith is th ' eing able to cleave to | a power of goodness, appealing to our i higher and real self and not to our j lower and apparent self.?Matthew I Arnold. i