Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

VOL. III, MANNING, CLARENDON COUNTY, S. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1888. NO, 28 THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE AN EXHAUSTIVE REVIEW OF PUBLIC MATTERS IN SOUTH CAROLINA. Suggestions of the Chief Executive to the General Asseinbly--The Various Interest of the State Which the Lawmakers Musi Study and Foster. The. annual message of Governor John Peter Bichardson was presented to each branch of the General Assembly on the 27th nit. It is a document of 28 octavo pages, replete with suggestione touching the different interests of the State. We give a synopsis of its state ments and recomz endations. THE STATE DEBT. The Deficiency Bonds and Stock maturing in July last amounting to $420, 592.26, were funded in new 4J per cent. bonds-these latter being taken by in vestors in South Carolina. The remain ing portion of the State debt, which has been funded under the Consolidation .Acts of '1873-78-79, consists of Consol Stock $2,161,140.26, Consol Bonds $3, .841,000, and the Agricultural College -Scrip, a perpetual fund of $191,800. These amounts added to the Blue 41 per cent. Stocks of $183,000, and Blue 4J Bonds of $217,000, together with the $5,187.73 Deficiency Bonds and Stocks yet to be redeemed, make the total fund ed debt $6,599,127.99. The Consol Bonds and Stocks, amounting to $6,002, 170.26, ,are payable or redeemable in 1893. The Governor recommends that the Legislature take immediate steps to fund that portion of the debt which matures in 1893. He further suggests that some measure be taken to induce the funding of that portion of the State debt still unfunded-amounting to $450,599.22. POrarED LNDS. On the subject of forfeited lands, and the enforcement of the collection of taxes, the Governor says: This serious and difficult problen seems to have been effectually solved by the passage at the last Legislature of "An Act in Relation to Forfeited Lands, Delinquent, Lands, and Collection of Taxes." As Chairman of the Sinking Fund Commission-a Board largely charged with the super vision of its execution-my careful observation of its practical operation during the last year has led me to the couclusion that this law is practical and effective as it relates to the collection of the levy of 1887 and future levies, and also as it relates to the collection of back taxes due the State prior to the levy of 1887, estimated at present to be $377, 579, which is really a debt due by the delinquent to the taxpayer who has promptly paid his taxes. It would be eminently wise, therefore, to allo.w this law to remain upon the statute books just as it now stands, without emasculation by amendment, with the single exception that it should be so altered as to require the County Sheriff to sell on some regular salesday under the direction of the Comptroller General. T=E PtLIO scHooLS. -The enrollment of the public schoofs for 1887-'88 shows an increase of 18,417 pupils. There is also a gain of 14,036 in the average attendance, and a propor tionate gain in teachers and buildings. There is evidence of increased interest in the common schools, in the improve ment of school buildings, larger and and more regular attendance, the hold ing of teachers'institutes, andthegreater readiness of communities to tax them selves to extend the school-term. The Winthrop Training School, in Columbia, isacommended to the examination and the favorable consideration of the General Assembly. Touching the education of women, the Governor says: In this day of individual enterprise, when women are entering the many new fields of modern progress, I hope you will cinejder what may be done to have ph~nography, telegraphy, photography, and kindred sciences taught in these mn stitutions. 'There is no reason why our females, called to earn their ~.bread by their own labor, should be confined to the scool room. Their re markable aptitude for teaching is simply an indication of what they can do, and have done, and will do in othar depart meats suited to their sex. His Excellency futher urges an earn est effort on the part of teachers and Echool ofticers to increase the people's interest ir.. the common schools and to improve these institutions as one means to "reach and elevato the masses," and *he expresses the hope that the day is not distant when the light of knowleage, fed and guidea by Christian principles, will find its way into every home mn our .borders. THE STATE UI1VEBSITY. After setting out the expansion of the -State .University, effected by the Act p.se. at the last session, Governor 1ihadsn eays,: -"There are now 221 students in at - tendance, with a strong probability,-from letters received by the authorities, that the number will exceed 240 before the end of the current academic year. Of the 100 students entering for the first -time this year, the large majority are pursuing scientific courses of study. The material is excellent, and a spirit of loa enthusiam pervades the whole in -ttuio. The .Board of Trustees will ask for the continuance of last year's e appropriations, and 1 recommend that the same be allowed them. . "In commending to your fostering care the University, our chief seat of learning, and bespeaking for it youi liberal support, I do so in the firm con viction that there is n~o other agency at ouir command so potent for the advane - ment of the best interests, material social, intellectual and moral, of omi - people." AGBIC~TU~tRAn COLLEGE. The wisdom and necessity of estab lishing a hi'h class institution of learn ing, devoted exclusively to instructiox in the' sciences pertaining to agricul ture and in all the technological studiei and arts germane to this most importan1 and fundamental pursuit of man, has, during the past three years, excitec great interest among the people of thit State, and enlisted in its behalf th4 warmest advocacy and earnest efforts o -many of our best and worthiest citi sens. Ts quest:ion is ne that demnands foi its solution no investigation of principle as it involves none, but simply consid erations of policy as affecting the wishe and vital interests of a large and impor tant portion of the people of the State The decision upon this much agitatei subject, arrived at by the last Legisla cure, after its mature and elaborate dis cassion for weeks, ha3 been disturbei and unsettled by the introduction of N new factor, viz.: the liberal beques1 made to the State for the establishment of such an institution by a distin guished adopted citizen, ,he Hon. T. G Clemson, at his demise during the sprin of the present year, coupled with cer tain conditions, which, under the terms of the will, must attach to its acceptance by the State. Naturally, therefore, the whole matter has again been brought before the people and fully and exhaust ively discussed in both the State and county campaigns immediately preced ing the general elections. There -can then be no doubt whatever that you, the chosen representatives of the people, are in accurate possession of their views and wishes, and being of all vocations in life, and more largely of the agricultural class than any other, are prepared at all points to dgertmine wisely this mush vexed question. While fully sensible that the whole responsibility of this determination rests with you, I would most respectfully call to your attention a few considerations in regard to this subject as necessarily af fecting any conclusion, to be reached. There can be no doubt, if it is the well ascertained desire of the agricultural class of the State that such a college should be established, that there should be measures at once taken to that end as a jit recognition of their importance in numbers, intelligence and the value of their productions. The farmers consti tute the very bone and sinew of the land, and upon the result of their labors rest all other industries, which must, there fore, be always best subserved and most effectually promoted when the occupa tion of farming is most successfully and intelligently conducted. Admitting the necessity of thorough education and technical instruction to the followers of this primal as of any other pursuit in life, which surely no one in this age of pr gress can question, the duty of providing the means for such education and instruction becomes imperative, if not already existing. Considerations of economy become sec ondary where results are to be so amply compensating for the mpney expended. If, therefore, in the judgment of your honorable body, in addition to the splen did opportunities offered by our mag nificent and superbly equipped Univer sity for the acquirement of agricultural knowledge in all its departnents, from the most rudimental to the most scien tific in character, there be need of fur ther facilities in this direction, it would be both just and wise to. accede to the demand for a separate Agricultural Col lege, and proceed by such steps as pru dence would dictate to establish such an institution as would accomplish the purpose sought, and be a credit to the State. But this, I am clearly of the opinion, should be done without injury to, or the least disturbance of, the organization of a single institution now existing. There could be no wisdom in, and therefore no ezeuse for, pulling down one institution already established upon the broadest and most enlightened basis, and accom plishing a wondrous work towards the intellectual advancement of our young men, to erect another comparatively ex perimental in its system and far nar rower in its field of instruction and use fulness.~ Nor should the building of a separate Agricultural College depend upon the acceptance of the Clemson or any other bequest, for the State of South Carolina is not as poor as some would represent her to be, and by a careful husbanding of her resources and the honorable maintenance of her credit she will, in the next few years, be amply able to build and support such a college withnut a dollar's increase of taxation. The refunding of her debt at the re duiced rate of interest, she has the right to expect by the wise management of her finances will result in the annual saving of a sum-120,000 at least-that wil be more than sufficient to build, equipand support in the most effective manner -a first-class institution. In? this connection 1 would suggest the lurther utiliziion of our Experiment Stations for the purposes of agricultural educa tion, by gradually converting them into preparatory schools, where the manual labor of the pupils could be successfully employed in the cultivation of the faris and- thle conduct of experimentation, while securing for themselves, by their own efforts and without cost to the State, the inestimable advantage of a technical education. They would thus become superb feeders of our higher institutions, and the most worthy, industrious and proficient among the pupils might be awarded scholarships in our State Uni versity as an incentive to ambition and exertion. I cannot, in fairness and frankness, pass from this subject without a brief expression of my views on the matter of the "Glemson bequest," already alluded to, which, I presume, will be brought before you in some shapa for your con sideration. Its acceptance or rejection upon the conditions with which it is en cumbered is a matter solely for your de termination and in which no executive officer has either voice or vote. But my sense of duty compels me to say thai while I would rejoice to see the State in possession of so handsome a property and so large a donation, especially hal. lowed as it is by the clustering memonies of her grandest and greatest son, I am decidedly of the opinion that it would comport neither with her true interest nor sovereign dignity as an inidependent Comnmonwealth to hastily and formailly accept it before the validity of the will is clearly and judicially established and before a positive and unquestioned as eertainment of the fact is had that thi institution, when established, shall bE and forever remain under the supreme and sole control of the State. But upon your honorable body, as:] have said, rests the responsibility of the determirnation of this question. and wit] these thoughts I leave it in your hand: in full confidence of your reaching th< wisest and most righteous conclusion. OTHER STATE SCHOOLS. The Citadel Academy is in a flourishing condition. There is need of adlditiona quarters and additional equipment. Th< Governor recmmenas that the amount re covered from the United States government - for the use of the buildings be applied to a the rebuilding of the west wing of the - Citadel, and to the better equipment of the institution. Cadets are beginning to enter from other States, and -the Governor con curs in the opinion of the Board of Visit ors that the school should so enlarge its facilities as to retain this patronage and ir vite more of the same-sort. The institution for the education of the deaf and dumb and the blind is admirably managed, and continues to do a beneficent work for those children of the State who need its instruction. There are 102 in mates. There is need of a new building for colored pupils and also some imprcve ments in the water supply. For these the Governor concurs in the request of the Board of Commissioners for a special ap p: opriation. Clatlin University, for negroes of both sexes, is reported as doing a good work for that race. TiE DEPARTMCNT OF AGRICULTURE. The annual report of this department is commended to the earnest consideration of the Legislature. The duties with which it is charged are of vital interest to all the people of the State, and the manner in which these duties have been performed amply jastifies the wisdom of the Legisla ture in establishing this department of the State Government. During the year just closed fhe department has continued the experiments on the two agricultural experi mental stations, located at Darlington and Spartanburg; conducted State and County Farmers' Institutes; inspected and analyzed commercial fertilizers on sale in the State; supervised the phosphate interests; investi gated contagious diseases among domestic animals, and adopted measures for their prevention; enforced the fish laws at various points; established observation stations, where climatic data are collected, and sent daily weather indications to the numerous display stations under its control; issued monthly reports containing matters of in terest to the farmers, and weeklf crbp bul letins; collected, compiled and published statistical information; published pam phlets, maps &c, showing the recources and industries of South Carolina; placed on exhibition a splendid collection of the pro ducts of the State, and conducted an exten sive correspondence. These are all matters of great importance, and they are fully treated in the annual re ports of the Board and Commissioner. The Commissioner urges the establish ment of river observation stations, where the rise of streams may be promptly noted and flood warnings given for the benefit of stock raisers and farmers. The recent dis astrous floods prove the necessity for such stations. The Commissioner calls atten tion to the defects in the fish laws, and shows where they should be amended. He also endorses the recommendations of the special assistant of the department regard ing changes needed in the laws regulating phosphate mining. All of these matters will doubtless receive your favorable con sideration. The Department of Agriculture asks for. no appropriation from the Legislature. It is supported entirely by the privilege tax on commercial fertilizers and its finances are so managed that the income from this source is sufficient to meet all of its ex penses. Its good work is apparent, and is more appreciated the more it is investigated and understood. EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS. The Experimental Stations, as now es tablished, comprise the following: A central scientific staff at Columbia, with the neces sary offices and laboratories, and three farms-one at Spartanburg, one at Cohim bia and one at Darlington. The upper farm contains 300 acres, the middle farm 120 acres, and the lower 227 acres. Each farm is supplied with stock, implements and machinery, including engines, gins, presses, mills, cutters &c. Besides the work of preparation required to bring these farms into proper condition, a large num ber of field tests were planned and con ducted. There were 656 experimental plats in cotton, 420 in corn, 56 in wheat, 48 in qats, and about 50 in miscellaneous crops, such as grasses, clovers, peas, soja beans, millets, sorghums, &c., or upward of 1,200 in all. Each test was carefully duplicated and repeated on each farm. The checking and verification thus obtained give great weight to the results- About 50 different varieties of cotton were tested.. In the laboratories at Columbia, analyses were made of typical soils cof the State, of farm ec ops at different stages of growth, -of diff rent mannrial materials, &c. Numerous varietit s of commercial seeds were examined to determine their p;urity and vitality. Rust, cholera, and other dis eases of plants and animals were studied, and an chibc'rate series of meteorologic ob servation hearing upon the physical proper ties of "oils was begun. An acc iunt of some of these tests and analyses has been given to the public in the quarterly bulletics and the~ operattiOns for tue entire year will be fully discussed in the annual report, which wvill appear, in accordance with the rcquirements of the Hatch Act, on the first of next February. The stations are ably office:ed, the farms arc being rapidly brought into good condi tioni for the n ork in hand, important lines of investigation have been entered upon, and much valuable experience has been acquired, and results of the highest im portance to our agricultural interests may he explected. in some time, to tollow from the ti~orough establishmaut of these stations. PENAL AND) cHAI TABLE INsTITUTIONs. The State penitentiary contains 894 con victs, of which number 8413 are colored and 51 are white; there being 45 colored and 2 white females. Of these Mr. Rt. S. Pringle has 217 at work on phosphate mines near Sumnmervilie, S. C., 199 are employed on shce and hosiery inside the prison, and the balance on the various farms, with the exception of a small num ber leased by the contractors of the Colum bia Canal. The financial condition of the prison is good, the collections from all sources the pmest year having amounted to $3,444 23~ more than it cost to sustain it. When the expected collections are applied to the liabilities, it is expected that there will be a clear balance of about $10,000. In ca:sequence of loss from iloods and ther) disasters, the Directors have been un able to repay the $25,000 loaned to them, and they ask an extension of one year, in the assured hope of repairing past losses in that time. The physical condition of the convicts is satisfactory. The annual report of the Regents of the Lunatic Asylum exhibits fully the opera tions of the last year, and clearly states the [condition and requirements of this institu tion. The number of inmates increased from 649 to 680. of whom 393 are white and 287 are colored. It appears that the population would have been notably larger but for the liberal resort to the policy of sending home on trial such convalescents as it was thought might be trusted. Thus last year, of the 155 released on probation, Ionly 27 returned, and all except 29 have i be'en discharged. That the present build . ings should be cowdedl is not surprising when we consider that the census of 1SS gives the number of insane, epileptic, and idiotic as 2,700, all of whom may, accord ing to our laws, be committed to the asylum. The institution seams to have been econ omically conducted. There are tables to show that the cost of maintenance has been gradually reduced from $202 in 1876 to $140, and that the daily cost to the State of each patient is only 34 cents. The Gov ernor concus with the Superintendent in the opinion that further retrenchment is impracticable without lowering the stand ard of the institution and impairing its use fulness. THE -RAILROAD COMMISSION. On the subject of State supervision of railroads the Governor recommends that the powers of the Railroad Commissioners be enlarged so as to enable them to require railroads within South Carolina to regulate their rates of freight within the State so that the public shall derive the greatest benefit possible consistent with the interest of the railroad corporations. He invites the attention of the Legislature to the sub ject of railroads in general, in order that such legislation may be had as will suffi ciently protect the interests of the public. OTHER MATTERS. The State militia is reported in excellent condition. The Governor recommends a liberal support of the citizen soldiery. Attention is called to the report of the Board of Pensions. The t'tal number of applications filed in the Comptroller's cffice during the year and up to 30th Sep tember is 2.623. The Pension Board ap proved 2,025 of the applications filed; 1,492 of these were in favor of widows of soldiers who lost their lives in the service of the State or Confederate States, and 533 in favor of soldiers sounded in said service. The Board disapproved 598 applications, of which 371 were for soldiers, and 227 for widows. Of the $50,000 applica ble to pensions there is an unexpended bal ance of $212. The Governor suggests such further ap propriations for the completion of the State House as the Legislature may deem con sistent with the resources of the State. The appropriation of $2500 for the State Agricultural and Mechanical Society the Governor thinks should be continued. Attention is called to the suggestion of Major Harry Hammond, of Aiken, that the Legislature co-operate with the Legis lature of Georgia in making an appropria tion for a topographical survey of the Sa vannah river, with the view to ask the national government for the means to make the stream safely navigable and to prevent disastrous overflows. CONCLUSION. The message concludes as follows: "I have thus presented for your information and consideration as full and clear a state ment as possible of the condition of the State in all the departments of the Govern ment. with suggestion of such measures as have appeared to my ,mind expedient or necessary. In doing ihS I have endeav ored to discharge faithfully, and with loyal heart, my whole duty-under. the Constitu tion, and now invoke upon your delibera tions the guidance and blessing of the Di vine Wisdom, the only true and unfailing source of peace, happiness, prosperity and progress to peoples and nations." ae Child's Voice in Singing. Frederick S. Law, in The Voice, dwells at length on some of the dangers of al lowing children to sing in public, par ticularly when under the care of ignorant or irresponsible conductors. One case i" mentioned of a girl who was permitted to sing in halls large enough to test the powers of experienced artists, and who, consequently, at the age of 10, alfhough she had started out with great promise, had no voice at all left. "It is,' says Mr. Law, "as much of an impossibility for a child to produce full and sonorous notes as it would be to load it down with heavy weights and expect it to walk at once. Many who would regard theo latter as an act of cruelty will listen with com placency to a child straining every nerve to fill a large room with a voice that from its nature is not intended for such use." Mr. Law concludes: "The instruction of children, as regards the -voice, should be almost entirely negative-that is, they do not require teaching what to do so much as-what not to do. - They may be trusted to form-their tones as they please. if they do not sing too loudly nor with any undue effort. If these conditions cannot be secured, they should not be allowed to sing at all. Nothing is mnore painful than to hear a child struggle to fl a largo room with a voice crippledl from an attempt to wrest from nature what is not there. In no way can we find empensation for such an exhibition. The mind receives no pleasure, as there can bo no intellectual grasp of the subject, while the ear is tortured by shrill and distorted sounds which awaken a natural anxiety for the child's future welfare. A healthy child possessed of a good ear is the most natural singer in the world, because the most unconscious, It is only when tam ered with by those who should knorr bntter that disastrous results are to bo feared. "-Brooklyn Eagle. SMethod of Electric Writing. A small needle is vibrated to and fro by the alternate currents. Attached to the end of the needle is a siphon about the hundredth part of an inch in diameter, through which ink flows constantly. The point of the siphon or pen rests on a strip of paper which is automatically pulled under it, and as the needle vibrates the pea marks the vibrations in zigzag lines on the paper. The operator reads the signals off as they pass before him and writes them on the usual blanks, while an attendant coils up the paper strip and files it away. There is no noise as with a Morse instrument, and no "calling." The paper goes along continually and when the operator at the other end of the cable has a message to transmit he goes right ahead with it. The sending opera tor sits to the right of the receiver and manipulates two keys side by side, one for the positive and the other for the negative current. There is no sounding instrument except the keys, and the operator has no means of knowing how well he is doing, except that when it does not reach the other end distinctly the sendn O~ rater there notifies the re ceiver at t-end, who tells his associate where to repeat from. A Morse operator unacquainted with cable work would think the sending operator was merely "drnmming" on the keys, as there appears to be no syptem about it to the uninitiated.-New York World. ________ She had auburn hair, and he wanted to say something very cutting, so he observed "In some parts of the West, I believe, they light the streets with red-headed girls." "Hump! That never would do in your town," answered the girl. "Why not?" asked the young fellow. "Why, you'd be hugging the lamp-posts all day, as well as half the night" w eas the crnshing- reply. TALMAGE'S IDEAS OF FOOD. HE DISCOURSES ON THINGS THAI ARE TABOOED. The Vultures of Society, the Bats of Re ligion, the Chameleon in Church and Business, the Lugubrinus Owl and the Slow and Beneless Snail--Soue !lard Hitr. At the Brooklyn tabernacle Sunday the Rev. Dr. Talmage preached to a large audience on "Forbidden Diet." He took his text from Leviticus xi., 13 30-"And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls: the owl, the vulture and the bat. There also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth, the chameleon and the snail." "The Bible offers very possible variety of theme, of argument and of illustra tion," said the preacher. "We care not much in what kind of a pitcher the water of life is.brought, if it is only the clear, pure water. God gave the ancients a list of the animals that they might eat and a list of animals that they might not eat. These people lived in a hot climate, and certain forms of animal food cor rupted their blood and disposed them to scrofulous disorders, depraved their appetites and bemeaned their souls. A man's food, when he has the means and opportunity of selecting it, suggests his moral nature. "The reason the wild Indian is as cruel as the lion, is because he has food that gives him the blood of a lion. A missionary among the Indians says, that by changing his style of food to corre spond with theirs, his temperament was entirely changed. There are certain forms of food that have a tendency to affect themoralnature. Many a Christian is trying to do by prayer, that. which cannot be dome except through corrected diet. PORE A POOR DIET. For instance, he who uses swine's flesh for constant diet, will be diseased in body, and polluted of soul-all his litur 'es and catechisms notwithstanding. The Gadarene swine were possessed of the devil, and ran down a steep place into the sea, and all the swine ever since seem-to have been similarly possessed. In Leviticus, God struck this meat off the table of his people, and placed be fore them a bill of iure, at once health ful, nutritious and generous. "But higher than this physical reason, there was a spiritual reason why God chose certain forms of food for the ancients. God gives a peculiar diet to his people, not only because he wanted them to be distinguised from the surrounding nations, but because certain birds and animals, by reason of their habits, have always been suggestive of moral qualities. By the list of things from which they were to abstain, God wished to prejudice their minds against certain evils; and in the list of lawful things given, he wished to suggest certain things given, he wished to suggest certain forms of good.. When God solemnly forbade his people to eat the owl, the vulture, the bat, the.chameleon, and the snail, He meant to drive out of his people all the tins that were thus emblemized. "I take the suggestion of the texts and say that one of the first unclean things the Christian needs to drive out of his soul is the owl. The owl is the melancholy bird of night. It hatches our whole broods of superstitions. It is doleful and hideous. When it sings it sings through its nose. It loves the gloom of night better than the bright neas of the day. Who has not slept in the cabin near the woods and been awakened in the night by the dismal "too-hoo" of the owl? Melancholy is the owl that is perched in many a Christian soul. It is an unclean bird, and needs to be driven away. suNREmNE IS IIFE. "A nian whose sins are pardoned and who is on? the road to Heaven has no right to be gloomy. He says: 'I1 have so many doubts.' Tnat is because 'you are lazy.' Go actively to work in Christ's cause and your doubts will vanish. Yoa say: 'I have lost my property, buttI reply: 'Gou have infinite treasures laid up in Heaven,' You say: 'I am weak and siakly and going to die.' Then be congratulated that you are so near eternal health and perpetual gladness. Catch a few morn ing larks ior your soul, and stone this owl oftf your premises. "As a lit:le girl was eating the sun dashed upon her spoon, and she cried, '0, mamma, I have swallowed a spoon ful of sunshine!' Would God that we might all indulge in the same bevcrage! Cheerfulness; it makes the homliest face handsome; it mkes the hardest mattress soft; it runs the loom that weaves butter cupsb and rainbows and auroras. God made the grass black? No; that would be too sombre. God made the grass red? No; that would be too gaudy. God made the grass green, that by this parable all the world might be led to a subdued cheerfulness. .tead y our Bible in the sunshine. Remember that your physical health is closely allied to your spiritual. The heart and the liver are only a few inchesapart, and what affects one tffie~ts the other. A historian records that oy the sound of great laughter in 1tome, Hannibal's assaulhing army was frightened away in retreat. And there is in the great outbursting joy of a Christian soul that which can drive back any infernal besegement. - Rats love dark closets, and satan loves to burrow in a gloomy soul. "le joice in the Lord, Oh y e righteou , and again I say, rejoice! "Hoist the window of y our soul in this the 12 o'clock of spuitual nmght. I' u ua to :,our si'uuider and aim at the black jungle from which the hooting comes; pull the trigger and drop that croaking, lothsome, bideous owl of religious melancholy into the bushes. DETESTABLE GOSSIPS. . "The most loathsome, miserable, God forsaken whretch on earth is a gossip. I can tell her on the street though I have never seen her before. She walks fast and has her bonnet strings loose, for she has not had time to tie them since she heard that last scandal. She looks both ways as she passes, hoping to see new evidences of depravity in the windows. I think that when Satan hay a job so ininitely mean that in all the pit he cannot find a devil mean enongl to do it, and all bribes and threats have failed to get one willing for inferna crusade, he says to one of his sergeants 'Go up to Brooklyn, and in such a street on such a corner, get that gossiping wo man, and she will be glad to do it.' "And sure enough, like a hungry fish, she takes the hook in her mouth, anc Satan slackens the line and lets her run out farther and farther, uutil after awhile he says: 'It is time to haul in that line, and with a few strong pulls he brings hei to the beach of fire. What do you say That she was a member of the Church: I cannot help that. When Satan goes a-fishing be does not care what school the lish belong to, whether it is a Pres byterian mackerel or an Episcopalian salmon. Amid the thunder crash of Si nai God said: 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.' And in Leviticus he says: 'Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale bearer.' "Take not into your ear that scum of hell that people call tittle-tattle. Who soever willingly listens to a alander is equnally guilty with the one who tells it, and an old writer -says they ought both to be hung-the one by the tongue and the other by the ear. Do not smile upon such a spaniel, lest, like a pleased dog, he put his dirty paw upon you. Throw back the shutter of your soul, oh Chris tian men and women, and see if there be within you a vulture with filthy talons and cruel beak. Let not this unclean thing roost in your soul, for my t, xt says: 'Ye shall hold in abomination among the fowls, the vulture.' CHOOSE EABTH OR -HEAVEN. "But, my friends, your worldly fo - tunes will not last. I will buy out now all that you will be worth in worldly es tate seventy-five years from now. I have the money in my pocket with which to do it. Here it is. Two cents! It is a -large sum to offer for all you will possess at the close of seventy-five years. Choose the world if you want to, but, if not, then choose heaven. That estate lies partly on this side of the river, but mostly on the other. It is ever accumu lating. The prospect of it makes one independent of earthly misfortunes, so that Rogers, the martyr, slept so soundly the night before his burning they vio lently shook him in order to get him awake in time for the execution, and Paul exults at the thought of the 'joy unspeakable and full of glory.' THE CHANGlG CHAMLEON. "Again, taking the suggestion of the text, drive out the chameleon from your soul. There is some difference between good men as to the name of this creep ing thing which God pronounced un clean, but I shall take the opinion which seems best suited to my purpose. The chameleon is a reptile, chiefly known by its changeableness of color, taking the color of the thing next to it, sometimes brown, sometimes red and sometimes gray, but always the color of its sur roundings, a type o2 that class of Chris tians who are now one thing in religious faith and now another, just to suit cir umatanc s, always taking their color of religious belief from the man they are talking to. They go to one place and are first-rate Unitarians. 'Jesus was a good man, but nothing more.' They go to Princeton and they are Trinitarians, almost willing to die for the divinity of Jesus. ADVICE TO A DAU9HTER. "An infidel was called to the bedside of his daughter. The daughter said: 'Father, which shall I believe, you or mother? Mother took the religion of Christ, and died in its embrace; you say that religion is a humbug. Now I am going to die, and I am very much per plexed; shall ]I believe you, or take the belief of my mother?' The father said: 'Choose for yourself." She said: 'No, I am stoo weak to choose for myself; I want you to choose for me.' "'Well, 'said the father, after much esitation and embarrassment, 'Mary, I think you had better take the religion of your mother.' The time will come when we shall have to believe something. We cannot afford to be on the fence in reli gion. Truth and error are set opposite to each other. The one is infinitely right, and the other infinitely wrong. On the judgment day we must give an account of what we believed as well as for what we acted. The difference be tween believing tiuth and believing error is the difference between paradise and perdition. I beg y ou, in the light of the Bible, and on your knet s before God, to form your religious opinion and then stick to it, though business com panions scoff, and wits caricature, and the air crackles with the fires of martyr dom. Surely truths in behalf of which Christ died, and angels of God trooped forth, and the whole universe is mar shaled, are worth living for and worth dying for. Amidst the most unclean things is this ever changing chataeleon of religions theory. Away with the reptile! God abhors it with an all-con suming abhorrence. "OLtce more: Take the suggestion of the text, and driv6 out the snail from your soul God has declared it unclean. It is an animal to be found every where between the coldest north and the hot test south. There are 1,500 species of the snail. They have no backbone, and they are so slow that their movement is almost imperceptible. You see a snail in one place to-day; go to morrow and~ you will find it has adv~nced only-a few iches. It cecomes an emblem of that large class of Christian people who go. to work with a slowness and sluggi:,hness that is wonderful. They are stopped by every little obstacle, because, like tUa snail, they have no b'aakbone. Others mount up oni eagles' wings, but they go at a snail's pace. "0 child of God, arouse! We have apotheosized prudee and caution long enough. Prudence is a beautiful gi-ace, but of all the family of Uhristian graces I like her the leas.t because she has been married so ofte~n to laziness, sloth and stupidty. We have a million idlers in the Lord's vineyard who pride them selves on their prudence. 'Be prudent,' said the 4isciples to Christ, 'and stay away from Jerusalem,' but he went. 'Be prudent,' said Paul's friends, 'and look out for .what you say to Felix;' but he thundered away until the rulkr's knees knocked together. In the eyes of the world the most imprudent men that ever lived were Martin Luther and John Oldcastle, and Wesley and Kno'. My reckless thing is to stand still. It is well to hear our commander's voice when ho Ssays 'Halt!' but quite so important to hear it when he says 'Forward!' This Gospel ship made to plow the sea at fif teen knots an hdur, is not making three. Sometimes it is most prudent to ride your horse slowly and pick out the way for his feet, and not strike him with the spurs; but when. a band of Shoshonee Indians are after you in full tilt, the most prudent thing for. you to do is to plunge in the rowels and put your horse to a full run, shouting: 'Go 'long!' until the Rocky Mountains echo it. The foes of God are puisuing us. The world, the flesh, and the Devil are after us, and our wisest course is to go ahead at swiftest speed. DRIVE OUT ALL UNCLEAN THINGS. "When the Church of God gets, to advancing too fast, it will be time enough to use caution. No need of putting on the brakes while going up hill. Do not let us sit down waiting for something Ito turn up,' but go ahead in the name of God, and turn it up. The great dange to the Church now is not sensation, but stagnation. Oh, that the Lord Gad would send a host of aroused and conse crated men to set the Church on fire, and to turn the world upside down! Let as go to 'work and catch the last snail in our souls. "With Divine vehemence let us statap its life out, for my text declares: 'These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep upon the eartb; the chameleon and the snail.' I have thus tried to prejudice these Chris tian men and women against gloominess, and slander, and half-and-half experi eoes, and changeableness and sloth. Our opportunities forgetting better are being rapidipwallowed up in the re morseless past. This golden Sabbath is tbout to drop out of the calendar. This moment may we drive out all the unclean things from our souls-the vulture, and the bat, and the owl, and the chameleon and the snail; and in place thereof bring in the Lamb of God and the Doye of the Spirit! The case is urgent. Arouse! before it be eternally too late! 'What soever thy hand find til to do, do it."' DON'T- TALK TOO MU' M. flints for Retail salesmuen Who Desire to Be Successful. To be a successful salesman one must maintain a certain amount of reserve, Too much talk has spoiled many a goo.l trde. It is tiresome to purchasers, who frequently prefer to be guided by their own judgment than by the sug gestions of stoge clerks. People who buy goods, particularly the ladies,.gen erally think over what they want and make up their minds before they. start out -on a shopping expedition about what they want and what they feel they can afford to pay for it. When they enter a store and call for a certai quality of goods they expect the sales man to place before them what they desire-not to suggest they know some. thing a good deal better, which they are sure will give them far greater satis faction. Customers as a general thing do not like talkative and garrulous store clerks, they prefer A quiet, obliging, dignified salesman, who will show them goods without any ostentatious display of his person or intellectual imbecility. Clerks should never be impertinent or snappish, even to their inferiors. They should learn to treat all customers with courtesy and impartial politeness. Jokes, stories and sloppy sentiment should never by manner or expression do or say any thing to offend the dig nity of a matron or bring a blush to a modest maiden's cheek. They should never remind any homespun agricul turist of any unpleasant mistake he may have made in his past career, .for suchi men are always more or -less sens atv and do not like to be made a but Many a clerk by trying to say some smart thing has lost a good customer to his employer and made himself an object of subsequent aversion to the party whom he has offended. Sales men should talk just enough and should have sufficient commoh sense, to know when they have talked enough. They should be polite and patient under provocation and use their utmost endeavors to make friends for employ ers, thus aiding in building up and successfully carrying on business. Some may think these remarks com mon-place, but they play a more. im portant part in the success or failure of the retail storekeeper .than many im agine.-Grocers Criteri on.. How to Crush Suspicions. There are many suspicions that need rushing in the bud. We fancy our friend is cool to us; we imagine some one has slighted us; we suspect our neighbor og having spoken ill of us. Most likely we are mistaken, and. in any case, .we could never p~robably search into the matter. Our trust in our friend or our own self-respect should lead us to put away such thoughts, to abandon such suspicions. Sonic one has, perhaps, dropped a poi-. sonous word of scandal into our ears. Let us banish it from ougr thoughts with scorn. Circumstances may tend to cast suspicion on one whom we honor, let us continue to trust him in our heart ot hearts. We may fear that some one has committed a fault, which, however, does not concern us in the least, and in which we are not called upon to inter fere; let us expel the idea as an unwel cme intruder. In one of these two ways suspicion may be rightly dealt with. If as a warning it has a mission to perform, it will do its work; if it is an unworthy or an idle conjecture, it will be dismissed. In either case it will pass away, as all suspicions are meant to do. As transient guests of the mind' they may be useful in establishing the innocence which should be brought to light, or in proving the guilt which should be purged away. But as per manent inmates of the mind their influ enc i most pnic;ious- Philadelphia