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IDR. TAM R "A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of ~purple," eto.-Aors 16: 14. "8 ceet thou a man diligent in his busi i:esn? he shall stand before kinge."-Pnovnnas um: 29. TimE first passage introduces to you, 'Lydia, a Christian merchantess. He; -business is to deal in purple cloths or .silks. She is not a giggling nonentity, - but a practical woma not.asht.ped woric for her living. .4U, tbo,,other women of Philippi aita T'iatira have been forgotten, but God has made im mortal in our text Lydia, the Christian - saleswoman. The other text shows you a man with head, and hand, and heart, and foot all busy toiling on up. until re "ins -princely success.. MSCst thou . A diligent in his bushiess? he Mhl stard lioforo kings." In these two passages -there is great ENCOURAGEMENT FOR XEN AND YVOMIN who will be busy, but no solace for those who are waiting for good luck to show them, at the foot of the rainbow, a casket of buried gold. It is folly for any body in,this world i,.wait for some thing to turn up. It will turn down. The law of th)rift is as inexorable as the law of the tides. I vould like to fire the ambitappp of young, people. I have no sympathy with those who would vreparo young folks for life, by whit ting down their expectations. That iaun or woman will be worth nothing to Church or State who begins life cowed down. The business of Chris tianity is not to quench, but to direct human ambition.. Therefore it is that 1 come out this morning and. utter words of encouragement to those who are occupied as CLERKS IN TIlE STORES and shops and banking-houses of the ,s;ountry, You say, "Why select one. class, and talk to one specially this iornring?" For the same reason that a surgeon does not open the door of a hospital and throw in a bushei of pre scriptions, saying. "Come. now, and got your medicine." He first feel the pulse, watches the symptoms, and then ,prescribes for that particular case. So to-day I must be specifle. I. In the first place, I counsel clerks to remember that for the most part .their &LERKSIIIP IS ONLY A SCHOOL from which they are to be graduateO. 1t takes about eight years to get one of the learned professions. It takes about -eight years to get to be a merchant. Some of you will be clerks all your y lives, but the 'vast majority of you are only in a transient position. After * awhile, some December day, the head * " "nnen of the firm will call you into the -back office, and they will say to you, "Now, you have done well by us; we are going to do well by you. We in vite you to have an interest in our con cern." You will bow to that edict P very gracefully. Either in the story or bank where .you are now, or in some other store or bank, you will take a higher position than that which you now occupy. So I feel to-day tat I am standing before people who will yet havo their hand on the helm of the world's commerce, and you will tmpi it this way or that; now y* clerks, but to be bankers, importers, insurance company directors, shippers, contractors, superintendents of rail . roads-your voice mighty "on 'Change" ---standing foremost in the great finan cial and religious enterprises of the dlay. For, though we Wvho are in the p)rofessions may, on the platform, plead for the philanthropies, after all, the m sercha,nts must come forth with their -millions to sustain the movement, Therefore, llE PAT.IENT AND DILIGENT -in tis transition position. You are now wyhere you can learn things you can never icarni in any other place. What you * consider your disadvantages are your grand opportunity. You see an afllu ent father some day come down on a promninent street with his son, who has js.graduated from the university, and -establishing him in business, put )!ting one hundred- thousand dollars of *- capit.al in the store. Well, you are en 'vious. You say, "Oh, if I only had a -chance like that young man-If I only hiad a father to put one hundred thou -sHandl<dollars ina business for me, then -~ I would have some chance!" BE NOT ENY.IOUS. You have advantages over that young man' which he has not over you. As well might 1 come down to the docks *when a vessel is about to sail for Val - piaraiso, and say, "Let me pilot this *shlip out of the Narrows." Why, I Ywould sink crew and cargo before I got out of the harbor, simpy becau'se I kno1w nothing about ilotage. Wealthy sea captains put theI r ons before the mast for the reason that they know that It Is the Qnly place where they can lea rn to be successful Sailors. It is only undler drill that people get to 'un -rdorstand pilotage and navigation and I want you to understand that It Lakes no0 more skill to conduct a vessel out of thec harbor and across the sea than to steer a commercial establishment clear of the rocks. You see every day the folly of people -going into a business they know noth. ing. about. A man makos a fortune in one -business; thinks there is another -oceupation more gtomfortable; goes into .it and sinks all. Mfany of the commor *cial -establishments of our cities are giving to their clerks a mercantile edu catio ra thooug as Yale, or HIar attainment to the students matricu 1ate(l. The reason there ae sp ny moi fQiid h i busins fi yar to yet''" becti1btheir eary i likaiie cducation was,.Degl9eted, Asif the. m len high in to mr ial' bircles, -ani th1e~ will I(el yu they thank Godfo clerkship. You can.hfford' to endure the vi1loenesp inaroll,- If; ' sgoInto end( in the vineytards and 6rchia a of thme p om!sed lan.d. But you say, "Will WbMANLY CJF-RKs5 in our stores have promotion?" -Yes. Time is comning when women will be as -well naid for their inil in mercantile air lolesas men are o o. rime is edming n m be allowed to do $ eli. [ is only-a - mnen knew nothing of telegraphy, and they were kept out of a great many aommercial circles where theyq + welcome; and the time will go oii__u he woman who at one counter in a o a a e , get hi salary as the man who at the other ounter of the same store l1s ten tho - 4it'{ dolla orth o All ho to Ly Ch 0kw eswoma And it ass ng, t ay as well say that you merchants who havq,;49Xl ,lerks in your stores ought to treat them threloutyati4iin ness. "Wl on le arb io slklyingagd , t them sit down. In England ard the hJnit, 'td lysicians have protested of compelling the wo hl1f6tIei~kM I the stores to aband when It was not necessary for hem to stand. l'herefore I add to thie protest of phy o< 3ieus ,lpe p of the h Church, anld ht e nam bfko d het and that 'God: i lhis fgde he eon" mtitution more delicate than man's, I iemand.that youlet her sitpdown., II. The second couisel I have o ive to the,elerks is that youseek out LAWFUL REGULATIONS. )f your establishi ent, a then submit to them. Every well-ordered house has its,. usages. ..In; wilitty l o o ship's leck, in commercial ife % e is rder and disciPline. Thbse eoI*Ii' lo not learn how to obey will never now how to conmand. I will tell you what young man will reach: Vuin ? nan 31al and moral ; it is the ybuh aan who thrusts his thumb into his vest and says, "Nobody shalL dictate to me, I uin my own ,master ; I will:hot?hubmit h> the regulations of this house."' Be tween an establishment in which. all the employes Are under thoroagh dis. 31pline and the estal lishment in which the employes do about as they choose. is the difference between success and fail are-between rapid accumulation and utter bankruptcy. Do not come to the tore ten minutes after the time. Be there within two seconds after. Do not think anything too insigniflent to do well. Do not say, "It's only just once." From the most important transaction in commerce down to the particular tyle in which you tie a string around a bundle, obey orders. DO NOT GET EASILY DISGUSTI;D. While others in the store may lounge, nr fret, or complain, you go with ready mands and cheerful face and conteited ;pirit to your work. When the bugle mounds, the good soldier asks no ques. 'ions, but shoulders his knapsack, fills his canteen, and listens for the i com nand of "March " Do not get the' idea that your interests and those pf your. employer are antagonistic. his muccess will be your honor. His em barrassment will be your dismay. Ex pose none of the frailties of the firm. rell no store secrets. Do not blab. Rebuff those persons who come to find ut from clerks what ought never be known outside the store. Do no be imong those young men who take on a nysterious air - when something is said %gainst the tirm that employs them, as much as to say, "I could tell you some lihings if I would, but I won't." Do aot be among those who, imagine they man build - themselves up) by 'pulling somebody else down, Be not ashamed to be a subaltern. III. Again, I counsel clerks in this liouse to search out what are the UINL AwFUL AND DISHONEST DEMANDS )f an establishment, and re'sist them. [n the six thousand>years that have assed, there has never - been an occas on when it was one's duty to siui agairist 2od. It is never -right to do wrong. [t the head men of the firm expect of you dishonesty, disappoint them. "(Oh,"~ you say, "I should lose my place tihen." Better lose your place than lose your soul. But you will not lose, your p'lace. Christian heroism is al ways honored. You go to the head rnan'of your store and say, "sir, I want bo serve you ; I want to oblige you ; it is from no lack of industry on my* part, but this thing seems to me to be wrong, and it is a sin against my con zcienco, it is a sin against God, and I yog you, sir, to exciisp me." lie may lush up and swear, but he will ceph~ lown, and lie wvill have mo6re admir ition for you, than for those who sub-' nit- to his evil* dictation ; and while they sink, you will rise. Do NOT GIVFE UP YOUR CHIAIACTEn, roung man, becait 9 df seeming (tern ~orary aidypntage. >Under; Gods tNat is ~he ohly thing yotu have to build on. Sive up that, you give up everything. l'hat employer asks a young man to iurt himself for time. and for, eternity who expects him to make a wrobg minry, or change an invdice, or 'say goods cost so much when.they cost less, >r impose upon the verdoncy of a cus omer, or misrepresent a style of fabric. [low dare hQ demand of you anything 5o'insolent i There is one style of temptation that ~omes pn a great many of our .c)erks mnd that is upon those who are engag d in what is called ' - "DRUMMING." NTow, that occupation ts just as honora ble as any 'other, if it be conducted in iccord with one's conscience. In this lay, when there are so many .i'iValridh In puisiness,: glli our commercial estab lishments ought to have men abroad who are seeking out for opportunities of merchandise. There can be no objec bion tt. Brit the~ ateoesp Dhistew6n aonteLi'ne6aAo Cincinnati and Chicago and St. Louis tihrough .the debaW eie f lhe great tiowns in orddr'to-~ui t oi estom for t'he store. There are in stores in Noeg York and B3rooklyn drawers in which there are kept moneys"'which the olorks are to go and get whatever thef' want to conduct these people through the dissipstitons of Ile, city. The ep ni6n of the firm~ knciv it and 11n p laces actually demand itB> -i Christian merchants. One wvould think that the6 prf&yer Mo*uld freezd. on theik lips, and they 'ay9qld abgq e the sound 'of their own song. What. chance is thierh for' youing mecn wiheni commercial establishments expect such things? Y i~l4j1t theI expectat W t ghA 5 PpointI those ouC LIJ~thIti are ex pected oUU se extra case or goods;.you may sell an extra roll of silk; but the trouble is you may have zd to boot In the bargain. i IY. 1 I counsel all alrsto conquer the trials of thei particular sitl a f i h e There are people who are entirel lite he 9' 10 n s r tl_ tnd of men and women who go Mtn O to store to price things, with out any idea of purchase, They are ut satisfied u'til, ever,rollI of ; gdqys is brought down and they have nted out all the real or Iin They try on all kinds of 9 stretch them out of shap a-t:it on all styles of cloak and walk to the pniror to; ie Itow it would lgok . then, tiey saji oit of pie store, say g,, u , '. ienwant it A. ,e ipg: the clerk amid a wreck of ribbons, and laces ad c1Qths, to su ooth out f e h tidt ed' dol1ar ' woi " of' goods f=iiat " one cent of which did that man or we man buy or expect to buy. Now I call tldi libgil'blii''thlii t^$tf thi 1$to6r THE PARSIMONIOUS SIDE of human nature. You talk about lies behind the counter-there. are just as many lies before the counter. Augus tine speaks of a man who advertised that he Would, on a certain occasion, tell the people what was in their hearts. A'great;crQwd apembled ,and :he step ped to the front and siad, "I will tell you what is in your hearts; to buy cheap and sell 'deal'l"' Oh, people of Brook lyn, lay not aside your urbanity when I you come into a store. Treat the clerks like gentlemen and ladies, proving your self to .bp a gentleman or a lady.. Rte mebek that if the pric.es, are high and your purse is lean, that is no fault of ohe clerks. And if you have a son or a daughter amid those perplexities of com mercial life and such a one comes home all worn ou- be lenient, and know that the martyr al the stake no more certainly needs the grace of God than our young people amid the seven-times heated ex asperations of. a clerk's life! Then there are all tho trials which come to clerks from the treatment of INCONSIDERATE EMPLOYERS. There are professed Christian men in this city who have no more regard for their clerks than they have for the scales on which the sugars are weighed. A clerk is no more than so much store fur niture., Not consideration , for their rights 'or their 'interests. Not one word of encouragement from sunrise to sun set, nor. from January to December. But when ' anything goes wrong-a streak of dust on the counter or a box with the cover off-thunder showers of. scolding. Men imperious, . capricious, cranky toward their clerks-their whole manner as much as to say, "All the in terest I have in you is to see what I can l8,br a~ al 1 le cal8 INCOMPETENT WAGES. Some of you remember when the war broke out and all merchandise went up, and merchants.were made milignaires in six months by' the simple raise in the value of goods. Bid the clerks get ad 'vantage' of that rise? Sometimes not' always. I saw estates gathered in Lhose times over wvhich the-curse of Go4 has hung ever since. The cry of unpaid mon and wvomen in those stores reached the Lord of Sabaoth, and the indignation of God has been around those establish monts ever hinuee rumbling in the Car riage wheels, flashing In the chandeliers, glowing from the crimson upholstery, thundering in the long roll of the ten pin alley. Such men may build up pal aces of merchandise heaven high but after awhile a disaster will come aln and will put one hand on this pillar and anotheQr.hAnd on that pillar, and tirow itself forward until down will conie the] whole structure, crushing the worship poe like grapes in a wvine-press.] Then there are boys in establishmnents who are ruined-in prosperous estab lishments-ruied/~by their lack of, come' pensation. Tn-how Imany 'prosperoul 4 stores it has been for the last twent yer that g re.gi rvust noh' So w.en Mted ujir lsthae~pUo Thie vast majority of .nsances were not known. The head of the firm asked "Where is George now?" "Oh, he isn'i here any nioi-e? '.Adha mlgh@ BETTER STARVE TO DEATHI on a blasted Theath' thuan take oner Cent from his employer. Woe be to that em ployer who unecessarily puts-a temipta.. tion In ai boy's way! 'There' hate been great establishments in these cities building marble spalaces, their owners dying worth miillons and millions and mnillions, who made a vast amotint of their estateou$ of the bloodiand mnuscle and ner've 6f lialbb~a1d Clerks. Such inen as-well, I will not mention any natne;, bt Igre4IV.n1en 'who' have gath ered up vast estates at the expense of the Pple who were ground under their heel. / li, ?4 say, uh Anercheriits, "if you don' li'ke it here, then go and get a better placQ," As much as to. say, "I'Wegdt 100 ini mbg ', and't manito hyold you; you can't get any other place." of Brooklyn and New York who to-day ar yIpthIetic,witfrh.er lerks--won the faite salary acting ddi this wa "This slary that i give you is not all hyinterest in y'op.4, o renmmor ta a;you are ani rdbo;lswoiman I am interesfed In your present and your a a1t, ifIi t ife higr up MAg 1AP aq~ 8TOREI . in New York-a man- whose worst en miles novor QlleALio)l ishonesty./Eve3 grayed. They f t.O~ onday oin lelrs ~ .wo ibout. } t t veAounded strange.' y, tha vo f ise .long the streets vhere 'hedvo o wammon were *ot10t thigalddh liads. You say, Arthur Tappen failed. Yes; he was mnfortunate, like a great many gQod Ron; but I understand he met all his tigations before he left this world, and [ know he died in the peace of the Gos and that he is before the throne of dto-day. If that be failing, I wish hat you might all fall. There are a great many young men in ea, iu this house-who want oencouthgement, Christian en ainont. ONE SMILE OF GOOD CHEER vould be worth more to them to-morrow ncrning in their places of business than 'present of fifty 'thousand dollars ton arponce,, Oh, 4. re'ember the ap l~ a~, te 99rv.ry oof entering p h I reb e orvery well the nan who greeted me in the ecelesiasti ;al court with the tip ends of the long ingers of the left hand; and I remember Uhe other man .who, toak my hand in oth of his and said, "God bless you, ny brother; you have entered a glorious rofession; be faithful to God and Ie will see you through." Why I feel this ninute the thrill of that hand-shaking, though the man who gave me the Chris Jan grip has been in heaven twenty-five (ears. There are old men to-day who 3an look, iack to forty years ago, when ome- one said a kind word to them. KQw, old men, pay back what you got ;hen. It is a great art for old men to be able ;o encourage the' young. There are napy young people in our cities who ,ave come from inland counties of our )wn.State-from the granite hills of the NTorth from the savannas of the South, rom the prairies of the West. They are ,aere to get their fortune. They are in Oarding-houses where everybody seems o be thinking of himself. They want ,ompanionship and they want Christian mcouragement. Give it to them. My word is to all clerks in this house, QE AIGITIER THAN YOUR TEMPTA TIONS. &. Sandwich Islander used to think hen he slew an emeny all the strength >f that enemy came into his own right irm. And I have to tell you that every nisfortune you conquer is so much Idded to your moral power. With om iipotence for a lever and the throne of xod for a fulcrum, you can move earth mnd heaven. While there are other young men putting the cup of sin to their lips stoop down and drink out of 'he, fountains of God, and yqu will rise p strong to thresh the mountains. The ncients' use to think that pearls were lallen raindrops, which,. touching the iui'face of the sea, hardened into gems, hen dropped to the bottom. I have to eU you to-day that storms of trial have 3howered imperishable pearl into many m'young man's lap. Oh! while you have Yoods to sell, remember you have a soul Lo save. In a hospital a Christian captain, wounded a few days before, got deliri mus, and in the midnight hour he sprang )ut, on the floor of the hospital, thinking he wa: in.the battle crying, "Come on, boys Forward! Chargei" Ahl he was )nly battling the spectres of his own Drain. But it is no Imaginary conflict into which I call you, young man, to lay. There are ten thousand spiritual roes that would capture you. In the name of God up and at thorn. After bhe last store iias been closed, after the ast bank has gone down, after the sbuf fle of the quick feet on the Custom Hfouse steps has stopped, after the long Lino 9f merchantmen on the sea have aken sail of flame, after Brooklyn and New York, and London, and Vienna Liave gone down into the grave where rhebes andi Babylon and Tyre lie buried ifter the.great fire-bells of the Juidgmeni Def~ hiave tolled at the burning .of a world-on that day all the affairs of bankinig houses and stores wvill come UP FOR INSPECTION. Oh, what an opening of account books! 3ide by side, the clerks and the men who inmployed them-the people who owned hread-and-needle stores on the same ~ooting with the Stewarts, and the Dle anos, and the Abbotts, and the Bar ngs. 'Every invoice made out-all the Labels of goods-all certificates of stock -all lists of prices-all p)rivate marks >f the firm now explained so everybody san uiderstand thein. All the maps of 3lties that were never built but In which lots were 80old. All. bargains. All gougings. All snap judgments. All ~alse entries. All -embezzlements of rust funds. All swindles In coal, and ron, and silver, and stocks. All ?Swar :outs, and Hluntingtons, and Ketchums. 3n t'hat day, when the cities of this world are smoking in the last confiagra :ion. THE TRIAL will go on; and down in an avalanche of lestruction will go those who wronged nan or woman, insulted God and defied hle judgment. Oh, that will be a great lay for you, honest .Christian clorkI No getting up early; no retirings late; '10 walng around with weary limbs; sut a manision in which to live, and a realmn' of light and love and joy. over whicht to hokli everlastig dominion. [loist him up from glory, to glory, and ~rom song to song, and from throne to hirone; for while others go down into hie sea with their gold like a millstone ianiging to their neck, this one shall ~ome up the heights of amethyst and al ibaster, holding .In his right hand the earl ofgreat price in a sparkling, glt ering, flaming casket. Land and Water has done a useful ervice In poling out the value of the wide-spread belief that ivy trained utainst the walls et a dwelling-house is productivQ Qt damp walls and general hnhealthiness. The very opposite of ~his Is really the caee. If anyone Will barefully examine an ivy olad-Wall af ter' a shower of rain, he will notIce tbat. |vhile the overlapping leaves, have cems acuted the Water from point until it as reached the ground, the wall be heath is perfectly dry and dusty. More Shan thuis, the the thirsty 'shotte which orce theit way ;Into every crevice of he sttedttne which will afford a firn ol, act like suokers in drawing out ny particle of moistute for~ their own borlshpnent. The Ivy. In fact, acts I ke a great coat, keeping the chouce ~rouiwet and awarm into thes bargain. Dn41d02 vittue:Ib has,' ie glIin~ to the hellIest strueture an ervereen be. tai n A It 4np AVer to the Whii,n " thosl klht ngoial In obser hig, the charaoterietics, and changes of fashion it is irnpossib e not to, d , then). We may become famiflarized with a present fashion and so see'iothing preposterous in the at tift in *hhih hunanity may clothe. itself; but when we look back historic ally to the many devices which have been psed for her occasions we find abuhdance of amusement in the records of luxurious folly. The queen of fantasy has been denounced with the anathemas of the church, stigmatized with the ridicule, of the stage and, apparently crushed by sumptuary en actments; but "resurgan" is written on her -brow and she stalks triumphant. in every age. Many of the fashions of former days were invented to conceal some deform ity of person. Hoops, cushions, pair lers and other monstrous devices were substituted to make up for certain up kindness of Nature, who had not graced all her creatures with the forms to: which they considered themselves en titled. Thus patches were invented in England in the reign of Edwar; VI. by a foreign lady, who concealed with one an eruption on her face, and to such a height was the fashion carried that the ladies cut their black patches into div ers grotesque forms, such as rings, crosses, crowns, etc. In 'a book pub lished at the time the author has pre fixed a picture of Virtue and of Vice in which viri,uo is modestly represepted as wearing . a plain black dress and" hood, with a'kerchief covering her, neck; and Vice with a 'low-cut dress. wears no 'kerchief over the parts which modesty should hide, and with a face variously figured with patches most curiously devised of all manner of fan tastical conceits. Full-bottomed wigs were invented by a French barber named Duviller for the purpose of concealing a deformity in the shoulder of the Dauphin of France, and, while the beau monde in England, wore their hair luxuriant, the bench and the bar were seen with the enormous wig, and the physicians ap preciated conjointly the magical effect that was paid to it by the world. To hide his ill-made legs, Charles VII. of France introduced long coats, reaching to the ground, and Henry, Duke of Anjou, wore shoes, whose points extended fully two feet, to con coal an excrescence on one of his toes. So, also, when Francis I. was obliged to wear his hair short on account of a wound lie had received on his head, it became the prevailing fashion of the time. Conceive, if you can, a beau and belle of the time of Queen Elizabeth, the beau dressed in his starched doub let, his luxurious curls, mustache and beard starched to a point, his enor mous breeches pushed out to a most laughable excess, being stuffed with wool hair, feathers, or other light ma terial-to all of which was attached a rapier of about four feet in length, sticking about horizontally from his side; the belle, with a standing ruff ris ing above her head, her stays or bodice so long-waisted that it reached to her knees, with a large hoop farthingale that extended around her like a capa cious tub, making it impossible for her beau to impress his love upon- her distant lips, and which allowed him only to come in-contact with extended hands. Yet such was the dominion of fashion that these creatures walked the earth, not with the commiseration of mainkind, but with the same eny that the world now looks upon her disciples who parade together as the mincing monkey and' the divinely drooping kangaroo. The Rlusslaan Soldier. He is, under ordinary circumstances, a soft-hearted, good-natured fellow, but there are savage ins.tinets in his semi barbarous nature which renmder him capable of any bi'utality, if he is once thoroughly excited. The awful attro cities committed during the late perse cutions of the Jews are still fresh-in our minds, and bear witness to the savagery of the Russian peasant, and the treat ment experienced by the Turcomans, both after the capture of Khiva and the fall of Geok Tepet show that, at all events in Asia, the authorities even encourage the worst passion of the soldier. Perhaps Skobeleffs greatest quality as a successful general was his thorough appreciationof thepeculiarities of the men lhe cominanded. Hie had a wonderful hold on their sympathies, and he enjoyed a popularity with the rank and file such as no other Russiani 'general has ever acquired. It was- Sko beleff who conducted the 'pursuit and harrying of the wvretchied Yomud Tur comans after Khiiva, so vividly described by his friend and admirer, the Amern can correspondent MacGahian; .and sit was Skobeleft who, aftier the storming of Geok Tepe, and thie route of its brave Tekke defenders, gave 25 hours' com plete liberty to his excited soldiers 'to work their wicked will on the persons and property of the defenseless families of the dispersed Tuircomans; Skobeheff thoroughly understood his men, and. rea established his control #as deliberately as lie permitted unbridled license.. For exactly 24 liours the caiptors of Geok Tepe were uncontrolled; within six hours of the termination of that period two soldiers were shOt for. trilling crimes. This circums4mee, coupled with the fact of Skobelei 'a great plu larity in the' army, giives ai stri ng indication of the 'character of the Bus sian soldier as judged by the man who knew him best. As a finish or covering for walls and celings pulverized steatite as coming into use quite eatisfactorfly.. . It is simply soapstione. It takes & igh 41-. ash, is pearl graf* it tint, is se1 td je sent the best possible surface frpia t hig, either in oil or water- 1o, and, what is very desirable, it/ 1il neither crack nor epaip. It la claItxele(for it that l ea anon-e9onld c9r and non-absorbent; t atit en 6 a etwithOi.i inju'y ; nails can be drynioto, It with6ut dam-. age. W skj4, ~a,motstare and ei ,1 fui1e It ~r no' 'snell, qu i~ o~,aot tmh ~el#with age, Iti hulit to~ be ep,ially adsp$eit etc. $omet hing A bout.te. Te b i 4.3,, of People of the Arctio Uir ole. In appearance an Esquimp, some, what resembles a Chinaman, but has a darker skin, said an ArdtiO traveler to * reporter. i{e is short, stout, full. faced, very oily,, and rather, odorous, but genial and full of hospitality. To a stranger some of their' customs seem strange and, perhaps, a little bar. barous, but as one becomes acquainted with them these notions gradually fade away. Their food, perhaps from choice, but also from necessity, is raw flesh, be ing that seals, walrus and reindeer, chiefly; but sea and land birds and an occasional polar bear ;also contribute to the Esquimau's lardpr. To a sensitive person I have no dottbt that it would be a repulsive sight to see, for instance, two or three Esquimau children enjoy ing what would here be called a "piece." This would probably be a newly killed duck, wlIch, after being stripped of a few of the larger . and more indigestible* feathers, would be torn to pieces and disposed of so quickly that, if it were not for a certain per centage of blood and feathers which re main about the mouths of the con suwers, one could scarceviy tell what, became of it. When an Esquimau family gather around to enjoy a meal, their food :is treated in the same way, but perhaps on. a larger scale. A seal would probably replace the bird, but from it the skin would first be cut and laid down to form a dish fo' the recep tion of the liquid and most highly . val ued part of the animal. From this basin the members of the family dip with skin cups, or very often some of my old-meat cane, and from the car cass back and carve with their knives, not uutil they have had sufficient, but, as a rule, until there is nothing left but 'the skin and cleaned bones. T have seen a family of four sit down about a newly-killed seal and in about ten min utes dispatch the whole of it. This was not a time when they were hungry, but when they were being well fed from storehouse. You may think that tly'Q does not speak well for my liberality In dealing out supplies, but I assure you that an Esquimau can' eat almost an unlimited amount at any time. A whaling captain who wintered about seventy miles west of where I was stationed told me (these never exag gerate) that a quarter of reindeer formed a very average lunch for an Esquimau. On one occasion of which I know of, when a large number of natives were engaged in a great feast on the skin of a whale, one old . lady ate to such excess that she soon became helpless, and, as her friends thought soon died. They, out of respect to the old lady, trailed her out to a convenient place and covered her up with snow. The time when this happened was about the middle of May, so that the frost was not very severe, but I should think would be sufficient to cause - rheuma tism. Whether it did or not I do not know, but Ufter having lain dormant three days the corpse kicked- off the snow and came out, ready to resume her debauch. Vegetable Ltfb in the Everglades. The Evergladee says theicorrespond out, present a world of .vegetable life of a semi-tropical character. The India. rubber tree abounds in sufficient growth to suggest its subjection to utility. Many of the trees are of large size, varying from twenty to fifty feet 'In height, and having diameters often ex ceeding two feet. Their growth.is sug. gestive of many purely tropical species, the limbs bend ing over and taking root in the soil. When notched they emit a white fluid In large quantities, which' gradually thickens and becomes dark in color. The cabbage-palms are the most conspicuous objects throughout the regions, .They grow on all Islands and on the outskirts. Tlheir appearance in a wi1ndator'n js'very much like a cluster of inverted uibellas braced against a gale. .The cypress presents the same peculiar appearance here as elsewhere. Its roots bend' over, above ground andA water, with an appearance not unlike a human knee when doubled. These in. numerable projections, appropriately termed l'cy>ress knees,". are undoubte edly thme e imnation ot' an effort on the part of nate hs 18 Popogate new trees, with the result 'of. producing -rdi. mentary trunks. Buttonwood, aish and other trees are found on the islands, and intersperse the envii'oning clutnps of woodland. The most dense semi tropical growth lies between Lakb Okeechobee and the sawgrass. Here is a belt of trees comprising every species of the regions, thickly' interlaced with the vines of gourd, amt often foi'ming a solid, almost impenetrable, wall. Japanese Foot-Gear. In .Japan children'% shoes are made of blocks of 'dood' aecured vwith cords. The stocking resembles a mitten, having a; place for the groat toe~ As these sheep are lifted only by the -toes, the heels make a rattling sound as their ownes walk, which is 'quite stunning in a crowd. They are 'not Worn in a house, as they would injure, the soft straw mats -with .which the flooi's are covered.'.. Todu leave your shoes at the door. '1very' house is built with refer. ence to' the number of mats required for the floors, .each room having from eigh to sixteen.. and in taking lodging ye pay for'a.'mat;' They think it extrava gant in us' to reqire a whole tooni to ourselves/' The Japanese shoe gives perfect freedom to the foote 'The, beauty of th,e lhumati foot is only seen in the 1apaYiese. They have no corns, no ini groWvihd nails; no distorted joints.' Oui toes are oi'anited Until they are deform. ed, and are in danger of extinction The Japanese have the full use of 'tei oe And~ ta"'them they are ahs6 ike finitei'. aly.l eiery'nleeh'ani6' xnakes use of his toes In inlolding his work, Every tge is fully , deyqloped. The sluo~ cost a pennyp nd will last s Russtay coaliOelqs on: he Black pea and in its neighborhood - se almo equal in extent' to" thiosi' Qf 'Oe 0 0 d 00 0 t e yar,