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,