THE BRIGHT COUNTRY. The country's just as smiling from the It's great to just be living in a world so near mountains to the sea the biuw, As the Lord, whose love is over it, would You can feel th« benediction ot the rain ever have it be! bows over you ! The gardens rioh with roses, and the mea- The country— she's jo*t glorious by any dows and the plains night or day. , And all the greening pastures just a-tinkle And Love o'er life s victorious, anu we re with fhe rains! siugiug on the way ! —F. L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution. < The Despised Pink Frock. > 4 ► 4 STORY OF GRADUATION DAY. ► 4 r BY CATHERINE JEWETT. From my youth I took naturally to the science of mathematics. Even as a little child I "did my sums" without any conscious effort Indeed, it was my well-known "knack at figgerin' " that indueed*Deaoou Dudley, the su pervisor, to bestow upon me the muoh coveted Centre school. It was the largsst in town, the hardest and the best paid. I was only 18 at the time, but family misfortunes, followed by the sickness and death of my father, made the necessity for employment urgent and imperative. Heavily handicapped by youth and inexperience, my first term was a suc cession of disappointments and dis illusions. Gradually, as I became acquainted with my pupils and accustomed to my duties, I acquired the faculty of ad justing myself to my surroundings, after which my work became much easier and more satisfactory. Term after term passed, until I felt my po sition to be assured. For six years I held it, ciphering annually through the higher algebra, to the wonder of my pupils and the satisfaction of their parents. Being a district school, there could be no real graduation, but grad ually the day had taken upon itself the dignity and importance of an an nual celebration. At first I had been one of its most enthusiastic supporters,believing that, its coveted successes would not only stimulate ambition and reward indus try, but would also tend toward the establishment of a much-needed free high school. Yet I now realized, with pain, that it bade fair to fce a culmina tion of jealousy, unkind emulation and u&neeessary extravagance. The leader in every extravagant de vice was, naturally enough, Muriel Mason, only daughter of the richest tnan in town. Born to command, she held her own against all opposition, until the subject of dress was broached. In her case the important gown was to be a dainty creation of white lace and sarah, therefore she decreed that her classmates should likewise drape themselves in white. "That is not fair," protested Laura Haley, who delighted in gay fabrics and vivid coloring. "I am sure I don't want to accentuate my natural ugliness." "It won't make any difference on the stage," said Muriel, with careless unkindness. After this experimental tilt, as no further opposit.on was hazarded, the white-dress rule was supposed to be imperative. That evening Dolly Ke.npton came to me, her pretty face clouded, her young arms loaded. Po6r Dolly; I divined her trouble before she voiced it. She was a deli cate little creature, studious and re fined, yet not exactly popular among her mates. She was poor, undisguised ly and undeniably so. She lived with her widowed mother and an aged woman known as Aunt Marty, a queer, irresponsible old body, who with the slightest possible claim had burdened them for years. With pauperism stariug her in the face she had fled for «gjielter to Mrs. Kempton, who was her self in straitened circumstances. The connection between them was of the slightest, aud entailed neither legal nor moral obligation; yet she cared for the poor soul kindly, so stretched her meagre income that it covered the bare necessities of life for the three—her self, her daughter and their perennial guest. Knowing the circumstances, I could well understand what a perplexing question graduating expenses must be in that pinched household; but I was hardly prepared for the solutiou which Dolly's lig bundle contained. She opened it, spreading before my aston ished eyes a garment quaintly beauti ful in tint and texture, but grotesque in figure and design. An ancient «ress of white silk tissue, gayly bro caded with huge garlands of pink roses and green leaves. The fabric it self was exquisitely fine and delicate, the groundwork time-yellowed into the softest ivory tint; but, alas, the passing years had wrought no such re fining changa upon the overblown roses and overgrown leaves running riotously over the scant skirt and low bodice of this impossible gown. "Dear Miss Deacon," said Dolly, with a little nervous laugh that had in it a hint of tears, "do you think any circumstance or combination of circumstances could make it one's duty to wear that for a graduating dress?" I looked at her in astonishment. "Mother wants me to wear it," she went on,"and indeed I want to, after a fashion; yet all the same my soul ab hors those ancient roses. You see, it was Aunt Marty's wedding town, and in her eyes as fine and valuable as ever. Through all the shifts and changes of her most unhappy life she has clung to this sole relic of happier days. I fancy that after her husband's death his people made much of her lor a t'.me. Her father was wealthy, and there was always the chance of bis relenting; but as one by oue her overtures were ignored aud her let ters returned unopened this possibil ity grew less and less, until, after the family movedeast.it ceased altogether. She was never strong or smart or ca pable, and little by little everyone's patience gave way, until even our home,with its many privations, seemed a very haven of rest to her. This af ternoon Mrs. Mason called aud talked of nothing but 'the necessary expenses of the coming occasion.' She left poor auntie nearly frautic and absolutely determined to throw herself upon the town. She has felt it her duty ever since she bocame so helpless with rheumatism. Nothing but the fact that she had rather die than live with Mary Anu Biggs has kept her with us for the last year. Poor old soul, she would have a bard time with that rough woman in that great barn full of paupers. We have made ourselves out perfect Vanderbilts to keep her quiet; but today she would not be pacified, and after nearly crying her self sick wrote to the selectmen. Be fore she sent the letter, however, she thought of this dress. The idea of it came as a sort of reprieve. If she provided my graduating dress she might venture to stay a little longer. If not, she is going at once. You see why I would like to wear the dress, and besides a few dollars saved is really an object with us; still, those dreadful roses—do you think I ever, ever cau?" The roses were dreadful. I almost doubted Mrs. Kempton's skill i i their behalf, and I pitied the girl,shrinking with all her heart from a mortifying ordeal, but I knew there was only one answer to her question. "Yes, my dear," said I, "I think you can aud will. It takes a deal of pluck to have a tooth out, you kuow, but the sharp, relieving pain is far easier to bear than weeks of dull, wear ing anguish. It is going to take real grit to wear that flowered dress, but the discomfort of an hour is not to be compared to the remorse of a life time." "Just what mother told me," said Dolly, bundling up her unwelcome possession. I did not see the dress again, but I heard a deal about it before the impor tant day arrived. I wanted to explain matters, but Dolly positively forbade anythiug of the kind, aud so her flow ered gown was regarded by some as a necessary concession to poverty, by others as a sign of open insubordina tion against the white-dress rule. Graduation day dawned bright and clear. The church was crowded. The expected governor arrived iu excellent season, bringing with him a visiting senator, and everything seemed har monious with the exception of one rosy-looking dress among a half-dozen white ones. The exercises passed off with what might be termed "great eclat" The young ladies w_>re graceful and win ning, their parts well prepared, their enunciation clear and distinct. The young gentlemen were less awk ward than usual under such circum stances. The pink dress was so mod ernized that it could not bo called con spicuous; still I saw the consciousness of its vivid roses stamped on the flushed cheeks of its wearer when she stepped forward to read her essay. It was a very unambitious effort, simply a prose versiou of the story of Evangeline. Yet I saw with surprise that Senator Borden, a scholar as well as politician, gave the short read iug the most profound and marked at tention. After the exercises the eminent visi tors held an informal reception, shak ing hands with everyone, and good naturedly giving their autographs to all petitioners. Dolly, however, took no part in this bit of impromptu fes tivity, but, anxious to divest herself of her obuoxious finery, hurried at once from the church. When the crowd had nearly dis persed Senator Borden surprised me by asking, with an expression of real interest, for the young lady in pink. I told him her name aud volunteered the information that she had goue di rectly home. "I am sorry," said he."l wanted to meet her. Her face, her voice, her gestures,all seemed wonderfully fami liar. I cannot place the resemblance, but it moved me strangely. Her name tells me nothing, aud yet her face, her dress, some trick of voice or manner, took me back half a century. Ah!" with a sudden start. "I have it now; it was my sister she recalled. She w.ore just such a rosy ftown the last time I ever saw her. Poor Marty! Pardon me, Miss Deacon, but do you know anything of her family history? The resemblance may be purely acci dental, but it interests me." Something of his interest had com municated itself to me with his volun tary exclamation of "Poor Marty!" the girl who wore just such a rosy gown the last time he ever saw her. "Mr. Borden," said I, eagerly, "might it not have been the notice able dress, instead of the girl's per sonality, that impressed you? Forty years ago it belouged to Martha Paget; was, iu fact, her wedding gown." "Martha Paget!" cried he, "that was my sister's name. She was older than I, aud very beautiful, but she disobeved mv father. He never for gave iter, and while lio lived I never heard her name mentioned. Since his death I have searched for her long and utiavailingly." "I think your search is ended," said I, "nud that you will lind her livine with Mis. Kampton in this vil lage." "is it far from here? Would you show me the way?" questioned he, eagerly; and the next moment we were hurrying down the broa.l elm-shaded street. As we neared the Kempton cottage I saw Mrs. Paget sitting on the tiny, vine-wreathed piazza. Her soft, white hair shone in the sunlight; her pain distorted hands lay idly on her lap; her cotton gown and stitiiy-starched apron were clean and speckles*; but her face, sorrow-seamed aud time-de faced, bore no trace of bloom or beauty. "And yet," said my companion, seeming to divine my thoughts, "it is Marty herself; the very image of our mother as I saw her last." He went swiftly up the little graveled path, his face growing visibly j.aler as he walked. Just in front of her be stopped, and for a moment's spa;'e no word passed between them. Then the woman arose, her worn face working, her failed eves brightening, her hands ap peal ingly extended, "Father," she cried, "father, for give me!" "Father died years ngo," answered Senator Borden, gently, "and ever since I have been searching for you, my sister!" "Bennie! Bennie!" she screamed, flinging herself toward him. The scene that followed was too sacred for stranger eyes to look upon, and so I quietly withdrew, going back to my delayed duties. That afternoon I was "a personage" in the village. Over and over again I told the story,fairly revelling iu the first bit of romance that had ever stirred tho monotony of my quiet life. Of course there were a lew ill natured souls who declared that Mi s. Kempton had known all along which side her bread was buttered on, lint as this idea seemed to be confined ex clusively to»those who had beforetimes pronounced her quixotic and improvi dent, and it did not greatly affect pub lic sentiment. Senator Borden made immediate arrangements to remove his sister to his own houie. But she, poor soul, iu abject fear of hev august sister-in-law, clung to the dear second cousin who had so brightened the years of her ad versity. A compromise was at last effected, Mrs. Kempton selling her little homo and removing to Anderson, where Mr. Borden lived, and where the famous Anderson seminary was located. To attend this school had long b?en Dolly's highest ambition—an ambition which a grateful brother's liberality made it perfectly possible to gratify. In a few days the little ripplo of ex citement that attended their departure died away, leaving in its place only a memory. 1 missed Dolly sadly, feeling sure that the duties aud pleasures of her new life would soon blot out all inter est iu her older and less favored friends. I realized my mistake when, weeks afterward, I received a letter from her which wrought in my life a de lightful change. "One of our teachers," she wrote, "has resigned, and Senator Bordeu has secured the position for you. He knows how you helped aud encour aged me through the piuk-dress or deal, and he is very glad of this op portunity to show his appreciation oi your good sense and kindness." A day or two later this delightful news was officially confirmed, and I at once set about my modest preparations for departure. Just before I left 1 called upon old Deacon Dudley aud found him not only sympathetic but fairly jubilaut over my improved pros pects. "I give you your first chance," said he, "aud 1 presume to say I helped you to your second one. I talked quite a spell with the seuator when he was here, and I gave you a first-class 'recommend.' "'She is young,' said I, 'and no great things to look at, but she is a master hand at figgerin'.' " I thanked the old gentleman for his doubtful compliment with becoming gratitude. Not for the world would I have pained his kindly heart by the knowledge that anything so frivolous as a pink frock had far more to do with my good fortune than his unique •and well-meant "recommend."—Chi cago Record. , The Army in the Field. The laymen cannot easily realize the vast amount of material as to food and ammunition demanded by au army in the field. A few facts aud figures as to this may aid to make it more tangible. Each mau requires, at a minimum, three pounds aud a half of fool per day. Each animal should have at least 20 pouuds of food iu countries where gracing is net abundant. If we take, for purposes of estimate, only 15 pouuds required to supply each animal, leaving five pouuds to be gathered from the coun try, by grazing aud otherwise, we assume a quantity that may be cou siderel a miuimum. An army of 150,- 00.) men would require about 50,000 animais for transportation of artillery, camp equipment, ammuuition, food, hospital and medical equipment. There should not be les3 than 30,000 cavalry. There should not be less than 10,000 auimals available at all times to supply losses. This mates a total of 90,000 auimals to be 1 ad. With this as a basis, we see that ihe daily demands would bo for the men 525,000 pounds, aud for the horses, 1,350,000 pouuds, or an aggregate oI 1,875.000 pouuds. This is to something mora than 836 tons par day.—Captaiu Zaliuski, iu Harper's Weekly. DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON. SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE Br THE NOTED DIVINE. Subjects Tlie Victor's Shout—The Joy of Overcoming Difficulties—The Satis faction Expressed by Christ on the Outcome of His Earthly Labors. [CopyriKht ihuu.l WASHINOTON, D. C.—ln this discourse Dr. Tulmage shows lu an unusual way the antagonisms that Christ overcame and flnd9 a balsam for all wounded hearts; text, John xvll., 4, "I have finished the work which Thou guvest Me to do." Thero is a profound satisfaction In the completion of anything we have under taken. We lift the capstone with exulta tion, while, on the other hand, there is nothing more disappointing than, after having tolled In a certain direction, to And that our time is wasted and our invest ment profitless. Christ oame to throw up a highway on which the whole world might, if it chose, mount Into heaven. He did it. The foul mouthed crew who at tempted to tread on Him could not ex tinguish the sublime satisfaction which He expressed when He said: "I have linished the work which Thou gavest Me do." Alexander the Great was wounded, and the doctors could not medicate his wounds, ond be seemed to be dying, and In his dream the sick man saw a plant with u peculiar flower, and he dreamed that that plant was put upon his wound and that Immediately it was cured. And Alexander, waking from his dream, told this to the physician, and the physician wandered out until be found just the kind of plant which the sick man had described, brought it to him, and the wound was healed. Well, the human race had been hurt with the ghast liest of ail wounds—that of sin. It was the business of Christ to bring a balm for that wound—the balm of divine restora tion. In carrying this business ton suc cessful issue the difficulties were stupend ous. Iu many of our plans we have curfriond» to help us; some to draw a sketch of the plau, others to help us in the execution. But Christ fought every inch of His way against bitter hostility and amid circum stances all calculated to depress and de feat. In the first place.His worldly occupbtlon was against Him. I find that He earned His livelihood by the carpenter's trade, au oc cupation ulways to be highly regarded and respected. But you know us well as Ido that In order to succeed iu any employ ment one must give his entire time to It, and I have to declare that the fatigues of carpentry were unfavorable to the execu tion of a mission which required all men tal and physical faculties. Through high, hard, dry, liusky, Insensate Judaism to hew a way for a new and glorious dispen sation was a stupendous undertaking that was enough to demuud all the concen trated energies even of Christ. Wo hnvo a great many romnntic stories about what men with physical toil have accomplished in intellectual departments, but you kuow that after a man hns been toiling all day with adz and saw and hammer, plane and ax, about all he can do is to rest. A weury body Is an unfavorable adjunct to a toiling mind. You, whose life in purely mecliaui cal. if you were called to the upbuilding of a kingdom, or the proclamation of a new code of morals, or tha starting of a revolu tion which should upturn all nations, could get some idea of the incoherence of Christ's occupation with Ills heavenly mission. In His father's shop no more intercourse was necessary than is ordiuarily necessary In bargaining with men tlint have work to do, yet Christ, with hands hard from use of tools of trade, was called forth to be come a public speaker, to preach in the fuce of mobs, while some wept, and some shook their fists, and some gnashed upon Him with their teeth, and many wanted Him out of tne way. Tc address orderly and respectful assemblages is not so easy as it may seem, but it requires more energy and more force and more concen tration to address au exasperated mob. The villagers of Nazareth heard the pound ing of His hammer, btit all the wide reaches of eternity were to hear the stroke of His spiritual up-buildlng. So also His ha'-lts of dress and diet were against Him. The mighty men of Christ's time did not appear in apparel without trinkets and adornments. None of the Ciesars would have appeared in citizeu's apparel. Yet here was a man, here was a professed king, who always wore tho same coat. ludeed it was fur "from shabby, for after He-had worn It a long while the gamblers thought It worth raffling about, but still it was fur from being an imperial robe. It was a coat that any ordinary man might have worn on an ordinary oc casion. Neither was there any pretension in His diet. No cupbearer with golden chalice brought Him wine to drink. On the seu s'tore He ate ilsh, first having broiled It Himself. No one fetched Him water to drink; but. bending- over the well in •Samaria, He begged a drink. He sat at only one banquet, aud that not at all sumptuous, for to relieve the awkward ness of the host one of the guests had to prepare wine for tho company. Other kings ride in a chariot; He walked. Other kings, as they advance, have heralds ahead and applauding subjects behind; Christ's retluue was made up of suu burned fishermen. Other kings sleep under embroidered canopy; this one on a shelterless hill, riding but once, as far as I now remember, on a colt, and that bor rowed. His poverty was against Him. It re quires money to build great enterprises. Men of means are afraid of a penniless projector lest a loan be demanded. It re quires money to print books, to build in stitutions, to pay instructors. No wonder the wise men of Christ's time laughed at this penniless Christ. "Why." ttiey said, "who is to pay for tills new religion? Who Is to charter the ships to carry tin mis sionaries? Who is to pay the salaries of the teachers? Shall wealthy, established religion be discomfited by a penniless Christ?" The consequence wns that most of the people that lollowod Christ had nothing to lose. Affluent Joseph of Ariinathea buried Christ, but he risked no social position in doing that. It is always safe to bury a dead man. Zuccheus risked no wealth or social posi tion lu following Christ, but took a position in a tree to look down as He passed. Nicodemus, wealthy Nlcodemus, risked nettling of social position iu> following Christ, for he skulked by night to Und Him. All this was against Christ. So the fact that He was not regularly graduated was ngnlust Him. If a man come with dlplo mas of colleges and schools and theological seminaries and he has been through for eign travel, the world Is disposed to listen. But here was a man who hud graduated at no college, had not in any academy by or dinary means learned the alphabet of the language He spoke, and yet He proposed to talk, to instruct in subjects which hud con founded the mightiest Intellects. John sold, "The Jews marveled, saving, How hath this man letters, having never learned?" We, in our dny, have found out that a man without a diploma may know us much as a man with one and that a col lege cannot transform a sluggard Into a philosopher or a theological seminary teach a fool to preach. An empty head, after the .laying on of hands of the presbytery, Is empty still. But It shocked all existing prejudices in those olden times for u muu with no scholastic pretensions and no graduation from u learned Institution to s»t Himself up lax a teacher. It was against Him. So there have been men of wonderful magnetism of person. But hear me while I tell you of a poor young Man who oume up from Nnzareth to produce a thrill which has never been excited by any other. Nnpoleou had urouud him the memories of Marengo and Austerllts: aud Jena, but here was a Man who had fought no battles, who wore no epaulets, who brandished no sword. He had probable never seen a prince or shaken hands with a nobleman. The only extraordinary person wo know of as being in His company was His own mother, and she was so poor that, in the most delicate aud soloinn hour that comes to a woman's soul, she was obliged to lie down among drivers grooming the beasts of burden. Agulu, I remark, thero was no organiza tion in His behalf, and that was against Him. When men propose any great work, they bund together, they write letters of agreement, tiiey take oaths of fealty, and the more complete the organization the more and complete the success. Here was one who went forth without any organiza tion and alone. If men had a mind to join lu His company, all right; if they had a mind not to join in His company, ail well. If they came, they were greeted with no loud salutation; if they went away, they were sent with no bitter anathema. Peter departed, and Christ turned and looked at him; that was all. All this was against Him. Did any one ever undertake such an enterprise amid such inllulte embarrassments aud by such modes? And yet lam hero to say it ended in a complete triumph. Notwithstanding His worldly occupation. His poverty, His plain face, His unpretending garb, the fact that He wns schoolless, the fact that He had a brief life, the fact that Ho was not accompanied by any visible organiza tion —notwithstanding all that, in an ex hilaration which shall be prolonged in everlasting chorals, He declared, "I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." In the eye infirmary now mnny diseasea of that delicate organ have been cured? But Jesus says to one tlind, "Be open!" and tile light of heaven rushes through gates that have never before been opened. The frost of an ax may kill a tree, but Jesus smites one dead with a word. Chemistry may do many wonderful things, but what chemist at a wedding, when the wine gave out, could change a pail of water into a cask of wine? What human voice could command a school of ilsh? Yet here is a voice that marshals the scally tribes until, in a place where they had let down tho net aud pulled it up with no ilsh in it, they let it down again, aud the disciples lay hold nud be gan to pull, when, by reason of the multi tude of fish, the net broke. Nature is His servant. The flowers—He twisted them in to His sermons; the winds—they were His lullaby when He slept in the boat; the rain it huug glittering on the thick foliage of the parables; the star of Bethlehem—lt sang a Christmas carol over His L-lrtli; tho rocks —they beat a dirge at His death. Behold His victory over the grave! The binges of the family vault become very rusty be cause they are never opened except to take another in. There is a knob on the out side of the door of the sepulcher, but none on the inside. Here comes the Conqueror of Death. Ho enters that realm and says, "Daughter of Jalriis, sit up!" ami she sits up. To Lazarus, "Come forth!" and he came forth. To the widow's son Ho said, "Get up from that bier!" und lie goes homo with his mother. Then Jesus snutched up tho keys of death and huni» them to His girdlo and cried until all tne graveyards of the earth fcenrd Him: "O death, I will be thy plaguel O grave, I will be thy destruction!" No man could go through all the ob stacles I have described, you say, without liuving a uature supernatural. In that arm, amid its muscles and nerves and bones, were intertwisted the energies of omnipotence. In the syllables of that voice there was the emphasis of the eternal God. That foot that walked the deck of the ship in Gennesaret shall stamp kingdoms of darkness into demolition. This poverty struck Christ owned Augus tus, owned the sanhedrin, owned Tiberias, owned all the castles on its beach and all the skies that looked down into its water— owned all the earth aud all the heavens. To Him of the plain coat beloaged tho robes of celestial royalty. He who walked the road to Eiumaus the light nings were the lire shod steed 9 of His chariot. Yet there are those who look on and see Christ turn water Into wine, and they say, "It was sleight of hand!" And they see Christ raise the dead to life, and they say; "Easily explained; not really dead; playing dead!" Aud they see Christ giving sight to the blind man, and thov say, "Clairvoyant dootor!" Ob, what shall they do on the day when Christ rises up in judgment and the hills shall rock aud the trumpets shall call, peal on peal? In the time o' Theodoslus the Great there was a great assault made upon the divin ity of Jesus Christ, and during that time Theodosiu* the Great called his own son to sit on the throne with him and be a copart ner in the government of the empire, aud one day the old bishop came and bowed down before Theodosius, tho emperor, und passed out of the room, and the emperor was offended, saying to the old bishop, "Why didn't :you pay the same honor to my son, who shares with me in the gov ernment?" Then the old bishop turned to tlie young man and said, "The Lord bless thee, my young man," but still paid him no such honor as be had paid to the Emperor. Aud the Emperor was still offended and displeased when the old bishop turned to Theodoslus tho Great and said to him, "You are offended with me because I don't pay the same honor to your so;;, whom you have made copartner iu the government of this empire, the same honor 1 pay to you, and yet you encourage multitudes of peo ple in your realm tc deny the Sou of God equal authority, equal power, with God the Father." My subject also reassures us of the fact that iu ail our struggles we have a sympa thizer. You cannot tell Christ anything new about hardship. I do not think that wide ages of eternity will take the sears from His punctured side and His lacerated temples and His sore hands. You will never have a burden weighing so many pounds as that burden Cnrist carried up the bloody hill. You will never have any suffering worse than He eudured when, with tongue hot and cracked and inflamed and swollen, He moaned, "I thirst." You will never be surrouuded by worse hostility than that which stood around Christ's feet, foaming, reviling, livid with rage, howling down His prayers and snuiflng ur> the smell of blood. 0 ye faint hearted. O ye troubled, O ye persecuted One, here is a heart that can sympathize with you! Again, and lastly, I learn from nil that has been said to-day that Christ was aw fully In earnest. If It had not been u mo mentous misstoii, He would have turned back from it disgusted and discouraged. Ke saw you In a captivity from which He was resolved to extricate you, though it cost Him all sweat, all tears, all blood. Ho came a great way to save you. He came from Bethlehem here, through the place of skulls, through the charnel house, through banishment. There wns not among all the ranks of celestials one being who would do as much for you. 1 lay His crushed heart at your feet to day. Let it not be told in heaven that you deliberately put your foot cn it. While it will take ail the ages of eternity to cele brate Christ's triumph, I am here to make the startling announcement that because of the rejection of this mission on the part of some of you all that magnificent work of garden and cross and grave is, so fat us yon are concerned, a failure. Helena, the Empress, went to tiie Holy Land to And the cross of Christ. Get ting to the Holy Land, there were three crosses excavated, and the question was which of the crosses was Christ's cross. Tboy took a dead uody, tradition says, and put it upon one of the crosses, and there was no life, and they took the dead body and put it upon another cross, and there was no life; but, tradition says, when the dead body was put up against tlie third cross it sprung into life. The dead mau lived again. Oh, that the life giving power of the Son of God might dart your dead soul iuto an eternal life, begin ning tills day! "Awake, thou sleepest, and rise from the dead, and Cbri«t shall give thee life!'' Live now! And live for ever! THE GREAT DESTROYER.» SOME STARTLINC FACTS ABOUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. It HoKIm an Adder's Sting— A Touching Incident Which Shows the Power ot Song to Reclaim the Druuknrd—Th< ICescue of a Ruin-Sodden Wretch. To earth tlie cup be hurled, Tlmt holds hd adder's sttng; And let us pledge the world With nectar from the spring. That hence, like Rechab's ancient line, * Though prophets urge, we drink no wlna —L. M. Sargent. Saved by Singing. The following touching Incident, an re lated one day by Mr. Saukey at Mr. Moody's Ooßpel Temperance meeting, Boston, well illustrates the power of pong to reclaim the inebriate, and Its influence and Importance in the evangelistic work: "Many have wondered that I sang here alone iu this way, but it is because ] thought I might preach some little truth from the Word of God In these simple hymns. Aud I thank God that He has blessed Ilis message ns sung. For in stance, here is this hymn: 'What Shall the Harvest Be?' There is no pruise In that. * Not long since In a meeting we were hold ing a man came staggering through the ■ door, and was directed into the gallery, and he staggered down the aisle aud got a seat near one of the largo posts that held the building up, and his testimony after ward was that while he was sitting there in a drunken stupor—he Just wandered in off the street, a poor, lost man, lost in drink—he leaned his head against the post, and when the people came In with their happy faces, he snid: 'This Is no place for me, I'll go; I have no friends, no happy home togo to;' and he attempted to raise himself up and go out, and just then the little hymn 'What Shall the Harvest Be?' was given out from the pulpit, and the Urst strain of that hymn caught the atten tion of that poor man aud ho sat down again, and when we got to that verse which says: 'Sowing the seed of a tarnlshod name, Sowing the seed of eternal shame,' ho said those lines went ns a daggei through his heart, and he said to himself: 'That's me; That's what I've been doing. My name is gone, and I'm sowing the seed of eternal shame.' God sent those lines down Into the heart of that poor man, and he came out and went to a saloon to see if ; lie could drown them from his memory, j but he said, ns ho went to the bar to drink ho could see hanging on the walls of that I bar-room, 'What shall the lrirvost be?* and [ as ho lay on his bed that night he could ! seo in the dnrkness and gloom of that ! house the same sentence,' What shall the i harvest be?' It stayed on the man's heart and brought liirn back to the meeting, and pthere a man of God met him, aud this day he is a bright and shining light in that city I over yonder. "Aud just before I left that eitv he said to me: 'Here is a letter I have had from my little girl. My wife and family I have been separated from for eight years.' They had hoard that the Lord had found him iii that great city in which lie was. And as the tears rolled down hi« cheeks he went onto read that letter. His little girl wrote and said to him: 'Papa, I knew you would come back to us, sometime. I knew that lie Lord would iind you, for I have been praying for you nil these years.' And he said: 'I thank Qod Jesus has found me. Jesus used that little hymn to llud him in that great congregation." Which Road Will Von Take? You may huve heard the story of the man who, being obliged to be driven over I a dangerous mountain pnss, tested the | coachmen in this way: Ho asked thret drivers how near they could goto a eer i tain precipice and not overturn the car : rlage. One snid he could drive within sc ; many inches; another, a few Inches less but a third suid he should keep just as fai away from the dangerous edge as he could | get. That coachman was engaged. There : was no need of going near the precipice, : for near by there was another road—safe and sure—for it hugged the Inland rocks. I We ure all travelers—are all taking n ; journey. There are two roads before us. On one road there are, daily, many acci dents, men aud women going over the precipice. It is called Saloon Highway Moderate drinkers take this road because It is exciting and gives pleasure for a time They are not afraid of dauger, but many fall over the precipice of intemperance into the gnlch of drunkenness aud ruin, i The other road is broad and safe, called Temperance Koad—secure from ilanger ! for it hugs the solid rock of Total Absti j nence. j Which road will you take? The Drink Death-Rate. ! Some years ago a statemeut was made that 60,000 drunkards died every year in i the United Kingdom. Dr. Normun Kerr, who is President of the Society for the Study of Inebriety, did not believe that this terrible statement was true, and he set to work to try and prove that It wns untrue. It is very remarkable to note what was the end of his Inquiry. As soon as he began to lind out the real facts ho learned that, so far from the number given being too high, it was much low. Not only did he find out Ills mistake, but he had the honesty and the courage to acknowledge it, and at the great meeting of the Social Science Congress he publicly declared that In Ills opinion not 60,000 but 120,000 per sons lost their lives iu a year through ex cessive indulgence in drink.—Cassc4i's Tem perance Header. Beer Makes Wife Banters. A woman Iu Trenton, N. J., confesses iliat she has been in the habit of putting laudanum iuto her husband's beer In order to make him sleep, and thin to save her from the beatings he would otherwise be sure to inlilct upon her. Somo of hei neighbors corroborate her story and admit that they do the same thing, while their neighborhood druggist says lie has beon doing a rushing trade iu laudanum for that purpose. A Sad I're-Eminence. The French have au unenviable pre eminence iu alcoholic intemperance. Tliey consume eight times as much wine ns the three other nations combined, and nearly ilfty times as much per head. The con sumption of spirits in France is also sc high as to till serious observers with alarm as to its effect upon the character and future of the nutiou. The Crusade In Brief. A neighborhood is poor In direct propor tion to the number of saloons iu has to support. The oldest teetotaler in Great Britain is said to be Mis. SampsoD.aged ninety-seven. She was born at King's Lvun, and signed the pledge in January, 1820. She had ten daughters, and the eight stfll living are teetotalers. "The Cubans nre a temperate people," says a recent writer. "It might perhaps be Impossible to find a total abstainer on the Islaud, but drunkenness is practically unknown." The number of saloons in New York is 13,064, a reduction of nearly 2200 In three yeurs. The New York Suu says "That the smaller the number of saloons the loss drinking there Is, is an axiom which expe ience shows to be irrefutable." Total abstinence societies degenerate In to mere clubs for sociability oulv It there Is not continuous discussion ot the tem perance question, and constant striving on the part of the members to understand the logic of the temperance inovemeut
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