®lu Centre flewocrat. Terms SI.AO per Annum, in Advance. S. T. SHUGERT and R. H. FORSTER. Editor*. Thursday Morning, January 13, 1881. From lh Now York Uhsenor. INTERNATIONAL LESSONS. 11l SBV. 1. P. too■*!■, . t>. JANUARY 10. J.cseon 3 : The Prophecy of Zacharitis. 1.1-I* 1 : #7—7!. OoLDr.s "Tin- t>njr|>ri(iK from on lilrli lilli vtailed ua."—Luke 1 : 7'.'. Central Truth In f'hrist shall all na tions he blessed. The visit of the Virgin to Elizabeth continued three months, and she then returned to Nazareth. In the meantime the promised son was horn to /.-tcharius and Elizabeth and was welcomed by their friends with great joy. His father, at the linio when the supernatural reve lation had been made that a son was to be born to him, asked for a sign that so unexpected an occurrence should be in reality fulfilled according to the angelic promise, and as if to punish him for this implied unbelief, and at the same time to give the sign, lie was struck with dumbness, and continued thus for nine months, when, on the occasion ot the circumcision of the chi'd. his mouth was opened, and he gave to the infant the name John. This name took the people by surprise, as it was a new name in the family, and they appealed to his father, who, una ble yet to speak, made signs that a board or table'., covered with wax ami used for writing, should he given to him, on which he inscribed the words, "7/w name m John." Immediately the power of speech w restored to hitn, and the first use which he made of his vocal ability was to break out in praises to God. The expression. 41 Xacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost," in verse t>7, I simply means that he was endowed with the spirit of prophecy and uttered what he did by divine suggestion. The di vine alllatus. as in the ease of Elizabeth and Mary, seems to have taken a poetic form, and Ztcharias shows himself al-o a sacred poet of no common order. This hymn, which cornpo-c* our !••*. son, is called the " Renedictu*," from its first word. It is a song of praise, and is divided into five stanzas, each of three lines. It contains two part- the first in verses 68-7.1, and tho second, verses 76-79. It is a song of deliver ance and salvation in behalf of the Jewish people, which describes God's interposition in their behalf again-t their enemies, and may he tak>-n us signifying both temporal and spiritual prosperity. It contains a plain recog nition of the redeeming work ol the Messiah, who is spoken of (v. 69 j as " a horn of salvation," and allude* to the covenant mercies protni-ed to Abraham which were such a precious heritage of the Jewish people. The second p irt of the I'.enedictus refers especially to John as "the pro phet of the Highest," nnd foretells his distinguished career and its glorious results through the preaching of the Gospel. It is a very eloquent descrip tion of the benignant elicet# of the proclamation of salvation, illustrating it by the figure of a brilliant luminary dawning on a world of darkness, usher ing in a new and brighter day. in the sweet light of which the wandering and Iwnighted nations are to be guided into the way of peace. Letter dayt. bright er hopes, fairer joys, are to come to this poor world through "the tender mercy of God " and through the shiningot the Son of Righteousness, whose coming John was to announce, and for whom his preaching was to prepare the way. No finer figure could he employed to describe the Gospel, It is " the day spring from on high." "It brings life and immortality to light." It illumin ates the dark places ot sin and the sad homes of sorrow, dispels the gloom of ignorance, ami lights up the dark grave with immortal splendor*. I'BACTU VI. SI'OUKSTIOX*. 1. Nine months of enforced silence seem to have taught Zicharia# all the better to speak the praises of tio-'. This is only one of many illustrations of the blessings of sanctified sorrow. It was a great atfliction to this good man to sutler so long a deprivation of speech. Rut we find hitn as soon as the restraint on hi* tongue wAs taken off u-ing his lowers of speech in a beautiful song to God's praise. It takes God sometimes n long time to get hi* people's hearts t>i tune, and the chords are sometimes strained to the highest pitch ol tension before their training is complete, but the melodies that come at last are sweet and heavenly. " Whom the lord loveth he chasteneth and hearts that have been crushed, like the sandal wood, give out their choicest perfume to the faithful yet loving hand of our Heaven ly Esther. 2. It i# possible for Christians now to We "filled with the Holy Ghost" (v. 67). The inspiration of the ancient pro phet# and A ponies may not indeed be expected in our day. yet believers sre still the 44 temple# of the Holy Ghost," and in projmrtion a* be dwells in us will our live# !>• beautiful and holy and ' heavenly. 3. God's service implies no degrade I tion. The "Benedictus" of Xacharias mokes it a matter of thanksgiving to God that bis people are enabled to "serve him without fear." There is a service which honors those who perform it no less than Him to whom it is performed. Such is the service of God. which i* perfect freedom. Christ's yoke is easy and his burden is iight. If patriots think it an honor to servo their country, let us not consider it an) degradation to " serve the Lord." 4. John's life was a short one, but he lived much, which i* better than living Innq. lie had one work to do—to proclaim j the coming Christ, — and he did it. A life spent in preaching Christ is a well |>ent life. John's preaching led him to a bloody grave, as it has led many a mar tyr since his day, but hi* life was well spent end fitly closed. It was, front beginning to end, a i Mtnttt/pr Chriet. • r >. "The Light of the world is Jesus." No figure mo well describe! the con dition of tho uncliriatianized world mm " darkness." Physical, mental, aociiil and moral gloom still overspread* a portion of tho world. Ilut where t'hrist is known there is light. No luminary has spread a wider illumina tion than " the .Star of Bethlehem," ti. Music is the natural languuge of devotion. It is quite noticahlo how tho chief actors in the scenes which ate now placed before us seem to he inspired to utter thpir devout feelings in sacred song. Elizabeth, Mary, Zacharias, tho angels, Simeon and Anna, all appear to ho inspired to adorn this grand occasion with the beauties of music and tho glories of song. And it is appropriate indeed that tho great event of tho Incarnation, the source of hope and joy to a lost world, should thus be ushered in. The" Mao-* Mm at" and the " Benehicti s " are in their right place. It has well heen said that " all tho choirs nnd lyres and ring I ing cymbals of the Creation, between | the two horizons, and above, ought to ho discoursing hymns, and pouring down their joy, even as tho stars do light." So let it ho even to the end. The beginning ol tho world's history was with the singing of the morning star#. Let its close tie with doxologies to* hri.it. The South and New England, The census of New Kngland shows ! that section of the country to have | ! progressed slower during the past two decades than the South. The cotton States were overwhelmed by the con- j test of arms, had their property values ! almost annihilated, and their whole j j social structure uprooted. Oil the! ; other hand, New Kngland was bctxiit |ed by the war. The cuortnous taxa- i i tioti rendered necessary by the debt, and the dominance of the ultra pro tectionists in C'ongre-s so shaped do tard!' as to benefit the manufacturing interests of the Northeast. Yet we find that the South has ' I shown an increase in population since J 1 NiO far in excess of that of New j Kngland. During the last ten years the cotton States have progressed near ly as fast as the ratio of the entire j ■ country. Kvcm in those States where lawlessness and violence were most frequently charged, the increase in j population has heen equal to that in the prosperous States of the West. The Southern States that have had no accession from immigration hnv- kept pace with the Middle States and out stepped the most prosperous New Kng land commonwealths. Vermont bus added only per- i -ons to her population since 1 >*7o, nn increase of only one-half of one per cent. Maine is actually losing popu lation. while the enumeration thus tar in New Hampshire points to nu in crease of 1< than five js-r rent, in the past decade. Louisiana lias now n many inhabi tants as Maine and New iiump-hire < •unbilled, while Texas has more than Maine and New Hampshire, Vermont and Uhodc Island together. 11l the line of property values the assessment rolis of real and personal property in New Kngland aggregated 17,1 HtO.fM 10 in ]*7n the other hand, the Southern State* assess,•,r, 1 lin* produced a clock which, not ex cepting that of Strnshurg. is the most j wonderful clock of the world. It is 1* feet high, 18 fat wide, A fi t and weighs t.'HMI pounds. The frame- 1 work i- ul black walnut and elegantly carved. Washington -it* beneath the ' marble dome with a colored servant on either side guarding the door*. < >ii the four corners of the fare of the clock are four figures, emblematic of the different stages of human life: two I are females, one holding an infant, the other with a child; the third is a man of middle age, while the fourth is a 1 figure of nn old gray bearded man. 1 All of these figures have bells, each with a tone in keeping with the age represented. The infant strikes its < sweet-toned hell at the first qunrter j hour; the larger bell of the youth j rings out at the end of the half hour, ! followed hy Ah< strong remnant tone of the bell ->i middle age at the third quarter, DM! the hour closing with t lie mournful bell of the aged man. 11 Denth, represented by a carved skele- j ton just nltovo the clock face, then ! strikes the hour, at the same time a carved cupid pops out ou either side, with wings, to indicate that lime flies. This is followed by sweet music, when Washington, rising from his chair, presents the Declaration of Indc|ien* : deuce, and a door on the right is open ed by the servant, ami each of the ex- j Presidents, donned in the costume of his time (including President Hayes), files before the "Father of his Coun try," face him, and raise their hands, walk across the platform and pass out of sight, at a door which is afterward closed by the second servant. Wash ington takes his seat, and all is quiet again save the heavy tick of the won derful time-keeper. Though such a clock shows a great deal of ingenuity, it is of little practical value. ♦ | Tiirek things to govern—temper, tongue nnd conduct. MMK. TII I KltS. TIIE IIOMK 1.11 I. ANII CHARACTER OF THE DEVOTED WIFE OF THE LATE PREsI DENT OF THE FSENCII HE PUBLIC. I'urla ('orrfffpoiMlonrp f tli l'll Mull Un/rth. Mine. Thiers was a year older than Queen Victoria and wan married six years and a half before her Majesty became the wife of I'rinco Albert of Saxe-('oburg-t Sotliu. She left school to become the wife of M. Thiers, and a* a bride was placed under the rare of professors of modern and ancient languages, of history and of literature If she had had the ambition to shine us nn authoress she would have been a I brilliant writer. Hi r style was lively, j very original, and yet poli-lied and ■! well-bred. Hut there never perhaps yet lived n woman who with so many opportunities to dazzle and to play a ; splendid part in the great world eared ! less for the applause of human beings, j She was extremely beautiful in youth. The outlines of her face were pure, delicate and regular in their propor tions. Her shoulders to the end oi Iter life were finely shaped, and her feet | and hands were eeh orated for the per i feetioti of their form. In the ante | room of the ground-Hour suit of rooms in the I'luce St. George there i- a hu-t j by Maroehetti which represent* Mine. | Thiers as she was when she first at -1 tended tin* halls of'Quccii Marie Ame lia. < >ld Orleanists who then knew ; her assure me that it was not a too | fluttering likeness. Mine. Kmih* de < iirurdin, when employed bv the < mi /<>t Cabinet to write in the which that Minister had siilwidized to write agnin-t M. Thiers, paid In r trib | tile of admiration .o the rosebud lovo ; line-* of his young wife. In her j "Courtier de Paris" she speaks of the elli.ct it created at a funcy hall given jby the Duehe-.-e de tiallitera and jut another fete at the house of Huron j i*s* James Huthsehild. Mine. Thiers I at the former wore a white satin dom ino covered over with Hruwel* lace. Mine. Kmilc de (iirurdin, who was in (•lined to rhrrrhrr hi firhtr brlr, spoke ; -onie years later of M. 1 hier* beeotu uig Minister for Foreign Affair- to I enable his wife to make sure that ! when she invited the Ambassador* to her soiree* thev would conic. It so happened that Mine. Thiers was more trie from worhlline-s of the kind Mine, de (iirurdin ascribed to her than it .-lie were iL-piring t*> perfect herself in -aint lines- by humility and the re nouncement of earthly grandeur. She would not have gone to nearly so mueli trouble to receive graciously the high e-t im-inlier ol the turps Diplomatique a- the most iii-iguifieanl friend of M. Thiers. Mine. Thiers had the intellect of a I'ari-ienne of the faubourgs. A fan- j ta-lie |>edigree is given in this morn ing - papers ot the Matlierotis, In r mother's family, who are repriscntcd a- having come direct from Auvcrgne and on very small saving* started a retail silk mercer's shop in the Fau bourg Mnntmartre. The truth i- they had Is en in hu-ines- tln-re timeout ot mind, were very rieh, but sati-fied to go oil as their forefathers had done. Mine. Thiers, however, ha*l not tin* in telleetual complexion of a hourrjeoi-r Mine.Thiers was also on foot at that hour to look I after him, and was too busy with ; household cares.to tul.e a siesta. In I the evening sleep often overcame her | between dinner and bedtime. The ef i feet of her somnolence was often ludi crous. She would begin a conversa tion with, say M. Amine—also ouc of | the tribe of old bachelor friends- drop I alcep in her arm chair, and ten mill j utrs later start up, and without exact j ly knowing where she was, resume it | with somebody else. I have heard her thus talk on the same subject, ami a* if to the same person, to Dmis Her beite, I'rinco Orlolf, I'rineo llolicu lohe, ami the Due de Hro/flic. Mine. J Thiers, the night the Hlouse-blanche mob attacked her house in I*7o. faced it and really cowed it. Iler courage | also rose with danger. She had great pluck, although I believe in her life she never quarrelled with relative, or friend. (hi the occasion of M. Thiers' ! funeral she defied M. Fourlou and 1 won the admiration of republican j France by the high tone which she i t*)"k in communicating with the Gov ernment. Hhe was the sovereign of I'ari* the day on which she preceded M. Thiers' eorpe in a gala carriage inutticd up iu erupc t<> I'ere Hachaise, and her popularity had not abated on the day of the tir-t anniversary mass. The line taken by Mine. Thiers and i the publication by her of M. Thiers' ' Inst political manifesto in a great incus- ; lire in-ured the defeat of the Klvsoe | party. She could not resign herself i ,to the subsequent forget fulness into j which hi* "great memory" had fallen. Iu Helfort. because he saved it from the Prussians, *he tewk to the very last \ a deep interest. The poor of Helfort were the object of her particular so- i licitude, ami a quarter of an hour be fore she drew lor !at breath she ls-g- j gc<|—the Mayor of that town having cuih-d—that be should In* brought to i her bed-ide. It wa- her wish to send a me-sage to Helfort. Hut her weak- , iu--- wa> too great to sjs-ak when he i amp. She took his hand in one of j hers and with the other pointed to a bu*t of M. Thiers. Doubtb-* she wanted to express a patriotic senti ment and to connect him with it- It i- said that she ha- bequeathed her house for life to her -i-ter, and on her death to the city of Pari- to be con verted into a Thiers musi urn Manufacturer* Mtmihl (to South. ('ol. Met 'lure sums up in hi* paper, the Philadelphia Timr*, the result of i hi* recent trip through the Smth. and among other things lie say-: " The manufacturers ot the North must soon go Suiih with their cotton -pindle* ami looms, and those who go earliest will reap the richest harvest. It i* a violation of all the laws of; trade to transport the cotton a thou- ! -ami mile.* to an inhospitable climate, I where water pnweri- unreliable a third j of the year, ami when* it ucii-.-arilv c -t.- iiior> to -u-taiu lab r than where I the cotton is grown. Our struggling cotton lactone- in Pennsylvania would le earning from ten to thirty | r cent. • on the great water-power* ol the ?*a vniinah or the Alabama, where laimr ; is cheap, where the climate is the most I genial to in' found on the continent, j ami where the cotton lint can lie fur- I ni-lied fresh from the gin. lii-tcau of incurring the expense of (lacking, of j transportation and re-separating the lint, at much cost to the fibre, the cot- ; toll should, nml soon will, he spun di- | rectlv from tho gin, by cheaper Inbor, ! ami turned into better fabric* than ' can lie furnished with all the skill of the North. Those who *av that capi-j tal is not safe in the .South cither ; know not what they say or mean to Iw untruthful. In every Southern State i there is n supreme de-ire to have the j ( factory everywhere that the raw ma- ■ terial is furnishes!, and South Carolina f exempts every factory from all taxa- i lion for tcu years. In both the Cam- ; linas, Georgia, Texan, Arkansas, Mis- , si*sippi and Tennessee, there are lar emigration liuriau*, not only in- i viting but urging while settlers, and \ even .Mississippi has several of the largest and most successful factories in the South. The cotton crop of this j year will lie worth three hundred mil- | lions of dollars, and when simply spun | into vara, it will l worth nearly { three hundred million* more. Where | in all the world is there so wide and < so tempting a field for legitimate en terprise and large profits? I believe i that half the whole cotton product will | he spun in the South before another < ten years, and the succeeding decade ( will furuish Southern factories for the , entire crop. The factory and the , school will go hand iu hand in the | South, and the factory princes from | the North will next lie bulldozing the , black man in the South to vote against | tho present oppressive tariff upon cot- | ton machinery." I Yot; may write it down as an in- i disputable fact, that when a man talks \ a great deal about his religion he is I ■imply exaggerating his capital in or- t der to catch trade. t A KINU OP THE PLAINS. 1 TIIE SUDDEN lIEATH OF A FAMOUS FKO.N TIEH STOCK OKOWER— Ills RF.MARK , AIII.K IIISTORV, Hint John Kittson woulorter, he gave his command* in an iriiperioua and lofty tone. Ibe order was obeyed, the man charging a piarter of a dol ' ' :ir r M 'rvicw. A marked quar ter that was good for only twenty cent* was slipped slyly into hi* band . and wa put into bis pocket by the . man, with a smile. "And now, sirrah!" cried the new , arrival, you aiviTiair f Irimc*?" ' O yes, sir," l "Well, take my card to him and tell him I wish an interview- with him at i ; bis earliest convenience." A peculiar look flashed from tie , man's blue even and with a smile,ex ■ lending bis band, he said : "I am (iovernor (irimes, at vour 1 service, sir." "V ou—l —that is, my dear sir, 1 beg—a— a thousand pardons !" "None needed at all, sir," replied (iovernor Grimes. "1 was rather fa vorably impressed with your letter ami had thought you well suited for the office specified. Hut, sir, anv man who would swindle a workman out of a paltry five cents would defraud the i public treasury bad be an opportunity. < >ood evening, sir." A ( hararterlstfr Anecdote About "Old T had." Pierce M. H. Young, now a repre sent all v e in < "ongrcss trom Mississippi, u < oufdierate (ieiieral ami a graduate of West Point, tells tbi- story of Old ; I bad. Mevcii* : \ oung came to Wash i ingtou *< on after the war seeking to ■have his disabilities removed. lie accepted the result* of the war in good faith. He vint to '1 had. Stevens, who was chairman of the Election Committee, ami Tbad. began to plav with him, a* he sometimes did with tbo- whom he intended to make his vfrti n*. He said : "You are a graduate of West Point, I believe?" "Yes, sir." "Educated at the expense of the I niled States, I (relieve, which you swore faithfully to defend !" "Ye*, sir." "You went into service for the in fi rnal rebellion ?" "Y-s. sir." ou were brigade commander of the raid into Pennsylvania, which de stroyed the property of so many of my constituents ?" "Yes, sir." "It was a squad of men under your direct charge, ami under your personal command, that burned my rolling mill | down ?" "Yes, sir." Young thought he was gone, but seeing that the old veteran bad conic into the possession of the last fact, which Young did not dream he knew, ; it wa* ifu|K*sihle to deny the truth of hi* questions. Tliad. roared out. "Well, I like your d—d impudence. 1 w ill *ee t| ta t your disabilities are re moved. Good morning." And the next day the bill passed the House. A Story of Lincoln. ; From the Uealin£ Neurit The Rev. James Phrigley, who is well known here, was appointed by President Lincoln a hospital chaplain during the war. Pending his confirm ation by the United States Senate, a self constituted committee of the Young Men's Christian Association called on the President to protest against the appointment. After Mr. Shrigley's name had been mentioued the President said : "Oh. yes, I have sent it to the Stn ate. His testimonials are highly sat isfactory, and the appointment will no doubt lc confirmed at an early day." The young nun replied: "But sir, we have come not to ask for the ap pointment, but to solicit you to with draw the nomination on the ground that Mr. Shrigley is not evangelical in his sentiments. "Ah!" said the President, "that alters the case. On w hat point of the doctrine is the gentleman unsound?" "lie does not believe in endless punishment," was the reply. "Yes." added another member of the committee, "he believes that even the rebels themselves will finally be saved, and it will never do to have a man with such views hospital chap lain." The President hesitated to reply for a moment, and then responded 'with an emphasis they will long remember: "If that be so, gentlemen, and there be any way under heaven whereby the rebel* can be saved, then, fcr God's sake, let the man be appointed f' He was appointed.