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TheUrgait.ChMpMt <l Beit Paper
PUIIHBID I* OSHTBB COUNTY .
from 111® N York OtewTur.
INTERNATIONAL LESSONS.
Thinl Quarter.
m u< ■ aisst m. üboi r, u. n.
JULY 10.
Lrswn 2.
ISRAEL IN EGYPT.
K S: .V-.
GOLDS* Ttxt "ltjr fultli Moon", "lion li N ronin
to y*nt, rrluini tn b* coital the son of ruaroah'*
.laughter " —Hot- II : J4.
Central Truth : —God appoints his ser
vants their work ami trains them for it.
Of the sore afflictions which overtook
(iod's people in Egypt we had a painful
glimpse in our last lesson. The new
king, who knew not Joseph, had taken
alarm at their rapid growth, and had
set himself to break their spirit and
hinder their increase. At first, as we
saw, he laid crushing burdens on them.
This proving ineffective, ho matured a
secret plot by which their child sen
should be destroyed nt birth ; and final
ly ordered that every male child should
be cast into the Nile.
God had sulfered all these ills to
overtake them. They had too nearly
forgotten him, and fallen into evil ways.
Nothing hut the moat painful experi
ence would bring them back and putke
tbern obedient to his will. Neverthe
less he would not suffer them to be de
stroyed. lie had for them a great fu
turn and a high mission. At the very
time that chastisement was doing for
them its needed work, he was preparing
their deliverance. At the very darkest
hour of their night the coming deliver
er was born.
We have in this lesson the story of
the preservation and training of Moses.
That part of it which relates to his
preservation is as strange and delight
ful as any romance. His parents were
among the ancient heroes of faith, and,
perceiving the fairness of their child,
they somehow felt that he must be des
tined of God for some s|>ecial purpose,
and set themselves to save him alive.
It is not likely that they had any direct
revelation from God. They believed
in him, and resolved to do their best,
and trust in him. When longer con
cealment of the child at home was im
possible, the same hopeful trust led the
mother to place him in an ark of papy
rus, of which Nile boats used to be
made, and to deposit the ark among
the flags on the river's brink. The
place chosen was where the king's
daughter was wont to come for her ab
lutions. The Nile was regarded as a
sacred river, and to wash so much as
the hands in it was supposed to be an
acceptable and helpful act of worship.
It is altogether likely that the mother
knew the custom of the princess to
come to this particular spot. It was at
least her last loving resort; and ap
parently little as it may have seemed
to promise, it proved successful. Her
faith was rewarded, and the child saved
alive. More than that, the royal prin- '
ceaa adopted the fair babe as her own,
and by a wonderful providence was led
to entrust it for care to the mother her
self. .So rich is faith's reward ; witness
es! sometimes for our encouragement in
the life that now is.
The training of Moses began with his
infancy. It was the custom of those
days to keep a child with its nurse for
three years. We may be sure these
years would be well improved by the
mother of this child. She would faith
fully tell him of his own and their God
—the one true God ; of the great prom
ises to which they were heirs ; ami of
their many and better wrongs. After
the expiration of these first years it is
fjuite likely the child would be suffer
ed to visit his nurse, and so these les
son* would be repeated and made last
ing. Lasting they would be very sure
to be. It has been said that, even in
our northern climates, where develop
ment is so much slower, the first three
years of life are often the decisive ones
for all that are to come after. It is ;
then that the seeds of life-long pur
poses are sown, and impressions are
made never to be lost. The practical
importance of this fact caa hardly be
over estimated.
Moses must have received very great
benefit from his education in the
schools and affairs of Kgypt. This edu
cation could not have been less than
the best Kgypt, then the foremost na I
tion in the world, could afford. The
New Testament tells us that "he was
learned in all the wisdom of the Kgypt
ians, and was mighty in words and
deeds." He was taught all that wss
thought needful to a statesman or sol-1
dier. Of all this, much might hare
proved worthless. Some things would
hare to be learned. The best would
have to be supplemented with much
from a higher source. But Kgypt wss
then the best organized form of civil
society known, and to become familiar
with its laws, institutions, science ami ,
religion, was one of the divinely ap
pointed ways of preparing him to be
the great leader and lawgiver of Israel.
Ho far as the record shows, the great
and decisive act of Moses' life was at, or
about, the time when going out unto
his brethren mud looking ou their bur
dens, "hejspied an Egyptian smiting an
Hebrew." The sight stirred his indig
nation, and "he slew the Egyptian."
It is evident that he had begun to
think of himself u called to serve his
people, and to be their deliverer. He
was ready to begin. It is not necessary
to suppose that his wajr was either just
or wise. He took the way—more in ac
cord with ancient than modern ways—
which flashed upon him. The special
point for us to dwell upon is, that it
marked bis decision tp cast in bis lot
with Israel; his choice to suffer afflio
tion with the people of God, rather
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season. It was the opposite of a world
ly cboioe. Deliberately be turned his
hack on earthly delights and glory
But the choice waa groat, noble, and
wise. Greet, too, has been, and will be,
his "recompense of reward."
The repulse wbioh be received when
next be appeared as a friend of bis own
people, was no doubt a part of that
' providential training lie needed for the
real leadership to which ho wa* to be
called. So also wa* his flight tu Midian
and long sojourn there. It was evident
that, while his purposes were good, he
still lacked humility, patience and hard
ihood. It wa* hot blood and an impct
uous temper which slew the Egyptian.
And how unlikely it was that one ac
customed to eat at the king's table was
ready for a wilderness march. So God
suffered his pride to be humbled, and
put hiin to the school of patient wait
ing, rough usage, and lonely commun
ings with God in Midian.
PRACTICAL SCOOtSTIONS.
1. The night of sorrow and trial is
often long and dark, and yet it is nafe
to trust God through it ail; behind the
clouds he may be preparing the return
of day.
2. Among the important lessons of
this whole story is that of the sure re
compense of faith. It may, in part, be
realized here and now, a* in the case of
the mother of Moses.
3. We get also a glimpse of the na
ture of true faith ; it works as well as
waits. It is energizing as well as patient.
It looks to God tor nothing it can itself
do.
•I. The youngest c'jild is not too
young to receive impressions for good
or ill. The very first years of lile are
the most precious as the seed-time of
character, deeds and destiny.
5. We are not to despise nny form of
merely secular learning. It is not the
highest and best, but it bus its place
and use. It is not the subject of writ
ten revelation, for the reason that God's
benificent way is to teach us nothing
which we can leatn for ourselves. It is
where man's eve and labor cannot suf
fice that he lifts up a divine torch. In
one sense all knowledge is from him,
tor nature is his book. By all he would
expand our powers and lit us for our
work.
6. The summons to a grent life choice
come* to us all. The decision demand
ed may be a costly one. It may be to
surrender delights nnddionors, and to
1 accept affliction* and reproaches. Nev
ertheless it is wise to make it. The
"reproach of Christ" may be hard to
bear; but attending it are "greater
riche* than the treasures in Egypt."
7. A right choice does not end all
discipline or struggle, since the best
convert is not once aperleet saint. His
faith may be genuine and hi* rnnsoon
tion unreserved and bis ardor bound
less, and still he may need to be taught
humility, patience, wisdom, and niurh
else. It is a long and stern school
which prepares for great usefulness and
a high place in heaven.
SERMON BY
KEY. SAM*I, E. ITKST,
iT" the llelletunte 1.ut1,- If is O N JTt ir• , > .•
i/iii/ Mominj, dune l'J, 1 "-SI.
Txt — "Foar not I .mi with this."— lsit.li I-, A.
These words were addressed to the
church for the people's comfort, as also
the scriptural lesson* read this morning
were addressed to God's church.
I am this morning, by special request,
to speak concerning our own particular
church—that is the denomination of
the Christian church with which we
are identified—the General Synod of
the Lutheran Church in the t'nited
States of America. In doing so I trust
to lie able to give the information desir
ed without unnece.-.irily wounding the
feelings of any who may not belong
to our branch of the Christian church.
There is so much to he said both as to
church work and church progress, in
the general operations of God's church
from the beginning of the establish
ment of hi* church on earth down to
the present time, that it is difficult to
select that which may be of most in
terest and most useful. These words
of God comfort his people with the
thought that lie i. with them in all
their works so long as they are true
and faithful to Him. Now m applying
these words to the Christian church,
and especially to the progress, present
condition and prospects lor the future
of the Lutheran church in America, we
find so many jroints to be noticed that
we can but barely touch ujion compara
tively few of those we desire to have
understood, on ,the more important
ones, and then there may be some that
should be noticed, omitted.
The statement was made from the
pulpit of the .church in our General
Synod, that met in Altoona last week,
by one who i* well informed in cbuirh
history, that the Lutheran f'liurch nev
er had an opportunity to freely devel
ope herself until she was planted upon
the free soil of America. This is true
of all the denominations in Kuro|>ean
countries. Where there is a connec
tion between the government of the
country and the church we find civil
power interfering with the spiritual
growth that otherwise would arise more
rapidly. There are interventions for
the sake of mercenary motive that in
terfere with the full development of
the gospel work in the Christian church.
Ho it is that in the Lutheran church in
America we find her development to be
far beyond what it i* in Europe—or evpr
wa* in her greatest day* in Europe. Wp
find also that in her progress during
the last two year* she ha* far outstripped
herself in this work as compared with
former years—ha* gone aw ay beyond
every thing that has been accomplished
in more than twice that length of time
before. In what 1 shall say this morn
ing, I shall have reference only to these
particular points of progress that have
been effected especially during the last
two years.
The first, of the few of which we shall
speak, is the one concerning our Foreign
mission* work. Gor Foreign Mission
Hoard ha* accomplished far mora in
India than the most sanguine expected,
and never in the history of the church
ha* there been so much gratifying work
done in so short aepace of time. Even
the work has grown *o rapidly upon
our hands that it ha* become necessary
to establish new schools, and not being
able to supply them with missionaries
as instructors, they are taught by the
more intelligent natives, and hundred*
are taught, and in operating in this wav
thousand* of souls have been reached.
Our missionaries are simply powerless
to teach them as tbey should be taught
and instruct them in the Christian re
ligion. Hence it h* become necessary
to open new schools that those who are
diligent may be speedily prepared to
give instruction to others. <>ur mean*
of accomplishing this work ha* been
most gratifying and have advanced he
yond all expectation. No it ha* been in
Africa. A more progressive work ha*
never been known than have been done
tiy our (inneral Synod there. We find
our missionary, who has charge of the
affairs, ha* been regarded a* the most
successful man that has ever put his
foot on that soil to convert them to
Christianity, lie ha* even won the af
fection ami control of the rulers of that
benighted people, simply by his untir
ing efforts and kind words and adapta
tion. lie i* considered by the mi*siona
rie* of other denomination* as the chief
among them, and is often asked to do
thing* or lend hi* influence to accom
plish what they cannot do of them
selves. All proof* of our mission field*,
both in India and Africa, are that, to
day, they are in a far better condition
than we dared hope two year* ago they
could be in ten or twenty yearn. If we
have then, within the last two years,
made such progress that would have
satisfied u* hud we made it in ten years,
what have we to expect that can be
accomplished if we continue in this
course for the next few years. The
reason of this is because of the careful
maimer in which the work has been
carried on in the past, and now it is 1
beginning to bear its fruits ami wo ore
just entering upon the great harvest,
the seed of which was sown many
year* ugo.
This progress i* not confined alone
to foreign mission work, but from the
report of the Home Mission Board it ]
in touml that within the last two years
the Ueneral Nynod of the Lutheran |
church hits accomplished far more than j
the most devoted member had expected
or even dreamed of accomplishing in !
such a short space of time. She is to- '
day farther advanced in her mission -
work than her be-t informed memliers
hud any idea of. This is due to the
manner in which this branch of her
work has been managed during the last
two years. Hereafter it will be con
ducted so that all the means given for
the sup|K>it of the lion* Mission work,
of the General Nynod of the Lutheran
church, will pas* through the proper
channel and be applied where it doe
the most good. In (lie way the money
is now collected and to be applied
through the mean* of the treasurer of
tile General Nynod Board—every dollar
will i>e credited and every cent proper
ly applied. When a contribution i*
mule for Home Mission work, those
making it can feel satisfied it will reach
tin- proper place—and no appeals are to
i.e made from any other source. It has
only lu-en a few years since three fourths
of the amount of money given as
church contributions for various causes,
in various parts of the country, was
never entered uj*on the church nqiorts,
an 1 there never was a credit given for
the full amount so collected and dis
bursed, but when it all pae through
the hands of the General Nynod of the
Lutheran church, every cent is credited,
and it is found that the General Synod
of the Lutheran church of the I'mted
States, has given more than ha* hereto
fore been included in her statotica) re
ports. I "uring the last two years we have
far exceeded any amount realised in ali
the previous years. We are just enter- j
ing upon a |*-riod of rapid progress and
church development, anil our plans for
the operation* of the board are so ar
ranged by the action of the General
Synod, 1 i*t week, that their har.d are
no longer tied, but that they can go on
freely and uninterruptedly, and carry ,
out the wishes of the people. We are
now in a better condition to do Home
Mission work than ever we were, and
within the last two years have accont
plished more than we could have ex
pected to accomplish in twice that
length of time. 1 cannot go into de
tail* connected with the Home Mission i
work.
The reason that we are meeting with
such unprecedented success, i* because
the money passes through a regular
channel, and is applied to the object j
for which it was intended. Concerning ;
the erection and repairing of houses of j
worship, all appeals now come through j
the board of Church Kxtension, and the
money after being so collected, finds its
course to the proper object. No special
appeals for individual churches are now
necessary. All these wants are met by
our system of Church Kxtension. We
also find by keeping an accurate ac
count of all moneys contributed and
expended for the erection of new
ehurehes, and repairing of churches, is j
more than we supposed it was in ten
or fifteen years, and the manner it is
expended and applied is such that not a
cent of it is put wheroit will do no good j
It is applied by |>er*on who understand i
the exact wants of the localities, and
consequently make the same amount of '
money go twice as far as it did before |
we had this excellent method of ex
pending money through the board of
Church Extension. Now if this is the
progress we have made during the last j
two years, and a great many obstacles
that heretofore impeded our progress :
are done away, what can there be to j
hinder us from making still more rapid
strides in this glorious cause of go*|,cl j
work.
Then there is the work of our Puhli- ;
cation Board, which ha* succeeded so j
far as to give us all manner of publiea- '
tions at the very lowest prices. No
matter what it is we want, we can get it
from a regular Lutheran publication
house. We can stand here to day and
safely challenge all other publishers to
give us lietter rate* for books, etc. We
are so situated in this respect that we
can do all our own publishing connect
ed with our church work, and do it at
better rates and in a more satisfactory
manner than it was possible for us to
have it done by other publishing houses.
Heretofore it was not so ; then we were
obliged to pay more and very often have
to take work very unsuitable, because
of the want of the right kind of man
agement. But now we pay less for
any work we desire done, and the work
is far better than it was when we were
obliged to go outside of our regular
publishing houses for It. Then we have
also a Historical Society connected with
our church, whose duty it is to preserve
statistics concerning the growth of the
Lutheran church in America, and also
to collect all information they can of
a historical nature and arrange it in
such a manner as to be conveniently re
ferred to, on any branch or topic con
nected with the church. The object is
also to offer to the church, for thebeno
fit of its members, data by which they
can ascertain and become fully inform
ed concerning the work that has been
done, and of making a comparison with
that which other denominations are
doing or have done.
There i* another new branch of work
1 desire to notice, and deserves special
mention in our remarks thi* morning,
and that lias done more to help on
this grand work than ulmo*t any other
during the last two years. I refer to
Women'* Missionary organization. I
do not mean that women never took
any interest before in missionary work
—either Home or Foreign—by no means.
They have alway* done all that wa* ex
pected of them, both as to Home and
Foreign missions. We are now but two
year* from the time they organized what
is known as the Women's Home and
Foreign Missionary .Society. During
the first year they were scarcely organ
ized and during the last or second year
of their organization they have received
more money and have already done
more work than they themselves ex
pected to do in hull a dozen years.
They have already school* in India,
supported bv their lund have mis
| sionary of their own in India. In their
1 organization they have laws and consti
tution of their own by which the society
is governed. They have established the
society and govern and support thern
selves in every particular. They have
accomplished a number of very impor
taut tilings which the church never
j before could undertake. They have
entered this work with a zeal and en
ergy that is bound to succeed, and bav
nig met with such wonderful success
| in the first two years of their existence,
I we must encourage and uphold them
' for they are capable of doing much
good. Their work is conducted'in the
1 most careful manner and is most telling
in its results. They have entered upon
their work with an indomitable per
severance and intelligence that is sur
' prising, and are in a most flourishing
eon'lilion, having more than seven
thousand dollars of their own money.
They are so organized that all their mon
ey goes through the hands of the Gen
eral Nynod and a correct account is
therefore recorded of the amount, but
notwithstanding it i* in care of the
General Synod, the objects to which it
is applied are selected by themselves.
It i merely turned into the general
treasury as a depository lor it. and ex
pended at the discretion of the Wo
men's Heme and Foreign Missionary
Society. The organization since it wa
created winch has been, we can safely
►ay, but a year in first class working
order, ha* more than exceeded any ex
pectations. The work done for the
Home Mission was in the same pro
portion, and this is t.ut the beginning
*•1 what they expect to do in the future.
The meeting of our General Nynod
at Altoona, lnt wi-ek, did much to
ward pushing forward this work. The
utmost g od feeling and harmony pre
vailed in all the discussion* and action*
of tin* entire Synod. It i* true there
were soine animated and sharp diou*
► ions indulged in and quick and decisive
re(ort, but afters fair discussion of the
• subject all this disappeared, and what
, ever proper measures wete proposed
were adopted with the most perfect
unanimity and fully acquiesced in by
those who at first opposed them. It was
a noticeable feature of the Synod that
every one there so. med to t>e anxious in
do that which was best for the progress
jof the cause which has jut been but
fairly started. Almost evertbing that
was done there, seemed to Operate as a
rource of encouragement to us a* a. de
nomination.
E*|>eeial!y was this so in reference to
the proposition made by the Cumber
land Presbyterians. For some years
the Cumberland Presbyterian* have
i contemplated proposing an Organic
Cnion between themselve* and our
church. Their delegate to the meeting
of our General Nynod at Wooster, Ohio,
|in made such a proposition. The
I General Synod took no action at that
| meeting in reference to the matter.
The General Assembly of the Cumber
land Presbyterian church, in IHNO,
adopted a series of preambles and reso
lutions, declaring their Views on thi*
subject in a manner quite flattering to
our ehurcb. At their last meeting in
Austin, Texas, they elected a delegate
for the purpose of officially presenting
their aetion to our •♦eneral Synod. The
delegate performed thia duty at Al
toona, in a carefully prepared address,
at the conclusion of which, he present
ed the official record showing that a
committee had been appointed to con
| fer with a similar committee, which
they asked the General Synod to ap
{mint, for the pur|mse of preparing a
asis of union to he submitted for the
j approval of each body at its next meet
| ing. The delegate gave the assurance
that this movement had the full and
hearty endorsement of their clergymen,
j and of all their membership. The Gen
eral Synod did not appoint a committee
■ a requested, hut did ap|>oint a com
' mittee to confer with them and ascer
i tain more particularly and in detail
what their views and wishes are, and
report the same at our next meeting in
IHH3. Whether anything more may
< grow out of this or not it ia at least a
' gratifying mark of the appreciation on
the part of those not trained as Luth
erans, and ought to bring home many
of the children of the Mother church
of Protestantism, who have found their
way into other communions whose doc
trine and practicea they can never ful
ly endorse. The principles of I.utber
anism have ever been largely adopted
hy other denominations in the way of
church government, and it has been
well said by a learned Divine of our
church, "that if there ever were a
grand union of -ell the protestant de
nominations the principle* of our
church would be largely adopted, and
to form such a union the Lutheran
church would have to adopt fewer new
principles and unlearn lees, than any
other Christian denomination."
Instead of filling our hearts with
pride, all this and much more which
cannot now he stated, should profound
!v impress us with the magnitude of
the work, which God has placed upon
u* as a church, and should cause us to
deeply fael the weight of responsibility
resting upon us. Can we not also see,
that we have no reason to fear, for God !
ha* been and (till is with us. In deep
humility, remembering our utter help
lessness when left to ourselves, let us
devoutly pray to God for grace, strength,
wisdom sufficient to do Ilia work en
trusted to im faithfully, speedily, effi
ciently, and let us ever hear with ua
Hi* precious words to lfia church,
"Fear not for 1 am witfi thee,"
How u Oilmimaii Hides a Itroneo, and
Hie Hud Itesults,
From Hill Jlye't Hmmnnun
When a Chinaman doe* moat any
thing in hi* own peculiar Oriental ntyle
it in pretty apt to attract attention ; but
when he get* on a bucking broncho
with the cheerful assurance of & man
who undervtalid* his business and ha*
been conversant with the ways of the
broncho for over two thousand years,
the great surging mas* of humanity
ceases to surge, and stands with bated
breath and watches the exhibition with
unflagging interest.
A Chinaman does not grab the bit of
the broncho ntid yank it around until
the noble steed can see thirteen new
and peculiar kinds of fireworks, or kick
him in the stomach and knock his ribs
loose or swears at him till the firmament
get* loose arid begins to roll together
like a scroll, but he does his hair up in
an Oriental wad behind and jabs a big
hairpin into it and smiles, and says
something like what a Guinea hen
would say if she got excited and tried
to report one of Bjoernstjerne Bjoern
son's poem* backward in his native
tongue.
I'lien he gets on the wrong side and
slide* into the saddle, making a re
mark as though something inside of
him had broken loose, ami the grand
difficulty begins.
At first the broncho seems surprised
and temporarily rattled intellectually,
and lu- stands idly in the glad sunlight
and allows his mental equilibrium to
wobble back into the place wbilo the
Chinaman makes some observations
that sound like the distant melody of a
Hancock club going home at 2 o'clock
A. a , and ail talking at one and the
same time.
I'.y and by the bronchoabooU athwart
the sunny sky like a thing of life, and
conic* down with all hi* leg* in a clua
tcr like a bunch of asparagus, and with
u great deal of force and expression.
'l'hi* movement throw* the China
man'* liver into the northweat corner
of the thorax and hi* upper left hand
duodecimo into the middle of the
*ube<juent week, but he don not com
plain. He open* hi* mouth and breathe*
in all the atmosphere that the rest of
the universe can spare, and readjusting
hi* shirt tail so that it will have the
correct inclination toward the horir.on,
he gently tickb** the broncho on the
starboard quarter with the cork sole of
hi* corpulent shoe. Thi* nnrtb pro
voking movement throw* the broncho
into the wildest hysteric*, and for twen
ty minute* the sjteotator* don't nee any
thing very ditinctly. The autumn
sunlight seem* to be mixed Up with
blonde broncho, and the softened haie
of October seems fraught with pale
blue shirt tail and disturt>ed Chinaman,
moving in an irregular orbit, and occa
sionally throwing oil' meteoric articles
of apparel and pre hifttoric chunks of
igneous profanity of the vintage of
t'ontueiu*. marked It. C. IWJO.
When the sky clear* up a little the
I'liimnun'n liair ha* come down and
hang* in wild profusion about his olive
features. The hem of hi shirt flap is
een to he very much frayed, like an
American flag that ha* snapped in the
breeze for thirteen weeks. He finds
also that he has tele*cojied his spinal
column and jammed two rib* through
the right superior duplex, and he has
two or three vettehrie floating ahout
through his system that he don't know
what to do with. The casual observer
can see that the Chinaman is a robust
ruin, while the broncho is still in a
good state of preservation.
Hut the closing scene is still to come.
The broncho summons all his latent
energy, and, humping hi* beck up into
the exhilarating atmosphere, he shoots
forward with great earnestness and the
most reckless abandon, and when he
once more bisect* the earth's orbit and
l*b* his feet into the trembling earth,
a shapele** ma*s ol brocaded silk, and
coarse black hair, and taper nail*, and
Celestial shirt tail, and Oolong profan
ity. and disorganized Chinese remains,
and shattered Oriental shirt destroyer,
Mimes down apparently from the New
•lerusalcm. and the Coroner goes out on
the street to get six good men and a
chemist, and they analyse the collec
tion.
They report that deceased came to
hi* death by reason of concussion sup
posed to hare been induced by his fall
from the outer battlements of the
sweet by-and by.
'- ♦ '
A Famona House The Old tVlhson
Mansion. Perry County, Pa.
The eulogies on the lute El-Gover
nor William Bigler in the Mcnate of
Pennsylvania, were of unusual inter
eat. Senator Hall, of Klk, distin
guished himaelf and hia auhject by a
! thoughtful and interesting review of
the Governor's career, ana Senator
Smilejr, of Perry, contributed a graceful
j tribute in which prose could scarcely be
distinguished from poetry. Among oth
er curious facts he mentioned the birth
of five distinguished Pennsylvaniana in
one room of what is known as the old
Gibson mansion in Sberwin's creek,
Perry county, leas than fifty miles from
the State capital. The men were .lohn
Bannister Gibson, the distinguished
Chief .Justice of Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania; bis brother George Gib
son, for many years prior to the Rebel
lion the Commissary General of the
Cnited State* Army ; William Bigler,
the late Governor; John Bigler, who
by a singular coincidence was made
Governor of California, at the time his
brother was Governor of Pennsylvania,
and John Bernheisel, who adopted the
Mormon faith and afterward represent
ed Utah in the National Congree*.
These men were not only born in the
same room, but were distinguished con
temporaries in public life. If Bern
heisel U still living he is the only sur
vivor and must be far advanced in
years. Som~- years ago 1 saw him in
Malt Lake City, living a patriarchal and
retired life with apparent content.
Soon after the completion of the Paoiflc
railroad, Simon Cameron Rapped at
Halt Lake City, on bis way to California,
and railed on .lolui Rernheise], Dur
ing the visit he learned that a buxom
young woman, with a bouncing boy on
her arm, wa* IWriheinel's last wife and
wa* the daughter by a former husband
of another wife of rnaturer years, Vi
whom the Senator had been introduced
as the head of the Rernbeisel house
hold, As soon as the complexity of
relationships involved burst upon the
astonished Senator, he seized his hat,
and with "My God, John liernheise),
can that be true '!" he shook the dust
from his feet and departed considerably
wiser as to the peculiar methods of
Mormonism.
Music for the Million.
Frouj ft Ik-Mug ret.
Some time ago a aon of Mr. George
Kllwanger, while traveling in Germany,
became impressed with the agreeable
combination of tones produced by -o
linn harps, and on returning home men
tioned the circumstance to his father.
The latter soon conceived of erecting
an icolian harp on his tower near Mount
Hope. A suitable man to rnske the in
strument was found in C. Dennebecq,
who expects to have it finished by the
Ist of June. The sounding board is to
be made of Norway pine, seven feet
high, and the back of hard curled ma
ple of forty five years cut. These woods
are all imported, the slow growth of
European woods giving them a texture
better adapted to musical instruments
than the home products. As a whole,
the instrument is to tie tube-shaped,
with eight slots in the tube. The latter
is to be surmounted with a lightning
rod eight feel high, with a weather
cock attached. Right here is where
| Professor Dennebecq introduces a new
j design of his own : lor with every turn
; of the weathercock a slot is presented
to the wind and a string is made to vi
-1 brate. The first string that is made to
| vibrate in this manner gives the funda
; mental note, while the other will sound
a third and give the acute octave to
! the first. Professor Dennebecq has no
j doubt as to the success of his instrument,
•! and thinks when completed and placed
jon the tower it can tie hesrd on still
1 nights for a distance of three miles up
the river. He made a similar initru
j rnent for the Sorosne in l'aris, which,
however, is not automatic, but it must
tie arranged by the janitor before it
will work. The constructor of these
instrument* is a pupil of the celebrated
Villiaume, and gave three years of hi*
life to learn the trade of repairing his
own violin. This violin was one of
' Steiner'i make, who was a pupil of
Amarti, and whose violins have a rep
utation that is world wide. Professor
Dennebecq himself has acquired quite
a reputation as a violin maker and re
] slorer, and is conversant with the mech
anism not only of this but of every
; musical instrument. He is at the same
time a practical watchmaker, jeweller,
optician and pattern maker.
——- - ♦
A Tunnel Between Fnglaml and France.
Loxljox, June 17.—Sir Kdvrard Wat
kin, chairman of the Southwestern
Railway Company, has informer! a meet
ing of that cofipany that two exjieri
mental shafts for the proposed channel
tunnel have been sunk on the Knglish
side and two on the French side, and
that from one of the shafts on the
l.ngiish side a gallery 800 or 900 yards
long and 7 feet in diameter had tieen
j driven. The progress during the last
week has been 67 yards, which is equal
to two miles yearly. They have thus j
solved the question of the rate of pro
gress for the experimental gallery and
ascertained that the lower strata is im
permeable to water. The French ex
periments have realised exactly the
same results. They bad arrived, he
said, at an understanding with the
; French tunnel committee that on each
side of the channel a further heading
'of a mile should be driven. When
these headings are finished, which cer
tainly ought to be in six months, one
tenth of the question would have been
dealt with, and a further treaty would
then probably beproj<oaed, under which
each party would accomplish the re
maining nine miles on its side, in view
ol meeting in the middle of the tunnvl.
A seven foot gallery ought on this sys
tem to be completed in five years.
♦
John Sherman's Expense*.
I A LIST THAT IS SAID TO H AVE IHSN < HARO
KD TO INriDtSTALS.
Washisgtox, June 17.—Home of the
' miscellaneous items of Senator Sher
man's ex|enses while Secretary of the
Treasury have been dug up. and it is
said there is a charge of $1(15.10 for 318
; pounds of camphor, $2-4 lor six doien
J salt sacks, $7 50 for three photographs
of the Electoral Commission. $22.75 for
one toilet set, $27 for three gross of
buttons, and $35 for dye for same, $31.25
for palm leaf fans. $3.50 for cleaning a
< driver's coat, $30.17 for I>ay A Martin's
| blacking, 213 dosen monogram towels,
$1384.50; 4} dosen thermometers, $90.•
| 22; 2 dozen cuspadnrt. decorated, $42 ;
' 4} gallons deodorized alcohol, bay rum.
I sl2; 50 gross matches. $140; 1 barrel
l of flour. $9: 100 gross assorted toilet
J soap, $155; 24 dozen chamois skins,
$129.60; 50 dozen whisk brooms. $127.-
50. For these and sundry other ilemz
there was spent $25,000.
THE CENTRE DEMOCRAT
BOOK and JOB OFFICE
ALLEGHENY STREET,
BKLLKKONTK, PA.,
ta now orrxtux'o
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to rnosß wtsnixo first-class
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We have unusual facilities for printing
LAW BtXIKS,
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AND ALL KINDS T)F BLANKS.
•