illllll
THE O9NSTITUTION-THE UNION AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS.
R. eiOHWEIER,
MIFFLINTOWN. JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 19, 1894.
VOL. X1AIJI
-Utter ud Pxwprteter.
NO. 40.
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
THE BEOOXtYN DIVINE'S SI.'.V
DAY S'iK.MOX.
ijubject: "The l!etciia.n
Titt: "BAlleye on thnLord Jens Hirist,
and thou shalt be saveJ." Acts vL, 31.
Jails are dark, rinIT, damp, loathsome
places even now, bat they were worse la
the apostollo time!". I luaeine to-day we
are standing In the Phillpnlan dungeon.
Do you not feel the ohlll? Do yoa iot
hear the crroana of those Incarcerated ones
who for ten years have not seen the si?n
light and the deep nlnh of women who
remember their father's honie and mourn
over their wasted estates? Listen a (rain. It
Is the conph of a consumptive or the strug
(tie or one In the nightmare of a great hor
ror. Ton listen attain and bear a eulprlr,
bis chains rattling as be rolls over in bis
dreams, and you say, God, pity the prison
er P' Eat there Is another sound In that
prison. It Is the song of lor and gladness.
What a place to sing in? The mnilo comes
winding through the corridors of the prison,
and In all the dnrlc wards the whisper is
beard i "What's that? What's that?"
It Is the song of Paul and Silas. They
cannot sleep. They have been whipped
very badly whipped. The Ion? gashes oh
their backs are Mee.line ye'. They lie flat
on the cold ground, their feet fast In woo len
sockets, and of course they cannot sleep.
But ther can slnir. Jailer, what ar yoa do
Jng with theg people? Why have they been
pat in here? Oh, they have been trying to
make the world better. Is that all? That
is all. A pit for Joseph. A lion's cave for
Daniel. A blaa'n? furnaee for Rhadrach.
fMuhs for John Wesley. An anathema for
Fhillpp Melanclitbon. A dungeon for Paul
and Silns.
Snt while we are standing In the gloom of
the Philipplan dungeon, and we hear the
mingling voices of sob and gronn and bias,
phemyand ballelnjab, suddenly an earth
quake! The iron t.ara of the prison twist,
the pillars crack off. the solid masonry be.
g!ns to heav, nn 1 all the doors swing open.
The Jailer, 1'iel'ng himself responsible for
these prisons! s an i believing, in his pagan
Ignorance, suicide to be honorable sinoe
Brutus killed himself, nn 1 Cuo killed him
s-lf, and Cnssius killed himself put his
rwor 1 to b!s own heart, proposing with one
el ronz, keen thrust to put an end to bis ex.
ritemi-nt an I airit.it inn. But Paul cried out:
".-'lop, stop I Do thyself no barm! We are
all here !"
Thi'n I see the jailer running through the
dust an 1 amid the ruin of thit prison, an 1 1
see blm throwing himself down at the feet
of these prison-rs, erring out s "What shall
I do? What shall I do?" Did Paul answer?
"G"t out of t'lis plrice before there is another
enrthqu'ike. Put handcuffs and hobbles on
these other prisoners lest they get away?"
No word of that kind. His compact, thrlll
Jng. tremndou9 answer memorable all
tliroush enrth and heaven, was, "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou Shalt be
eared."
Well, we havo all read of the earthquake
in Lis' on, In Lima, in Alerpo and In Cars
cas, but we lire in a latitude wherein all our
memory there has not been one severe vol
ennic di-turtmnee. An I ret we have seen
fltty earthquakes. Hera is a man who has
been building up a large fortune. His bid
on the money market was felt In all the
cities. Ho thinks he has got beyond all an
noylng riralries in trade, and he says to him
self, "Xow I am free and safe from all poss!- '
ble perturbation." But in 1857 or In 1S73 a
national panic striKcs roe ioua jiuion of ma
commercial world, and crash goes all that
xnngnlflivnt business establishment.
Here Is a man who has built up a very
beiiUtiful home. His daughters have just
come homo from the seminary with diplo
mas of graduation. His sons have started
In life, hon'-st, temperate and pure. When
the evening lights are struck, there is a hap
piness and unbroken family circle. But
there has been an accident down at Long
Branch. The young man ventured too fur
out In the surf. The telegraph hurled tha
terror up to the city. An earthquake struck
under the foundation of thut beautiful
home.
The piano closed ; the curtains dropped s
the Inughter hu9hed. Crash go all those do
mestic hopes and prospects and expecta
tions. So. my frlen Is. we have all folt the
shaking down oi some great trouble, and. :
there was a time when we were as much ex
cited as this man of the text, and we cri-d
out as he did t "What shall I do? What shall
I doV" The same reply that the apostle !
made to him Is appropriate to us, "Believe'
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be j
aved."
There are some documents of so little Im
portance that yon do not care to put any. J
more than your last name under them, or
even your Initials, but there are some docu
ments of so gront Importance that you write
out your full name. So the Saviour in some
parts of tho Biiile U called "Lord," and in,
other parts of the Bible HIs called "Jesus," ,
and In other parts of the Bible He Is cal:el
"Christ," but that there might be no m!9-1
tako alout this passaira all three names co.ne
tog-ther "the LorJ Jasus Christ."
Kow, whole this being that you want me
to trust In and bolinve lu? M -n sometimes
come to mo with credentials and certificates
of good character, but I onnnot trust them, j
Thero Is some dishonesty in ttioir looks that
makes me know that I shall Im cheated if I
confl le in them. You cannot put yout
heart's confl lcaeo in a man until you know
whnt stuff he Is made of. and a-n I unreason- ,
able when I stop to ask you who this is that
you want nn to trust In? No man would
think ot venturing his life on a vessel going '
oat to seathat had never been Inspected. i
No you mint hare the eertuteaie nung
amidships, telling how many tons it enrries,
and how long ago It W;is built, and who
.Mt it nn 1 nil nhont it. And tou cannot
expect me to risk the cargo of my Immortal l
Interests on board any craft till yoa tell me .
wimt it is made of, sr.l where it was mnue,
end what It is.
When, then, I ask you who this is you want
rr- totru.-t in, yon toll mo He Is a vary at
t r i Ire person . Contemporary writers do
F -ribe His whole npp 'araaoo as being re- J
sniendent. There was no need for Christ to
tell tho ohil iren to come to Him. "3ufTer
little children to come unto Me" was not
ppok 'n to the children. It was spoken to
the disciples. The ciill Iren oame readily
enou.-h without any invitation. No sooner
did Jesus appeoT thin the little ones jumps!
from their ir. others' arms nn avalanohe of
beauty and love, into His lap. Christ did
not ask Jotin to put nis obi uowu uu
bosom. John could not help but put his ;
heal thre. I suppose a look at Christ was 1
just to love ntm. How attactive His manner J
V'hr, when thev saw Christ coming I
along trje sir -er, iney r iu im'j v.-s.,
andthey wrappul up their inralbls as quicK
as they could an 1 brought them out that Ha
might look at them. O.i, thore was somi
thing so pleasant, so inviting, so cheering in
everything He did, in His very look 1 Wbf.u
these sick ones wltj brought out, did H
say z "Do not br:ng bofora Hi these sorts.
Do not trouHla M- with these leprosies?" No,
no : there was a kind look , there was a geu
tie word ; there was a healing touch. Thay
could not keep away lrom Him.
I think there nro manr under the fnh
ence of the Spirit of God who are saving,
"I will trust Hlra if you will only tell me
bow." And the great question aske 1 by
many Is. "now. how?" And whilo I answer
vour question I look up and utter the prayer
which Rowland Hill so often uttered in the
midst of his sermons. "Msstor, help I" How
are you to trust in Christ?
Just as you trust an v on". Ton trust your
partner in business with important tliin-r.
If a commercial hous9 gives yoa a note par
able throe months hence, you expect t;ie
payment of that note at the end o' t'iree
jnonth9. Ton have perfect confid-nci in
their word and In their ability. Or, again.
You fo home to-day. Tou expect there will
be food on the table. Tou have confl ience
In that. Now, I ask you to have the same
eonfldenee In the Lord Jesus Chr'st. He
lays, "Ton believe ; I take away your sins."
nd they are all taken awar. "What V
foa Bay, "before I pray any more? Be
fore I read mv Bible any more? Before
I cry over my sins any more?' Tea, this mo- j
ment. Believe with all your heart, and you
are saved. Why, Christ is only waiting to
get from you what you give to scores of peo-
pieeveryday. What tat flair cannaonoe,
these people whom you trust day by day are
more worthy than Christ, If they are mora
Xalthful thaa Christ, Uthey bare done mora
than Christ ever did. then give them tha
preference, but If you really think that Christ
Is as trustworthy as they are then deal with
Him as fairly.
"Oh," aays some one In a light way, "I
believe that Christ was born in Bethlehem,
and I believe that He died on the cross " Do
rro believe It with youf head or your heart
will Illustrate the difference. Ton are in
your own house. In the morning you open
a newspaper, and yon read how Captain
Bravebeart on the sea risked his life for the
salvation of bis passengers. Ton say t "What
a grand fellow he must bave been I His fam
ily deserves very well of the country." Ton
told the newspaper and sit down at the table
and perhaps do not think of that incident
again. That la historical le!!."",
But now yon are on the sea, and it to night
and yon are asleep, and yon are awakened
by the shriek of "Fire P Ton rush out on
the deck. Ton hear, amid the wringing ot
the hands and the fainting, the cry i "No
hope, no hope! We are lost, we are lost i
The sail puts out its wing of Ore, th. robes
make a burning ladder in the night heavens,
the spirit oi wreoka hisses In the waves, and
on the hurricane deoka shakes out its banner
of smoke and darkness. "Down with the
lifeboats P" cried the captain. "Down with
the lifeboats I" People rush Into them. The
boats are about full. Room for only one
more man. Ton are standing on the deck
beside the captain.
Who shall it be? Tou or the captain?
The captain says, "Too." Ton jump an t
are saved. He stands there and dies. Now,
yon believe that Captain Braveheart sacri
ficed himself for his passengers, but yon
believe it with love, with tears, with hot
and long continued exclamations, with
grief at bis loss and joy at your deliverance).
That la saving faith In other words, what
yon beileve with all the henrt and believe
In regard to yourself. On this hinge turns
my sermon sve, the salvation ot your im
mortal soul. Ton often go across a bridge
yon know nothing about. Ton do not
know who built the bridge, yon do not
know what material it is made of, but
yon come to it and walk ovt-r it
and ask no questions. And here is an
arched bridge blasted from the "Bo-k ot
Ages" and built by the Architect of the
whole universe, spanning the dork golf be
t ween sin and righteousness, and all God asks
yon is to walk across it, and you start, and
you come to It, and yon stop, and yon go
a little way on, and yon stop, and yon fall
back, and yon experiment. You say, "How
do I know that bridge will hold me I" in
stead of marching on with flr.n step, asking
no questions, but feeling that the strength
of the eternal Goi Is under you.
Ob, was there ever a prize proffered so
cheap as pardon and heaven are offered to
yoa? , For how much? A million dollars?
It is certainly worth more than that. But
cheaper than that you can have it. Ten
tbousatd dollars? Less than that. Five
thousand dollars? Less than that. One
dollar? Less than that. One farth
ing? Less than that. ''Without money
and without price." No money to pay. No
journey to take. No penance to suffer.
Only Just one decisive action of the soul,
''Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved."
Shall I try to tell yon what It is to bl
eared? I cannot tell you. No man, no
angel, can tell you. But I can bint at it. for
my text brings me up to this point. "Thou
shalt be saved." It means a happy life here,
and a peace'ul death, and a blissful eternity.
It Is a grand thing to go to sleep at night,
and to get up in the morning, and to do bus
iness all day feeling that all is right between
my heart and God. No accident, no siok
ness, no persecution, no peril, no sword,
can do me any permanent damage.
I am a forgiven oh lid of God. and
He to bound to sea me through. He has
sworn He will see me through. The mount
ains may depart, the earth may burn, the
light of the stars may be blown out by the
blast of the Judgment hurricane, but Hie and
death, things present and things to come,
are mine. Yea, farther than that, it menu
a peaceful death. Mrs. Hemansl Mrs. SI
courney. Dr. Tonng and almost all the poets
have said handsome things about death.
There to nothing beautiful a-iout It. When
we stand by the white and rigid features ot
those whom we love, Bnd they give no an
swering pressure of the hand nn I no re.
turning kiss ot the lip, we do not
want anybody poetizing round about
us. Death Is loathsomeness and
midnight and the wringing of the heart un
til the tendrils snap and curl in tho torture
unless Christ shall be with us. I confess to
yon an infinite fear, a consuming horror of
death unless Christ Bhall be with me. I
would rnther go down into a cave ot wild
beasts or a Jungle of reptiles than Into the
grave unless Christ goes with me. Will yon
tell me that I am to be carried out from my
bright home and put away in the darkness?
I cannot bear darkness. At the first coming
of the evening I must have th. gas lighted,
and the farther on In life I get the more I like
to have my friends round about me.
And am I to be put oft for thousands of
years In a dark place, with no one to speak
to? When the holidays come and the gifts
are distributed, shall I add no joy to tho
".Merry Christmas' or the "Happy New
Tear?'' Ah, do not point down to the hole
In the ground, the grave, and call It a beau
tiful place. Tjnleasthere be some supernatu
ral illumination I shudder back from it. My
whole nature revolts at it. But now this
glorious lamp to lifted above th. grave, and
all the darkness to gone, and ttt way Is
clear. I look into it now without single
shudder. Now my anxiety to not about
death ; my anxiety to that I may live aright.
What power to there in anything to chill
Be in the last hour if Christ wraps around
me the skirt of His own garment? What
darkness can fall upon my eyelids then, amid
the heavenly daybreak? O death, t will not
fear thee then. Back to thy oavera of dark
ness, thou robber of all the earth. Fly, thou
despoller of families. With this battleax I
bew thee in twain from helmet to sandal,
the voice of Christ sounding all over the
enrth and through the heavens : "0 death, I
Will be thy plague. O grave, I will be tny
destruction."
To be saved Is to wake up In the presene
or Christ. Tou know when J-sus was upos
the earth how happy He male every house
H went into, and when He brings us up ta
His house in heaven how great shall he out
glee I His voice has more music in tt than if
to be beard in all the oratorios ot etern'ty.
Talk not about banks dashed with efllor
escense. Jesus is t he chief bloom of heaven.
We shall see the very face that beamed sym
p ithv inVietb.anr and t.ika the very hand
that dropped its bVo l fro-n the short beam
of the cross. Oh, I waut to stan l in eternity
with Him. Toward tliat harbor I stn-r.
Toward that goal I run. I b'i:iI1 be satisfied
When I awake in His likeness.
Oh, broken hearted men and women, how
sweet it will oe in that goo l land to po.ir all
of your hardships and bereavements an I
losses into the loving ear of Oarist and then
have Him exnlain whv it was best for vo l
to be sick, and why it w is bust tor you to be
widowed, and why it was best for you to ba
persecuted, and why it was best for you to
be tried and have Him point to an elevation
proportionate to your disquiet u le here, say.
ing, "Ton suffered with M- on ear.h ;cooia
Up now and be glorified with Me in henv -n."
Some one went into a house where there
bad been a goo 1 deal of trouble an i said to
the woman there, "ifou seem to be lon3ly."
'Tee," she said f-l am lonely." "How
many In the family?" "Oaly myself. "
"Have you had any children?" -'Iliad seven
children." "Whore are they?- "Gone."
"All gone?" "All." "All dead' "All."
Then she breathed a long sigh into the lona
liness and said, "O i, sir, I hava been ajjooi
mother to the grave.'
And so there are hearts hen that are ut
terly broken dowJ by the b-rcava Jient of
life. I point you to- lay to fie etern il b ilm
f heaven. Oh.ngel men anl wuann wiio
bave knelt at the throne of grace lor inree
tcore years and ten wid not your deerjp'
tude ohang. for the leap of a heart when
yon come to look faae to face upon Him
whom having not seen you love? O.a, that
will be the Good Shepherd, not out in
the night and watching to keep
off the wolves, but with the lim'i r
rlinlng on the sunlit hill. That will be th
Captain of our salvation, not amid the roir
and crash and boom of battle, bat ami 1 His
disbanded troops keeping victorious festiv
ity. That will bo the Bridegroom of the
hurch coming from afar, the bride leaning
inon His arm while He loo ts down intq ber
face and says i "Behqld, thou art lair, my
pye I Beheld, thon art fair !"
It is a strange desire which men have
to seek power and lose libel ty.
(ireat 1 eurts alotie understand how
tnich glory there is in doing guod.
11 il" . ... . I . . . .l.t ia 1 lA 4
is the con
soi jusness of being right.
MY aUEST.
Chen Time and I set forth together
In April weather,
Oh, tender was the lilacs' morning
For winter dead ;
Green tassls. maple-tops adorning,
Toseed high o'erhead ;
And underneath a blue and sparkling sky
V. journeyed joyously, young Tim. and X
1 could not tell you how it happened so,
j But this I know,
I That some time 'twixt bright day and dark
some night, . i
Time slipped away, ,
Vanished this airy winged sprit
Who will not stay -vj
fho kings by suble art strive to unchain ,'
And left me only hope "We meet again.
What should I do? Son J criers through tht
town i
To hunt him down? I
Or should I pray the clocks, "When next y
chime
Soma passing hour,
With both hands seize this truant, Time I
Once in my power
I'd clip his win-js, he could not fly so fast.
Already golden summer is o'erpast?"
Kt length wd m Jt, both gray and bent an
old,
With greetings cold ;
lha saowHakes fell from out the leil;a sky,
And in my ears ,
Tho wind's sad spirit seemed to sigh, j
"Alas, the years ! '
Whero are the deeds thou promised in th)
prime,
iVho now art old, but in thy youth lost
Time?"
Nnney Mann Waddle, in the Independent
A GRAND JUROR.
ET ROBERT C. V. METERS.
'i HE day Mary Ham
2 mond acceptec
Joyce, her mothej
handed her a thou
Band-dollar b o nd,
her hare of hei
father's life insur
ance. Sho though)
of pretty gowns tc
r) worn as a bride.
Then Hhe sobered
up. David would
think her silly, h
was so practical. She
was sorry for L av id.
About a month after the engagement
John Alroy was mado postmaster ol
Garrett. He was young, quick and
clever, and handsome.
Joyce was busy at the store, so Mary
often went to social gatherings without
him, he calling for her later on in the
evening. He did not dance ; Alroy did
It gradually dawned upon him that
Mary daneed a good deal with the post
nifihter. He also found that the post
master often met Mary by chance when
the took Kiinny walks.
In April he made his usual spring
trip to buy goods. He had been away
a week when he received a letter from
Mary. She asked to be absolved from
her engagement with him. The calm
ness with which Mary met him told him
his doom. ;
"It is Alroy, of course?" he said.
"It may seem to you that I treat you
badly," she returned, "but I never
knew what love was till I met him ;"
and Joyce went away. 1
Throughout the summer he saw little
o" t'.ie h:iipy pair, invented business
escttses tukinj him much from home.
Winter came, and the store claimed
hiiii. April loomed up the anniver
sary of his shattered hopes and he
heard that Mary would be married in
June. In June the marriage was put
off till autumn.
This was the reason. The postofliee
at Garrett was third-class. Out of his
salary the postmaster was expected to
defray all office expenses. In a second-class
office, clerk hire and other
liabilities were met by the Govern
ment, while the salary of the master
was considerably increased. Alroy
proponed to raise his office to second
class, ho as to be in a position to mar
ry. To do this he must prove that the
buniness of his office had increased for
a year to such an extent that it
equalled existing second-class offices.
Late in the summer he said that this
was so. In September an expert dis
covered that, while the sale of stamps
for a year equalled that of an office of
the higher grade ,it did not represent
a corresponding increase in mailed
matter. Alroy was accused of frand.
In January Joyce was summoned to
act as grand juror on the 20th of Feb
ruary, in the city, more than a hun
dred miles away.
The afternoon of the 18th brought
Garrett a blinding snow-storms : the
streets were deserted, business was at
a standstill. About four o'clock and
nearly dark, a lady entered Joyce's
private room at the store. It was
Mary Hammond.
"I have heard,' she said at once,
"that you are a grand juror in the
February term. The postmaster's
case comes up before you. "
Joyce's heart gave a bound. He
bnd not thought ot that.
"The grand jury, I am informed."
the went on, "decide if there is suffi
cient ground to make out a case to go
before the court. You will have a voice
in deciding whether or not there is a
lose against the postmaster."
Joyce's eyes were like coals of fire.
"If it were in your power, you would
convict the postmaster," she said. i
Joyce found bis voice. I
"If I knew him to be guilty, yes,"
he said.
"He is guilty," she went on. "The
stamps were bought by me, with the
thousand dollars of ray father's insur
ance. I proposed the fraud. Love
for hint made me do as I have done ;
love for me made him do the rest."
Without another word she went from
the room out into the snow-storm.
Joyco trembled in every limb, The
insult drove him wild. She knew that
he still loved her, and she called upon
that love to save Alroy even at tho cost
orli.ni '. Tlie "Utrne'O of itl Alrnw
was guilty, and thero was but one thing
Lo do. Lov and honor contended
hopeless love, inalienable honor. There
sould be no question as to which would
win,
Tho following day, tho ' ontrago
tho insult gnawing at him, he went
ou the hundrcd-tuile journey. On the
morning of the 20th hejlook oath that
he would do his duty as a good and j
loyal man in the matters to bo placed i
before tha grand jury. In a few min
utes more ho was sitting with twenty-
three oth.fr men round ft long tabii
U i
listening to detectives and others testf
fying against unseen people. '
How many eases were disposed of he
hardly knew, when he heard the nam
he had waited for. Joyce raised hit
head. Now would come the revengi
for all the pain he had silently suf
fered ; and yet his revenge would be
only his honest duty. His face grev
hard and grim.
A postoffice expert testified among
other thing, that Alroy had openly
boasted that he would raise his office
to second grade so that the increase oi
salary would warrant his marriage.
Two other witnesses testified as to th
facts already known.
"Well, gentlemen," said the fore
man of the jury.
"I move that a true bill bo found,'
cried a juror.
"I second the motion," said another,
"All in favor of true bill signify
their assent by saying 'Aye. ' "
Several "Ayes."
"Contray 'No. "
Several "Nos."
The foreman and an officer of thi
court looked round the table. -
"Ho may, or may not, have though'
the sales legitimate," aaid one.
"Oughtn't he to have the benefit a
the doubt?" asked another. "It il
getting very easy to accuse men in of
fice of dishonesty."
"An official like a postmaster," sa
a third, "should be above suspicion.
"Rather unfair to make his wish ti
be married the cause for his rascality,
said the youngest juryman.
"And to blame him for his ambition
in trying to raise his office," said a kinf
voice.
"Gentlemen," said the court officer,
"m majority of one is sufficient to mak
out a true bill, and a like majority ol
one may ignore a bilL Those in favoj
of a true bill will please rise."
The man next to Joyce sprang np t
his feet. Another got up. Joyc
counted three, four, five.
"If he knew the bare sale of thi
stamps did not substantiate his claim,
that would make a true bill against
him, "said a juror. Another man stood
up, still another.
"Only seven. Ah, eight, nine, ten.
eleven."
The juror on the otlier side of Jojc
rose. -'. -' -
"Twelve." . "V.,-
Joyce with a feeling of exultation
that his revenge was to be even great
er than he had hoped when he could
give the casting vote to decide the
case against Alroy staightened hit
knees to rise and form the majority of
one. At that moment he heard a low,
tremulous voice : "I proposed tha
fraud. Love for him made me do as I
have done ; love for me made him do
the rest." He glanced fearfully
around, almost expecting to see the
owner of that voice the woman he
loved the woman who had treated
him so badly the woman who had
gauged his honor and his love.
"Your duty as a good and loya)
man "
"No majority," sang out the court
officer, "a tie. Let me try again an
other way. Those in favor of ignoring
the bill please to rise."
("Your duty as a good and loynJ
may-")
' Twelve men were standing up.
1 "How is this gentlemen," said the
court officer, "still a tie."
("I proposed the fraud," came that
low, tremulous voice. "Love for hinj
made me do as I have done.")
Love. Did Joyce know what lov
was? Did he know the power
Mary's love must have exercised over
the man ahe loved the man she had
ruined? Did he know her suffering
now that she realized what she done?
And did he think of Alroy's love for
her ; of his striving after hap
piness with her even at the
price of that which men hold
to be the first principle of man
hood honor? . Was there not yet
chance for retrieving, a chance foi
their peace, made purer by mistak
and suffering? Was there nothing
higher than mere duty ? Was it duty
to irretrievably ruin two lives which
might yet be made better? Mary
would never be sure of the part hei
discarded lover played in this case, de
spite her guessing, and oh, his honor,
his honor t and oh, his pain his hope
less love ! r
"Still a tie," impatiently said thf
eourt officer.
Oh, his honor ! and oh, his pain his
hopeless love ! But oh, Mary's happi
ness! Joyce, the thirteenth juror, suddenly
shot up on his feet, making the ma
jority of one.
' "Majority !" proclaimed the court
officer. "The bill is ignored."
The thirteenth juror fell in a heap t
the floor. New York Storiettes.
Queer Matrimonial Methods.
A convenient way they have in Hol
land and Batovia of tying the matri
monial knot when the lady is in one
country and the gentleman in the
other. For the Hollanders are such a
thrifty industrious people that they
like not to lose time even over the most
solemn services. The marriage is af
fected by procuration. The watches
it the two parties the one say in Am
sterdam and the other in Batavia are
regulated to accord, or the difference
in longitude allowed for. Then at the
same instant of time the marriage cere
mony is performed in both places, and
the thing is done.
The Perils or th Deep.
Belated Passenger Oh, captain, I
was so afraid that I should miss the
steamer I haraly took time to swal
low my lunch.
Gruff Captain Well, never, mind,
it will be all the same la an hour'?
time. King's Jester.
A Bare Thing.
Miss Jones (the daughter of bis
employer) I don't believe Mr. Cash
ier, that pa will give his consent.
Mr. Cashier Oh, yes, he will after
he has examined the books, He will
want to keep the money in the fam
ily. Texas SIf tings.
StiB Formality.
She Chicago society is very ex
elusive, isn't it?
He Yes. When I was there 1
called at a friend's house, but the
footman declined to take In my card
until 1 was identified. Life.
Cork pit ., mckta tha b$t matches.
!
A Question of Vaat Interest to Farmer)
and the Country at Large.
Why do not our farmers think and
talk more about the really very im.
porta nt part they must take regard
ing our country schools asksawrltet
in the Western Rural. We know
that thousands of them In our own
State will not even attend the school
meetinir for electing ihclr 02w
But leave those "devoted few" wlo
feel honor bound to help keep up the
proper form of school government In
their districts. I wonder if the peo
ple of this beautiful State of ours
will ever awaken to a full realization
of their responsibilities us intelligent
citizens.
In every one of our towns and vil
lages we find a good public school the
J center of attraction there, they are a
blessing and an honor to the peo
ple. Still how many short-sighted
farmers we see every year who are
renting their farms and moving to
town where they may have better
facilities for educating their children,
than is afforded them at the little
schoolhouse at the cross-roads.
The result of this mode of action
is ot too common an occurrence to
need description. If those same
farmers would only take the same in
terest in the management and growth
of their schools that the majority of
them take in politics there would be
little or no necessity for such wild-,
joose moves. Why should not the
farmer feel just as proud of his ovu
little district schoolhouse as the rich
men of the city do of their grand col
lege buildings? Surely the success of
. these colleges Is dependent upon thq
success of t hese same country schools.
Our free schools are for the benefit
of our farmers.
Then is it not the duty ol every
farmer to help make those schools a
glorious success? One reason that
our village schools are so superior to
our country schools, is that tho peo
ple take so much more interest i a
their schools than those of the rural
districts do. They will occasionally
visit the school while in operation
thus encouraging both the children
and the teachers and see that thd
children do the work assigned them.'
On the other hand thousands of out
farmers shirk the important rcsponsi-l
bilities of school directors, often
stating as a reason that there ii
neither thanks or pay connected with
it Who never visit the school oi
take any interest whatever in any ed
ucational work. Aud yet did yoii
ever notice those same careless, negr
liijent follows are the very worst
class of people to grumble and com
plain abo'it poor teachers and poor
schools. Thev can seldom keep tho
same teacher in the same district two
years in succession.
How can a wide-awake, progressive
teacher afford to remain and "labor
among a class of people who are seem
ingly dead or perfectly indifferent to
all responsibility of true citizenship?
Who think it is the teacher's duty to
take their children, keep them out of
misclmf and "train them up in the
way tacy should iro" without one par
ticle of help or word of encourage
ment from the parents themselves.
Let us as farmers, citizens, and par
ents arouse ourselves to the impor
tance and grandeur of this work of
educating our children.
We can make our country schools a
glorious success if we only so will it.
Then let us co-operate with a hearty
good will, each one with a determina
tion to do all in our power to advance
ano perfect our free country schools
which are "with the farmers, by tho
farmers, and for the farmers."
Wedding Cuiitoui.
In all civilized countries the biide
-ontributes her share of the house
hold goods. Here they follow the
cosy German custom, although not
entirely, for whereas the "Fraulein"
begins to have table-cloths, napery,
and sheets made up for her future
wedding long before any bridegroom
makes his appearance, and in fact
while she is at her school-books, the
American girl's purchases of house
linen are the Urst Indication that the
wedding is near at hand.
There is a great deal of pride and
considerable money to be expended in
these dainty preparations, and the
poorest girl in that country much
prefers to furnish this part of her
Tuture home-stores lor herself.
In France, however, the expectant
husband begins to pay his lady-love's
bills before marriage. The bridegroom-elect
formerly sent unmade
dress patterns of rich materials. He
now has to present them already
oiade up.
The bride's mother usually fur
nishes three gowns, the wedding
dress, the traveling-dress, and one
other, which is worn at the family
party preceding the wedding, called
the "contract" party. The future
husband Is expected to furnish all the
others, the number varying from four
to twelve.
In England the husband's share of
wedding preparations includes the
house-linen, which is, of course, marked
with bis family initial, and not that
of the bride.
What a diversity of good taste, or
what is considered good taste, in dif
ferent countries these wedding cus
toms show! Though we take many
fashions from France, it is not likely
this will ever or soon be adopted
lerc.
As If Clot tics Did It.
The man's the man for a' thai and
a' that, and so is the woman, but it
isn't everybody knows, especially wo
men. The other day two fashion
able ladies were going along Wood
ward avenue, when they met a very
poorly dressed little woman, whom
one of them seem to know in an elee
mosynary way. She stopped the lit
tle woman and engaged her in con
versation for three or four minctes,
the other, meanwhile, listening to
her and noting her manners. Then
they passed on.
"Who is she?" asked the one who
had been observing.
"Ob, she's a little woman I have
on my charity list What do vou
think of her?"
"Think of her? Why, if she had
on good clothes she'd be a lady."
The man's a man for a' that and a'
that, and so's the woman. Free
Fress. - t . . , ,
OUR COUNTRY SCHOOLS.
FAST SKATING IN HOLLAND
The Dutchman Doesn't liook Handma
But Be Gam m Lively Unit.
The average Dutchman of thi
South, though he can skate very well,
looks rather foolish on the Ice. Ills
short legs and wide breeches are ad
mirable adjuncts to his nose, his thin
cocked beard and the lumpishness of
his expression, says Chambers' Jour
ral To be sure, this breadth makes
him look important, but if he were
less muscular it would be a sad hin
drance to him In battling with the
wind, which in winter is apt to make
skating in one direction somewhat ot
a trial. The Frieslander, however, la
taller, better proportioned and in all
respects a handsome fellow. The yel- '
low beard he sometimes wears seems
to put him at once on a footing of
affinity with the other members of
that respectable Anglo-Saxon family
to which we ourselves belong quite as
much as his provincial speech and his
blue eyes. He is a most masterful
creature when once he has put on
those qa&&t old-fashioned skates of
bis, and thinks nothing of making a
score of miles from one village to an
other before you and I are out ol
bed. As for the cold, what cares be
for it? He knows he must rely on
that lusty circulation of his to keep
hlra from being benumbed, though
he clothe ever so lightly, and seems
more regardful for bis head which a
sealskin cap takes care of than of
his well-shaped body. A Frlesland
canal in winter is as lively as any
thing can be. The ice may not bej
verv good or of unquestionable
strength, but no sooner are the boats
penned in ana the broken pieces of
ice sufficiently welded to allow him to
skate between them than the sport
begins. It is a feat of honor to be
the first in the district to cross the
canal when the wintry season is in
its youth. The name ot the bold lad
is remembered for a week or two, and
I have no doubt his pluck stands him
in good stead in the esteem of the
cherry-cheeked damsels of his prov
ince, whose eyes dance past one so
brightly when the ice festival Is in
full swing and journeying is all don
on skatoa
Emerald-Mining.
Few persons who are familiar witl
emeralds in their cut and mounted
stated have any idea of the difticuties
experienced by those who would
traverse that part of the Andes where
lie the celebrated emerald mines of
Muzo. The scenery is of extraordir
nary beauty, but in two flays' riding
the traveler is obliged to follow some
most dangerous mountain passes, and
to maKe his way overprecipices where
a single false step would dash him U
destruction.
! The emerald mines, says Albert
Millican.in "Travels and Adventurei
of an Orchid Hunter." lie in a basin
surrounded by high mountains in the
form of circle. These mines aro
now the property of the Government
of Columbia, which rents them to a
company employing five or six over
seers and about four hundred nativ
workmen.
The means used for working the i
are very primitive, but they yield
every year a large amount of precious
stones, which are immediately shipped
to Europe.
i The band ot rock containing the
precious crystals is more than a thou
sand feet hiuh, formed of black shale
veined with pyrites of iron. Very
few emeralds are found in the
black stone, but by cutting down the
face of the immense precipice, veins
of white stone are uncovered; this is
known as calcite, a crystallized form
of carbonate of lime. The emeralds
are sometimes embedded, and some
times found in hollow cavities, and
the work of cutting down the side of
the rock is done by natives, mostly
with a crowbar.
A piece of rock a yard wide is se
lected, running the whole length
of the mine, on the top, this is cut
down a few yards, and then another
level of the same is begun again at
the top, until the whole breast of the
rock appears to be a monster stair
case, the broken rubbish having been
thrown down to the bottom of thf
1 precipice.
On the opposite bank from the spot
' where the emeralds are taken out
a stream of water is kept run
, ning by means of sluices in a reser
' voir, and as the sluices are opened
' every fifteen minutes, the water is
allowed to rush down the rocks with
great force, the torrent clearing away
all the broken stone thrown down by
the miners since the last discharge
A Queer People.
The Chinese do everything back
wards. Their compass points to the
South instead of the North. The
men wear skirts and the women
trousers: while the men wear their
hair long, the women coil theirs in a
knot The dress-makers are men; thf
women carry burdens.
The spoken language is not written,
and the written language is not
spoken. Books are read bacicwards,
and any notes are inserted at the top.
White is used for mourning, and
bridesmaids wear black instead of
being maidens these functionaries are
old women.
The Chinese surname comes first
and they shake their own hands in
stead of the hands of one whom they
wculd greet.
Vessels are launched sideways, and
horses are mounted from the off side.
They commence their dinners with
dessert, and end up with soup and
Bsh.
In shaving, the barber operates on
the head, cutting the hair upward,
then downward, and then polishes it
off with a small knife, which is passed
over the eyebrows and into the nosf
to remove any superfluous hairs.
To tell a dignified citizen to pull
down his vest, is apt to make hire
false bis choler.
Overwhelmed by Sadness.
Friend I suppose there are times
when sad thoughts come to one who
is to leave college for good. Gradu
ate Yes; I was just thinking that I
would have to buy my own tobacco'
after this. Judge. ,
The Pnkind After-Though.
"Dickey Is studying medicine.".
"What for9" "He says be want to
be a philanthropist and helppeople."
"into the next world?"--WMhiog
too SUtv
WOMEN AT THIRTY-frTVS.
admitting Thnt 8ha Kver Cats Tftar, That
Is Her Most Charming Age
In reality, at 35 a woman is still
Causiag at the height of her;rresnal
harm. She gained the height per
aps seven or eight years before, has
had small experience of sorrow and
pain and apprehension, has not bad
too hard work for mind or body, has
bad but little illness, has kept her
temper and spared herself worry, she
has net fairly begun the descent; or
If she has, then there is a slightly
pathetic charm about ber, says Har
per's Bazaar, as about the golden
tarnish of a rose that drops its first
petal, but is still the rose.
For into the beauty of 20, gradually
unfolding and expanding up to 25
or 26, the soul unfolding and ex
panding, too, has infiltrated a new
quality, one which is wanting to
youth except in extraordinary in
stances, and this beauty of spirit and
of intellect has been added to beauty
of flesh with ever-increasing power.
And then Just as the contours begin
to yield and the beauty ot the flesh
assumes a doubtful part when diet
and exercise and massage and sleep,
and the right colors, and not too
much light all have to be carefully
considered, and a veil is needed to
bide the fine times when in the sun
and it Betty gives "the cheek a touch
of red" and the hair a dust of gold
powder it is not our affair to know of
it nor does it diminish the fascina
tion she unconsciously exerts then,'
If she improved the years, comes the
second stage the stage of a superior
captivation to that exercised by the
mere fleshy beauty. It is in the years
of this period that unconsciously and
unwillingly women charm men much
younger than themselves, and always
men of rather extraordinary intel
lectual power, into proposals of mar
riage. At this time a Wuman un
derstands herself and knows how to
balance and counterbalance the cir
cumstances of the world about ber.
She has probably read many books,;
ibe has seen many people; if she!
amounts to anything worth consid
ering she has ta t and skill and ease,
Df manner, she has learned some
thing ot the intricacies of human na-j
ture and of the secrets of the heart;
ibe has learned bow to render not
sniy herself but her surroundings at
tractive; she is no longer exacting; she
makes people near her comfortable:she
puts them into conceit of themselves
that Inexplicably pleasant mood.
And people seek her presently for
the fake of being comfortable, and
for the delightful atmosphere that
ber presence seems to create; men
admire ber, women adore her, young
people follow her; she is a social
power; and Is ot more weight and
consequence than any young person
not upon a throne --for although sho
live t threescore ana ten, her throna
is upon men's hearti
Poet and Musician.
One of the most beautiful and in
teresting things to be remembered
concerning Sidney Lanier, the pctj
whose life was full of promise, and
who nobly fulfilled it so far as timo
end disease would let him, is his
love of music A recent writer Jn
the Independent quotes the words of
another, saying:
"I have never cared for the flute,
but to me Lanier did not 'play the
flute;' I only heard a volt e breathing
unutterable longings and messages of
Joy and love and sorrow."
His playing did not seem to pre
sent the bare melody. It was a cre
ator of broKen chords and of unex
pected caden as, like these of a bird.
The effect of this was illustrated dur
ing the winter of 1873, when he was
called upon to play a solo at the
meeting of a choral society in San
Autouio. When he had finished, the
aid German leader ran over to him,
seized his hand, and exclaimed:
I h if never heart de flude accom
pany itself pefore!"
In bis youth Lanier was always
improvising, and when a friend
once asked him how he could invar
iably respond when asked to play,
he replied that he was forever hear
ing a i ow of melody, and Deeded only
to utter it in tone. His great diftl
:ulty was to keep from listening to
it when ouUidc matters demanded
his attention.
When he played before Doctor
Damrosch, in .New York, he confided
to him bis wish to pursue the study
of music
Do you know what that means?"
asked Damrosch. "It means a great
deal of work; a thousand sacrifices.
It Is very ha ardous.
I "1 know all that" says Lanier.
'It is not a matter of mere prefer
ence. 1 must be a musician. It is
a spiritual necessity.
.but ill health fettered him, and
the necessity of earning a living kept
him too busy even to devote him
self to his beloved poetry. He died
young, but never to be forgotten.
j youth's Companion.
How Helena Started.
The mines which built the city of
Helena, in Montana, were discovered
by a party of four prospectors who
were on their way to a well-known
ramp in the Kootenai country.
Learning that the diggings in that
quarter had failed, they turned aside
to prospect In another direction, and
for some time wandered about dig
ging holes here and there, but find
ing nothing that they considered
worth working. About noon of the
15th day of July, 1864, they arrived
oh the site ot the city of Helena,
halted for dinner and to rest their
horses. Dinner over, their horses
were saddled, when one of their num
ber walked down to the stream to
get a drink before mounting. From
mere force of habit be began mechan
ically scratching the eravel with his
. bands, when to his astonishment he
' drew out a nugget as big as a gold dol
lar. A hundred dollars' worth of
gold was taken out in about twenty
minutes The men then immediately
settled down and located claims. In
a short time news of their success
spread abroad. Hundreds cf other
miners flocked to the spot and a
mining camp of unprecedented rich
ness was established. The city of
Helena grew up on the spot and it is
all that one of the banks ot that
city is situated on a portion of tho
first claim located by the lucky quar-et
, The pupil of; the cat's eye always ha brought the menu with you?
xmtracts during Bleey Eisenbart
Russian Idea of a Joke
i An inhabitant of Voro, in Finlar.5.
named Sellquist, who for a long time
past has been living on lad terms
with his wife, bad late!.- a narrow
escape from being poisoned by her.
She called at a chemist's and asked
for some rat poison. As these creat
ures are very rarely seen in that
neighborhood the chemist had his
suspicions aroused and gave the wom
an a perfectly harmless drug. On
second thought he decided to men
tion the matter to the husband, and
. requested him to say nothing about
It to his wife. In the evening,
she was preparing the porridge, the
man kept a watchful eye on her move
' ments, and noticed that she scattered
' something out of a paper into the
, gjucepan. When the porridge was
ready he sat down to the table aud
began to eat. After awhile he got
up in great excitement paced upand
Down the room, and at last fell faint
ing on the floor. This was what the
I woman expected. .--he now pulled
own a rope through a hole in the
ceiling with a noose, whh-h she placed
around ber husband's neck, where
upon she ran upstairs into the garret
in order to pull up the rope and hang
her husband in that fashion. Mean
time the husband got up and tied a
few chairs to the rope. The wife did
not return to the room, as she dreaded
the sight, but went out in the village
to raise an alarm, saying that her
husband bad hacged himself in ber
absence. Wben she came back with
a host cf neighbors and cro. od le
tears in her eyes there was her hus
band sitting at the table laughintr
till his sides ached. The chairs were
still dangling on the rope. Novo
remya.
Speed of Torpedo Craft.
I How high will the speed standard
be carried in torpedo c.alt? The
' Havoc, only a little while ago, made
' a record exceeding twenty-seven
I knots. Shortly afterwatd it was
eclipsed by another Yarrow boat the
Hornet, with twenty-eight Now a
Thcrneycroft torpedo boat destroyer,
the Daring, has outdone the Hornet.
The figures chalked upon the Daring's
funnels at the conclusion ot her
steam trials were 29.2J8. It Is true
that this great speed of knots
was not the average of her perform
ance, but the best of three spins on
the measured mile. Still it w. s, in
its way, unequaled, and in s; lte of
the great speed there was very little
vibration, this drawback having been
overcome in modern torpedo craft
Will not the maximum in torpedo
boats beat thirty knots? It certainly
looks so now. The Decoy is the mate
to the Daring, and, taking togethei
the torpedo craft building or to be
built cn the Clyde, the Mersey, the
Tyne, the Thames, and cUewhcre.
more than twenty new boats are as
pirants for great speed records.
! Across the Channe', too, JL Nor
mand, it is said, expects to touch
the thlrty-kn t notch with his unfin
ished wonder, and presumably Shi
chau of Elblng, will not yield the
laurels he held so long, with ut a
struggle to regain them, l'erbapi
thirty-five knots for torpedo boats
and something like thirty for trans
atlantic steamers will be here bef re
any young man living has grandchil
' dren. New York Sun.
' How?
It is a significant question which
comes to The Youth's Companion
from a lady in Rhode Island who is
the secretary of a Children's Friend
Society, and who has read that there
are many farms sufferintr from waut
of help to till them, while there arc
thousand of men out of work in the
Eastern manufacturing citie and
towns.
'Only this afternoon," this lady
writes, "lhavc had an application to
receive into our home the little chile'
of a worthy English couple who can
not get work. The man is used t
faimlng, and the womau to house
work. Foth arejioncst Industrious
persons.
I asked the woman, who wahe:
for me, if her husband would be will
ing to go West and work on the land.
Oh, indeed he would.' she answered,
'if he could only get there:
"Do not the farmer-.' wives tin 1 it
as bard to get help as their husbaadj
do, and is there not some way of re
lieving both parties to their mutual
goodv
"One friend of mine has helped
to send back to their native lane
many such families, but wculd not it
be a better plan to get them to soiuj
place where tlieir work and thrill
w .uld be a help to themselves and
oth rs?"
The two-sided problem presented
by this letter is one of the gravest
. of questions of the time, llovv to
solve it is a matter well worthy the
attenticn of our statesmen.
Real Beauty.
A reply which was at once wise
and w.ttv is said to have b en made
by a gentleman to wbose decision in
regard to a certain matter two prettj
young girls appealed.
They were discussing the question
as to what constitutes beauty in a
band, and differed greatly in o; in
ion. At last they leferred the mat
ter to the old man. of whom the;
we're both verv fond.
"My dears," said the old gentle,
man, with a kindly smile, "the ques-i
tion is too hard a one for me to de
cide. But ask the poor, and they will
tell yeu that the most beautiful hand
in tbe world is the band that iv;.
the most freely."
A Draadful MistaLa.
"Here is a letter from poor Carrie.
She and her husband both want a di
vorce and neither can get it."
"What's the matter?"
"He, unknown to her, was about
to elope with the governess. Just ai
she, unknown to him, was about to
elope with his secretary; they met ir
the dark and eloped with each other.'
Life.
A Dusmma and the W ay Out.
Footman Mr. F , the banker,
and his lady bave the honor to invite
your lordship to dinner on the l-'th
inst
Baron Hang it! I have two invi
tations for the 12th. I have not yet
decided, though. Do 3'ou happen U
-----