FARM AND GARDEN. When to Water Hojrs, Always water hogs before feeding, and never afterwards. If this Ik prac ticed and tho animals lire given' ear tofa on a feeding floor, fourteen pounds f corn 'will produce two pounds of grain. In other words, every bushel of cfrn ought to produce ten pounds of pork. If this Is not beiiis accomplished something Is wrong. Fnt In tli Milk. Tho perccntngc of fat In milk from a. single eow may vary, one day giv ing different results from the next. In au experiment with n choice Jersey cow the milk was found to range from 4.45 per cent, to C.38 per cent. A sin gle test with a cow may, therefore, "be of no value, ns in tho one case more rdllk would be required to mnko a pound of butter than in the other, .. i " IIow to Set Hkdi. ' It may seem an easy matter to set & hen, but unless wo understand how to proceed we will And It a rather dif ficult undertaking, to say nothing of Uie disappointment which Is sure to follow unless the work Is well done. First, be sure that tho hen Is Inclined to sit. Then prepare the nest for her la a room where she will not be trou bled by other hens. When night comes lift her gently from the nest nnd take her to tho one just prepared. Do not put the eggs tinder her for a day or two, as she may nt first be restless. Should she not want to remain lu the strange room, it may be necessary to close up tho front of the nest for a day, and let her become accustomed to the surroundings. An old soap box makes n good uest, Uie only chauge necessary being an peniug In the front so that she .can step In without jumping on the eggs. When she decides to remain on the tst put thu eggs under her, and set a pot of water, a pan of corn nnd a box rf grit near by and let her alone. Feed and water her daily, but do not dis turb her. Several may be set In same room, side by side, and will give no uiore trouble than a slugle hen. Home and Farm. Coat of MIlK I'roilnctlon. You ask for the approximate cost of producing milk at the prevailing prices rt feeds, etc. This la a difficult ques tion to answer, depending on whether tiie cows are fresh or strippers. As suming that they are good, ordinary cpws, and as the ordinary dairy goes, some fresh and some strippers. We will take a good average dairy, say of twen-tj'-flve cows, all lu milk, no boarders, and they will produce not to exceed eight quarts apiece, or 200 quarts per day. This is the average dairy, re member, not pure-breds. Corn and wheat feeds average $30 here; hay, $10; silage, $3 at least. Wc will feed each cow as follows per day: Forty pounds sllngo at $3 would cost six cents; ten pounds hay nt $10, five cents; ten pounds grain at $30, llfteen cents; hired labor, two cents. Thus making n, total per cow per day of twenty-eight cents, or $7 per day for twenty-five cowa. On the assumption that these cows produce 200 quarts of milk per day, the cost of production is three nnd one-half cents per quart. I have let the good farmer work for nothing and board himself, and have put nothing for the use of the cows, buildings, etc., considering only direct cost of feed and labor. II. T. Coon, In American Agriculturalist. Clnese anil Ducks. Although many farmers refuse to allow ducks or geese to be kept on the farms because, as they say, they are too troublesome, nevertheless both are easily kept and exceedingly profitable when rightly managed. During the spring and summer mouths both will gather their food in any old pasture where hogs or cattle would starve. They do best when nllowed a pond or stream of water to swim In, but they can be kept with only sufficient water (or drinking. The young grow rapid ly, and after the first few weeks they require no care except to feed. They are never troubled with mites and need no warm house such ns chickens must have. They are healthy und seldom die from any disease. They do uot lay during Hie winter mouths, hut from February to August will average from 100 to 125 eggs each. Dressed ducks and geese always bring good prices during the fall and winter months, and the feathers, which may be plucked during tho spring aud sum mer, will more tluiu pay for the cost of raising. They are great forogcrs, but any kind of u low fence will keep thuru In bounds. Wo are inclined to think that the prejudice ngulnst them U mostly due to the fact that farmers have not tried the pure breeds of the present day. Kvery farmer should pos sess a Hock of both ducks and goese. Houio and Farm. Uslns; Weeds ana lAttTi For ISlllie. Such forms of vegetable production as weeds, vines, stalks, etc., If gathered and burned return but little value to the farm. It allowed to remain on the ground they hinder plowing. Weeds Will giow, aud they are productions of our lands and have removed from tbo soil a portion of its fertility. How to return this to the soil In the most convenient form aud get other benctits from this refuse should be considered by every farmer. Near .large cities straw lins become almost too expensive ou article for bedding. Shavings nnd sawdust aro not entirely satisfactory. Upon the farm wo hnv that which can take the place of these for stuhlo litter. By a little extra labor and care weeds and rubbish can bo gathered and secured for bedding. Although not as soft as straw, they are clean, absorb much of tho liquid manure, and soon decay in the manure pile. When the seedi of weeds hnve matured they had best bo turned, 1ml rather than havo the weeds sc-at'.ered on the ground I would chance thorn in tho compost heap, where a Itt'-ge portion of them will bo destroyed. 3 he leaves from trees can be easily gathered and stored for stock bedding lliese may be considered by-products ot the foiQi that have been going to waste. Utillise them by returning them to the soil and let thaui carry lu their tlssne some, fertility from tlio "tnblo. J. II. Howernmn, la Ncr pglnnd lluiucstcnd. ' Sorting rotntorp, ' " Good order and execution are mer itorious In nny nnd every kind of work we have to perform, and Invurl ably they have their reward, yet a ph.ifo of neglect or absolute slouchinets seems to characterize much that many do, and encroaches more or less on what we all do. To know an evil well Is to suffer the Inconvenience of our own failures, so we feel confident to portray the shortcomings of others. During the time of potato digging I had occasion to drive past several fields where potato digging was going on, nnd talk with several about their crop. I asked the question of several, if they sort their potatoes when they pick them up. In most cases the reply was, "Oh, no! I expect to hnve more time when I market them!" This idea may seem plausible to some, but It there are 100 bushels of small potatoes among the 500 bushels put away, then there are 100 bushels that must be lmudled over twice If tlicy nro not sorted out In the field at tho time of picking up, and Is It not easier to sep arate them at that time than when In discriminately mixed lu the bulk of n pit or bin of a cellar? Yes, nnd even when sorted in the Held there will still be enough to exclude when you come fo sell. Then, If you have your pota toes in n bin with a floor, the end of which bin Is removnble, you can shovel out Into crates a load and get to market with despatch, avoiding the inclemency of tlie weather, while It you await n line day to take out your potatoes, It will take you that day to sort and pre pare your loads, and as you are nware, lu winter time the next day after n fair one is apt to be stormy. It pota toes are kept until nearly spring with out sorting. If it occur thnt tluy are all mixed. It takes n pretty good eye to tell this from the other, and the sorting will be a little uncertain, so It a man be not so conscientious as to what he sells, ho is liable to Injure himself with what he plants. We think that there Is one way to do work which Is a little belter than any other way, and It pays well to learn which way that Is, und while doing it, see that you have It done. Farm, Field nnd Fireside. )Innt!y Dumping Sled. The Illustration, Fig. 1, shows a dumping sled for one or two horses, a convenience that will lie much appreci ated by many farmers for hauling manure, dirt, etc. Take two pieces of eight-Inch plank for runners, which connect with two cross-pieces of two by four scautllng mortised into tho plunks. On one side of each runner nail or bolt securely nt required dis tances apart, two uprights, of about one and one-half by five inch material. The distance apart and length of these uprights will be dependent upon the length of the sled box. Gouge out a V-shaped notch in top of each of the two renr uprights, and make a square or rectangular notch In tops of two front ones. Make a box of the dimen sions thought most suitable for the object in view, a little longer than broad, however, in all cases. Tut a two by four inch crossplece on bottom riO. 1 FAKM DUlf PINO) SLED. of box near the centre. Ilouud off the projecting ends of this crossplece to fit In the tops of rear uprights of run ners. Tut another lighter crossplece on bottom of box in front of the other, at right point to huve Its projecting ends rest In the top notches of the front up rights. Over the ends of the centre crossplece, thnt rest In the rounded notches, put Iron straps, or clips, to prevent tho ends of crossplece from moving out of place and yet allow them to turn In the notches. The front of box can now be raised, the centre crossplece on bottom noting ns a pivot by reason of its rounded ends. A framework is put up Inside tin four uprights', extending under front of box, and being braced us Is shown in the Illustration. To keep box from dumping while the bled is being loaded or in transit, tho front end Is fastened down to this framework by n hinge hasp and staple, such ns are used to hold shut tho lid of a chest, a door, etc. If tho crossplece which acts as pivot is placed a little m front of box centre, the sled when evenly loaded will dump Itself ns soon ns hasp is disengaged; If a little to the rear ct centre, the front of box will have to be raised by hand when desiring to dump it. The exact IocbMou of tho pivot crossplece will, therefore, deter mine the ease of dumping, and the matter uiuy be settled to suit tho Flo, 2 DUMPINO BOX INVERTED. wishes of the builder of sled. When the box is In Its horizontal po sition and the hasp is fastened, insert a wooden or other pin lu tho hasp staple In the place that would bo oc cupied by a padlock were tho husp used ns a door or lid latch. Make an end gate at the rear of box. In Fig. 2, A shows the box Inverted In order to expluln fully the manner of applying the supporting crosspieces. While this kind of a dumping box could bo used on any size of Bled so far as the main idea is concerned, it would not bo satisfactory If box wore made too large, as the increased height of uprights In this caae would make the sled inconvenient to load aud handle. On a sled of a size adapted to one horse ordinarily or two horses in cose of be ing loaded with very heavy material, the sled is very satisfactory. It Is espeelully convenient to have this sled stand whero the manure from the sta ble cat be thrown into the box, and when full, hitch on tim team aud haul It to the field and dump it. J, Q. Alls house, In Ohio Fumier, Farmer and the Road Question. HAVING been appointed & del egate to this congress by the Department of Agriculture of tho Frovlnco of Ontario, it Is with some degree of timid ity that I attempt to address so large and distinguished nu assemblage of public spirited representatives gath ered from so many dlstnnt States and European countries, on so Important a subject and of such wide national Interest ns that of good roads. Having followed with deep interest the progress of the good roads move aient of recent years in both the United State-J nnd Canada, I desire briefly to touch upon a few points of the good roads question from the farmer's point or view. If It is sound public policy and tho true function of government to do In the Interest of the community as a whole nil those tilings which the Indi vidual cannot well do by himself, does It not appear clear tunt the State should pay tho whole cost for Improv ing Its main thoroughfares? These are to be the leading arteries connecting nil business centres, nnd continuing from county to county ncrosa the en tire State nnd separate from the ninny other local roads to he cared for by the local authorities. Tho principle of Strfo built highways appears to lie as old ns civilization Itself, brills adopted by 1lie first ex tensive builders of good roads the Carthaginiaus aud Itomans. Not since tho building by the latter of tho Ap pian Way aud the 53,000 miles of solid roads acruss that ancient empire, nnd which remain ns monuments of their wisdom to this day, has nny country obtained the priceless boon of good roads without some measure of State aid. Let tho State first build its muin highways nnd they will bo ever pres ent object lessons to the local authori ties for constructing the other roads). Tho length and number of streets in the city are nhort and small compared with tho compact concentration of wealth, thus making tho burden of cost conipnra.lvely light for street Im provement. In . the country districts the length nnd number of only the lending highways to ho Improved are so far out of proportion to tho sparsely settled und scattered wealth of tho farming communities that it is entirely out of tho question for the farmers alone to think of paying tho much larger comparative cost for such first class stone roads us are required. The farmers have always borne their share, sometimes more than their fair shore, of needful taxation, nnd will not object to paying their Just part for State built good roods. Partial measures of State aid are steps In the right direction, so far as they go. I would not say anything In disparagement of the good work and tho very commendable degree of prog ress that has been made under the partial systems of Sttte aid for good roads in those leading States of New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. But in tho foremost Stute, Massachu setts, which has adopted more nearly the European and Itomon systems, we find tho nearest to the Ideal plan, a continuous system of good roads built across tho entire State, under compe tent State authority. The work is pro jected nnd tho roada properly located where they will he of tho greatest good to tho greatest number. The State builds tho roadtf and pays the whole cost, nnd afterwards charges ono fourth of It to tho county through which tho road is bulk. This far less complicated system overcomes nn lm meuso amount of difficulties, draw backs aud delays with tho less enter prising local authorities of county or township. Lot tho general governments of the United Stutes und Cnnada build ideal continental highways from ocenn to ocean. Let the States and province:! build similar highways from border to border. Let tho European nations ex pend some of their war millions in building Ideal highways from Europe across Asia, thereby placing Western civilization In closer touch with tho Ohlneso and other Orientals. Let tho United States and England build good ronds In the Philippines nnd South Africa, und they will more effectually pacify the Filipinos and Boers nt far less cost thun by use of the cannon. T. F. Benu, Vice-President Ontario Good Roads Association, at the Buf falo Good Heads Congress. KoiuU Thnt lirluic Comfort. Before all things the United Stutes Is on agricultural couutry. It Is the possibility of large returns for labor lu this direction which keeps up the price of labor in our manufactories and In ell our industries, and thus brings comfort und enso within the reach of all. Good roads, by lessen ing the cost of agricultural products, form the most effectual means of maintaining tho condition of comfort and even luxury of which America is bo proud. H. W. Conn. Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, Mld dletown, Conn. A rredlotlen. When in the yenrs t come our pub He roods cease to be a reproach to our beloved land, onucrs will wonder how they were ever conteut to strug gle through beds of mud or ove' roads frozen Into a succession of inUiatura hills and valleys. Toe bicycle will then be such a frequent visitor in rural districts that "Ilnll, Columblal" will have a double meaning to the American people. S. Jennie Smith, Syossct, Queens County, Long; Island. . A Bum ludliatloo. Good roads und bror.d highways for good citizens; alleys, slunnvuys and cowpaths for the vicious, tl'e depraved and the lawless. Charles N. Day, New Haven, Conn. Tho Hussions, who are supposed 'N be great tea-drinkers, do not use as much tea per head of the population M do the ueople ha United States. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR TOPICS. fchrusry 23 "Obedience." I Sam. xv, 22, 2, I K'nrs, li. I f: Rev. xxik H. Scripture Verses. Lev. xxvl. 3-12; Dent. vl. 17, 1S. 24. 25; xxx. 9, 10; Ps. I. 1-3; xv. 1-5: rlx. 7-14; xxiv. 3-5; rxlx. 1. 2. C. 45, 72. 97-101, I5; Prov. 111. 1-4; l.:a. xlvlli. IS; Jrr. xvil. 5-8. Lesson Thoughts. Mere promises, witnout action, do not constitute obedience. The rain bow is lirAiitlful, but we value It most because Clod has fulfilled tho promise which It represents. So nny promise of obedience, however, beautiful in lt.u'lf. ner-ds fulfillment to give it value with Ood. We cannot obey Ood unless wo know what his will is. It we wish to obey we will seek to know his will. Selections. If the little things have a right to your obedience, there is as great glory In obeying them as In obeying greater things. A Bhlp that disregarded lu rudder because a rudder Is a slight ihlng. would soon come to ruin. Heed tho smallest hint of conscience. . He who has followed God's messages on earth has at lost another message to follow, and according to the faith fulness with which ho has heard and obeyed here will be the confidence and gladness wiiich ho will follow tho last. . . . God help ns so to fol low every voice of his provldenco which loads lift to his service here, that when the layt olce comes, be fore which the human spirit naturally Hlirinlis and sinks, we will rise up and follow, doubting nothing, and swiftly go up, clamping the hand of the angel iin'll wo clasp the hand of Christ him self. Ocbdlcnro implies that some one el;:o is in charge. Then some one else is responsible for tue resuit. it may look to us as if a given course would mean failure; but tho imtome rest.' with tho one that makes the plan nnd marks out our part in it. If Clod's ways are ways of wisdom, then there is no cause for us to worry about what will happen il wo follow his clear leading. Ills leadership ensures success, ami our safety is in following. Suggested Hymns. Search in O Lord, and try this heart of mine. J'.lcst .lesns. grant us strength. True heaited, wholu-hearteu, faithful and loyal. Take my life and let it be. I belong to Jesus. When Jesus comes to reward his servants. EPWORTII LEAGUE MEETING TOPICS February 23 Obedience. I So in. xv, 11, 23; I Kings, ill, 14; Rev. xxii. 14. Cod has a right to demand obedi ence, because he is the perfection of truth and wisdom, knowing tho end from the beginning. The real diffi culty with the consecrated and in telligent Christian will not bo in ren dering obedience, but in discovering Just what the wise thing is. God requires literal obedience. His language never exceeds his meaning. He commanded Saul to utterly Bmlto Amalek, and to destroy all that he had. Saul partially carried out the command, but spared the best of tho sheep, oxeu and fatllngs. He gave a very religious reason for his action. He spared them "to sacrifice them unto the Ixrd;" but God would havo none of his halfway measures. Ho in terpreted it as prido, vanity, and self will on Saul's part. How often these and other Bins lurk behind disobedi ence! There is no substitute for absolute openness and candor before God, and these usually result In liter al obedience. God requires constant obedlenco un to the end of life. What a noble start; Solomon made! He describee himself as God's servant, as a little child, ns a lover of God. He prays for wisdom above everything else. Only let him know what God wants, and ho may be counted on. But how does he wind up? "It came to pass, when Solomon was old. that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with tho Ixrd his God, as woa tho heart of David his father. Aud Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of the Ixrd, and went not fully alter the Iord." Aa a consequence he died miserably and In augurated the beginning of the end of his nation. Compare him with Job, faithful unto tho end of all tho trials, until "his last end was greater than the first." Continual disobedience leads to the wlttirlrawnl of the beat influences of life. How sad a thing to persist in i disobedience until uou gives us up: This was; what Israel did, and captivi ty was the penalty. How often we persist in our own willful ways until parents, ministers, friends conclude that it Is no use longer to trouble themselves about us and give us up as Incorrigible. May wo not rather be thankful If we have kind friends who make us uncomfortable about our follies? that we have conscience and tho Spirit ot God to prod us for our wanderings. RAM'S HORN BLASTS- rr HE fruit that rt- I pews earliest rots -- first. The skeptic stands oh his head and says, "See me hold up the world." Th"ro are two few families where Martha has a chance to be en1- ous ot Mary. hK? Some methods of ) rais'ng money for churches are successful only lu raising mammon. Religion Is a reality, not a rhapsody. Spirituality is not a matter ot spasms. It is always easier to fight the shad ow of a past sin than to face a new one. The devil says, "You may control the wheels; only lot me manage the king-belt." No man has the right to say, "I have got to live;" he must live to say, "I have got to do right." Bigotry places opinion before truth. Inuocence may be but ignorance, but virtue win victory after strife. He who seeks to warm bis bansds nt the fire ot lust will burn his whole body. When a man blushes for bard drink ing the effort concuulrates itself In the middle of tho fuce. Dou't make meal of your soed corn. I THE GREAT DESTROYER SOME STARTLING FACTS A9CUT THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. roemi Fllne; OIT Your Fetters Thnnks to tho I.onn and Knrnrxt Crnmtda the Coniumntloii of Spirit. In Thin Coun try Grow Lrt and Lrsi. I!rothrr, awaken! Intemperance is arm ing; lloiMe nil your energies, (prickly prcrmro; Though our greut enemy' hosts aro alarm ing. 1'rnr not, determine to do and dure. House ye! No longer bo dreaming nnd doz h"V, "Roll up your sleeves, there is work to be done; Gird on your armor, no weak poinlj cx poninc; Onward, tho victory yet may be wo'nl Truly, intemperance needetli oppoing, Countlciw its crimes and its ciuclties arc; Tear off the mask, all its evils exposing, l'tiblinh its deeds nnd its doing afar. Hundreds on hundreds are hstltvsly lying Helpless in rtiin'a lap, oh, what a sight! Hundreds and hundreds in darkness ure dying. Roue them and bring them to life and to light. Forwnrd! Oh, forward! on God's help re lying. Wuver not," falter not, earnestly on! Onward! still onward! defeat still defying. Kent not till you have the victory won. Oh, ye enslaved ones! friendless, forsaken. Save by the few who would gain your re leave. From the indiJerencc that wraps you awaken. Kign yo the pledge and oar numbers in crease. Longer remnin not inert nnd inactive; Lilicrty lingers yet, let her not tire. Wear not the tyrant's yoke, trembling and tractive; Flins o$ your fetters and dare to he free. Homo Comparutlvs Statement. A writer in the Fortnightly Heview. Mr. John Holt Schooling, has presented soine comparative statements concerning drink in the United States. Knglund, France and Germany. These statements, which arc based upon a careful study of available sta tistics, will do much to dissipate em-rent errors on this question. They. yield the following results: In Fiance the total con sumption of beer, spirits and wine for drink in the year 19ix was .L'Hi gallons for every ten of the population; in the United Kingdom, 33'J gallons; in Germany. 3iHl gallons, and in the United States, 117 gal lons for every ten inhabitants. The great difference in the drinking hab its of these nations is seen in their respec tive consumption of spirits and fermented liquors. A further analysis of the statis tics shows that the consumption ot wine in France was 2.")4 gallons to every ton inhab itants, of beer 62 gallons and of spiriU 2i gallons. In Germany the account stands: Fifteen gallons of wine. 27"i of beer and 19 of spirits. In the United Kingdom: Four gnllons of wine. H17 of beer and 11 of spir its. In the United States: Three callous of wine, 133 of beer and 11 of spirits for every ten inhabitant-!. The figures show that while the French consume more wine and spirits than any of tho three other nations, much the lowest drinking consumption is in the United States. The American total is less than half the consumption per head of the other three countries. Formerly the French used to sneer at their English neighbors as drunken savages, but now the tables are turned. Gin drinking has declined in Eng land, :.nd consumption of the vicious ab sinthe has terribly increased in France. It is suggested thnt the superior sobriety of American workmen gives them a great ad vantage over European workmen who are muddled with beer or unnerved by absinthe, lint the superiority of the American peo ple in this respect is what accounts for a great deal more. The American people applying their in telligence to this matter are finding out that t lie drinking habit is not good for them. In France, since 11)00, some impor tant temperance reforms have been ef fected, not by coercive legislation, but by nbolishing I lie octroi or municipal tax of Paris on wine, and by other measures for discouraging the consumption of absinthe and brandy. A Now Way to Reform. 11. F. Stevick. of Council IlluflX Towa, has caused to be published in all news papers of that city this notice addressed to the saloonkeepers: "My downfall and domestic troubles are all caused by drinking. I have said sev eral times that 1 would ouiL. but 1 never did quit. Now my wile has filed suit for i divorce, and 1 realize wliat a tool I have been. I have notified all miloonkeciicrs not to sell me liquor, nnd have told them I would prosecute them afterward if they did so. hen my friends ask me to drink the bartender will refuse to servo me. My wile has consented to withdraw her suit aud I intend to biaco up. The saloons that sell me liquor will have a damage suit on their hand." The Cost 01 Crlino. Mr. Eugene Smith, an authority on crim inal statistics, in a paper rentiy read before the National l'rison' Association at Cleve land, presented an array of figures th.'t should certainly arrest the attention of every sincere patriot. He declared the first cost of crime in taxes upon city, town and county for mere policing criminals is ubnttt $'J0U, 000,000 an nually in this country, licsides thero is the cost of 230,000 professionals in crime who reap an average gain by their profession of SPjOG each year, or (5400,000,000, a loss to the community. This makes a total ot 8ii00,000.000, exceeding the entire value of the cotton ot' wheat crop of the United Stutes. YTo Can Abolish It. It is nonteise to say '.hut we cannot abolish the liquor traffic. The Americun people eun do what they will, and if every iran who has been disgusted with and is to-dny personally in rebellion against the saloon's infamy, spoke his mind and did his will, the trallic would be abolished in u dy. Wholly Worthless, Men who had standing in chemistry and medicine before Atwater had been thought of by the uublic, declare Professor At wnter'a conclusions with regard to the food value of alcohol to be wholly worthless, and ajsert that his exneriments have dem onstrated no new or pertinent fact iu the matter. Tbo Ci usmto In Brief. Generally speaking the drunkard is responsible person given over to self-indulgence. Never has public opinion been so rcanoa sive and si strong in its demand for dras tic steps being taken to suppress the driulc evil. ' The right-minded people of the country will have to light the battle all over aguin in behalf of temperance instruction in the schools, , The unction of college beer drinking by tho authorities of Harvard and the Bos ton Polytechnic Institute is not passing unchallenged. The salcon is anti-American because it if anti-human. Professor Atwater's latest venture into the arena ou behalf of his food value of alcohol hobby meets the spontaneous ap probation of tho liipior press. It eecms beyond question tint there is in operation a conceited plan lor the pur pose of discrediting and repealing the tem perance educutioual laws now in lores in almost all the btates of Uie Union. Tliero is an ever deepening interest being manifested by the younger generation in the tcuiperaueu qusliou, as is evidenced by the dtmro of young peoplo to make themselves couvcrsunt with the subject, und by thtir growing eujcrneM to li.-Uu to teuiperauco aJvociu-a. COMMERCIAL REVIEW. General Trade Conditions. R. G. Dun & Co.'s "Weekly Review of Trade" says; Interruption to railway traffic and outdoor work by severe storms was the only unfavorable factor in the business situation during the past week, while manufacturing activity in creased and distribution through re tail channels was undiminished. Fam ine conditions exist in the market for pig iron. It is doubtful whether there was ever a time in the history of the na tion when this metal was so scarce, despite the fact that the produc tion for loot beat all previous rec ords. Compared with the erratic co irse of the cereals during the preceding month or two, produce markets have been quiet this week. Dullness and lack of special influences were not product ive of weakness, however, former quo tations being- stubbornly maintained. In the case of corn there are many expres sions of faith in lower prices without aggressive speculation on the short side. There was no support in Atlantic ex ports of 122,963 bushels, compared with 3.97.1.462 a year ago. Heavy storms cur tailed the interior movement to 1.392,699 bushels, against 5,016,886 last year. Final returns of commercial failures during January exhibit an exceptionally large number of insolvencies and also an unusual amount of defaulted liabili ties. In manufacturing lines there were 264 failure?, involving $6,308,048. an in crease of $1,607,064, over the liabilities last year. Defaulting traders numbered 1,120, with liabilities of $7,116,072, an increase of 172 in number and $1,805, t68 in amount. LATEST QUOTATIONS. Flour Best Fatent, $490; High Grade Extra, $440; Minnesota liakers, $J.25a .MS- Wheat New York No. 2. fv!;;(c; Philadelphia No. 2, St-aSOJc; Ualtiiuore No. 2, 84. Corn New York No. 2. 6oe: Phila delphia No. 2, GCu66! jc; Baltimore No. 2, 65c. Oats New York No. 2, 4 ; Phila delphia No. 2, 51c; Baltimore No. 2, 49c. Hay No. I timothy, large bales$t5. 00315.50; No. 2 timothy, $i4.':raa 14.50; No. 3 timothy, ?i2.coai3.oo. Green Fruits and Vegetables. Ap ples Wcscrn Maryland ami i'eiuii.yl vania, packed, per brl., S3.oop3.50; do, New York, assorted, per brl., $3.7534.59 Cabbage. New York State, per ton, domestic, $!3.ooai4.oo; do, Danish, per ton, $t5.ooai6.oo. Carrots. Native, per bushel box, 40345c ; do, per bunch, ijj a2. Celery New York State, per dozen stalks, 25a40c; do, native, per bunch, 3 a4c. Cranberries Cape Cod, per brl., $0.5037.00; do, Jerseys, per brl., $5,502 6.50. Eggplants Florida, per crate, $3.5034.00. Kale Native, per bushel box, isaaoc. Lettuce North Carolina, per halt-barrel basket, $r.ooat.25. Onions Maryland and Pennsylvania, yellow, per bu., $t.2oal.3o; do, Western, yellow, per bu., S1.20a1.30. Oranges Florida, per box, as to size, $2.ooa2.5o, Oysterplants Native, per bunch 3.130, Spinach Native, per bushel box, $1.00 ai.25. Strawberries Florida, per quart 30a35c Tomatoes Florida, per six basket carrier, fancy, $2.7533.25 ; Tur nips Native, per bushel box, 2oa25c. Potatoes. White Maryland and Pennsylvania, per bu., No. I, 75a8oc ; do, seconds, 6530; do, New York, per bu., best stock, 75a8o; do, seconds, 65a 70; do, Western, per bu., prime, 75a8o. Sweets Eastern Shore, Virginia, kiln dried, per brl., $2."5a3.oo; do, per flour barrel, $2.7533.25; do, Maryland, per brl., fancy, $2.5033.00. Provisions and Hog Products. Bulk clear rib sides, g;c; bulk clear sides, 9'Ac; bulk shoulders, gc ; bulk ham butts, o!'4c; bacon, shoulders, 9jc; sugar-cured breasts, lo4c ; sugar-cured California hams, 8J40; hams, canvascd or uncanvascd, 12 lbs. and over, 12c; re fined lard, tierces, barrels and 50-lb. cans, gross, ioj-jc; refined lard, second hand tubs, lojc. Butter Separator, 25326c; gathered cream, 23324c ; imitation, iqajo; prints, 1 lb, 27a28; rolls, 2 lb, 20327c; dairy prints, Md., Pa. and Va., 25a26. Eggs. Western Maryland and Penn sylvania, per dozen, 27c; Eastern Shore, Maryland and Virginia, per dozen, 27c; Virginia, per dozen, 27c: West Vir ginia, per dozen, 26a27c; Western, 27c; Southern, 25326c. Live Poultry. Turkeys Hens, choice arse; young toms. choice, 13314c; old 10ms, Iiai2. Chickens Hens, nai2c; old roosters, each, 25330; young 12313. Ducks Fancy, large, 12313c; fancy, small, loan; muscovy and mongrels, lial3. Geese, Western, each, 55375c. Pigeons, young, per pair, 20325. Cheese. New Cheese, large, 60 lbs, II lo li'ic; do, flats, 37 lbs, native; pic lics, 23 lbs, 1 1 54c to ii'c. . Hides. Heavy Steers, association and alters, late kill, 60 lbs. and up, close se lection, loaiijc; cows and light steers. Live Slock. Chicago. Cattle Good to prime Iteers, $0.503720; poor to medium, $4. xa6.oo; stackers and feeders, $2.1004. 50; cows, $i.25as.oo; heifers, $2.5015.25; :anners, $1.2532.25; bulls, 2.5034.50; :alves, $30037.50. Texas fed steers, $4.00 1500. Hogs mixed and butchers, $6.ooa 'So; good to choice heavy, $0.40.16.60; rough heavy, $6.1036.30; light, 5.goa6.io Milk of sales, $6. foa6.25. Sheep good to rhoice wethers, $4.6035.30; Western iheep and yearlings, $4.2535.65; native lambs, $3.5036.35 ; Western lambs, $5.25 16.35. East Liberty. Cattle steady; choice, B6.50a6.70; prime, $3.5085.70; tidy butchers, $4.5035.25. Hogs active; prima neavies, $0.6036.65; mediums, $5.5006. 5o; heavy Yorkers, $6.4036.50; light, do, f6.35a6.35; pigs, $5.ooa6.2o; roughs, ?S.ooa6.oo. Sheep steady; best wethers, 64.80a5.00; culls and common, $2.ooa 3.00; yearlings, $4.5005.50; veal calves, 57.5038.5. LABOR AND INDUSTRY Lo Angeles berry growers have or ganiied. Carroll D. Wright urges the incorpo ration of trade unions. Springfield, Mass., now has a full fledged woman's labor union. The city of Dulutfa has appropriated $1,000 to start a free labor bureau. Nearly 3,000 men are at work on the site of tlie World's Fair Ground at St. Louis. On Brooklyn's new labor lyceum building a corner-stone will be laid in March. It will cost $160,000. The Hercules Gas Engine Company, of San Francisco, agreed to give its employes the nine-hour day and an in crease of wages rangingfrom J'A to 13 per cent. The corporation also agreed to pay the union price for ovcrtimt time end one-half for night work and double time for Sundays and holidays. The Indiana Supreme Court, in f firniing a lower court judgment, held tliat an employer anriot, by any con tract he may make with his workmen, roliec himself from duties and liabili ties whii'h the law expressly imposes on him. The dccisi.tu ' was rendered "in a miner's suit for damcges on account of iniuiv GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN" PRECNANT THOUGHTS FROM THt WORLD'S CREATEST PROPHETS. Poeini Darknesi Is Thlnnlnc It Is Bette to Fnt Hcllglon anil Omtntlon latlMI fame Universe ot lnlre Find Ood let Vonr Dally Work, Darkness is thinning; shadows are r treating; Morning and light aro coming in thelt beauty, Suppliant seek we, with nn earnest outcry God the Almighty! So that our Master, having merev on ut,' l May repel languor, may bestow salvation, Granting us, Father, of Thy loving kind ness Glory hcreafterl This of His mercy, ever-blefsed Godhead, Father, and Son, and Hoiy Spirit, give tra ' Whom through the wide world celcbral forever ... Blessing ad glory! Communion or SotvlceT . ' The question, "How much of my tims hall I give to Ood?" is not an unusual one in religious meetings of young people. "What part of my means shall 1 give to the Lord?" is also common. The same idea underlies practices like the "Morning Watch," the "Week of Sclf-Denial," and other special seasons set apart tor the. "giving of time or of money to God. Of course, untold good may come out of th observance of such seasons, but there in also a subtle danger in the idea which ia liable to be overlooked. God has a right to all our time, it is his. How, then, can we talk about "giving" it to hunt More over, the lime spent in God's service ia thnt which is most fruitful for us as indi viduals, iu what sense shall we distinguish our time and God's time? The -writer remembers being told, in childhood, of a woman, still young, who had read the Uible through twenty times on her knees. And yet there were many boys and girls within one mile of her home who did not know how to read tho llible. That she died early of -consumption was then considered the sign und seal of her sainthood, whuleer interpretation, the present bacteriologist might be inclined to give. The nntipode of her type is tha bustling (.hristian, who is so bu?y with sporadic attempts to make money for tho church that she has no time to realize tha joy of tlie inflowing divine, or. indeed, ta open her soul to receive such inflowing, 'the problem for many a child of God is how to unite the worthier elements of tho seemingly irreconcilable characters. An occupation whose essential naturn makes withdrawal from communion with God necet-'sary is wrongly chosen, and should be given up rs soon as possible. It is often quite possible, however, that in stead of having made a mistake in our: choice of occupation, we are living, or try to live, two lives, pultimr God in one and the occupation in the other. An occupa tion, in itself not incompatible with tha divine life, may be made ho by placing it in a universe of desire in which the divine has no place. Instead of perplexing our selves as to how our time shall be divided between our religious duties and our occu pations, we would fur better put the reli gion and the occupation in the same uni verse of desire, let them be organic parts of the same life, and then live that life strongly, earnestly and singly. When we find God in our daily work, in our recrea tion, in the nature about us, even in the debused humanity we are born to elevate, we shall not need to ask Buy questions about how much time we should tuke away from these things to give to Him. There is perhaps no figure of speech which has so clouded our conception of God and our relations to Him as that in volved in culling Him king. The kings of the earth arc in no real ecr.se analogues of God. Yet we talk about our contributions to religious purposes as if we were paying God tribute. We think of Him as punish ing us and judging us as an earthly ruler would do. We find no better illustration of the respect due Him than the state and ceremony with which earthly kings sur round themselves. Wo aro learning now that the monarch ot earth often simply use tricks, trappings and vulgar devices to command the respect of the vulgar in their etiquet and pugeantry. Does the God of heaven and earth need this? We talk about appearing before God as if we were not al ways before Him. We do not pav God trib ute at all. All that we have is His. There should be no question of our individual uses, if our life is, indeed, "hid with Christ in God." Is it not presumptuous to talk of "giving" to the Lord? It is He who ia sharing His own with us. Our onenesa with Him should be of such a nnture as to preclude anything like a jealous division. It is not only true that communion with out service loses its vitality, and that ser vice without communion loses its joy, but it is also true that neither can exist with out the other. They are parts of an or ganic whole in which the union is so vital that separation would be as fatal as would the severance of the heart and lungs in the human body. The most intimate commu nion with our heavenly Father is to be at tained only by means of the most devout service. God's holiest shrine is the soul of; men, and He ia in the haunts of men in. larger measure than in the closet. The devotee on his knees in the heavy air o his chamber is often further away from the God he seeks than the sister of mercy as she returns through the golden dawn from tho chamber of suffering. The mid day withdrawal or the morniug watch may be an isolation from the highway where Tesus of Nazareth is passing by. Sunday school Times. Character and Business. We can depend upou a truly Christian character ut all times as a foundation npon which to build, all other things being equal. Character may not bo represented by large stores of wealth, and a truly C'hriatiun man will not be trusted for more than he is worth. Nor will he use money that he knows will not bring a direct prolit, or expend that which stands for se curity, but is no part of his business. He will not rob one fund to sustain one of doubtful success, or allow nthprn tn ! it if he can prevent it. l'hiladelphia Meth odist. Do What You Can. What we value for ourselves we-must seek to spread to others, and. what we shrink from ourselves lowering surround ings, a tainted atmosphere what we shrink to think of those nearest and dear est to ua being exposed to let us do all we can to remove from others. "Lead us jiot into temptation. Deliver us from evil." Do what you can to sweeten the mental and moral atmosphere that sur rounds you. Arthur C. A. Hall. Ood Versus afainmon. In the history of mankind there have been lords many and gods many. Their worship has changed, but the god of gold has held his own, and the almighty dollar has more worshipers than Almighty God to-day. Rev. Henry Irving KasmusMet.h odist, Chicago. - , Masters of Our Tut: A man is not entirely subject to his en vironment. We often hear men complain that they are victims of circumstances, but Ood has given us a will power which, if we but properly exert it, will prevail over the evil influences of our surroundings. Rov. Henry Kwertson Cobb, Dined Cades lb Sea. A diving-bell was used some yeata ago in the neighborhood of Naples as a dining room. The tabl-3 was hung by cords from tbp'rbof of the ball, which, sueponded a few feet above the water, was submerged whllu the various courses, of which thorn were, twelve, were being partaken of by the half dor.en guests. The dinner, which waa cooked on board a bars moored uear at hand, was transit rred to tho novt-1 tllislug Mira when tho litter w: drnwn above tho su'fuc.o during t' 1 intonals between the -.ourgi s.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers