GREATEST THING IN WORLD A'Brllllaot Sunday Sermon By Kev. Daniel MacLaurin. Tb Dlsllofalihed Dlvlat Deliver a Sermon Which It it Scholarly and Reada ble ai Any of Recent Years. New Yopk Cur. Dr. Donald D. Mac Laurin, of Rochester, preached Sunday '.ttnrninff in St. ilohn'a M. E. Church to a large audience. Ilia sermon was the first in a serie on "The Greatest Thing in the World." Dr. MacLnurin laid: I hare most earnestly aonpht to bring you on successive Sundays the best mia fetry I have yet been able to give you, that your lives mny be broadened and deepened and lifted up into higher realm of spiritual achievement; and I could find no theme of greater value, a I saw it, than that which ia suggested by the chanter which I read to you, the thirteenth chap, te- of Paul's first epistle of the church at Corinth. And so for eight weeks, we shall have our texta from this chapter; and this morning you will find our text in the first verse of the hrt chapter of First Corin thians: "It 1 apeak with the tongues oi men and angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." 'Xor must we not think that we shall be come tired of this wonderful theme. Did you ever know any one to become wenry of a diamond? Among the gemi f the Lord God is found this chapter, and though I do not profess to be a skillful lapidary te bring out its flashing facets, I think, with tlie aid of the divine spirit, we ahnll find in each service something fresh and helpful and new. . Tim chapter has been in all ages of the church especially admired; would that it had received in all the axes of Christian history that more practical and valuable appreciation which would have been ex perienced by a practice of its principle and an acceptance of ( its precepts. Tcr tullian e'd: "It is uttered with all the force of the spirit," and the greAt.'jhinker is right. Ai I have pondered it for several years with ever growing interest, I have come to feel that, indeed, mortal faculty could never have written it. It never could have sprung from the brain or heart of even so great a man as Paul, unless hea ven had given him the inspiration. It is, dear friends, an utterance of heaven, through Paul, a servant of God, to the ions of men. It is a glorious hymn or pean in honor of Christian love, sung, as we have inti mated, by the Apostle Paul when soaring up on the wings of inspiration into the very heights of Christian eloquence. Like the Forty-fifth Psalm, it may be fittingly called the "Psalm of Love: and not in frequently your speaker will so designate it in these Sunday morning services. It has the form of poetry; it has the inspira tion of poetry; it has the coloring of the finest poetry. And if you could read it in the Greek you would catch the fullness of its imagery, as it is impossible for you to do in the best English version. It seemi a profanation to attempt its exposition. It seems like analyzing a rose or dissect ing a nightingale to take these principlei t.part one from another for the necessary analysis in the progress of our work. But it is so full of the very heart of the gospel Inessttge that we would be cowardly wero we not to attempt the exposition. The position of the psalm in the book in which it is found heightens its effect. You find it in the midst of lengthy argu ment. It reminds us very much of an oasis of towering palm trees and spring ing flowers and running brooks in the midst of a desert of sand. On either aide is argument, is tumult; and right in the midst of all bursts forth his sublime long. It is very much like the song of the sweet voiced school children in the midst of their hard work and the babel of their games. Or. better, like the very sound of the song of heaven's choir in the pit of Wall Street on a panicky day. We can easily imagine the deepening hush that must have fallen on the Corinthian church as they read this chapter, and we can imagine, too, the consternation produced in the minus of those Christians as they discovered one after another their favorite' gifts or favorite" possessions swept away by the great teacher. For Paul here shows that love is the one essential of Christian life. Love did you say? Love! that soft sentiment that hard-headed men say belongs to women and children. Do you mean to coy that this is the spirit of his language? That is precisely what the apostle formulated. Ho affirms most ex plicitly the absolute wortlilessncas of life without love. Love at the beginning of it; love at the end of it; love filling the whole snacc between. Love at the end is not the same as love at the beginning. It is richer, grander, nobler, diviner. But without the first lovo the other could never be. The blossom and the fruitage be sneak the rootage, and the seed and the flower and the tree. . And unless you have the first love love for God in your heart, the love that shall engage our attention on suuday mornings .will be a stranger to your experience. "If I speak with the tonb-ue of men and angels, but have not love. I am become sounding brass or a clanging I'vmhal." It would seem as if all the Jorinthian church were eloquent speakers, or at least were eloquent hearers; and let me say that eloquent hearers are ai essen tial as eloquent speech. The Corinthiar. Christians were distinguished for their gift' m this direction; and so the apostle, know ing it, knowing them right well, for h. was their father in the gospel, he supposes Hem capable of speaking in every tongue that rose from the lips of men or angels. That were thev to have all and were des titute of love they were nothing but sound' mi brass or clanging cymbals. How hard this must have been on those people vrhe :lierishd eloquenco aa more easy to im agine than to-describe, for they placed rreat store by their gift of tongues and their eloquence of speech. And do yoif know we are often placing the emph'sii tt their wrong place. We are often gui'tj f that characteristic folly. These Corin thians were often putting the emphasis where the emphais should not be. VV'hal Paul affirms and what the Gospei aflirmi over and over again is that it is not speech that it ia not doing bit being, that God re rds. Being is finer than doing; finei than saying; finer than any expression 'hieh it ia possible for it to make of itself, jlo it is not speech hut reality that God iook for and the church wait for. and the world is hungry for in you and in me. Xow, let us consider, if you please, in -he first place, wherein love is superior to the most eloquent speech. "If I speak 'ith the tongues of men and angels, but iave not love, I am become sounding brass r a clanging cymbal." What is Chris tian love? It is more easily described than defined. That ia precisely what the potle has done in this great psalm ot love. He nowhere defines it. He simply uesennes it, gmug some niteen cnaracter- i jstics of it. Indeed, I do not know wherV ove is defi-.ed in the entire Bible, nor dd I know a definition for it. You have heard the story of the teacher of psychology, whe upon receiving a new clan at the begnV jiing of the term, instead of giving them a lecture, he asked one of the members of the class to define the human soul; and 'he young man rose and, said: "The human oul is that faculty that thinki and feelf nd determine;" another member of the lam added that the soul ia immaterial. And then be said, will you tell me what the soul is not; and the young man had the sense to say, "I do not knew;" and the great professor, whose familiarity with the subject ia felt throughout the contin ent, replied. "Nor more do 1." And 1 fancy that the first theologian in the world, r he aiked to define love, and if he was honest' and candid aa the teacher of psy chology ha would say, "No nore do I. hat which cosies nearest to being a dot finltlon of love ia the summary ot tho di Jin law of the Old Testament and the New. Thou ihalt love the Lord thy God .with all thy heart and with all thy mind and with all thy strength, and thy neigh bor as thyself. But ti.is is not a defini tion of love; nor would it ipply, especi ally the former part of it to tho lova under Consideration now. It ia not the reverent ove of the heart to God, but it is that mysterious bond that unites men, the on (to the other. A lo that exist betwteo People of a common spiritual experience. It u as Dr. Doddi well iaya: "The liga ment by which the body cf Jesus Christ s bound together. It la the cement by !hich the itonee in the temple are united Jin to one. That ia as near a dehnition it you will be aide to get from any known fr"t""T Itlu.ChriatiaJ"ti'- U. And so we sing, and we sing it heartily:' "Blessed be the tie that binds our heartr in Christian love, The fellowship of kindrtd r.'.icdj is like fc that above." But though we mny not be able to de fine this Christian love, we know it when we see it, when we hear it, and wo know how it anneal in the earth. We know that love seeks with total self-forgetful-ncss the happiness tf the object loved, and so long as we know what it does and how it behaves itself in the social fabric, we ought to be quite content. And I want you to notice nt this point wherein love is superior to the most eloquent speech. Eloquent speech may mean self idvertiso tnent. Love always means self ef,acement. "The. iffcin auestion," says. the. brilliant DrummondT " Ifl " hi " nook entrtlcoT "Tiie Greatest Tiling in the World," and which commend to you to read, "was once splendid and dazzling. It was a brilliant faculty drawing all eye to the speaker and all ears to his voice." It ia the gift of eloquence by which a man sways the mind and thrills the hearts of his hearers. Now you can see how a man without love, possessing such a power, gives to himself advertisement, nnd the fa t f that ionic of the most brilliant orators of fame, anil among them occupants of pulpits, are so fond of themselves nnd glory so much in their eloquence, that they forget the other elements that go to make up a manly Chris tian character. And I want to sny to you that the man possessing that eloipiencu is in constant danger. The attraction which he has for the people always tends to centre his mind upon himself' and by and by he gets to be greater if lie is not aware, than the Muster Himself whom ho professes to servo nnd represent. Love, on the other hand, is self-effacement. Love goes forth in beneficent min istry, alleviating the wounds of broken lives all around. In perfect harmony with this thought is the teaching of the Master Himself. You remember that marvelous sermon in the mountain, in which Ho says: "Even so, let your light ihine before men that they shall see your good works and may glorify your Father in heaven." The word "so is to be em phasized ai indicating the manner of the hining. Light may be held so close to the eyei a to dazzle the eyes; light may be held so close before the eyes of the world aa to dazzle the eyes of the world. You are not to see the shining one, but you are to see the fruits, the results of the shining. This is the way with the old sun itself. You look out upon the lawns in the parks and the country aide, and I have never seen the parks niore beautiful than whan I visited them soon after my arrival in this city a few days ago. You look out upon the grass and the growing grains and the vegetation and the flowers mdyou feast your eyes on the beauty nnd thewealth of the earth's surface: end you begin to say, whence came all this; who is the worker; who produced all this; and you undertake to look up at the ami shin ing yonder in the zenith of the heavens. And the old sun, for your termerity, will dart his red hot fire into your eyes nnd will leave a mark upon you tnat you will sot forget for many a day. Do not look t me; look at the grass; look nt the grow ing grain; look at the trees look at the ivork, not at the worker. So with God Himself. No man has seen God at any time; we see Him only in Jesus Christ. No mr.n has seen God the eternal, at any time; but we count the stars that bejem the dome above us, when the great daylight is gone, and the more we study them the more are we thrown back on tne teaching of our childhood, when we learned to ling: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how; I wonder what you are, up above the world io high like a diamond in the sky." You lee the stars and the glory of them trans ports your wondering soul, but you do not see Him who made and keeps the itara. If God is invisible in Himself, He is not invisible in His ministry.- You ind I, beloved, who have been born anew, are sons and daughters of God, and we please Him most when like Him, we efface ourselves and are seen only in the benefi cent ministry of our lives, in our home, in our communities, in our churches, in our city, in the world. Then under this first point, we say again that love is of grerter value to the cnurch and to the world than the most eloquent speech. Now i may not say that eloquence is not valu able. No one of us vould refuse it if proffered to us. I may not say neither would Paul say that eloquence, ev.n the gift of tongues, was anything to be de spised. In the apostolic age it served .0 attract the attention of men to the divine manifestations among the sons of men; and '.t was greatly coveted because of this 'orce resident in it. Put I we it von to notice that only a few people can be elo quent and the great maiority of us in re gard to speech will have tr exhibit n-ality 'aiher than eloquence in epeec' , and serve our generation in the most pract'c 1 man ner available to us. Now I ir.-rht cstab-' lish this point by argument and bv declam ation, but I prefer to give you a 'few illus trations, to fasten what 1 mean in -our mind. A woman over here in New Vork City, eoine yeare ago, came to tho City J-iaaion Society and sought the secretary. "I would like to do something for God. I am not el-quent in speech, but I think I could distribute tracts among the poof and needy. Give me a suitable aupply and I will render this service to mv -Lord." She was supplied abundantly On going down the itreet she saw a policeman tak ing a poor woman to the station; she , went to the station house and thre learned the facta in the woman's case and when the- woman was to be kscharged. When she came out she was Vet by this good woman, who threw her arms around Iier neck and kissed her; and the woman eaid: "My God! Why did yov do tha? No one has kissed me since my mothet died: why did you do that?" And the humble Christian woman tiid: "I do not know, unless it was Jesus sent me to do it." Without going into further detail, let me lay that that life was redeemed y the kin of that' Christian woman, whose heart was full of love for her kind. This is the kind I mean. No eloquent preach ing from the most brilliant preacher that yon have ever had in tho city could have reached that life as did that kiss. That reminded her of her departed motner. A poor young girl waa dying in the city of Pari and on seeing a Christian woman wno wa a stranger to her, arid to hei: "You know I hate you Christie is. You have nothing to give but good advice. You build fine institutions for us when we have fallen, but you do nothing for ui to keen us from being thrown into the path of temptation." And no ono but that good woman, acting with Mis Hunt in her beneficent work in the gay city of Paris, understood the dying energy with which ahe uttered those words. By and by this woman won her into the kingdom of God, and just before she died said to the Christian woman, who represented for the firt time Christianity unto her: "Let me die on aomething that ia your. Won't ou let me put my head on your pillow I would like to die with my head on such pillow a your pure head has rested on." It was granted. That is what I mean. That ia the ministry that ia open, love. Over yonder in the city of Detroit, a reporter called a little bootblack in tho atreet to Eoliah hia boots. The little fellow came, ut ai he got out hia brush and waa about to begin a big, brink fellow came along and said: "You go away, Jimmy; you go away. I will do this." And the reporter became indignant and aaid: "What do you mean by this?" "O, that la all right, boss. Do you know that Jim my has been sick in the hospital for more than a month and he ia not very strong and we boys when we are not doing any thing turn in and help him. Is that right, Jimmy?" "Ye, that' right." And so he said: "All right, go ahead;" and aa the boy wa plying hia brush and hia cloth, and while he waa so doing the reporter plied him with questions: "What per cent, of what you earn dp you give to Jimmy 1" "Eh?" "What per cent, of what vou earn do you give to Jimmy?" "I don't know K-kl vmi mean " "tf. miwk fif the money that you receive do you keep and how much do you give to Jimmy?" "Do you think I am a sneak? I give all of it to him, and so do all tha boys; we don't keep any of it. Bo when he finished the renorter aaid: "You are a nrettv aood fel low; here is a quarter, and you keep ten cent and give fifteen cent to Jimmy." No, you don t, and pa gave the quarter to Jimmy, That was diviner, that was nobler far than the grandest eloquence that Brooklyn ever beard. Now notice in the second place, and I will make this point brief, the comparison by which Paul set forth the superiority of love to eloquence. He sayi, It I apeak vi til-tne tfiit&uea of men and angebjJtut have not roverr am-necntne- amminoTttg brass as a clanging cymbal. The gift with out the grace is likened to the sounding jf brass, to the clashing of cymbals of bronze. A great many pre.chers boast themse'vps of their soundness, sound in their theology and I am not saying any thing against soundness in theology. And ne is sometimes tempted to sav, Sound, yes, that is what it is, hut it is without a ministry and without menning for a bun fry world. A rlnngirut rymbnl noise, con tusion, but no ministry, never helpful for a- weary, hungry world. Let us be something more than jangling roices, clanging noises. Let U liavo reality, genuineness of heart, genu ineness of love, genuineness of mil lion; that is what tells. That is whnt the world wants. That is what it is look ing for. That is what God is begging for. I read a story some months ago in ne of your newspapers: Two men who. had met to talk on the corner of a street. vVhile they were talking a hand organ be Kan to grind out its dismal music. One of the men said, let us go on nnd get away from that wretched stuff. And the other i mid, now, I will not let you talk like that iiiout that music. Why, do you know that that was "See the Conquering Hero lomes." composed by the great Handel, And his friend said: "I want you to come with me to a Handel festival. So a month 'nter, ho invited his friend to the concert, mil so when the lively choruses were sung snd the great symphony went on, this friend of his became enraptured. And lig laid: "Isn't that glorious, isn't that beau tiful ?".VYcs.laid. his-friend.. IMo. y.ou know wliat it is? It is ee the Conquer ing Hero Conies.' It is what you heard on '.lie organ." Let love cnnniier vour hearts i ind the world will make wnv for vour com ing, and we shall startle the world bv the originality of our unselfishness. "If 1 ipv'uk with the tongues of men and angels, 5ut have not love, I am become as sound ing brass or a clanging cymbal." Let us lave love. Resisting Power, When a physician is called to a case jf severe sickness, the first thing that he istimates is the resisting power of the patient. The chances for his recovery are in proportion to his vitality. If there be '.itt'e of that at the outset there is small lope of overcoming the disease. The resist ng power of persons in lull health is such hnt in an epidemic they throw oil the iisease germs that prostrate others. One :annot always tell from appearances just aow much ability one has to withstand the inroads of a malady. Some who ap parently arc robust almost immediately luccumb, while others who look frail re :over from violent attacks. Of course dis lipation, unhygienic living, nnhcalthfnl sur roundings, sap one's resisting power, so that when a virulent ailment makes an attack one has strenjlh insufficient to fght it off. You see that it is not so much tht malignancy of the disease as it is the vital ity of the man that dutennines tht- result, lust so it is also in the moral world, savs Wellsnring. There are some persons liv ing lives ko upright, so spiritually healthy, that they arc practically immune from temptation. And when they are over come, they soon recover themselves, for their power of resistance is great. On the other hand, there are tire who after suc cumbing to one temptation are completely swept away by the power of evil. How can that be accounted for? Obviously in the same way that the ability to resist physi cal disease is to be explained. There has been unwholesome moral living; the miud has been permitted to become familihr with evil Thoughts; the soul has breathed in miasm l and corruption, until one has no bility to put away temptation. All this suggests the need of resisting power both against disease and against sin. A pure, clean, wholesome life, physical and moral, will make one secure against ny harm that either can do. Our Worst Enemy. Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler, in estimating wlmc he dcemi to be our worst enemy in this life, says: "Dangerous as the devil is, dangerouj as worldly amusements are, the most dangerous enemy that we often have to encounter walks in our own shoes. That cunning, artful, smooth-tongued heart-devil, self, is the foe that needs the most constant watching and subjects us to the worae defeats. 'The flesh lusteth ai, .inst the Spirit, and the Spirit against the fleth, and these are contrary the one to the other.' Peal had a tremendous juttle e'ong these lines, heating down his nrn.'i nature by hard blows, and the old hero va able at the last to shout, 'I have t'ou,'lit . good fight; henceforth there is bid up for me a crown of righteousness!' Whoever has, by God's help, laid his dc Bires, his plans, his purposes, his property, nnd, above all, his own will at the feet of Jesus Christ, is already one of the over co ners. He already begins to wear clean raiment, and the omniscient eve of God discerns on his brow the first flashings of the victor's crown!" ' Discipline the Appetite, Archdeacon Govctt, of Gibraltar, .'n a letter to the public upon the consumption of alcohol in the British army, points out that despite the strong evidence adduced by Lord Napier and Lord Wolaeley as to the criminal effects of alcohol in the army (nearly ninety per cent, of the crime being attributed to it), and despite the evidence of statistics, science and experience, the lads of both the army and navy of Britain are daily dosed with intoxicants. The marine, at the age of twenty, is served every day with bis tot of rum, and cheap drinking canteens are regimental institu tions. Until these customs, supported by high authority, are destroyed, say Mr. 'iovett, "we shall have the shameful vices jvhich send men to hospital or prison nourishing both in the army and navy. What is the use of-discipline for the body, U there is no- discipline applied to the .ppetite?" Run With Patience. It is not talent or genius that enables one to succeed so much a perseverance VVo win not by the sudden spurt, but by keeping persistently at it. One may tire himself more by running a mile than by walking five. If we must run, let us run W;th patience the race that i' t be for Us. Lo'led Presbyterian. RAM'S HORN BLASTS. RUTH may 1)9 eclipsed but It never ceaaea to shine. Sourness Is not solemnity. God'a promises do not depend on our performances. Wa drop our bau bles when we reach to grasp a blessing. It would be bard to "onduet family prayers around a 7Kf X. eaao of beer. If the love of God la In your heart tliey will know it In your home. The woman who will eat cucumbers la sure to talk about her cross. The providence of Ood la not a sy nonym for the Indolence of man. The aermon with nothing but sensa tion ia aa bad aa a pie with nothing but srilce. It Is a grave question whether ws love God for what He la or (or what He has. A deacon's prayers mar be aa habit ual and aa meaningless aa a team iter's profanity. The man who brags of bla paat la not likely to have anything to brag ot In bla future. The atar-preacher baa no show be side the man who reflects the Bun of Righteousness. Humility is one of the materials left out by the aelt-made man. It la not hard to cbooae' between a dirty aaint and a clean sinner. A man doea not eacapa bell la tho fu ture by enduring U here. THE SABBATH SCHOOL International Lesson Comments August 16. (or Subject: Suit Trie to Kill David, I Sam, xvlll., 5-16 Ooldco Text, Pra. L, I Mcmory Versee, IM4 Conmcotary on lb Day's Lesion. 1. Uavid's promotion (v. f). 8. "David went out." Alter his victory over Goliath David was appointed to some post of com mand nnd went out on military expedi tions. "Wisely." .This word combines t!i ulcus of prudence nnd consequent success, "f-et him over." etc. 'Ihis is probably the same appointment as that referred to in v. 13. David was not made the leading ofneer over all the host, for Abner held that position (chap. 17:,53), but Saul gave him some principal command in the army and made him captain of a regiment. "Was accepted." The elevation of the shepherd hoy was in the hearts of the com liion people, and no douht the sentiment o; the iiatijn at this tunc had had some influence on Saul in his promotion of David. "Saul's servants." Kvun the cour tiers, who were the most likely to be dis pleased with this new favorite, were glad to receive the youthful conqueror and reivjjiibe his authority. Jl. David's victory celebrated (vs. C-9). C. "Was returned." There has evidently been a digression in the narrative (vs. 1-5) "to relate the circumstances of David' ftrnuincnt reception into Saul's service, the commencement of the friendship be tween him und Jonathan, and his ultimato promotion and success." The narrative now goes back to the welcome which David received when the army returned in tri umph from the successful completion of tiie PhiiUtine war. This verse should be read in connection with chap. 17:54; though some time may have elapsed, dur ing which the army was occupied in fol lowing up its first success. "Women came out." It was the principal business of certain women to cclelirate victories, sing ot funerals, etc. "Of all the cities." They came together from nil the neighboring cities. "Singing and dancing." This is a characteristic trait of Oriental manners. On the return of friends long absent, and particularly on the return of a victorious army, hands of women and children issue from the towns nnd villages to form a triumphal procession, to celebrate the vic tory with dancing, music and songs, in honor of the generals who have earned the highest distinction by feats of gal lantry. The Hebrew women, therefore, were merely paying the customary con gratulations to David as the deliverer of their country. "Tubrets timbrels." That is. the haii'l-drum, mi instrument still used by the Arabs, and described as a hoop over which a piece of parchment is drawn. Sometimes pieces of brass are fi.ed in it to make a iinglin;;. It is beaten with the fingers. The instrument must have been similar to the modern tam bourine.' 7. "Sens "e to another." They sang alternately. Some of the women began the song with. "Saul hath slain his thou sands," and another company answered, "And David his ten thousands." This was a neat poetic parallelism. The en thiisia'tic throng intimate that David's triumph was of more importance than nil of Saul's victories." In' this they com mitted n grave indiscretion; they praised u subject nt the expense of their sovereign. 3, B. "Very wroth." Saul centered hi thoughts on himself. This was the prin cipal cause of his trouble. He was al ways ready to seek the ruin of any man by whom he imagined he might be injured. "But the kingdom." The prophet had distinctly told him in the day of his sin that the Lord had rent the kingdom from him. and had given it to a neighbor that ivas better than he (chap. 15:28). In David Saul could read the marks of such a man. "lived David." Watched all his move ments with suspicion and jealousy, which soon ripened into deadly hatred. III. Saul's attempt on David's life (vs. 10, 11). Here commences the record of those persecutions by which, during the rest of Saul's lifetime, the conqueror of Goliath was continually harassed. It forms a suggestive period of lsraelitish history, and presents in striking contrast the development of Saul's great wicked ness on the ouo hand, and of David's many excellences oa the other. Theje persecj tion. however, were a most useful discip line for the pswlmist king. 10. "Evil suirit." A demon like thoia mentioned S'J frequently in the New Testa ment. "l'Vom God." Sent by permission of God, as Satan in Job 2:7. "Came upon L;aul." He relaDsed into a state of de moniac possession. See chap. 10:14. "Pronnesied." Kather, "raved." Saul' condition is neither that of simple mad ness or of true prophecy. He is under the control of a power higher than him self, but it is an evil power. Saul was at first inspired by the Ho!y Spirit of God, hut now that spirit, has left him nnd a foul demon occupies his place, nnd, ac cordingly, instead of hallowed ecitasy, his religious exercises resemble the frantic raviugs of a madman. He utters impas sioned cries, and perhaps falls prostrate on the floor and breathes forth his inner ravings like one holding communion with nn unseen world. As nt other times." See chap. 10:23. Also see R. V. There U n wonderful power in music to soothe a troubled soul. "A javelin." Tho javelin or spear was the cmb.em of regal authority. In ancient times kings used a spear in stead of n diadem. They always had it at hand, and in ancient monuments they are always reuresented with it. 11. "Cast the- javelin." Saul, now thoroughly infuriated, determined to make an end of the shepherd boy. After thii person i! attack Saul never lost the idea that David was the God-ordained king. This purpose be resolved to defeat, and, accordingly, made several attempts on David's fife. IV". David' further advancement fvs. 12-181. 12, 13. "Was afraid of David." Saul became sensible that he was fighting against God: this caused terror and con tinued to disturb him more and more. " Fit-cause the Lord," etc. When God is with us we are certain to succeed, but when tho Lord forsakes a person he is equully certain to be defeated. The Chris tian is mighty only "through God" (2 Cor 2:1")). "Cantain. ' It is not certain that this was the sume appointment referred to in v. 9. but it is quite likely that it was. 14-18. "Pehaved," etc. David acted dis creetly; he trusted to the divine guidance: God was with him. Because of this "Saul . . . stood in awe of him" (v. 15, R. V.), This is a stronger expression than the one used in v. 12, and denotes primarily the avoidance of the person feared. All loved Duvid." Saul made David captain over a thousand partly to get rid of him from hi presence, and partly perhaps in the hope that he would lose his fife in battle (vs. 17. 2-); but the result was that he became tirmlv established in the affec tion of the people. A POINT FOR SCIENTIGT3. Why the Epontaneot Combustion of Young Treeo? Destruction of trees by spontaneous combustion seems to to almost Im possible, nnd yet It haa occurrod fra quontly on tho baaka cf the Rivet Cam, noar Cambridge, England. At one point In the river tho procesa has ben scan golcg on. Hale and green willow tree, covered with a rich niaii of foliage and In a floarlfblng condi tion on tbe river banlts, auddenly burst forth Into lenitton and burn Ilka tinder right dor.n to the core. In mo3t of the cases tbe troea were llttU moro than striplltgi, so that putrescence cr fermentation can hard ly be given as a reason (or the phen omenon. The big, vigorous willows poured forth clouds ot smoke from their balf-burned items, and when tht firs bad burned out presented an ap pearacca of charred ruins, looking at If they had been stripped and shat tered by lightning. It b up to the scientists to explain away the fact that though a larje per centase of the subitanco of trsea li water, yet these willow trees burned 1 without dd from other sources. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR TOPICS. August 16. Lessons from Paul: How to Us Tact la Dcsllnf with Men. I Cor. 9:19-23. 8erlpture Verses Psa. 90:12; lilt 10; Prov. 1:1-6; Matt. 10:16; Rora. 16: 19; Eph. 5:15; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Jas. 3: 13. Lesson Thoughts. In doallng with men we must con sider them and not ourselves. Wb must se;'k their Interest, not our pleas ure; their needs, not our honor. The horse that Is roaming at liberty In the pasture may lenjoy himself, but If he is to be of any use to the world he must put his neck Into a collar and submit to rule. So tho Christian who would do good must serve his fellow man. We must seek, not what we en Joy most, but what will best swve the cause of ChrlBt. The nobleet freedom Is found In the humblest service-. Selections. Charles Klngsley talking to the farm er of his crops, to the fisherman of his fish, and to the gardner of his flowers, that he might win them to tho thought of his heart; M-Iss Gulness, Ilvlnit among the London factory-glrla and working for eight cents a day that she might lift th:-m up: Mrs. Whlttemore, In her slum dress, visiting the dives of the city, and rescuing the lowest from thi!lr lives of shame; Ralph Wells, down on the dirty floor of a wretched attic tenement, fixing a little boy's broken kite, that he might coax the children to hia Sunday school are among those who can understand what Paul meant whon ho said; "All things to all men." dust as the chameleon takes its col or from what rests upon, so'tha Chris tian worker will put himself in har mony with the man he Is trying to help. Tha fingers of the blind, that at first are unable to distinguish the raised let ters, acquire with practice a delicacy of touch of tact whereby they can read as fast, nearly, as If they could see. Tact comes with practice. No one can do much good unless ho enters Into thorough and heartfelt sym pathy with the erring whom he wishes to save. But it makes all the differ ence In the world, with what In them we sympathize If we sympathize wJth the sin. if we love It and delight In it, if we HkB to Join in it. and pacify the conscience of the sinner by approval, or smoothing over the sin aa a very lit tle evil, than our sympathy Is only a deadly evil. We strengthen In sin, and not save from ft. But If we sympa thize with the consciousness of own weakness, with the desire to overcome It. with the struggle in spite of many failures, to gain the victory, with the hope and longing for better things, then our sympathy is a power for good. Suggested Hymns. While we pray and while we plead. Gird on he sword and armor. Come, Holy Spirit. O come to the Savior. Take thou my hand, and lead me. Ho! Heapera of life's harvest. EPW0RTH LEAGUE MEETING TOPICS. Adjust 16. Endure Hardness as a Good Soldier, (2 Tim. 2. 3, 4.) Paul draws his figure of tho Chris tian as a soldier. The figure of the Christian as a soldier has always been popular. Paul used It often, notably In his great description of the Christian's armor and weapons In the sixth chap ter of his letter to the Epheslans. The soldier spirit is rightly reckoned a part of Christianity. True, our Lord forbade physical force, and the under lying fact of his Gospel Is that It ap peals to the free will of men. None are compelled to become Christians." The Christian soldier is not a conscript, but a volunteer. But the Christian faith Involves fighting. There is. first of all, the struggle against self, and against the attacks of temptation. This Is defens ive warfare, and sometimes it is tho most dJscouraglng. "Save me from myself" is the exceeding bitter cry ot many a soul contending with the very forces of Its own life. Then there is offensive warfare There is upon us an obligation to tell the good news of the Gospel. That means struggle, effort, "hardnesa." For the Gospel opposes sin, and many people love sin. What snail the Christian do? Go Into the desert, nway from men, that he may save his soul? Or stay among men, but without attacking sin, and self, and selfishness? Neither. In the desart he will still have the fight with himself, and it will be all the Uesner by reason of the solitude, Tho only thing to do Is to enlist for the war, come out in tho Christian uniform, and endure hardnesa as a good soldier. Some of the reasons why a Christian soldier should be willing to endure hardness In the service of his Captain are: Because he la a Christian soldier. When they advised Nehemiah to flee from his enumies to tho temple he said, "Should such a man as I flee?'' To avoid hardship when it conies in the line of duty Is treason. So the Christian will endure the hardness "til his place. Hardness Is the way to suc cess. Every Christian hopes to see tho work of God set forward. But it can often be done only by struggle and by rrlvatlon. If you believe it Is worth while to pray, ' Thy kingdom come," you surely believe It is worth while to holp the kingdom to corner to aid in the answering of your own prayer. The Christian must be a soldier be cause of his dangers. No man ought to be attacked for his religion's sake, but every man Is. The Christian must be a soldier bocause of his Influonce. If he has no great personal battles to fight he can find plenty of places where a lift and a good word will help some body else In his battl'J. Courage breeds courage. Larger issues depend on you. young man. young woman, than you dream. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. Questions for Boys and Girls. If you are good at guessing or an swering, here are a few questions you ran wrestle with: You can see any day a white horse, but did you ever see a white colt? How many different kinds ot trees (row In your neighborhood, and what are they good for? Why dons a horse eat grass back ward and a cow forward? Why does a hty vine wind one way and a tcan vine be other? Where ahould chimney be the larger, at the top r bottom, and why? How old must 1 grapevine be be fore It begins to bear? Can you tell why some leaves turn upside down Just before a rain? Can you tell why a horse when totherod with a rope always unravels It, while a cow always twists It into a kinky knot? What wood will bear tha greatest weight be.'ore brotkicg? THE RELIGIOUS LIFE rtEADINO FOR THE QUIET HOUR WHEN THE SOUL INVITES ITSELF. roem: frayer Vlre Kscapes I.nw of Spir itual Hi-ir-l'rrscrvntlnn Warn Aanlnst Taking I'lisnrri When Forming HiiliH Cnmlilltis; Is To-Dhj's Kspcclul 1'erlU My soul in search of rest, And longing to be blel, Would lean upon Thy brent-" Come Thou this way. If 1 have wayward been, And prone to look on sin Without and not within, Forgive, 1 pray. Tike this soiled Barb from me, And make my robe to be OT seamless charily, Wheie'er I go; And for my way prepare A light of sacred prayer, 'Hint reaches everyw heio, To friend and foe. To pray with equal zeal "v. 'or tliem whose hate I feci, And my good name would steal, Is haid to do: lint who. with liase deceit. Would rob me of life's sweet- tow tares within mv wheat, L'. .-n ,1 Forgive them, too. To pray thus. I opine. Will bring this heart of mino K caivr to truth divine, Taught in Thy word, And it I ever see The heights ot Calvary, 1 criii ilicd must be With my dear Lord. -Harriet 11. Duichcr, m Chicago Standard. Ilon't liiiinlile Awrv I.lfe, Going down the street the oilier day, says a writer ill the Chicaxo Interior, w.ilk ina toward the lake so that the fronts of the buildings between us nnd the water' edge stood clearly deiineil against the . cloudless sky. we could not help noticing p noticing how the facades of ail were hung with al- mose innumerable fire escapes. Like great wens lor gigantic spnlers they reoched from story to story, and silhouttcd against the azure background they formed a very conspicuous feature of the scene. It was evident from their numbers that their presence was not accidental. With out knowing fully the Icgislntinn govern ing their construction, it seemed certain that the state had made their erection (onipulsoiy. Past experience had taught the citizens that many a "lireproof" struc ture goes up in smoke, and that under cer tain conditions even stone and mortar melt with fervent heat. Those who saw the greater part of Chicauo dissolve into cloud thirty years ago have not the con fidence in builders' a-surances that they once had. Kvcn when entering the most substantial structure they have the haliit of looking round for means of exit. Taught by what he has endured, a Chicago pio neer would not care to spend more tlian one niilit on the summit of M Hint lllanc unless it were provided with a fire es cape. Whv should men bo less careful of their spiritual ilian oi their physical safety? Why hoaid a man who would not rent an oliice or accept a ulccping chamber without first looking up the lire escape, enter upon habits of life and custom of so ciety without n moment's thought of the risks Involved? Are there not spiritual "death traps.'' well known to the wise, where nevertheless the young and the thoughtless blithely resort for the careless enjoyment of perilous pleasures? It re quires no special genius to enter upon the prodigal's career; but how is one to be de livered from its conseipienccs? When the purse is empty, is there an easy way buck to affluence? When the eve sparkles and the pulses quicken under the gentle stimu lus of champagne, would it not be the part of wisdom to ask where is the way to safety if the .soul should suddenly become coiiM-ious of approaching peril? Suppose the pace begins. to tell? Suppose the man awakes to find his account overdrawn, his health impaired, and his name under an eclipse? is there u tire escape leading quickly and eaily from this club-house iiie io ins oiii-timo irceiloin and safety? llayc his new habits given him a stronger will, a clearer conscience and u more inti mate touch with the redemptive elements ol so iety? Before making one's home here would it not be the part of wisdom to know whether there is from hhi-Ii n career an ta.-y riHicat, or whether the soul waking to an hour of menacing peril wakens only to iiml itself more engaged 'while strug gling to be free? The speci.il peril of our day is gambling. I nscrupiihius dealers tempt little children ninl foolish boys with multitudinous de vices, through which thev can be intro diiccd to the fascinations f ,innPe gains. Ilut where is the fire escape? When the flames me ull about you, and the danger is imminent, nnd it is n question of flight or death, is it easy to unlearn all these dia bolical habits? it is a simple matter to es cape the fascinations which attach them se.ves to all forms of hazard and of chance? the wise man knows that it is cuicr to keen out than to get out. Hinged about with tlamcs, the unhappy victim of sin's fire traps plunges for a few " in.MiieinN miner aim tlntlier. all in vain, and then, us we have so lately seen m the fashionable life of an eastern city, in shier despmr leaps upon death and per ishes with all tho imperfections on hi head. Do not foolishly "take the chances when thev are too evidently ull against you. Do not make any mode of Hie even your temporary home 'if from it you fail to find a plain and easy path that cads to a peaceful nnd secure life, a life hid with Christ in God." Helpful mill True, Practicality is the spirit which rccoK macs and grnsps the moral opportunity present in every phase of life.-Mr. Storrs. Intellect may give keenness of discern ment. Love alone gives hugeness to tho nature some t-hare in the comprehensive ness of (,od. .lohn Hamilton Thorn. Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards they simply unveil them to the eves of men. Kih-ntly and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we glow und wax strong, or we grow and w.iX weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have be come. IJjshnp We. tcntt. Disappointment is like a sieve. Through its coar-e meshes the small ambitions and hopes and endeavors of a soul ure sifted out relentlessly. Hut tho things that are big enough not to fall through are not in the least affected hy it. It i ouly a test not u finality. Wellspring. ' He Good to Others. Consider this: Your goodness is of no use it yon are not good to others. The good nt goodne.s is that you can wrap other inside it It ought to be like u hig cloak that you have on u cold night, while the shivering iwrson next to you hds none. It you dont m;,Uc , of vour gllojnew, what is the gjoj f ,t?Mr. Clilford. The Only Cure. ..The only cure for indolence is work the on.y cure for selfishness is sacrifice the only cure for unbelief is to shake off the ague of doubt by doing Christ' hid iling: the only cure for timidity i to plunge into some dreadful duty before the chill tome on. Rutherford. Never Ilttrey f-onflilenre. To betray a confidence is to make your elf de.pical.le; many thing. ie i,t ftmitna frimU .-l.;..l. 1 . - --"ii uiv niu sent under a seal of .ecrecy. but are understood to be confidential, and a truly honorable man Will fltVfr vm ia . D. Hartley. ao-'.- A fine Distinction. Samuel Ellsworth Klser, the poet humorist of the Chicago Record Her aid, recently visited Baltimore In con nection with a gathering of humorlsU In that city. During bla visit he waa asked by one of the local newspaper humorists to write a piece ot verse for bis department. Klsor turned to hi friend with, a bland air and asked: "Poetry, or for publication? "New York Times. Italy's King. The King of Italy la five feet three f acboa in high- THE OK EAT DlCSTfiOl'Efr SOW? '--ARTUNG FACTS ABOUT THE ViCE OF INTEMPERANCE. I'oemi The Itnynl Twins tn ?fo rn Kvent dm Be TrnrM So Kaslljr tti Influence of tlie Kalnon as In tha Out- 1rink of Moll Violence, Mondle and Booze are royal twins, Willing to serve the ' "outs" and that "ins." rtrndv to manage the State and Nation, Taking a hand in legislation. The patriot'" birthright can't be bought. Yet the patriot's ballot count for naught; The decree's gone forth from Doodle tod Ilooze. To vote their will or your vote you lose. The judge swings back in his easy chair. Hilling the court with a lofty air; lie reached the bench bv learning to o The magical power of Doodle and iiooze., rSnllot reform is the lawmaker's hobhr, Hoodie and lloozc rule the lawmaker's lobby; To th" lawmaker's heart the people are dear, But 11 iodic and Boozo hare the law maker's car. Ve inntiarclis and tyrants of other lands. With serfs and slaves to obey your commands. Our plainness of speech you'll please ex cuse, B:i! vou're nowhere with Boodle ani Booze. Fr"m over the bills -fid far away. There breaks th" gleam of another dar. When men shall be men and longer re fuse, To be ruler and damned by Boodle anil Honfe. 11. M. Chalfaut, in The New Voice. T.lqnnr nnd I.ynrTtlnt. Tlie extraordinorv record of mob tin lence throughout the country during trui Hst few rnonths has startled both eon- ments. Our strenuous nrotesl againat Russian massacres have b"en completely neutralized by set" no less barbaric in our very midst. So flagrant nnd widespread has been the spirit of lawlessness that it has compelled the attention of the entire newspaper Tre of the country. De clares the Atlanta Constitution: "It U astonishing to consider how far and fast the snirit of nnarchv is traveling in thin country. It is no longer sectional, if it eve- was. but is a nationally diffused crime, and n crowing menace to the good order and civilized procedures of the nation at ln'-v. It must be stopped!" Tn no current events esn the influewfr of the saloon bo traced so easily. Yet heretofore, it is practically certain that that influence was scarcely recognized out side of the Prohibition nrcss. The signi ficant feature of editorial comment in thsj srrnlnr ress to-day is the general recog nition of this very thing. Snvs the Knox vil' (Tennessee Journal and Tribune: "Tbe only safety to a State or a com munity lies in a just and fearless enforce ment of law. Give criminals an inch and thev will take a foot. Permit a minor law to be violated and it wi'l lead to the violation of greater ones. Wi"k at the law niainst. gamblinc and it will eneour ar the criminally disposed to do some thin worse; close the eyes to the illicit Sunday saloon, and those who mar medi tate larceny "tay conclude that the offi cials are indifferent generally. . . I ten dor law-breaking unnopular a"d lnw-hreak-ers of every sort infamous. When thin i done there will be no such demonstration as we have witnessed in county, anil no more violations that bring terror to commnitics and disgrace to States and cities." "Whiskv." declares the Inter-Ocean, at Chicago, "is p'aving a most conspicuous, part in the outlawry now prevalent in o many localities. "Kreesive ne of intoxicants may afford a piu-tinl exnlanntion of recent revolting crimes and the shameful events following them. If so. then a common sense view of the situation involves the closing of saloons in every city menaced by mobs, and the c'oser supervision of those dis posed to the reckless use of intoxicants." The closing of sn loons in Wilmington, Delaware, "when the city was intlannvl -d convulsed over lynching," declares tho-Wis.-onsin Stte-.Tournal, "suggests x theory as to th" tinal overthrow of the sa'oon system of America. "It is onlv a speculation, but the men tal outreaches nF men great in soul have in them something of prophecy. It i certain that so deep-seated and pervading a condition as the chain of IW.noO sa loons, cannot be wiped out withont av convulsion that shall shake all. What ever the price may lie, God speed the dav." There is absolutely i" extenuation for I bcs invi'"l example of public frenzy, but the fact that the nation's attention is f serinus'v fixed upon them is distinctly en couraging. All the mobs of the year, the countrv over. b--e not. been so destruc tive nf hriran life, nrd subversive of na-t:o-'il order, ns the legalized dramshop of the nation io one week's uninterrupted dcbai'cberv of the citizenship. But this fn-t of cheer stand out: The Tronic have been roused to a noint of ef fective action bv this series of passionate outbreak, and to unexpected appreciation of the part whi-h the saloon plav in tlirm all. Inevitably the cause of th American home versus the liquor traffic hs been advanced on the docket and bid 'air to b the next case railed for a hear-ic-r nt the bar of public opinion. New Voice. Practical Trtuperanre Vork. Some of the railroad branrhe of th T. M. C. A. arc doini some excellent work in the furthernnre of trmnerance, vis., in the eishinr. of checks for workmen on rav dav. To s'l lart-e c-ties and oth manufacturing districts workmen are raid in check in stead of c-sh. These cheek have to he e- died, and for thi business saloon eater. Th rcs'i't is that near'.v every workman feels as if he must tal" a drinV as thank to the saloonkeeper. The o; e drink too of ten leads to a second and a tn.rd and not infreonertlv the bulk cf workman's wag" is left in the saloon instead of being -arried home. . Derllne In Irankenness. Co-operation of the Boston nre. the onVia's of the Boston IHc-ated Railway-, and the new head of the Police Board of Boston. hn materially decreased th amount of drunkenness in the city, espeei. aby on Saturday night. Suburbanite coniin to Boston now find it far more tMlirult to secure transportation hin than thev used to. Stringent order have been issued to the police, anil to tbe mo tormen and conductor and the ear to re iV"! """"'i' nee to all men who are in the i-ihtest degree under the influence o io,uor. An Anient Twmimnt-st XTorSsrT. Witte. the Ilnseian minister of finance. I an ardent temneranre worker. He is av teetnta'er, and induced the Oar to dec orate the men and women who are tx most active in temneranre work. He make no sp-rrt of hi preference for t totalrr in the various offices of U de partment he control. In rroreaa r Nolatlom. The liouor problem o far as the T tisa nes world is conn-roed ia prorrs of natural solution. Railroad, corporations, businrss men have put their ben on tHe drink habit. Even the Minor-keeper i mudi a aober man behind the bar. Chxrexl Is AltsjtlNtl. A reeent writer in Krenrb wiagansw call attention to the fart that the oJknal statistic of the police court of Pari show that for several year paat titer has hea a rjpid lucreest) m juvenile eriminabre. Kven among murderer there is tone,! e. large iert-eutage r-f young people, aoate el most i-ntiilreo. Thi increase of juvenile, crime is chirked to ak-ohol, wlWk Iwa keeit hoivn to not no. uuertly, but iaatcweth. thio:ih heredity. , Alcohol tiUy an important a rel l l ie pioJucf io i ut tnsjnilv and e-iwe, -eiil.y In e.ti und large tnu. Uat sm cieiy siiou d use every meat (a estaeal lb i . ing generation la the tlaiu- t-iv-juiig it tiM at a Ltieiae.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers