"TflE DIY1NE CARPENTERS
1 Brilliant Sunday Sermon B the
Ber. Dr. H. C Sweatee!.
Christ Belonged to (he Onad Army ol Self
Respecting Worklngmea.
Bkooklyx, N. Y. An interesting and
forceful sermon vu preached (Sunday
morning by Rev. Dr. Henry C. Swentzel,
rertor of St. Luko's Church, Clinton ave
nue, near Fulton street. The subject w.n
"The Divine Carpenter," and the text St.
Mark vi:3: ,-Is not this the carpenter?"
Dr. Swentzel snid:
The glorious Hon of Man was a mechanic.
It is well worth while to consider those
eighteen years which He spent at Nazar
eth, concerning which we would dearly
love to know so much, but of which it i
possible to learn so little. Whether He
were rich or poor, whether Ho devoted
Himself exclusively to the exercises of re
ligion or was orcupied with other concerns
as well; whether He were, so to say. a
man among men, or lived a strange weird
life as a recluse in the wilderness these
lire queries upon which we .may reflect
with, prolit.
During the period which began when the
Christ Child went down from among the
doctors in the temple to the Galilean home
to prepare for His nublie life there is only
one bit of definite information concerning
Him, and that is furnished almost acci
dentally in the text.
The people who had known Him all
along were astonished when they heard
His sayings and saw His mighty works.
The record which He made among them in
bygone years was worthy of Him and
ought to have prepared them to expect
large things of Him sooner or later, but
they could not forget that He had lived
among them as a common artisan. JVhen
He returns to them with all the fame He
had won and was about to spend a briel
season with them in order that His former
friends and neighbors might not he neg
lected in His ministry, they recall His an
tecedents, and they ask with mingled won
der and scorn, "Is not this the carpenter?"
The question establishes the fact that
Jesus had been known as a village carpen
ter. From the days of youth until He set
out to do the stupendous work for which
He was sent, He accepted the trade of His
reputed father and was occupied largely
with its ordinary employment. He be
longed to the "working classes." A de
scendant of the royal David He most sure
ly was, and yet He thought not of the
throne of His renowned ancestor. He was
indeed a king, but not after the world's
fashion, for He came to be King of men,
to rule the heart and conscience of man
kind. He seems to have had no ambition
to attain unto a lofty station, and the par
aphernalia of earthly greatness had no
charms for Him. His masterful purpose
was to save the world, both the classes anil
the masses, and He would, therefore, iden
tify Himself personally and actively with
the multitudes and not only with a privil
eged few. He could teach princely virtues
without being a prince, and He would ben
efit the hosts of mankind by allying Him
self with the conditions and experiences of
the many. He understood full well that
no political contrivances cou'.d bring the
kingdom of God to this earth, and He con
sidered that the needs of the millions could
be served in no other way thun by the
moral and spiritual democracy which it
was His mission to establish.
Our Lord was a workingrnan. Tt must
not, therefore, be supposed that Ho held a
brief or thundered a bull of excommunica
tion against riches. He had something to
say against mammon worship, and He
warned against the temptations of opu
lence, but He never branded wealth as es
eentialiy evil. He taught emphatically that
the responsibility of people is in exact pro
portion to what they have, and that, inas
much as money entails numerous obliga
tions, they who have it can be saved only
through the most devoted regard for their
duties. Some of His disciples were well-to-do,
and both the midnight inquirer and the
good man of Arimathea were dear to Him.
The common people heard Him gladly,"
but others were not excluded from His
blessing simply because they had posses
sions. The gifts of the Magi at the begin
ning of His career and the rich man's tomb
svherein His mangled corpse reposed at the
last, indicate that His mission included
both the many and the few. He advocated
none of the insane social or political here
ties which some believe in now, but, tak
ing full account of human inequalities, He
taught the world to do its best, to live
manfully amid the strains and stress of
life, to use the present situation with all
its ills for the glory of God and the well
being of the human family. No Croesus
could have been the Son of Man. The real
Son of Man must be typical and represen
tative in every noble way. He must be the
brother of the toiling millions who earn
their bread in the sweat of their face, and
who deal every day with the urgent prob
lem of livelihood.
' And yet Jesus did not accept the. state
of squalid poverty. He was no pauper.
The purpose of infinite love which brought
Him hither could not prompt Him to ac
cept the state of such a forlorn character.
It would be impossible for any individual
who was poor through his own guilt to bi
other than on incongruous ana repulsive
figure, or to stand as the model of perfect
manhood. Pauperism is an evil in every
ense; and while society is bound to help
it, it is too degrading and polluting to
merit encouragement, and an enlightened
state will wisely make luwa by which, if
possible, to crush it. Guilty poverty should
be rebuked and shamed. The Son of Man
could choose it not, for then He would
tiave disgraced Himself and presented an
Inferior ideal for His followers. Never by
allowing Himself to be a burden to others
or by becoming an object of public charity,
could He have spoken to men and elevated
their standards and raised the tone of their
. thought. Neither a high social degree not
' discreditable beggary would have been in
harmony with Himself or the interests
which He had in view; for in either case
He would uot have been in a position from
which He could touch the minds and hearts
and lives of the nations. The Son of Man
must be where He can speak to all with
equal advantage, where He can reach their
affections ana wield His blessed power
over the sphere of their practical questions
and activities. He could not have been one
-who was arrayed in purple and fine linen
and fared sumptuously every day, neither
could He have adopted the portion of a
squalid and self-inflicted poverty. He would
not be either r; -h or sunnily poor, but an
honest, industrious, royal working man.
"Ia not this the carpenter?" In this en
vious and half reproachful question of His
acquaintances is a happy revelation of tin
ideal of the Son of Man for all the world.
It was in Joseph's shop that He spent all
aave three years of His manhood, it was
at the bench and with the tools of a me
chanic that He chose to live ia order th.it
Hi example might speak lessons of truth
and inspiration to all human souls. The
Scriptures lay atress upon His humble cir
cumstances, but they do not place Him on
a par with the thriftless sluggard who de
nerves to feel the pinch of want. No ef-
. fort of ours can fathom the depths of His
bumiliation who, being the Son of God, be
came the Son of Mary and a -carpenter;
who, though He was rich yet for our sttkes
He became poor, that we through His pov
erty wight be rich, but He knew no indi
gence. We see this divine Being in Naxa
reth on a self-supporting basis, making a
living by mending plows and yokes, re
pairing houses and doing all the jobs which
fall to a village carpenter; we see Him
working with His hands for bread and
learning by day that way of labor which
must be trodden by all bread-winners. He
belonged to the grand army of self-respecting
workingmen. Not from a palace nor
yet from a hovel, but from the workshop
of an artisan does Jesus of Nazareth make
common cause with all the people of the
passing generations. .
How surely our Lord condemns the sin
fulness of indolence, and how sublimely
. does His example urge the employment of
our energies. He might have maintained
Himself without work, but to have done so
would have been to set the seal of His
sanction upon the very spirit that prompts
the average individual to get through this
world with as little effort ss possible the
spirit that ia plainly the spirit of the devil,
and thst ia the prolific cause of crime and
woe. lie who fed the crowds from few
loaves and fishes might have wrought a
daily miracls for Himself, but nevar once
was His omnipotence exerted in His ovn
beha'f. He accepted the very situation
which confronts us. Engaged with the oc
cupations of His trade during so many
years, He exalts industry into a divine
virtue and brands sloth as n deadly sin.
He has no favor for an ambition that longs
for absolute ease. It may nut be uecessaiy
for any one to be occupied with the bur
dens of business, but we are all bound to
keep in personal touch with the life of hu
manity.. There are other spheres of use
fulness than the Hold and the shop, the
office or the counting room. The church
asks for thousands who are willing to fol
low the example of splendid heroes who
have withdrawn from the haunts of trade
and from the hope of gain in order to de
vote themselves exclusively to the ministry
of Christian laymen. Everywhere are char
ities calling loudly for encouragement and
service. Politics presents a wide range for
the activities of patriotism and of the very
highest religion. There is something for
everybody to do, and no one is justilied in
living for himself in a sequestered and at
tractive nook away from the demands that
sound from every quarter. Kach individ
ual should have some occupation, a place
in the world's vast factories, a work of
some sort which shall tell for the happiness
of others.
The Lord has a strong word for labor.
He is the fellow and the champion of all
toilers. He has a meaning for all those
who work with their brain or with their
hands, for all such are workingmen. He
has forever consecrated the everydayness
of life. He adopts the workaday world.
"The Light of Asia," which states beauti
fully certain features of the Buddh'st reli
gion, represents the incarnate lluddha as a
wandering beggar, asking food. Jesus
Christ was no beggar. The mendicant, any
more than the pauper, rereites not the ap
proval of His own practice, by which fie
sanctified labor until the end of the world.
The Gallilean Carpenter was no less the
incarnate Son of (rod during the years
which He spent at Nazareth than He was
on the mountain of the transfiguration or
on the first Easter Day. There are many
reasons why work is honorable, but it re
ceives its crowning glory from the exper
ience of the divine Christ, during the long
?eriod of which we know nothing save that
fe was a mechanic. He has endured all
occupations with dignity that nothing short
of our own disloyalty ran possibly take
away. It matters not what one's daily
toils are, I hey are worthy of fidelity and,
energy, and they are. as much a part of
God's service as the saying of prayer and
the receiving of religious rites. The em
peror and his humblest subject, the prime
minister and the street sweeper, the mil
lionaire and his valet, all are included in
the spirit of industry and devotion wnich
Jesus manifested at the bench which stood
in a shop or, jierhnps, at. times under a
huge tree at Nazareth. He has hallowed
all vocations by the consecration of His
personal industry, and they should be in
terpreted and accepted as a sacred part of
the life which now is.
The Nazareth Carpenter teaches that
worldly place of itself is nothing worth. A
man may be a man wherever he is, and
labor ia honorable whatever it may be.
Station or the lack of it does noi; make
the man or his life. The people of lowly
degree may likewise learn precious lessons
of the Galilean artisan. They become dis
couraged because they fancy themselves to
be of no account, and they' too often cher
ish an unhappy contempt for their daily
toils. They despise the factory tr the
office as necessary evils. Jesus has a lesson
for them which He pronounces from the
Nazareth shop. Long years He spent in
obscurity. No murmurs escape Him, no
signs of impatience, no evidences of a
restless longing to be otherwise, no vulgar
and godless disposition to try to i nprove
upon the plans of divine providence. Quiet
ly day after day He was concerned with
the unimpressive and uninteresting mat
ters of His business, and His only aim was
to be true to the state where He was des
tined to live until the time came for be-
finning the public ministry. Wherever the
leaVenly lather has placed us we, the
aons of men, can be the sons of God. The
real things of lite are not earthly and tem
poral, and the true estimate of ourselves is
not the place be it lofty or lowly which
we hold among men. 'J he divine Carpen
ter ia a comfort and an inspiration to all.
Amid the employment of His trade did
Jesus prepare Himself for His public life.
There He was made ready, at least in part,
to exercise all those transcendentlv great
qualities of mind and heart which marked
His ministry. For three years He gave
Himself up to His work as the world's Re
deemer, but for fifteen years and more, as
was probably the case, He was only a car
penter. Surely He did not spend all His
time and energy upon His daily toils. Of
ten did He devote Himself to godly exer
cises of prayer and contemplation, without
which no one can develop the traits of
highest character. But He was no recluse.
He settled the truth once for all that the
place for strong-minded, stout-hearted folic
to serve God is in the world; the arena for
doing the Father's will is right here, where
we nave abundant opportunitiea for the
culture of holy graces and the practice of
boly living. We need the benefits of occa
sional solitude, but we are bound to think
so seriously of life and of God's cause as
to give no place to the mawkish sentimen
tal ism which adores perpetual seclusion
and calls it the noblest type of religion.
The divine Carpenter hesitated not to
spend the years upon which His future
work was founded amid the activities inci
dent to the daily interests of mankind. He
was a bread-winner, a wage-earner.
Work is God's ordinance. Ii it was a
curse in the beginning, it is a blessing now.
It is one of the best tonics. It is scarcely
less than a sacrament. It may be debased,
even as may the sacrament of the altar in
which one may eat and drink damnation
to his soul, but It is something of a sacra
ment which is intended, if used aright, to
strengthen and uplift, nnd to further the
divine plans. It is a sacred duty. It is the
privilege and the prerogative of taking
part in the vast activities of humanity. It
is an invitation to the market place to dis
pense comforts, to have a share in the
world's progress and the making of his
tory. It proclaims independence, it disci
plines character, it schools the affections.
We are only holy ground and are doing
holy things when we go with Christ's spirit
to the daily round and the common task.
The founder of Christianity, the incarnate
Son of God, the universal Man, was a vil
lage carpenter.
Holiness and Humility.
The highest lesson a believer has ta
learn is humility. O, that every Christian
who seeks to advance in holiness may re
member this well! There may be intense
consecration, and fervent zeal, and heav
enly experience, and yet, if it is not pre
vented by dealings of the Lord, there may
be an unconsciousself-exjltation with it all.
Let us learn the lesson thx highest holi
ness is the deepest humility, and let us re
member that it comes not e itself, but
on.y is it is made a matter of special deal
ing u i the part of our faithful Lord and
His fanhful servant, Andrew Murray.
A Heap of Pennies.
During the past.ftve years the mint
In Philadelphia has ground out 3,000,
000.393 pennies. Between July 1. 1902.
and June 1, 1903, 86.G00.000 pennies
were coined.
If all those pennies were collected
In a heap it would make quite a
mountain. It would take a Rood many
Eiffel towers to reach as high, for It
would not be less than 2,400 miles
from the bottom to the top penny.
From bis present stock of pennies
L'ncle Sam would be able to give each
child la the world 10 copper keep
saltes and bave enough left over to
fill a cood sized savings bank besides.
Needls Book,
j Take a piece of brown leather am)
.cut out a maple leaf from it Then
take a piece of pink leather and do the
Jsame. Then stitch these leaves so as
to show the reins.
After that cut three leaves from
flannel cloth. Buttonhole stitch them
with either pink, white or brown. Tie
all together with a piece of ribbon, and
you will have a pretty, but simple
needle book.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENT3
FOR MARCH 6.
Subject! .Testis Calms tlie Storm, Mark It.,
M-H tinlilen Text, Psalm 107, 3U
Memoi r Verses, a .TO Commentary
on the Day's Lesson, '
I. Crossing Galilee (vs. 3.V ).
"The other side." .lesus had probably be
come very weary through the long days
work and needed retirement. He knew
that quiet and rest could be best obtained
in the solitude of the eastern shore. Ac-cordiiigl,,-
He proposed to the disciples that
they cross over the lake.
:W. "Sent away the multitude." The
country r.rouml Capernaum, and in all Gal
ilee, was denselv populated and great
crowds ot people followed Christ wherever
He went. His teaching was original, His
personality very striking, and His miracles
proved His power and authority. Some
wished to hear the truth, others had a
curiosity to see the man, and many desired
to be healed of their diseases. "As He
a." Christ had been engaged up to the
last moment, and now leaves without mak
ing any preparation for the voyage, .lust
he lore the boat put oft three of the listen
ers In His words desired to attach them
selves to Him as His disciples: 1. A scribe.
2. An already partial disciple. 3. Another
who wished to bill farewell to his friends
at home. "In the ship." Life has often
been appropriately described us a voyage.
Christ will come on board the barque in
which our destiny is being carried forward,
if ive want Him to. "Little ships." None
of the so-called ships on this lake were of
any great size; they were what we would
call tisiiing boats.
II. A great tempest (vs. 37, 38). "A
great storm." It was one of those sudden
and violent squalls to which the Lake of
Gennesaret was notoriously exposed, lying
as it docs 601) feet lower than the sea anil
sourr Minded by mountain gorges, which
act like gigantic funnels to draw down the
colli winils from the mountains. These
winds are not only violent, but they come
down suddenly, and often when the sky is
perfectly clear. Life's storms come sud
denly. Temptations come when we are not
looking for them. "It was now full." The
boat was now filing. This storm was prob
ahly excited by Satan, the prince of the
power of the air. who having the Author
and all the preachers of the gospel together
in a small vessel, thought, by sinking it,
to defeat the purposes of God. But the
plans of Satan often miscarry. Christ isable
to bring good out ol the threatened ill, and
thus cause even the devil to assist Him in
perfecting the courage and taith ot His
followers.
.'IK. "He was in," etc. Vntil Christ was
hi the ship there was no storm. While
men are resting quietly in carnal security
all is peace, but as soon as Christ rebukes
the world of sin the wicked ale like the
raging sea, that cannot rest, whose waters
cast up dirt and mire. "Asleep." Here
we see that Christ was a human being a
man like other men. He became very
weary, and His nature called for rest and
sleep. A moment later when He stilled
the raging waves we see just as cleaiiv that
He was God. "They awake Him." In the
hour of their distress they turned to
Christ; so should we. At times lie may
appear to be unmindful ot our need, and it
will be necessary for us" to "awake H:m"
bv- earnest, perseverinu prayer. "Master."
The double "Master. Master," of St. Luke
eives vividness to their haste and terror
"We perish." We are in danger of perish
ing. They did not know that no whip could
sink with Christ on hoard. Those in dan
ger of perishing should always go to Christ
for help, for there is none who can save
from the storms of divine wrath but tic
Son of God. This was a model prayer. It
was short, appropriate, fervent.
III. The tempest stilled v. 33). 3D.
"He arose." Christ is always ready to as
sist those in trouble. If we can net the
sympathies of Christ enlisted in our case
all will be well. He (1) arose, (J) rebuked,
and (3) there was a great calm. "Rebuked
the wind." The wind was the cause of the
foaming sea. "Peace, be still." Literally,
"be muzzled." The word means (11 to
close the mouth with a muzzle; (2) to re
duce to silence. He rebuked the winds as
a master rebukes a raging animal. Mark
alone preserves these words which were
doubtless addressed to ' the prince of the
power of the air," by whose agency the
storm had arisen. "A great calm." As a
rule, after a storm the waves continue to
heave and swell for hours, but here at the
word of the Iord of nature there was u
great culm. The culm was great from the
completeness of the stillness.
IV. A gentle reproof (v. 40). 40. "So
fearful." You should have remembered
that the Son of God was on board. There
is no cause for fear. Note some signs of a
weak faith: 1. Feur in danger. 2. Doubt
of the Lord's power in danger. 3. Anx
ious solicitude about earthly things. 4.
Impatience under trouble. '"No faith."
Matthew records Christ's words as being.
"O ye of little faith." 1. They had "no
faith in themselves or their own ability to
hush the elements or to quiet their own
fesrs. 2. They had a "little faith" in their
divine Master. This is seen from the fact
that they (1) came to Christ. (2) awoke
Him, and (3) appealed to Him to save
them. 3. But. their own tearfulness and
Christ's renroof shows that they had only
a little faith. 4. Christ's questions go to
show that they were responsible for the
defectiveness of their faith. 5. Christ's
love for them did not leud Him to shield
His disciples from the reproof thev de
served. 0. Christ honored a little faith.
He (1) arose, (2) rebuked the wind, and
(3) caused a great calm. Is there a tempest
in your heart if There is One w ho is able
to drive out all the elements that cause dis
cord and unrest and give you perfect peace.
And it is the duty of the tempest-tossed
soul to make a personal application to
Christ for the peace which He so much de
sires to give.
V. Great astonishment (v. 41). 41.
"Feared exceedingly." Matthew says, "The
men marvelled." They were greatly aston
ished; tilled with amazement. Thev were
overwhelmed with the majestv and ease
with which He issued His orders to the
elements, and at the submission with
which they, like living intelligcncies. are
bushed by His word. "What manner of
man." What a vast display of power; how
far exalted above mortals must He be!
Christ is the great problem of historv, of
theology, of life. What is He? He is
"man, out what "manner" of man? He
is the God-man, who stands equal with
God on the high level of Deity, and equal
with man on the low level of humanity.
"Obey Him." The One who created wind
and sea could control them.
Strength in Human Limbs.
Physiologists and scientists bav
been making some curious expert
merits with a view to determine thi
relative length and strength of rlghi
and left limbs. Fifty and nine-tenthi
per cent ot the men examined had thi
right arm stronger than the left; 16. (
per cent had the two arms oPequa
length and strength and 32.7 per cen
had the left arm stronger than tht
right. Of women 46.9 per cent bad tht
ri-;ht arm stronger than the left; 24.1
per cent had the left stronger than thi
right. In order to arrive at the avet
age length ot limbs fifty skeleton!
were measured twenty-five of eacl
sex. Of these twenty-three had thi
right arm and left leg longer, six thi
left arm and right leg, while In seven
teen cases all the members were ' "
or less equal In length.
Cat Likes Flowers.
Mrs. C. M. Brocksleper of New Lon
don. Conn., has a big tiger cat, "Jack,'
that has a mania for eating cut flow
era. "Jack" likes all varieties, and if
particularly fond of palm leaf ends
but his choicest, floral menu consist!
ol violets. On Thanksgiving day hi
turned up his nose at turkey and de
mured a large bouquet of violets thai
bad been left In a vase on the dlnlnj
able. He did not even leave tbi
sterna.
SUNDAY, MARCH SIXTH.
How Christ Stills the Storms of
Life." Ps. 107:23-31.
Scripture Verses. .Job 3:17. IS;
laa. 33: 10; Matt. 11:28-30; John 9. 1-3;
1 Cor. 15:5j-5i; 2 Cor. 4:lt18; 2 Tim
4:fi-8; Hob. 12:11; Rev. 7:1317; 21:
1. 3, 4.
Lesson Thoughts.
There Is no distress, no trouble, no
suffering, out of which God Is not able
and as wJlting as he is able, to dellvei
his people. He will never refuse his
grace, which Is sufficient for every
need.
Life's storms would overwhelm us
If we had not divine protection. It la
the part of wisdom to take our
troubles to God.
It is good to cry unto the Lord In
trouble; but how shamefully men for
get to "praise the Lotd for hij good
ness." Selections.
Thy burden God's gift.
And It will make the bearer calm and
strong.
Yet, lest It press too heavily and
long.
He says, "Cast It on me.
And It shall easy be."
And those who heed the voice.
And seek to give It back in trustful
prayer,
Have quiet hearts that never can de
spair; And hope lights up the way
Upon the darkest day.
' Burdens are not unmixed evils.
Saints are otten the moat heavily
laden. Whr-n God tries, he is not look
lng for guilt, but for gold. It Is then
sometimes to be Interpreted as a mark
of divine favor when a soul struggles
forward under the. heavy weight of
affliction or disaster. Whatever Is
God-given need cause no dismay. It Is
not the burden, but the purpose of It,
which we are to study.
O, shadowed heart, cease thy repining,
A loving Father knows thy care;
This cloud must be of his designing.
Because faith sees the silver lining
That proves his constant presence
there.
Prayer Oh that, men would praise
the Lord for Ills goodness, and for His
wonderful works to the children ot
men! Ws do thank Thee, our merciful
heavenly Father, that Thou dost con
stantly watch over us, protecting us
from dangers seen and unseen, and
giving us blessings ' far beyond what
we are worthy to receive. When
storms of trouble and temptation meet
us, and we cry unto Thee, bring us,
wb beseech Thee out of our distress
es, and give us perfect peace In the
assurance of Thy loving protection.
Now, accept our praises which wb
offer In Jesus' name. Amen.
EPSiVORTH LEAGUE LESSONS
MARCH SIXTH.
Christ Stilling the Storms of Life.
P3a. 107. 23-31.
The noblest souls of Israel had a
vision of God in everything. Second
causes for them disappeared. The
divine hand wrought all. The history,
poetry, biography, prophecy, of Israel
Is lull of God.
The lesson of thU psalm, written
probably to celebrate some national
deliverance, is that the judgments and
mrtls of life come not by chance,
but from. God; are not arbitrary, but
follow a divine plan. This flan Pro'
reeds from his eternal holiness. Sin
Jehovah will punish, righteousness he
will reward, that he may draw men
from iniquity, and that they may un
derstand the loving kindness of the
Uird.
Bunyan likens the Chiistlan life to
an overland pilgrimage. With equal
fltne.,3 and fascination he might have
pictured It as a voyage. So self-evident
is this comparison that preachers,
moialUts. poofs hiive worn It thread
bare. T-ie embarka.ion. the desired
haven, the calm and storm, perils,
toTupnnfonahlps, hopes, movement, un
cettalnty, need of chart and compass,
necessity of a pilot, safe arrival, glad
imh at. clasping friends on the home
land shore, these and other like
nesses are so obvious that a voyage
will always btf a favorable picture of
lite.
Jt is a perilous voyage. For some
reason the ship seems to have an evil
tendenry to wreck Itself. It is in-
lined to refuse obedience to the
helmsman, to run uoon roclrs and
quicksands, to get lealty. It is ill fitted
to cop) with wind an! wave. To
i T ,ak without figure, man is by na
ture dlspobed to sin.
Therv are outward perils. Pirates
flying the black flag of ruin swarm on
this sea. Then there are the. storms.
How suddenly they sometimes arise!
How Bercely they rage! How they
toss the Lest built, most skillfully man
aged crafts. Many a fine-looking ship,
which in calm weather sailed as mon
arch of the seas, has easily foundered
when the tempest came.
But not cue need be wrecked. Each
may take on board the Master of wind
and wave. Once there, he can change
the most leaky, water-logged, rotten
ship, with machinery biokeu and rud
der helpless. Into a very queen of the
deep. He can and will either Bttll the
storms or give the vessel power in se
curity to outride them and even make
them help sweep her home.
Christ on board will calm the
storm of guilt. ' How many, tem
pest tossed by conviction, have heard
that sweat, magisterial voice, "Peace,
he still," and there was a great calm.
Looking up Into the clear blue, we
could say, "Therefore beiug justified
by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Chrl.-t.
Cat' Thrilling Rido.
The office cat at the shoe factory
In Derry, N. H., bad a rapid ride in
the big drive wheel one day last week
The cat was asleep In a warm place
In the rim of the wheel before the
power was started and the big wheel
was revolving swiftly before the cat
was seen. The machinery was stop
ped and pussy was taken out un
harmed. Killed Wolf With BrToomallek. ,t
David Dike of Btarksmoro, Vt., Is
ihjbltin the skin of a gray wolf
which ho killed near bis barn. Mr.
Dlk was attracted by a noise near
the barn, and. taking a broom, went
to Investigate. Ho found a wolf there
and killed it with, the broomstick. Toe
animal weighed about thirty-five
pounds and waa a fine specimen.
5?
The l.ove of C;nil.
At first f prayed lor liht; '.juld I but see
the way.
How gladlv would I walk to cvcrlaalinf
day!
I asked the world's deep law before my
eves to ope,
And let me see my prayer fulfilled, and
realize my hope.
But God wa kinder than inv prayer,
And darkness veiled me everywhere.
And next I asked for strength, thai I
might tread the road
With firm, unfaltering pace to heaven's
serene abode ;
That 1 might never know a faltering, (.til
ing heart.
But manfully go on nnd reach the highest
part.
But God was kinder than my prayer,
And weakness chocked me everywhere.
And the.i I asked for faith: could 1 but
trust my God.
I'd live in heavenly peace, though foes
were all abroad.
His light thus sliming round, no filicrinj
should I know;
And faith in l,eaen above would mike a
heaven below.
But God was kinder thin my prayer,
And doubts beset me everywhere'
And now I pray for love, deep love to God
and man
A love that will not fail, however dark
His plan;
That sees all life in Him. rejoicing ia Hi
power.
And faithful, though the darkest clouds ol
gloom nnd doubt may lower.
And God is kinder than my prayer,
Love tills and bleme evervwliere.
Kdnah D. Cheney, in Christian Work.
Crltlrtstn and Work.
It is both natural and cave to criticise,
but as George Kliot used to say. "It is
easier to criticise than to be correct." The
tendency to criticise is always strong with
in us, but never is it stronger than in the
years when our eyes are keen and fresh,
says Wellspring. As time goes on we be
come accustomed to tains ami blotches, to
blemishes and blunders, ami they do not
jar upon us as they do when yet iin-noiled
or calloused; we measure all tilings by the
high ideals which God plants in hearts
which arc young. It i not wise for young
people to suppress entirely their critical
faculties or to smother the hot indignation
which they feel in the presence of suffering
or wrong. The world is never so tine as
young folks expect it to be, and the church
never turns out to be so good as young
people first dream that it i. The disap
pointments of the disillusioning years, the
imperfections,of men, the defects of insti
tutions, and the out-of-jointness of thingf
in general sometimes drive the critic from
one mood to another until he becomes
both, sour and skeptical, aud takes his
place in the seat of the scornful. A man
who sits down in h h scorn is known as a
cynic about the most useless and most
pitiable of all the descendants of Ad tin.
Do not allow- yourselves to become blind
to defects, or to be satiiiied with thing-i
as they are. Alas tor the man or woman
who submits so completely to the world
that he loses the desire to make it better!
In the words of a wise .Scotchman: "The
first open look of young eyes on t lie condi
tion of the world is one of the principal
regenerative forces of humanity. Keep
your keen eyes and your exacting con
science, but be careful to work as well as
talk.
A critic who degenerates into a chroni?
fault finder is a nuisance and a curse.
Criticism is never sane unless accompan
ied by honest work. The old Latin poet
Lucretius spoke truly when he said: "It U
a pleasant thing to stand upon the shore
and see ships tossed upon the sen, to stand
in the window of a eatle and watch a bat
tle on the plain below." It may be pleas
ant, but it is base to hold one's self alool
from the Christian church, criticising its
blunders, but doing nothing to settle it
problems or lighten its burdens.
-.4.1...
Our Religion.
A reader of the Old Testament must be
impressed, if he be a tlioiighttul student
of what lie reads, with the fascination
which novelty in religion always possesses,
says the Chicago Interior. It is ditlieult
for us to conceive w hat charm '.he cults of
Kgypt nnd Assyria possessed, but the
Wilful in Israel had continually to lift up
their voices against the priests of Apis, the
prophets of llaal, and even the votaries of
the still grosser forma ot idolatry practiced
by the Cunuanites. The same spiritual
phenomenon exhibited itself at Itome,
where the worship of the Kgyplian Isi at
one time threatened to replace that of
.love, and later, the mysteries of Mithra,'
from Persia, drew after them practically
the whole patrician class. It makes all the
difference in the world whether our reh-
f iim is a home or a habit, a roof tree that
ia sheltered us or a costume that has
merely pleased our fancy. We resent
change in what is dear to us as much as
we hate sameness in what is Dimply a cou
vention. A leligion which is merely for
mal, external, becomes as tiresome as an
out-of-date garment, but for a religion
which goes dow n by its roots into the heart
of life, men will go to the stake, A new
faith, or an old faith, revamped, will uft
times spread like wildfire, just as a new
cut of u gown will, and for the same rea
son: became we possessed the former, but
it never possessed us. But u religion
which enters into all our ways, controlling
our aims, sanctifying our atTcrtioiis and
dominating imagination itself, is ours till
death. No strange god can be set up in the
temple w hich the Shekinah of His presence
completely "tills" with its glory.
The C'rlms of Couiplarsnry,
No man has a right to be satislied with
what he has done. A famous artist wui
once found by a friend gloomily contem
plating his last painting. "I see nothing
wrong with it," said the friend. "Neither
do I. replied the artist. I'm satisfied,
and I shall never paint another great pic
ture." The same truth was in the mind
of a grand old veteran in Christ's cause,
who said, when congratulated on the man
ifold achievement of his life: "It is not
what I've done that 1 think of, but what
I've left undone." As Kobert Browning
wrote:
"Life has no place for satisfaction in well
doing. On the earth the broken arcs; only iu
heaven a perfect round."
Finding 111 4loll.
How Toud we are of thinking abjut what
we have not, Instead of about what we have!
Ji bus been well said that "some eople's
cast -or? happiness, like their cal-otl
clothes, would make some other eop)e
very he.ppy." The cheeriest lives are not
those that have the inqsi, but tlio.u that
appreciate the most. Kvery one of us has
a gold mine of un worked joy close at baud.
But gold needs searcliing for are you Uncl
ing yours J .Sunday-Sc hool Times.
Poverty.
. To many a tel ot character U lodged in
poverty. Key. i'r. Adm-a, Me, lnvlisi,
Brooklyn, N. Y.
A Useless Hurdso.
It has been well said that no man ever
sank under the burden of the day. It is
when to-morrow's burden is added to the
burden of to-day that the weight is more
than a man can bear. Never load your
selves so, my friends. If you find your
selves so loaded, at least reiiicmlwr this:
it is your doings, not God's. He begs you
to leave the future to Him aud mind the
present. What more or what else could
lie do to take ih burdeu off you?
George MacDonstd.
rorffstfalHss of God.
- Forgetfulnesa of God is ths path t'.iat
leads te taanitold tvils. United Presbyterian.
ME GREAT DESTROYER
10ME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.
There la No flrentsr in a re tn the Toting
Man .Inst Hpglmtlag; Life Than the
Cninpanlnnslilpnf the Moderate tlrlnk
erThey Are Horlefy's Resl Hane.
"Oh. I onlv tike a glass now and then
villi a friend or when I don't feel quite
sell. I defy any man to say he ever saw
ne drunk"
And so w- tnv in you. nilsjuiile.l man,
:liat for this very reason, because you
Innk but are npver drunk, tint you are
;he bane of society. You. and not the
Imnkard.
There is no greater snare to the young
nan iust beginning life than the compsn
onhip of the moilcrnle drinker.
He had better a thousand t-mes have
'nr his friend the man who lies hall of the
,ime ipad drunk in the gutier.
For your moderate drinker is very of
:en a man of good morals, ss the world
roes, and he talk lol'iil'- of schemes for
-Aising mankind and purifying society. He
ilways nuts something in tiie missionary
tux. nnd he rtnes to chnrcli, and helps to
jay the minister, and lie makes speeches
it Fourth of July celebrations and Sab-Alh-sehool
picnics, nnd. a'tonctiicr. is con
ndered a very good r-it'Ten; while ins
leighbnr. who begun with "jnt one glass."
Vit had not the will power lo slop there,
md went on to the depths of drunkenness
Hid desnair. is despised by all nnd hooted
ind scoff ed as he staggers along trie streets.
But Mr. .Smith, the moderate drinker,
knows where to stop, and so retains the
espect of his acquaintances. And when
.he young man at the beginning of his ca
reer of ruin i remonstrated with by Ins
'riends. he looks surprised and refers them
lo Mr. Smith.
"Why, look al Mr. Smith. TTc lias nl,
ravs taken a glass when he fell like it,
md I am sure there is no man stands any
turner than Mr. Smith."
Young friends, such of you ns are I akin
t pattern by Mr. Smith, pause a moment
ind consider. How do you know that, like
him, you can stop before you leave the
jround of safely? How do vou know- tha',
rour will is strong enoueh to keep you
back from the brink of the precipice to
ward which you are advancing?
Kvery one has not an appetite which,
when once nroused. can be controlled by
the will. Nine-tenths of I lip men who be
in by taking ' just one glass" cud bv be
coming drunkards. How do you know
that you are the lui kv tenth man .'
Again, we repent, un, derate drinkers are
the bane of societv, because their example
is one full of insidious fascination, and the
danger is never seen or realized until it is
too late. No man was ever inlbienced to
drink by the sight of one of his fellows
lying beastlv drunk by the roadside.
Urastlv, did we sav? We beg to (.inert
ourselves. Beastly is not the word, for
beasts never denrade themselves to liio
level of men in this respeci.
A brute beast is a creature to be hon
ored beside t lie poor wretch who prosti
tutes his manhood, sinks his moral vespon
lihility and falls to the degradation of a sot.
Think you that any young man who seej
the bloated, disgusting wreck of humanity,
which we call the drunkard, passing along
to the lockup in the hands of the police,
desires to become like him? Is it any
temptation to him lo go and do likewise?
Does the sight make him anxious to be
come a drunkard? Never!
He shudders with disgust and hurries by.
No, the drunkard never tempts any man
to becoma like him; be never entices the
young man of so-called good habits to
drink. It is your gentlemanly, perfumed,
refined, respectable moderate drinker, who
wears glossy linen and broadcloth and
passes for a worthy member of society.
Society forsooth! Out upon such societv!
Men and women of to day, ye who would
in good to your fellow-men, who would
Itrengthen the wenk and 1 1 ft up the fallen,
east out from your friendship and yout
homes this moderate drinker. Place him
ander ban. Let the light of truth shine
apon him, and show him in his true colors,
which, beautiful though thev mav be, are
beautiful onlv with the baleful glitter of a
lerpent'it skin.
And when you pass the miserable drunk
trd as he lies helpless beneath tiie fiend of
rum when yon draw your virtuous robes
around you with a shiver of disaust. and
pass by on the other side, remember that,
loathsome and repulsive though he may be,
hut example is a thousand tunes less bane
ful than that of the respectable, moderate
drinker whom you receive into your houses
ind feast at your tables and a.-eepl as a
vmipamon and friend of your families
Kate Thorn, in the New York Weekly.
Temperance lor ltllro! Men.
Some time since, the Boston and Maine
Railroad bought a hotel at Rotterdam, N.
Y.. where liquor had previously been sold
ind turned it into a plant for moral and
religious work among the railroad em
Moves, who congregated in large numbers
In that town. It was determined to sup
plant the saloon by affording employes a
place of resort, which was conducted upon
moral principles and where religion might
have access. The reports of the company
innounce that the investment ha been a
decidedly paying one. The employes are
more sober and reliable. The danger from
accidents and injuries to lite and limb has
been decreased, and the religious hotel is
regarded as a success.
What the Saloon Does.
The other day we saw an HJ man pushed
ut and ataigc'nng from the door ut a a
'own. He stumbled off the sidewalk, and,
'allmg headlong, struck his head on the
pavement, slid lay stunned and bleeding
jntil some passers by picked him up and
tarried him across the street. Of course,
be was drunk, and probably disagreeable,
ind presumably had spent all his money,
tnd ao he was put out as an undesirable
nest. The saloon keeper had his money
tnd was through with the man until In
obered up and had some more money. As
he came, pitched out from that den ot
iniquity, he was a tit sample of the work
done within. He illustrated what the sa
loon does, iu th.- long run. for those wug
make it their headquarters.
fttrong Prohibitory Ordinance.
The strongest prohibitory ordinance yel
adopted within the State of California is
that which was recently enacted by tin
trustees of Lompoc, which provides for tin
following pcnslties: First violstion, HW
9ne and thirtv day' imprisonment; second
Eolation, $200 line, aixty days imprison
ment; third violation, WOO fine and ninety
days. According to this ordinance all pre
it r in t ions for liquor must be signed by a
iuly sccredited physician, and mast stats
lay, hour and minute when given, and
must be filed within three hours of dais
ind placed on a separate tile by the diug
juts for inspection.
What lln Had to Hay.
A number of young men were one day
lilting around the tire in the waiting room
it an English railway talking about total
ibstiueuc societies. Just then a police
man came iu with a prisoner in handcuffs.
Ha Iwtened to the young nien'e conversa
tion, but did not give any opinion. There
was also in the room Mr. McDonald, a
minister ot trie gospel, who, nearina wni
the young men were saying, stepped up te
the policeman and said: "Tray, sir, what
hava you to say about temperance?
"Well, replied the policeman, "all 1 havi
to aay ia that I never took a teetotaller tc
York Castle prison in my life, nor to
Wakefield house of correction, either."
Demoralises the Natives. .
Bishop II art sell says that aeventy-fivf
per cent, of the demoralisation of nsuvei
of Africa in their home life and charactei
cornea from the use of strong drink, and
Itev. Charles tsstchell Morris declares thl
po (ewer than a.OUO.OW savages die cveij
year aa the result of the traffic.
Whisky Breeds reuds,
' Dr. Wiiiiam G.sjdell Kroet. 1'rtjiucnl ol
Berea College, Meres, Ky., in speaking re
cently upon ( Feuds in our 8outbin high
lands," said that it is the common belivl
of judges thst bave tried criminals foi
murder that ninety-five pr rent, of ali
these killings are performed uuder the lb
flueuc ol the whisky boltU.
THE KEYSTONE STATE '
Latest News of Pennsylvania Teld hi
Short Order. .
f'hnrlcs L. Huston, of ContesvIIIeu ''
Htiite president of the Y. M. C. A., and
a prominent Iron and steel manufacturer.
Is widely known for his) philanthropy..! '
In ten years he has given more than oO.si '
(0 to f hiirity. For several yean h
maintained tlie Huston Memorial Hc
Pital at an iiniuinl expense of 0(XK). Mr.
Huston bus triven $10,iH) to the Coated
ville Y. M. V. A. He bus also give
$o00u towards the new public hospital.
Mrs, Huston, his wile, pays for the sar
vires of a graduate nurse to attend thsT
tinfortiiunte free.
Madison A. Curnahan, of Harrisbura
one of the oldest engineers In thu Phila
delplihi and Krie sc rvlre, wm killed In s
collision between the HufTuloexpresiand
a drnft of freight enrs at Korkville. C'ar
n:ih:m was in ehaigo of the loeomotivaj
attached to the express train, and was
running an hour nnd thirty minutes labs.
When the collision occurred he wass
rnuglit between the locomotive and tbfl
tank and squeezed to death. None oC
the passengers or the rrew was injured.
Thomas Iieesehagan was committed tei
the count v juil nt llovlestown to awaJtt
trial for larceny ami burglary. Sumsv
months aio he is said to have robbodC
John Yost, of Buckingham, of fM, auoA
cecding in getting away.
Elsie and Robert Shennfelt, aged 6 and!
4 years respectively, were burned tsf
death In their home in Johnstown. Thelsi
mother, who is a widow, had gone acros
the street to visit a neighbor, and the first
she knew of the fire was when the flames
burst from the door. By that time it was?
toj late to save the little one.
While unloading scrap Iron from icy'
at the I'enn Iron VVorks workmen fouatt
two boaeonstrletors, each more than ten
feet long. After conquering their fright
the men found that the snakes weredead
It 19 believed that the reptiles escapes
from some traveling organization arnt
crawled to the car where they froze to
death. Andrew Llclitcr, the 11 year-old eon
of Chillies Lichter. of Willow Orove, ha
been missing since February 4.
The Bonrd of Revision of Taxes lis
raised the nssesstnrnt ou property 1
Chester, 4"UHM). The present a-sseasj-nicnt
is 14.9:m,10l. The increase bM
been particularly heavy on water fron
property.
Itev. Dr. S. L. Messinger. ria-storof St.
Luke's Reformed Church. Trappe, ha,? .
..,.....!..... I n P.... StUilO f ....... .. fwlanA - .
I n ri , vu u l III l i ( 'f- i v. i . . u 14
of the congregation, to pay one-half thd
cost of a pipe organ. Andrew Csrnegia?
bus promised to pay the other half.
Delaware conntv seems to have mars
1 1 Kin its share of mad dogs so far this"
year. A dog created hnvor among tb
ilogs at Lima and a number were shot.
Two mad dogs made their appourauce itf;
I'pper Darby, but were despatched, bet
fore doing any harm.
The State Bonrd of Public Bulldingf
nnd (i rounds Iihs not yet approved th$
font met for building the bridge over thd
Lehigh River nt Alleutnwu, as the Lehigh
Yiillcy Kuilroud Company has tbtr f?
fiiilcd' to sign an nurec-inent to pay $'2-1,
000 for a right of w ay over the structure
Jacob Bin-kwalter, of New Hnllsnd,
was driving down the. Welsh Mountains,
with a wugon loaded with heavy logi(
nnd near the base endeavored to releassf
the brake. I In whs catiirbt astride btf
one of the wheels ami dragged twent
feet in that position and so badly laor- i
ted that it is feared he will die. .
The eleventh annual Sunday Behoof
Convention of the Allentown Conference
M' the Lutheran Church was held in 9k
Luke's Church, thut city.
Charles Kagely, of Rending, sn engint
fcr on the 1'enusylvauiu Ruilrnad, leaned
too far out the window of his cab and;
was strucK ou tiie iieuu oy tue Jiouocaoj
Bridge and killed.
Deputy Fish Warden Criswell report
that he has succeeded in breaking up t
band of fish law violators who have bee
aperatlng all winter by fishing throng
the ice ou Lake Krie.
Rev. Theodore Ileysham, pastor of the
Bridgeport, 5aptist Church, has resigned
because M tfl health. .Mr. Ileysham has
been pastor thero for five years and If
was bis first charge.
The Media County Commissioners ap
pointed J. Herbert Ogdeu, of Lausdowno,
slid J. Lord Rigby, of Media, as mem
bers of the Board of Prison Inspector.
Judge Johnson w ill appoint the three
other members).
The annual con vent ion of the school
directors of Chester County was held Iu
the chapel of the State Normal School,
West Chester. An organization was
effected under the new law governing
school directors' convention.
Judge C. B. Staples, the newly. elected
Judge of the Monroe-Pike District. In
his tirst charge to the Grand Jury suid if
jurors ami w itnesses do not answer to
their uames wheu called they will be fined
their day's pay.
The Stroudsbtirg authorities wrote to
frovernnr Pennypoi-ker informing hiui of
'.lie outbreak of rabies among dogs la
hat city. The Governor's secretary re
Mi ed Hint steps would be taken to pra
rent any spread of the disease.
The annual contest in oratory for tha
3eori;e K. Nesbit t prize took place at the
tVyomiuir Seminary The girls' pH
viu wou by Miss Myram Stevens, while
;he boys' prize wns divided betweee
tugene lircruiau and David C. Bpencer.
F.x-Cotintv Treasurer O. A. Doertlia
rcr, win, it'is alleged. Is 'JmihJ short in
ii,s uccouuts for interest on public monsyf
placed ou deposit during his term, whlcM
uided in 1 !";!, hud a hearing before
.Vlderman Fister, at Pottsville. He waives
ln-ariug aud entered bail for court.
Prof. AUxrrt . Dunn, of Philailelphia,
las tendered his resignation as organist
f the Firsi Prcsbyteriiiu Church of
Chester. Prof. Dunn U the third organs
st of large churches in Chester Ut resign
n the course of the luni month, the other
iwo iM-ing Plof. Rrc J. Fresi oln, ol tt.
piiul's Prowlan Kpiscopal Church, and
prof. J. Evans Krcles, of the Emmanuel
(baptist Church.
A week's eiou of farmers' Institute
,'or Schuylkill Couuty opeued at Andreas
inder the supervision of William 1L
?tout, lecturer and director for the State
Sonrd of Agriculture. L. W. Llghty aud
Dr. I. A. Thayer delivered add r ease.
The Leaders' Conference of IheLeblgb
County Cbristlau Eudoavor Unloa wse
ichl iu Trinity Reformed Church, AUea
wu. .
John W. Orawal, who claims be la as
Austrian count, had a hearing in Majrot
Price's court, Wilkes Barre. '
charged with larceny and obtaining
Money under false pretenses. As no was
led out he turned to Charles A. Blumea
ihsl. one of bis accuser aud cried ouU
"You're u ilur." At the same time hit
itruck st Bluiuenthal. who bit back aad
itruck Orawal several tiroes before the.
police separated them. Orawal SUKM
to jail ia clefiult uf baiL , .