"KNOWlNfi THE TRUTH' 1 Brilliant Smitj Seraon Bj Rer. CoraeOas f oelfkia. well m tb CmMUm el Usrslsf SplrMua' Tnrtfe ss UM Dw 1 Jesas. BnOOKLYW, N. Y. In the Greene Ave nue Baptist Church Sunday morning the minister, the Kev. Cornelius Woelfkin, preached the sermon. Mr, Woelfkin's text wss from Deuteronomy xxix:29: "The se cret tilings belong unto the Lord, our Ood, but the thing that ire revenled belong un to us and to our children, that we may do til the words of this law. He said: A noted Mtronomer once said: "I have searched the stars, but 1 tind do God.' A noted philosopher said, "If there is an infi nite, personal God, lie is unknowable." Materialistic science and rational phil osophy have formulated the creed of ag nosticism, viz.: that God is unknown and unknowable. It sounds conservative, mod est and wise. But it is not really new. One of the ancients wrote in the long ago, "Csnst thou, by searching, find out God; Canst thou know the Almighty unto per fection)' Zophar, the Kaiunathite, was a clever agnostic. The Hebrew lawgiver writes, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God." If God be the Infinite. Eternal and Ab solute, it is impossible to comprehend and explain Him. There must always be di mensions of mystery unknown and un knowable in Him. 'I he astronomer never expects to tind the vails of the universe. There is always the unknown beyond. If space unu nine slugger me jiiiuhiuuiiuu. can we ever hope to bring the eternal God completely within the range of human conception? We are all agnostics. Even Christians worship at the altar of the su per knowable God. It is no discredit to the theist that he cannot tell the day of God's birth. We need not distress our selves became we cannot walk about God and know His diameter and circumfcreuce. He ia unknowable. Hut because we cannot know all, shall we rest content to know nothing! The scientist is aware that he can never know it all. Decs he therefore break his instru ments and content himself to abide in ig norance? He knows in part. He will know more, though he never knows it all. Bo, concerning God. there are things that may be known. The mysti of the un known is the very charm of eternity. The eges will ever clothe themselves with new garments of mystery. . How may we know God? God is n spirit and must be spiritually known. John liske, speaking of the spectroscope, calls it "an addition to our senses." All our inventions are extensions to our senses. There is auto-seeing, auto-hcaring, auto feeling. Tyndale said, "The silence of the forest at noonday is agitated with sound, if we could- only hear it." There re some things telescopically discerned, others, microscopically and spectroscopic cally. Without these they are not dis cerned at ail. Why does one man only glance at a picture, and pass on, while another will study it by the hour? Why will some peop.e leave the music hall, while others are held spellbound by the symphony? Because some things nre art istically discerned and others musically. There must be the subjective faculty to appreciate objective genius. Why do some men go through lite with out any sense of reverence, worship and prayer, while others bow in humility and adoration to one whom they call God? Be cause God is spiritually discerned. The natural man receivcth not the things of God. neither can he know them. He is lacking the soul's telescope, microscope, spectroscope, etc. Natutal devices cannot discover a spiritual God. The study of man himself presents a, faints analogy of this truth. Science stud ies the human body; articulates the skele ton; knows the nervous system; explains organization. But does the anatomist dis cover tne T -"oie man: uoes ne unu nmi sovereign the will, the magistrate the conscience, the artist the imagination, the orchestra the emotions, the librarian the memory? They nre nil there, but the in struments of physical dissection do not discover them. They nre mentally dis cerned. When spiritual men, as such, pronounce upon physical science,' they bo come fools. And when materialists, as such, pronounce upon spiritual things they likewise turn out folly. Une qualifi cation cannot constitut: authority upon 11 things. It is sometimes said that religion speaks in a language of its own a foreign tongue. This must be so in the nature of the case. Every new idea demands the garment of new word or phrase. Evcrv science cre ates its own nomenclature. Wo might find a hundred volumes written in our na tive tongue and yet not understand what is written. Spiritual realities must ex press themselves in spiritual terminology, instead of quarreling with the introduc tion of new terms, we should as true stu dents learn their, meaning and so widen our apprehensions. The condition of learning spiritual truth is laid down by Jesus. "Ho that willeth to do His will shall know tha teaching."' There must be right attitude first, nud ihnn tliA 0rnpriinen nf option. Onen- mindedness U the first qualification for apprehension, l'rejudico distorts and blinds the judgment. It is the chief factor in our limitations. It is the handicap n upon honest examination and experiment. 1 Prejudice shut thi theologians out of nat ural science for years. Prejudice is shut ting tht materialists out of religious science to-day. The whole universe is governed ty law! Let a man obey the laws of na ture anil nature will unfold its mysteries to him. Let a man put himself in align ment with spiritual realities,' and the spiritual world will discover itself to him. "He that comet h to God must believe that lie is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." There must be action, the test of experi ment. Here is a stumbling block. Men have taeir own wills and hesitate and halt at doing the will of God. The chief dilli- - culties concerning religion do not rise out of intellectual embarrassment so much as failure in attitude and action. Yet with out these men cannot know. The means of knowing are twofold. St. John says, "That which we have heard, that which we have seen and handled with our hands declare we unto you." There is first the message of tradition that which wo have heard. There is tradition in science. Some things have been worked out, tested and proven. They are accepted as axiomatic by the consensus of all stu dents. Who thinks to question the round ness of tho earth or its motion round the sun? Few of us nave proved it: we accept it on scientific tradition. We do the same In all scientific study. Tradition is the foundation already laid, and wt build thereon. To exclude the authority of tra dition would check all progress. So relig ion has its traditions. Some things come to us with the "sterling" mark of the cen turies. He who discredits all religious tra dition ignores the past and begins anew. This makes the difference between the nan of faith and the skeptic. The man of faith receives what has been proven and builds thereon. The skeptio only exam ines the foundations, sometimes without even laying new ones. But there must be personal experience also. When Morse asked Congress for an appropriation of t30,uu) for his telegraph venture the committeeman having the de ciding vote was undecided. Mr. Morse took bim to his hotel; showed him soms miles of wire, lie bade biin go into a dis tant room and there experiment with the instrument according to the code. He re turned and voted for the appropriation, laying, "I have seen I bar bandied tht instrument, and It will do what is claimed lor it." And any man may experiment with tha realities of our religion and test its claims to comfort, wisdom, peace, rest, nope, love, prayer, etc ' And only when Ks thus know will ws be effective wit nesses of truth. Jesus said. "Ws speak that we do know and testify that ws have ben." With such knowledge the known becomes tha kev of the unknown and leads into deeper knowledge. ' I "ihe nurpoM of learning to know God is obtain t,h life eternal. When Kepler; I e astronomer, after many failures, finally -overed the laws of planetary motion b , up. n his knees and cried: "I thsnk , l God, that I am thinking Thy . -K.'u.'tuow;' after Ttite." This tuowU edge made nUn partner wfth tne thought of the eternal God. So every truth exper imentally discerned puts us into partnpr ship with God. We learn to think His thoughts; to will His will; to love with His love; to live His life. And His is life eternal. Therefore Jesus eavs. "To know Thee the only true God. and Jesus Christ Whom Thou host sent, this is life eternal." The range of things thus knownble is very wide. Only s few of them may be suggested. We may know the' forgiveness of our sins. We are made conscious of our sinfulness through the exercise of nur conscience and our inability to overtake what we know to be the ideal. But when we sccept the overtures of divine grace and yield to the incoming and inworking nf God's Holy Poirit, we experience a peace jnd power which are the subjective evi dences of our 1ipin( loosed from our sin. This is the first thing in Christian knowl sdge. Next "we know that we have passed from death unto life." Pitch a transition is made on all planes of life. A new cli mate helps some men to pass from death to life in body. Education enables men to pass from death to life mentnllv. Sooietv sometimes causes men to pass from death to life morally. The development of latent genius makes men rs from death unto life. Pn the touch of God's spirit s wakens new ideals, affections and possibilities, and the love of a spiritual sooiety evidences a passage from death unto life. "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." This is hot self-evident, ns we take a narrow view of mortal life. But when we see the wider ranees we learn it is so. There may be ex periences which darken the scene and plunge the judgment into nanic. Joseph while beint led a slave to Eeynr. could not underhand this. Nor could Moses, Dan iel and the pronliets in the day of trinl. But afterward they snw it to be so. Tho glory which Moses snw was not some lus trous form, hut rather that all the past history was transfigured with God's pres ence and fnvor. It is the backward look that gives us this assurance.' "We know that if our earthly house of tliis hndv be dissolved we have a b"ilding of God eternal in the heavens." That i. we know that we have an immortal destiny of eter nal life. Sub'Pctivelr we knov that every oppetite has its satisfaction. Hunger stir rests food nnd thirst argues for water. If God creates n fin on the fish ITe makes an element for it to swim in. If He fashions a wing, lie supplies the air for it to fly in. Surely these lower appetites nre not grati fied only thnt the deeper nnd nobler tnnv be disappointed. And objectively, "Christ hath brought life nnd immortality to light through the gospel." His resurrection sat isfies our desires nnd becomes prophetic of our deslinv. Let us study earnestly H' truth of God with a view to doing Ili will, and we shall know in part now nnd more perfectly by nnd by. Preachers Must Deliver flu I's Mmaxr. Some recent events have led to a reviv al of the "broad Church" plea that a rircuchvr should spcaU out all that he br ieves to be the truth, without fear of the congregation, nnd unfettered by ortho doxy or heterodoxy. This frankness is supposed to be warranted by" Paul's word, "as of sincerity we speak." The whole emphasis is nut upon "sincerity." But- the first emphasis should not be placed there. Sincerity is, of course, an absolutely essential thing in a preacher, but fidelity is a prime essential. A man may be sincerely mistaken, nnd iiis mis take mny have far-reaching consequences of ill lor others. Die first essential is fidelity to trust. The first business of a Christian tenclier a to receive His message, and then, sin :crely, to transmit it. The fundamentals of that message are permanently fixed they ure historical and no plea of "sin :enty" must be allowed to interfere with them. It' the chief emphasis be placed upon subjective sincerity, the door is eas ily opened to every heresy and every fad. Ibis, in tact, is what has happened times without number. It is sometimes asserted that the "churches are empty" because people will not believe in the miraculous. We are bound to object to tho statement; it is not true. But it is, unfortunately, true that many "oecunants of the naves" or L in a state of amazement at the Hagrunt contradiction between the trutns an nounced week by week in the Creed, and the denials of these truths, or the watering down of them by many who live by Aiem. The crux of the whole question is not in any detail concerning mirucle, but in this: Is God Master in Iiis own world, or is He not? And has He interfered or not with its order for the purpose of sav ing men? If the answer is "no," is a mart entitled to call himself a believer at nil? But if God has intervened in the rerson oi jesus vniisi. 10 hb mc nunu. if Jesus really came from Him to reveal Him, then something out of the ordinary must have happened. Our Lord either commenced His exis tence for the first time ut Bethlehem, or He came from "the other side" into our world. If the former, then He was simp ly one member of our race, and there was no true incarnation. If the latter, then "mirucle" is not simply possible, it is im peratively demanded. A true incarnation demands an exceptional entrance into and an exceptional exit from our world. So the whole matter comes to this: Huvs we a Saviour or not? Yes or no? Comprom ise here is both illogical and impossible. One further thing, since the matter is so vital. We hear of preachers who would have the stories of the virgin birth, thu resurrection and the ascension, cither eliminated from the Gospel record, or so etherealized in to be denuded of all their historic signaticance. Thcv have no reasons save their dislike for the supernatural. But their nearest approach to a reason is the fact of the silence of tho Gospels concerning these great things. Our Lord, it is said, never mentions Ilia own miraculous birth; some evangelists omit the story. St. i'aul nev er mentioned it, and this is said to be "evidence to the contrary." Evidence! It is plaving with words. They testified to the ultimate truth which included it. And that is the great thing after all. Did not our Lord say repeatedly that lie had come down from heaven? Did not John speak of Him as come from the bosom of the Father, and as being in the beginning with God? Did not i'aul speak of His pre-existence with God? It is not just to omit reference to these things. What, then, becomes of this vaunted "argument from silence?" London Christian. A Comforting Assurance. This instantaneous return at Christ's bid ding of the widow's son into the body he hsa vacated might well be a comforting assurance to the bereaved for all genera tions of the absolute safety of their loved ones in their . heavtn'y Father's hands. Demonstrative grief o . .' a lifeless body is almost atheistic, certaimy uu-Curistian. It is like blaming the low 1 one for haviuf become God's child in the fullest sens?.- Rev. J. Woods Elliott, Baltimore. Social Life In Malay Peninsula. The Malar Is allowed four wives, but he is too viae to take the limit simultaneously or to be on with the new before be is off with the old; and though be may divorce aud replace without very much difficulty, the wom en a'.ao have privileges, which, In the better classes, mean settlements, divis ion of property and the children pro vided for by law. Families are small. The girls mar ry young, and marriage Ip the Penin sula apparently Is a success, for little It heard of drunken husbands or mischief-making women. It is true that the Malay Is sometimes a law unto himself, that when be wants a thing It Is difficult for him. In the Jungle, to recognise other tenets than the one that might makes right; yet he Is amenable at the last. Outing. Powar From ArUelan Wall. -At KL Aucuatln, FUl, Is tho only mill U tha world that gats Its power Airtot troa a arttslaa walL TEE SUNDAY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENT? FOR DECEMBER 23. ' The Christinas Lesson flubject: Tit Prince of Peace, Ia. Is., 1-7 (Islet en Text, I. Is., O Memory Verses, 0, T Commentary, 1. Great darkness (vs. 1, !). 1. "Nev ertheless." A transition word from the dsrk picture of chapter 8:5-22, describing the woes from Assyrian predominance to the bright dawn and consummation of the Messianic era. 'Shall not ue such." The darkness shall not be as great as it has been. There was a ray of encouragement for those who were ready to receive the prophet's word. "Zebulun." The eountr.t of Galilee around the Sea of Galilee was the land that principally tuffered in the first Assyrian invasion. 2. "The neonlp in Hflrknpac " Th wn. pie of Judah. They were at this time un drr a two-fold darkness. 1. The darkness of outward trouble. See 2 Kings 13:37; 16: 4-8, 17; 2 C'hron. 28:5-8. 2. They were in moral darkness. Ahas had led the people in) the most abominable practices in honor of the heathen divinities whose worship he had established in his kingdom. The worship of Molcch. .he savage god ol Ammon, was now established, not only on the heights of Olivet, but in the valley ol Hinnom, on a spot known by the name ol Tophet, close under the walls of Jerusalem There the brazen statue of the god was erected, with the furnace within or at his fect. into which the children were thrown (2 Kings 10). Superstitions appeared in every part of the country. Gold and silver statues glittered throughout Judah. Sooth sayers, spirits, ghosts were consulted (Isa 2:0. 8, 21); 8:10). Finally, towards the cloe of the reign, he shut up the great doors of. the temple (2 thron. 23:24), discon tinued the offering of incense and the morning and evening sacrifice, and left the whole interior to decav, neglect, ruin. II. A great light (vs. 2-5). 2. "A great light." The sudden change from dense darkness to the shining light which the prophet saw is quite remarkable.' What light was this? The promise of redemp tion; the prospect of the coining of lin mnnucl. 3. "Hast multiplied the notion." Isaiah with prophetic eye pierces the centuriis and spes the hosts that would come ruder the rcigu of the Mi'-iah and be numbered with the true spiritual Israel. "And not inercasei!." See K. V. for correct render ing. "They joy beforp Thee." The prophet notes it to be a religious joy hernnse it is said to be before God that is, in Iiis pres ence and with a grateful acknowledg ment of His benefits. . "Thou hat broken the yoke." The Jews were successively delivered from the burdensome and galling yoke of the As syrians, Chaldeans, Persians and ' Mace donians; but these deliverances were only a shadow of redemption from the yoke of Satan; and that redemption seems here especially -rcdicted as if already accom plished. "As in the day of Midiun." As Gideon with n handful of men conquered the hosts of Midiun, so Messiah, tbu "child" (v. 0), shall prove to be the "Prince of Peace," and the small com- Kany under him shall overcome the mighty osts of .jitichrist. See the same con trast in Micnh 5:2-5. 5. "For every batt'.e." It was the cus tom of antiquity to pile the arms of pros trate enemies, the spoils of less value, ami their spotted garments, into a heap and then burn them. All that belong to war shall be swept away: the war itself shall die. The Messiah abolishes all war, but not until His foes ure either swept away by His judgments or melted into penitence and won over to submission hv His love. III. A vision of the Messiah tv. 01. 0. "Unto us." The prophet spake of tho predicted blessings a if already communi cated. Angels say, "Unto you," but tins child was born for the benefit of us men, of us sinners, of all believer., to the end of the world. "In the far distance lli prophet foresaw the Redeemer of the world. A little later came the vision of the suffering Savior (Isa. 53); then tlie town where He should be born ((Micali 6:2); a more complete revelation, came through Daniel." "A son was given. God's gratuitous gift, upon which man had no claim (John 3:13). A gilt of love, of joy, of universal fitness to our needs, of eternal enrichment, of forever increas ing value; and this gift insures all other gifts (limn. 8:32). As Son of man -leus , was "a child born;" as Son of God He was a "Son given.' "Government." "The en sign of government, the scepter, the sword, or key, was borne upon or hung from the shoulder. All government shall he vested ill Him." "His name." A name stands for all that the man is and has his character, his principles and his property. "Wonderful." because his nature was both human and divine. Whoever pauses to believe in the supernatural must pause at the manger. He could go no farther. How Godhood and manhood could be knit together in the person of Christ is beyond us. But things incomprehensible are not incredible. A (J divine works are wonderful. There are marvls enough in a drop of water to bewilder the wisest. "Counsellor." One who has wisdom to guide himself and others. Jesus was the embodiment of the wisdom of God. He was a Savior, both God and man, a per sonal revelation of God's love, a perfect character and example. He is our Counsel lor, never guiding us astray, but always bv the best ways to the best ends. "Mighty God." God the mighty One. As lie has wisdom, so He has strength: He is able to save to the uttermost; and such is the work of the Mediator that no less a power than that of the mighty God could accomplish it. "Everlasting Father." Expressing the divine love and pity for men. a love that can never fail, for it is everlasting. "Prince of Peace." As a King lie preserves, commands, creates peace. His peace both keeps the hearts of His people and rules in them. IV. The Messianic kingdom (v. 7). 7. "Y the increase." etc. The government shall cease in numbers, in power, in the completeness of its rule. It shall increase in tne blessings it bestows. It is like the powers of nature, which arc exhausiless. There is no limit to their application to the use of man. With all our marvelous inventions and discoveries of what nature can do, we have yet gathered but a few rays from the world oi light, u few sprays from the ocean of blessings God has in store for man. "Throne of David." To sit upon the throne of Dav.d means to reign over the true people of God; nnd in this sense' Christ sat on David's throne. "To order it." To rule it. "Fiome hence forth even forever." Only such a kingdom can endure. Nothing is really settie.i ti I it is settled rutht. The Dowels of evil seem very strong, but every - one ii doomed to fall before Christ. The forces of intemperance shall be destroyed, oi' ganized oppression shall be broken, heath enism shall full, infidelity be uveithoivu, slavery cease. "BELLED" RAT DOES GOOD. Drothsr Rodents 8cared from Build ing Ha Frequents. A rat with two tiny bells around its neck Is performing a mission In ona of Winchester's business blocks. This building for a long time bad been in fested with rodents, and goods stored In supposedly secure places wete fre quently ruined by the sharp teeth of the little gray creatures. Many experiments were tried and all prove! ineffectual, until the Jani tor sat up all one night to devUa something novel as an exterminator. His vigil bore fruit. A rat was caught and etherized. Us tall was then chop ped off close to the body, and a wire on which the bells bad been strung was flruily fastened around the ro dent's neck. The rat was liberated and disappear ed. Since that time the bolls have fre quently been board In the building, but not a rat has bean aeon, nor has nv of the stock been m-ilestedBov ton Heral'l, DECEMBER TWENTY FIFTH. "The Light of the World." Isa. 9:2-7. Scripture Verses. John 3:10; 1 John 4:8 10; Luke 2:11; Gul. 1:4, 5; Acts 1 :t; :tS. !); 2 Cor. 9:15; Jan. 1:17; Gal. ::8. 9; Mntt. 11:4, 5: IleV. 14: C; Luke 1:50-55. Lesson Thoughts. Think wlnit thin iinturnl world would lioromo with the loss of light! In finitely mm ii Importunt thun mm- Unlit (o Him natural world Is Light of the world who 1st tho thut Bun of rlRhtPoimnr-HH. Tho nutiiro of light Is to drive out darknoKH. If the knowledge of Christ rioc-H not drive dark sin out of your ht'iirf you ure not allowing his light to Hhlne In. Selections. Tho wlR men from the East adored The Infunl .Ithiih as their Lord, Brought gills to Him, their King. Jpsiih, grunt us Thy light that we The wny may find, and unto Then Our boa its. our nil, n tribute bring The iingels" message came not to tho woild at large, but to cneh Indi vidual shepherd. "I!nto you," the Htigels Miid. "In born this liny n Savior." No one could really hear the Christmas message except In Just thnt way. It la nil In vnln thnt It comes to nil men besides, unless It cornea personally to you, lo me. The star thnt shone nt. Bethlehem Shines still, nnd shall not cen:to, And we listen still to the tidings Of glory und of peaeo. We live In tho midst of blessings till we ure utterly Insensible of their greatness, and of tho source from whlrh they flow. We speak of our civilization, our nrls, our freedom, our laws, nnd forget entirely how Inrge u share of thla Is duo to the light of Christianity. Aristotle, In one of his works, fan cies the feelings of one who, having lived In darkness all his life, should for the first time behold the rising sun. He might have some Idea of the world from the light of candles, or ol the stars, but when the sun rose, what new glories would burst on his vision! The dangers, too, would be shown In clearer light, as well ns the snfe roads. So Christ was the dayspriug from on high. EPWQRTHTEflGUELESSDNS DECEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH. An Offering to Christ. Mark 14. 3-9. Study this charming incident as re lated als-,0 in John 12. 1-8, where some exquisite touches are given the narra tive. Separate the soul as complete ly as possible from coarse, material things of sense and .let pure spirit reign supreme; then think until you come Info the little circle ot love where tho dearest friends of Jo.-hh were gathered. Listen! What a con versation! Jesus directs nnd Inspires It nil. Look! Mary comes with all her wealth of affection to honor her divine Master. She recalls the sad burial of her brother Lazarus and his joyous resurrection through the powerful sympathy of Christ. Her heart of bounding gratitude yearns to express Itself In the best possible way. Her offering to Christ Is a per fect, one because prompted by a per fect loVe. The swoptpst perfumes of life spring from what Miss Wlllard called the sweet little courtesies of the homo circle. These are found at their best only In the Christian homo. ' Hichest odorg come not from ele gant furniture, velvet carpets, raro works of art. luxurious appointments, but from that sympathy, gentleness, nnd kindly unselfishness which Christ breathes info his followers' hearts. Spiritual odors grow only out of genuine self-renunciation and self-denial for Jesus' sake. It Is this celes tial spirit that makes the Christinas season so delightful. It Is not tho slza or money value of a gift that makes it fragrant, but tho cost to us, tho self-sacrillcn In giving made freely nnd gladly. Odorous lives. Mr. Beccher tells us how, when In Paris, his window open ened near a flower store. He always knew when It wag open by the count less rbses and heaps of mignonette whose refreshing fragrance could not be mistaken for anything else. Every Christian Is a flower store known by the odor of a divine sanctity which cannot be counterfeited. All the real richness of life has Its source In the purified heart. No offering Is really valuable and acceptable to Christ unless It comes from a true and loving heart. . RAM'S HORN BLASTS HE lovo of money never yet lived In the same house with the love of man. If you buy what you don't want, you ire likely to want what you can't buy. God often says, Walt;" but he never says, "Wor- y." No trial comes without a triumph In It somewhere. The hands are apt to think lhat they make the clonk go. Money can do everything except the things we want It to do. ' Men must enter Into the eternal for the Infinite has enuredlnto them. Men may differ on their' theories of un-spotg, but they agree on the sun shine. Keep your faith with God and you will not be so likely lo lose your faith In man. Some men are like matches, there Is nothing In their heads until you strike them. A man who will only be as honest as he has to be will be as dishonest as he can be. Borne men think they are ralghty engines berause their leaky boilers makes much noise. When a roan Is commissioned by God he Is not going to turn back on account of the commands of men. You may build your cwn fortune, bu$ you will need Godforthe archltect. A man more tt an 70 years was ar rested In Calais, Vt.. a few years ago on an indictment thirty-eight yean old, charging blw wltU stealing a korse. aw idi 'When Christ Was Here," BV BACHKf, B, BAY, "When Christ was here." Has He gone away? Is that the cause of the gloomy day And the bitter night with pain and grief From which the world finds no rebel! "When Christ was l.ere." Can it be so That God would leave our Saviour go. And leave His children so shut in Uy a high built wall of real sin? "When Christ was here." Oh, ran it be That He walks no more on Galilee? My saddened heart sends the refrain. "When, oh when, will He come ag.uu?'' Ham's Horn. Divine Yearning For Raman Fellowship Behold I stand at the door and knock. Bev. hi., 20. This thought was borne in with' over- Lowering emphasis while standing before lolman Hunt's famous painting. "The Light of the World," in Keble College. Uxlord. The boldness, the seeming pit sumption, of the conception is startling, but the more it is pondered the clearer does it become that it expresses the very heart of religion. If the llible and religious experience mean anything they spell out the truth that God yearns to enter into human life. The very idoa of the llible is tliat it is u revelation from God. Keing a -evelation He must have taken the initiative. That can only mean that He desired to commu nicate with man. And since the message ia one of hope and cheer it can only mean a desire for human fellowship. We com monly think of two deeiis in religion the yearning of man for God and the yearning of God for man. "Deep calletH unto deep." But in the final analysis the di vine yearning is the deeper and is tht source of the other, just as the sea is tin source of the rivers that flow toward it "We love Him because He tirst loved us." And no real explanation of religion can be found which omits this deepest of all relig ious facts. Our difficulty in appropriating this trnt o is due to pagan misconceptions of God which still survive in Christian thought. Why should it be strange, after all, that the loving Father should seek to have fel lowship with His children? Fellowship does not necessarily mean . me ennui change of being with being. The mothei has sweet, satisfying fellowship with tht babe, when all the response it can give to the wealth of her love, tenderness aud care is a smile or a tear or a babe's caress, lint you say she looks forward to- the time when, having developed, heart and mind shall answer to heart and mind. But ure we not children knowing only in part and loving only in part vet children on the wav to manhood and womanhood'; "it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we shall be like Him." Many have realized this truth in the pact and the world has been enriched beyond measure. The explanation of the nobility, of the upreach ot human life is that God is in it. I'aul says, "Christ in you the hope of glory." It is this divine element which has made for- high achievements. We might enlarge the roll call of the elev enth chapter of Hebrews even down to the present time, and the refrain would be still the same. By faith, by faith and that means at last that these men who have "subdued kingdoms" were conscious that God wrought in and through them. It is this inflow of the divine which has made for purity and righteousness, for peace and good will. It has inspired the prophets' visions and .the poets' dreams; it has sup plied the strength and nerved the courage which have dared and died for truth. Take it out of the race consciousness and you immeasurably pauperize it. F.liniinate it from our educational, benevolent, political nnd social plans and you quench the buoy ant spirit of altruism and hopeful helpful ness. A happy sign of the times is a return to the conception of religion as an experience We have had in turn a religion which con sisted in the affirmation of a creed, in the performance of ceremonies, in devotion to a book and in siilimission to a church. e ure coming again to the conception of a religion which knows God, and which works that knowledge out into terms of purity, kindness, sweetness and light. We ure beginning to realize that Jesus still stands at the door and is knocking. The only condition He lays down for en trance is that we shall open the door. He nks onlv receptiveness. hospitality, will ingness that He should enter. He does not sav. "I'urify your heart and 1 will come in." but "Let 'Me collie in and 1 will purify votir heart." The suniliine banishes tho ilarknrss and life master death in the coul thnt bids Him enter. How different is this from our ordinary conceptions! Miieh of our prayer 1 based upon the as sumption that God mint be propitiated nud His reluctance nnift be overcome. We hear much of wrestling, but it is with our own selves, not with Him. The unwilling ness does not lie on God's part, but on ours, flayer his an objective value, nut it also has a subjective value, and it avails, not in that it overcomes a divine reluctance, but in that it brings us into an attitude of receptivity. The marvel of sireless telegraphy ha tuiiuht us' that the sending aud reccivim; instruments must b in tune, otherwise messages might beat urion the unrespo sive receiver nnd it would be deaf to them. There must be union lietween th soul and God. otherwise messages cannot pass. And one of the ends of prayer and medita tion is that the soul muy be attuned to re reive the messages of love, life and light that flush from the heart of God. Jesus knocks at tlie door. Shall we let Him in? K. 1. Johnson. Minitter Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York City, in .New York Herald. What to R4. I counsel you to read book which need thought, which demand close attention. Head fiction, bat let it come as the pastry does, after a solid foundation of meat. Ami among such books let there be the llible, the greatest book of the world, the masterpiece of literature, the insfSirer of the greatest minds. W. G. Harder. It Wilt Avail. Comb what may to the dearest ones we have on earth, God and His upholding grace will lis there, and He cares for them more thau even we can do. An earnest ;ommeudation to His love will avail them more than all our fretting. H. L. 6. Lear. Start ttia tr Klghl. Five minutes spent in the companion- (hip of Christ every morning ave, two oiinutea, if it is face to face and heart to heart will change the whole day, will nake every thought and feeling different, will enable ua to do for His sake what we would not have done for our own. or for any one's sake. Henry Drummond. Work rrora Within. Carve the face from within, not dress it .Voiu without. Within lies the rolling room, the sculptor's workshop. For who iver would b fairer, illumination must begin in the soul; the face catches the low only from that side. W. C. Gannett. Faithful Dog's Death Watch. It was a dog's bark which drew tho attention of a gentleman to the dead body of Duncan Divle, farmer, Wood ball, Dumfriesshire, yesterday, says a. Scotch paper. Mr. Davie b- l gone out with the animal to look ovur bis stock, and while Vlng so be was taken 111 and died, with only the faithful dog as witness. Tb dog guarded tht body ot bis dead master for hours. 4m riiE GREAT DESTROYED TOME STARTLINC FACTS ABOUT ' THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. Poem i HIiTinlns The rroblrms of the Large Towns Von Cannot Have ft loons Without Crltiilnsls Spoils Char acter For Thonsantls Not Virions. Many good people now when invited to dine, Think it's far better form not to drink any, And when they unite in tne company t cheer, P.cst enjoy their good any . dinner without And if to their homes they invite you te come. You'll see no such thing as decanters of You can have a good time and be gay and frisky . t l Without hurting your stomach with the rank poison . And should they imagine you loot; thin and pale, They'd ne'er recommend daily glasses- '"or I hey kr-ow that if you once be-in Vou'll want something stronger like They teach the dear chi'drcn over "'.ill To refuse every drink which contains And ''I'll this is their toast, for son daughter. drink to vouv health in a cold !" nnd for glass of Peril or the Clllea, All thoughtful rmblicists are coming to see that the problem of our civilisation is our cities. They nre appalled ot the preva lence of crime and vice in those central ag gregations nf Immunity which are yet to rule the nation. They are shocked at the nre.-ocity of wickedness, the number of iuvenile criminals and desperadoes. They hunt in libraries and book stores for dime novels n the cause. The cause is the sa loon. You mny. indeed, have criminals without aloons. but you cannot have sa loons without criminals. When you sow valoons thick among a population you most rean a harvest of crime. The snlonu produces crime and vice bv the nlr-oliol it administers, which, as tihv- siolnni'ts now know, deadens the higher, liner faculties, last evo.ved in the march of I ost easilv de- 1 evolution, nnd hence mos throned, while it stimulates the lower in stincts, the long inheritance of barbarism evpr struggling to control, nnd needing only to be unleashed to have the restraints ol judgment and conscience removed in or der to become resistless. The saloon produces vice nnd crime lv the companionship it eathers, nnd satur ates with its own deadly atmosphere. There. ooner or Inter, the vicious and the criminal resort, the innocent, are made wicked and the wicked are made worse. To suppress the saloon is the supreme concern of our imperiled cities, nnd of the rural homes whoe boys nre to be the city men nf the next half century. The saloon spoils character for thous ands who do not become vicious or crim inal, but (to bcome purposeless, sodden, stupid, selfish, hard hearted, as the hettet instincts nre deadened and life's higher aims forgotten. The saloon spoils character for thous amis of children, deprived bv alcnholic pnv city of lilting education, despoiled of the ioy of childhood and the love of home Tut into those homes and lives the coin fort and opportunity that might be theirs, if onlv the wages of the father's toil might come to them linnlnnilcred bv the saloon, and there would blossom forth that nobler eitizenshin which should be the birthright of every American. Good men may difer ns to how this work is to be done, hut those who tnkt the straight wav to abolish the saloon are certainly devoting themselves with utmost flircctness to the supreme i pow before the American people New York Voice. Tlrink nnd' Wsr. . Tfecent dispatches from the scat of wot inform ns thnt onen indulgences in drink l'V the Russians hail assumed such npnnl 'i'lT dimensions that (ieneral Kurniiatkin h d issued stringent orders prohibiting ths sale of liquors. This is ery ssignificant. and who will say that the abstemious char nrtcr of Hie Japs has not had much to dc 1 1 la their braverv nnd endurance during l! present campaign? The Russian general evidently has come to realize what the history of all recent wars teach that drink is not only unneces sary but injurious to soldiers in the per formance of their arduous work. Sir Eve Ivn Wood, in IRS J. testified: "Throughout the Crimea these were the best and' health iest sailors and soldiers who did not touch intoxicating drink." A , few years later, Lord WolseTcy wrote: "There are vet some great enemies to. b encountered by tht t'niled Kingdom W"t the most pressing enemy is drink. It kills more than all oui fewest weapons of warfare, and not only destroys the body but the mind and soul fU,. " The Aslianteo War. the famous I!ed River ernedition, and not so long age the series ot nriiimni nnu uccisive nnnieve vients in the Soudan campaign of 1HH8 by Lord Kitchener nnd hie troops were, ac complished on nothing stronger than water And have we not the authority of the field marshal that those wonderful ItritisH marches in the South African camnaivn were ncroiiinbshed throtlgh the remarkable steadiness of the troops? Ttrer drinking ia increasing very rapid!, riser tn Pwlrierlamt. in Sw it7.er.aiiu. anil wun me uuai uisas 11 dim effects. Tho official statistician hat laieiy issue. tf some rather alarming state incuts about the beer consumption. The quantity trcd annually is L'lSi.lxm.ooo Eng lish quarts by s population of a little nioto than 3.ISI0.UOU. More than 3,0004)00 Mer ling a year is spent in this way, which n considerably wore than double the cost ol all the priinaty schools in the country. Re sides the waste- of money, there is wide spread physical and moral deterioration which cannot be tabulated. XT 111 Nat Carry Intoxicants, The Houston and Texas t'entral, tlie lloiiston-Kast and West Texas and the Houston und Sbreveport railroads have de rided not to receive for transportation from either connecting lines at junction points ur from shippers at any paint, ship ments of whisky or other intoxicating liquor when consigned to the point on their lines. Forty cities and towns on the Central and liftten on tha Kaat and West Texas lines have local option. This meant that nil but three or four great cities have volid the saloons out. A Swasplnf Measure. Members favorable to temperance in the French Chamber ot Kepiesvntativei pruptisa a sweeping measure ot tvinperauct reform. It i estimated that there art about oOO.UOO drinking shops in Franci and the new movement proiwises a reduc tiun of tin number to about U0AX.0. A tlasKt Hal. According to ail ordinance which lus iust been r.doptvd by the City Council ol Winchester, hy. it is now uulswful feu s minor to purcunse intoxicating liquors iv Winchester, the penalty for violation be iug sot less -ban tlu nor more hau V) A fsusui Opinion. The liquor traffic is a caucer in society, fating out its vitals aud threatening de atructiou,' aud all attempts 16 ivgulate it will aggravate the evil, t here must be uo attempts to regulate the cancer, it must be eradicated, nut a root must be Ictt behind, 101 until in is is . o.ie, ail c.aasc . must con tinue iu danger of becoming Met mis uf strong drink. Abraham Liucolo, Siiriug i!u,Tsia. Hundreds of wives are murdereJ by drunken husbands. A man cstne to him self in a prison, cell. "Why am 1 tier' h cried. "For murder." "t'or Uod's sake, don't tell my wife!" "Wtir, Oisn, it was COMMERCIAL EEV1EW. R. G. Dun & Co.'s weekly review ot trade says: Wall Street's severe action was not due to any setback in the commercial world, all measures of legitimate trade) showing wholesome progress, and conv fiden.ee in the future is unshaken. Rail way earnings in November averaged 9 $ per cent, greater than in the same montla of looj, and the distribution of merchan disc is sufficiently heavy to produce) freight blockades at several points. Manufacturing plants report increase-! out put in almost every instance, except where inadequate water supply provida a temporary interruption. This difficulty is most severely felt at coke ovens and paper mills in Pennsylvania. Seasonable weather has stimulated retail trade ia wearing apparel, and holiday goods are in great demand. Each week there is an increase In the) number of steel mills and iron furnaces) in operation, output steadily increasing despite the fact that this is normally the) dull season. Strength continues in the hide market. Moderate offerings of foreign dry hide are steadily absorbed at further frac tional advances. Notwithstanding the sharp decline Its law cotton the cotton goods market ha remained fairly steady, as sellers refuse to make concessions on goods manu factured from material purchased before the decline. Only urgent orders were placed at the high level, but the statisti cal position ia very strong. One of tha best features is the export trade, many mills being well sold ahead on this cra of business. . Failures this week numbered 239 l the United States, against 331 last year, and 26 in Canada, compared with 20 a year ago. .... Bradstreet's says: Wheat, including flour, export for the week ending De cember 8, aggregate 1,139.39 bushel against 2,101,773 last weck 4,oo".oio this week last year, 1,761,047 m 9oa and 3,879,809 in 1901. Corn exports for the week aggregate 276,089 bushels, against 364,841 last week, 641.045 a year ago, 1,301,286 in 1002 and 278,307 i'"- WHOLESALE MARKETS. Baltimore, Md. Flour Quiet, un changed. Receipt. 6,183 barrels; ex- ports, 183 barrels. Wheat Firmer. Spot, contract, X.llH l.Il; January, imq i 3 ; renrus ary, i.mJjSi-M; May. i-t8-Vi asked steamer No. 2 red, i.ok'a.i.OAVi: re ceipts, 2,469 bushels; Southern by sam ple, 95rtl.lo; Southern on grade, I.00M (ai.ni. Corn Firm. Spot, new, 50'4v&5 year, so-Vill ; January, jO'iUSOSt February, So!4a5o?s; March, So'4a SO)4 ; steamer mixed, 48i' 49 1 receipts. 83,938 bushels; exports, 03,571 DUn" new Southern white corn, 4Sf4'a5 rwilh-rn vellnw corn. 1, 43WG-50i. Oats Steadier. No. 2 white. 30 sales; No. 2 mixed, 3S! j35!4; receipts, 16,553 bushels. Rye Dull. (Uptown.) No. 2 West ern, 88 asked; receipts, 2.163 bushels. Hay Steady, unchanged. Grain Freights Firm, unchanged. Butter Steady, unchanged. ancl imitation, 2ofi 21 ; fancy creamery, 37 28; fancy ladle, I7iti . store packed, 1416, Kcrirs Steady, unchanged. 33- Cheese Firm, unchanged. Large. tlVj I2; medium, , l2U'2!a; small, I2?4rJS I2jl. Sugar St rong, unch'anged. Coarse granulated, 5-55 1 fine, 5.55. New York. Flour Receipts. 19,07 barrels; exports, 5,53 barrels; dull anj featureless. Butter Firm; receipts, 5,340. Cream cry, held, common to extra, )Ti J4U- Cheese Firm and unchanged; receipt 2,574- Eggs Steady and unchanged ; receipts 6,708. Hay F.asy. Shipping, oo'ij'S; good to choice, 7'A6i$i' I.ard Firm. Western steamed, 73"! refined, stc.vlv : continent. 7.35 ; South American, 8.00; compound, Urt Stock. Chicago. Cattle Good to prims steers, 6.007.20; poor to medium, 3.60 fft5.8o; stockers and feeders, 2 20 a 4. to I tows, 1.40(3.4.00; heifers, 2.00 'as 00; canners, l.35fi2-4o: bulls, 2.tx's4-tO calves, 3.50(47.00; Western steers, 3-3x3 4.85. Hogs Market strong to 5c. higher. Mixed and butchers, 430oi.5o; gooj to choice heavy, 4.42' iSS''- rough heavy, 4-2S4i4-35: 'isht, 4-20 g 437J I bulk of sales, m'A'LlA 45- Sheep Sheep, strong; lambs, IOC, higher. Good to choice wethers, 4.503 5.25; (air to choice mixed, 3.603; 4.40) native lambs, 475'S;6.5o. New York Beeves Steers, I5'34 lower; bulls steady; "cows, toailj lower; ordinary to good native steers sold at 3.70:5.30; two heaa at 500 1 ! ags. 3-O0.'i.4 0o; bulls at 75 J 7SI cows, 1.25(113 25; one no. at 4 00. ircv ed beef, steady. Cables from Londotf and Liverpool quoted live cattle higher g'''flz'iC. per pound, dreised weight rxtra beef, 13c; refrigerator beef, lowet at 8.4C. per pound. No exports. WORLD OP LA 8011 Toronto's Labor Temple will be for mally opened on December 21. The gold mining industry in Lapland has been closed owing to the poor results obtained. The Plasterers' Union of Jackson, Miss., will on January I demand $4 day for eight hours' work. A levy of ia cents a member has been voted by the Amalgamated Engineers for Its defense fund. The American Federation of Labor will support the printers in their contest for an eight-hour fy adei January U V. J. Griggs, a union street railway employe of Richmond, Va., was elected tn the City Council at the last election. He conducted a recent strike of street railway employes, too. The Canadian Assciation of Steam Engineers intends to petition the On tario Legislature to pass tin act requir ing every man in charge of a steam en. gine of over jj-horscpowcr to havs an engineer's certificate. . ' Wisconsin Federation of Labor is taking steps to organize tlie farmers of the Stale into a union. The organi sation is now circulating lo.ooj pam phlets setting forth the advantages of the union. The fourth annual meeting of the ex ecutive committee of the National Civic Federation, will be held in New York on December 15. A successo of the late. Senator Hanua will be chosen. The combination of the International Association of Machinist and the Al lied Metal Trades will rw-ult in a mem bership of 100,000 men. There i a general complaint ol scar city ot labor lhrougho tlie greater part of tl c upper peninsula of Michigan, so .......I. s. that contractor ( HoughtQ have had to raie wigvi fit camnv 1 i ,a t , -t itjv WW-10 - j vur win you ruururcu
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers