"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