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SUNDAY SERMON
J A Scholarly Dlaoourse By JJ
Rv. W. H. Ramsay- J
Louisville, Ky.-The neT. W. II.
Ranisay on Sunday preached a power
ful sermon entitled "The Religion of
Jesus." Ha took for bin text: Her
sins, which are many, are forgiven; for
she loved much. Luke vll.. 47.
Love took up the harp of Life, ami
smote on all the chords with
might;
Smote the chord of Self.that, trembling,
passed In music ont of sight.
Tennyson.
In the midst of so much confusion and
perplexity about questions relating to
religion, nothing la morn helpful than
to turn to the words of Jesus and Unci
what He taught and believed. We
shall And little difficulty In doing this
If we confine ourselves to the Urst
three Gospels. If we Include the
Fourth Gospel, we shall Introduce an
element of difficulty nnd confusion.
The Fourth dospri sets a wonderful
philosophy about Jesus and His mis
sion, and It relates Incidentally some of
the events In the life of Jesus. Hut for
a simple statement of the words of
Jesus Himself, apart from any theo
logical theory about Jesus, we must
turn to the other (Jospels. There Is
unquestionably much In these nnrra
tlves besides the words of Jesus, much
that betokens misapprehension and
misconstruction on the pnrt of those
that heard Him, and an attempt to In
terpret His words and deeds as a con
firmation of the materialistic hopes and
expectations of His followers. But the
utterances of Jesus Himself on the
great and vital questions of spiritual
religion are so exalted and so self-evident
that we shall And no dlfllculty In
discovering them.
What does Jesus tench about God,
about Man, about Sin and Righteous
ness, about Redemption, about the
kingdom of God upon earth? We
might Include other questions, such. as
the nature of Divine Revelation, tbo
Church and Its Sacraments and Rites,
etc. But these are minor and subor
dinate matters.
What does Jesus teach about God?
Strungo to say, Jesus has nothing to
state about God, after the manner of
the theologians and creeds. He en
tered upou no metaphysical discussion
about the nature of God. He never
nleutlnus the doctrine cf a Trinity,
"lie had unquestioned faith in God
as a living, conscious. Intelligent agent.
This fntth came to Him by Inheritance,
and was received by Him as the indis
pensable and Indisputable presupposition-
of all religion." Jesus took the
highest thought about God In the He
brew religion, the conception of God
as the Eternal Father of men, and ex
panded and purltled it. He Interpreted
this idea by His own sublime and spot
less moral consciousness. He saw the
truth of the Divine Fatherhood through
the medium of His own loving and
righteous soul. The thought of God
as tho ever-present Spirit of righteous
ness and love was a constantly beset
ting thought with Jesus. He lived and
moved nnd bad His being in this con
sciousness of the Father's presence.
He saw the ceaseless operation of the
Father's love and goodness and care
for all things. The whole universe wag
encompassed by the Father's love. He
loves and pities and provides for all.
Even His wicked and unthankful and
prodigal children are provided for. His
rain descends and Ills sun shines for
the evil and the good alike.
Jesus did not think of the Father as
a far-off aud inaccessible Deity, but as
a near and indwelling Presence. He
did not offer any explanation of tho
mystery of this wonderful truth; lie
simply believed It, and lived and
wrought and tnught with this thought
perpetually In Ills mind, with Its in
spiration In His soul. God was a liv
ing reality to Jesus.
What did Jesus teach about man?
The thought of Jesus about man nnd
human nature might be summarized
In the words, ".Man Is the child of
God." This truth had been expressed
by others before Jesus, but it hnd
never been taught In the way that
Jesus taught it. No prophet or teach
er before Jesus had ever drawn such
Inferences from the belief, or made it
the basis of such un appeal to man's
faith lu his own spiritual aud moral
possibilities. Jesus shows everywhere
that He had a deep and unshaken
faith In the essential divlueness and
worth of all men, whatever man's
character might be, whatever the out
ward aud accidental deformity of the
life. No matter how far the prodigul
might have wandered from his fath
er's homo, he was still his father's
child. Ho might deny his birthright
und eat with the swine, but the fath
er's love never ceases and never
wanes.
Jesus, faith In the essential tllvlne
ness of man is shown lu His treatment
of all men, especially of the outcast
and tho sinner. He hived the outcast,
thu fallen, "tho lost sheep of the house
of Israel." He bud compassion upou
them, because He knew how they bad
been tempted, how they hud been
taught ami brought up, how they had
been neglected and left to wander "like
sheep, without u shepherd," losing
themselves in the wilderness und miss,
lng the true goal of lite. Oh, the di
vine compassion of Jesus for man, tho
deep-veined humanity, the eternal love
of tho Father breathing through Him
and looking out through His pure eyes!
It Is this liift that has made His nil mo
forever blessed, aud turned the hearts
of the lost and fallen sons of men to
Him as the dearest pledge and symbol
of thu ttcriuil love and compassion
that Is at the heart and is thu great
heart of the world.
What does Jesus say about sin?
Strange to say, very little. Jesus
never speaks about sin In a formal or
theological way. He saw it; He felt
Its presence and witnessed its degrada
tion of the lives of men. He saw It a
the negation of goodness, as tbe ab
sence of the abundant life, the blind
ness of the lost child, the impotence of
the ignorant, and foolish, wounding
themselves against the terrible rocks
of tho world. But of "original sin,'!
of "total depravity," of a "fall or the
race in Adam," of "Imputed guilt," of
those doctrines of sin that form the
basis of the entire theological "schema
of salvation," there Is not a ayllublu
from the lips of Jesus.
Jesus everywhere and always as
sumes the essential divlueness of the
human soul. Tho lost sheep belongs
to tho fold of the Good Shepherd; the
lost coin, though battered aud bruised,
tf of precious metal, aud bears tho
dmage and superscription of the king;
Nho lost boy the prodigal is his fstu
vr's child, no matter how far be bus
wandered or how deep his moral
Uegradatlon.
What did Jesus teach about "Salva
tion?" How Is the lost restored? Howr
Is tho prodigal brought back to his
Jfather's home?
I What does Jesus say about this? Is
jthere uny elaborate creed, or any
treed, io be accepted.?. Dgei He tell
us of any cneme 01 salvation or of
any atoning sacrifice? Not a single
word The whole thing Is simple and
natural, and true to the fundamental
facts and laws of the moral and spir
itual constitution of man. Take the
parable of the "lost sbepp" and the
"prodigal son." How docs the flood
Shepherd seek Ills lost sheep? How
dops the Father restore the lost child?
The Divine mercy and love seeks and
Influences tbe children of men lu
countless ways. God setk man in the
very fact that slu Itself Is foreign to
man's higher nature. The iife of sin,
of alienation from goodness, Is a disap
pointment. Its pleasures are apples of
Sodom.' The evil course. In the end,
exhausts Itself. The prodigal gets to
the end of his resources; then he re
calls that he Is his father's child. It
Is so with all kinds of sin. In the laws
of man's moral and spiritual being, it
Is ordained that there shall be a reac
tion of the divine, the good in man,
against the evil within and around
him. I dr not know how far men may
go toward destroying the possibilities
of good In themselves. No Unite mind
can dogmatize on such a question. I
only know that Jcsnsj never despaired,
and that He teaches us to despair of no
man.
In seeking and restoring sinful men
to their true lives, the ministry of a
loving and sympathetic humanity has
the largest place of any other Instru
mentality. It Is a continuation of the
ministry of Jesus. His ministry was
not In His words alone; It was chiefly
in His wonderful personality. His
gentleness, His faith In man, Inspired
faith and hope and courage In those
He ministered to. Men are sought and
found through goodness and love and
pity In their fellow-men. Jesus said:
"Do good, despairing of no man;" "Be
merciful, even as your Father in
heaven Is merciful;" "If ye forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will forgive you." Make the heavenly
Father rial to men by being Incarna
tions of His loye and goodness.
The love of God Is seen chiefly In
love and pity in the heart of man.
In the ancient liturgy of the Church
there Is a phrase that cays, "God hath
given power nnd commandment to His
ministers to declare and pronounce to
His people, being penitent, the abso
lutlon aud remission of their sins."
There Is a wonderful truth In those
ancient words. God bath given such
power, not to ordained clergymen
alone, but to every sympathetic and
ministering soul. The law of divine
forgiveness and spiritual renewal is the
central law of tbe evangel of Jesus.
I stand by the side of a man in Ihe
spiritual agony of remorse. He lias
drunk the horrible cup of Iniquity. He
Is sin-sick. He feels tbe crushing bur
den of his own wrong-doing. He longs
for deliverance, for case of conscience,
for a sense of divine forgiveness. He is
sorry for his slu. The Inward dark
ness of his soul has projected Itself
upon the heavens. He thinks that God
is angry with him. He is afruld of
his Father.
Love re-creates the soul, and the
man becomes "a new creation." He
begins to live a new life and to fight
a winning battle with slu and tempta
tion. He knows and feels that a power
is in him. that is ull sulnelcnt for every
need and every emergency of his life.
All this Is of the free grace and love
of the Father. "Not by works of
righteousness that we hiwo done, but
according to His mercy He saves us."
Tbe relationof a child toa father does
not stand upon any legal formality; It
Is not conditioned upon any service
that may be done by tbo child. This
Is pre-eminently true of tho relation
between tbe Heavenly Father nnd His
human children.-
The love und grace of God como
through no coutract. St. Paul tells
of those who live as servants in the
Father's house. Their spirit Is one of
bondage, not of Joyous trust and spir
itual freedom. The effort to obtain the
sense of forgiveness and spiritual peace
and joy by a diligent discharge of duty
leaves the tender conscience In doubt
ond fear, because "tho conimnndme-ut
is so exceeding broad" that at best
man's endeavors must be imperfect, or
else it kuds to Pharisaic self-complacency.
It turns the moral life into
a legal routine of duty. Between that
kind of legal service which we may
render under hope of winning .God's
favor, and thu free service to which wo
are constrained by tbo sense of divine
soushlp aud love, tho distance is Im
measurable. It is to Jesus that tho
world Is Indebted for showing us this,
and enabling us to pass from the state
of servile obedience to a God whom we
fear, to the Joyous service of a Father
whom we love. We accept this view of
the relation between our souls and God
upou the authority of Jesus us .ir
great Master nnd Leader in tho things
of tbe spirit, as from one who stands
supremely above us in spiritual insight.
Love creute a loving and obedient life.
It destroys selfishness from the heart.
It makes character; and character Is
salvaUou, in this and iu all worlds.
The kingdom of heaven on earth l
the kingdom of love, a society of men
and women who live the loving aud
Christ-like life; who believe that this
Is God's world, and who live upon this
principle every day; who believe that
all men are brothers and sous of God,
and act toward all mem as If they
really believed this.
These principles of the religion of
Jesus ure gaining more and more in
the world, in spite of nil that appears
to the contrary. Tbe kingdom of God
is surely coming on earth.
The Fatherhood of God, tho Brother
hood of Man, th moral and spiritual
Leadership of Jesus, Salvation by
Character, Inspired by luvo, tho Prog
ress of Mankind onward and upward
forever this Is tbe faith of essential
and spiritual Christianity; and some
jday it will be accepted as the true In
terpretation of tho religion of Jesus.
VIII. ge "Held Up" By Bee.
The extraordinary spectacle of a vil
lage held up by a swarm of bees was
witnessed at Weston-on-Trent near
Derby, this week, says an English ex
change. The bees became Infuriated because
an attempt to occupy tenanted hives
was, after a tremendous battle, re
pulsed. The whole village was soon
alive with mad oeos; the main street
was quite Impassable, and people bad
to shut thomsulves in their houses.
Six fowls were stung to death; in
deed, tie Insects attacked everything
that came within reach.
Moribund 8t. Helena.
St. Helena Is one of England'! mori
bund colonies, according to the report
of the governor. I. has a cable sta
tion and a garrison, but that la all.
Only three British warships called In
during last year. Considering tbe
proximity of St, Helena to the West
African coast, and the splendid cli
mate of the Island the governor ven
ders that It Is not used a a tantta
Hum by tho navy. ;
THE SUNDAY ; SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR OCTOBER I.
SaTiJcot! Dunlnl ami Itnlitiaitnr. Tat, ..
It SO flolden Text, Va. !., 1
Mftnrtrjr Vnnrl, tt, 80 - ConutaMtf
' on thu Uny's LeMon.
I. The handwriting on the wall.
Belshnnzar, only sixteen or seventeen
years old, was the ruling king In the
city of Babylon. Secure within his
defenses, he felt confident of safety,
and therefore engaged In revelry nt n
f?nst which he made to a thousand of
his lords. In his drunken folly and
wickedness he called for the golden
nnd silver vessels which bad been
taken from the temple at Jerusalem,
that be might drink from them fls a
token that his gods had given vlclory
over the God of the Jews. During
tills profane revelry a hand appeared
and wrote upon the wall. This tilled
the king with fears, and he declared
t lint the wise man who should Inter
pret the meaning should he clothed
with fearlet and have a chain of gold,
niul be third ruler !n the kingdom.
When all had failed, the queen, moth
er of BelshnzJiar, came lu and per
suaded her son. to send for Daniel, to
whom, when he came, the king repeat
ed his promise made to the wise men.
II. Daniel reproving tbe king (vs.
J7-J4). 17. "Let thy gifts by to thy
self." Daniel as a prophet of God
rarea nothing for any reward this
king can give, nor does he fenr him.
.19. "Tho most high God." Whom
Daniel proclaimed as the only God, and
whoso power Nebuchadnezzar had rec
ognized In the deliverance of the He
brews ont of the furnace. "Thy fath
er." Grandfather. "Majesty." In the
eyes of his subjects. "Glory." From
bis victories. "Honor." From the en
largement and decoration of the city.
It). "Whom he would he slew." In
dispensing punishments he condemned
or acquitted at pleasure, and In dis
pensing rewards he granted or denied
preferments. 'JO. "Heart was lifted
ui." In pride and arrogance, wilful
and obstinate. "Deposed." This oc
curred not by the rebellion of his peo
ple, but by the direct visitation of
God. He became Insane.
-1. "lie was driven." The madness
that fell upon lit it) Induced him to for
sake society and to run to the woods
nnd deserts, where be lived like a wild
beast. 1!'J. "Thou hast not humbled."
Thou hast sinned, not through Ignor
ance, but through deliberate contempt
of God. regardless of nil warning. 2"..
"Against the Lord." As if thou hndst
been equal or even superior to Him In
wisdom and power. "Vessels of bis
house." From the temple of Bel,
where they have been treasured up
since the conqueror had carried them
from Jerusalem. The thirty chargers
and thirty vases of gold which bad
been made for the temple of Solomon,
nnd had continued there till the cap
tivity of Jehoiacbin, and the thousand
chargers and the four hundred basins
of silver by which Zedeklah bad sup
plied their place, and which were car
ried away In the final deportation.
They profaned these vessels to show
their contempt for Jehovah. It was
an open Insult to the Almighty. 24.
"Hand sent from Ilini." From God.
III. Daniel Interpreting the writing
(vs. 'jr.-'JS). 25. "The writing." The
words were Aramaic, with letters like
the Hebrew. Why could not the wise
men read them? Perhaps they could
read the words, but were not able, or
did not dare, to explain their meaning.
'M. "Mene." This word is repeated to
give emphaiis. It comes from n word
meaning to number, to count. The
days of the empire were counted out In
full. The soldiers of the conqueror
were awaiting outside and would de
stroy It before morning. 27. "Tekel."
Whi.il means weighed (hence a shekel,
which was originally a certain weight).
It resembles u word which signifies
"light." light of weight, like a coun
terfeit coin. The application Is that
Belshazzar had been weighed as to his
moral character nnd actions, and had
been found wanting, of light weight.
He had not come up to the standard
required. God had tested him aud he
hud failed.
2S. "Peres." This Is the singular,
while upharsln is the plum! of the
same word with "u," which means
"nnd," prefixed. It is given in verse
25 In the plural, for emphasis, Just as
"mene" is doubled. It means divided,
but has the same consonants as Per
sians, and suggests them. "Is divid
ed." Not divided Into two parts, but
broken Into pieces, destroyed. "Medes."'
Media was a iorge country lying east
of the Caspian Sea.
IV. "Daniel rewarded (v. 2i)). 20.
"With scarlet," etc. These carried
with them rank nnd power. "Third
ruler." Next to Belshazzar, who was
second. Nabonldus, the king, was first.
V. The king slnln (v. 3(1). 30. "In that
night." It must be understood that tbe
River Euphrates flowed through the
midst of Babylon. Cyrus for somo
time hud been planning to draw away
the water of the river ond enter the
city through the bed of the river.
When all was prepared he waited for
the great feast. When It came all the
leaders were reveling in thy palace.
Elsewhere the population was occupied
with feasting and dancing t.ler. 51:
III)). Drunken riot and mad excitement
held possession of tho town; the siege
was forgotten; ordinary precautions, as
the closing of the river gates (Isa. 45:
1), were neglected. The undefended
gateways were seized; a war shout
was raised; the alarm was spread.
The drunken revelers could make no
resistance. The king, paralyzed with
fear nt the handwriting which had
warned him of his peril, could do noth
ing to check the progress of tho assail
ants, who curried all before them
everywhere. Bursting Into the palace
a band of Persians made their way
L Into the presence of Ik king nnd slew
Sad 8iflh't for Father.
Charlotte and Mary Heatley, eight
een and fourteen years old, respective
ly, were drowned the other day in the
Mersey, near Liverpool, England,
ilmost before the eyes of their father,
ho helped to recover the bodies, not
snowing that they were those of his
:hlldren. Tbe girls, who were at ser
Ice, had been visiting their father,
ind he had warned them of the treach
erous nature of the river at that point.
He was called from his work to assist
n the rescue of two bathers, aud waa
imong the first to respond. The res
cue fulled, and when the bodies were
brought ashore he recognized his two
daughters.
Senator on Investigating Tour.
Ex-Senator Cockrell of taissourt,
now Interstate commerce commission
er, and one of bis colleagues on the
commission will atari; for St. Louis
and tbe southwest In July to make a
study ot transportation questions.
This study will be exhaustive and
will doal with Important branchoa of
the rate problem.
CHiTraraH COTES
OCTOBER FIRST.
The Joya of Church Membership. 1
These. 6: 5-15; Luke, 12: 8.
One of tin chief Joys of church
membership Is that It gives direction
to our Christian activities; we have
overseers whose guidance renders
our work far more effective.
Another Joy of church membership
Is thai It restricts us, holding us back
from many evil courses by direct
warning, or by the silent power of
common opinion,
A thud Joy of rhMch nvmibordhlp
Is t',.o ec.nl o.: and Mi!rt it gives
In times of sorrow and need. All
Christians knew well how real thla
is.
The chief and sufficient reason for
church membership is that it In
Christ's desire for us.
Suggestions.
If you ara not a church member,
yet think you are a Christian, you
must provo that you have some way
of confessing Christ that Is bettor
than church membership.
A church member knows what
other Christians are doing, and is
aroused to eager emulation.
Chrlut Bent His disciples out two
by two. It Is not good for man to bo
alone in Chrlstlon work.
It Is a significant fact that It Is
only men outside tho church who say
It Is as pasy to be a Christian out
side the church as inside.
Illustrations.
If you do not vote with a party,
you have no share 'In Us triumphs.
What If some one should say, "I
am as good S Democrat (or Republi
can) outsldo the party as In it!"
Those that say, "I am not good
enough to Join tho church," are
blind, and often wilfully blind, to tbe
fact that the church Is made up ot
those that Join because they are weak
and need Christ. They are virtually
saying, "I am not bealthy enough to
go to the Groat Physician."
If a foreigner should profess a high
regard for the United States, but re
fused to become naturalized, you
would know that he preferred somo
other country.
It is a great thing to have In any
society a nucleus of faithful work
ers. That nucleus will make a suc
cess of any society. But it will not
make a success of the society if it
Is content to remain a nucleus, a
faithful few. Each Endeavorer must
have In mind some loss efficient
worker, and mnke it his one aim to
transform him into a more efficient
worker.
EPWDH1H LEAGUE LESSONS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1.
The Christian and His Bible Psa.
119. 11; Jer. 15. 16.
Psalm 119 13 prolific with sugges
tions as to the value of the Word, it
Is an inspired eucuuilum on the
Bible. In the special verso wa study
the author declares he has hid the
Word In his heart; that Is, he bus
placed it nt the center and source of
life. It thus becomes tho secret
sourco of strength and results in tho
keeping of the individual from sin.
Jeremluh represents himself ns "eat
ing" the Word. The meaning evl
dfntly 'is thnt ho received It with
avidity; thut it becanio Incorporated
with his being as food bocome3
assimilated.
Thus it filled hlin With Joy and
strength. Duty thus became pleas
ure, and service was made easy. He
who feeds upon the Word receives all
needed grace for the duties of ..life.
Blblo study has received great at
tention In the Lc .gue during the past
few yearj. It 'Is a wise and Import
ant movement. No greater help can
be found for the young Christian than
to memorlzo and treasure up the
words of benpturo. Ttio lliblo Is the
Christian's sword, his food, aud his
defense. The organization and per
petuation of Bible study classes In
our chapter mean much to the future
of our Longue. Notice somo of the
benefits of Bible study:
ft Is a Test of Dlsclpleshlp. Jesus
said, "If ye abide In my word, then
are ye truly my disciples." Profession
alone will not make us Christians.
The real test is dally feeding on the
Word. The food we eat bus much to
do with our physical Ufa. It has as
much to do with the spiritual. A love
for tbe Bible Is the result of a true
conversion. We will delight to road
about the Father, the Christ, and the
plan ot salvation, growth, and destiny
of our souls. We will dud its pre
cepts the guidance we need In a
Christian life.
It is an Indispensable Aid to Holy
Living. Bible study reveals to us the
need of spiritual help. It points out
the dangers and pitfalls in tbe way.
It Imparts the secret of true prayer
and help. It Incites In us the holy
Ideals of living. It punctures the in
flated 8elf-r!ghleotisncBS of a formal
religion. As Chrysostom said, "The
' cause of all our evils Is in not knowing
the Scriptures." It Is the soul-food
on which we thrive and grow strong
In spiritual things. Nothing else can
take lta place.
Bulldog and Rattler.
A bulldog owned by John Passlnl, a
farmer living on the Under Mountain
road, in South Canaan, fought a large
rattlesnake to tbe death yesterday.
Tbe dog discovered the snake near
the bottom of tbe mountain while on
Its way to a brook, and Immediately
charged on the reptile. Fastening Its
teeth midway between tbe rattler's
bead and tail the dog chewed tbe
snake until It was dead. Then the
dog died from bites on the fighting
ground.
Tne snake was a large one and had
eleven rattles. The dry weather is
driving reptiles from the mountains
to the low lands for water. Wlnsted
(Conn.) Cor. New York World.
Peculiar Shift of Granite.
A block of granite weighing over
800,000 pounds, flat on top and with
clean breaks on two aides, has been
found near Woodbury, Vt. Three hun
dred feet north Is seen tbe ledge from
which the block broke away. The
two are on about the same level, but
between thorn rises i barrier of gran
ite fifteen feet high. Local geologists
are trying to figure out what natural
causes brought about the shift In tbe
position ot the block.
no
57
ircfvKfi
HOW MUCH I OWE.
When this pasainc. world is done
When has sunk yon frloriou sun;
When we stitnd with (J)irint in glory,
Looking o'er life's finished story;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know
Not till then how much 1 owe!
When I stand before the throne, I
Clothed in beauty not my own; I
When 1 see Thee as Thou art,
I,ove Thee with uncenaiiis heart;
Then, Lord, shnll 1 fully know
Not till then how much I owe!
Robert M. McCheync.
The Church and the World. 1
We laboriously climbed the Great
Pyramid, four hundred and fifty feet
Into the air. The cloudless sky nnd,
perfectly dry atmosphire made It pos
sible to see great distances In every
direction. To the north nnd west the
curving river, the groups of palms, nnd
In the distance the domes and mlnnrets
of Cairo made up a view of charming
beauty peculiar entirely to that country
and that locality. To the south nnd
east the desert stretched away as far
as the eye could reach, the heated air
shimmering above the golden sands.
And now, looklug down, we dlscerneU
what before we hnd not discovered.
The fresh verdure of the river bank
met the encroaching sands of the des
ert In a distinctly defined line. All
bright green on the one side, all dreary
barrenness on the other. Upon the
grouud it Is impossible to appreciate
how distinct that line Is. From our
great elevation it waa strikingly ap
parent. The trouble with many In tbe church
is thnt they live on so low a plane spir
itually that they do not discern the"
line between the church and the world.
If they would but arise to their exalted
privilege In Christian experience they
would see it clearly.
It Is there, however. It lies between
tho sweet, restful verdure of the banks
of the river of life nnd the dreary
waste of the selfish, heartless, Joyiess
realm of the votaries of sinful pleasure.
It Is where "old things have passed
away, and all things hnve become
new." It Is where business methods of
questionable propriety end and down
right honesty begins. It is where
pleasures of misleading tendency are
put away and those things that make
for purity and holiness and wholesome
influence In social life come In.
That line exists as a necessity In the
nature of things spiritual. "For what
fellowship bath light with darkness?"
It Is a battle line tho whole length of
it, and it is not a difficult thing for
brave men nnd women of God to find
It It Is possible for nil In the church
to live near enough to God to see it.
Let us all come to a higher plane.
Rev. O. A. Houghton, in Christian Ad
vocate. In the Lla-ht of the End.
"Ye have seen the end of 'the Lord,"
says tho Apostle James, In writing of
the misery of Job's allllctlon, nnd he
urges that as a reason for the exercise
of patlenco in the midst of Buffering
and mystery on behalf of all the dis
tressed. It Is a beautiful and luminous'
phrase. There Is one life nt least, the
apostle seems to say, which touched
the very bottom of misery. Could mis
ery be more profound than that of poor
Job? But life was In the bands of
God all through the trial and pain.
And we have the advantage of seeing
the entire process wo see tho end of
the Lord. And that "end" was merci
ful, and brought the sufferer Into a
larger, life.
We cannot see the "end" of our life;
we are In the midst of tbe process.
But of this we may be absolutely cer
tain, that when the heart can say of
God, as did Job, "Though He slay nie
yet will I trust in Him," the "end"
will be full of glory. Meanwhile It is
our glory to trust absolutely in God,
to do tbe next thing He has given
us to do, nnd to leave all the rest to
His Fatherly goodness.- London Chris
tian. We Mint Fit the Crn.
A lady employed an artist to carve
for her lu marble the figure of an angel
carrying a cross. He began with the
mild ami tad succeeded remarkably
well, when he found tir.tt he could not
make the cross fit on his buck, nor
could he niter the cross or tbe llgiiro
so as to get the cross to lit. He tried
again and again, but in the end ho bad
to give It up.
Tho lady then employed another
artist to complete the work or make
another. He began with the cross and
then made tho back of the figure to
lit it.
What a powerful sermon Is contained
In the story of tho two artists' experi
ences! Uur Urst Impulse always is to
attempt to niter our crosses to tit us;
our final experience is thnt we must
learn to fit ourselves to them.
Jat Like Ond.
Little Mary was one morning read
ing with her mother In tho New Testa
ment, nnd this was one of the verses
of the chapter:
"For God so loved Uie world that IIo
gave Ills only lx gotten Son, that who
soever belleveth In Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life."
Stopping for a moment in the read
ing the mother nsked: "Don't you
think It Is very wonderful?" The child,
looking surprised, replied In tbo nega
tive. Tbo mother, somewhat aston
ished, repeated the question, to which
tho llttlo daughter replied: "Why, no,
mamma. It would be wonderful If It
were uny body else; but it's Just like
God."
Paul never described himself as a
prisoner of Rome, but always as the
prisoner of Jesus Christ. What a glory
tbls adds to life! The chain which
Rome Imposed is transformed into the
golden bracelet of a great love token.
G. O. Morgan.
Good habits are not made on birth
days nor Christian character at the
New Year. Hie workshop of character
Is everyday life. The uneventful nnd
commonplace hour Is where the battle
Is lost or won. Multblo D. Bubcock,
I). 1).
Salad Grown at Table.
The experiment of serving a dinner,
party with salad grown under tbo
guests' own eyes waa recently tried
In Berlin. Here Is the recipe; Take
good germinating lettuce seed and
soak It In alcohol for about six hours,
bow It in an equal mixture of rich soil
and unslaked lime, and place it on the
table. After the soup water it with
lukewarm water, whereupon it com
mences Jo.spiiht Immediately. The
thing worked like a charm, and the
lettuce when plucked aud prepared
for eating were the size ot Barcelona
tauU. 1
ft
TUB GBEAT DESTEOYEB
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.'
Am I Mr BmthoT's KrprT Yal. It to
Woe Unto tie If We Put lha Botll la
Hl Llp, Directly or Indira ctlr Pal
tering Kxeasee.
When Cain, nfter slaying Abel, said
with that flue show of Indignation,
"Am I my brother's keeper?" he said
what every liquor seller and liquor
user since him has said: "I use tt In
moderation. Is it my fault if other
become drunkards? That Is their look
out. Let every mnn attend to his own
business."
A menagerie lets loose Its lions and
tigers to roam over a village. "They
have never hurt nie," urges the keeper,
when men protest.
A snake charmer frees all his ser
pents in the midst of a crowd. "They
never bit me," be declares serenely.
A mnn builds a bonfire In the midst
of a pine forest, and all the valuable
trees are burned up, together with a
village near by. "I didn't spread the
fire," pleads the man. "It spread It
self." A man who knows he has smallpox
travels on a crowded train to reach his
home. "I didn't ask those other people
to get on that train," be says.
Here was a man In Buffalo, N. T.,
who stole from his baby, as she lay In
her cradle, both her tittle shoes and her
underclothing, and told them for five
cents to get a drink. "I didn't tell him
to do thnt." says the saloonkeper. "Nor
I," says tbe comrade, who "treated"
him now and then.
A consumptive went from Minneap
olis to Colorado. ' Before that time he
had never tasted a drop of liquor. A
physician there advised him to live
out of doors, ride horseback, and drink
whisky three times a day. He be
came a sot, and In a drunken quarrel
killed a man. "But I didn't tell him
to do that," doubtless said tbe physi
cian. Over agnlnst all such paltering ex
cuse the Bible sternly declares that, in
Uils matter, at In all otbers, we are
our brothers' keepers.
It Is woe unto us if we give our
neighbor drink, if we put the bottle to
his Hps, directly or Indirectly.
If we are voters, we are our broth
ers' keepers. If we vote for officials
that favor liquor soiling, we nre put
ting the bottle to our neighbors' lips as
truly as if we stood behind the bar aud
banded out whisky.
We are our brothers' keepers at we
keep "the door of our lips," as we sneer
at "the telnpernnce fanutlcs," and ridi
cule the wise temperance laws, and
plead for "personal liberty."
We ore our brothers' keepers even In
our own family, as we use liquor for
medicine when less dangerous drugs
are equally efficacious, and as wa use It
to season the food on our tables.
No one can be his brothers' keeper in
the way God approves until he is him
self kept by GoL Kept pure and
strong. Kept with a clean, nnexclted.
brain. Kept sympathetic and loving.
Kept with a sane conscience.
"If even meat eating," said Paul
nobly, "causes my brother to stumble,
I'll eat no meat while the world
Btnnds." There spoke a Christian
brother! Amos R. Wells, in Sabbath
Reading.
I Prog-re of Temperance In Enaland.
Brewert nre Just now much exercised
In their minds over the great falling
off in their returns. Attempts are of
course being made to discount any
suggestion that beer la ceasing to be
the national beverage and that a wave
of temperance Is sweeping over the
land. But we have no hesitation In
saying thnt temperance reform is win
ning Its wny in England, and that the
decline ot the brewer Is something
more than a merely temporary depres
sion. Considerations of health and
economy appeal more powerfully than
ever they did before to the popular
mind, and are the brewer's most for
midable opponents.
It Is a remarkable sign of tbe spread)
of temperance principles that borougli
councils in their representative capac
ity should be Initiating methods of
temperance reform. Some time ago
the council of Woolwich took action in
this direction, and now that of Camber
well has unanimously decided to fol
low suit by issuing a placard on phys
ical deterioration and alcoholism,
signed by the Mayor and Uie public
officer of health.
This placard point ont in an em
phatic manner the ruct that tne anuse
of alcoholic stimulants is One ot the
most potent means of physical deterior
ation. It further states that alcoholic
persons are specially liable to tuber
culosis and all Inflammatory disorders,
and that the lunacy figure show a
large and Increasing nnmber of admis
sions of both sexes due directly to
drink. And It conclude with these
striking words: "Alcoholism 1 tbe
most terrible enemy to personal health,
to personal happiness and to national
prosperity." Church Eclectic,
A Ueaaon for tbe Pearaaae.
The editor of an English liquor trade
organ, said In a recent Interview, that,
In the opinion of the trade, the great
decrease in tbe conmmptlon of liquor
In England was doe flrrt to economic
conditions, and secondly, to the change
lu tbe public taste, saying: "During
the last three years tbe enormous ex
penditures of tho South African War
has pressed hardly upon tbe public.
When they are short of money, wine is
tho first thing In which they will econ
omize. Then, us regards the public
taste. It Is a well-known fact that men
will not sit long after dinner, as they
used to do, and drink their bottle of
IMirt or claret The moment dluner la
finished they begin smoking, the onjy
form of liquid refreshment they In
dulge In afterward boiug iu most case
a- glass of whisky and soda."
Teuiperaaoe Kolas.
Mrs. Carrie Nation and others have
contributed $1500 towards the project
of establishing, a weekly Prohibiten
newspaper In Oklahoma, to be pub
lished at Guthrie.
Illinois 1 the latest, if not also the
first State,' that has fully organized a
"Temperance Department" In its Sunday-School
Association. Pennsylvania
leads In a movement to get temperance
Into the regular machinery of the
church by the appointment of a "Tem
perance Secretary" for every mission
ary society,
A local option election was held a
short time ago in an Kn stern State.
Two man traveled eighty mile to de
posit their ballot. They had convic
tion on the dulle and privilege or
cltlsenshlp. They both, voted against
tbe aaldou, and no-llceuso carried by
two vote in that town.
The English Lunacy Commissioner'
report shows thnt inebriety is stated
tbe cause of from eighty to fifty par
cent of all case ot insanity. In soun
section alcohol is used mora fretly
than in other. There the percent''
of (.inanity from thl cause is gteatt'.
There ! something vfry ignlt)ct t,)
these eggve, ... :
THE KEYSTONE STATE
Latest News of rcnnsjlrania Told b
Short Order.
Edward K. Schofcr, 16 years old, a
high tchonl boy, stepped into an open
elevator shaft at the Mansion House,
Reading, and fill to the basement, 30
feet below. Un skull wa fractured
nnd three ribs were broken. He died
three hours latir.
William Horning, a farmer, of Bcn
dcrsville, told the police an odd hold
story. Horning says a man ordered
two baskets of fruit, agreeing to pay 35
cents a basket. When Horning deliv
ered the fruit, the man was not at home,
l)ii. a woman tnnk charge of the bas
kets and declared he would not pay
nvrc than 25 cents a basket. Horning
refused, and then the woman became
angry and locked him in a room, laying
she would, not let him out until he
agreed Tn take h.r price. Horning stood
the co;tfim"ucnt several hour, but final
ly surreii lcrid and was Riven his free
dom when he knocked off 10 cents from
:he priie of each basket of fruit.
Tlic Reading Trust Company won its
contest in the Supreme Court against
Francis P. McManus in regard to sct
tlini? up the $9,Too estate of Caroline
McManus. Her will appointed Mr. Mc
Manus and the Reading Trust Company
CM-cutors. Mr. McManus, with the con
sent of tile legatees, ignored the trust
company. The company receives $2,
,593.24, its claim of 2'i per cent, on the
estate.
George A. Lcinbach, of Reading, sen
ior member of the firm of Leinbach &
Bro., clothiers, died after a lingering
illness, aged 64 yean. He was a gen
erous giver to chut -h work and charity.
He was a Union veteran.
Mrs. Vinton Foreman, of Reading,
aged 48 years, died from injuries re
ceived in being struck by a train on the
Reading Belt Line.
While his train was running at high
speed James Heller, of South Bethle
hem, an engineer on the Reading Rail
way train, was struck by the reverse
liver and had his breastbone fractured.
Mrs. Adam Musier, of Morgantown,
had several ribs fractured and sustained
other internal injuries as the result of
her horse stumbling and falling and
t!i rowing her out of the wagon. 1
Charles L. Ebcrly and bis wife, of
Pottsvillc, trolley passengers, who were
injured in a collision of two cars, brought
suit against the Pottsville Union Trac
tion Co. for $10,000 damages. After the
rase had been on trial all week the jury
brought in a verdict of ptoo for Mrs.
Eberly and $75 for her husband.
While playing with matches Robert
Smith, 2 years old, of Norristown, waa
burned by the clothing taking tire. The
child's condition is critical.
The home of Adam Hilbertis of Stras
bitrg, was entered by thieves during the
family's absence and a pocke'book con
taining considerable money was stolen.
The Borough Council of Elizabeth
town has rescinded permission granted
several months ago to the Philadelphia,
Lancaster and Harrisburg Railroad to
lay tracks through the town. Promoter
of the company say they will lay tracks
on its Harrisburg turnpike for through
line to Lancaster and thus avoid both
Elizabeth and Mt. Joy.
General Manager Hayward, of the
York Street Railway, is double-tracking
Market Street from one end to the other
with (froove rail. The work will be
done at considerable cost. Nearly 100
men have been put to work.
Tohn I.eibv. of Parsons, was arrested.
charged with being the half-nude man
who assaulted Mrs. Alex. O'Lcson, near
Parsons, and who is suspected of pur
suing and frightening other women. He
was held under $1000 bail.
George Mihm, a retired farmer, of
Silver Run, near Hanover, is dead at
the age of 104 years. He was born in
1801 and was the oldest resident of the
county. He is survived by his second
wife, to whom he was married five year
ago at the age of 99 years.
Charles Mtilaski was found dead at
Shcppton. There was a wound in the
back of his head, the result of his be
ing struck by a blunt instrument.
Harry Wright fell asleep on the east
bound track of the Delaware, Lacka
wanna and Western Railroad at Scran
ton, and three seconds thereafter the Buf
falo Express passed on the westbound
rails. He was still asleep when car
ried to the station house, where he wai
sentenced to thirty days in jail for be
ing so careless in selecting lodging.
Charles Boland, of Carbondale, aged
17, was crushed beneath the wheels of
a train and died later in the hospital.
Jacob Potowin, aged 73 years, of Sha
mokin, fell down a long flight of stairs,
breaking his neck. He died in a few
minutes.
Alexander Rocco, of Freeland, taken
ill, fell helpless on the railroad. He bad
been there some time, a pet dog tugging
at the prostrate man. The animal'
howl attracted young men, who carried
Rocco from the rails just as a 'xaiai
came around the curve.
Michael O'Brien, aged IS years, ot
Shenandoah, bandaged his own arm aft
er it had been severed at the elbow by a
train on the Lehigh Valley Railroad,
and walked home. He is now in a hos
pital. The Lackawanna Presbytery, which
has for some time had under consid
eration the efforts of a portion of the
Pittston Presbyterian Church congrega
tion to oust Rev. J. J. Fletcher, has re
commended that the relations of the min
ister and the church 6e severed. The
bresbytery expresses confidence in the
minister, and praises him for the cour
age and success with which he has fought
gambling, impurity and intemperance in
Pittston. All efforts to adjust the dif
ferences between the minister and the
congregation failed. ,
The Puddle Mill of the Bethlehem
Steel Company is to (tart up again to its
fullest capacity, employment being giv
en to several hundred men.
At the final sessions of the presbytery
of Lehigh, in the First Presbyterian
Church, South Bethlehem, the following
commissioners were chosen to the synod
of Pennsylvania at Grecnsburg on Oc
tober 19: Rev. A. T. Schlcii-h, of Ash
land; J. W. Boal, of Center Hall; Jame
Cattanach, of Munch Chunk, and Elder
E. A. Spear, of Pen Argyl; Frank M.
Trexlcr, of Alltntown, and Dr. A. R.
Fleming, of Tainaqua,
Falling over, apparently in a faint, in
the kitchen of her home, at South Beth
lehem, Mrs. Margaret A. Quiu, aged 50
years, mruiK iirr ncau agatiini a cupoudi
,-M..l
Councilman Thomas McNamara cre
ated a sensation in the South Bethlehem
Town Council by declaring that the dis
order among foreigners on Sundays wa
due largely to speakeasie that were pro
tected by the borough nonce officers.
Friends have learned that Miss Orar
Desh and James J. Kennedy, Jr., of i ' -lrhem,
were married in l'lulad' 1 ' 1 '
month ago. The couple intern! j I
the fact sectet for a lime-