I SUNDAY SERMON 7 I i I A Scholarly Dlioourit by f I IV. r I W Henderson. f L Brooklyn. N. Y. Preaching at tne Irving Square Presbyterian Church on the theme, "Christian Character," the Kev. I. W. Henderson, pastor, took as his text I. Peter 2:9: "That fe may show forth the excellencies of Him who hath called you out of darkness Into His marvellous light." He said: Character is determined In the terms of an exercised moral and spir itual consciousness. Character at its highest Is conformity to the best moral and spiritual consciousness that is within us. It is both the con summation and the limitation of the will of man. It Is not only a matter of the outward life but it is also the Indication and tho manifestation of an iuward grace. Character is the sum of any man's characteristics of soul and social lift". Motive is. In the last analysis, more nf , account than the outward act. Feeling is a factor In the human life. Intentions must be counted. Desires may draw down or up. But with all these in the tally, you are what you will to be. More than your will desires you will not become. Character is not only what yon wish you were, nor what the world thinks you are, nor yet what you consider yourself 10 be; but what you are. It is neither your reputation nor your record, save as those two align to the measure of manhood ac cording to the ru-. of God. Character is the. mark of Inner worthiness as well as the emblem of a good life before the open eyes of men. Character not merely hon esty, it is more. It is not only out ward purity but also inward cleanli ness of heart. It means not only to walk Just within the statutes of the penal code, and jus-, beyond the clanging Iron of a prison door, but rather to love righteousness and to practice uprightness because they are right. Character is virtue, honor, In tegrity, godliness. It is deserved reputation and the glory of n well spent life. It Is a mark and the vic tory of moral worth. More to be de sired Is It than great riches and its ripe, rich, satisfying fruitage Is peace and quietude of heart. Christian character is conformity to the character of Christ. It i3 to bear the express imags of the saving Son of Goj In the inner man and through all the problems of tho so cial Hie. As 1 he Saviour bore the Impress of tha divine w ill of our com mon father; as the faithful Friend of men showed forth the mind and the manner of our God, so must we as true men and women, disciples of our Lord, be sealed with the evi dences of divine guidance. The highest character of this Ufa and for the world beyond is that which finds in Jesus Christ the Ideal and harmonious working of the will of man with the divine. Character, as we Christians view it, is concerned not only w ith the Christian's conduct, not only with his doings in the field of human action; but also with his trueness to his personality and to his God. Christian character includes, for it can never exclude, a due and a willing regard for man's obligations toward his Maker. It affirms the basic necessity for absolute and un swerving loyalty to self. It Insists and asserts that motive if more than manner, while demandl:ii; that, ill so cial responsibilities be met squarely, honorably, manfully and in the fear of God. The character of Christ Is positive. Christ is remarkable not for tho things that He retrained from doing but rather is lie ideal in the acta of nobleness, virtue, gco.l-heartednesj which He did. His was no puny I soul. Obaying the words that came j out of Sinai's mighty glory. He went beyond them. Keeping well within the requirements of Pnarisal" legal ism. He pmhed on and out. and up, above and Ltyonl and uhead of nil the self-ronrilacc-ncy and moral blind ness of the ecclesiastics, and did things positive and powerful for men j and for God. Feeling within His i heart the call of immortal duty the I Christ, exemplified in His own lit'o I those qualities of character which have for all time secured Him In His ! proud placs iis the idual man and proved to a multitude in this sad and Binning world lib; Godhood and His grace divine. To you and to me the call comes down the centuries bidding us "to i show forth the excellencies of Him j who hath called us our of darkness ) Into Ills marvellous light." Having j accepted the Christ nnd been sealed 1 with His love, wo nniyt b-ar in our j lives the express image that is to say the signet stamp, that is to say ' me character of the Son of God. The character of Christ presents to us a double study and preserves to us a two-fold duty and example. With in the characteristic attributes of holiness and righteousness are com prised all the qualities that pertain to the Saviour In His social sphere. Holiness toward God, righteousness toward self and society, these two are the broad truths that come to us from the character of the Christ and which Bummon us to show forth His glory and His love. Spirituality and mor ality, a sanctified sense of oneness with tit b Father, a courageous de termination to stand square before society an 1 upright at the bur of his own conscience, these are the two great lessons for us from the charac ter of Christ, and the mighty truth.! within which all else In the world of human conduct is embraced. To be holy Is to be sanctified that Is to sey pure, Not merely purity be fore men but a radical purity that really goes back to tho root of things and that enables the man to be fit, through the g-aee of God in Jesus Christ, to stand before His Father and His Maker and be glad. Purity Is not merely a matter of Boap and water but of inward wholesomeness. Christ cares not whether your hands are dirty with the molder's clay. He ijoes weep over a soiled and sullied ' soul. "W'hnt an antiseptic," says Low ell. "Is a pure life." What possibili ties Indeed for good and for uplift and for God are ever within its power. But it must be healthfully, honor ably pure, with the richness of holi ness all about It ere It can count for most and reap a heavy harvest unto God. Righteousness la rectitude. That Is to say, erectness. Righteousness Is uprightness. Uprightness Is slraightness, moral rectillnearneBS. Righteousness means not only to pay your debts promptly, to keep well within the limits of the law, not only to respect the rights of others and the mandates of society through fear of the consequence! of sin, but rat her to seek to do good because It ennobles, to think of the needs of others be cause they are our brothers In Christ. Righteousness Is uprightness in the Ijome, In the church, In business, In, politics, secretly, socially. In sun shine and In shadows, everywhere and at all times. Righteousness is virtue. To be vir tuous Is to be a full Hedged man. Virtue Is vigorous with virility. Kty mologlcally It Is sprung from the loins of Latin manhood. Virtue Is goodness which has stood the strain, which has weathered the trials of temptation, which has fought a manly fight, and won out. It is the glory of a good man's life. Virtue has grit. It is no weakness to be pure. True men do honor to a blameness name and only a fool will laugh at nobleness of heart. Righteousness Is Justice. Legali ty and Justice are not co-termlnous. Justice Is the Ideality of law. Justice co-ordinates the right. The law often hardly approximates It. Jus tice enquires not what are my rights but what are my duties. The Just man sympathizes with the longings and the needs of men and sustain? their alms. The "legal" man may oft forget that God exists and right should reign that law may be evaded. In the apocryphal Wisdom of Sol omon we find these words: "Honor able eld age Is not that which stand cth in length of time, nor is its meas ure given by number of years, but understanding. Is gray hairs unto men and an unspotted life is ripa old ago." Virtue. Justice, uprightness, these are the things that count for righteous ness and tho man of years is the man who is godly. Christian character Is the need and It should be the hope of us all To the men who are Christ's Is given the leadership of tho world. Let the salt retain its savor nnd all the leav en its uplifting power. If we aro Christ's let us show forth Ills holi ness and righteousness. If we are to lead, let us be fit. It has been well and truly said, that "immoral life In one leader of the people is more per nicious than a whole street full ol Impurities in the lower quarters of the community." Character count3. Christian char acter is the consummation of human power and of human beauty. Tc bear the impress of the character ol Christ is to be worth while to men and to God. Holiness brings happi ness. Righteousness is more of ac count than riches. Purity is peace. J Virtue Is vigor and. strength and tho mark of moral decency. Justice it profitable aqd well-pleasing to God. Moral rectitude and a holy lifj are tho riches of the soul laid up In the treasuries of heaven. Character i is good. Christian character is glor- lous. To "show forth the exeellen- j cie3" of Jesus is the business of Hit ; church. The Soul's Growth. Temptations do not decrease, but rather increase, with the growth ol the soul. The little man fighting his little battles wishes that he Were a great man so that the more easily he might overcome them; but when he becomes great himself he sees that stornis circle the higher altitudes that make the potty bnttles of the lower level seem Insignificant. Many Beem to think that tempta tion lays Its hands only upon out weak spots. But think a minute Here Is a lawyer who has little abil ity, seldom wins a case, always geti on the off side of a Jury, and Is no toriously incompetent to plot a casi or plead it. Does that man know what it means to have a confessed criminal offer him a hundred thou sand dollars to get him clear? Doet he know wnat it is to have a princely fortune dangled before his face if, in legislative halls, he will stand on the wrong side of the question for Just one hour? He knows absolutely nothing about it. So it is in the Christian life; the stronger we grow to be, the stronger will be our temptations. The nearei we grow Into the likeness of Christ, I the fiercer will be the onslaughts ol the enemy. We cannot escape life's battles by moving Into a different or higher sphere. Each stage or ! sphere has its own temptations. Ai Jesus was tempted, so will be Hit discitiles. But, as He was made per fect through sufferings, so our trials, which are but for the moment, will work for us a far more exceeding and c'ernal. weight o glory. Ram's Horn. Winnowed Wheat. A good man does good merely by living. You are not very holy if you are not very kind. God often comes to visit us, but generally we are not in. What Is each man but one little thread in the loom of God? Bind together your spare hours by the cord of some definite purpose. No grip is so hard to shako off as that of early religious convictions. Our remedies frequently fall, but Christ us tho remedy for sin never fails. God's silences may be long, but they are never the silences of forget fulness. A little thorn may rend the finest fabric; so may a little sin mar the fairest soul. There may be movement, but there can be no progress, In traveling with out God. Gratitude Is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul, and the heart of man knoweth none more fraeran:. We sleep in pence in the arms of God when we yield ourselves up to His Providence, in a delightful con sciousness of His mercies; no more restless uncertainties, no more im patience at the place wo are in, for it is God who puts us there and who holds us In Ills arms. Can we be un safe where He has placed us? NO SALUTE FOR A DIRTY PRINCE Tho present Crown Prince of Ger many had as a child a great ulslike of being washed. Tho Emperor tried various means to cure him, and he at last hit on the right one. The young Prince came running to him one day In a great rage, saylna; the sentry had not saluted hn j;s hi passed. "To be sure," Bald the Emperor; "I gave orders they were not to sa lute a dirty prince, but only a clean one." The child's pride was hurt and he took to tho bath. London Telegraph. JOY. "I htrar your wife's gone away for the summer." "Yes." "You don't seem to look very ua happy." "Well, I don't expect to be in formed once during tho next three months that it would do me Just as much good to work in tne garden as It does to play golf." Chicago Record-Herald. IrmnnDTU irmur irrcnut? SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28. ! A Christian's Friendships. John 15. 15. Daily Readings. How to win the highest friendship. James 2. 21-23. Friendship used for salvation. Acts 10. 24. The best part of friendship. Luke 10. 33-42. Love the bond of perfectness. Col. 3. 14. The value of friendship and how to maintain It. Prov. IS. 24. Friendship must sometimes cause pain. Prov. 27. 0. Topic -A Christian's Friendships. John 15. 13. Friendship Is one of life's richest assets. The quality of our friends Is of Infinite importance to us because thry help to make or to mar us. "The highest friendship" referred to In the text Is characterized by mutual confidences. It Is mockery for one to call me his friend who draws out from me the secret, sacred things of my heart and gives me nothing In return. "I call you my friends, nnd 1 make known to you," said Jesus to his disciples. "I must tell Jesus nil of my trials." and if I do, ho will whisper his sweet secrets to me, and we shall have a sense of nearness nnd companionship unknown by "the world." Notwithstanding the infinite distance between God and men. It Is possible. James reminds us, for us to be counted and recorded "fi lends of Go.l." So It was with Abraham; and that high dignity was given him because he "believed God." We can come Into the friend-relation-ship with GoTl only by taking him at his word. Proceeding, we find that a true friendship will manifest Itself by seeking tho welfare of the objects of affection, as Cornelius Illustrate! w hen he "ca'led together his kinsmen and near friends" to hear the great, good word Peter had to say. This is one of the fundamental laws of friendship. Friendship divides tho gold mine, and shares the crust. We have a dally reading title. "The best part of friendship." What Is It? Mary chose that good part, receiving It at the hands of her friend Jesus. He gives royally to his friends. Better than any gift of money we might be stow upon n friend is that of a holy Incentive, a lofty Ideal, a solemn de cision. Read Col. 2. 13. 14 in the beautiful rendering of Conyheare and Howson: "Therefore, as God's chos en people, holy and beloved, put on tenderness of heart, kindness, self humiliation, gentlervss, long-suffering: forbearing one another, and for giving one another, if any thinks him self aggrieved by his neighbor; even as Christ forgave you so also do CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. Livingstone, and Missions to Africans, in the Dark Continent and In America. Ps. 68:28-35. Kings Indeed did honor to the great missionary, and it was because he set up the temple of God In a new place. Livingstone gave himself bo freely for Africa because he believed In the Inherent royalty of manhood, w hatever the color or condition of the man. Africa Is now stretching out her hands to God, and to us, who can bring God to her. Missionary lives seem superhuman In their labors and results; that la because they are superhuman In their reliance. The Life of Livingstone. David Livingstone was born In Blantyre. Scotland, March 19, 1813. By the age of nineteen he had decid ed to be a medical missionary, a calling for which he obtained a most practical training. He reached South Africa In 1S41, and began work with the great missionary, Robert Moffat, whose noble daughter Mary he mar red. Livingstone's great work was heroic exploration. He opened up the Zambesi country from sea to sea, and the region around the great African lakes, many of which he dis covered. He carried on his explora tions only in order to blaze a path for future missionary work. In 1SJ7 he visited England, and then burled himself in the heart of the Dark Continent, and was lost to the knowledge of the world. In 1S71 Stanley discovered him, an old man, almost "starving, and brought word of him. He had a wonderful Influence over the natives. Finally he grew s feeble that they had to carry him iu a litter. In the morning of May 1, 1873, his loving black servant. Susl, found h'm on his knees by his bed, the great missionary having passed away In the act of prayer. AN AMUSING EXPERIMENT. L simple kaleidoscope may be m.tde by any boy or girl by taking a straight lamp chimney an argand one is beBt and painting the outside of It biack. If you make a pinhole in a piece of paper and hold It at one end and look at it through tho other it will appear as a number of circles of light. It is tho cylindrical surface that reflects and causes this. If now you fasten two pieces of glass at one -nd of tho chimney, placing between them bead and bright col ored bits of glass bo that tliey may move as you turn tho chimney you will havo as good a kaleidoscope as you would care to buy. Press Agents of tlic Trusts. An Important and Interesting arti cle In the American Magazine, written by Sherman Morse, describes a real awakening in Wall Streot. It tells how the trusts, after years of silence, now speak through authorized and ( acknowledged press agents. Mr. Morse tells how tne chauge came about, and records the names and training of some of the leading pub licity men employed. One of these new press agents, J. I. C. Clarke, rep resenting the Standard Oil Company, Is said to receive a salary of (20,000 year. TILE SUNDAY SCHOOL. INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM MENTS FOIl OCTOBER 2S. Subjj.it: Josus Anointed In Itethnny, Matt, xxvl., O-IO Golden Text, Matt, xxvl., 10 Memory Verses, 12, 13 Commentary. I. Mary anoints Jesus (vs. 6, 7). 6. "In Bethany." Bethany means "House of Dates," or "House of Comfort." This was a village beau tifully situated about two miles southeast of Jerusalem on the east ern slope of the Mount of Olives. It was often visited by Christ, and It was here that Heepent several nights of the memorable passion week. "Si mon the leper." This man had evi dently been a leper and had prob ably been cured by Jesus. This will account for his making a feast in honor of Christ. According to a tra dition Simon was the father of Laz arus; according to others he was the husband of Martha, or Martha was his widow. John tells us that Mar tha served and that Lazarus was one of them that Bat at the table with Him. This shows that Lazarus' res urrection was no Illusion. Martha seems to have had the entire super vision of the feast, and the risen Laz urus was almost as much an object of curiosity as Jesus Himself. 7. "A woman." John tells us that this woman was Mary. "Ala baster box." The perfume was In an alabaster bottle, or flask, which was made with a long, narrow neck. "Very precious ointment." By the ointment we are to understand rath er a liquid perfume. The ointment was worth between $45 and $30, equivalent to about eight or ten times that amount at the present time. "Poured It on His head." John says she anointed the feet of Jesus. There Is manifestly neither contradiction nor divergence here be tween the evangelists. Mary poured the ointment over His head and then ov;r His feet. John notices the an ointing of the feet, not only as the act . of greatest humility and the mark of deepest veneration, but from Its unusual character, while anoint ing of the head was not so uncom mon. II. Mary's act criticised (vs. 8, 9). 8. "When His disciples saw it." John tells us that Judas was the leader in criticising Mary, and he urged his opposition until some of the disciples assented to his ideas. But he was a hypocrite and Jesus re buked him. "To what purpose." There is no benefit in such a lavish expenditure. "Thl3 waste." Judns complained that the ointment was wasted because the money was not put In the treasury where he could steal it. The other disciples were evidently sincere, "but had too nar row or distorted a vision as to what were real values." Note that the apostles do not hesitate to record even those actions which are discred itable to themselves. They hide nothing. 9. "Given to the noor." How of ten does charity serve as a cloak for I covetousness. God is sometimes I robbed of His right, -under the pre tense o; devoting what is withheld to some charitable purpose. III. JesusdefendsMary (vs. 10-13). 10. "Jesus perceiving It" (R. .V.) Jesus understood their murmurlngs. "Why trouble ye the woman?" Ac cording to John's account Jesus said, "Let her alone." It was tho lan guage of sharp rebuke. "A good work." It was a high act of a noblo soul, expressing its noblest emotions. 11. "Poor always with you." This act of Mary's will not interfero with your enro for the poor. "Me not always." Christ's bodily presence was about to be removed from them. What they would do for Him must be done quickly. 12. "On My body." On His head and on His feet. "She did not pre pare Mo for burial" (R. V.) Wheth er Mary understood Christ's ap proaching death, and intended It bo, we cannot tell, but Jesus puts this construction upon it and confirms thereby what He had so frequently told them regarding it. She was em balming Him in advance of time. 13. "This gospel shall be preached. "Another remarkable prool of the prescience of Christ. God has so disposed matters that this has continued as firm and regular as the ordinances of heaven. The way to anoint Christ to-day is to help oth ers; those in prison and distress should have our earnest attention (Matt. 25:31-4G). IV. Judas seeks to betray Jesut (vs. 14-16). 14. "Judas Iscariot." Judas la rightly regarded as aninfumous man, his conduct base and his motives vile; yet how many to-day bargain away their Lord for the honors and pleasures of this world! "Unto the chief priests." This was a favorable time for the traitor to carry out hit wicked designs. Much people had gathered, not only to see Jesus, but to see Lazurus, whom He had raised from the dead, and many were be lieving on Christ because of him. 15. "What will ye give mo?" Money was his god; the love of filthy lucre waB causing his ruin. Let ui take warning. It Is not the lack ol money, but the love of money that it the "root of all evil." "Thirty piecot of sliver." Sliver shekels. This wat the price of a slave. See Eiod. 21: 22, also Zech. 11:13. According to tho Oxford Teacher's Bible Judas re ceived the paltry sum of $1G.9C. 10. "Sought opportunity." Hit hope was to deliver Christ into the and of the officers privately. .Hit act was premeditated and so much the more du'rrdly uud mean. The Puns fag of the Great Editor. The immensely large capital new required for the conduct of a daily newspaper in a great city has had Important consequences. It has made the newspaper more of an institution, less of a personal organ. Men no longer designate Journals by the owner's or editor's name. , It used to be Bryant's paper, or Greeley's pa per, or Raymond's, or Bennett's. Now It is simply Times, Herald, Tribune, and so on. No single personality can stamp Itself upan the whole organ Ism. It is too vast. It Is a great piece of property, to be administered with skill; it is a carefully planned organization-which best produces the effect when the personalities of those who work for It are swallowed up. The individual withers, but the newspaper is more and more. Jour nalism becomes impersonal. There are no more "great editors," but there is a finer esprit de corps, better "team play," an institution more and more firmly established and able to justify Itself. Rollo Ogden, la the Atlantic. Mistakes. A real llvo, up-to-date farmer Is by no means mistake-proof, for such men as these are often the victims of unintentional mistakes; but there Is one thing about theso men and that is they see to it that these Mis takes are not repeated. The Object In View. The Ideal that the American farmer should have in view at all times is that of a constant striving to produce better crops and more of them; to produce a little more economically each year and to sell them more advantageously in the different markets which he Is in the habit of supplying. Another thing, fully as important, is that he should strive to increase and preserve the fertility of his soil, which, if not done, Is like using tip- the principal of the money which he has in bank. Preserve or make your land better; reduce the cost of producing your crops and sell to a better advantage, if such a thing Is possible, and the road to success will be much easier to travel thnu would otherwise be the case. New York Witness. A Unique Ijunb Trough. In the Breeders' Gazette a corre spondent gives an Illustration, as well as a description, of what we be lieve to be a very unique trough for the purpose of feeding lambs. It Is as follows: The accompanying sketch shows tho most practical lamb trough I have ever Been. The Idea of this trough Is to teach the lambs to feed at un early age nnd It prevents them from Jumping into the trough. Take two pieces of lumber, say, four by four, each six feet In length, allow ing two Inches to go In tho ground; on one of theso two timbers Is placed a four by four, as seen In the sketch. Suspend two wires from tho timber B, fasten to trough as shown, a a, and at each end a wire must bo fastened. Let the trough hang about one and a half feet from the ground. The lamb Is considered the most curious of domestic animals. It walks up to the trough, puts its nose In the trough and by doing so the trough will gently swing from the lamb; the latter becomes curious to know what this means and follows It up, and finally the lamb is freely eating the food placed In the trough tor It. This trough has been used with marked success by one of the most extensive feeders in our coun try. It will be best to use locust wood for outside construction, as It Is very durable. The trough can be made any length desired and can be placed In a sheep shed. AVcnning Pigs. One of the best ways of weaning pigs is to place a small trough 1nst outside the pen when they are about two weeks old, and In it put a small quantity of sklm-iuilk once a riav. It Is a' good idea to set the trough down in the ground a little, so they can easily get their heads Into it. They will soon find it. and when th milk is poured in will come to it. As soon as they learn whore It is the milk should have a small quan tity of corn-meal, bran and mid dlings mixed with it. About the fourth week the milk, corn-meal, bran and middlings should he mixed to a moderately thick slop. Gradu ally increase the thickening until It Is more like a mush than a slon. and feed twice a day regularly, so they will be on hand at feeding time. Treated in this manner they will al most wean themselves, especially if they have plenty of clover or grass. The trough in which they are fed must always be kept clean and sweet, especially while the pigs are small. Food that has soured is apt to cause trouble with the bowels. Pigs that are weaned in this way are not checked In growth when the mother is removed. If the milk supply Is limited, water may be added to It to make the slop and mush. There Is nothing to be gained by cooking food for pigs. Fred Grundy, in Farm and Fireside. Mules Versus Horses. Much blame has often been at tributed to farmers because they have not, for Instance, availed themselves of the most modern machinery, the most extensive drainage, the best systems of road making, the most fashionable breeds of cattle, etc. When I hear these disparaging re marks I generally reply that those who make them should at once as sume the responsibility of some va cant land and give their opinions by example rather than by precept. The "player" at. farming would soon find that half tho mechanical contrivances are useless nettle creepers, that deep expensive drain age of stiff poor clays does not re main effective long enough to pay nnd that certain fashionable beefy breeds are useless and profitless in a milking herd. There is another permanent or oft repeated cry, however, viz.: Why do not farmers breed big mules, which anlumls are found ao advan tageous in various parts of the world, their claims resting upon their freedom irom sickness or unsound ness,' their hardihood, longevity, thiiftlness on cheap rough food and their ability to work in any climate? No one can dispute these aud other claims of a like character which they Inherit from the donkey tiibe; but I beg to submit that from the same source they also Inherit the follow Ing undesirable list; in comparison with a horse they are weak in muscle and limb, seriously deficient in ner vous force, sadly wautlng in the organs of resplraUoa if not of circu X T mi i i 1 J 1 1 i tiii lation, lacking In courage and In the spirit of emulation which carries on the noble horse, and obstinate and sulky, Just when an extra effort Is re quired. In the service of their masters, the horse, the camel and the reindeer are the only animals which will exert themselves sufficiently to cause death. The ox, the ass and the mule draw a diplomatic line In their own Individ ual protection, but I do not reflect upon them for this In respect of agricultural work, because I have found the over-willing horse some times damaged by thoughtless men. On the field of battle, however, a will ing horse would serve far better than a sulky mule, and I now come to the point of my contention. Different breeds and strains of horses have different characteristics, snmo being showy, but delicate la 'constitution, whilst others are not so attractive, though nearly as hardy as a mule. Now, I would urge that In all work wherein a mule is con sidered suitable, employ a horse of mulish character and he will do the work better than any mule can. By experts these hardy horses are often called pigs, because they eat any thing, are never sick or sorry, but are ever ready like a mule. Were theso same horses cultivated as they should be, a breed could be established that would work twenty years and be ever Immune from all the besetting ailments to which the more showy animal is subject, and on the field of battle would super sede the best of mules. W. U. Gil bert. Comfort For Hen nnd Chicks. It Is a cruel plan which shuts off the air almost entirely from the hea with a brood of chicks by placing a board In front of the coop at night; nor is such a plan necessary If one will take the trouble to build a coop or coops after the following plan: Build the coop after the usual plan, sloping tho roof to the rear and covering the front with slats except at one lower corner, where a door should be arranged, so that the hen can be easily let out when desired. To solve the problem of plenty of fresh air and at the same time free dom from prowling small animals, construct a screen; make the frame largo enough completely to cover the front of the coop and cover It with wire netting; at either side fasten a strap with a hole in the end, and on the sides of the coop place a screw, over which the straps are placed to hold the screen in place. fo make the screen still more secure w,hen placed have the sido pieces large enough so that a long wire nail may be driven in them about one-quarter .the length of the nail, at the end; then sink in the ground at either end of the coop two pieces of wood, each having a hole in the end, into which the nail in the end pieces of the screen will fit when the latter is in position. In this way it will be impossible for the screen to get loose. Iu the illustration, H, at the dotted line, shows where the screen will come when in position; A, the side piece of the screen, with the long wire nail in position; 3, the stakes in the ground to re ceive the nails; B, the screen com plete; O, the swinging lath by which the door for the use o'f the hen is kept in place, and 2, the manner of attaching the small strap to the side of the screen. Indianapolis Newt Scarcity of Lambs. How can there be other than a scarcity of lambs and high prices when the tendency of the producer Is to sell each crop of lambs as fast as they become of marketable size and age and the tendency of the con sumer to have lamb for his dinner, no matter what the price demanded? asks the Twentieth Century Farmer. The sheep raiser is not proving him self able to supply the requirements of the mutton eater as fast as the demands aro coming. This is ob served In the decline of sheep popu lation, and the great demand fo? the female side of the flock which baa developed in the market centres, where the contest Is fought out be tween the packer and the buyer of the ewe for mutton and for breeding purposes. The ewe flock is not a long lived element in the sheep industry; they soon wear out and must go into the mutton market. Their places must be filled from the ranks of the lamb, flock, and if these are taken by the extra inducements of high prices there is serious decline in produc tion staring the business in the .face. That lambs for feeding purposes are going to be high there can be no question. That the general prices for mutton will continue high there can be no doubt. That this scarcity is well grounded there Is every reas on to believe. That feeders of sheep will be obliged to change to cattle to a greater or 1bs extent, there seem good grounds for prediction. Sheep breeders never have greater opportunities for profit in mutton and wool than they are now enjoy ing throughout the range country. The careful selection and retention of the choice ewe lambs of the flock each year is a business requirement, and the careful selection and pur chase of the best rams Is business Intelligence. ---American Cultivator. Berlin now has over tiOOO cabs with taximeters dials indicating. the di tauee traversed, and cost to the pas se nge- NH . G' . 7" 1 PECAN CULTURE IN THE SOUTH. Br RENE BOUCHELLE. Given plenty of rain, sunshine and an equitable climate, and 'the pos stbllitles along horticultural lines are practically unlimited. The South Atlantic and Gulf States are particu larly blessed In these climatic con ditions, of which fact landowners ara slowly beginning to avail themselves. For the past few years, pecan cul ture has been receiving attention, but it Is yet In its Infancy. Tae main prejudices against i' have been the impression that it required a genera tion to attain growth and that it was delicate and hard to cultivate. Both ideas are entirely erroneous. It attains a nut-bearing age in from eight to ten years, is quite hardy and tenacious of life. It thrives on any except exceed ingly sandy soil, and seems to have no preference between the lowlands and the hills, doing equally, well from the Blue Ridge range to the coast. Like any other tree, it re sponds to cultivation, though it does not require much fertilization. In fact, the best plan is to plant other crops in the orchard until the trees reach a nut-bearing age, which is in from eight to ten years. ' This keeps the soil well stirred, and enriches the land sufficiently for the best growth of the nuts. The growth for the first year or two seems Blow, as the tree goes more to root than top, the roots growing almost straight down, and sending out ve.- few surface runners. A good crop to plant in a pecan orchard Is the common field pea, known throughout the South as the cow pea. The roots of this are rich In nitrogen, and no other, fertilizer will be necessary, while the hay from the vines can be marketed at a good profit. Two crops of this are made a year. The trees should be planted about forty-five feet apart, or from sixteen to twenty to the acre, to get the best results. Budded stock la est, and Frotscher Is one of the most popular varieties. When from eight to ten ;-ears old, the trees may be expected to bear from twenty to forty pounds of nuts, this amount increasing yearly until the trees reach their full growth, when the average yield is one hun dred and fifty pounds to the tree. A net profit of $600 can be safely counted on from an acre of paper sheel pecans that have attained their maturity. This Is a low estimate, as this variety brings high prices, and the supply is never equal to the demand. The nuts ripen about the middle of October, and may be gathered from then until December. The smooth, hard bur in which the nut is enclosed cracks open, and it is easy work to shell the nuts out rnd prepare them for market. One of the few enemies of the pecan is the fall web-worm. It Is best to watch for this carefully, re moving the webs as they appear, thereby preventing any harm to the tree. The much dreaded San Jose scale, so prevalent among fruit trees in the South, does not trouble the pecans at all. In ono Instance a pear orchard, badly affected with San Jose scale, adjoined a pecan orchard without the latter showing the slight est signs of becoming Infected. Rabbits sometimes gnaw the bark of very young trees, but this is easily prevented by tying around the root of tho treses a handful of broom sedge, which grows so plentifully along the fence corners in this sec tion. The pecan stairds high among the list of ornamental trees also. The leaves are a glossy, dark green, somewhat similar to the hickory, and the trees are as stately and symmet rical as the beautiful live oaks that abound throughout the South. Many of the smaller towns are beginning to use them as shade trees in place of oaks, and in a few years they will become a source of .revenue to the far-sighted municipalities. A few nurseries have been started and some groves planted, . but there Is still much undeveloped territory that might be made to yield a good in- wiuu m a iiuniui u in outlay oi ex pense and labor. The boII is pecu liarly adapted to their culture. New England Grocer. Found She Was in Wrong. An absent-minded woman one Sun day morning walked Into church, took a front seat and Joined in the service vigorously, according to the Chicago Inter-Ocean. Then the col lection basket waa passed to her, and, putting a coin into it, she looked about. She cast glances in every di rection, her mind cleared, and an ex pression of amazement overspread . her face. She got up. She hurried down tho aisle. She overtook the man with the collection basket. "I'm in the wrong church," she whiBpered, and, taking the coin she had put in, she hurried forth'. A Romance Spoiled. The beautiful girl waded In the yeasty surf. Presently she uttered a shriek of terror. "Save me!" she cried. ' There were seven men on the hotel piazza. They conferred hastily. Then the one with the clearest voice called to the struggling maiden. "Awfully sorry, "he shouted, "but there isn't an unmarried man among us." Theu the lovely girl ceased her Struggles and presently waded ashore. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Professional Obituary. ! , When hi editor dies in Kansas, this Is the way they write the obituary: "Tho pen is silent; the scissors have been laid away to rust? tho tnin... of death pervades the very atmos phere where once the hoarse voice of the devil yelling 'copy' or 'what the nous tuts word?' was wout to re sound. The paBte-pot has soured on the what-not; the cockroach i matin the composition off the roller, and the bluebottle fly Is dying n the rich folds of the printer's towel."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers