.' THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, it 1 INTKHNATIONAI, LESSON COM. M I0TS FOK DliCKMBKR 2. DECEMBER 8EC0ND. fi.Tte PmPT Subject: . Loyalty to tlio Truth. I Brooklyn. N. Y. Preaching at the Irving Square Presbyterian Church on the theme. "Loyalty to the Truth," I he Rev. I. V. Henderson, pastor, took as his text I. Kiugs 32:14: "And Micalah said, as th Lord liv eth. what the Lord salth unto me. (hat mill I Bpeak." He said: The four hundred false prophets were mere flatterers. They Inter preted and delivered tin oracles to niit the king's whim. They paid small attention to the measure of truth that their Judgment contained. If they discovered wrong, they kept quiet about it. It they foresaw evil, Ihey were equally silent. To be op timistic was to be popular. Self-interest dictated that they should re turn to the king good omens or none, ps-imlsllc prophesies landed a man In prison: and since Ahab wanted to be coddled and cajoled and Mattered, they humored him to the best of their ability and to his full capacity. They were optimistic ptitriots. Therefore thev were favorites at court. Aliah hated Micalah because he spoke the truth as It came to him direct from God. The monarch dis liked premonitions of future evil and demonstrations of existing sin. Ho preferred a fancied security to defi nite knowledge of conditions as they were. As Ahnb complained to Je hoshuphat, Micaiah prophesied not good, but evil; and for that, reason he was heartily happy to jail hltn. Mlcaiah might easily have taken I he advice of the king's officer and become one of the lying multitude. He might, with profit to himself In the eyes of Ahab, have reiterated In earnest, lather than in sarcasm as he did, the prophecy of the falsifiers. Self-preservation and the hope of self-advancement might, imaginably, have led him to have given the king just the answer for which his heart yearned. The profit from the king's pleasure was at hand ami within sight, the Lord would for..;iv him quicker than the monarch. Many a man has argued that. way. But to Micalah the truth was morj precious than the benedictions of his ruler, the favor of Jehovah was more satis fying than were th? prates of any man. "As the Lord liveth. what the Lord saith u r. t c that will 1 speak," he Eays; and his words are an inspiration 10 the m.m of America as they mark out the strict line of duty we should follow in our time. Too many of us lack the fidelity of Micaiah becausa we fear unpopu ' larity. Cowardice supplants courage Jn no few hearts that are aglow with a vision of the truth because men dare not defy the disfavor of the Ahabs of to-day. Smug self-satisfaction cries down the leader w ho would point the wrong; and above all. right it. Optimistic patriots in the church and out of it, with no eye save for the glowing, lustrous surface which hides a central life bitten d with sin, decry a3 pessimistic th? man who paints the evil as it is. Self-glorification is easier than self-examination. There is more pleasure for the crowd in recounting their achievements than in clarifying the central springs of life, and in analyzing the depth and the conse quences of their iniquity. It takes less brains to state the achievements already accomplished than it. does to Investigate and determine the stire ness and stability of the foundations upon which success is built. It Is easier upon the head to relate blithe ly the unexampled progress of your country or your church or your fam ily or yourself in the attainment of material advantages, than it is to de cide whether or no the gain was made righteously and In the fear of Cod. and whether or no it will result in future happiness and helpfulness for all concerned. It Is far more satis factory, from the point of view of the opportunist, to take things as they are and to make the best of them No man really likes to unearth sin; it isn't nice work and it Is dirty.. But to bury the victims doesn't stop the epidemic. To congratulate oneself upon the amount of water in the reservoir, and upon the power and efficiency of the pumps at the water works, in no way diminishes the beat of the fever. In these days we want and hail men of mind and of action who will look for the hid den germs of disease. Then, in our desire to acclaim them we forget the days when, in spite of the SPlf-satis-lied. the Ignorant, the careless, the wicked, they proclaimed the certainty of our distress and disease; then we forget that those men .whom we re viled as pessimists are our saviors; then we forget the years of research and of patient study into conditions 83 they were, we forget the premon ishments of our fools grow wise, in our anguish at the situation as it is. I say we forget. I may be wrong. Pet haps wh only then remember. We must have Micaiahs. men of loyalty to the truth at all hazards and at any cost, no less to-day than in the year that Ahab and Jehosha phat went against tha Arameans at RamoUi-Gilead. Our age, our coun try, the church has need, and a great need, for men who will speak forth what, the Lord salth unto them. To' Le sure those "who are folding their arms in selfish ease" will declare thein, B.3 they did the Garrisons, the Phillipses of the sixties, anarchists and fit subjects for the gallows. The wan who would battle with the social evil to the death and declare the wisdom and the truth of God unto a white life tor two sexes will find detractors auJ enemies on every hand. He who will annihilate the monster of lntemperanceand of legal ized iniquity will, I am much per suaded, find adherents of the devil even within the sacred precincts of tun church of Jesus Christ. Thnt 'economic Isaiah who shall try the truth of God against the entrenched forces of gold-greedy materialists, in the interest, of the men who toil, will End a fearful and unrelenting array against him. He who will protect labor against, itself will be forced to combat with evil men among those whom he wishes to uplift. But while a man may with less timidity advance new thought in the scientific world, in no place will he find, many times, a mors uncompromising resistance than In the church. Be it for good or ill the simple fact is this, that no where has new light a harder fight than among many who are the fol lowers of Him who was the ossein of all truth and who prayed the gift, if the Spirit for them that tbey r.il'.i c have a sure guld? Into th fullnon of eternal wisdom. The fight ut the rhurcli of UjJ against cru-'.i is the . ...... - ji. IRA W. HENDERSON, THE: PAMOOS DMNE amazing spectacle of the ages. The odds against truth to-day are tremendous; but even as Ahnb never returned to the city of his rule, so mrely shall eternal and refining truth .'(.nquer In the age long struggle with the adversary. Two things are ii"cssnry thnt truth may win and be accredited. First, we must be sure that our in sight Is correct, our truth born of God. And then we must be loyal to the voice of Jehovah as He speaks to us. There Is nothing more detrimental to the dignity ami standing of the truth than Irrational and 111-bnlunred thought. Every bit of truth is the word of God. but some Rta1"nients which are caricatures of truth are not. God-given, no matter how loudly and how long they may claim the distinc tion of divine inspiration. All truth may well be labeled, "thus saith the Lord." but all statements that, bear the motto, "thus salth the Lord." are not truth. There ure false prophets to-day no less than in the reign of Ahab. He who will declare a mes sage to men must first be sure of hi ground. Not less important is it that a man be loyal to the truth revealed to him through the workings of God's Holy Spirit. Truth may negative most of his own ideas and cherished pre conceptions. It may even subordi nate his noblest ideals. Hut by It he must stand. Micaiah went to prison for the truth and Jesus of Nazareth to the cross. Stephen was stoned by his enemies, as was Zechaiiah, the son of Jehniada, the priest, because he was faithful to the truth. John tha Paptist lost his head for declar ing that Herod had lost his. Luther withstood a church and the Smitii ilsld martyrs suffered agony that truth might bo supreme. The lotr list of heretics and excommunicated, the host of those who have lost llfj and friends, the nrmy of those cru saders who. under I, -id. have bnltlvl hard with sin ajl tesUfy to the need, the glory of loyalty to divine truth. It is no easy thing to lend in the inaVch of progress or to ilht the forces of evil. Conservatism would clutch progres by the throat an.l throttle it to the rattle. Sin hates the light and would overcome it. But. whether or no th? opposition bo fierce we neod and must have men who will be firm for 1 he truth and not flinch In the hot light. "Theiv is," we are told, "no more hazardous enterprise than that of bearing tho torch of truth into those dark and infested recesses in which no light has ever shone." Tut to that man who. filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, will speak what the Lord saith unto him there will be not only the hard warfare on the first line of the skirmish here, hut the the crown of victory in the life eter nal. More and more the need is for men of the mold of Micaiah; men to whom the truth Is more precious than much lino gold; men whose integrity Is indivisible: men whose opinions n-e the judgments of minds that have been moved upon by the blessed Spirit of the living God. who cannot be bought, and who, filled with a high and a holy devotion to their divine commission as the revenlers, ;nterpretersand torch-hearers of God's Illuminating truth will balk at no sacrifice; and be overawpd by no op position; and be diverted by no power from the declaration and the promul gation of that truth. Oh, thac there might avis'! through nut this laud men of the vision nml the fidelity of the prophets of ancient Israel.. Would that there might arise among the ministers of the Lord to lay ti prophet of Jaliwe, Jehovah the Lord of hosts and of truth; a prophet with a message and with the power 1.0 e cpress it tersely, intelligently, forcefully, fearlessly. May God give ns a Micaiah who shall tell America .ho truth concerning the conditions )f to-day. The people, In the church and out of if, are weary and undesir ins of platitudes and of itnainied ver biage. Mankind awaits a prophet of God. And when he conies in the 'I'enitudo of wisdom and of power; furnished with a divine commission; ?adi: stl with a mission and a mes sage for a world In sin. may the 'hurch have the Insight and the grace to see the marks of God's calling in him and in his message i.nd not. per secute him as did the falheis the prophets of God aforetime. "As the Ijiid liveth, wbat the ord saith unto me. that will I speak." May this be the motto of every man who loves the truth. M-iy It be also our inspiration to lid-Hiy and to a glorius ministry unto men in the name and to the honor of the living God. And may we live so near to (iod that we may be able to bear Ills message and to speak with Immedi ate authority to men. The Power Will lie Given. When Cyrus captured Sardis, the only son of Croesus, who was dumb, saw a soldier ready to give thn kihg, whom he did noi know, u stroke upon the head with his scimitar. Tho sou made such a violent effort to savo hie father by a word that he broke the string of his tongue, and cried out, "Soldier, spare the life of Croesus!" And so, if we love Christ and His cause earnestly, our tongues will bt loosened. Make More Iron. It Is a fact worth recording in proof of the progress made by the German Iron Industry that the num ber of the workmen has not risen in proportion tu the Increase of pro duction. In 1895 the production amounted to 5,500,000 tons, and the workmen numbered 24,059; In 1904 the production had risen to 10,000, 000 tons, and the number or work men only to 35,284; while In 1895 the quantity produced per head of workmen employed amounted to 22 7 tons, the quantity hud risen in 1904 to 285 tons. That is to say, the to tal number of workmen Increasad duriug the decade 1895 to 1904 by forty-seven per cent., but the quan tity ini'eased by eighty-four per cant. London Engineer. DEFINING 1113 POSITION. "Do you believe in ftet-'.-Ich-nuick schemes?" ' If you refer to robbing a ban'.:, no. If you m-jan marrying an heir ess, yes." Milwaukee Sentinel. Courage or Cowardice Which? Luks 12:4. 5; Gal. 1:9-12; Jer. 1:0-10, 17. Much fighting -among men and na ;Ions Is simply because men are too owardly to stand by the principles of jeuee (Luke 12:4). "He's not ahald of anything," we Jay In admiration: but a well-bestow-fd fear Is one of the most valuable auman qualities (Luke 12:5). Pleasing men Is well enough If It la t by-product of our lives, and not the main product ((Jul. 1:10). Consciousness of God's presence Is ;he bad inun's prison and the good man's fortress (Jer. 1:8). Suggestions. The word "courage" conies from the Latin word cor. heart. Whatever the Ippearanee, a man Is courageous If Is heart Is brave. The most vullunt exercise of cour age Is manfully to grapple with one's ilea rest sins and tear tliein out of ane's life. No one Is likely to have the true courage if he udiuires the false cour tge. Spiritual courage Is helped by phy sical courage, but physical courage cannot endure at all without spiritual confuse. Illustrations. "Your face Is pale." sneered one soldier to another. "Yes," lie ans wered; "If you were as much afraid as I urn, you would have run long ago." A Quaker often shows mere courage by refusing to go to war than a sol dier In Hie hottest battle. Peter, who whipped out his sword In Gelhseninue, shrank from a wo man's tongue In the high priest's courtyard. Perhaps Paul's most courageous act was In continuing his journey to Jerusalem In spite of his friends' prayers, well knowing whut fate HWult"d him there. Am 1 ul raid of the right things? Am 1 bold wlier? Christ wants me bold? Is my courage firmly based upon Christian faith'.' Courage consists not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing It uud conquering it. Rlcbter. Courage without discipline is near er beastliness than manhiod.--Sir Philip Sidney. Courage Is always greatest when blended with meekness. Cliapin. God Is tho brave man's hope and not the cowurd's excuse. Plutarch. MM LEAGUE LESSONS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2. ! Temptations and How to Meet Them. Matt. 4. 3-11. ' Daily Readings. 1 The sphere of tcnip'atiou. 1 John " 15, Id. How they will;. James 1. IMS. ! A i hcei ing pnnii .e to the tempted, i --! Co- 10. 13. I How to ciniuri' to the end Heb. j 12. 3. 1 Tho snare of pVntv. Dent. S. Il ls. Po not ohouro had cir.ipanlons. ' Prow 1. 10-14. Topic TeiiintitliotiR and How to ; Meet. Them.- -Matt. 4 3-11. It must be that temptations come. , It Is In the case, t-?soiit hilly. Temp tation ;;:-ows out of our moral free dom, which is the suVrenie attribute j :if human nature. Without this en : dowmcnt. as says Pr. Austin Phelps, "a man would have no rljjlit to say 1. Without it a humming bird Is his eqtml: with it he Is kindred of the angels." Further, he says: "Few men can stand on the summit of a lofty tower without a momentary sense of peril in (he consciousness of power to plunge himself headlong. A special police guard the Column Vendome, In i Paris, t ) prevent that form of suicide. So fascinating, often, is the power to do it n evil deed." Temptation Is : solicitation to exercise this godlike i power of choice In ways forbidden by i highest wisdom, by God himself, j There are two main sources of evil prompting and solicitation. "A man Is tempted when he is drawn away' i of his own lusts." James said. That. ; of course, is true. "I fear most of all," , said Luther (was it?), "the great pope inside. Myself." There Is, uc ' cording to Scripture, from Genesis to i Revelation, another source of temn ! tation; namely, the evil personality we call the devil, or Satan. "He goetii about like a roaring lion seeking whom ; he may devour." "Ho has many ; wiles, even appearing ns an angel of ; light, hometimes, perhups oftenest ro at least when he tempts people who moan t do right. Besides this evil, , invisible personality there uro multl- tudlous sources of temptation In the j world. Evil persons tempt us to do' wrong. The pressure of life's neces- Kit lee. or its fancied needs, Is heavy I upon us. Men lie, steal, forge for : tills cstitie. I Tree Growing in Window. Upon the window sill of a doctor'! i offico on the second Door of a build ing at Independence and Forest ave nues is a wooden box tied and nailed firmly to the woodwork. The box is only about eight inches wide and tea inches deep, but out of the earth with which it is filled there is growing a sycamore tree nearly ten feet tall and its trunk three inches thick near tba roots. The tree trunk is tied and strapped to the sides of the window. Its foliage covers the whole upper half of the window and a part of the adjoining wall. The tree absorb from tbe box a great deal of water la a day. -Kansas City Stur. Tho first section of the railway across the Andes between Chile and Argentina has been officially Inaugu rated, and work has been begun on the highest part of the line, where, at an altitude exceeding 10,000 feet, great tunnels are to be constructed. Tho largest of these tunnels will have a lengtb of 3405 yards, not fur from equally divided between tbe Chilean aud Argentinian sections. With tbe use of that portion of the line already completed, tho Journey between Val paraiso and Buenos Ayres will be shortened several hours. Klit'i'ti ltimflf l.unil. j Sheep are the only animals which I do not really exhaust the, land on I which they feed. They distribute manure evenly on the field and ! trample it Into the soil, feeding upon plants that other animals will not ionsume. Bulky Horses. There is no denying that balky horse is a ercat nulHsnce. but it. is a ! shame the way some people treat . them. They beat and kick them and wear at them. This only makes them worse. Many a horse balks because ' lie has been bndly'cured for. Potatoes ou Tilled Land. It Is claimed that, with potatoes grown on land that has been tilled io as to permit of perfect drainage, there Is less liability of the tubers rotting than on other soils. The most Important mattor, however, is '.o use seed potatoes from localities where no disease has existed. Wealth From Ton Acre. Ten acres of small fruits will often make a man more truly prosperous than ten times as much land In wheat ar corn. He may not be worth as much in actual capital invested, but he will be getting a larger net In come, und doing it with less severe toll. The small farm well tilled. whether It be in fruits, dairy, vege tables, etc., is almost always the most satisfactory. The principal cap ital needed to start such a farm is a level head und knowledge of the business. Stock Notes. Yearling Calves and Colts Should be sheltered at night. A month's growth Is easily "used up" by expos ure to one cold storm. Make an ef fort to keep them in the best of con dition, also keep an eye on the look out for vermin. Varlution of Food Promotes Ap petite All animals become disgusted with a sameness of food. When food Is refused tempt the animal with something elite. In this manner sick lies and loss of flesh may be avoided. Feeding Calves The proper feed ing of calves has been a fruitful source of discussion. One point not ; to be overlooked Is that all vessels used must be scalded and kept clean as germs of disease ulways exist in 'hy vessels. The Epltomlst. Protect Trees Fiom Borers. To protect trees from borers mix cement with skim milk and apply with a stiff brush. Mix only a small quantity at a time, as it may "Bet." Apply it In a somewhat thin condi tion, nnd then make a second appli cation. First, remove the earl h from the trunk of the tree and apply the mixture six Inches below the ground and a foot above. Chicken Coop. It has been proven by ctatlstic3 that the raising of chickens is the greatest industry in the United States. Of course, this Includes those who are In the business on u largo scale for profit, and also those who probably keep a half dozen fowl in the buck yard. ' Nevertheless, wheth er for business or pleasure, chicken raising Is an Interesting pastime that appeals to everybody. It Is claimed that chickens should have as much care as a human being to Insure the best results, and modern methods certainly tend In that di rection. Tha chicken coop shown For the Chicken Hulsar here is u good example. It Is simple, efficient and durable. As shown here it is rectangular in form, being made of sheet metal. The top aud sides' are bent to shape, with flanges at the bottom which connect with the floor ing. At each side ure supports which hold the coop slightly ubove the ground, tending to keep the coop moisture-proof und preventing rain or other water from entering. At ouch end are perforated doors, which ure very easily held In position. At the bottom of each door Is u'n exten sion, through which pusses a rod, the latter extending through the top of the coop and ulso into the ground, preventing tho coop from being dis placed, in this way the fowl are safe against tho uttuckB of animals. Philadelphia Record. Winter Homos For Turkeys, While the Idea of the turkey Is to roost high, tho privilege tan uot ul ways be uerordod If a structure Is to be provided for the birds In which to rooct. If they ure to roost In the trceii, then thoy may choose their own limb. It is a good p'au to muke tho turkey house low, but placing tho roosts as high as possiblo with out humping the birds up against the roof. The ventilation In such, a house must lamely bo provided from tbe bottom, uud tbiu lu lKjiiu by having a row of windows not over eighteen Inches blgh the bottom, bo ar ranged that y may be lifted up to permit a current of air to enter. These windows will also light the floor ot the bouse, and a larger win dow may b placed on the opposite side, but higher up. In order properly to light the house. The turkeys will be anxious to get out of the house early in the morning to roam, sc arier they have gone to roost sprinkle a little grain In the chaff on the floot to keep them busy in the morning jintll they are let out. Turkeys on The range must be well fed during the period they are under covor, par ticularly ut this time of year when the feeding ou the range Is poor, and when It Is essential to keep them lc good shape and able to fatten read ily a little later. Indianapolis News ( aiing For Brood Mares. The brood mares, In fact, all the horses and colts that are not at work in the winter, should be turned In a good sized yard every day, unless il is stormy. This yard should not be Icy, as there Is danger of their fall ing and getting hurt. We stable all our horses and colts nights nnd feed them twice a day oats and clover hay with some bran. When sprliif, comes be careful with the brood mares und any othei horses that nuy have beeti Idle dur ing the winter. Work them lightly at first, taking some time to get them used to work. In this way you can do more work und have yout horses In better condition when you are through with the spring work. 1 prefer to have the colts come about the first of June, as by that time we have our spring work dons and can give the mares a better chance. Have a clean, roomy box stall; it is well to whitewash It every yeur nnd disinfect it with zenoleum or some other good disinfectant. Bo on hand when the little fellow ap pears. Feed the mare lightly for a few days, increasing her feed grad ually. If you have to work the mare never let the colt follow her. Keep It In the stable'und bring the mother In in the middle of the forenoon to let the colt suck. The colt will soon lonrn to eat oats with his mother. Give hltn all he will eat twice a day, or leave the ltd of the oat box open and let him help himself. If the marc and colt are on pasture feed her night and morning so the colt will learn to eat oats. Duvid Inirte. l'urin Notes. The utmost care must be given the early pullets If you wish to have them lay this winter. Do not fool too long with sick fowls. Tho hatchet is sometimes the only practical remedy to give. A good bone mill Is quite valuable on every poultry farm. They are cheap and quite profitable. A horse may be perfectly propor tioned, with .couch style and uctlon, but without good sizo ho Is no cortcher. Heaves, frequent coughing and difficulty In breathing tu horses cun nearly always be traced to feeding dry, dusty hay. Dampen all hay now before feeding. While it is good taste to have a team of the same color and making, it is good Judgment and common- sense to have a team of equal strength aud power of endurance. As a rule, that sheep breeder is most successful who breeds as nearly In a straight Hue as tho requirements of bis flock for now blood will per mit and who Is best able to judge the points of nn expected choice animal before they ure fully developed. Nothing should bo more gradual than the development of the power of a draft horse or the speed of a trotting horse, and in a few other way ure horses more permanently Impressed than In pushing their de velopment too rapidly. It Is probably too much work for Homo farmers to cut the fodder, bay and straw with a feed cutter, as the animals will consume such foods with out preparation, but the saving of food and the smaller loss from wasto will more than pay for preparing the food. One difficulty with wheat Is the llubillty of being thrown out by frost lu the spring, but when such Is the cuse the cause may be due to luck of proper drainage. When a field has been properly tilled there will he but little liability of wheat being Injured by alternate freezing und thawing. Tho cow will pay the rent or pay off the mortgage, and the farm will be lu better shape when she Is done, than when she began. As she goes along, the farm Is getting better and richer. Other stock and other crops have helped men to prosperity, but the farm is nearly always the worse for tho wear. There Is no question but that the great scarcity of reliable farm help Is uctlng as a stimulus to sheop rais ing in many sections. The fact that one man Is able to take cure of a lurge flock of sheep makes the in dustry desirable to those farmers who do uot like to hire extra help on tbe farm throughout tbe year. Country Itoad Building. It Is a pleasure to ride over our town since we changed the money system of road maintenance and building. We are on the third year, and the changed condition ot road:? and small bridges is marvelous. The town owns a stone crusher, bins, traction engine, dump wagons, etc. The first work of the season Is giv en over to smoothing the dirt roads, picking up louse stone and repairing small bridges. After this the com missioner unites what was formerly two gangs anil begins stone crushing and permanent work. Small bridges of eight to sixteen feet span have been built of Iron I beams and cement. When necessary new foundation walls are put up, and the concrete filling Is put on between the beams, making a permanent bridge. Later, no doubt, small sluices will be made In the same manner. We have plenty of stone In walls and heaps for perhaps two or three years. Farmers, as a rule, as sist the commissioner In making an easy road for these field Btones. Oc casionally pay is demanded, which Is refused.- An effort was put forth one year ago to defeat a painstaking, hard working, conscientious commissioner for reasons patented for the occasion, but those most deeply Interested in our road improvement were able to Bustaln the commissioner, and he was re-elected by over 100 majority. If we can succeed in divorcing the office from politics a point will have scored. I hope tbe time is not far distant when officials who act in any techni cal or special capacity will be elected without regard to party emblem. Would we not make headway faster If all road officers were under Civil Service? Has any one suggested this before? Why not make it competi tive and permit merit to win? The fact of the matter is that our system and policy In the past have not de veloped many very valuable road ex perts. A bill was introduced into our State Legislature at the 1904-'05 ses sion to permit the State University to give a short course in road science and practice, but the Governor vetoed it. Road Interests aud that means every one should Bee to it that a similar bill is again brought forward. I firmly believe in State road building and the educative force of a strong arm. At the same time, localities that remain idle, awaiting the State rqad, will haul through the mud for a long time. Former Mayor Blodget, of Worces ter, Mass. who, by the way, Is a na tive of our town, and is now stopping here is the president ot a company holding patents on methods of con structing concrete roadbeds. The scheme, which Is being worked in cit ies only, has, according to his state ments, great possibilities for country road construction. A fifteen-foot width can be put down for about $8000 a mile. This compares favor ably With macadam, and would, of course, be durable. Macadam roads are suffering fear fully under automobile travel, undei all kinds of gear. Interurban traffic is made heavier when these roads ar put down, and so they break tindet it. We must, have something bettoi than macadam for hard wear. Recently, I passed over a twenty mile roud running out of Cleveland. Ohio, whlcn was being laid with brick. Maybe we are near the era ol concrete roads, as wo are in the era of concrete buildings. Considera tions of permanency are fust, belnu engrafted upon our activities und In stitutions. H. E. Cook, Denmark, N Y., in the New York Tribune Farmer. A Tour of inspection. An inspection tour of some of tne Improved roads of Massachusetts was recently made by several members of the Rhode Island Highway Commis sion, including Colonel J. H. Ed wards, chairman; R. T. Rodman, en gineer; W. C. Peckham, J. V. Rich mond and P. J. Lainson. They wvero accompanied by Chairman William E. McCUntock, Harold Parker, J. A Johnston, Division Engineer and Sec retary A. B. Fletcher, of the Massa chusetts Highway Commission, aud made the Journey in three White Steamers, driven by R. O. Glover, A. K. Miller and O. !i. Lufkln. The party started from Worcester and went to Springfield, rode over Mount Tom and went through Chlcopee, Northampton and other Intervening towns to Greenfield, where they spent the night. The next day they rode through Turners Falls, Orange, Gardner, Westminster to Fitchburg, where they stopped for luncheon. They then drove to Boston through Groton, Concord and Arlington. They covered more than 230 miles during the two days, and all of the Journey except about twenty miles was made over roads built by the Massachu setts Highway Commission. Bud Roads, No Mull. "Bad roads, no mall." is the rule the Government has adopted for the rural free delivery service. Local authorities must keep the ways in passable condition if they are to ben efit by the rural delivery-, and so II comes about thut this brunch of the postal service is not ouly an ageut of communication which brings farm lands nearer the centre, but a direct incentive to road-building, and hence to general Improvement aud prosper ity. Male Teachers DerreuNjng, The male teachers in tbe United States are steadily decreasing,' as shown by statistics. In 1370 the pro portion was forty-one per cent.; In 1872 It bad Increased to 42.8; in 1889-90 It fell to 84.5; in 1900 It dropped to 29.9, and In 1903 It had reached twenty-flvo per cent. There were la the States 455,242 teachers, and of these 113,744 wore men and 341,498 women. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Siihicrl.: .fesu Before Pilate, t.nke xxlH.. 1.1-2,1 Golden Text, Luke kkiil., 4 Memory Versos. 20. 21 Commentary. I. Pilule endeavors to release Jesus (vs. 13-17). 13. "Pilule." Pontius Pilate belonged to un r.nclent and knightly Roman family. "Called to gether." Pilate summons tbe rulers und the people. 14. "As one that pervertoih." As one that has taught doc'rlnes Injurious to your religion. "Having examined." At the first trial he had heard all that could be brought against Him. "No fault." They had fulled to prove a single charge. 15. "Nor yet Herod." Christ had traveled extensively in Galilee and yet Herod brings no charge. ''He Bent Him back tin'i us" (R. V.) This I volved a distinct rcquittal. "Is done unto Him." "Nothing worthy of denth hath been dono by Him." R. V. 16. "Cha- iza Him." John sayB that Pilate took Jesus and scourged Mini; but this was not ("one until a little later. "And release Him." Pilate hop id that w.ien they saw Je.-.ns scourged they would be satis fied, but not bo; they were clnmorlng for His bood, and nothing Ehort ot i th on a cross would satisfy them. 17. "Must release one." This verse Is omitted in the Revised Ver sion. But see tho parallel accounts. II. The clamo-i of the Jews (vs. 18-23). 18. "They cried out." The chief priests moved the people (Mark 15:11). "3arabbas." An Insurrec tionist a robber and a murderer. 19. "Sedition." Insurrection, i.'latthew says he was a celebrated prisoner. In some manuscripts he i3 cailed Jesus Barabbas. 20. "Willing to release jjsus." It vas probable at this time that the me n;,er came from Pilate's wife (Matt. 2f:19) urging the rel'ease ot Jesus. Pilate repeated the proposal of verse 16. 21. "Cfuclfy Him." Let Hlir. ul the most ignominious death possible. Had the Jews executed Him according tc their lnw against faiso prophets and blasphemers they would .v stoned Him, as they repeatedly at tempted to do, and as they did vltb Stephen. ' His prophecy of crucifixion was practically a prophecy that He Bhould be put to death, ns He actual ly was, on a charge of high treason against the Roman government. It can hardly bo supposed that these people who were crying, "Crucify Him," were the same people who had brought Jesus Into the city the Sun day before with shouts of hosanna. This was a Jewish mob urged on by the authorities; thnt was no doubt largely a Galilean crowd. 22.4 "What evil hath He done." How many and what various persons bear testimony to the Innocence of the Holy One Pilate, Herod, Pi late's wife, the thief on the cross, and the centurion nt the crucifixion. "And let Him go." Pilate is laboring hard to release Him; he could have ended this whole matter with one word. It was at this juncture that Pilate asked, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? This Is a question every person must an swer. 1. Every person must accept or reject Him. 2. Rejecting Christ Is the great sin of the world. 3. If we veject Him here we shall be re jected by Him herenfter. 23. "Instant." Insistent,' urgent. "Prevailed." The reason why he fin ally yielded seems to have been the one given in John 19.12, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend." But Pilato gained- nothing even with Caesar, for he was soon recalled, degraded and banished to Gaul, where he committed suicide. III. Pilate pronounces the death sentence (vs. 24, 25). 24. "Pilate gave sentence." Before Pilate pro nounced the sentence he took water and washed his hands publicly, thus expressing in acts what he uttered In words, "I am innocent of the blood of this Just person; see ye to it" (Matt. 27:24). The people accept the re sponsibility and cry, "His blood be on us, und on our children." That blood was upon them, not as vengeance, but as a natural consequence ot their conduct, Within forty years the city was destroyed amid scenes of cruelty which defy description. No history can furnish us with a parallel to the calamities and miseries of the' Jews at that time. There was rapine, mur der, famine, pestilence and all the horrors of war. The account given by Josephus Is heart-rending. Pilate again ascends tbe judgment seat, which was set up in a raised place in the open square, and delivers his final decree. 25. "He delivered Jesus to their will." Jesus is now mocked the third time, about 8 o'clock, Friday morning, in the court of Pilate's pal-! ace. See Matt. 27:26-30; Mark 15: 15-19; John 19:1-3. When Jesus is brought out before them, Pilato makes one last effort to release Him (John 19:4-15). Now It is thnt he permits Jesus to be scourged, hoplngf that will satisfy them; but the cry is still. "Crucify Him," and He is taken back into the court and His own clothes are put upon Him. It was at this time that Pilate said, "Behold the man!" And .well may we Btori -and behold Htm. He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" .(Isa. 63:3). In Him we see a per-' feet exhibition ot meekness and love and a perfect example for us to fol- low. He was the God-man and as such made the great atonement toi the redemption of mankind. There's a deal of difference be- twee'n using the Bible as a text-boo" of life and as a book ot texts. Country Editor's Power. The power of the weekly press la not to be underestimated. Tho coun try editor Is close to the people. He knows what every man in the com munity is talking about and thinking ubout, knows wbere be stands. He can reach him directly and al most as personally as through a personal conversation. As a molder ot the opinion of the public which ft reaches tbe weekly paper has few equals. Tbe country editor can get bis fingor on the pulse of bis com munity. The Independent editor of a weekly paper is not usually rich In money orMn this world's goods. It he were' he would not be a country editor. But be Is rich lu something else It he Is truly untrammeled, and thut something else is character. Atlanta Journal, ' Taking all' crimes, more are com mitted In the autumn than during any other of tbe four seasons ol the 'year.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers