2 HE PULPIT. ! A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY THE REV. C. L. PALMER. Subject: God's Cnspcakablc Gift. 1 Kingston. N. Y. The following resslve discourse, appropriate to 1 - season, was delivered here Sun In the Reformed Church of the lforter. by the Re. C. L. Palmer. - subject of hit sermon was "God's Unspeakable Olft," preached from the text 2 Cor. 9:15, "Thanks he to God for His unspeakable gift." He said : It would Increase our gratitude to I (recount the blessings we have re ceived during the past year. God ' -lias been very good to ua as families, communities and states. Even the distant lands have not escaped His Fatherly consideration. Our senti ment for Providential care finds ex pression In the words of the Psalm ist, "Bless the Lord. O my soul, and all lhat Is within me; bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my sonl. and forget not all His benefits toward xne." But God has bestowed upon ua another blessing which Is not tem poral or material. He haa given us His Son, the Lord of Glory, to be our greatest treasure. While we should not cease to mention life's dally comforts, and constantly thank the Giver for them! nothing should make us silent respecting the great est of gifts In the person of the beloved Son. And If recalling the Material blessings which have come to us from the hand of God haa the rTect of making us more thankful fct them, surely a short study of the text will have the tendency to make U3 more grateful to our Father in heaven for the incarnation of the Kternal Son. It Is to Him that Paul refers In this text, "Thanks bo to God for His unspeakable gift." It will not be a breach of homiletlc law to Intentionally disregard the context, because the text bears but a general connection with it, since this passage Is an abrupt expression of thanksgiving which Is not unusual with the apostle. For example, In Romans 2: 33-36, "Oh. the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God; how unsearchable are His Judgments and His ways past tracing out; for who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath tcen HIb counsellor? or who hath first given to Him? and It shall be recompensed to Him again. For of Him, and through Him and unto Him are all things. To whom be the flory forever and ever." 1 Cor. 15; 7, "Thanks be unto God which glv eth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Gal. 1:5. "To whom be the glory forever and ever." Eph. 3:20, "Now unto Him that Is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, accord ing to the power that worketh In us. unto Him be the glory In the church and In Christ Jesus unto all genera tions forever and ever." An examination of the immediate Scripture In which each of the above samples are located, confirm the assertion that It is the habit of the apostle to introduce praise-songs Into his writings without logical ref erence to the context. If we are as thankful for the material and spirit ual blessings of life as we ought to be, like the Bacred writer, we, too, will break forth In dotologles of grat itude to the source of every good. And the one gift to which most, fre quent reference will be made 1b the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. I. In What Respects May Christ li. Considered a Gift. The term "gift" Is employed by Paul to teach that Jesus was given to be our Redeemer, and to invalid ate the excuse that salvation Is too expensive. The Savior being a gl". makes it possible for every one to obtain His benefits, and impossible for the sinner to blamoany one ex cept himself for being unsaved. A gift is presented voluntarily. J. huh Is, therefore, such, because He Is given to us as our friend and de liverer without the Intervention of man. It was an act of the divine volition alone, that the Son should become man, that He should reside on the earth for a seaaon, that His time be occupied In teaching the fun damental principles of His Kingdom, and that the cross should satisfy the justice of the Almighty. The most acute human intellect could not hav? thought of such a meanB of making our salvation possible, and even if It had flashed In some mind its own ap parent impossibility would have mothered the spark. We can claim no credit for this gift. Divine voli tion deserves all the praise. A gift is often presented unde servingly. It often occurs in the re ception of a gift that one feels too unworthy to receive It. but on ac count of circumstances is indisposed to decline it. Christians constantly realize that the dally return of God's goodness Is more profuse than they deserve. Absence of this feeling in dicates a lack of appreciation. B'tt If consistent disciples feel unworthy to receive the material blessings of life, because of their disinclination to honor God as they should, how TL'jeh more undeserving we should feel of the great gift of the Son of God. This is not mere language; It is fact. A gift Is gratuitous. It is free. This Is true of Jesus; He cost us nothing. His coming to earth hus encumbered us with no financial ob ligation, but has made possible the liquidation of a debt we owe God which otherwise could not be can celed. "God so loved the world that He gave." "Herein is love, not that we first loved Him, but that He first loved us, and gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." The best of gifts cost us the least. The In vitation of both the Old Testament and New is "to come every one that 'hirsteth, come ye to the waters, and lie that hath no money; come ye buy ;ind eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." The Son of God was given lovingly. The only reason why the Lord Jesus Vacated tor a season His omnipotent throne and lived to.- a little more than thirty years among us, was that He and His Father loved humanity and would leave nothing undone to save lost souls. 'Greater love hath: no man than this, that a man lay down lux lite to. ..is friend." ;u.l ao loved the world that lie gave HI only begotten Son." "God commend eth Ills love toward us, In that while we were yet sinners Christ died for Sis." If our Creator had possessed Ibo love for fallen nature. He would jot have sent His Son to die for th lalns of the world. U. Paul Directs Our Attention to the One br Whom He Waa Given. "Tbanka be to God." Not the text alone but other sections of the Bible contain the auie truth that it wa Ood wh" ; .-. h oM Christ "God so loved the world." "Ood commendnth Hit love." Christ said to the Samaritan woman. "If thou knewest the gift of God." Jesus If like eternal life, "the gift of God." God alone know our condition and need. Many centuries have elapsed since the fall of man. Each period has revealed some new phase of the corrupt character of the unsaved heart. Still we are unable to fully appreciate the horrors of an un washed soul. And even It man had acquired a full conception of his natural state, he could have devised no way of escape. But Ood, who not only knew Just what we were, but what we should become In sin, devlaed a way by which we might avoid the loas of our souls. Our condition sinful, our need a 8avlor. Even If It had been the strange fortune for some one to procure full Information concerning our state and requirements. It would have availed nothing, for only Ood could have sent His Son. It Is one thing to know what we need, and quite an other to supply It. In the order of things It occurs that to our ears comes the Information that a certain thing Is needed. We would be only too glad to furnish It It It wore with in our power so to do. but how often tt Is not. Our conception of our ac tual condition must ever remain the same Incomplete and Imperfect no tion, and even if it should dawn up on us Just what we are and need, all we could do would be to appeal to Divine grnce in prayer. We cannot ascend to heaven and bring Christ down. Only God would be willing to make such a sacrifice for sinners. If we were controlled entirely by hu man nature, we would let sinners live and die sinners. What difference does It make to us? we would say. And If their redemption could bo ob tained at a nomlnnl price, many would be unwilling to give of their means to satisfy Divine justice. Rare are the Instances In which even the people of God are willing to make sacrifices or undergo hardships for the kingdom's sake. Are there any who would be willing to allow a son to become what Christ became? To live and labor as He did? and to dose this life on the cross? Very few, If any. Another thought in connection with the heavenly gift Is that not only could God give His Son but that He would. It may be that the reason Paul called attention to the one who presented the Son of Glory, was that we might not obtain the notion that it was an act inde pendent of the Lord Almighty, but that the Father gave Ills Son to buy us back to Himself. III. The Value the Apostle Attaches to This Gift. "Thanks bo to God for His un speakable gift." By which Paul means that its full value Is so great that it cannot be either estimated r cxpresued. The gift of God Is unspeakable because of the source from which It has come. Before Ills Incarnation He resided In heaven, where He 1b to-day. In different ways and at sev eral times He appeared to chosen ones during the old dispensation, but the centre from which He radiated was the city of God. Coming from the New Jerusalem we prize Him the more, since we are striving to enter the golden gate. Sometimes a gift which In Itself Is of but little value, becomes of Inestimable worth on account of Its source. Without un dervaluing the Intrinsic worth of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot but feel that the very fact of His coming from heaven makes Him more dear to us. The vnlue of a gift Is controlled In part by Its nature. If It Is con structed out of material that Is but little worth, we esteem it less highly than we would If made out of fine gold. The nature of the gift to which Paul alludes is divine. The body of the Lord was human like our own. but It was simply the vehicle of His heavenly character in which He tab ernacled during His short earthly stay. The perfection of His person ality was a living demonstration of His divine nature. The purpose for which a gift Is Intended haB considerable to do with its value. The Son of God came to us from the mansion in tho skies for the sole purpose of teaching us whar. we must do to be saved, and to mako atonement on the cross for us. iv. Pawl's Rxpceealoa of Qratitckle, "Thanks." He was thankful to God for this gift because It was by means of the Lord Jesus Christ that he was saved and made an apostle. At one time he was lost hut now l.i saved. And the same effect was realized In tho experiences of others. Like Paul, they were lost, but through Jesun were saved. And we con Join with the apostle in tho same praise, for those who are saved, are saved be cause of the gift of Jesus to be our Savior. EPWDRTH LEAGUE LESSONS SUNDAY, MARCH 3. The Duty of Testimony, Acts 1. 8. Passages for reference: Psa. 107. 2-8; Matt. 10. 32, 33; Rom. 10. 9, 10; Rev. 12. U. In the one-hundredth-and-seventh psalm Is the oft-repeated exclamation, "Oh that men would praise the Ixml for his goodness, and for his wond erful works to the children of men!" Between these exclamations are the rehearsals of God's doings for his peo I pie which should call forth such praise. God's care under all vlciasl I tildes, his protection In dangers, his i rleltvnninre f i nni the nnwer nf the enemy, nnd his leadings to victory are all enough to evoke from the most stolid nature exclamations of praise. His activities reveal a nature worthy of praise, and the blessings received put men under obligation to bear testimony to him as the giver of them . In Matthew we are assured that our confessing or non-confessing before men determines whether we shall be acknowledged by the Master before the Father In heaven. Such a declar ation demands our careful considera tion. In Romans Paul lays stress upon the confession with the mouth: "With the mouth confession Is made unto salvation." Here again Is an explicit statement as to the Importance of testimony In our own religious exper ience. From the other world there comes a word through the apostle John In the revelation on Patinos, that those In heaven are there having overcome their accuser ''by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony." The basis for the in junction to testify is scriptural, and therefore ought to be heeded. God makes a claim for the alle I glance of every person and his claim I must be proven. No matter how good I his claim Is, It must be established be fore men will acknowledge It. H has done all that it is possible fot I him to do to show that he Is entitled to man's allegiance. But the great majority of mankind do not know what he has done, and must be inform ed. Therefore those who know must give the testimony. If the good name of your friend wus on trial and youi I word could clear It of any suspicion, i would you hesitate to give your testl I mony? NaT, would it not be a pleas ure for you to do It? If you knew j that your testimony would decide a ! man In God's favor, would you not give it? Suppose somebody'B de j clslon hang on your word! A witness Is one who has personal knowledge of a thing. One who is to bear witness for God Is one who has ' personal knowedge of God. Hence it was that Jesus told his disciples to ! tarry at Jerusalem till the ''promise j of the Father" came, which was the i Holy Spirit. Then should they be j witnesses. Only by the teaching of I the Spirit of God can a man know the things of God. Steam, Dry and Cover Milk Rottlcs. Bottles handled in an ordinary commercial way at the Wisconsin Ex periment Station and exposed to steam for ten mlnutea were found to contain n much smaller number of bacteria. In the condensation water In bottles which had been steamed and allowed to stand at room tem perature for twenty-four hours the number of bacteria varied from 1,786,R00 to 3,981,000. In two cor responding series of bottles contain ing no condensation water the num bers of bacteria were 60,710 and 330,100. In a series of steamed bottles exposed to the air for twenty four hours the number of bacteria averaged 292,4r0 per bottle, while In a similar series which had been covered with a linen cloth tho num ber of bacteria averaged 11,615, showing the Importance of keeping bottles covered fine trees of abundant growth on their own roots, even though the land Is too wet for peach trees to live in at all. To grow peach seedlings, throw up a bed by cutting a trench around It. Plant the seed on top the bed, cover ing them two Inches deep. This should be done late In the fall and in spring when the seedlings are three or four Inches high, transplant to nursery row. A transplanted peach seedling makes a better root system than one not so treated. The Eplto-tnlst. Moving Hens. Fowls are very fond of their homo nnd they very much dislike to be moved. It is not n profitable bus! ness to move them unless It Is abso lutely necessary. If eggs are the object sought It Is very Important i that laying hens should not be moved from one location to another while j laying, as It will diminish the sup : ply of eggs. Where It is possible i to do bo pullets that are intended as I layers should bo brought up within sight of the location they are to ! occupy when they begin laying. On j the contrary, If It is desirable to de lay the laying of a hen or a pullet for any reason all that Is necessary i Is to move them from one locality to another and the business Is done. ; This Is sometimes done among fanc ! lers when It Is desired that they put their energies Into growth Instead of eggs. Sometimes a broody hen may be broken up by removing her nest from one locality to another. And especially Is this true where new companions are given her. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR MOTES The Progress of (lis Church. The progress of tho Church of Jesus Christ is strikingly depicted by the pen of John, tho disciple of love. I call you to follow thi progress of the growth of the Christian Church in John's writings. First there was only one man who believed In Jesus -John the Baptist. Then we read of two, then of throe, then of five, then of twelve, then of seventy, then of 120, then of a great multitude which no man can number, all sing ing, "Worthy Is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and strength and honor, and glory and blessing." MARCH THIRD. Being Honest, With Yourself and God Luke 12:1-3; Josh. 24:14. Honest with our Judge. Ps. 7:3-9. Square dealing rewarded. Isa. 33: li-lS. "Live and let live." Ezek. 18:5-9. Honest with uur conscience. Rom. 11:5-23. Honest as employees. --Col. 3:22-26. Honest in conduct. 1 Pet. 2:11-10. Hypocrisy Is like leaven; from a nnall beginning it permeateB the life (Luke 12:1). No man Is safe until he would be Bate and unashamed If his life were turned wrong side out (Luke 12:2). There Is coming a time of perfect transparency, and tho only way to prepare for It Is to live transparent lives now (Luke 12:3). The fear of the Lord Is the begin ning of honesty; the love of the Lord is Its completion (Josh. 24:14). Suggestions. Honesty is never the best policy when It Is politic, but only when it ll the Inevitable outgrowth of the art Being honest with' yourself is the ame as being honest with God; and no easier. No man is honest who Is trying to BC how near dishonesty he can go. If you do not love honesty, but mere ly ear the results of dishonesty, you ere DO) honest, hut only prudent. Illustrations. If we had mirrors which would show us, not our faces but our characters, won! I tlie vainest of us care to look in l hem often? Aoeji nt actors wore masks, and the Ugllesl of ail might wear the most beautiful mask. Compulsory honesty Is like clennll enforced by the health officer, Dure to relapse Into filth when the officer ceases his visits. As it Is Impossible for him to bo too bom st In his soul. Poultry Versus Reef. It Is a noteworthy fact that It re quires less financial outlay to raise a pound of poultry flesh than to pro duce the same weight of beef and in considerably less time. The chicken, that Is the representative poultry bird, Is comparatively easy to raise, nnd during its growing period of only about four months it does not require nearly so much food, in proportion, as the ox does. The chicken attains its maturity In a few months' time and Is then ready to market, either alive or dressed, at prices ranging from seven to ten cents per pound; while It requires from two to three years for an ox to reach Its best beef value, and then it sells on the hoot at only from four to seven cents per pound; or dressed at an average of about eight cents. In this must be counted the cost of the care and feed up to the time of marketing. Hence the chicken is the better business proposition of the two, for the gen eral farmer. Of course, the value of the ox as a producer of good stable manure, during this period of growth. Is to be reckoned In his favor; while the chicken, considered In this light, has somewhat less valu?. Indiana farmer. Wlnsoiiicncss. He who would win a soul must have a winsome spirit. It is not enough to be a good man. Somo men seem to be good, but they are not at tractive. They have long facos and usd countenances, and aro cold as ice. The Spirit of God will raako the heart warm and the countenance cheeriul aud bright. Desert Fruit. In no part of the world do figs attain greater perfection of size and flavor than at the oasis of Palm SpringB In the Colorado Desert of Southern California. They ripen earlier than elsewhere, and the hun dreds of boxes of this fruit sent out annually by whlieB and Indians are eagerly sought at fancy prices. Persian and Egyptian dates are grown here, where the climate Is al most a duplicate of that in their nat ural habitat. Oranges, lemons, peaches, plums, grapes, melons, veg etables and profusions of beautiful flowers grow luxuriantly. A graceful desert willow circles velvet tneadowa where scores of cattle browse. Trav el Magazine. No oxidising solution is equal to chloride of platinum for oxidizing liver. Tho depoilt Is extremely black acd very adherent. Racial Elements in YisronHin. I am speaking of Wisconsin, be cause) it happens to be tho State where I have pursued my ethnologi cal studies, an.! Ik causa it epitomizes the central West. No other Western State has such a diversity of racial elements. Illinois alone, with its queer colony of Portuguese Protest ants at Jacksonville, has an element which WUoOnsiB has not. None but Wisconsin has Bulgarians and Flem ings, it has an Indian population of over 8000. It is the greatest Welsh, Cornish, Norwegian and German State. It haB Icelanders with Minne sota. Bohemians with Iowa, and French, Fins and Hollanders with Michigan. The oldest and only pure ly Hungarian colony in America Is on Its soil, and the largest colony of Swiss. It has a native white element as old as the Knickerbockers, and even French-descended families who go back 150 years on Wisconsin soil. From Wardon Allan Curtis' " 'The Ll,ht Fantastic.' in the Central West," In the Ctury. NO SURPLUS WEALTH. "What are you going to do with your surplus wealth?" "My friend," answer, d Mr. Dustln Stax, "surplus wealth la a myth, a superstition. There Is no such thing In the personal experience of any la in viduai. '--Washington Star. Fertilizer In Clover Roots. In growing clover the farmer, as a rule, wholly overlooks Its great value ns a soil fertilizer through the great amount of nitrogen which is gained by simply growing the clover. The roots, therefore, may be claimed as a portion of the crop and the profit, and should be Included In the ac counts as such. In one experiment sixty pound3 of roots remained in the soil, valued at $9.00, which rep resented so much plant food waiting to be utilized the next season, and which differed from that usually sup plied from the fact that it was not necessary to Invest any capital the next season In nitrogenous fertilizer, as the nitrogen required was alreudy In the soli and for use. Any farm that can be brought to that condition, so as to enable it to produce clover, ran bo gotten Into the highest stat of fertility, as It is only necessary to Supply the cheaper mineral fertiliz ers In order to balance the plant food. The profits do not depend wholly up on the crops harvested but upon the price realized compared with the nmount of material removed from tho land, the real wealth and capital of the farmer being bis soil, and when he can sell something from the land in the form of a crop, which will provide him with more than he took from It, he Is sure to become prosperous in a few years. Wheat Rran. Notes are given In the report of the Massachusetts Experiment Station on the composition, digestibility and fer tilizing Ingredients of wheat bran as compared with other concentrated feeding stuffs, and two feeding ex periments with cows are reported. The roughage In the two rations com pared consisted of hay and silage and the grain feed of cottonseed meal nnd flour middlings. To this wna added either bran or silage with corn meal or corn and cob meal. In one of the experiments the results were slightly In favor of the bran ration, while In the other the so-called silage ration gave the best results. The author, Prof. J. B. Lindsay, concludes that for small herds the quantity of pur chased grain may be reduced to three to four pounds dally by substituting home-grown corn In place of wheat bran. It Is suggested that the grain mixture may consist of one aud a half pounds cottonseed meal, two pounds flour middlings, and two and a half to throe pounds corn meal or corn and cob meal. Malt sprouts may be substituted for the wheat, oats or rye middlings. Where the feeding cannot be closely supervised and where It is desired to feed more than five to seven pounds of grain dally, It Is considered ndvlsable that the grain mixtures should consist of one-th'lrd to' one-half of wheat bran. Fruit Trees From Cuttings. All attempts to grow apple trees from cuttings will lead to disappoint ment. Only a very small per cent, will live and they will prove worth less. Peaches will not grow at all from cuttings. Of pears, Le Conte, If properly handled, will grow from cuttings as well as willow. The Marlunna plum is also very easy to grow the same way; so alBO are many kinds of quinces. To prepare cuttings for planting select nice, straight shoots of the current year's growth. As soon as the leaves fall cut them eight to ten Inches long and pack them In u box of damp sand or well-rutted sawdust. Put the box in some place secure from frost until spring and see that the contentB are kept at all times damp, but not soaked. In spring you will find the cuttings nicely calloused. Be careful not to expose them to the ulr more than necessary when setting out in the nursery and If possible select A mild, still day for the pur pose. ' To grow Klefer pears from cut tings make an assisted cutting by grafting a short piece of quince root i tie inch or an inch and a half on the bottom of an eight-inch scion. Do , this In February and treat as recora I mended above. The best plan for growing Japan ( plums Is to graft a long scion on a small peach seedling In February, ; planting deeply In spring and plant ' ing still deeper when set in orchard. By following this plan you will have Stock Taking Cold. The horse Is verv Rnsrentlhlo fr cold: and the horses that are stabled when not being worked or exercised feel the changes of weather quite as reatniy as do those enjoying a more free life. All stables slum wi ho fulriv lofty, because horses need plenty of ireBn air, and this can only be prop erly given durine Intense cold whon ventilation can be given above the heads of the animals, so far as ele vation Is concerned, the position of the ventilators mattering little so long as they are at n good height and placed with iudement. Tho stable should feel cosey upon going In, but not stuff v. othe rwlso tho horses will feel chilly upon coming out. When the horses are out at wnrv they need little care, so long as they are actually employed, but if being rested, or doing duty that Involves periods of inaction. It then becomes necessary to see that there Is no chance given for a chill to be caught. If to stand for several minutes, ns when a wagon Is being loaded, a loincloth, or Bheet. should ho th rnwn across the back and removed when actual work recommences, and the same plan should be followed until the cold breaks. Cows do not feel the cold as do horseB, but, for all that, they ao reel it. Perhaps one of the most noticeable features recards rows flnr. ing cold is the Increased amount ol rood mat the animals will consume. Cows should be housed comfortahlv during cold, and the cow-house should be well provided with fresh air, admitted without draught, and regulated by the quantity required iu Keep me interior temperature of the cow-house warm enough to feel comfortable to the animals, for if too cold the coat will readily show u, even snouid the animals them selves seem comfortable. Give plenty of dry litter, abundance of good food and all the water that the animals care to drink, first taking the chill off. During such cold weather the cows should never be allowed to stand about In the open, nnd the younger stock should either be housed entirely or given the run of a sheltered shed. Family Herald. Ri-eeders' Notes. Keep a good rasp handy and use It judiciously in keeping the feet of the colts level and of proper shape. Don't let the toes become too long. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. It is also indispensable In order to keep the colts free from worms and lice and their feet froe from thrush. Don't neglect to cover the Icy spots in the yard or paddock with gravel, loam or ashes. Slipping on such spots may cause the ruin of a valu able colt or brood mare. Don't keep the weanling shut up In stalls and standing on hard floors all the time. They need exercise In the open air and on the earth every day to keep their limbs strong and their feet healthy. A few dollars spent on each horse consigned to the sales ring In putting him In condition to show to the best advantage will prove a profitable In vestment. Have the animals well mannered, fat, sleek and well groomed. 'A foot pick is a much more impor tant implement in the colt stable than the currycomb or brush. When the soles of the feet are picked clean and washed every day there la little dan ger that they will become affected with thrush. It is more conducive to the health and hardiness of horBe stock to be kept In barns that aro well ventil ated and not warmed by artificial heat man it. close and steam heated sta bles. Pure air is US essential tn nun blood and good health as Is pure food. A tablespoonful of flaxseed meal added to the gruln ration of each weanling colt every night will have a beneficial effect upon the bowels and give a gloss to the coat. Monnu spent for flaueed meal to feed to the youngsters Is an investment that will pay a fifty per cent, prent at least.- Hurse Breeder. The Threshold. Ry IVAN TVRGENEV. fThls poem In prose, written some thirty yxrs ago by the famous Rus sian novelist, sums the type of the RiiRslan girl who Is ready to. sacrifice everything for light and freedom and revolution. The translation Is from the Independent). I see a great structure. The nar row door In the front wall Is wide open. Stern gloom Is beyond the door. Before the high threshold stands a girt, a Russian girl'. A breath of frost Is wafted from the Impenatrabte gloom, and together with the freezing wave a slow voice Is coming from thedepth of the build ing. "To yon who desire to cross this threshold, do you know what awaits you here?" "I know," replied the girl. "Cold, hunger, abhorrence, deri sion, contempt, abuse, prison, dis ease and death!" "I know. I am ready. I shall en dure all suff" iugs, all blows." "No, from enemies alone, but also from relatives, from friends. "Yes, even from them." "Very well. You are ready for the sacrifice. You Bhall perish, and no body, nobody will ever know whose memory to honor." "I need neither gratitude nor com passion. I need no home." "Are you ready even to commit a crime?" The girl lowered her head. "I am ready for crime, too " The voice lingered for some time before resuming its questions. "Do you know." it said at length, "that you may he disillusioned In thnt which you believe nt present, that you may discover that vou were mis taken, nnd that you ruined your young life in vain?" "I know this, too." "Enter!" The girl crossed the threshold, and Hie heavy curtain fell behind her. "Fool!" said some one, gnashing his teeth. "Saint!" some one tittered In re iir. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. The Old Copper Kettle. An English scientist attributes the wide prevalence of appendicitis to the use of enameled cooking uten sils. He points out that when the old fashioned cooking utensils were in vogue appendicitis was practically unknown. "The present age uBes In creasingly enamel ware, which Bplln ters on the least provocation. "I find that not only a food "such as porridge will carry tho needle like splinters to the body, but that a soup, and even tea, may very well contain sharply splintered particles of this most dangerous glass." Many physicians and surgeons have advanced the theory known as the mechanical theory, that the cause of appendicitis may be introduction through the food of some sharp Irri tating substance, causing inflamma tion and ulceration. They designate toothbrush brlstleB. wheat grit, particles of antlmonnl rubber stoppers, as common Irritants. None of these are of such irritat ing quality as spicules of enamel, which might be swallowed with the sauces or vegetables cooked -in the enameled waro vessels. Accordingly, among medical men and some housekeepers there la a crusade having for Its object the re turn to the old copper or Iron kettle. Sunflowers nnd Ouinine. An eminent Spanish professor has made the discovery that the sunflower yields a splendid febrifuge that can be used as a substitute for quinine. More than ten years ago Moncorvo reported to the Therapeutical So ciety or Paris with reference to the same subject. Accordingly the sun flower should not only by Its growing exert great fever-dispelling effect, but also yield a product which is used advantageously in all fevers. The common sunflower Is original ly an American plant. Its original home is stated by eminent botanists to be Peru and Mexico. The Russian peasantry seem to be convinced that the plant possesses properties against fever, nnd fever putlentB sleep upon a bed mude of sunflower leaves, and also cover themselves with them. This use has recently Induced a Russian physician to experiment with a col oring matter and with alcoholic ex tracts from the flower and leaves. With 100 children from one month to twelve years old he has, in the majority of cases, effected as speedy i cure as otherwise with quinine. Philadelphia Ledger. Do Ostriches Ever Diet Nothing Ib positively known as to how long an ostrich may live. Somo writers claim that It will live 100 years. Ostriches which are known to have been in captivity for forty years are still breeding and producing feathers. It is the experience of Arizona farmers that among the birds having good, nutritious green feed death sel dom occurB, except us the result of accident. A dog or other Bmall ani mal will sometimes frighten ostri ches and cause them to run into the fence, which may result in a broken leg. When this happens the bird may as well be killed, aa few ever recover from such an Injury. Na tional Magazine. INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM MENTS FOR MARCH 8 BY THE REV. I. W . HENDERSON. Subject: Abraham Pleading For Sodom, Gen. 18:10-33 Golden Text, Lake 18:1 Memory Verses, 23-20. Abram Is now Abraham. And he Is still a familiar friend of Ood. God yet appears to him and converses with him, giving him comfort, in spiration, advice. God Is his coun selor, and his Joy Is In Him. This le -in presents for our con sideration four matters of Impor tance, I. e., God's confidence In Abra ham; the consequences of communal sin; the loving sympathy of Abraham with the sinners of a sinning com munity; the merry and justice of God. God had confidence In Abraham. He had delegated to him a work that was to have Its Influence upon all time. And having summoned him, God doesn't forget that Abraham ll in His confidence. Abram had been selected by Him, and ho had fulfilled with fidelity the obligations that Ood had laid upon him. Abram had been faithful to his Divine commission. Therefore Ood had confidence in him; therefore Ood recognized Abraham's right to know the Divine will and to receive Information of the Divine Intentions. The proof of this ilea In the question of Jehovah, "Shall I nlde from Abraham that which I do?" Here God recognizes that Abraham was called of Himself, that he was trustworthy, that ho had a claim upon the Divine favor. The lesson shows us also the conse quences of communal sin. It de scribes to us the end of social In iquity. It is, in a way, a parallel to the stories concerning the conse quences of sin that we have had al ready. Sodom was so wicked that, to paraphrase verses 20 and 21, we may say that tho very walls cried out to Heaven. It was sunk in sin, dead with depravity to all sense of de cency, its shame smelted to Heaven, Its iniquity was grievous. And God stood it as lone as His inteurltv I would permit and then He visited a righteous judgment upon It. He re moved Its inhabitants from any part In this world's affaire, He totally an nihilated Its earthly power for cor ruption, He wiped the place off the map. But in Lot was a remnant of manhood left, and only a remnant at that. God saved the remnant. Abraham's "peradventure" prayer Is remarkable for many things. It Indicates to us that prayer has a proper place In the life of the man who lives near to God, that Abraham had no proper conception of the full ness of the character of God, that Im plicitly he attributed to Jehovah a hardness that was unreal, that he felt that he was on such terms of Inti macy with Divinity that he could se cure favor for others beside himself. These things are perfectly clear as we read the text and they need no en larging. The most remarkable thing about the prayer is this, that Abraham had a love for sinners who were not related to him by blood, as well as af fection for his own kin. It Is evi dent, of course, that with righteous Lot as the price he hoped .'a strike a sharp bargain with Jehovah. But back of that there lies an appreciation Df the love that good men should have for sinners outside of their per sonal acquaintanceship. The justice and mercy of God are here revealed. Abraham could not ask more than God was ready to grant. For the sake of ten decent citizens He stood ready to let mercy take the place of exact Justice and give the city another chance to re deem itself. That struck even Abra ham aH a fair proposition. It was all that he dared to ask. Evidently the ten couldn't be found. God's mercy was valueless. The city Is lost. But with an exact justice that humanity has not yet learned to administer. Lot and his family are spared. His wife disobeyed commands and she was turned to salt. Lot and his daughters just escaped to the hills and that was all. And a study of the precious trio will make one wonder how even they escaped. The immediate leBSons are these: We may all enjoy God's favor and enter iuto a knowledge of His mind, as it is continuously revealed, if we will obey Him. Except this land is to follow after Sodom and the em pires that are dead, we must comport ourselves In righteousness. Some of the sin of America smells to Heaven as badly as Sodom's ever did. Our social Iniquities, glossed with the re finement ci an unprecedented civil ization and protected by the seal of legality, are simply ungodly. We who are striving to do God's will in the midst of such conditions should pray Ood's patience with those who defy llim. And however hard it may be for us to understand, sometimes, the mysterious way of God with His world we must always remember that He Is JuBter than humanity and more merciful than are we. These notes may assist : Vb. 18. "Blessed." Cf. Gen. 12:3. Vs. 20. "Cry." The cities are spoken of as crying out to Heaven be cause of the wickedness within their walls. "Sin." Cf. Gen. 19. Vs. 21. "Go see." Notice the anthropomorphic language. Vs. 23. "Consume." "The older Israelite philosophy held that a man's fortunes were always exactly propor tioned to his conduct, so that If a man suffered it was a clear proof that he had sinned." This Is what worries Abraham. For Lot wa measurably, In his time, a good man. The mercy of God Is the graateiit of all mercies.. Value of Wired Glass. Glass reinforced with wire has beeqi shown i,y the tests of the British Fire Prevention Committee to bar really of great advantage In resisting fire. Three openings were closed with wired glass aud fire was applied for forty-five minutes, the tempers ture reaching 1C0O degrees Fahren heit, but not exceeding 1650 degrees. The new material is vuluable not only for the obstruction It offers to fire, but for Its reduced ubllity to do dam age by breaking and falling when used In such places us the glass roofs of railway stations. A special room will be reserved in the International Art Exhibition to be held in Venice tor the works of English and Scottish artists and of American arilsts resident In London. Charleston's 8 O'clock Dinner. Most of the people in Washington dine between 6 and 7 o'clook. Thla Is called an early dinner, but the Washington people always were a slow set. The usual hour of dining In Charleston is 8 o'clock. It is an old English custom, we believe. At any rate we fancy It Is something ot that sort because we cling to It so tenaciously, ll Is a very inconvenient hour to most people who are engaged In business, but It Is the habit and very hard to break. We have the ad vantage of from two to four hour over the people of Washington, at any rate, because we are just that much ahead ot them on the principal feast of the day. Charleston News and Courier. EVIDENCE. The evidence shows, Mrs. Mul cahey, that you threw a stone at the constable." "It shows more than that, yet honor. It shows that 01 hit him." Jud6' .mtm' '
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers