A SERMON ' J
SJ : THE MEN" 1
Subject : Tlio Religious Life.
Brooklyn. N. Y. Preaching nt the
Irving Square PresbvieHnn Church 1
on the theme "The Religious Life." !
the pastor, the Rev. Ira Wemmeil I
Henderson, took ns his text Dent.
It3, ".Van doth tint live by broad only,
but hy everything tint proeocdeth
out of the mouth of the Lord doth !
man live." He said:
The one thing most nerossary In
the life of 1h Individual and of no- '
clety la religion. A man may exist 1
In the possession of nil the temporal
and material aids to comfort and to j
the satisfaction of the natural man.
but he never begins really to live ;
until he Is conscious of the divine I
per onallty and recognizes the valid-
Hy of the divine control. A man may i
exist without a thoroughgoing ponse
of the reality and the control of "the :
Divinity that shapes our ends," but I
he only is alive when he gains a con- j
sclousness of God and of his account- 1
ability and Infinite Indebtedness to
Him.
In our day too many men are drift
ing rrom the religious life, too many -are
endeavoring to live without a :
controlling sense of the reality of
Cod. too many are endeavoring to
live as though C"..d were non-exlst- I
nnt and as though He were entitled
to no authority over their lives Many
good men, confusing eccleslastlclsm
with religion, and uncomprehending
of the vnst difference that there often
lo, though to be sure there should not
be, between church membership and
the Christian life, have turned and
are turning, altogether ton commonly
for the peace of mind of the church
of the living God. away from organ
ized tellgious systems primarily and
from any sort of religious observ-
P.C3 at all. Gazing upon the hope
irss .Insincerity of many Christians
nd the stupid indifference of many
hutches to the needs of foclety and
:he doivmds of the times, as con
trasted with the beauty and the uni
versal Interest of the Cod-pian and
His Qospe), upon whose character and
truth the Church is founded, meu j
have misjudged Christianity by its j
misrepresenting fruitage, and, in I
numbers that annoy us, have turned I
from religion entirely. Conteraplat-
ing the sins of individuals In the ,
church, they have permitted their
eyes to be withhnlden from the dls- I
cernmenf. of the truth that the per- I
tonality and the pronunclameutoei of I
Jesus Christ as the oracle of God are
the leaven that most surely could
transform their own lives and effect
a transformation in the social order
of which they are a part. .Many bad
men, with the determination not to
know or to serve God under any con
ditions, utterly are neglectful of the
claims of the religious life upon
their higher natures. They turn from
religion because they are willfully
deslrouts to be the followers of the
uevii miner man me servants oi i
God.
Many meu have turned from or- !
ganized religion because of Intel- I
leciual difficulties. Some of theBO
have gone out of the church to fol
low the bent of their peculiar and
personal religious conceptions and
convictions; some have turned to
philosophy and have deified man as
sufficient unto himself; still others
have to their entire satisfaction
eliminated God from the scheme of
things.
In spite of the attitude of a host of
men. however, a true religious life is
as necessary to the welfare of human
ity as are fresh air and pure food
and the creature comforts that we
desire, need and strive so persistent
ly to secure. No man is well round
ed no man has realized the possibili
ties of manhood; no man is com
plete; no man is really alive until
he is olive unto God. And no man
has sounded the limits of the capaci
ties of his own being until he hus en
joyed a knowledge of the highest rev
elation of the character of God that is
in the world to-day.
A true religious life ousht to ap
peal to every man first, because it Is
reasonable; secondly, because it is
spiritually real; thirdly, because it is
ethically influential
The true religious life is reason
able. It does no damage to our good
sense, and It commends itself to our
judgment. It does not shock our
Ideas of the fllness of things. It sat
isfies our Intellects. Man, in the wis
dom of God, is an intelligent being;
he possesses mntal qualities that are
fundamental in his make-up. iMen
must be convinced of tlio reasonable
ness of things before they can have
any lasting hold upon them. That
which Is Intellectually unsatisfying
or that will not stand the tests ap
plied by the minds of men. thay re
ject. Man does nor demand that
he shall be able to exhaust
every subject which comes under the
province of his Intellect, but he does
demand that, whether or no he is
able to explain all the things in
which, as a rational being, he holds
an Interest, he shall at least be able
to discern in them the evldeuces of
reasonableness. Religion appeals to
the mind of mm, Not because he is
able to sound all the depths of relig
ious philosophy or of religious truth
or to explain all the manifold won
ders of religious ouperience, but be
cause there is in religion that which
is intellectually reasonable and satis
fying. No religious system that is
worthy of attention holds the respect
of humanity for long unless It oe first
of nil of no damage to our sense of
the fitness of things. The true relig
ious life commends itself to our best
Judgment and In the recognition of
its imperatives we find jest and Joy.
The true religious life Is transend
antly e.nd delightfully real. It is not
susceptible, perhaps, to arithmetical
or geometrical demonstration. We
are not able to prove It In its specu
lative cud abstract phases by the ter
miuo'ogy or the experiences of the
senses altogether, but It la none the
less teal. Laying hold as It. does
upon the divine, It Is simply inexplic
able in all Its outreachlngs through
the medium of Unite speech. As true
It Is that tongue cannot tell of the
giorems r-ali i n-8 of the snlrltnnl !'.!
as it U that the ton mo has not yet
told the fulliiPbs of the glories of
that richer life that Is yet to be. Out
though the tongue may be unable lo
explain It all or to reveal In finite
language the Infinite experiences of
the spiritual life it la none the less
real. The spiritual religious life Is
the result of experience. It Is ex
perience. It Is Just os exact and
scientific In its way and just as ex
perimental mystical and abstract
though It be, as any other scientific
discipline. It cannot, of course be
demonstrated by the exepriences of
the uhvsicist alune- or by the ter
minology of the geologist alone, or
hy the rules of th algebraic formu
lae. Rut tt has Its own lawn. Its
own characteristics may be sclentlflc
nllv tabulated. It;: e.perlences tuny
b classified. Its realltv may be In
vesti gated and proven by any open
minded, open-hearted man who will
place himself within the realm of Its
manifestations and permit himself
to bo moved upon by Its Influences.
It Is spiritually real.
Then, too, the true religious life
such ns has been revealed unto us
in Jesus Christ is ethically influen
tial. It takes hold of the conduct
nf the man, and whereas he was be
fore satisfied with lax and easy reg
ulations for the ordering of his per
sonal and social life, It lends him past
nil that Is superficial and Insufficient
and less than wholly righteous, step
by step into such a recognition of
the claims tif God and of humanity
upon his llf'" that he Is soon satisfied
with nothing but the best In manners
nnd morals, and Is continually test
ing himself bv an Increasing measure
to find whether or no he Is worthy
of the approval of Almighty God,
his King. The real religious life that
was practiced bv our Lord nnd Sav
lous Jesus Christ Is a life that Is
militant in the life of the man seven
days a week. It Is no week-end
religion. It Is n force from the first
stroke of the midnight chime on
Saturday night to the precise moment
when another week having gone ring
ing down the grooves of the past the
I shall boom again another mid
night note. It declares to men the
reality of the divine authority nnd
:lie Insistency of human accountabil
ity to Him. It lends the soul Into
n larger recognition of the claims of
personality nnd inspires humanity to
square Itself with the claims of so
ciety upon the individual life.
The true religious life in Jesus Is
as vital In national affairs as it is In
individual. We do not need in our
times more churches or a larger or
ganization. Whut we need most Is
that the present organization nnd the
present churches shall make the re
ligion of the Lord Jesus Christ to bo
felt and realized as a vital force In
all department! of our national life.
The true religious life is the med
ium whereby comfort, joy. hope and
courage are mediated in divine fash
ion to the human soul. In no other
life Is comfort so satlsfyingly given.
In no other life Is the joy that hu
manity so largely needs so truly
ministered. Here Is our highest hope.
Here we drink deep of courage and
nre most endued for conflict against
principalities and powersf and pan
oplied clfeetunllv for the conquering
of sin.
The greatest mistake In the world
Is for a man to reject the privileges,
the prerogatives, the nppeals of the
religions life. Cor the soul without
God Is not alive. Only in the con
sciousness of His reality and in will
ing subjection of self to Him do we
live. The live man is the one who
lives within God through the grace
and love revealed and mediated in
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thirty Things to Remember
Lime For Keg Enter.
Trofessor J. E. Rico, of Cornell
Cnlverslty, Ithaca, N. Y,, in the
course of an address at the poultry
Institute at Guclph, Can., said one
of the results of withholding lime
from pullets was that they ate all
their eggs. When lime was sup
plied they quit the habit. This may
account for not a little of tho egg
eating about which so many farmers
are now complaining.
no damage from the treatment, while i
Its Inevitable destruction by the para
site Is prevented. New York Sun.
Water Willi Their Feed.
Giving horses a bucket of water
'.o sip with their feed, like men do
when they eat. Why not? A horse
man says of this plan In Norway
when feeding horses, that In that
SOuntrV you never see a broken
minded horse, nnd It Is because horses
ire allowed to drink while eating,
'he same as men do. He ndds: "Our
horses, let them be as thirsty as 'get
-ut," must still eat their dry fodder,
'heir dry hay and oats and corn, with
nothing to wash them down. Rut In
Norway every horse has a bucket of
water beside his manger, and, as he
iats, ho drinks nlso."
Egg-Eating Birds Cured.
There are several ways of handling
?gg-eatlng birds. They usually be
have all right as soon as they get
nut where they have more room and
fresh air. and the shells grow harder,
so that all works together to effect
a cure. Ponding this, darkened nests,
raised so that the birds cannot stand
itid look Into them nil the time, are
helpful. A cloth bottom Is some
limes placed above the real bottom
of the nest, having a slit for one egg
lo pass through. In extreme cases an
egg has been smeared or mixed with
bitter aloes as a lessen of let-alone,
which Is said to be effective. We
have this difficulty occasionally to
ward spring, but seldom do more
than to provide abundant exercise,
good food and dark .nests. If the
sinners can be spotted it is well to
coop them by themselves for a time,
as such a vice spreads rapidly, espe
cially In an idle Hock. Nests may be
effectively darkened by tncklng a bur
lap curtain at the top edge, to hang
four-fifths of the way down, just so
the hens can push them and easily.
C. S. Valentine, in the Tribune
Farmer
Bverf Road Leads to Jesus.
A young man Just starting upon
his work in the ministry was one day
talking to an aged minister in Lon
don, who had spent a lifetime in the.
service. The young man said, "You
have a great deal of etperleuce; you
know many things that I ought to
learn . Can't you give me advice to
carry with me In my new duties?"
"Yes, I can," was the response. "I
Will give you a piece of advice. You
know that in every town in England,
no matter how small, in every ham
let, though it l; hidden in the folds
of the mountains or wrapped round
hy the far-off sea, in every clump of
farmhouses, you can find a road
which, if you will follow it, will take
vou to London. Just so every text
you shall choose to preach from tho
bible will have a road that leads to
Jesus. Be sure you find that road and
follow it; be careful not lo miss It
mce. This Is my advice to you."
The Soul Winner's Equipment.
Re filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:
15.) This is the call to every Chris
tian to be filled with the Spirit. That
Is what Is needed to-day. Only
those who are filled with the Spirit
cau be soul Winners, To be tilled
is the privilege of ail. Christians
are known by their fruits. "With
out Me ye can do nothing" (Jno. 15:
6). It is as impossible to live the
Christian life without the Holy Spir
it as to live natural life without air.
There must be an emptying of all
else before there cau be a real filling.
Holiness must prevail. The little
sins If tolerated will hinder the Spir
it from having full sway. This is
not only a privilege for every Chris
tian, but a duty; for it is a com
mand: "Be filled with the Spirit."
C. B. Styers.
ilumus in the Soil.
Professor Whitney, of the Bureau
of Soils, says humus acts as a sponge
in the soil and absorbs totic poisons
which are given off by the plant
roots. However this may be, the
farmer must add humus to his soils
to make them produce good crops.
There are several ways In which hu
mus is Increased in the soli. To
make the matter clear to thoso who
do not understand what humus Is it
might be well to state that humus is
the dark-colored mold left after or
ganic matter or vegetable matter has
decayed. Then in the light of this
explanation farmers will understand
that any organic matter turned uu
der and allowed to decay will form
humus. Barnyard manure, straw
stalks, etc., the plowing tinder of
green growing crops, such as clover,
cowpeas, rye or any other crop used
generally for green manuring will
add humus to the soil. The lack of
organic matter is usually noticed by
the soils becoming out of condition.
They run together and cako after
heavy rains. When such a condition
occurs the farmer Should spare no
pains to add this highly essential
part. Weekly Witness.
Convenient Fountain.
Once In a while we sae among the
mass of inventions and contrivances
presented by our fnrm and fruit nnd
poultry pnpers one that needs no sec
ond look to tell that it is an ideal fix
ture for the intended purposo. A
glance shows that it will do its work
and do It better than any other ar
rangement can.
And now I come with my little
con'ributlon. It Is a poultry water
fountain, and my excuse for describ
ing It to your renders Is th.U It, too,
fills the bill better than anything I
else of the kind. Fill It In the morn- ,
Ing, and your chickens, little or big.
have a convenient supply of clean j
water for the day.
Gel your tinner to make a stralght-
sldod gallon bucket, of tin or galvan
ized iron, with a cover soldered on
airtight. Cut one side loose from
the bottom for n length of four or i
five Inches and hammer the loosened
side back toward the centre of the
bottom. As It goes bnck the edge
rises, and when you have an inch to
nn Inch and a half of the bottom ex
posed the edge will be about throe-
eighths of nn Inch above it.
To make the water seal, a strip of
galvanized Iron or tin. three-fourths
(2)
(1) Before Strip is Soldered On.
Finished.
of an inch wide and as long its the .
cut in the side, Is soldered around
the edge of the bottom nnd at the
ends. The cone-shaped dent or de-
presslon in the Bide of the bucket i
should extend two-thirds of its
height.
There are many poultry fountains
made on the same principle, but none '
that I have seen or heard of that so
completely protects the water from I
filth. As there is no extension from
the original circumference of tho
bucket nothing can drop In the water
from above. The drinking place
seems small, and It would be small
for a cow, but is not for a chicken.
Often I have seen five and six grown
hens drinking from It at once.
To fill it, hold the opening under a
faucet or use an old kettle with a
spout, or submerge It in a larger
bucket. To empty, lay on the ground,
opening down.
For little chicks, set it on the floor
or ground; for those of larger growth,
in a winter pen or scratching shed,
set it on a block eight or ten inches
high and turn the opening away from
the most active scratching operations.
Try it. It will save you lots of work
and your chickens many a thirsty
hour when you are absent, or when I
they have your pans or open foun
tains scratched full of chaff and dirt.
It is not patented, and any tinner, can
make one for a little more than the
coat of a gallon bucket. E. J. Balrd,
In New York Tribune Farmer.
By JOHN TRAINOR.
1, Remember that work Is only a
means, character Is the end.
2. That sincerity Is the foundation
of nil honest work.
' 3. That sorrow Is the price most
men pay for lasting attainments.
4. That you label your own work.
B. Thnt no one can hold you down
if you are determined to succeed.
C. That, every man is destined to
do something worth while,
7. That seven roads load to Rome.
8. That most people Judge you by
first Impression.
. That few men succeed until they
try.
10. Thnt hard work Is no small
part of genius.
11. Thnt It takes no longer to say
kind words than those that cut.
12. That tho only way to keep
your credit good la by paying your
debts.
13. That It Is easier to do good
work than poor. If you onco learn
how.
14. That tho more difficult things
nre to accomplish, tho more worth
while.
15. Thnt o sensible employer la
more anxious to push you ahead than
to hold you down.
16. Thnt you are one link In a
great chain.
17. Thnt ambition develops, self
ishness thwarts, body and mind.
18. That rules nre necessary to a
business ns laws are for right gov
ernment. 19. That you can't learn nnylhlng
in a day.
20. That the fact that you are
being employed is a promise of good
work.
21,. Thnt your boss often appreci
ates your work, but does not find
time to tell you so.
22. That time progresses and
methods change.
23. That it is legitimate to talk
about your goods as long as you tell
the truth.
2 4. That there Is only one way to
sell goods; place them in the market
to advantnge.
25. That many a man might seek
you' as a customer if he could find
you out.
" 26. That only cowards are afraid
to venture.
27. That even angels are Impatient
once in a while.
38. That It Is foolish to bear
n grudge. Unkind feelings are not
marketable.
29. That it pays to dress well, even
In business.
30. That every workman thinks
that if he were the boss he would act
differently. Chicago Tribune.
Drawing Men.
The holiness of Christ did not awe
men away from Him, nor repel them.
It inspired them with hope. It was
not 'hat vulgar, unapproachable Banc
lity which makes men awkward In its
presence, and stands aloof. Its pe
culiar characteristic was that it made
men enamored of goodness. It "drew
all meu unto Him." This is the dif
ference between greatness that Is
first rate and greatness which is sec
ond rate between heavenly and
earthly goodness. The second rate
and earthly kind draws admiration
on itself. You say, "How great an
act how good a man!" The first
rate and the heavenly imparts Itself
Inspires a spirit.
Story r,f God's Love,
i Christ's life makes the letters that
alone cnu tell tho story of the love of
God to man. Home Herald
Less Motion Than Emotion.
Two men were coming into Denver
from a nearby town on a local train
the other day. The train stopped
every five minutes, It seemed, and
one of the men became impatient,
finally, when the train halted for the
engine to get up steam the man's im
patience overflowed.
"Now, what do you think of this
train?" he said to the other.
"It isn't making much progress,"
replied his friend.
"Progress! I should say not," said
the impatient man. "It would be a
fierce job to take a moving picture
of this train." Denver Post.
Middleton, an English engineer,
who thinks he baa solved the prob
lem of propelling and steering large
vessels under water, believes that
Great Britain's food supplies in fu
ture times of war will be brought
here by large submarines, which bis
Invention makes possible. He Is try
Ing to get the Admiralty to test his
liventiou, wuich is kept secret.
Surgery For Trees.
The successful treatment of trees
by surgery Is the subject of a report
iride recently by a botanist named
Eberhardt to the Academy of Sci
ences, in Paris. M. Eberhardt has
practiced It, he saya, with entire suc
cess In Iudo-China. He has often
performed operations on tea plants,
mulberry trees, orange trees and
other tropical plants.
Expert m-nts in cold climates have
not met with much success so far,
but it is believed the system can be
used with advantage In the southern
regions of Europe. The operations
are not amputations, neither are they
mere subcutaneous Injections, such
' ns have been made successfully in
Europe for the cure of some parasitic
disease of plants; they are surgical
in the strictly modern sense.
The method is adopted when the
trees are attacked by Insects which
penetrate the bark and deposit their
eggs In the wood. The long-horned
beetle is a serious plague In ludo
China. Una larvae hollow out galleries in
the tissue of the trunk and branches;
these interrupt the circulation of the
sap, and the tree speedily withers and
dies.
Eberhardt's method consists of
Opening up the gal'ery with a scalpel,
removing the larvae with a forceps or
curetting instrument and then Hush
ing out the cavity with an antiseptic
fluid, consisting of forty parts of
gylcerine, 11(1 of formaline and 850
of water. Three or four washings
are given at Intervals extending over
about fifteen days, and at the end of
that time cushions of vegotable tissue
begin to appear along the edge of the
scar. which heals completely In from
six to eight months. It Is essential
during the first two or three months
lo protect the wound from light,
which seems to stop the formation of
n.ew tissue.
When the trunk Is so seriously at
tacked as to render so radical at) op
eration undesirable, M. Eberhardt
pricks the cavity in the tree with a
trocar, to which he affixes a syringe
and injects a solution of 180 parts of
formaline, sixty of glycerine and 760
of water. This he forces In until the
cavity is filled to overflowing. Either
t ue larvae come to the surface, when
they are extracted with i lie forceps,
or else they are poisoned.
Two injections are. usually made at
jlght days' interval.' Tho formaline
hardly seems to penetrate the woody
fiber beyond the surface broken down
by the parasites. The wound beats
In fciiue. and 'he tree keumt, to suffer
Farm Notes.
In a clover country a farmer who
owns a -eed huller can make from $5
to $10 with it, net, by huillug for his
neighbors.
A good tool to cut turf around
trees and along borders of walks cau
be made from an old hoe. Bend the
shank out straight and sharpen from
both sides.
in calculating the size of the silo
which you will need, the Cornell
L'nlverBlty bulletin says that it Is ad
visable to estimate than an average
1000-pound cow will consume about
forty pounds of silage per day.
If you do not know how handy
they are, attach chains to yourman
gers, tho hitching post, aud wherever
you wunt to fasten a horse. Have a
good snap in the end of the chain
which cau he quickly attached to the
bit rein.
When ventilating poultry houses or
hog houses, let the ventilator take In
air about twelve inches from the bot
tom and carry it up to within twelve
inches of the top before the next
opening is made. The ventilator
should run diagonally through the
house.
A good hog fence can be made by
setting posts three feet high sixteen
feet apart. Run a barbed wire three
inches from the ground and another
on the top. Then nail on good strong
wire nei'.lng thirty Inches wide. Draw
all tight, aud this fence will iast a
ion?; time.
An Iowa farmer suggests that a
good way to prevent the dirt from
getting to the oil bowls of the old
style disc harrows is to attach pieces
of one-quarter inch gaa pipe so they
extend up from the oil pipes through
the box, keeping them closed with
woodeu plugs. A blacksmith will do
this work at small cost.
One quart of mash to twelve grown
hens once a day la the proper allow
ance If you inslBt upon feeding a
mash. If you will conform to mod
ern methods, however, aud feed your
mixed meals and clover In a dry state,
you need not fret over how much to
feed. Put In the hopper aud let each
hen choke down all she will. It's the
natural way.
If you cannot afford to build an ex
pensive hog house, take ten foot
boards aid nail them to a stout
frame made In the shape of a peaked
roof. Cover these with long straw
and batten them down with strips
running crosswise. The boards should
run from the peak downward, and
the straw should be laid the same
way in order to carry off the water.
A window for light and ventilation
: i mi ill be put In oue end, aud a self
closing door in the other.
Saved the Situation.
She raised her head from his shoul
der for a moment.
"Do you believe that exercise and
lotions and toilet preparations will
Improve a woman's looks?" she
asked.
He pressed her blond curls back
upon his chest.
"They couldn't Improve the looks
of-some women," he said.
"Whose?" she asked.
"Well, yours and Violet Cochrane's,
for instance," he replied, thought
lessly. "I don't understand you," Bhe said,
raising her head for the second time
and chilling him with a look. "We
are not at all alike."
"I mean," ho replied, turning her
head for the second time and think
ing quickly, "that your looks couldn't
be Improved because they are perfect
as they are, and that hers couldn't
be Improved because no amount of
work could make her pretty."
And the firelight flickered know
ingly as she sighed a great sigh of
contentment and relief, while he
drew- a deop breath. Penny Pictorial.
Will Milkers' Whims.
The late T. Bevan, one time M. P.
for Gravesend, who directed In his
will that his body should bo cremated
aud "the ash residue ground to pow
der and again burned and dissipated
in the air," is one of many men (and
women) who have made equally re
markable arrangements for the dis
posal of their mortal remains.
1 An angler who dlod recently di
rected that his aEhes should be car
ried In a halt can and scattered from
a boat over the surface of his favorite
stream; Mrs. Ernle-Erle-Drax directed
that her body should be embalmed
and placed In a glass panelled coffin,
for the reception of which a circular
mausoleum with stained glaaa dome
was to be built; while, at his own
wish, the body of oue of the Lords
Newborough, after twelve months'
Interment, was exhumed and reburled
in Bardaey Island, the reputed rest
ing place of 20,000 Balnts. West
minster Gazette.
Platform and Policy For AH.
Fellow Pilgrims! Now that the
Sun has started out on the fifth tow
path of its exlstenco our motto here
after will be: To tell the truth
though tlie heavens take a tumble.
To nave a newsy paper taken and
paid for by the people. We will be
orthodox In our religion with a firm
belief in purgatory for delinquent
subscribers and paradise for those
who pay up. Our pplicy will be to
love our friends aud brimstone for
ouj- enemies. We will advocate one
country, one flag, one wife at a time
and if you want us to live In pemp
and oriental splendor you had bet
ter come in now and subscribe. In
fact, now Is the propitious time.--"-nley
(N. D.) Sun.
Two Squabbles.
Senator Tillman was discussing u
recent quarrel among financiers.
"Those men threw a good deal
of mud at each other," he said, smil
ing, "and most of the mud stuck, it
was an intereatlug squabble. It re
minded me of an Incident In a South
ern jail.
"There were two prisoners In the
jail. One was In for stealing a cow.
The other waa In for stealing a watch.
"Exorcising in the courtyard one
morning, the first prisoner said taunt
ingly to the other;
" 'What time Is It?'
" 'Milking time,' was the retort."
Washington Star.
EPWORTH LEAGUE LESSONS
BUNDAY, MAY 19.
Stewards of Grace. 1 Pet. 4. 10,
la.
11.
Passages for reference: Rom.
6-8; 2 Cor. 6. 1-10. '
In this lesson there Is'a great deal
of light on the relation of our powers
to the work we hav to perform and
the spirit In which It is to be done.
The "glttti" we poaaeas are the be
Btowmonta of "grace." They are not
originated by us. nor nro they ours to
use with no reference to anyone else.
They are bestowed with n view to
service to others. The word
"stewards" Indicates the relation
which wo hnve to these things and
what wp are to do with thpm. It
makes no difference what the talents
are, they are Intrusted to us for use
In helping others on to a better life
In tho service of the Master. In Ro
mans we have a rehearsal of some of
the gifts bestowed, and the teaching
I hat underlies the passage Is that we
Hhould receive the gifts as God's be
stowment for us, nnd to use them nn
the talentn which God hns given with
which are hi serve. It encourages
n? to feel that our service is in the
line of God's will as much as that
which n more conspicuous talent may
render. In Corlnthlnns we see the
possibility of proving ourselves the
ministers of God by all sorts of un
favorable conditions nnd circumstan
ces. It gives us the hard conditions
nnd thett tells us hy what graee wo
are to prove our devotion to God In
thoso surroundings.
How often we find the plea made,
"I cannot do it. I have no ability."
They may not bp nble to do the par
ticular thing asked of them, but they
can do nothing la false. It Is n dis
honest answer, for anyone that hns
mind enough to answer a sensible
question has talent enough to do
something. There Is no sane mind
but has gifts. We as Epworth Leag
uers, or as men and women without
regard to membership In any society,
ought to be made to feel that we have
gifts. These gifts are from Ood.
What are we to do with them?
It will save us many hard
experiences if we first find out
what talents wo have, and
then sei-ve In the place those tal
ents would naturally put us. Too
many think that only the professions
are honorable, and that a trade Is not
so desirable. But God wants Chris
tian men in the ranks of trades as
well as In the professions. What an
opportunity there Is for Christian
worklngmen to moid the forces of so
ciety into a rlprtit spirit through the
union?! God has given to some men
the ability to make money, but. still
It Is a gjft from him, nnd should be
used to the advancement of the Re
deemer's kingdom. That ability Is
not to he used to amass great person
al fortunes, but to bring tho money
of tho world Into the service of our
King. So it is with all positions In
the social organization.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR MAY IP RY THE
REV. I. W, HENDERSON.
MAY NINETEETNTH.
Little Faults That Spoil Our Lives.
Song of Solomon 2: 15.
The fault of slothfulness. Prov.
12: 24-28-
Nagging, 2 Cor. 13: 1014.
Roasting. Jas. 4: 13-17.
Backbiting. Rom. 1 30-32.
Vanity. Prov. 30: 7-9.
Brawling. Prov. 21: 8-10.
The little foxes or Jackals bf Pales
tine were seldom more than fifteen
Inches high; but mischief la not pro
portionate to size.
The vineyard, throughout this poem
of the Song of Solomon, Is the love of
the two speakers for each other. Tru
ly love Is a vineyard, full of rich
clusters of fruit.
Foxes are fond of grapes Our
little faults attack what Is beat In our
characters.
In the passage from which tho
verse is taken the little foxes symbo
lize whatever hurts the vineyard of
love. Rightly they have been made
to mean the little faults Cit spoil
our lives.
Suggestions.
Every fault, however little, may
grow Into a Bin, however large.
'it's qnly a little fault!" It's only
a little flame back of the wainscoat
lng!" It's the little things that make a
vineyard little drops of water, little
rays of sunahine; and lt's,the little
things that Bpoll a vineyard.
Measure your own faults by your
dislike of the faults of others.
Illustrations.
We set. traps for some foxes, but
the little faults set traps for us.
Little faults are like Samson's fox
es; every one of them has a firebrand
fastened to its tall.
It is easy to kill the foxes before
they open their eyes; but let them
As little grains of sand are most
mischievous when they get In the
beatings of wheels, so little faults
are most hurtful whore lives rub up
grow up, and you have many a hunt,
against Uvea.
Dull lighter Still Popular in Mevico.
In spite of the agitation that has
been carried on by foreign and native
reformers, It seems to be n fact that
'.he old Spanish sporl of bull fighting
'.a still popular In the minds of the
masses in this country.
The popularity of the sport and
.he almost universal regard In which
.ho men who make a profession of
t are belt1 were graphically Ulustrat
d in connection with the recent
leath of one of the moat popular of
'.he Spanish tareres, Antonio Montes,
U the result of Injuries received in
:he ring. The unfortunate fighter
waa severely wounded and lingered
for a few days before succumbing
finally, and during thlB Interval there
waa hardly an hour of the day or
night when the street In front of the
hotel where he lodged and finally
passed away was not thronged wlili
sympathizing admirer who called to
read the bulletins Issued by the med
Ical men In attendance, or even con
tented themselveB with gazing sadly
lithe walls which held their favorite.
Men from all walks of life could
ho seen In the groups silently paying
n il. in e to tho popalarlty of i ho man.
The funeral waa a largely attend
solemn occasion, ami the entire
attitude of the general public was
an indication Qf the hold that the
spurt has upon the large number of
Its devotees. Modern Mexico.
Subject: Israel Enslaved in Egypt,
Ex. 1:1-14 Golden Text, Ps.
107:18 Memory Verses, 13, 14
Commentary.
This lesson takee us out of the
book of Genesis into tho second book
of the Bible, tho book of the Exodus.
The bonk of Exodus is the record of
the enslavement, the deliverance of a
people; it tells of the economic and
religious struggles of the early Jews.
The lesson for to-day plunges us
directly into the heart of the begin
ning of the trials and tribulations of
the Israelites after they fell, in Egypt,
Into the tolls of a Pharaoh who knew
not Joseph. Jacob and Joseph and
their Immediate descendants are
dead. With the passing of the years
the Hebrews have so multiplied that
the laud Is filled with them, and their
power and Influence is a cause of
dread to the Pharaoh of their day.
And so measures are taken to Check
their growth. The Pharaoh put upon
them the hardest labor that could be
devised, they were reduced to con
ditions of tho most abject slavery,
their boy babies were ordered to be
killed. Everything was done to check
their progress and to counteract and
destroy their power. But Btlll, as
under the promise of Ood to Abra
ham and Isaac and Jacob, they grew
in numbers even in the face of the
most discouraging economic condi
tions. The book of the Exodus Is not well
grasped until we understand In some
measure at least that It Is the record
of the Industrial hardships and deliv
erance of a people as well as the his
tory of tho beginnings of a national
religion.! consciousness and spirit that
was to blossom Into the most Influen
tial and pure religious system of tho
ancient world. Qod had to get Israel
out of economic and industrial bond
age before they could be greatly in
fluenced by the deeper forces of spir
itual truth. Their affliction in a ma
terial way was good because It
brought them face to face with the
need of a Balvatlon and a savior. It
caused them to turn to Ood. Op
pressed as they were the way was
dark about them. They were undone.
They were in danger of becoming
submerged altogether under the
pressure of the impure religious
thought with which they were sur
rounded. In the face of these adversities God
was yet with them. The promise
made to their fathers was continually
fulfilled In their experience. They
throve on adversity. That which was
Intended to bo their destruction was
for them socially, as the prison had
been for Joseph individually, their
discipline, their strengthening, their
energizing. The deeper down they
were plunged the nearer apparently
God drew to them. The more they
were hounded and driven and de
spoiled, the more they augmented.
Overwhelmed with a common evil
they had an ever increasing social
need. And with the social need there
came an Increasing social conscious
ness. Desiring in their common woe
a deliverer they looked forward to
one who should lead them as a social
unit out of the industrial, economic
and spiritual darkness into which
they had been Immersed.
The lesson of the industrial and
spiritual bondage of the children of
Jacob in the land of Egypt is one
that is essentially apropos. We are
face to face to-day with condi
tions that are as startling economic
ally and spiritually as those which
alarmed Israel in the time of which
our lesson treats. To be sure, In civ
ilized countries the system of chattel
slavery, which for many years was a
factor of civilized life, Is quite abol
ished. But multitudes of men and
women and children are to-day, by
virtue of the economic conditions in
cidental to the mighty age of ma
chinery aud individualism in which
we are living, as truly in a land of
bondage as ever the children of Israel
were. The masters are prosperous
even as the masters of Egypt were.
The oppression of the people also,
different in kind, perhaps different in
degree, Is Just as real as the Egyptian
bondage ever was. And this con
temporaneous industrial distress is
nowhere more felt than, on the one
hand, in the prevailing distrust of
ecclesiastical institutions upon the
part of the industrially oppressed,
and, on the other hand, in the pre
vailing call for and confidence that
God will Bend an Inspired deliverer
who shall regenerate with flaming
truth the social as well as the indi
vidual life of man.
As with Israel so with modern so
ciety. The very injustices of our
modern industrial conditions are
leading men to grasp the idea of uni
versal brotherhood, and to desire and
to strive to bring to pasB by the grace
of God such a regeneration of mod
ern life as Bhall transform not only
individual conditions of life and char
acter but also society.
And Ood is brooding over modern
society as really as He brooded over
Israel. The cry of the oppressed
reaches up to His ears. The sin that
is done in darkness for the spoliation
of His people In His own good time
will be brought to light. He will
send the deliverer to the modern
bondman. He will send the prophet
of His simple, unsullied, life impart
ing truth to the people of our own
time. The cry of lives that are "bit
ter with hard service" falls on a Di
vine ear that heeds. The social life
of to-day as surely as Ood lives will
go through the wilderness to Canaan.
We shall have to have our Sinai.
May the church be the pillar of cloud
and of fire.
While cancer mortality is Increas
ing :,i ill In England and Wales, it la
at a diminishing rate. In the five
years ending with 1905, the death
rate for both sexes showed an in
crease of eight per cent., which was
about half as great as the Increase
for the five years ending with 1890.
The deaths In 1904 were 741 per
1,000,000 among males of all ages,
and 1006 among females. In nearly
all comparable cases the rate is
greater among females. A remark
able oxceptlon Is cancer of the mouth,
for in the four years ending with
1904 this caused the death of 7246
in, ilen and only 1667 females.
Whether this la un effect of nlcotlno
poisoning remains to be showu.
THE DEAR GIRLS.
Clara i wish I could believe
what ho says, but "
Maud "What does he say?"
Clara "Why, he says he loves me
and he has knuwnme only two days."
Maud "Well, perhaps that's the
rea on." Philadelphia Inquirer.