I The Puiict I
A SERMON '
Subjert: "The Opportunities nml
Abilities of the- Church."
Brooklyn, N. Y. Prenrhlng nt the
Irving Square 1'iesliy terlan Church,
Welrfield street and Hamburg ave
nue, mi the above theme, the Rev.
Jra Wemmell Henderson, pastor,
took as his texts Jno. 4:35 nnd Mat.
11:10. He said:
It was Theodore Roosevelt who
said. "The one thing supremely
worth having Is the opportunity
eoopled with the capacity to do a
thing worthily and well, the doing
of which In Its vital importance
touches the welfare of all human
kind "
Opportunity and ability thai Is
.to say, the chance' and the capacity
to do All true success is a combina
tion of these two elements In human
life. Failure is a lack of either or of
both. Without opportunity the man
of rapacity, of ability, of real worth
la handicapped in the race of life.
To be without the chance to do Is to
be doomed to failure, whatever may
be our capacities or abilities for ac
complishment. Contrariwise lack of
ability shears opportunity of value.
The mute, inglorious Milton of whom
the hard so sweetly sang, was, and
Is to-day a man of power, of ca
pacity, of ability, lacking in oppor
tunity. Not otherwise many a man
has had opportunity standing at the
door of his Ills beckoning to success
who has shorn that opportunity of
Its value because he has had no abil
ity, because he has been unable to
accept the chancp that was presented
to his view. If there Is a sadder
thing than a man of genius lacking
.In opportunity, it is chance awaiting
the acceptance of incompetency.
Ability needs opportunity in order to
t!- exercise and the presentation of
l owers of the human soul. Like
vise opportunity Is valueless with
. it corresponding and sufficient abil
ity. As with the world so with the
church of the living God. The church
has ability beyond any force that
works for righteousness and for God
In the world to-day. But If the
church has no opportunity for the
exercise of her divinely granted ca- I
pabilities for the uplift and the re- 1
generation of the world her capacities
are valueless. On the other hand,
whatever the opportunities of the
church may be, save as she has the
ability to do the work that God has
given her to accomplish her oppor
tunities are voided.
The opportunities and abilities ol
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us look for a moment at her op
portunities There are to be found
to-day conditions that are at the first
glance diametrically opposed that af- i
ford an opportunity for the church
of the living God. The opportunity
of the church Is to be found in the
lack of principle so largely presented
in the lives of the leaders In our
social life, as has been revealed In
.the recent and horrifying disclosures
In our political and financial and In
dustrial affairs. Another opportunity
of the church Is to be fo ind in the
imperfect acknowledgment upon the
part of men in all walks of life of
their accountability to God and to the
divine control. A further opportunity
of the church is to be realized in the
present dUtrust in the finality of ma
terialism as a method of life and pro
gress which U 'increasingly common
In all grades of society and among all
clauses and conditions of men. We
are growing to know that money In
itself Is of little value. We are ma
turing into a coriprehonslon of the
truth that Wealth without character
is a condemnation of Its possessor.
We are learning to grasp the fact
that the things that are temporary
are really transient; that the spirit
ual realm in the universe of God af
fords the greatest satisfaction to the
soul, Is most of account, lays hold
upon eternity. Opportunity for the
Christian church is to be found In
...... .'......... ui ill? VltlUL' UI
the eternities that Is becoming In
creasingly the vogue. Men, multitudes
Of men, find that the life that dis
counts the relations of the human
soul to its divine Creator Is dissat
isfying They are critical of their
own spiritual fitness, and of the
church's. They are questioning the
credibility and reliability of the
church's spiritual concepts and dec
larations. The church has a glorious
opportunity In the return toward God
that Is characteristic of the lives of
a host of God's children throughout
this land From sea to sea. from
lakes to southern gulfs, materialism
is palling on thoughtful wanderers
from God. the truth Is appealing and
with such force as seldom lii the
history of the world It has ap
pealed. To be sure this appeal is
along new lines. It is suited to the
needs and the demands of this day
and of this generation. It is not
yesterday's appeal, it Is to-day's. But
It is real. It is vital. It is compell
ing. It Is heard It will bear fruit.
It will be the leaven In the meal
that will perfect society and make It
palatable to thoughtful men. It is
the truth of God. It is God's voice
In the language of the land and of
the day. It is the message of the
Almighty to the people. It cannot
be denied. It will not be denied.
There is a moving In tne tree tops.
The foot-falls of Jehovah are to be
heard on earth. The signs of the
times, he who runs may read. Any
man with an open ear and open eye
and an open mind may hear, and see.
and satisfy his soul In the contempla
tion of such revelutlonB as are as
transcendent as they are Immediate.
Having considered In some fash-
Ion the opportunities of the church
let us consider now some of the abll
Men may scoff at the church, they f
may laugh behind her back, but a i
militant and moving church, filled i
with the fervor and fire of the apos- ;
ties, panoplied with the power of J- i
hovnh. Is a sight to strike terror to I
the heart of every evil man and
bUd. Yea, and It doeR strike ter-
ror. The church may move slowly,
as too often she does. But the I
chuh In motion Is Irresistible.
The church has the tneu. . Never
was her ministry more able, more '
In'elllgent, better educated, more cul
tuicd. Her spiritual possibilities
through them are unsurpassed. When
they gain the spirit of self-sacrifice of 1
the Redeemer they will be Invincible. 1
In all the world there Is no body of
men better fitted to do th labor of .
blazing the trail for the world as we
ascend toward God than the minis- i
ters of the church of Jesus Christ.
There is no more competent leader- I
ship. There is no body anywhere j
that can so safely guide. The
church has the men In the pew as
well. The day has passed when the
pew was piously uneducated and re- !
llgiously untutored. To-day the bul- j
wark of the church Is to be found In j
her enlightened laity. The minister
no longer is the only superbly edu
cated man In the community. The
layman la as cultured as the priest.
And It Is well. The efficiency of the
ministry ought to be enhanced there
by. And It Is. No minister may
reckon the stupendous reform that
has been wrought In the world, for
the good of the ministry as for the
whole church of Jesus Christ,
through the education of the pew. j
Such a pulpit and such a pew constl-
tute a living fnctor that Is constantly j
an effective asset to the work of the '
church of God.
And the church has the message, j
And it is not a new one. We may
restate It. We may redefine its es-
sentlals. We may clothe It In the j
vernacular of our land and age We I
may readjust It to the changing life I
to which it speaks. But it is the
same old message. The message ol
salvation from the dominion and the j
grip of sin through the grace of God j
as It is revealed to a world in thrall
through Jesus Christ our Lord. The 'I
world needs It. The world wants It. I
The church has It. It Is her mighty
asset. The church not only has the
message. She Is the message. She ,
not only has the truth: in a sense '
she Is the truth. If she Is not she
ought to be. There is no need for
new truth. There Is no call
for a new gospel. The necessity Is
that we shall apply the old. old
story of God's redeeming love and
of man's responsibility to God to the
world to-day. We must lead man to
Bee and to know that God is as truly
the captain of our souls as He has
been of our fathers' in the ages past,
and that peace, quietude, content-
ment. that are perdurable, ran be se
cured only through complete obedl- i
ence to His holy will.
These opportunities and these abil
ities are dependent upon the spirit of 1
fidelity to the Spirit of God that pos-
scsses us. Dominated and controlled :
by the spirit of the living God--the i
church, translating desire into en- I
ergy, may lead humanity to the
promised land of the new dispensa
tion and follow our Saviour into tha
confines of the spiritual kingdom of
God. Without the spirit opportunity
and ability are helpless.
The church must accept these op
portunities since she has received i
these capacities. The world Is her
Soldi And the world is needy. The I
hearts of humanity are warming to-
ward God. It Is her prerogative, her
duty to reveal Him, to direct human- ;
lty to Him. She cannot be neglect- j
ful. She will not be. Trusting in
the power of omniscience and rely
lag upon the energy of divine love j
the empowered church will accept j
her God-given opportunities and ,
measure up to them. For the church
must be faithful to God or die. The
church was not born to die. The
church is immortal.
El
13:
11
Dally Life Glorified.
Last Sunday morning In unnum
bered churches throughout the land !
stood a simple table and upon It
bread and wine. Men were partak-
Ing of the Lord's Suppt - Christ had
touched commonplace things and 1
made them holy. Most memorials
are evidence of striving after the un
common as the worthy the tomb 1
upon the mountain-top, the obelisk,
the pyramid, the vast building or the I
great institution. Not least of the
lesser lessons taught by that simple
moot Is the worth of common things.
There Is no meal but may be made an ',
hour of thanksgiving, no honest loll j
that cannot become worship, no
smallest deed to which highest mo
Lives may not add glory. The Lord's
Supper gains Its glory from Its refer- ,
ence to Christ; why not "do all to
the glory of God?" Pacific Baptist.
The Quietness of Power.
Or of the Impressive things about
the eatest engines is the silence I
with which they do their work. The
stare rushing through space with a ;
force we cannot even imagine, do so
In silence.
The same thing may he observed
In regard to the work which la dono
in the world. The most powerful Is
always very quiet. The great spirit
ual ministry of the Christian Church
Is carried forward with very little j
noise. Noise Is not the same as work;
frenzy Is not power. Friendly j
(iruetlngs.
Tlie Heart is Known.
Lord of mercy, most loving, at
whose coming men live, at whose
goodness gods and men rejoice! Sov
ereign of life, health, and strength!
The heart of man is no secret to Him
that made it. He Is present with
thee, though thou be alone. From
Egyptian Records.
Installment Sociability.
The City of Elmlrn, where one
of Mark Twain's homes is situated,
can buudIv first hand some examples
itles of that organization, Instituted 0f that noted humorist's particular
n'",K 'lt0 WhT haD,V brttt" ' U An Elmlra lady tells
has been given the tremendous, dl- ... - . '
mo jonowing snon story wnicn was
related to her by a member of the
Twain family:
Mark Twain sauntered In one day
vine task to transform individual
lives and to transmute sinful, errlDg
human society Into the Image of the
ncaveuiy democracy of God.
The abilities of the church are 1 from having performed the duty of
commensurate wllh her opportuni
lies, uuimauel Is with her, as j
truly as He was with Israel. God Is
In her midst. His preseuce inspires ;
ner. His glory niumlns her. Cod
Is whli her. He constitute) that ev
erlasting majoilty against which sin
cannot prevail.
The abilities of the church are to 1
be found also in her means, In her
in. n and In her message.
The ability of the church Is to be
found In her means. The church i
has more means than ever before in
all her wondrous history. She la the
richest institution in the world. The
organisation of the church Is tre
nKMidous. We are almost over-or-gaulisd.
The church baa an Influ
ence that is as far-reaching as her
spiritual dominion and as effective,
when applied, as It Is widespread.
a formal call, and was discovered by
his wife to be Innocent of either col
lar or tie.
"Do you mean to tell me that you
went calling In that condition?"
"Oh, I can make it all right, my
dear," he remonstrated, and forth
with sent round hlf neckwear by a
servant, with directions that it might
stay few zu get:-. St hoii: P.?n.
lie.
HARD ON THE BOY
"Darlini;," ho said, "what would
you do If 1 should die? Tell me."
"Please don't suggest such
thing," said his wife. "I can't bnur
the thought of a stepfather for our
little boy." Brooklyn Life.
SEPTEM3ER FIRST.
"I can" and "I can't." Isa. 35: 3, 4;
30: 15-18; Heb. 3: 14. (Conse
cration meeting.)
Caleb's "We can." Num. 13: 21-
30.
The spies "We can't " Num.
3 1-33.
Saul's army. 1 Sam. 17: 1 11.
David and Goliath. I Sam.
2S-32.
Paul's "I can." 2 Cor. 12: 710.
Jesus' promise. John 14: 10-14.
It Is not all metaphor, tills word
about the hards aud knees. A stout
boirr Is a great help toward a siout
heart (Isa. IS: .".).
In any bultle a quiet confidence Is
far more than arms or armies (Isa.
Wj 1R).
Confidence Is like the clew to the
labyrinth in the old Greek fable; It
must be held firmly to the end. or it
is useless.
Suggestions.
There Is no virtue In ''I can" when
yot cannot; but you usually can.
The Christian Is n man who says
"I can" not when he can. he does
net think about that, but when God
ca i. through him.
When you think of "confience'
think of "confiding." Confiding in
God makes confidence In man.
A Christian has nobly been defin
ed ns a man who attempts Impossi
bilities. Illustrations.
Confidence can give great power to
n very insignificant mnn. as the pow
der gives power to the little bullet.
Confidence, like the signature to a
bank check, gives value to what had
no value before.
The faster an object moves, the
str.itgliter it moves. So confidence,
keeps us true to our purpose.
Shall a ship have confidence in Its
timbers? Not unless the pilot is at
the helm!
Questions.
Is my confidence In God or In ray
self?
Is my confidence proof against fall
tire?
When Ood says "You can," do 1
dare say "I can't?"
EPWDRTH LEAGUE LESSONS
, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.
The Divine Call John 15: 16. Ep
worth League Rally Day.
Passages for reference: Matt. 4:
1K-22; Luke 5: 11. 27. 28; 9: 57-02;
18: 1S-23; Acts 26: 13-20; 2 Tim. 1:
9; 4: 6-8.
It is a high privilege to do God's
errands, to be co-workers with him
The assignment of tasks comes only
after we have been made fit by repent
ance and faith: then we are "chosen."
While God makes certain demands of
his messengers he Is not arbitrary
by choosing only those his whim do
slgnates. "Many (alii be called, but
few chosen." simrdv because they will
not qualify by giving up sin and fol
lowing Christ In service. He chooses
by deciding who Is fit. ''As many as
received him. to them he gave the
power to become the sons of God"
(John 1: 12). The choice Is directed
by a purpose that you may produce
fruit as the. vine does grapes from
its inner life. We are "ordained,"
that Is. enough as been put Into our
hands to Insure fruit-bearing. "Oo"
suggests a going out "Into the byways
and hedges." Into fruitful fields and
not remaining In our cozy, comfort
able nests. It might also mean n
specific and purposeful "going." Per
sonally raised, gathered, nnd garner
ed fruit will be surer to endure.
Jesus had little abiding results
from the crowd. Conferences like
that with the "woman at the well"
brought disciples that "remained"
true. With purpose to be fruitful en
livening us. we can "ask" not for
needs (another Greek word Is used
for this), but for "new capital e'.ock"
to enlarge the soul-helping business.
It will be supplied so that we may
more largely show the power of the
Father. Jesus calls us to be fishers
of men, not of mere hopes. He asks
us to estimate his service above any
other vocation. Prompt, wholeheart
ed, persistent obedience marks a
genuine disciple. Money Is only valu
able as It enables us to help others,
Listening, attention and prompt ob
servance of directions will make any
one a blessing. He has saved us for
a purpose, and wo ought to fill It
full.
The fruitless fig trQe was shriveled.
The grapeless vine branches were cut
off and burned. The unprofitable ser
vant was cast Into outer darkness.
Illume could be fairly placed or else
the punishment was too severe. Ood
has made full provision for us to be
fruitful Christians. He requires fruit
only after making full provision to
Insure It.
Puliiting by the Acre.
1'uder ordinary circumstances the
ihlps of the largest and most care
fully managed lines are painted at
the end of every voyage. Every -lme
a Cunarder, for Instance, arrives in
port she is repainted. This is no
light task, for every Inch of the ves
sel's outside area above the watet
line sides, deck works and funnels
from stem to stern is carefully
gone over by an army of painters.
The area thus covered Is about two
aad a half acres.
Curiously enough, the funnels are
regarded as the most Important Item
of the whole undertaking, as these
groat pipes are susceptible to Injury
and must be carefully handled. On
no account Is any hammering ot
pounding allowed, and the man work
from stagings suspended from a rail
on the top of the mouth of the huge
funnel. The old paint and dirt are
carefully scraped and scaled off be
fore the actual painting begins.
There are now 120 large passen
ger ships constantly crosslug the At
lantic. Assuming that the average
area of each ship Is two and a quar
ter acres, and that each vessel if
painted, say, tt,n times in one season,
we have an area to be covered with
paint of 2700 acres every year. Sucb
a job, requiring the services of nearly
a hundred men working steadily,
would cost about 150,000. Although
this seems an Immense sum to spend
upon paint alone, it is essential to
keep the vessels in spick-and-span
condition Tit-Bits.
CHILDREN TWO
THOUSAND
YEARS AGO
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Crowding the Pigs.
Crowding too many pigs together
has mrch the same effect as crowding
the c.!ckens In too small a space.
Professor Haywood, of the Pennsyl
vania station, Bays that half if not
more of the outbreaks of disease are
due to the overcrowding of young
shoats. The younger and weaker
ones become so unrealstant that
finally they succumb to the germs of
cholera or swine plague, which are
always present even In healthy pigs.
Sheep Profits.
Under the caption, "Another Good
Sheep Item," the Paris. Mo.. Appeal
says: "Wat Woodson and Ed. Ellis,
of Stout.ville turned a tidy profit on
the sheep they bought last winter.
They purchased two mixed cars of
sheep In February, consisting of ewes
and yearlings, there being 403 head,
costing $1397. They sold sheep and
wool to the amount of 91391 and
have 240 ewes and over 100 lambs
yet on hand, and this is their first
experience in handling stock since
they were boys. "
A Holl Weevil Dispute.
A lively dispute has cropped out
among the entomologists who are ex
perimenting for the best method of
fighting the boll weevil In the cotton
raising districts. A formidable array
of authorities state that while Paris
green will kill some of the weevilB It
will not produce enough Increase In
the crop to pay for the poison, while
just as formidable authority declares
that if Paris green will kill any wee
vils at all It should be used by the
planters. One pair of weevils. It Is
stated, multiplies to 134,000,000
weevils In a year. Weekly Witness.
Dairy Facts.
E. K. Slater, Dairy and Food Com
missioner of Minnesota, lays down
three propositions drawn from his ob
servation of the dairy farmers of that
State.
Cold fact No. 1. The dairy farm
ers of this county who do not take
and read dairy and farm literature
are the most unsuccessful In the busi
ness. Cold fact No. 2. The dairy farmer
who does not make a study of his
business and the performance of his
Individual cows has always failed.
Cold fact No. 3. The reverse of
these Is true. The dairy farmer who
reads dairy and farm literature and
takes an Interest in his business will
succeed every time.
A Good f'alf-Itfiiring Mixture.
The following is one of the most
successful of home-made calf rear
ing mixtures when used along with
a little linseed cake: Two parts,
by weight, of oatmeal; two parts ol
cornmeal; er.e part of pure ground
flaxseed.
These meals should be finely
ground. It is prepared for use by
boiling with water, or by scalding
with boiling water, and allowing It
to staud for twelve hours. The calf
rearer la recommended to begin whh
a quarter of a pound per head dally
for calves a month old, new milk be
ing fed the first month. The allow
ance may then be increased to half
a pound and more a day, as the calves
become older; and the meal may be
supplemented profitably by half a
pound to one pound of pure Unseed
cake per head daily.- W. R. Gilbert,
In the American Cultivator.
Skinning Hogs.
In Yates County, New York, says
Goodall's Farmer, the farmers have
found it more profitable to skin their
hogs than to scrape them. This
change In method was brought about
by an enterprising butcher who found
a market for hog skin. He began
to skin hogs for farmers, taking the
skins for pay, as they are worth from
fifty cents to one dollar apiece. It
is a paying business, and from the
standpoint of the owner of the hog
it Is a good thing, too. Ho is not re
quired to make any extensive prep
arations at hutching time as before.
Mi scalding platform to build, no wa
ter to heat, no extra help to employ.
Now the butcher drives into the yard,
kills, skins aud cleans the bogs and
hangs them up ready for market.
The loss In weight Is slight, from
five to fifteen pounds, according to
the size of the hog, and the butcher
will pay one-half cent per pound
more for pork skinned to cut up on
the block, uud for home use It is
much better.
Tin- Farmer's Private Weed Pntclr.
A great many farmers while wag
ing ceaseless warfare, no quarter
given, with weeds In the field, man
age to maintain a private weed patch
well stocked with all tho weeds that
the country will grow. It is sure fO
contain dog fennel, a comparatively
harmless weed, the loud smelling
jimson, cockleburs, and a dozen, other
varieties that are less harmless.
Usually the farmer selects his feed
yard or his garden or bis orchard for
his private weed patch, to keep in
stock plenty of weeds that will give
him trouble for years to come.
We suggest that it is time to drop
this private weed patch business and
wage the same kind of warfare
ngalnst weeds in the orchard and the
bog lot and arouud buildings as he
does in the fields. If he would sim
ply mow these down before they
seed a job for some day when bo
can do nothing else h. will add very
much to the looks of the farm and
save himself very much trouble and
loss in i he years to come.
A little timely effort even when
work Is pressing will put stop to
this weed nursery business. On many
farms there aro now growing enough
weed seeds, especially around hay
stacks, to stock a ton-acro field. Mow
them off. Plow the ground. It the
ard Is infested with these weeds,
mow I hem down and thus mulch tha
trees against dry weather. You can
not afford to grow these weeds.
Wallace's Farmer.
How to Kill the Slugs.
Professor Gillett. of the Colorado
College, claims that the so-called
slugs that skeletonize the leaves of
many different plants during the sum
mer are all comparltlvcly easy to de
stroy. As the slugs devour the sur
face tissue of the leaves In each case,
they may be killed by a thorough ap
plication of any of the arsenical poi
sons, such as Paris green, London
purple or arsenate of lead. Upon
low plants It Is as well to mix the
dry poisons In twenty times their own
weight of common flour and then
dust them upon the plants through a
cheesecloth sack held In the hand.
In case of the fruits, especially cher
ries, where It is not safe to use tee
above poisons, white hellebore pow
der may be used Instead. If applied
as a spray, put three ounces of the
powder In one gallon of water; as a
dust it may be used without dilution
In a cheescloth sack and a light appli
cation made. The best time to apply
the hellebore is towards evening.
The slugs can be removed from
cherry, pear and plum trees by thor
oughly sifting fine road dust or fresh
ly slaked lime over the foliage in the
middle of a warm day, when the
slugs arc upon the upper side of the
leaves. Begin in time, be thorough,
aud do not let the slugs destroy yc
trees or roses.
The Darns nnd Pens.
There is every reason why we
should keep our stables, yards and
pens nice and clean so they will be
In sanitary conditions, more espe
cially when the weather is warm, for
In warm weather there are more bad
effects from filthy stables and yards
than when the weather Is cold. But
I do not advocate the plan of letting
the stables and pens go uncleaned
for a week or more at a time as some
farmers do, thou haul direct to the
field, but prefer to clean themall each
day, both for the comfort and health
of the stock, as well as the satisfac
tion and pleasure of having the sta
bles look respectable. We should
also use plenty of bedding for It sure
ly pays to keep our stables well
bedded, both for the welfare of our
farms, by making more and better
manure, for with plenty of bedding
It will absord the liquid and will get
to the field which otherwise would
be wasted
If we run short there Is nothing
that will pay better than to buy it.
There is always some neighbor far
mer that has more straw than stock,
and will sell at reasonable price to
get it out of the way. By all means
keep the stock well bedded.
The sleeping pens of our hogs
should be kept clean, and the old lit
ter should be removed and hauled to
the field and fresh bedding put in.
Never allow them to sleep in a wet,
filthy bed for that is a great loss as
they would get In an unhealthy con
dition, mangy aud lousy. Wheat
straw is the best bedding for hogs,
as oat straw seems to be poison, es
pecially to pigs.
It Is also very beneficial for the
health of horseB, cattle and hogs to
give stalls and pens a coat of white
wash, also the hen bouse when need
ed, and last but not least, keep the
barn yard cleaned up. G. B., in the
Indiana Farmer.
Onions Peeled by Lightning.
The greatest freak of the lightning
in the storm of Sunday, July 7, in
Hancock County, is reported from
West Brooksvllle, where onions which
were in a bag were neatly peeled.
Such accommodating lightning as
this would be more welcome than the
usual variety. "The Incident sug
gests," says the Ellsworth American,
"the possibilities of that future day
when man has succeeded in taming
lightning to his own uses. Then we
may expect to find each well-appointed
home equipped with its own light
ning apparatus, which would not only
furnish light and heat, but would
peel the onions and potatoes, sweep
the floors, make the beds, wash the
dishes, hunt buffalo bugs, kill the
flies; in fact, do all the drudgery of
housework, including the semi-annual
housecleanlng. And the servant
girl problem would at last bo solved."
Kennebec Journal.
What is u "Concerto?"
A concerto is a symphony wherein
one instrument is given persistent
prominence; in other wards, an ex
tended Instrumental solo with orches
tral accompaniment, often taking
three-quarters of an hour to perform.
It is the delflcatlou ot a single In
strument the highest achievement
its player can attain. A concerto is
to the pianist, violinist, or 'cellist
what grand opera is to tho singer. It
is' a tone-drama in three acts ener
getic, tender, then climatic. There
uru brief intermissions between these
three "movements," aud during these
pauses the player receives applause
like a "star" bowing and smiling
until again the baton raises, the or
chestra starts In. and the perform
ance goes on. Muy Circle.
Even Conductors Forget.
"It's no wonder we get absent
minded sometimes," murmured a
street car conductor. "This job Is so
monotonous, and a fellow gets to
calling out the street names just like
a machine."
He had just called out "Sixty
fifth!'' although in reality the car
was out beyond 100th street. He ex
plained that e had his eye on the
cash-fare register, which satd "66"
when he called out the street. New
York Press.
From the Spectator.
These Greek and Roman nursery
toys In the British Museum collec
tion belong only to the nursery, and
that is to an age which can never be
later than yesterday. There is, for
instance, only one date to which ran
be assigned the leaden chariot with
Its two prnnclng horses, possibly an
Inch and a half high, and the leaden
horseman cut out of a thin sheet of
metal like a biscuit stamped from
pastry. Both of them belong to the
same period as the Little Tin Sol
dier who went sailing down the gut
ter In the paper boat of the German
fairy tale, and the Grenadier whom
Stevenson's child buried and ex
humed, lamenting nevertheless that
after "all that's gone and come, I
shall find my soldier dumb." Nor
are they wo" - mude; nor is the tiny
chair more clumsy which, belonging
also to the lead age, would have
brought sudden happiness to the
owner of a Roman doll s house. Tho
date, Indeed, now and then only an
antiquarian, and an antiquarian who
knew something about soldiers and
furniture, could easily determine.
Here, for Instance, is a sofa made of
a brown glazed ware. It Is stroiyr
and solid, measures some three or
four inches In length, has a back and
arms of an Imitation rolled pattern,
would seat two or three dolls, and
Is of an extremely satisfactory na
ture. It might have been made last
week at the Doulton ware factory,
if you can get sofas In Doulton ware.
Here again Is a model of a woman
kneading a cake or a roll. She has
no legs, for legs would destroy the
balance of the model and prevent it
being easily set upon the floor or
the table. But she is cleverly pinned
by the top of her skirts to her pastry
board, her arms are jointed, nnd she
would move her rolling pin (unfor
tunately lost) up and down the board
ia Ingeniously and industriously as
any sawing bear carved at Brlenz In
the darkness of last winter. The
Swiss and the Roman wood carver
know their business, and combine
simplicity, regularity of movement
and imitation of the doings of
"grown-ups" all the essentials of a
proper mechanical toy.
In this market, whatever the sup
ply may be, the demand does not
vary. The first necessity, or nearly
the first. Is a toy capable of provid
ing a satisfying noise. Such a de
sire Is met In the collection exhibited
by two or three different specimens
of a mixture between an owl and an
amphora, which would probably do
nicely for a girl; another, heavier and
more masculine, modeled Into a hol
low pig. At a little later period
comes a demand for mugs to hold
milk and water, and those, of course,
are painted with figures of children,
generally crawling for an apple or
an orange on the floor, and in one
case, perhaps designed for twins, with
a picture of a boy and a girl teach
ing a neat looking dog to jump
through a hoop. In a year or so comes
the parting of the ways, when the
nursery demand Is divided. It was
supplied 2000 years ago as it Is sup
plied now, by models of animals and
by dolls. In the one division you get
donkeys' carrying pnnnWrs of loaves,
negroes riding mules, 'a leaden Po
meranian dog apparently once paint
ed white, a fox terrier collared "all
proper," with a fine long uncut tall
and nn inquisitive nose, a monkey
eating a bun. and a handsome sol
dier with a round red shield riding a
charger with a really good hogged
mane. For the dogs there would
naturally be required a whistle
which modern civilization has for
gotten how to model out of mud as
it used to be modeled, and for' an
even later period there was to be re
served the noble joy o'f fishing with
real hooks. There Is not much more
than a little rust to differentiate the
best of the Roman fish hooks from
the modern product of Limerick
So much for the masculine demand
and supply, unaltered throughout
time. But the feminine the dolls
Have they altered? Prehaps. for
some children, a little. Most of the
dolls shown at Bloomsbury must hav
been expensive, In which they do not
different from many dolls ot to-day
Ike modern dolls, too, they had beau'
tlfully jointed legs and arms. But
the particular specimens exhbilted
have been little used (each onca be
longed. It Is an unhappy thing to re
member, to its proper urn), and they
would not, to a modern eye. hold out
strong attractions to a child. Some
of them are carved already dressed
and some possibly were meaut ta be
dressed or wrapped up by their own
ers. But they are all of them mod"!
of grownup girls and women, and it
is not easy to see why a child should
have been supposed to want to nurse
them. It is difficult to be certain
about these dolls except one That
is a rag doll, faded and, yellow. The
others are elegant things to hold ot
to be brought out to show to visitors
on grand occasions. But this one was
some little child's baby.
The Cautious Fielding.
In the eighteenth century servants
were tipped every time one. dined at
a friend's house. Apropos of this
habit, a story Is related of Fielding
who often rated David Garrlck, the
actor, about his penurious haoits.
On one occasion Fielding, after dining
with Garrlck. gave a penny wrapped
in paper to the man-servant as his do
baton. When Garrlck next saw
He ding he remonstrated with him
on his behavior In playing off a )okc
on his servant, "indeed, no," an
swered -Fielding, -i meant to do the
fellow a real service, for had I given
aim half a crown or a shilling you
would have takeu it from him- by
giving him a penny he had a chance
of keeping it for bis own! " The
Bellman. ln"
I XTK It NATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOB SEPT. 1 BY THE
REV. I. W. HENDERSON.
the
the
Auto Reversible.
Ageut "This Is the motor car you
wnt. You never have to craw! uu
dor it to put it right."
Customer "You don't "
"No. if the slightest thing goc
wrong with the mechanism the car
instantly turns ..side down." Tit
Bits. ,
Subject: The Two Reports of the
Spies. Numbers 13:17-90,
--Oolflen Text, Numbers, 11:0
Memory Verses, 30, 31.
Israel's attempt to enter tho prom
ised land directly from the south was,
as we shall learn from a perusal of
the lesson, a failure. They grew
fainthearted and doubted the power
of Ood to enable them to enter Into
tho land as long as It was Inhabited
with the population that possessed
It. This lack of trust was fatal. It
condemned them to wanderings for
forty long and weary years. It meant
that many should die without experi
encing the Joy of entering the prom
ised land. It meant Plsgah, and no
more, for Moses.
Ood's willingness to allow Israel
to prove the possibility of a fulfill
ment of His promise Is the first no
ticeable truth that tho lesson affords
for study. Israel, ln spite ot ail the
evidences of God's providence, care
and capucity to provide for them, con
stantly doubted Ood. They contin
ually wero Impatient. When Ood
promised to bring them Into a land
flowing with milk and with hone
they were glad, but they wero soon
distrustful. And so Ood permitted
them to send their spies ln advance
that they might, weak and roollsh as
they were, learn from experience
that there was a good land ahead and
ono that was all that He had prom
ised It to be. If Israel had been as
loyal to Jehovah as Ho was to Israel
they would never havo desired any
other than God's promise for the
satisfaction of their souls. But they
were r.ot thoroughly loyal. If they
had had the sort, of love for Ood that
Ood had for them they would never
havo sent spies Into the land that
lay towards the south country. But
they lacked that sort of love for their
Lord. When they got the chance to
send spies they sent them forthwith.
The spies went up, looked over the
land, gathered grapes and pomgran
atos and figs, studied the Inhabitants
and the military resources of the
country, and returned to camp. Oral
ly they reported according to the kind
of men they were. Caleb, a man of
Ood and of purpose and of courage
reported that the project could be
brought to a glorious conclusion.
Joshua, who also bellev-pd in God, a
man of faith and of valor, substan
tiated Caleb's story. The other ten
wero like ten out of every twelve
men. They looked the difficulties in
the face, blanched and lied. They
wore cowards.
Let us consider the land that they
found first. It was Just what God
had declared It to be. It was Indeed
a land of promise, a land flowing with
milk and honey, a land of prosperity.
There had been no deceit. The prac
ticability of taking It depended en
tirely upon their confidence In their
cause and their God. With the host
and tho help that they had tho risk
was negligible, though the task was
large. And possessing it thev would
possess ull that the heart of any man
or nation could desire. But It was
full of big men and warriors. Caleb
nnd Joshua saw the pleasant prosnect
and tho power of Ood. The other ten
men saw tho Amellklt.es and
Jebusltes and the Hlttltes and
Amorltes and the eisnta if nr..
ten to two report against the relia
bility of God.
The ten men saw the difficulties.
And men without vision, men without
faith, men devoid of tho sense of tha
omnipotence of the spiritual always
see the difficulties and exaggerate
them. The giants undoubtedly were
men of some size. But they In
creased their stature by taking
thought a hundredfold. A man with
out nerve is a man who Is easily
frightened. A man without courage
is easily scared. A man without
faith In God takes no delight In
achieving the impossible. The ten
were men after that pattern. They
mistrusted God and had small confi
dence In their own powers. There
fore the giants became more Insuper
able barriers than the hills filled with
the Amorltes, and the Amorltes more
insuperable than the giants. Scared
to death, they saw defeat and disas
ter and possible extinction which
ever way they looked. They are sam
ples of men without vision, without
faith In God.
Caleb and Joshua, however, were
men of Insight and of fidelity to Je
hovah. To them the rapes were
evldencs of a power that was greater
than all the ho3ts tha. wero against
them. The God who mide the grapes
was able to lead Israel to Eschol." A
glance at the land simply reinforced
their faith ln the exactness of the di
vine description.
The lessons are obvious as they
apply to-day. Wo are, In Christ, on
the road from a land of bondage to a
land of Jehovah's promise: tho king
dom of Ood as revealed in and
through our Lord aad Saviour Jostis
Christ. Figuratively speaking we
may say that the road to tho king
dom Is beset with host3 and giauts
nnd enemies of tha rao3t rapacious
class. The foretastes that we have
bad of tho glories of the kingdom
Justify the hope of a laud that ft
fairer than any eye hath yet soon.
But ten out of twelve of us magnify
the difficulties while we forget thi
beauties. Two out of twelve of us,
on the average, are men of faith,
men of vision, men of courage. Ten
out of twelve of us are afraid ot the
enemy. All of us should be like Ca
leb. All of U3 should be like Joshua.
All of ub should say: "If Jehovah de
lights in us then He will bring us
Into this land." We should all move
rn toward the promised laud.
CANARY BIRD8 IN CHURCH.
Children's Day was celebrated S in
day by the largest Methodist Epis
copal Sunday-school in Pennsylvania,
that of Siloum Church, Eaal Susque
hanna avenue. The school has 2 1!'j
pupils, and all but a few of them at
tended the special services. The girls
were all dressed in white, and ta
solid rows of them, together with tho
(lower decorations, mad'i a prettv
spectacle for the church members 1
the visitors who crowded tho gallery.
A doxen cagea, each containing a
citnary bird, were susp3oded from
different parts cf ine high ceiling, and
the little feathoid songsters joined
In tho slnglhg with tho children. Tiio
ldoa of having songbirds in a cht rch
service is new, and every one present
agreed that the Innovation was n
61ever one, Philadelphia Noicu
American.
"The highest elevator ionioq In til?
world Is that at Buri;enstock, a
mountain nea: the Lako of Uik
where tourU.s are raised 30) to. to
tho top ot a vertical rock.