. '
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON EY
THE REV. WILLIAM PORKESS
Theme: Profit and Los.
New Hnven, Conn. The following
sermon was delivered by the regular
preacher, the Rev. William Porkess,
t the special Sunday evening service
In St. Paul's Church, New Haven, for
Yale students and business men, Octo
ber 17, 1909. The congregation who
listened to Mr. Porkess was an un
usually large one:
Text: St. Mark, 8:36: "For what
shall It profit a man If he shall gain
the whole world and lose bis own
eoul?"
Occasionally our Lord a-mumed the
Tole of questioner, but when He did
It was not for the sake of gaining
knowledge, it. was rather to empha
size the knowledge that He possessed.
When Jesus turned on the crowd and
asked, "Who touched Me?" many as
there wete around Him, He knew
who the individual was before He had
spoken a word, but the Introduction
of tho question was His method of
railing tho people's attention to the
strong faith of the dlsrasod and
trembling woman who had forced
herself near enough to the Saviour to
touch the hem of His garment. So
Is it exactly the same -with regard to
the searching question of our text.
Christ knew full well the answer be
fore He addressed His audience,
which consisted of the disciples and
the people. He, however, became the
questioner to lay stress upon a spe
cific knowledge nf human nature.
That knowledge consisted of tho In- j
pxtlngulshable fire that Is aflame, the
unending stream of ambition that
flows from a man's heart. He, so to
speak, by this question takes out of ,
man the strongest force that Is with- j
in him ambition, and holds It before 1
him, clearly Implying that that force j
will have one of two effects, it will ;
either be constructive or destructive, '
It will either develop life or dwarf It, I
It will either make man or kill him. i
The Impllflcntlon, however. Is, thnt ,
Christ gives the warning, end the re.
suit rests with man. It remains with !
him absolutely whether he will be his
own constructor or destroyer. So '
then, underlying the words of our i
text, there is the ruling power of :
human nature ambition. I,, tho I
words of the text there Is the goal of
rmbition profit, "For what shall It .
profit a man." Then there is the 1
highest degree of profit the gaining !
of the whole world, "For what shall
It profit a man if he shall gain tho
whole world," and still further we
have tae awful contrast the loss ot
the soul, "For what shall It profit a ;
man If he shall gain the whole world 1
and iose his own soul?" !
Now what has been the effect of the j
centuries that have elapBed since our '
Lord's day, on the question that He !
then asked, and we are now consld- '
ering? Has time made the question I
any less a question? While the con- '
dltions of our Lord's time and those '
of our own day are very different, '
does that difference make It unneces-
sary for Him to address us in the ,
words of the text? No, I think per- j
haps the difference makes It all the :
more necessary. The fire of ambition 1
Is more aglow to-day than ever. Tho '
element of profit is If anything a
deeper part of our nature, and the
world although older seems fresher
In Its appeals, and consequently tho
dangers to the soul are Increased.
Therefore the words of the Saviour '
spoken to the disciples and people of :
His time are a searching question for :
men of to-day, and at some stage of ',
a man's life he will be confronted by i
this question, for it is inevitable.
Suppose a man never to enter any
church, never to come Into touch :
with any religious organization, never
to pay the slightest heed to the :
claims ot Jesus Christ, yet he must
soone' or later face the stern teaching j
of the text. The reason for this is
because of the common ruling power j
human nature the factor of ambl- I
tion. Now Christ emphasizes by this !
question His knowledge of the secret i
government of a man's life, and He ;
also strongly Indicates the course j
that that Inner power may take.
He recognizes that ambition may be
everything or it may be nothing. It
may be a man's salvation or it may
be his damnation. Unlike the Sav
iour, man is not able to see the trend
of this inward factor, and because of
this he Is very often led astray. What
we are not able to Bee, before it Is
too late, Christ Is, and therefore we
should be willing to listen to and
ready to act upon His teaching. So
many of us misunderstand the Sav
iour. We rather look upon Him as a
despotic ruler, when really He is seek
ing to be our leader, directing ua to
the plane ot life In its grandest form.
Ambition Is ours, and It is our most
valuable possession, and not only val
uable, but it is also an essential.
You cannot point to a single pros
perous man without this possession,
and you cannot mention any stalwart
type of character without this essen
tial. ' God knew this better than we
do when He endowed man with this
power, that that endowment must
take place before there can be any
prosperity or character in Us fullest
sense. Some of us are so over
whelmed to-day by the powers of evil
that we do not always credit to their
right source the factors that sway
human life. Satan has no claim on
ambition, but God planted this seed
In the human heart, and in all Hit
gifts to man He Is more than willing
to act as Guide la their cultivation,
but It Is for man to decide whether he
will accept the guidance.' We must
always remember, however, that It it
the design of the Evil One to usurp
the place of the Giver. As man deter
mines whom to call In as h.s guide, so
will his life be. la this very decision
he fixes the result. God-guided am
bition always means the bringing out
of the Inherent beauty of character.
Ambition under the spell of Satanic
influence means the exposure of llfe'i
failure, and very often the degrada
tion to which lit can sink. The effect
ot God's gift then rests with man, b
has the last -word to say, sod on tats
decision depends the court that am
bition - will take. Mau, therefore,
through this gift nay be rich or he
may be poor. We need to give em
phasis to both results, and the more
we do this will tbs one result b ag
Incentive while ili other will act as
a check.
The fire ot ambition Is stirred by
the (act of profit. We might almost
rail profit, the magnet of ambition.
Profit Is Lot only a fact but it Is a
necessity, tor it Is an element of hu
manity's struggle. The God-glren
gift of ambition Is not for us simply
to treasure, but rather to put Into
operation, and as we do this, allow
ing the donor ot tbe gift to control,
w shall gain tbe true result- Now,
tbe business man may bring In here
his question. "Am I to cease making
money T No, your efforts to make
your fortune, or to gradually increase
your savings, are perfectly legitimate
The spendthrift is no credit to God,
and equally no credit to man. Your
ambition to make your way In the
world Is worthy and there need not be
one lota of the sacrifice cf manliness
In allowing that Inward flame to
burst forth. We all know where the
ambltlonless man will land. He will
surely go to the wall, and he deserves
to. Whatever our life undertaking
may be, whether a business or pro
fessional career, It is unreasonable to
expect profit, success, unless we put
our whole personality Into that under
taking. There are a host of people
hanging on the first rung of the lad
der, and they will stay there, because
they have not cultivated God's gift to
them. But there are comparatively
only a few on the topmost runa. anil
they are there because they have kept
stirring the flame of ambition that
was within thera. You cannot keep
back an ambitious man any more than
you can impoverish the ooean. But
when any man approaches a task
half equipped or takes In hand an
undertaking as If he were afraid ot
It, ho must Inevitably meet with de
feat. I know that life has its strug
gles, for I have tasted of' them, and
thank Ood that I have, that 1 may
more deeply sympathize with those In
the pew. But I also know that If we
keep aglow on the altar of our hearts
the flame of ambition, struggle will
enlarge and brighten the fire rather
than have a tendency to extinguish
It. Let me emphasize the fact that
there Is no substitute for ambition.
Sometimes people will thrust one in
Its place, but It always proves a
failure. Religion will never accom
plish what ambition should, and am
bition will never bring about what re
HkIoii should. They each perform a
particular and different function in
life. When a man thinks that in em
bracing religion he receives the title
to success In his commercial or pro
fessional undertaking he Is deceiving
himself. One may bo truly religious
and yet ambillonlesx, and on tha
other hand one may be Intensely am
bitious, and yet void of religion. Of
course an Ideal life should have the
two, but we must not placo them in
their wrong sphere, as seams the
tendency at times. If then it is Im
possible to substitute ambition, and
we fall to cultivate this God-given
gift. It is almost hopeless In this
world of enterprise to expect any re
sult, to secure any profit. Provided,
however, that a man keeps aglow this
inward flame he will bring the suc
cess of his undertaking nearer and
nearer within reuch, until at last It is
in his possession. Profit is what ho
looks for and what he secures
through the channel of ambition.
There is not the slightest element of
depravity here. Then pray, why did
our Lord ask of His disciples and the
people this seaching and important
question, "What shall it profit a man
if he shull gain the whold world and
lose his own soul?" Peter had given
the reason for the question almost a
moment before, for Christ had
uttered the stinging rebuke to him,
"Get thee behind Me, Satan; for thou
savorest not the things that be of
God, but the things that be of men."
Peter allowed his ambition to rush
him headlong into placing earthly dis.
tinction before devotion to his Mas
ter. And this has been the tendency
ot human nature ever since. When a
man puts his money making in the
place of loyalty to JesuB Christ, when
the summit ot achievement eclipses
the position of the Saviour in the In
dividual life, or when a man wins
fame of any kind at the expense of
personal religion, ambition God's
great gift, has been distorted, and
been a destroyer Instead of a con
structor. Should a man make money,
should he achieve, should ho gain
fame? Yes, these are the goal uf am
bition. The more one makes, the
more one achieves, the wider the
fame, the more is the ambition
stirred, and because of this restless
ness of the ruling power within, doeB
our Lord bring His searching ques
tion to us, emphasizing the danger
that we are In. In substance the Sav
iour says. Whatever world your am
bition has for Its goal, if it should
reach the impossible position the
gaining ot tbe whole of that world, at
the expense of the soul, or as St. Luke
puts it, the loss of tbe self, what are
you profited? Here, then, is the su
preme thought of the text. You can
gain and lose at tbe same time, para
doxical as it may seem. You can so
allow your ambition to lead you In the
quest for fortune, or achievement, or
fame, that you pay dearly for thee
things, for you have sacrificed your
own soul your self. We might de
scribe this as a process of building up
with one hand and pulling down with
tho other. What then is the remedy
you ask me? Am I to give up the en.
tcrprlses that are interesting me to
day? Am I to extinguish the tire of
my ambition? If I gain must I lose?
Not necessarily so. The whole trou
ble is, that you have not given Jesus
Christ the questioner, the right po
sition in your life. You have left Him
out of your ambitious schemes. You
are reluctant to allow Him to be a
silent listener In your office. You
have given Him no place in your
thought. You have treated Him as
a servant, rather than as your Lord
and Master. When such is the case
your gaining is losing. While your
ambition Is all alive and you are
reaching the goal of earthly distinc
tion or earthly possessions, your own
manhood your soul your self is
being sapped to satisfy your restless
thirst. The things of the world and
the soul of man are here In conflict,
and from whatever standpoint you
look at it, it resolves itself into a los
ing game. Unfortunately, however,
we play tbe game, we live lite, before
we realize the severity of the loss.
The association of our Lord with His
disciples was rapidly drawing to a
'close. He had already begun to speak
of His crucifixion, but before the end
H puts to th;m the ij.iei.Um ot cur
text. And In spirit has not tbe same
question again and again been put to
us when men are about to pass from
life's scene, men whom tbe world has
called great, men who have built up
colossal fortunes or have won great
fame? Yes, they will invariably hold
before us as the most priceless treas
ure, not the following of their ex
ample, but rather the safeguarding
and cultivating of the soul the de
veloping of tbe self. There ran be
no coc flirt between the goal of a
man's scibltlon and his soul when the
cultivation of the soul U put on the
highest plane of life. This Is its
rightful position, and once dethrone
It, and you give creation to antag
onism. Ambition must still play Its
part In the life, but it will be a sec
ondary part, and then the gain will be
pure gain, for there can be no loss ot
self, but rather fuller development.
Here Is where we have the combina
tion of a religious and ambitious man.
Religion first, ambition second. The
former controlling the latter. Gain
ing profit in the world of things, de
veloping the soul In the world of re
ligion. Prosperity is a desirable and
a legitimate thins. Nay. the fire ot
ambition demands it. and ye'. thW
very prosperity is dangerous, breams
it is likely to usurp lu.lf. It needs
to be bandied flrrulv and Intelligently
if our life Is to escape the danger.
Our Lord knew this well when He
said, "How hardly shall they that
have riches enter Into the Kingdom
of Heaven." Sometimes 1 think we
pray too much for the poor man and
too little for the rich. We lavish our
sympathies upon the pauper and we
fling scathing denunciations at the
plutocrat. Each type of man has his
peculiar-temptations, and everything
depends upon the way in which he
deals with that temptation. 8o many
men show weakness here, and it is all
the more pitiable because they have
shown such strength In other things.
The temptations to flagrant forms ot
evil they will meet with the con
queror's spirit and then will yield to
the Insidious and subtle temptation
ot placing their fortune building, or
their fame acquiring, in the supreme
position of their life. Oh, how often
we see this, and how Bad it Is, when
we know what the result always is.
It never deviates, for it Is an Inexora
ble law of life, that the man who
spends his days in Bimply getting and
gaining, robbing himself or all the
beauty that Is within him, reltgatlng
God to an Inferior position, trampling
upon the high Ideals that dominate
a noble mind, the end of such a man
is worse than the beginning It Is
failure It is loss. But what a bene
diction to the world is the prosperous
man, who has recognized Jesus Christ
through all the days of his prosperity,
who has given to Him the first place
and put his prosperity In the second.
Whatever our undertaking may bo In
: life, whether a business or a profeB
; Blonal career, let us bring to It the
, Inward force of ambition, always con
i teraplating success, but let us also
i keep In mind the danger that we are
! in of having our religious fervor
I stifled.
The
Sunday-school
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOB JANUARY 2.
8ubjerti John, the Forerunner of
j jesus, roan, a: MX com
mit erscs 2, 3.
The Source of Power.
The power which Inspiration has
over the body is one of the miracles
of life. The career of every man
who Influences his generation dis
plays It, but each new instance gives
new energy and strength to those
willing to profit by example. Colonel
Hammond, an old friend of Dwlght L.
Moody, has this story to tell of the
spjrlt of the evangelist:
Mr. Moody, says the colonel, fame
to see me one Sunday after his morn
ing service, seeming to be quite tried
out. He threw himself Into a chair
arid burst out with the following ex
clamations: "I am used up! Can't think or
speak or do anything else! There Is
my meeting at the church to-night.
You must take it! I have absolutely
nothing left In me!"
Knowing that Mr. Moody never
asked for help unless he needed It, I
promised to take the service off his
hands. When the time came, I went
to the Illinois Street Church and
found the house quite full. I was
about to commence the service, when
In walked, or rather rushed, Mr.
Moody, followed by a long lino of
youug men, whom he had picked up
In saloons or on street corners, and
brought with Mm on an errand which
was evidently to them a new on?.
Mounting the platform with a
bound, he seized the hymn-book and
began: and from the beginning to
the end of that service 1 had nothing
to do but to keep out of the way.
It appeared that he had taken an
hour or two of rest, and then, having
no care about the evening servloe on
his mind, took up his old familiar
work of bringing in recruits, at which
he hnppened this time to be still more
successful than usual.
As he led the way to the church
some happy thought Btruck him. and
between the street corner and the pul
pit ho arranged a sermon which was
one of the most effective I ever heard
him preach.
"Come."
A certain king was uccustomed on
set occasions to entertain all the beg
gars of tho city. Around him sat his
courtiers, all clothed In rich apparel;
the beggars sat at the same table in
their rags of poverty, so Chas. H.
Spurgeon used to tell the story. Now
It came to pass that on a certain day
one of the courtiers had spoiled his
silken apparel, so that he dare not
put It on, and he felt, "I cannot go to
the king's feast to-day, for my robe
is foul." He sat weeping, till the
thought struck him, "To-morrow,
when the king holds his feast, some
will come as courtiers, happily decked
In the beautiful array; but others will
be dressed In rags. Well, well," says
he, "so long as I may see the king's
face, and alt at the king's table, I
will enter among the beggars." So,
without mourning because he bad lost
his silken habit, he put on the rags of
a beggar, and he saw the king's face
as well as if he had worn hU scarlet
and fine linen. My soul has done this
full many a time, and I bid you do
the same; it you cannot come as a
taint, come as a sinner, only do come,
and you shall receive joy and peace.
Set yourself earnestly to see what
you were made to do, and then set
Vourself earnestly to do it; and tho
loftier your purpose is, the more sure
you will be to make the world richer
with every enrichment of yourself.
f hlllips Brooks. ,
About Advertising.
In these days of progress the man
who would succeed must advertise.
This is an established fact, and it is
tlso a well-known fact that the most
luccessful business men not only in
this town but throughout the country
ire large advertisers. Now occasion
illy we find a merchant who does not
ielleve in advertising at all. He tried
i small ad for a month perhaps and
:hen stopped It. Thought it did not
ay. Did he take down that big sign
ver his store front at the same time?
)h, no. Now, then, what is the dif
ference? Both your sign and your
idvertisement are used to draw trade,
3oth are necessary to your success.
Df tbe two your advertisement Is the
nost important because its Influence
s greater. It reaches the people
lot when they eve hurrying past your
itore on tho opposite side of th
itreet, but In their leisure moments,
vhen they are given- to good sober
'.bought, and It Is your own fault if
rou cannot at such a time present
four business In such a manner as to
make a lasting impression on them.
Yet, very few men are convinced by
the first appeal. It Is like the gospel
of grace. It must be "precept upon
precipt, line upon line, here a little
nd there a little." It la In this way
buyers are won. .
The electrical show In Boston was
the first ot Its kind In New England.
It was tha result of co-operative ac
tion on the part of a number ot large
manufacturers. Unlike other exhibi
tions, there were no articles for sale.,
The decorations were unusually ar
tistic, and tho exhibition was an un
qualified success. .
GOLDEN TEXT. "The voice ot
one crying in the wilderness. Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, and make
His paths straight." Matt. 3:3.
TIME. A. D., 27. PLACE. The
Wilderness of Judea.
EXPOSITION I. "Repent Ye, For
the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand,"
1-6. John's message Is very like that
of the last prophet of the olden days
(comp. Mai. 3:1-6; 4:1-3). He had
received his training for the work In
none of the rabbinical schools of the
day, but largely in solitude and com
munion with God In the wilderness
(Luke 1:80). As he had received his
message directly from God (Jno. 1:
33; Luke 3:2) he waited for no call
or ordination by man before deliver
ing it. He sought not the synagogue,
but the opep air, for the delivery of
his message. His was a startling cry,
"Repent ye; for the kingdom of heav
en Is at hand." The average Jew
looked at himself as the unfortunate
victim of other men's hostility to God.
John said to them. You are yourself
a sinner against God. Your great
need is not deliverance from Roman
domination, but repentance from your
own sins. The one cry of the pro
phots of God unto man Is, "repent."
John'B reason for Immediate repent
ance was new. Newer still was his
announcement that the King was
right at hand,' and the character of
the King's work. The kingdom of
heaven was near them, because the
King was about to appear. He was
about to set up His kingdom In the
hearts of those who would receive
Him. Furthermore, He would have
set up His kingdom on earth if He
hRd been accepted by His people.
More than seven centuries had passed
since Isaiah ( Isa. 40:3-5) had uttered
his prophery of a coming of the Lord
and of the forerunner who should
precede Him. He had come at last.
God's word had been fulfilled to the
letter, as It always will be sooner or
later, though the fulfillment may wait
for centuries as In this case. John
came In the spirit and the appearance
of Elijah of old (comp. 2 K. 1:8;
Matt. 17:12, 13). His whole manner
of life was a protest against the pre
vailing worldllness and self-indulgence.
Jesus did not follow In the
footsteps of John In the outward man
ner of His protest. But men who
would represent God and have power
with men Bhould live lives of great
simplicity. John's earnestness, rug
gedness, fearlessness, renunciation of
self and stern declaration in the pow
er of the Spirit of the message God
gave him awakened great Interest.
Men were convinced that he was "a
man sent from God."
II. Hrin Forth Fmlt Meet For
flepentance, 7-10. John was no trim
mer. He was not an adept at honied
words (cf. Matt. 12:34; 23:33; Jno.
8:44). John believed In a coming
wrath of God against sin. It was not
any more a popular doctrine in that
day than it Is now, but it was true,
and men needed to hear about It, and
so this faithful man of God told them.
Tho way to "flee from the wrath to
come" and to "prepare the way of the
Lord" and to ie ready for "the king
dom" was to repent with that genuine
repentance that would show itself in
a transformed life, bringing forth
fruit worthy of repentance. No one
was ever saved by a pious ancestry.
A son of Abraham may be a child of
the devil (Jno. 8:37, 38, 41, 44).
HI. The flaptiKni With the Holy
Wind and Fire, 11. 12. John has
emphasized the need of good fruit;
he now discloses the secret ot bearing
it. A mightier than he was coming
who would baptize with something
more efficacious than water "In the
Holy Spirit and In fire." Some have
interpreted these words to mean that
there are two baptisms between which
one may have bis choice "the bap
tism in the Spirit" (now) or "the bap.
tlsm In the fire of Judgment," as in
the next verse (hereafter). The orig
inal does not admit of this interpre
tation. John doubtless had In mind
Isaiah's expression, "the Spirit ot
burning" (Isa. 4:4) when he uttered
these, words. In verse 11 we have
three baptismal elements, "water,"
with which John should baptize them
unto repentance; "the Holy Wind"
and "fire," with which Jesus would
baptize them. In Acts 2:2, 3, we
have the fulfillment ot the promise In
the case of the apostles when they
found themselves engulfed In a
"mighty wind" "from heaven,"
tongues of fire resting upon their
heads, and they themselves "filled
with the Holy Wind." Tbe promise
Is a promise not of two baptisms, one
of blessing and the other of cursing,
but of one two-fold baptism of bless
ing, "Holy Ghost and fire." But what
does It mean to be baptized In fire?
The answer Is found In considering
the work that "fire" does. (1)
"Fire" reveals (1 Cor. 3:13). (!)
"Fire" refines (Isa. 4:4; Zech. li:;,
Mai. 3:1-3). (3) "Fire" consumes,
fllthlness and scum (Ezk. 24:9-11).
(4) "Fire" illuminates. (6) "Fire")
makes to glow and melt (Jer. 23:29)i
(6) "Fire" generates energy. A bapJ
tlsm In "Are" then reveals us to our-l
selves; consumes the fllthlness and,
scum tbe selfishness, ambition,'
worldllness and vlleness that we have
vainly contended against for years
out ot us; makes us to burn and glow,
with love to God and man and truth;
love for sonls; fills us with heavenly
energy.
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.
j Hated to Take tbe Money, ' "
i Frank I. Cobb, the chief editorial
writer of the New York World, was
on a vacation In the Maine woods
once when Joseph Pulitzer, owner of
the World, wanted to communicate
with him. Mr. Pulitzer sent Cobb a
cipher message.
! Presently a country operator drove
Into the Cobb camp and handed Cobb
he message, which read something
rlke this:
' "Simplicity aggrandizement
(griffon gerald - roderlck hop
Scotch hamfat publicity."
, "There's a dollar to collect for de
livering that message," said the oper-
Etor, "but I hat to take It Some
ody along the line got It all hailed
tip, and they ain't no sense to it,"
ANOTHER VIEW. - i
"The preacher that married yon
ays yon only gave htm a dollar."
"He ought to be glad t didn't sue
him tor damages." Answers.
The Rum Traffic.
First and foremost, as always, Is
the fact that the sale of liquor results
detrimentally to the community, Indi
vidually and collectively.
A few men are prospered financial
ly by tbe licensed sale of liquor, but
the vast majority are made poorer by
It, and thousands are subjected by
It to extreme hardship and misery.
There is not a single sound argu
ment, moral or material, that can be
advanced in favor of tbe sale of
liquor.
Many good citizens vote "Yes" year
after year on the assumption that the
sale of liquor cannot be stopped by a
"No" vote, and that it la better to
have the business regulated under
license.
Many others vote "Yes" because of
the money the sale of licenses brings
Into the city treasury.
Neither of these reasons Justifies
the infliction upon the community of
the evils of the rum traffic.
There has never been any honest
attempt to regulate the liquor traffic
under license.
A computation of the extra burden
of expense entailed upon the city by
the rum traffic through the police
and pauper departments would show
that the city pays out more than it
receives on account or it.
Add to what the city pays In extra
police and pauper appropriations the
amounts expended by the .churches
and charitable institutions and by in
dividuals In caring for the victims of
the pauper-breeding traffic and the
amount received from liquor licenses
appears only a drop in the bucket in
comparison.
Then tho loss of Income to many
families entailed by drunkenness
which results in the loss of time or
the loss of Jobs must be taken Into
consideration. National Advocate.
Nation Sells Indulgcncics.
To-day the Government Is a part
ner in the liquor traffic. This is its
shame. Tt is a great stain upon our
nation's life. Somehow or other Un
cle Sam has been Induced to buy out
a large share of Old Nick's Interest in
the business, and he finds it an ex
ceedingly profitable investment. If it
does Impoverish his people. His cof
fers are full. His vaults are almost
bursting with accumulated millions of
gold and silver. Every now and then
he must make new vaults to hold the
surplus. And he says to the liquor
men, "Go on debauching manhood,
ruining health, dethroning reason,
peopling prisons, supplying gallows,
filling hell, but be careful to give me
every cent of my share of the pro
fits!" Thus the nation soils indigencies
to sin. Thus It builds Itself up with
the price of blood. Thus It estnb
liBhes Itself with the price of ini
quity. Thus it places Itself under the
woes of Almighty God. Thus It be
comes partlceps crlmlnls In all the
abominations growing out of the
liquor business.
Russia and tho Drink Evil.
M. Fuster, In L'AIcool, has this to
say of the drink evil in Russia:
"I have visited all the countries ot
Europe, and I can say that In no part
have 1 seen so many drunkards as in
Russia.' On Sundays and on fete
days (of which there are more than
100 officially recognized, besides Sun
days) they are to be found every
where In towns and villages. On the
edges of the footpaths, in corners of
the streets, one stumbles against men
dead drunk, sleeping a leaden sleep.
The police occasionally pick them up,
but more usually leave them to sleep
in peace. At Moscow I . have often
seen peasants and workmen lying in
the dust, a bottle of vodka in their
shrivelled hands. In every street
there Is an official place of sale, and
the people form up in a queue as at
the door of a theatre and pass in
with their empty bottle, and exchange
them for bottles tull of liquor with
forty per cent, of alcohol."
"After Your Boy."
One of the delegates to a State con
vention of Christian Endeavorers, a
young business man, dressed in a nat
ty rough-and-ready suit, every move
ment alert and eager, and telling ot
bottled energy within, came suddenly
upon a red-faced citizen who evident
ly bad been patronizing the hotel bar.
Buttonholing the delegate a trifle un
ceremoniously, the latter said:
"What are you fellows trying to do
down at the meetings? You are
temperance, I see by the papers. Do
you think yon could make a temper
ance man of me?"
"No," replied the delegate, looking
him over from head to foot with a
keen glance, "we evidently couldn't
do much for you, but we are after
your boy."
At this unexpected retort the man
dropped his Jocular tone and said se
riously: "Well, you have got the right
of It there. If somebody had been af
ter me when I was a boy I should be
a better man to-day."
Firewater Statistics,
William E. Johnson, chief special
officer ot the United States Indian
service, in Salt Lake City, has issued
a table showing the convictions se
cured during the month of March of
this year, In the matter of the sup
pression of the liquor traffic among
Indians. It is '.here shown that the
total number of convictions secured
during the month was fifty-six. Of
thee. thirty were In California, two
In New York, six In Oklahoma, thir
teen in Nevada, one In Montana, two
in Arizona and two In New Mexico.
Temperance Notes.
Tbe Russians are tbe hardest drink
ing of all the European peoples.
It , Is worthy of notice that last
Christmas Prince Henry presented all
the navy with the temperance pam
phlet, "The Poison Tree ot the Ger
man People.",
"Wyoming will be entirely under
prohibition outside of Incorporated
towns after January 1, 1910, under a
new law whereby saloons are per
mitted only to that extent, each li
cense costing f 1000."
State prohibition Is predicted at the
next session of tbe State Legislature
of South Carolina. ,
The Cathollo clergy of Germany to
the number of sis hundred have or
ganized a sacerdotal total abstinence
union. The president ot the union la
Prlncs Max, of Saxony, who is a
priest.
Sir William Hartley, a prominent
temperance leader of England, has
Just made a gift ot 24,600 copies of
"Alcohol and tha Body," the well
kuown recent book W Sir Victor
Morality and Dr. Mary Sturge, to tbe
Baud ot Hop movement in Great
iiruata. (
THE
THOUGHTS FA.
rourv
THE GIFTS OF GOD.
Be with me, Lord! My honae is growing
still
An one by one the guests go out the door;
And some, who helped me once to do Thy
will,
Behold and praise Thee on the Heavenly
Shore.-
Uphold my strength! My task is not ytt
done.
Nor let me t the labor cease to sing,
But from the rising to the setting sun
f.ach faithful hour do service to my King.
Show me Thy light! Let not my wearied
eyes .
Miss the fresh glory of life's passing day,
But keep the light of morn, the sweet sur
priae Of each new blessing that attends my way.'
And for the crowning grace, O Lord, renew
Ihe best of gifta Thy best of aaint have
had;
With the great joy of Christ my heart
endue
To share the whole world's tears and still
b glnd.
Theodore I.'. Williams, In Christian Reg-
The Joy of Christ.
There Is a prevalent misconception
uuutcruiiig me aany me and experi
ence of the Lord Jesus when He was
with us. We think of Him as the
"man of sorrows," and rightly. "He
carried our sorrows;" the burden of
our guilt was upon Him. He was so
in sympathy with men that their bur
dens and sorrows became Ills. The
incompleteness of character, the hy
pocrisy and deceit which met Him
everywhere, the thousand forms of in
iquity which filled the world, our
guilt laid upon His soul, did indeed
fill Him with sorrow; there was no
sorrow like His.
It was a deep undercurrent that
became greater as He approached tho
end. Even when all would seem to
be far removed from this, when the
multitudes were about Him seeking
His blessing, we hear Him say: "My
soul Is exceeding sorrowful, even un
to death."
But with all this His heart was
full of Joy. There was sorrow, but
there was no sadness; there was a
burden, but there was no disappoint
ment; there was the keen cense of
the guilt of sin and of tho agony of
the atonement, but there was no hesi
tation. We see the tumult, but He
speaks of "My peace," His own pecul
iar peace; we see the suffering, but
His highest wish for His disciples was
that "My Joy might remain in you
and that your Joy might be fully."
Suffering and happiness are not in
compatible; sorrow and Joy are not
so antagonistic that they may not
dwell in the same heart. There Is a
grace which rises above the Buffering,
and makes it minister to Joy. It is
one of the wonderful things of grace
that it so lifts us up out of our sur
roundings, and out of ourselves, that
there Is perfect peace even when tho
suffering la greatest. We have seen
the victim of . disease racked with
pain whose face beamed with joy and
whose words were songs of praise.
The martyrs sang as they burned. So
with Jesus; at the very time when
His cup was filled to the overflowing.
He talked with His disciples out of
a heart perfectly at rest.
There was to JeBus the Joy of His
sinless nature. We cannot measure
that, but we may sometimes have a
foretaste of it; there may be such a
sense of pardon and of Divine love
that we are as In the presence of Ood,
but our highest short experience is
far below the blessedness which was
perpetual In the bouI of Jesus. To
Him there wa3 the Joy of infinite
love. He gave Himself for others,
and in their salvation His Joy wns
above all suffering. The prayer of
the penitent thief was to Him the Joy
of love prevailing, even over the
thorns and tbe nails.
. There was the consciousness of Ills
Father's love and support. He dwelt
on that love. Even with the cross be
fore Him, In the communion of the
holy fellowship Hi8 very garments
shone with the glory ot God. He was
mocked and scorned, but all the time
He saw His work prevailing. The
lame man walking, the one dumb
man singing the praises of God, tho
dead coming back to life, were typical
of a greater work of love in tbe sal
vation of men. He thought of the
man whose sins were forgiven as one
saved, and not simply healed. How
great the Joy of that hour as He
prayed. "Holy Father, keep thoso
whom Thou hast given Me!"
We can know but little of that
higher world in which Jesus lived,
for it is the world of perfect holiness
and infinite love, but we see some
thing ot it; we have something in
common with Him, so. that we can
enter into His Joy sufficiently to
know that It crowned all labor and
sweetened all sorrow. The "man of
Borrows" let Him ever be to us, but
also we should open our hearts to re
ceive the inflowing of His ever-present,
unbounded Joy. United Presbyterian.
Tli Perfect One.
Our Lord, when in the flesh, paaaed
through the different stages of hu
man life that He might sanctify them
all and show mankind that it Is possi
ble In every estate and condition of
existence to keep the law of God In
view and to deal Justly and humane
ly with one's fellow men. Christ was
the perfect man, though He was more
thau man and not less than God. By
His sinless life He has dignified and
ennobled every earthly relation, and
leaving behind Him a shining and
beautiful examplt, calls now to all
believing souls to reproduce in their
own experience and conduct the grace
and holiness that shone resplendent
In His unique career.
Christianity's Failure.
It Christianity, falls as a world power-It
will fall because the Individual
falls as a Christian to incarnate In
bis life the spirit and life ot his Lord
which means that he falls to be a
Christ man.
Present Day Fathers. ,
Present day fathers are too often
merely their children's pocketbooks
jand bogy meu, instead ot being theln
law book, monitor, teacher, guide an4
closest friend.
T"
Caught.
"Pshaw!" exclaimed Miss Yerner,
Impatiently. "I'm sure we'll miss tbe
first act. We've waited a good many
minutes for that mother of mine."
"Hours, I should say," Mr. Sloman
retorted rather crossly, t o .
"Ours? Oh, George," she cried,
and laid her blushing cheek upon his
shirt front. Catholic Standard. ,i ,)
. . - A- . ; .
I ' Some men keep all their enthuslJ
Vam bottled up ia their hip pockets.
CHRISTIANENDaVDRNofES
' JANUARY SECOND
Toplo-ThroU8n This Year With God.
Num. S: 15,23; 10: 10.
In His work. John 9: 1-7
In my labor. Eph. 6:
la my home. Josh. 24: u.i
In my church. Heb. 10- ir"
With my Bible. Ps 1 '25'
With His spirit. Gal. 6: 16-26
Would you like to see an toner.
of this year? Get your nu
read God's commandments vm M
ask for a better? u14
You may hare a whole year of .
rylng. or only two days what rfiJST
does it make, if only the
ctfng is with Him? T tar'
Solemn days and glad dav. ...
Mk. God's days, asd alike g
secrated to Him.. eo
Suggestions.
Make this God s year. So will k
b most truly your year
In planning tho year most peoni.
ar likely to plan for recelvlniTJ
tt forcing. Thus will they're,
Let us enter the year with confl.
J!no, sur that God has better tSZ
in store for us than we dare to ruu
If we will only tak them.
Into the blessings of the year. Tht
very first day with God will be a cfc
will' Him. ,0 U 0UW
Illustration.
Don't prescribe what the year stall
b. That is Ilk ordering a gift from
a friend.
The year looks like a path through
a maze; but we are to go through II
with th Designer of it all.
A certain builder had been untor
tunate, hut one day a friend gave alia
a contract to build a large house.
The builder, to recoup his fortune,
put poor material Into It throughout
When It was finished, his friend to!4
him that the house was his own! Now
the year beftre us is our house that
we are building for God.
How short Is a Journey when w
have good company! And we may ,
have the best of company through th
journey of this year.
EPWOHTH LEAGUE LESSONS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 2.
How to Concentrate Making Religion
a Business (Phil. 3, 13, 14;
Eccl. 9, 10.)
(The Morning Watch.)
Phil. 3. 13. Nobody ever arrives
anywhere In business who thluks that
he has come to the top of all achieve
ments Ther9 must always be some
unattulned remainder, some unsealed
steep, some unexplored territory.
Otherwise advance becomes retreat
The only use for yesterday's success
es Is to make of them a starting point
for today. For every other use, for
get them, as Paul did. They have
given you a point of vantage, but It
means nothing unless you face the
front. Yesterday's triumphs were
good, but we are past them now; they
are behind. And the word of reli
gion, as well as of business, is "Fur
ward!" Verse 14. There is a difference
between dnsh and definiteness. Some
people run, but without thought of
any goal; they have plenty of dash,
but no particular destination. You
meet them in many companies of
Christian people. They wear badges
which exhort everybody to "get busy,"
to "win one," to "help It along." But
whim they are asked "To what pur
pose?" their answer Is either vague
or altogether too small to be making
such a fuss about. Paul had a mark
"the heavenly life ot the redeem
ed" or, as the prayer book has It,
"our perfect consummation and bllas
both lu body and soul."
For illustration of Paul's figure,
borrowed from the athletic games and
contests of the Greeks, see any Bible
dictionary on "games." '
Eccl. 9. 10. There's no time like
the present. Everybody knows ho
easy faithfulness will be, and devo
tion, and self-denial, and salntliness,
will be tomorrow. But life Is a ac
cession of todays, and every daf
everyone's hand finds something to do.
Do It. and do It nowl The Christian
statement of this Old Testament ex
hortation Is found at the cIobs or
Paul's great discussion of the resur
rection: "Be ye steadfast, unmovabie,
always abounding In the work of the
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labor is not in vain in the Lord."
I MOTHER NATURE PREPARES.
! The cosmos and hardy chrysanthe
mum blooming In the garden tell that
summer Is over and that Mother Na
ture Is preparing for the cold season
which will soon be here. The wood
land trees ar dropping their leaves
to protect the roots of the delicate
flowers and to enrich the ground tor
the next year's growth ot plant H".
Th green worms which have feasteo
on th pareleyj beds and tomato vines
have eaten their fill for wlntor am
have spun their little homes about
them. The great alanthus worms and
hickory worms ar also preparing
hide themselves In silky cocoons.
In the woods th open cheatnai
burrs show that the nuts Inside are
ripe. The busy squirrels are alreaw
at work filling their storehouses ttiu
nuts and aoorns to last until sew
year. Into the ground the sna
and turtles are going for tnelr.w"
Inter naps. Flying birds tell ot W
Journey of our feathery trlonda w
the South. The lambs, horses,
and all fur-bearing animals ar
Ing heavy coats for protection again
the cold weather. Many of the n
In the streams and rivers are leavini
our waters for those which wtu 7
warmer during the winter. Tb
mere are busy gathering their !
and vegetables so that the frost
do no damage to them. In ths w
,th people take Mother Ntur'
jwarnlng that tbe eold season Is
Jug to prepare their bouses and
lng for the early visits of Jack r"u
l Washington Star.
The British Governamnt bM
ganlced a special department a.
tfwtlonal physical laboratory ' '
realisations In aerial ewoatruci
sad savigatiea.,