-
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY,
THE REV. C. 0. ETSLER.
Thome: Seeking God's Kingdom.
Brooklyn, N. T. In the Church of
the Good Tidings the pastor, the Kev.
Clarence Bartlett Etslcr, preached
Sunday on "Seeking God's Kingdom.")
He said:
In bygone years, when people went
npon the theory that man Is Inherent-
ly depraved and that his natural al
legiance whllo on earth Is to the sov
ereignty of the devil. In those days,;
when one talked about seeking God's'
kingdom. It meant that a man should
shut out the sunshine and enjoyment
from his days; that, he should crucify)
his nature unoii the cross of self-de-;
nlal and that through a sad and dole-'
ful earthly life he should look for
ward with patient longing for the
kingdom that ho must seek In somei
future world. !
When man complained of earthly,
hardship and sought religion's help.i
the church said. In substance to 1:1m.!
"Yep, we know It's hard living In this
world, but what can you expect; man
Is nnturally a fallen, degenerate erea-i
tnre, the devil Is his spiritual adviser
and his man of business; but never,
mind, grin and bear It, for you will,
find God's kingdom when you Alt and
there the devil will bo shut out." I
Such a philosophy and such a re
union was but a cowardly subterfuge
whereby an easy escape was afforded
from the necessity for working out a
solution for the bard problems of this
life. ' f
Thank God, the liberal church has'
cut loose from dogmatic tradition and.
Is teaching a religion not of mysti
cism and of theory, bui a religion of
present helpfulness and of common
sense.
We do not believe In a fallen race.
We believe In a rising race. We do
not believe in original and Inherent
aln. nor that everv man that's born
Is bnrn first Into the kingdom of the
devil.
And this we believe Is the first step
In seeking God's good kingdom; the
recognition that every child that's
Vorn Is God's and not the devil's; the
good tidings that every soul has with
in ltceif the spark of divinity and not
the flame of hell.
It's true that some of us are born
with heritage of sin and with birth
marks of Imperfection, but the good
tidings of great joy is this: That
whatsoever sins of the fathers may
have set the children's teeth on edge,
those children have another heritage
from their perfect heavenly Father
a heritage that can overcome the in
bred sin; that can round out In per
fect growth all human Imperfection.
He who would seek God's kingdom
talks not of original sin; he publish
th good tidings of ultimate perfec
tion. What does It mean for lis. this
seeking for God's kingdom? We rlao
with the new day and the sun shines
brightly through the windows. "Oh,"
ssys one, "the harsh light hurts my1,
eyes." or. If it's a woman of ono
kind, she says, "It will fade my car-'
I'd." and the shades are quickly
drawn and the gloom of a sepulchre
ensues. i
Is that seeking of God's kingdom?,
vine fire enfolded fn the IhfTiiilT"creep
'pg thro.-gh the human heart silently
but sure,v, making the life action
blossom In unselfish deeds, In purity
snd worth.
Yes. Indeed, God's kingdom Is very
near to us, it's In us and about us,
and we can find It right speedily If
we but fix our eyes upon the eternal
good. Don't look for the coming of
His klngdomMn violent upheaval nor
In disorderly shouting of false pro
phets. Don't expect the leaven to be
nntrue to Its very nature. Don't look
for evidences that God's righteous
ness has, oh! so much of sin to still
svercome In life. Fix your eyes upon
Jesus, fit your eyes upon the e?l
lences within yourself, evidences all
bout yon, evidences that God's spirit
Is living In all life, evidences that the
leaven is fulfilling Its mission, evl
lences that His eternal truth Is
marching on.
This world of ours Is not so bad, If
we don't fix our whole attention on
the badness and refuse to recognize
;he silent working of the leaven of
Hernal goodness that permeates It
ill. Socking God's kingdom or seek
ng the kingdom of the devil has been
exemplified for us In the present po
litical campaign. Mud-sllnglng and
Iho kind of argument expected at a
reunion of the Kilkenny cats has
seemed to be the policy of some, with
the result that up-State. citizens be
lieve New York Is worse than Sodom
snd Gomorrah, that hungry beasts of
prey roam through the streets and
that the only safety for a stranger Is
to tightly grasp his bank roll in one
hand and his watch wtthln the other
when he Is welcomed to our city.
And yet how much of truth there Is
in
?lties' sinfulness may be gauged, ner-
haps. by the uniformity of compli
ments paid to us by our host of visit
ors during the late celebration. Yel
low journalism la always looking for
the spots and blemishes; It refuses to
recognize the good and by perverse
iiiggestlons hampers more than any
other element the working of the
leaven of God's eternal righteousness.
The kingdom of the living God
must come first of all in individual
hearts, for there the leaven has been
placed by God. His kingdom will not
come in any outward way until the
Inward man Is pure.
Don't wait and pray for the last
trump on earth, don't wait and pray
for a final judgment day. God's
trump Is sounding In your heart and
your Judgment days are with you
every day. Look for God's kingdom
In your own heart and seek to mani
fest It In your little duties every day.
Seek to attuno your soul to the divine
melodies of goods that are echoing all
around you. Open your eyes to the
good within yourself, and that you
find In fellow-men. Shut out from
The
Sunday -School
INTRANATIONAL I.F.SSO fmi
MENTS FOR JANUARY 10.
Subject: The Rcglnning of the Gali
lean MiniNtiT. Matt. 4:12-1
Commit Verse 23.
GOLDEN TEXT. "The people
which sat In darkness saw great
light." Matt. 4:18.
TIME. Summer A. D. 28. PLACE.
Galilee, especially Capernaum.
EXPOSITION. I. Jesus Moves
From Naznreth to Capernaum, 12-17.
The imprisonment of John led Jesus
to forsake Judea for Galilee (v. 12;
cf. Mk. 1:14). It wis- an act of pru
dence on His part. He also left Ills
boyhood home, Nazareth, for busy
Capernaum by the seaside. Ills go
ing to the borders of Zebulun nnd
Naphtall was a fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecy fvs. 15, 16: cf.
Is. 9:1, 2). Galilee had enjoyed no
such privileges bb Judea had. The
people had sat in darkness. The
Galileans were despised for their Ig
norance by the other Jews (cf. Jno.
7:52). Hut now thev were to see a
great light (v. 16). The Light of the
world was to live among them (Jno.
8:12). Hitherto they had "sat in the
region and shadow of death," now
they were to enjoy the Light of life,
the lurid exaggerations of our i Sooner or later God sends His light
to all people and those who enloy the
least privileges In one age will enjoy
the greatest In another. The time
had now come for Jesus to begin His
ministry of preaching. He bezan
with the same message with which
John had begun, "Repent, for the
kingdom of God Is at hand" (cf. Matt.
3:2). The first part of the cry was
the same as that of the Old Testa
ment prophets (Is. 55:7; Jer. 3:22;
Ezek. 14:6; 18:30; 33:9; Hos. 12:6;
14:1; Joel 2:12). The kingdom of
heaven was at hand because the King
Himself was at hand, and If the Jews
had received Jesus Ho would have set
tip the kingdom of heaven on earth
then and there. As He was rejected
and crucified, the outward establish
ment of the kingdom was postponed.
II. "Come Ye After Me. and I Will
Make You Ushers of Men," 1 !!.
Matthew tells us only of the call of
Simon Peter and his brother Andrew.
Luke tells us of how the Lord had
won their confidence by the miracu
lous draft of flshe3 preceding the call
(cf. Luke 5:2-9). Simon and An
drew were attending to their own
your soul the discordant clangor and j proper business when Jesus called
refuse to share the discord selfish I them into His work (v. 18; cf. Ex.
hearts have brousht on earth. Fix
your eyes upon Jesus and feel the
leaven In your inmost heart
How to find God's kingdom? It's a
nlaln and direct road. Simply pub
lish peace and bring good tidings; al
ways and forever bring good tidings,
and If you can't bring tidings that are
good then keen quiet till you can.
Refuse to publish discord and strife
and hatred. Refuse to muck-rake or
brinT up the ghosts of outgrown er
rors that clog the wheels of eternal I Commandments and promises always
progress toward perfect righteousness. I go hand In hand in the teaching of
Ah! but somewill say, "Your dream Jesus. The day came when Jesus'
of perfect righteousness on earth is I promise to Peter was so wonderfully
hut a dream I fenr If rnn't rma . fulfilled that Peter caucht more men
Another throws wide the windows of j true." Even so when our ancestors at a single haul than ho did fish on
hi) house and soul and drinks in the , nlothed in skins wereroamlng through I this day (Acts 2:14-41). Jesus says
life sustaining oxygen, basks In the the forest plsles, nerhaps some one of ! to every one of us, "Come ye after
bl?sse;l warmth of nature's medicine, them was blessed with glorious vis- Me. and I will make you fishers of
ana sings an unconscious sou oi , 0ns of clays when thev would no
3:1-4:5; I K. 19:19-21; Mutt. 9:9).
Jesus called them Into a work of the
same character that they were al
ready doing; hitherto they had bpen
fishing for fish, now they were to fish
for men. The ordinary fisherman
catches fish to kill and eat them, the
Gospel fisherman catches men to
make them alive and feed them.
Jesus gave them the command,
"Come ye after Me," and the promise.
'I will make you fishers of men.
GU3 TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
REPORTS OK PROGRESS OF TUB
BATTLE AGAINST II CM
praise to his maker and his life keep
er. , '
Me Is seeking God's kingdom. And
then at the breakfast table one takes
his place with no word of greeting
and devours his food In silence, save
for a muffled complaint that the toast
Is scorched or tho coffee cold. The
other, the sunshine fellow, comes in
with the plow of the. sun's radiance
still upon hini, and the room seems
brighter for his coming. He has a
Joke and a smile for all, even for the
fellow wi'h the chronic grouch.
Which on.-, think you, 13 getting near
er tii tho kingdom?
And then they are out upon the
wav to business. The car is crowded,
nn l when the conductor gets to our
more rend and tear each other. And
undoubtedly all his fellows said, "It's
but a dream. We shall always bo
governed by the ltw of tooth and
claw." But God's leaven worked fti
quietness and power until at last men
v.alked at peace among the race, for
ever emancipated from their brute
uncestrv. And shall it not be so with
i s? Although we refrain from phy
sical violence to each other, yet we
war nnd scheme in milder ways. But:
r.-ho shall deny the power of the for
ever working leaven of God's truth
to work for us emancipation even
from the necessity for competition in
on;- race? Who shall deny the saving
pnwor of the Immortal spirit of the
Christ? "For as in Adam all die.
).-:end. '.he grouch, he looks straight I even so In Christ shall all bo made
at the conductor, but makes no move
to ;et a nickel, and then through all
the remainder of the trip he shrinks
and rtarts whenever he's spoken to
pnd wonders if he has been shotted.
Flnallv, he slips into a scat, and al
though a woman stands beside him
with a child In her arms, he feigns
Intense Interest In tho paper he has
llf'ed from the seat.
li he getting very near to God's
kingdom? The other traveler helps
an old man board the car and chesr3
the withered, friendless heart with a
good-will smile, llo hcarB wit'.i un
derstanding ear the conductor's gruff.
"Step lively," and sets with under
standing eye the same conductor very
gontly shove Into tho car cn over
burdened daughter of poverty, as she
in turn supports her feeble mother.
He hears with understanding ear, as
the conductor comes down hard upon
the Ignorance of some poor foreigner
as he asks directions, and he cses
with understanding eye as that same
conductor sneaks up a little later and
gives the bewildered foreigner gruff,
though kindly, instructions how to
find his way. He hears and sees nn
derstandlngly, I say. for he Is en on
timlst, and he Is seeking for God's
kingdom, although ho may know it
not. He is looking for the good in
men because he knows it Is there.
"As a man thlnketh in his heart
to Is he," and whether we shall be
seekrrs for God's kingdom of truth
or tervanta of the kingdom of the
devil depends -upon our purity ol
heart. ,
The kingdom within determines the
kingdom without; if tho kingdom
within be the kingdom of truth, of
purity, of unselfish kindness, then we
will find heaven without seeking very
far. We sometimes talk about seek
ing God's kingdom as though it must
t-ouia through some mighty upheaval
of nature or through some revolution.
God doesn't work that way. Super,
stitlous persons have arisen at va
rious times and have proclaimed the
coming of God's kingdom, but
short time since a sect in New Eng
land predicted thu end of the world
and the ushering in of heaven.. .And,
cow they are probably figuring out
io me future date for the coming of
God's kingdom with the crash of
:nunder and the rending of the earth.
God doesn't work tbst way. "And
mother parable spake Jesus unto
them. The kingdom of heaven is like
nuto leaven which a woman took and
bid In three measures of meal, till
the whole was leavened." Could any
type make plainer to us the process
for the realization of Ood's kingdom
ja the earth; Ilk leaven within the
dough, working silently, and slow,
growing gradually from ope. little
perm until the whole mass is alive
and rising. Could any parable be
more realUticf Ood's spirit dwelling
in veri ffi&iukilt. JiUU wmrlt U 01-
alive." "For He must reign till Ho
hath put all enemies under His feet."
"And when all things shall be sub
dued unto Htm, then shall the Son
also Himself be subject unto Him
that put all things under Him, that
Cod may be all iu all."
A Prayer.
O Lord, our light and our salva
tion, v. praise Thee for Thy greal
loving kindness to all Thy children of
earth. Thou art our refuge and
strength nnd our present help in
every trouble Weary and wayworn,
carrying burdens Thou hast offered to
bear, we come to Thee nnd find rest
unto our souls. Grant unto us the In
ward comfort of Thy shielding pres
ence, and walk and talk with us as
we journey onward and upward. Pre
serve within us the Christ ly ideal,
drawing ue ever closer into eternal
completeness and unity with Thee.
Give us grace to so serve out our day
'if life that at eventide we shall hear
Thy welcome call and enter with Joy
into tho heavenly rest and the glories
prepared through Christ Thy Son.
A Practical Religion.
Jesus became a man of the world,
and was familiar with the lowly
things of life In order that He might
show to the world that all men could
carry their religion to their work,
their pleasure, their relations with
tme another and their material activ
ity, Blatjy Henry Warren.
Smooth!
Robert . llarborough Sherard, a
magazine writer and grandson of the
poet Wordsworth, on his recent Amer
ican visit, gave a dinner at the Plaza
to a large number of magazine edi
tors. , , 1
Mr. Sherard was at hui best at this
dinner. In magazine circles. Ms
"mots" are still being quoted with
laughter.
One mot concerned the wine, a
vsry rich and fruity port which was
mrved In Kngllsh fashion, with the
fruit and nuts at the dinner's end.
All praised this win. As for Mr
Sherard, rolling It upon bis tongue.
then swallowing it with closed eyes,
b cried ecstatically:
"It slips down like an angel In a
pair ot velvet trousers!" -Washing-
ton Star.
men. ' The one great condition or
success in fishing for men is "follow
ing Jesus." Any one who Is not a
Antler of men Is not a follower of
Jesus. Simon arid Andrew showed
that they believed Jesus' promise and
appreciated His call by leaving all
and following Him (cf. Luke 5:11).
The one who would follow Him must
forsake all (Matt. 16:24; Luke 14:
33). Forsaking all will pay, for
those who forsake all gain all, for
time and eternity (cf. Matt. 19:27
29). There was no hesitation In their
obedience. "They straightaway left
the nets and followed Him." James
and John were also attending to their
proper business when Jesus called
them. They, too, unhesitatingly
obeyed.
III. Jesus Teaching, Preaching and j
Healing, 2:1.2.1. Jesus earthly min
istry was threefold teaching, preach
ing, healing. He taught In their syn
agogues as long as they would per
mit It. That was where the people
gathered . and that was where He
went, Tho word translated "Preach
ing" means "heralding." He her
alded the coming of the kingdom.
"Gospet" means "good news." and
there Is no better news than that the
kingdom of God is to be established
on earth and that Jesus Is to bn the
King. Jesus had a Gospel for the
body as well as for the soul, and to
day the Gospel is for the body as well
as the soul (Rom. 8:11; Jas. 5:14,
15). But Jesus' method of healing
was as wide apart as the poles from
that of the modern healer. There
were no treatments and He never
charged for His healing. It was also.
utterly different from the methods
of the "Immanuel Movement." There
was nothing that smacked of hypno
tism or other forms of demonism.
All manner of diseases and all man
ner of sickness yielded to His divine
power. The report of His mighty
power went forth far and wide. They
brought to Him all who needed His
help. Sickness, disease, torments,
demons, epilepsy, palsy, all yielded to
His word. He became very popular,
not because of His lofty teachings,
but because He healed men's Infirmi
ties. Men will go hundreds of miles
to get in contact with a healer, but
will not go a block to hoar a teacher.
The popularity that came to Him by
His healing was very distasteful to
our Saviour (cf. Mk. 1:43, 45).
BULBS CAME UP.
Tlobson "I planted ten sht'iifs
worth of bulbs on Saturday, and they
were all up on Monday."
Johson 'Great Scott! Rome new
electric dodg. I suppose?
' HooBon "No: your confounded
cat." Th Sketch.
Railways and Drink.
That railway accidents In this coun
try are due, In some degree, to th
use of alcohol by employes, Is assert
ed; at least by implication, .by Dr.
Henry O. Marcy, of Boston, in a lead
ing article In the Quarterly Journal
of Inebriety.
Dr. Marcy emphasizes the point
that it is not sufficient for trainmen
to keep from drinking while on duty,
they should be abstainers; otherwise
their nerves wilt not be strong enough
to stand the strain of their occupa
tion. Most railroads do not go as
far as this. Says the writer:
"The railroad authorities of the
United States are widely awake to the
dangers to their various systems,
from the monetary standpoint as
also from a humanitarian point of
view. As I have Just shown, every
railroad wreck Involves a large loss.
Therefore It behooves these great
companies not alone to especially
train their important servants,
watching carefully over their physical
condition, seeing to it that, as far as
possible, their duties are assigned
to them at regular hours, with an
insistence of taking proper rest and
food, and then demand of them when
on duty the highest type of possible
efficiency.
"In the army, no matter how fa
tigued, the sentinel has his four hours
of rest and his two hours of watchful
vigilance. Neglect of duty during
these two hours may endanger the
entire camp. Woe be then to the
sentinel caught sleeping at his post.
A court-martial and execution swiftly
follow as a stern warning to the fu
ture. In a large sense the engineer
and trainmen are sentinels on duty,
upon every one of the numberless
trains traversing the country. While
we may not shoot such derelict serv
ants, we certainly should bring to
bear every possible effort to secure
from them the best and safest service.
Hence the wisest teachings of the ef
fect of alcohol upon the human sys
tem should be disseminated, and es
tablish among these men the esprit
de corps of the service."
After quoting letters from officials
of the New York Central, Boston and
New Haven and Hartford roads, from
which It appears thatthese three com
panies absolutely prohibit the use of
Intoxicants by employes on duty. Dr.
Marcy Bays:
"These ltter3 show a commenda
ble spirit of watchfulness on the part
of the managers of our great railroad
syBtems. and I doubt not similar rules
are enforced with greater or less
stringency upon ill the railroads of
the country. The rule of thirty years
ago is now decidedly the exception,
and the type and character of our em
ployes in their self-respecting man
hood show a vast Improvement. To
those who desire to drink it Is yet all
too easy to furnish stimulants, but
each year the responsibility is more
and more placed upon the dispensers
of alcoholic beverages, as well as
those who partake of them.
"The London and Northwestern
Company have established a Total
Abstinence Union Society among its
employes, which society now numbers
over 12.000 members. The central
object of this society is not only to
promote total abstinence among its
members, but lessen the risk and dan
ger of the work and diminish acci
dents and lessen the worry and strain.
All members of this union are put on
the promotion list to receive an in
crease of wages every five years if
they remain In the same position and
are total abstainers.
"The Midland Railway Company
have encouraged their operatives to
form total abstinence societies and
pledge themselves not to use spirits
at any time or place. Preference is
given to all persons applying for pro
motion and larger wages who belong
to these societies. The company re
ports lets loss from accidents and
more perfect work by the members
of this society."
Testimony From the Bench.
Judge McAuley, of Kansas City, In
committing a "plain drunk," gave ut
terance to the following: "If I had
my way I would not only close every
saloou In the county Sunday and
week days, but I would stop the sale
of Intoxicating liquor in any shape or
for any purpose whatever. I would
make it a crime to manufacture the
stuff. This may be far reaching, but
the sentiment is justified by the sights
nnd experiences in this courtroom.
Ninety-five per cent, of the cases tried
here are tho direct results of whisky;
the other five per cent, includes mor
phine and cocaine fiends and a few
petty grievances that come before me
for adjustment.
"The woes that arise from the use
of whisky, the ruined men and wom
en, the broken families, the griefs
and tears all aired in this courtroom
are enough to turn gray the hair on
a buffalo robe."
Religious Reading
lOll THE QVJBT HOVH.
THE FEVER HEALED.
mm
ILuULK
f
J3 touched her hands and the fever left
her;
Oh I we need His touch on our fevered
hands;
The cool, still touch of th Man of Sor
rowu, Who knows us and loves us, snd under
stands. , '
It may he the fever of pain and anger,
When the wounded spirit is hard to bear,
And only the Lord can draw forth th
arrows
Left carelessly, cruelly, rankling there.
Whatever the fever. His touch csn heal it;
Whatever the tempest. His voice can
till
There is only joy as we seek His pleasure;
mere is only rest as wa choose rr.f win.
Christian Herald.
Christian Certainty.
How can one be sure that be is a
Christian? The Apostle John gives
rules which are In harmony with
other Scripture. "Hereby know we
that we are in Him;" "Whoso keepeth
His word, in him verily is the love of
God perfected." Obedience is a test.
"Ye know that everyone that doeth
righteousness is born of Him." An
other rule is in the words, "We know
that we have passed from death unto
life, because we love the brethren."
And still another In these words,
"We know that He abldeth In us by
the Spirit which He hath given us."
The Spirit bears witness with our
spirits that we are the children of
vruu. juuu gives hihu n ruiu uy wtuuii
the Spirit may be known. "Hereby
know we the Spirit of God. Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God."
He also declares his assurance of a
future meeting with and likeness to
Christ. "We know that when He
shall appear, we shall be like Him." .
John had faith in God as a hearer
and answerer of prayer. This is the
confidence that we have in Him, that
if we ask anything according to His
will, He heareth us, "And if we know
that He hears us, whatsoever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of Him."
With this assurance in regard to
prayer is associated an assurance of
sustaining grace in time of tempta
tion. "We know thut whosoever is
of God slnneth not; but he that is'
begotten of God keepeth himself, and
that wicked one toucheth him not."
This knowledge, however, did not
make him careless in regard to sin,
or vain of his security. He knew the
weakness of the flesh, and the
strength of .temptation. Hence, sum
ming up our knowledge of God and
Christ, and our own security and eter
nal life, ha said: "Every man that
hath this hope in him purlfieth him
self, even as He Is pure," and. closed
his epistle with the exhortation, "Lit
tle children, keep yourselves from
idols. Amen." Herald and Presbyter.
Actress Jokes th Kaiser.
Some of the Loudon papers which
ro rtlll exulting -over tuo uiscom-
flturu of the Berlin art expert. Dr.
liode, In th Leonardo bust contro
versy, have chronicled with great
gusto a "bon mot" attributed by a
French Journalist to Jeanne Granler,
the Parisian actress, who recently
played before, th Kaiser. , '
The story goes that after witness
ing Mme. Granler's performance at
Noudek th Kaiser assured her of
th keen Interest with which he had
always watched her career.
"I have followed all your tri
umphs," he said, "and I could tU
your ag within a month."
Whereupon Mint. Granler at one
replied:
"Your Majesty should not be too
sure. Th other day, when you were
guessing at th ag of a pretty wo
man, you war wrong by tnor than
tbre centuries."
Sum of our Gerraanophobss Wudld
swallow a much bigger story tuaa
Into Nw York. Tlmss. '
What Will Happen?
Saloonkeeper "If I am driven out
of this business I won't know what to
do."
Searchlight "Go into the tomb
stone business, and get the job of
erecting monuments over the graves
of those your business has slain."
No Signs of Reaction.
"Much has been said of a reaction
In the sweeping movement which has
made so much of the South and some
portions of the North dry, but up to
the present no substantial indications
of that reaction are in evidence," de
clares the Rochester Democrat-and
Chronicle.
A Windfall Message.
It was easy for the gossiping wo
man in the old story to obey when
her confessor told her to walk a mile,
scattering feathers. But the other
half of the penance was to go back
and gather them up again. The dif
ficulty of undoing scattered mischief
was her leseon.
Heaven has made it equally dif
ficult to undo scattered good. More
than that, we may believe that no
right deed or word is ever lost, while
many a wrong one is forgiven and
forgotten.
A leaf of an Australian newspaper,
left to the chance of the winds, was
tosBed about the plains of Victoria,
and finally blown to the foot-hills
beyond Ballarat, where a lonely shep
herd lived with his sheep in "the
bush."
One day he saw and picked up the
soiled paper, delighted to find some
thing he could read. To his disap
pointment, nearly the whole of one
page was covered by a printed ser
mon; but its opening sentences
caught his attention and held blra till
he began to be Interested. He de
voured every word, to the end of the
last column.
It was a sermon by Mr. Spurgeon.
The solitary, a man past middle life,
had been so long a stranger to every
thing Its theme and language ex
pressed, and so far away from the sa
cred scenes and privileges it sug
gested, that the human soul within
him had starved and withered, and
he had grown almost as numb and
neutral In moral feeling as the four
footed creatures he tended.
The reading of that discourse
shook him from the slumber of years.
He read It again and again; and the
gospel that was in It taught him and
lifted him and made him rejoice.
Five years later a minister in Gee
long, conversing with some of his
hearers after an evening service, wss
Introduced to a gray-haired man who
had a story to tell. He was the old
shepherd of the wilderness.
"I am a poor man," he said, when
he bad related how and where he
breathed his first Christian breath,
but God thought I was worth saving,
or He never would have blown that
leaf to me in the bush."
Not Merely Good, But Holy.
It Is not for us to despair of" grow
ing not merely pure, but good; not
merely good, but holy. God has
made us for that very thing; and,
what God Intends, that assuredly
will at last be done. He Is not wear
led of us; It is we who are weary of
our vain and vacillating selves. He
Is always forgiving. He stands by
every hour, watching all our poor
struggles, with pity and love.
Frances Power Cobbe.
Temperance Notes. '
The citizen is the State. A drunken
citizen means a drunken State. A
pauperized citizen means a pauperized
State. A corruut cltlzensblu means a
corrupt State. Prof Bssor A. A. Hop-J
kins, in "front ana loss la Man."
The Philadelphia Rapid Transit
Company, August 25, announced that
it would bereaftor refuse to ro-employ
any discharged inotormen and corf
ductor unless they would sign a total
pledge. General Manager Kruger de
clared no exceptions would be made.
Nebraska Prohibitionists, In an en
thusiastic two days' convention at
York, Neb., canvassed the situation;
and unanimously decided to launch a
battle for Stat prohibition with a,
demand for county prohibition legis
lation at the next legislative, session
as a first step. ;
, Whether the citizen shall bo sober
or drunken, may be first moral
question with th man himself, but
thereafter and directly in becomes a!
social question, ramifying through all
the avenues of social interdependence
and sesuliantly a political question
because In the man is the unit Of po-J
lltiall sovereignty. ,
Art of Living.
The greatest thing in living Is In
knowing how to get along with other
people. The highest stat of happi
ness can only coma from th moBt
perfect companionship.
Personal Success. (
Our personal success in work foe,
God depends much upon our methods,
for w have to deal with men as wo
find them and not as w should dJ
sir thm to be. '
FIXED FOR LIFE.
"It must be extremely gratlfrJit.
to you, Mrs. Chllders, to have your
-daughters all settled In life."
"Yes. indeed. Thank goodness th
dear girls ar all happily divorced."
Boston Transcript. y
, . AFFINITIES
Belle "p,i:t 3( you think rott and
he ar suited to each other?" ,
Nell "Oh, perfectly. Our fast
ar quite similar. I don't icsre ve"
much for him, and he dossn't arf
veiy much for m." Flcaro.
JANUARY SIXTEENTH
Topic Candles Under Bushels Matt.
6: 13-16.
The bushel of greed. Jude 11-23.
The bushel of fear. Jonah 1: 1-17.
The bushel of discouragement. 1
Kings 19: 1-8.
The bushel of doubt. 2 Chron. 1G:
1-10.
The bushel of cowardice. Matt. 26:
87-75.
The bushel of ease. Amos 6: 1-0.
Salt, even though it has its savor.
Is useless unless it Is in contact with
the thing to be salted.
Christ Is the Light of the world;
Christians are the world's light only
as Christ Is In them.
In Its results, the bushel of false
modesty Is as bad as the bushel of
sloth.
Mem are to see your good works,
but so as 10 glorify, not you, but
God.
Suggestions.
No light lights Itself; all light Is de
rived. Christ alone had light In Him
self, as He alone had life In Himself.
Make the most of yourself, not for
the sake of yourself, but for the sake
of others. Thus will you do the mosi
for yourself.
Speech Is one of the best candle
sticks for your light. Speaking for
Christ Is one of the best ways of liv
ing for Him.
Fear puts our light under a bushel:
fear of others and of ourselves, but
not fear of God.
Illustrations.
A good light makes other things
visible, but no one looks at It. An
elegant shade means a poor light.
Men are like an electric chandelier,
all dark when not a part of the great
current of power that flows from God.
They have invented a substitute for
searchlights, a shell that Is thrown
out far over the water and burns
there, but does not disclose the direc
tion from which It comes. Thus
Christians are to Illuminate the world.
In the old torch race each bearer
was nothing, but the torch, passed
from hand to band, was everything.
EPWQRTH LEAGUE LESSONS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16.
How to Hear God's Voice (Acts 22.
17; John 8. 43, 47; Rev. 1. 10.)
Acts 22. 17. The background of
this verse gives us the elements of
ot)1Ience and courage as conditions
for the hearing of God's voice. The
question "What shall I do. Lord?" ask
ed on the road to Damascus, and the
courage to go back to Jerusalem as
the apostle of the church he had so
bitterly persecuted, were good prepa
rations for the reception of divine
messages.
"While I prayed in the temple." The
place and the act were favorable. It
Is as we bring our spirits in tune with
his Spirit by meditation and prayer
that we hear the voice most clearly.
John 8. 43. There must be sympa
thetic attention before the words of
Christ can be received and under
stood. It Is not so much the keen
mind as the right heart that is need
ed for the reception of divine truth.
John 8. 47. The message here Is
the same. "He that is of God" will
be in a sympathtlc, receptive attitude,
and can thus "hear the word of God;"
and "Ye are not of God" indicates that
they had not this attitude and, there
fore, could not hear his word.
Rev. 1. 10. "In the Spirit" Is thus
the most propitious condition for hear
ing God's voice, and "on the Lord's
day" should be an added -Influence in
the same direction. ,
All of these texts agree in this, that
the condition of hearing is the desire
to hear. The man who is in rebellion
against God has, so broken connection
with him that ho Is In a poor position
to receive revelations from him. In
Isa. E5. 2, we are exhorted to "hearkeu
diligently" that we may hear. Ip
Job 11. 7., the question is asked.
"Canst thou by searching find out
God?" and the answer has come back
many times, "No." But John tells
us (1 John 4. 7.) "Everyone thar
loveth . . . knoweth God."
H0U5E!I0LDy
MATTER
( mag'
1
Table Flower Effects.
Do not feel that you must buy out
a hothouse and fruit stand in order
to have a handsome dinner table.
Wonderful effects can be had with a
few flowers and foliage. Also, do not
turn your table Into a Jeweler's shop.
Indianapolis News.
Baby's Tray Cloth.
The neatest tray cloth or tablecloth
protector for baby who dines with
the family Is made from white oil
cloth, but no covered with Its own
slip cover of heavy white linen as to
be concealed from sight. Two pieces'
of hemstitched or scalloped linen
very heavy, smooth damask linen
without a pattern is best are sewn
together along their edges so that
there Is a side opening into which to
slip the oilcloth.
One will be of little avail, unless
eveYy day Is washday. This little
comfort is necessary in sixes, to say
the least. New York Times.
Cleaning a Persian Cat.
Cats are very clean eaters, and aw
ways like to have their separata
saucers, which should be of blue and
white enamel, and kept spotless. A
bowl is best for the ordinary cat, but
a Persian should have a plate, as they
are not so likely to get their long
hair into their food.
It is bad for these animals to lie
about on cushions or near the fire, as
they love to do, and they should be
provided with an ordinary round bas
ket. Their coats should really be
brushed and combed every day, es
pecially during the moulting season,
as otherwise they swallow such a lot
of the fur that comes out in cleaning
themselves. New York Press. "
J
EXCUSED, WITH REASON.
Judges listen to all sorts of ex
suses from men wishing to avoid
lury duty, but seldom to one the
pathos of which Is as touching as is
:he case of a frontiersman who rode
!our . hundred and twenty miles to
tate it. The incident occurred in
California some years ago.
When Clerk Neale was calling th
oil of the grand jurymen in depart
nent number one he came to the
tame of Joe Mandivll. At the sound
if his name Mr. Mandivll stood up.
Tall, with slightly bent shoulders and
sltb an air about him that bespoke
he hardy frontiersman, h made a
itriklng figure in the court room.
"Your Honor," said he, "I should
ike to make a statement."
The Court signified permission, and
tlr. Mandivll continued: "I live away
p the Colorado River, a long ways
ibove Picacho Landing."
A few dapper young men about the
tourt room smiled audibly, but th
!rontlersman ran his hand through
lis hair and continued
"Fact Is, it's four hundred and
twenty miles the way I have to come
'roiu my home to this city, and when
! received word that I was summoned
( didn't have the money for the trip
ind was compelled to borrow fifty
lollars at two per cent, a month to
Jay my fare.
"I've got three little children out
:here on th desert, and they're all
ilone, for my wife died three months
tgo, and I ought to be home looking
if ter thos kids right now."
No on thought of laughing. Even
Jiose well-dressed youths sobered up
nost, surprisingly, and all listened in
.ently while th widower finished his
tory;
"I'v had a llttl troubl lately,"
s said, simply, "and a lot of assess
sent work on som mines needs to b
ion. I ought to be there to do it,
ind I'd Ilk to be excused."
'"I guess you may be," said tho
Court, and so Jo Mandivll went
bom to his threo tuotharles- children
out on the desert.
.Palms and Ferns.
In cold weather it is a capital plan
to wrap a silk handkerchief round
that portion of the roots of the palm
which protrude from the earth, while
at night the plants should be dravta
away from the window, or the latter
covered for some distance from the
floor with three or four thicknesses
of newspaper, so as to exclude the
draught.
One great fault which is often the
cause of failure in plant culture Is
that of changing the temperature of
the room too rapidly. To bring a
plant straight into a drawing room
from the nursery garden or green
house Is almost certain to affect its
health. If possible, the first week
after its introduction into the house
It should be kept in a perfectly
equable temperature between sixty
two degrees and sixty-four degrees
Fahrenheit. Draughts must ba
avoided, while It is impossible to be
too regular and systematic in the
matter of watering. New York Press.
Much Milk Wasted.
There Is no real necessity for the
waste of milk that goes on In many
households in city and country. The
uses of milk are manifold, and say
ing means only a little matter of look
ing into the variety of ways in which
It may be used.
Eggs poached In milk are more
delicate for the family and more
nourishing for the Invalid, says an
expert nurse. Breakfast rolls dipped .
in milk before reheating in the oven
are made much more crisp and de
sirable. A very dry loaf of bread
soaked In milk and then rebaked will
be so rejuvenated as to become al- t
most a freshly baked loaf.
For the dyspeptic member of the :
family bread on which fast boiling
milk is poured will not be an indiges
tible supper.
Indian meal should be boiled with
milk as a healthy supper for little
children, and eaten with cream as a
fat producing diet for too thin chil
dren. Rice and farina boiled In milk ar
more nourishing than the carelessly
thrown together cereals cooked la
water. In boiling Indian meal for
fried mush milk or half milk as a
molstener will facilitate the frying
and produce a rich brown color and
a delightful crlspness.
Morning's milk yields more cream
than evening's, and that taken at
noon yields least of all. Indianapolis
News.
2
INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL I7SK.
Young Woman Customer "I'd
Ilk som rice, pleaso. You hsre dif
ferent qualities, haven't you?"
Grocer ''Yes, miss weddlnc or
pudding?" Boston Transcrlat.
Cheese) Relish. Scald one cup of
milk, add three tablespoons of grated
cheese; when cheese Is melted, stir la
two and a half rolled crackers, piece
of butter the size of an English wal
nut and a pinch of salt. Serv hot as '
a relish with graham or rye bread.
French Toast. Beat three eggs
until very light and stir with hem
not quite a pint of milk.' Slice some
nice white bread and dip the slices
into the egg and milk, taking care
that both sides are covered with the
mixture. Then lay the slices on a
pan well buttered and fry ' brown.
Sprinkle powdered sugar and nutmeg
on each piece and serve hot.
Dnnana-Plneupple Cocktail. To be
served on a hot day in place of soup.
Cut three bananas in thin : round
slices, add tba Juice and pulp of on
grated pineapple, the Juice of two
oranges ' and juice of one ' lemon.
Ouard against getting' it too sweet.'
Set to cool In th Icebox, and serv
with a little shaved Ice or a small
piece of ice dropped in each glass. .
Sausage Pea Soup Take a pint of
dried green peas, wiish and set tof
simmer in a quart of water, Let slm-1
nier six hours. In the meantime chop!
fin three onions, fry In butter or!
pork fat till onions disappear, add this;
to the peas and rub th whole through
a colander. Add enough water toi
make It the right thickness and again,
set on the stove. Fry or bake two
sausages cut 'in even slices, and when
he soup Is done toss lu the slices of
sausages and serve.