'I THE 0 PA. n a, "' feopGE Randolph aorriL and LILLIAN CI1E5TER ccwfw me tiro book ZOfPOHATION ILLUSTRATED SYNOPSIS. At n Mry rncotinx of th Murkd f'IUMn church Cull SnrKi'iit llit'iis to ilim-iips!in ubnut 1 1 10 Kiln of the church t 1 1 - ii. tils to Kilffinl K. Allimm, I''h1 t'niiMM Mil, mi J when ankt-1 her opln 1 in ( f t lie cluir i by Hcv. Hmltli lluyd, ' it U Bjii' ir-Mi! ly a lucrative butiu-! en'i i iirihf. Al;...!.n tukcs t!utl Him la Ii'k ini t.ir nr. When lis siikc sib Ik' Is n'i:l o to r t on the l.imvH ot hU ("H'tcmfn'i, she Bks tho ilmtuircior ones I in: "A'liy?" dull, returning In Iter Vn.-h- .Imi's Ii Miii- from her drive iviih Al 1 . I'imIm i M i s:i pi.i .i il In the ivn of lit-v. Hm !h !;uv,i, who Ik (.llhim tie r At h Im.IxI t ,,.,1-ty Call lln.U tho worl.l iinr-omfort 1 1 I ri:ll of men. un.l Alllnon 'i!n Jiiii h.iiK' nt that Iiih new ambition Ii in C'in'H'T fin world. Alhs"ti mnrt a f illi p ,l.:n .- i;iiiili.lailiin und conircl of f ie Millie t'.-n: p rtuiion svntt-m of "the V 'l'rt. Giul h onie.s popular. A!ll"ii chIph control 'if i taiivonmoTial triithV mid nri hii I i .tisurli th" V.'ci 1,-r cmrt l-u.-i n lit prnp-r'y of M irk-t Sipiaie hi r Ii. fl.nl vlmifc V nl.liT omit ami iiiwt line l: 'V'l tier.-, inn, tint the ralhe- dinl : itkct Sooaro church propom-s In hi!i! I v HI he o it of prolils wrmitf from "I : !.ir. She M-r,.m, s the center of iiihk p. He Htlr.L t.on for the ni'jn of h"r uunt'i Hoclul fct-t. . CHAPTER X Continued. Allison went over to hi wall map. with ii step In which th.r- pas the spring of a boy. A. L. Vance of the United States Supplies company, vhlcli controlled beef, stiitar anil prac tically all other food ptoiiucM, except those mighty necessities under the sways of the Standard Cereal com pany and Eldrldge Babbitt's National I 'airy Products consolidat ion, studied the buoyant Allison with i puzzled ex pression. He had seen Allison grow to tare-burdened manhood, and sud doiily Ed seemed twenty year young er. Only Eldrldge Babbitt knew the K'rn:t ot this miraculous rejuvenes cence, liahbltt had married late in life; a beautiful young woman! ' The key to the north and south sit uation Is here," said Allison, and he drew a firm, swift, green line down across the United State, branching at e;:rh end "Ceorge Daltyniple will be here In half an hour, and by that time I trust we may come to some agree ment." 'It depends on That you want," b'-.cmad Arthur Grandin, who, sitting beside the Immense llaverman, looked as If that giant had shrunk him by his mere proximity. "rreifiht, to begin with." stated Alli son, resuming his place at the head of the table, but not his seat. "You gen-tletm-n represent the largest freight use Interests In the United States. You nil know your relative products, and yet. In order to grasp this situation completely, I wish to enumerate them. I abbitt s National Dairy Products con solidation can swing the shipment of every ounce of butter, cjeum. cheese, ggs and poultry bandied in this coun try; Clark's Standard Cereal company, vhe.it. corn, oats, rice, barley, malt, flour, every oume of breadstuffs or (Cereal goods, grown on American soil; llaverman, the Amalgamated Metals Constructive company, - every pound of tron, lead and copper, and every ton of era, from the moment it leaves the f round until It appears as an iron web in a city sky or spans a river; Grandin, t!-e I'n'ion Fuel company, coal and wot.il, from Ala:-ka to Pennsylvania, with oil and all Its enormous by-prod-mc!s; Taylor, the American Textiles com;.iny, wool, cotton, Pax. the raw w:d f.nlshed material of every thread of clothing we wear, or any other tex tile v. e lire except silks; Vance, the United States Supplies rompany, meat, sugar, fruit, the main blond and sii:ev builders of the country, (ientle men, felve me the freightage controlled by your six companies, and III toss the rest of the country's freightage fo a be.;;ur." "Yea forsot Chifhcbi," liahbltt re rninriVd him, and Hanker Chisholm's white mutton chops turned pink from the appreciation which glowed In his ruddy-veined face. "Allison was quite right," returned b',g llaverman with a dry smile. "The freightage income on money Is an item scarcely worth considering." "(live the Atlantic-Pacific this freight, and, inside of two years, the entire business of the United Statej, with all its ramifications, will be merged In one management, and that management ours. We shall not need to absorb, nor purchase, a single rail road until It Is bankrupt." '.Sensible idea, Allison." approved Clark of the Standard Cereal company. "It's a logical proposition which I had In mind years ago." "Allison's stroke of genius, it seems to me, consists In getting us together," smiled llaverman, hanging his arm over the back of his chair. f.'ntiker '"hlsholm leaned forward on FIRST "DICTAGRAPH" IN USE "Ear af Dlonysius" Got as Good Re sults as Does the Modern Inven tion for Use of Eavesdroppers. Sicily Is rich In Greek antiquities. Soine cif the jest re clustered togeth er ba the outskirts of the old town of Syracuse A ery popular one Is the "Ear of Dlonysius," in the I.atonla del ParadiPo. old quarry used as t prison by the Creeks. Thewalla of this quarry are over 100 feet high, and lean Inward at an angle of about thirty degrees all chisel work, done by InnumcraMj slaves. The idea was to prevent any possibility of escape on the part of tho hapless prisoners con fined hiTe, and as a further precau tion Dlonysius had chiseled out In the i olid 'oek a Tast cavity, very similar, a seen from without, to a human ear, fev means of which he Is said to have t.Ffcned to the conversation of the captives. The Interior of the cavity ft In the shape of the letter "S," n-1 gradually tapers until at the ex-t.-m sitmniX you might perceive a 6h C.D.TODD the table, and stroked his round chin reflectively. "There would be some disorganization, and perhaps financial disorder, In the first two years," he considered; "but the railroads are al ready harassed too much by the gov ernment to thrive under competition, and, In the end, I believe this proposed centralization would be the best thing for the Interests of the country;" wherein Chisholm displayed that he was a estryman of Mar'.;ct Square church wherever he went. "What is your proposition?" asked Crandln, who, because of tho self-assertion necessitated by his diminutive size, seemed pompous, but was not. No pompous man could have merged the wood, coal and oil Interests, and, hav ing merged them, swung them over his own shoulder. Allison's answer consisted of one word. "Consolidation," he said. There was a moment of silence, while these men absorbed that simple idea, and glanced speculatively not at Allison, but at each other. They were kings, these heads of mighty corpora tions, whose. emissaries carried their sovereignties Into the farthest corners of the earth. Like friendly kings, they had helped each other in the protec tion of their several domains; but this ' as another matter. "That's a large proposition, Ed," stated Vance, very thoughtfully. All sense of levity had gone from this meeting. They had come, as they thought, to promote a large mutual In terest, but not to weid a Frankenstein. "I did not understand youf project to be so comprehensive. I fancied your idea to be thaf the various companies represented here, with Chisholm as financial controller, should take a mu tual Interest In the support of the Atlantic-Pacific, for the purpose of con solidating the railroad Interests of the country under one management, there by serving our own transportation needs." ' "Very well put, Vance," approved Taylor, smoothing his pointed mus tache. "That is a mere logical development of the railroad situation," returned Al lison. "If. I had not cemented this di rect route, someone would have made the consolidation you mention within tenyears, for the entire railroad situ ation has been disorganized since the death of three big men In that field; and the scattered holdings would be, and are, an easy prey for anyone vital ly interested enough to invade the in dustry. I have no Buch minor propo sition in mind. I propose, with the Atlantic-Pacific as a nucleus, to, first, as I have said, bring the financial ter minals of every mile of railroad In the United States Into one central ofTice. With this I then" propose to combine the National Dairy Products consolida tion, the Standard Cereal company, the Amalgamated Metals Constructive company, the Union Fuel, American Textiles, the United States Supplies, and tlie stupendous financial interests swayed by the banks tributary to the Majestic Trust company. I propose to weld these gigantic concern into one corporation, which shall be the mighti est organization the world has ever known. Hegiuning with the control of transportation, it will control all food, all arpa rcl, all construction materials, all fuel. From the shoes on his feet to the roof over his head, every man in the United States of America, from laborer to president, shall pay tribute to the International Transportation company. Gentlemen, If I have dn-anied big, it Is because I have dealt with men who deal only In large dn-arnfl. What I propose Is an empire greater than that ever Bwaed by any monarch in history. We eight men, who are here in this room, can build that empire with a scratch of a pen. and can hold it against the assaults of the world!" His voice rung as he finished, and Babbitt, looked at him in wonder. Al lison had always been a strong man, but now, in this second youth, he was an Antaeus springing fresh from the earth. There was a moment's lull, and then a nasal voice drawled Into the silence. "Allison;" It was the voice of old Joseph G. Chirk, who had built the Standard Cereal company out of one wheat elevator; "who Is to be the mon arch of your new empire?" For just a moment Allison looked about him. Vastly different as these men were, from the full-bearded Hav erman to the smooth-shaven old Jo seph G. Clark, there was some one ex pression which was the same In evry small hole through which the daylight comes. It was here that Dlonysius did his eavesdropping. The acoustic properties of this "ear" are extraor dinary, the slightest whisper being distinctly audible, while a loud noise, like the slamming of the door which gives access to "the "ear," produces a rapid succession of deafening re ports. Wide World Magazine. Afraid of Death. , "The pomp of death," said the wise Bacon, "frightens ug more than death Itself." The king o" terrors has no ter rors that we have not lent him. And yet who would disagree with the sen ttment of the unhappy Oscar Wilde? "Death is the only thing that ever ter rifies me. 1 hate It One can survive everything nowadays except death." Dut Wlide did not hate death when It finally came to release bis harassed and broken spirit Reason and com mon sense bid us neither to bate nor , to fear death, but simply to ignore it . until the hour comes, and then to a j cept it Just as we accept life. A Roman : stole philosopher was discoursing one i day oo life aid death. man, and that expression was tery. These mem by the. Bheer fx. of their personality, by the sheer di nance o( their wills, by the sheer Tir.j ity oi uieir purposes, uj uie sneer (jug ged persistence which balks at no ob stacle and hesitates at no foe, had fought Mad strangled and throttled their way to the top, until they stood head and shoulders above all the strong mjn of their respective do mains, safe from protest or dispute of sovereignty, because none has risen strong enough to do them battle. They were the undefeated champions of their classes, and the life of every man in that group was an epic! Who was to be monarch of the new empire? Allison answered that question as simply as he had the others. "The best man," he said. There had been seven big men In America. Now there were eight. They all recognized that. "Of course," went on Allison, "my proposition does not assume that any man here will begin by relinquishing control of his own particular branch of the International Transportation company; sugar, beef, Iron, steel, oil and the other commodities will all be under their present handling; but each branch will so support and benefit the other that the position of the consoli dation Itself will be Impregnable against competition or the assaults of government. The advantages of con trol, collection and distribution, are so vast that they far outweigh any pos sible question of personal aggrandize ment." "Don't hedge, Allison,", barked Ar thur Grandin. "You expressed it right in the first place. You're put ting it up to us to step out of the local championship class, and contend for the big belt." "The prize Isn't big enough," pro nounced W. T. Chisholm, as If he had decided for them all. As befitted his calling, he 'was slower minded than the rest. There are few quick turns In banking. "Not big enough?" repeated Allison. "Not big enough, when the Union Fuel company already supplies every can dle which goes Into the Sudan, runs the pumps on the Nile and the motor boats on the Yang-Tse-Kyang, supplies the oil for the lubrication of tbe car of Juggernaut, and works the propel ler of every aeroplane? Not big enough, when already the organiza tions represented here have driven their Industries Into every quarter of the earth? V hat shall you say when we Join to " our nucleus the great steamship lines and the foreign rail roads? Not big enough? Gentlemen, look herc!v He strode over to the big "I'll Jump on You Tomorrow In the Stock Exchange." globe. From New York to San Fran cisco a red lino had already been traced. Now he took a pencil In his hand, and placing the point at New York, gave the globe a whirl, girding It completely. "Gentlemen, there Is your empire!" Again the nasal voice of old Joseph G. Clark drawled into the silence. "I suggest that we discuss In detail the conditions of the consolidation." he remarked. The bell of Allison's house phone rang. "Mr. Dalrymple, sir," said the volco of Ephraim. "Very well," replied Allison. "Show him Into the study. Babbitt, will you read to the gentlemen this skeleton plan of organization? If you'll excuse me. I'll be back In five minutes." "Dalrymple?" Inquired Taylor. "Yes," answered Allison abstracted ly, and went into the study. Me and Dalrymple looked at each other silently for a moment, with the old enmity shining bet s een them. Dal rymple, a man five years Allison's senior, a brisk speaking man with a protruding Jaw and deep-set gray eyes, had done more than any other one hu man being to develop the transporta tion systems of New York, but his gift "They are Just the same," he said; "there is no difference between them." "Why don't you die, then, If there Is no difference?" one of bis disciples asked. "Hecause there la no difference," re turned the philosopher. Boston Globe. An American. A native of any part of North or South America Is literally an Ameri can, Bince be Is a native of one of the American continents. Usage, how ever, has narroAed the term so that "an American" Is generally under stood to be a citizen or native of tbe United States of America, while a native of Canada, Mexico, Central or South America is known as a "Cana dian," "Mexican," "Brazilian." "Guate malan," or the like. The reason for the usage does not lie In any feeling that the United States preempts, stands for, or overshadows the other parts of the estern hemisphere, but simply In. the fact that,' while Can ada, Mexico. Brazil, tbe United States of Colombia, etc.. are words wfclch admit of adjective formation, "Ameri can" is the only adject ve v blob cu 1 1 fate V-T S-Ht- K . " TV ' structlon, lu u's bad been In comb! 'Wryrnple bad gone Into justness. nple', I'm going to give you a Chance," saldj Allison briskly. "I want the Gulf & oeat Lakes Railroad sys tem." Dalrymple had produced a cigar while be waited for Allison, and now he lit it He sat on the corner of the study table and survnyed Allison crit ically, "I don't doubt It," he replied. ' "Tbe system is almost completed." "I'll accept a fair offer for your con trolling Interest," went on Allison. "And If I won't sell?" "Then I'll Jump on you tomorrow in the stock exenangerand take It away from you." Dalrymple smiled. "You can't do it. I own my con trolling Interest outright, and no stock gamblings on the board of trade can affect either a share of my stock or the earning capacity ot my railroad. When you drove me out of the trac tion field, I took advantage of my ex perience and Intrenched myself. Go on and gamble." "I wish you wouldn't lake that atti tude," returned Allison, troubled, "It looks to you as If I were pursuing you because of that old quarrel; but 1 want you to know that I'm not vin dictive." "f don't think you are," replied Dal rymple, with Infinite contempt. "You're J'JBt a damned hog." A hot flush swept over Allison's face, but It was gone in an InBlant. ' "It happens that I need the new Gulf & Great LakeB system," he went on, In a perfectly level voice; "and I prefer to buy it from you at a fair price." Dalrymple put on his bat. "It Isn't for sale," be stated. "Just a minute, Dalrymple," inter posed Allison. "I want to show you something. Look in here," and he opened the library door. Dalrymple stopped to the opening and saw, not merely'sevcn men, middle-aged and past, sitting around a library table, but practically all the freightage necessities of the United States and practically all its money, a power against which bis many million dollar railroad system was of no more opposition than a tay train. " the transportation department to be governed by a council composed of the representatives of the various other departments herein mentioned," droned on tbe Voice of Babbitt. . The representatives of the various other departments therein mentioned were bent ln concentrated attention on every sentence, and phrase,' and word, abd syllable Of that Important document, not omitting to pay impor tant attention to the pauses which an swered for commas; and none looked up. Dalrymple closed the door gently. "Now will you sell?" Inquired Alli son. For a moment tbe two men looked Into each other's eyes, while the old enmity, begun while they were still In the womb of time, lay chill between them. At one Instant, Dalrymple, whose Jaw muscles were working con vulsively, half raised his bands, as if he were minded to fall on Allison and strangle bim; and it was not tho fact that Allison was probably the strong er man which restcalned him, but a bigger pride. "No," he said, again with that In finite contempt in bis tone. "Break me." "All right," accepted Allison cheer fully, and even with relief; for his way was now free to pursue its normal course. He crossed to the dcor which opened Into the hall, and politely bowed Dalrymple Into tbe guidance of old Ephraim. "Dalrymple won't sell," be reported, when he rejoined bis fellow members of the International Transportation company. Joseph 0. Clark looked up from a set of Jotted memoranda which he bad been nonchalautly setting down dur ing the reading. "Weil pick it up in the stock mar ket," he carelessly suggested. "Can't," replied Allison, with equal carelessness. "He's Intrenched with solid control, and I imagine be doesn't owe a dollar." Chisholm, with his fingers In bis white mutton chops, was studying clean-shaven old Clark's memoranda. "A panic will be necessary, any how," he observed. "We'll acquire the road then." CHAPTER XI. Gail Solves the .Vedder Court Problem. Rev. Smith Boyd, rector of the richest church In the world, dropped his last collar button on the floor, and looked distinctly annoyed. The collar button rolled under his mahogany highboy, and concealed Itself carefully behind one of the legs. Rev. Smith Boyd, there being none to see, laid aside his high dignity, and got down on his knees, though not for any clerical purpose, whereat the little col lar button shone so brightly that the rector's bulging eye caught the glint of it. Ills hand swung round, at the end of a long arm, and captured it be fore It could hide any further, then be formed from the name of our coun try to denote Its citizens or to apply to Its Interests, Industries, cities, etc. Making a Concreft Buoy. Re-enforced concrete during the last few years has been Invading many fields which hitherto have been con sidered as belonging exclusively to Iron and Bteel. One of .the interesting Illustrations or this fact Is the con struction of a concrete buoy at King ston, Jamaica. It is state'd that the cost is only about 50 'per cent of tbe cost of a similar buoy made of steel To prevent the mooring chain from Injuring the bottom of the buoy 'the latter is made, concave. Tbe manhole cover was grouted Into Its place after the buoy was afloat Leakage la ban died by means of a pump-hole. Feats of Cider Drinking. Will cider which was drunk In Eng land even In the days of tbe Romans Increase In popularity as a result ol escaping the new taxation? A cen tury or so ap;o enormous quantities were cons umed, more particularly 1 I I X -VI'V VMM V rector withdrew bis throb- -ad and started to raise up, and bunik. d Jhe back of his head wlth crack on tbe bottom of an open draw er, near enough to tbe top to give him a good long sweep for momentum. This mishap being Just one degree be yond the point to which Rev. Smith Boyd bad been consecrated, be ejacu lated as follows; No, it is not respectful, nor proper; nor charitable, to set down what Rev. Smith Boyd, in that stress, ejaculated; but a beautiful, gray-haired lady, beau tiful with the sweetness of content and the happiness of gratified pride and tbe kindliness of humor, who bad paused at Rev. Smith Boyd's open door to inquire how soon be would be down to dinner, hastily covered her mouth with ber band, and moved away from the door, with moist blue, eyes, around which twinkled a dozen tiny wrinkles born of much smiling. When the dignified young rector came down to dinner, fully clothed and apparently in his right mind, his moth er, who was the beautiful gray-hnlred lady with the twinkling bluo eyes, He Laid Aside His Dignity and Got Down on His Hands and Knees. looked across the table and smiled In dulgently at his disguise; for be was not a grown-up, tall, broad-shouldered marr of thirty-two at all. In reality he was a shock-headed, slightly freckled, urchin of nine or ten, by tbe name of "Smltty on tho town commons, and "Tod" at home. "Aren't you becoming a trifle Irrita ble of late, Tod?" she Inquired with solicitude, wilefully suppressing a smile which flushed up In her as she remembered that ejaculation. It was shocking in a minister, of course, but she hud ever contended that ministers were, and should be, made of clay; and clay is friable. "Yes, mother, I believe I am," con fessed Rev. Smith Boyd, considering the matter with serious Impartiality Mrs. Boyd surveyed ber son with a practiced eye. "I think your appetite's dropping ofJ a little," she commented, and then she was Bhrewdly silent, though the twinkles of humor came back to ber eyes by and by. "I don't think you take enough social diversion," she finally advised him. "You should go out more. You should ride, walk, but always in the company of young and agreeable people. Hecause you are a rector is uo reason for you to spend your spare time In gloomy solitude, as you have been doing for the past week." Rev. Smith Boyd would have liked to state that he. bad been very busy, but he bad a conscience, which was a nuisance to him. He had spent most of bis spare time up in his study, with his chin in bis hand. "You are quite right, mother," he somberly confessed, and swallowed two spoonfuls of his soup. It was ex ccllent soup, but, after taking a bite of a wafer, he laid bis spoon on the edge of the plate. "I think I'll drive you out of the house. Tod," Mrs. Boyd decided, in the same tones she had used to employ when she had sent him to bed. "1 think I'll send you over to Sargent s tonight, to sing with Gail." The rector ot tbe richest church In the world flushed a trifle, and looked at the barley In the bottom of bis soup. His mother regarded him quiet ly, and the twinkles went cut of ber eyes. She had been bound to get al tho bottom of his irritability, and no she had arrived at It , "I would prefer not to go," he told her Btlfily, and the eyes which he lifted to her were coldly green. "I do not approve of MIbs Sargent." (TO BR CONTINUED.) History and Men, For, as 1 take It, universal history, the history of what man has accom plished In this world, is at bottom tbe history of the great men who have worked here. Carlyle. the cider districts, where thi drink Is still popular. In his Cambridge remin iscences Henry Gunning says that In 17fc8 when he was a tutor in Hereford shire he witnessed some extraordinary feats In cider drinking. Farm labor ers were aHoei to drink as much as they liked, and It was not unusual "for a man to rut bis lips to a wooden bottle containing four quarts and not remove them until he had emptied It." Exchange. Fate and Character Alike. It took tbe world many generation to recognize and to accept the simple truth that fate and character were the same. Even now, though It Is ad vocatcd virtually by all creeds and by all persons who think about the matter. It Ib rather an Idcaltstlo the ory than a practical reality. To take It Ittp the mind and the heart to care for It sumcientiy to put ;t control of the feelings, to give It, other words, loving recognition, la In turn from wayward and contradictory theories and to make a right itert Uvaift, ; fj' V muni Wyffl s4iL Jill) The Virgin Birth of Jesus By REV. JAMES M. GRAY, D. D. Dew of Moody Dibit IntUtuta of Chicago TKXT Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and llioy ' shall call liii nam Immanuel, which, beinir Interpreted, Is, God with us. Matthew 1:23. i The blessed 'season of the year has approached again when, in a peculiar sense, we contem plate the nntivlty ot our Lord and Savior. The fact that there ii no certainty as to the exact month, or day of the month, when he was born, will never militate against the ob servance of tho 25th of Dcccmbor as Christmas day. Would that It were observed with more rever ence than it is. and with more thought of hlra than of Santa Claus, the pagan god, In whose name the world passes round Us gifts. Nevertheless, it is of hlra that his people think, and they are glad ot a special opportunity to press bis name and his claims upon all who will give heed to them. ' Was He Born of a Virgin? It is the feature of his virgin birth that our text emphasizes, and that we have chosen to dwell upon in this dis course. Some ot the destructive crit ics ot the Bible as they are called, deny this. They are those who would empty It of the supernatural alto gether and hence destroy, faith In it as a divine revelation. Why they deny it Is simply because they do not want to believe it. They have no proof to the contrary, but have Just made up their minds that It is not so. Our proof Is the statements of the Bible. The earliest promise ot a re deemer lu Genesis 3:15 foreshadows it Tbe prophet Isaiah predicts It In chapter 7 of his prophecy at verse 14, and both Matthew in this place, and Luke in the first cnapter ot his Gospel, verses 28-35, corroborate it. Of course, Jt need not have been so. We do not say that God. might not have brought his son Into the world some other way, and that he still might have accomplished redemption for us; but if we question the record at this point, we make it liable to be questioned at spy point, and then tho door is opened to deny Christ and to deny redemption altogether. Reasonableness of It. Vhen you come to think of It why ehould not the Son of God havo been born in Just this way? If he were a pre-cxlstent Divine person as we know him to be, then some kind ot a birth were necessary. It must have been by natural generation or ot a virgin, and how could It have been In the natural way on account of sin? Jesus must be sinless to be a Savior ot sinners, and how could he be Bin- less unless he lied a virgin birth? Oh, what a mystery this is! God clothing himself with our nature that is the meaning of "Immanuel." And yet while the two natures In Christ are united they are not identl-' cal. There was a time simply when deity became man, It was not so eter nally. And yet notwithstanding this union there is no human nature 1n God. Men are by nature human and only human, for there was only one incarnation of the divine, and that was Christ. Meaning or the Two Natures. But It was necessary that Christ should be human, else how otherwise could he have sympathized with us in our Infirmity, and borne our sins In his own body on the tree? And it was necessary that he should have been divine, for how otherwise could his death have had, sufficient efficacy for such redemption? Oh, who will receive him today by faith as the divine-human Savior? This Is to know the peace and joy of salvation, and to enter upon the new year no longer as a servant ofsln but as a servant ot righteousness and of God. And was there ever grenter urgoncy than now to do this? The awful com motion In the world cannot be without moaning for the future; and perhaps tho very near future. But It is not only in the likelihood ot sudden death to thousands upon thousands of our fellow men that we find urgency for this appeal, but In an event ot much greater moment that stands back of all these things, and that is the coming of our Lord. He who came the first time as a babe and cradled in a manger, will come tbe second time, as the glorified Son of God and riding upon the clouds of heaven. He came before to save, he will come again to Judge. "Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salva tion," as we read in Hebrews 2:28. But unto them not looking for him. but instead, crying "Peace and Safe ty;" i. e., peace and safety in the world's methods ot bringing it about, will. find "sudden destruction coming upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall' not escape." We read this In Paul's second letter to the Thessalonlans at tfie fifth chap ter. Would to God that more would read it, and believe it. To Clean Mother-of-Pearl. Handles of mother-of-pearl or other articles of the 'same material may be restored by cleaning with pure olive oil and rubbing with a nail brush, fol lowed by a rubbing with a ploce ot chamois. ' Nothing to Be Ashamed Of. A man should never be ashamed to say he has been in the wrong, which Is but saying, In other words,. that he is wiser today than he was yesterday. k-Pope. 1 mm Lessqh .By.E. O. SELLER?! A(,lng Director o( Hunday School OW.j Moody Blbl. Instltut of Chlca(ro.,,H' (Copyright, lilt, WoUra Newtpipcr Union.) LESSON FOR DECEMBER 19 FALL AND CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL, LESSON TKXT II Kings J7.-7. U u 123). GOLDEN TKXT He that after belnr reproved hnrdvncth Ms nock shall iuj. denly be destroyed.-Prov. 2:L In the sweep of our six years' cycle of study we prefer to consider this let. son first and use the Christmas siorr (Luke 2:120) to illustrate the love of Uod which Israel (the last ten tribes) so basely outraged ere It passed Into oblivion. t,' The Stiff-Necked People, vv. 6-1 3. J lie fact (v. 6) of Israel s captivity has' always appealed to the Interest and tbe imaginations of men. The cause of tho captivity was threefold (1) They "had sinned" (r. 7). it was not a single offense but a course of action which was performed (a) openly, "walked" (v. 8). For 215 yean following Solomon's rolgn they had been openly Idolatrous and trospasscd upon God's grace, (b). "Secretly" (v, 9), Hosea's reign was the same as that of his 18 predecessors. Doubt less ho was a good diplomat and poll ticlan, though his vacillation between Egypt and Assyria brought ruin, tut In God s sight the secret acts and practices of the peoplo were open and known (Ps. 139:1-12; Heb. 5:13). Many today do In secret things "that were (are) not right." A clearer lint of demarcation' between the church and the world Is sadly needed, (2) They were consecrated to evil (vr. 10, 11). To cover our sins la not to prosper (Prov. 28:13), but if we con foss our sins God s Son will cover them.' by the forgiveness of his atone ment (Ps. 32:1-6; I John 1:9). Israel cared not, however, for bis forgive ness, despite the fact it was he that "brought .them tip out of tbe land ot Egypt." It is passing Btrange that Israel should so fully violate the ex press commands of God (Lev. 26:1; Deut. 26:21; Ex. 20:35, etc.). Some claim they did not possess the law, It being of a later date, a self-evident, ly foolish proposition, but even so, how can men of our time violate so many of the plain precepts of tho word of God?, Does this prove that the Bible does not exist? The an swer to this query Is a sufficient an swer to the destructive critics. ' Israel "sets up Idols'" (v. 10) and "burnt saerlfico" (see Deut. 12:31), which things they did "to provoke tho Lord to anger." - (3) 'Ihey abandonod them selves to evil. As though to remove all possibility of reformation they not alone "served Idols" (v. 12) but "they sold themselves to do that which was evil" (v. 17). II. The Sovereign God, w. 14-18. God's character and will had been fully set before the nation (Ex. 20: 3-6). Repeated warnings (v. 13) had been given by faithful prophets, also repeated fcrgivings, yet Israol ii (1) willful, they "would not hear" (t. 14), but deliberately followed In their fathers' footsteps. (2) Proud and vain (vv. 14, 15) and (H) utterly abandoned '(v. 17), and hence must receive tho Judgment of God's righteous nnger (see Ex. 20), or elso God is not right eous. Ho repeatedly sought to turn them aside, but they slew his faithful prophets (Matt. 21:33-35). God is calling In mercy with long sufforing In thlsiresent evil bko; unboliof in God and his word is still prevalent; skepticism, and loeso morals every where abound, and shall Cod go on and call forever? (Prov. 23:1; 1 Pet 3:9-10). III. The Savior of Men, Luke 2:1-20, Cod's love for Israel was manifest (made plain) through his loving acts and the messages of warning pro claimed by his prophets. But we have a more marvelous revelation M bit love In tbe person of his Son whose birthday we are about to observe, Samaria lost Its "crown of pride," but we may receive a crown of righteous ness as the "sons of God" (John 1: 12; II Tim. 4:8), but not so unless wo obey (John 14:23) his word. Let us therefore take up the an gcllc praise (1) "Glory to Cod in the highest;" highest heavens, highest de gree and quality of praise of him who Is infinitely wise and loving. (2) "On enrth peace" with Cod, with man, in tho Individual heart and among the nations. Feaco of conscience because of sin forgiven, in fact, all blessings, hap piness and prosperity because of peace duo to victory over sin which is the destroyer of peace. (3) "Good will toward men," those with whom God is well pleased, and ; God has good will only toward all men. Insists en Too Much. Tie trouble with the man who blows his own horn is that he so often insists on being the whole or chestra. Not Conducive to Sleep. "Porter, this berth fcas been slept in!" "No, sah; I assuah you, sab. Merely occupied. It's the one over the wheels, sah."--Puck. For Iron Rust on Napkins, Moisten the spats with soft wator, rub cream of tartar and then salt on both Bides and place in the sun to dry. v Making Complete Change. . One sure way to change a knocker to" a liooster is to lead the conversa . tlon around so as to get him to tK ing about himself. V Need of New Thought S' We lose vigor through thinking tlnually the same sot ot thoughts, if' thought is now life. Selocted. Jft U4
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