'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