at blossoms bright perfume the air,
What plant jepars the farmer’s toil,
d will enric
Ee makes the landscape look so fair,
the worn-out soil?
Alfalfa.
at gow in loam and clay and sand, -
: at lifts the mortgage off the land,
] at crop is cut six times a year,
d no foul weeds in it appear-
Alfalfa.
A SONG OF ALFALFA.’
‘What makes the poult ood as gol :
‘When eggs are at a id sold, eu,
What makes the happy hols sl} Par, ov
roughout the da
Alfalfa.
What makes the swine so healthy feel,
'And never raise a byngry squeal,
That wholesome food that never fails
To put three curls into their tails?
Alfalfa.
. What makes all other stock look nice,
And bring the highest market price,
What fills the milk pail, feeds the calf,
And makes the old cow almost hugh!
Alfalfa.
While mothers graze t
What is the crop that always pays,
And will mature in forty days,
Resisting drought, the frost, the’ heat,”
Whose roots reach down one hundred feet?
. Alfalfa.
—R. E. Smith, in Farm and Ranch.
00500 EIEEITETD 0006 CURIETDE 80 eh .:,
¢ There were three of us—two South
American Indians and myself—sit-
Ring over our camp-fire one night, in
the mountains of Eastern Venezuela,
overlooking the Gulf of Paria. :
~The Indians were hunting for
orchids, and I for snakes, but each of
wus, in his pursuit, had had encoun-
gers with various beasts, birds and
reptiles.
eels, alligators, boa constrictors and
anacondas we talked of. !
“I've had many marvelous escape
from snakes,” said Saturnino—*“pois-
‘onous ones, I mean. Boa constrictors:
and anacondas I don’t much mind,
unless they are over fifteen feet long;
but the snake I dread the most, and
by some ill luck encounter oftenest, is
#the sleeper.” ”
« «The sleeper, ” said I. “Is hel
about six feet long, a yellow fellow
with a big head, a great biter, aloft
in the branches coiled up and sleep-
ing all day?” It was the snake known
to scientists as Xiphosoma hortula-
pum that I had in mind. He is a true
boa with the anal hooks—concerning
which I had made some important
gcientific observations during my resi-
dence in Trinidad in 1890. .These
gnakes are tree-snakes; they are rare-
fly found on the ground. They go
about hunting by night, and feed
largely on tree-rats and birds. They |
mre great biters, much dreaded by the
people, but really quite innocent of
venom.
“Yes, yes,” said he, “that’s the
very one. Many a fine root of orchids
I've had to lose on account of those
game sleepers. I dread them more
than I do the rattlesnake, or even
the bushmaster himself.” :
“QO Saturnino,” said I, “you needn’t.
fear the sleeper! He's not venom-
ous. The bite of a rat or a mouse
would be much more dangerous.”
“Not venomous!” cried both he and
Cipriano together; and they looked
at each other and then at me, smiling
broadly at my ignorance. Then both
of them joined in an earnest endeavor
to set me right.
“Don’t be unreasonable, senor!
Indians, white men and negroes all
say that the sleeper is deadly. Why,
there was Sebastiano, our uncle—he
was bitten, and would have died if
Mr. Solis hadn’t had a big jar of Caru-
pano rum in the house.
“They made our uncle drink rum
until he couldn't hold any more; and
it was four days before he recovered.
It cured him completely, and he never
swelled a bit, either.”
“Well, then, my dear friends,” said
I, “they came very near to killing
your poor uncle—poisoning him with
yum. The very fact that the bitten
part didn’t swell was enough to show
that the snake was not venomous at
all; because if he were venomous, all
the rum in the world would not have
prevented the swelling. Nor would it
ever cure any man of the bite of any
dangerous snake, if he had once got
a fatal injection of the venom.”
{ “But, senor, you don’t mean to
stand against the opinion of the
whole world?”
“Why, certainly I do,” said I. “I
stand out against the whole world,
when I know for sure the whole world
is wrong. Now,” I added, “you two
boys have over a hundred dollars’
worth of orchids already collected and
stored away in that cave up the moun-
tain. You can spare the whole day
to-morrow to go with me.
“We'll go down by the river. We'll
find a sleeper, and I'll let him bite
mie: and afterward I'll catch hold of
him and make him bite the dog; and
if neither I nor the dog suffer any-
thing whatsoever from the bite—
without applying any remedy at all—
will you believe me that the sleeper
is harmless?” :
“Yes,” said they together, “we will.
But we don’t wish you to take such
ark.”
“Risk!” said I, laughing. “There's
mo risk at all.”
They shrugged their shoulders and
sat gazing into the fire in silence.
They both looked sad and worried—
blaming themselves, I thought, for
having unintentionally pushed me on
to make a foolhardy venture.
The next morning at an early hour
we set out for the river.
The way those two Indians pleaded
with me not to let the sleeper bite me
was most pathetic, and this great
fear of theirs for my sake only made
ane the more determined to be bitten
for their sakes. I confess I don’t
hanker after a bit from any creature,
but I owed a debt of gratitude to
these two brothers, who had carefully
tended me when I was ill with ague
in the mountains; and it was too bad
that they should oftentimes lose val-
unable orchids because one of those
harmless snakes lay coiled in the
near-by branches.
We soon came to the river, and as
we had no canoe, we had to make
our way along the bank,which was
no easy matter, as there was such a
thick growth of vines in some places
that for many yards we never touched
ground at all. We walked and crept
gver the matted tangle.
it we might have stum-
Jaguars, monkeys, electric
2
.. F i
The Magical Bamboo. :
By G. R. :
0006 GCITIMED 0 © © 0 CEMENT. $1 5 ¢ TBD
O’Reilly.
bled on a boa constrictor or anaconda,
or laid a hand or a foot on a'fer-de-
lance or a bushmaster. All these
reptiles frequent the river bank. The
two Indians knew the danger along
the river bank as well as I did, so we
all kept silence and went on slowly,
with eyes and ears alert for every
sound or motion.
We must have gone on thus for
fully two hours without seeing any
snakes. Then we came to a long
stretch of open ground.
About a hundred yards down-
stream there were tall bamboos wav-
ing their feathery tops on the hither
as well as on the farther bank. Tired
with scrambling through the thicket,
we sat down in the shade of those
bamboos to rest.
The river tumbled noisily by us.
It was in flood; and on its yellow
water driftwood and floating rubbish
went bounding swiftly seaward. And
while we sat watching the tossing
waters, a great alligator came floating
round the bend. We sat quite still
while he passed; and he probably
sever saw us, for he lay there lazily
on the billowy surface, and allowed
himself to be carried along as if he
were enjoying a toboggan ride. If
he had seen us he would doubtless
have gone under.
“This ought to be a good place to
come upon a sleeper,” said Cipriano,
as he paused and looked about him.
“Yes,” I replied. “I've often seen
them in bamboos—and just look!
There's one coiled in the top of that
leafy cane stretching out over mid-
stream right opposite us, and neither
of you ever saw it.”
“Yes, I saw it,” said Saturnino,
“put 1 wouldn't tell vou, because I
want you to have nothing to do with
i
“Well,” said I, fearing that they
might refuse me their assistance in
catching the snake, because of their
anxiety for my safety, “I want to
get that snake, anyway, because he
looks different from those I have
caught before.”
“Why, hombre,” said Cipriano,
“how are you going to get him?
Don’t you see that his bamboo
reaches out from the farther side,
so that he hangs just over mid-
stream? ’Tis a long pole that would
reach out to where he is. You can’t
get at him. And unless you can make
the snake come over to you, I don’t
see how you are going to get him.”
“Aha!” said I. “You've just re-
minded me how to do it. I'll make
that snake come right over here to
me. But both of you will have to
help me.”
“Senor, I'll help you on one condi-
tion, and that is if you promise to
catch him without letting him bite
you.” .
“All right!” said I. “I promise!”
Now the river was fully sixty feet
across, and as the bamboo, in the
tip-end branches of which the snake
was coiled, hung out over the water
to about midstream, that would make
the distance between us and the snake
about thirty feet.
The plan which I was now about
to try I had used before on the Caroni
River, in the Island of Trinidad, and
1 felt sure of success if I could de-
pend on the steadiness of nerve and
the sirict obedience of my two red-
skinned companions.
“Look here!” said I. “I will do
what I've said if you will obey me
exactly in what I'll tell you to do.
There will be no danger whatever to
either of you, or to me, either. I'll
not allow the snake to get at any time
nearer to you than fifteen feet.”
“Yes, yes!” said they. “We'll do
carefully and exactly all you tell us.”
“First of all,” said I, “we’ll cut
two bamboo poles, long, but light and
easy to handle.”
... So, in the bamboo clump behind
us, I picked out the poles I needed.
Cipriano cut one and I the other.
When trimmed of leaves and branches
each pole was somewhat over thirty
feet long and fairly easy to handle,
although, being green, they were not
by any means as light as fishing rods.
Sharpening the butt of one of
these, I stuck it firmly in the bank
near the edge of the water, and then
leaned it over till its very tip was
just above the snake and among the
tops of the leaves and branches in
which he lay. From the snake to the
water: was about ten feet.
Calling the Indians over to me, I
got them both to lay hold of the
leaning bamboo, and told them tc
hold it exacfly in the same position.
Taking up my own pole, I carefully
advanced its tapering top toward the
snake. Very gently indeed "I “ad-
vanced it; and I held it more steady
and advanced it more gently as I
slowly pushed it in among the
branches.
With the slightest movement of my
wrist I made its top give the snake
just the faintest little poke.
He woke up at once and shot out
his head to see what was the matter.
I held my bamboo perfectly still
where it was—almost touching him
When, after a few seconds, I let it
touch him again, he shot out his head
somewhat farther, as much'as to say,
“Yes, something did certainly. touch
me ”
A few seconds more elapsed; and I'l
gave him another little poke; Where-
upon he séemed to say’ to rhimself,
“Déar me, now this is zeafiy igo
mich: - This place isn’t comfo e
any more. I'll move.” —
So he stretched up his head and
neck to climb higher, He found only
leaves and twigs, too thin and yield-
ing to climb on; but among them he
found the strong top of the Indian’s
pole.
“Aha! This is convenient,” thought
he, and he reached his chin over it.
Just then I touched the ‘coiled part
of him again, and he drew himself
farther up on the pole, for he had
nothing else to climb up on. A little
touch on his tail made him draw hime
self yet farther up on it; and soon
he lay with his entire body stretched
along it. Again I touched his tail,
and he began to advance along it, evi-
dently desirous of getting away from
whatever was. troubling him. He
moved very, very slowly. :
He was coming down the pole to-
ward the motionless Indians, whose
deathlike' immobility prevented him
from recognizing them for living be-
ings. From time to time he would
seem to hesitate, but a very, very
light touch on the tail kept him com-
ing. Soon he was half-way.
“Keep just as you are now,” said I
to the Indians. “I am going to take
the pole from you.” :
So I gently laid down my own pole,
and took hold of theirs.
“Now,” said I, “both of you move
off very. slowly up-stream for a few
steps. - And you, Cipriano; take up
my pole and gently touch his tail
with it whenever I tell you.”
Now the-snake, as soon as ever he
noticed our movements on’ the.bank,
had halfed in his approach, and lay.
perfectly still. He saw the two In-
dians moving slowly away up the
river bank, and he watched them.
They drew his attention away from
me.
“Touch him on the tail, Cipriano.”
So Cipriano touched him on the
tail, and he came on steadily, while
I slowly got the pole between my
legs, and with my left hand and
knees held it steady, while in the
same manner I advanced my right
hand up the pole and laid it, resting
on it, back down and palm up, with
the fingers extending to one side and
the thumb to the other, as if they
were: broken-off branch stumps.
To the snake they must have ap-
peared so, for he came on without
suspicion. Just as he was a few
inches from my hand, I said, “Touch
his tail, Cipriano,” and the slow-mov-
ing sleeper at once ran his head for-
ward between the outstretched fingers
and thumb. My hand closed on his
throat like the jaws of a trap. He
was my snake.
But he meant to fight for his lib-
erty. In an instant he was coiled
round my arm, drawing his coils
tighter and tighter.
“Magic! Magic!” cried the In-
dians. “That’s a magic bamboo.”
“Well,” ‘said I, “it's no “magic
snake, anyway. It's a real sure-
enough sleeper, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes,” answered they.
a real sleeper.”
“Look here, Saturnino!” said IL
“I've kept my promise. I've caught
the snake without letting him bite
me. But now I am free, and I'll let
him bite me for your sake, as I said
I would to prove to you that what I
told you is true.”
So I let the sleeper nip me twice
on the left arm. Little blood-drops
appeared on the skin, and the Indians
were horrified. They watched me
narrowly for some time after, think-
ing that they would begin {0 see me
suffering some evil effects.
But that night, after supper and
much talk, Saturnino said:
“Senor, I am going to proye your
words on myself.” 5. > x
So he went to the bag, got out the
snake by the throat, and made it bite
his left arm exactly as I had done.
For a few moments he looked quite
grave. Putting the snake back in its
bag, he came over and sat down again
by the fire.
“] thank you from my heart,
senor,” said he. “You have given me
knowledge that has taken away my
fear. The sleeper is never terrible to
me any more. For the future I will
take the orchids if a hundred sleep-
ers guard them.”—Youth’'s Come
panion. :
“He's
Educated Pig Does Police Duty.
Ever hear of a pig that’s a watch-
dog—or—that is, watchpig? Thomas
Kerens, of No. 200 Osago avenue, in
Kansas City, Kan., has no need for
a dog, he asserts, because Fannie,
an educated pig, does police duty in
his yard. Fannie doesn't allow
strangers to enter the yard. Of
course she doesn’t show displeasure
by barking or grunting, even,. but
she has a certain repulsive expression
that makes people hesitate before en-
tering when she runs toward them.
Fannie is a clean hog, Mr. Kerens as-
gerts, and doesn’t care about wallow-
ing in mud. Instead she prefers a
nice, clean bed of autumn leaves.—
New York Telegram.
The Japanese system of licensing
individual opium smokers ha atly
reduced the number of dru
Japan, and especially in F
Roosevelt’s Pathway
in Africae
By PETER MACQUEEN, F. R. G. S.
Thus a ride on the Uganda Rail-
way is unique and one of the most
interesting in all the world. For
we pass through a country where the
animal and human life is much the
same as it was in Europe 200,000
years ago. And here we see prim-
itive savagery walking hand in hand
with modern civilization, retaining
nearly all of its picturesqueness, but
divorced from its lust and cruelty.
I took this trip twice during the
summer of 1908. The fare is six
cents per mile first class, three cents
second class and one cent third class.
White men cannot’ go in the third
| class, and blacks cannot take first or
second. Settled comfortably in the
train, we drew out from the tropical
station of Mombasa, and crossing by
the Salisbury Bridge, 1700 feet long,
from the island to the mainland, we
plunge into the heart of Africa. The
engines are Baldwin locomotives from
Philadelphia, and twenty-seven of the
bridges and viaducts are of American
manufacture. When we stop at the
first station of Changamwe, we note
the natives clothed in light cottons
“ Americani.” This was formerly all
brought from America (hence its
name).
Our journey on the railway divides
itself into three sections. First, the
unhealthy scrubby coast land and in-
terior plateau, extending to Kiu sta-
tion, 267 miles inland and 4860 feet
in elevation. Natives and Indians
can live in this part, but the white
man withers and dies. At Voi, 103
miles, elevation 1830 feet, there is
an ‘excellent dak-bungalow, with a
restaurant as fine as any on the New
York Central lines. Also at Voi par-
ties of hunters leave the train for a
trip to the Kilimanjaro district in
German territory, 100 miles away.
All this first 267 miles is covered with
short, scrubby jungles, and is full of
malaria. One begins to see wild
zebras and an occasional antelope,
until Tsavo is reached, at 133 miles
from Mombasa.—Leslie’s Weekly.
On the Suspected List.
One day, after listening to a story
‘particularly offensive with age, Lin-
-coln McConnell, the Georgia evangel-
ist, told this: An old darkey went
into a store down in Georgia and
asked:
“Say, boss, you got any gunpowder
heah?”
“Yes, we have gunpowder.”
“Lemme see some of that theah
gunpowdah.”
The dealer showed him some.
“Pore a little of that powdah in
my hand.”
The old darkey took the powder
near the light, ran his forefinger
around and around in it, looked at it
critically, and then smelled it two
or three times.
“And you say this heah is pow-
dah?”
“Yes,” answered the dealer, sharp-
ly; “that is powder. What is the
matter wit hit?”
“Dunno, boss”—the darkey shook
his head doubtfully—*“but hit smells
to me like hit’s been done shot off
befoah.”—Judge.
Test For Wrappers.
“The hardest thing to wrap up,” -
said a shipping clerk, ‘is a violin. A
department store will often test a
new wrapper by giving him a violin
to do up. If he passes that test he is
all right.
“There is a parcel wrapping ma-
chine now. It threatens to do away
with the human wrapper. It can’t
do up a violin, though.
‘““Abroad bags and string, being ex-
pensive, are rarely used and the
young groceryman must be able to
wrap potatoes, flour and all sorts of
things in sheets of paper alone. He
gets a kind of knack. He lays his
flour or beans in a square of paper,
doubles the paper over and with an
end in each hand swings the parcel
round and round. Like magic, then,
it is done up and you can carry it
safely quite a hundred yards or so
provided you are careful.”—Minne-
apolis Journal.
Hedge of Roses.
It is not generally known what a
delightful feature a rose hedge may
become, even in the villa garden, or
such would more often be planted in
lieu of the ubiquitous privet.
Where the area of the garden is
limited, or where only a moderately
high hedge is desired for encircling
the rose garden or bordering a tennis
lawn, a selection should be made from
the China or menthly roses, the Jap-
anese or rugosa. roses and the Aus-
trian briars. If the garden is very
sheltered some of the stronger graw-
ing of the dwarf teas could be util-
jzed, and from the free flowering po-
fyantha group delightful little hedges
can be made that would grow to a |
height of three or four feet.—The
Gardener.
is .
Shortage in Chorus Girl Crop.
The famine in chorus girls is not
caused by any lack of pretty Ameri-
can girls. Thank heavens that is a
crop that will never fail! It is caused,
let us hope, simply because of the
larger growth of common sense,
which has taught our girls that the
joys and delights of home and home
folk, even though humble, are more
to be desired than the brief butterfly
existence of the stage; that the bright
sunlight and the happy smiles of real
friends are worth infinitely more ti:an
the garish footlights and the tinsel.
Let the chorus girl famine rage; it
will not be the homes that hunger for
the girls reared in love and for a
Pan Decadent,
In olden times Pan piped his lay,
But in these days of triolets,
I fear he’s thrown his pipe away
And substituted cigarettes. Lif
—Life.
Manful.
When a man neglects a duty, he
says: “I was too busy,” but usually
he was too lazy.—Atchison Globe.
Bobby's Amenities,
“Bobby, did you give a plece of
your cake to little ‘Sam Green?”
“Yessum, but I punched his face
first.”—Birmingham Age-Herald.
The Best Messenger.
Silicus—*‘I never send a man on a
fool's errand.”
Cynicus—‘‘No; it’s a better plan to
go yourself.”’—Philadelphia Record.
Blindness.
. First U. S. Senator—‘“What is a
blind partisan?”
Second U. S. Senator—*‘‘One who
doesn’t know the color of money.”’—
Life.
Natural Cause.
Little Willie— ‘Pop, why do they
call political jobs plums?”
Wise Father-—‘‘Because, my son,
it’s generally a grafting process
which produces them.”
The Way.
Blobbs—*“‘The sparrow is a nuis-
ance. I wonder how it would be pos-
sible to exterminate him?’’
Slobbs— “Make him fashionable for
women’s hats.”” — Philadelphia Rec-
ord.
So Are You.
“The professor says my bathing
suit is rather exiguous.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“1 don’t know. I'm going after
the dictionary now.” — Kansas City
Journal.
Disinterested.
Bacon—*Did you ever notice how
disinterested he seems to look when
he’s talking to himself?”
Egbert— ‘Oh, ves; he’s probably
~iving himself some advice.”—Yon-
ers Statesman.
Youthful Ingenuity.
“I want another box of pills I got
for mother yesterday.”
“pid your mother say they were
good?”
‘“No—but they just fit my airgun.”
—Fliegende Blaetter.
Her Reward.
Professor (to his aged cook)—
“You have now beentwenty-five years
in my service, Regina. As a reward
for your fidelity I have determined to
name the bug I recently discovered
after you.”’—Fliegende Blaetter.
Pointed.
First Drummer—‘ ‘My firm iaade
half a million in 1907.” ;
Second Drummer—* ‘My firm made
more than ten millions.”
“You must have a very Drofitable
line?” =
“Pins.”—Puck.
The Household Budget.
He—*I wonder if we can get along
all right.”
She—*‘‘Certainly. We can buy the
auto with the money father left me
and you will surely make enough to
pay for running it, don’t you think?”
—Puck.
The Bright Side.
Achilles was bemoaning his vulner«
able heel.
“It isn’t as bad as though your
Christmas stocking had a hole in it,”
they assured him.
Herewith he cheered up. — New
York Sun.
Timely Supplies.
“ 'Peahs ter me, Br'er Simpson, yo’
am doin’ a pow’ful lot ob joobilatin’
oveh one po’, measly coon.”
“> Tain’t only dat, Br'er Johnsing!
Ah done got a fo’-days’ job fo’ nex’
week:"” Eo» ; :
“Dat explanifies hit.”
“Sho! Now Ah kin t'row up de
| job.”’—Judge. . oF
On the Safe Side.
Visitor— “Well, son, what will you
‘be when you grow up?’
Tommy (aged nine)—“A soldier.”
Visitor—*‘But you will be in dan-
ger of getting killed.”
Tommy—**Who’ll kill me?”
Visitor—“Why, the enemy.”
Tommy—* Then I'll be the enemy.”
—Catholic News.
Grounds For Complaint.
“Any complaints, corporal?’ said
the colonel, making one morning a
personal inspection.
“Yes, sir. Taste that, sir,” said che
corporal promptly.
The colonel put the iiquid to his
lips.
*“Why;?* he said, ‘that’s the best
soup I ever tasted!”
“Yes, sir,” said the corporal, “and
the cook wants to call it coffee.”’—
er fate than the stage!—Wash-
1gton (D. C.) Herald.
Argonaut,
| phia Record.
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVORNOTES
Topic—Life Lessons for Me from the
Book of Genesis.—Gen. 1:
1-8; 26-31.
Temptation. Gen. 3: 1-11.
Faith and works. Gen. 6: 13-22.
The great surrender. Gen. 12: 1-7.
The suburbs of Sedom. Gen. 13: 5-
33.
Isaac, the sacrifice. Gen. 22: 1-19.
Jacob, the unforgotten. Gen. 28. 10-
22.
No science or philosophy has gone
beyond this statement, “In the begin-
ning—God” (v. 1.)
God saw that all nature was good;
and if He saw it thus; so must we
(v. 4.) #
Man, made in God's image, has
marred the likeness, ah how sadly!
Therefore we are not to think of Gad
as in man’s image (v. 27.)
“] have given''—those were God’s
first words to man; and they are His
words all through the Bible (v. 29.)
Twelve Books.
This year we are to enjoy’ twelve
lessons in twelve great books of the
Bible. The books were selected as
their favorites by a large company of
leading pastors and laymen on their
way to the International Christian
Erdeavor Convention at Seattle.
Most of these hooks are assigned as
consecration-meeting topics, since they
give the wildese liberty of testimony;
for the society is not to confine itself
to the Scripture passage chosen for
public reading, but is to range over
the entire book in each instance, com-
menting on any part of it.
” Lessons from Genesis.
Let us learn from Eve a lesson of °
contentment; let us not dare even to
wish for more than God gives.
From Adam let us learn a lesson of
manliness; do not dare even to wish
for more than God gives.
From Adam let us learn a lesson of
manliness; do not lay your sin to the
charge of any one else.
Cain’s lesson is the lesson of obedi-
ence. What is not done in God’s
way would better not be done at all.
Noah shall teach us the great les-
sons of faith. Every day needs an
ark.
Well for us if we get from Abra-
ham the lesson of complete surrender
to God’s will He was willing to
give up even God's promises, knowing
that ha atill had God.
EPWORTH LEAGUE LESSONS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24.
Light That Cannot Be Hidden—Matt.
3: 17;-17; 5; 16: 15; Mark 5:
7; 14: 61; 15: 30.
Matt. 3. 17 ; 17. 5;. Mark 5. 7; 15. 39.
These passages need no explana~
tion. They tell us what God, demons,
and a man could affirm about Jesus.
It is a striking coincidence that they
all affirmed the same thing: he is the
Son of God.
Maric. 14. 6% This is the .in-
quiry of “the high priest, the
representative of God on earth.
He was not asking for infor-
mation; he was cross-examining a
prisoner in order to convict him on his
own testimony. What Jesus said or
might have said made no difference;
the high priest had prejudged the case.
The echoes from the morning inquest
have been flinging back the fragments
of the question: Christ, the Son of the
Blessed—Son of the Blessed—Blessed.
Matt. 16. 15. Here is a verse
which for our study, we may
take. ‘out. of its chronological
order, and read it last. God
is affirming the peculiar relationship
and character of Jesus, demons are
hailing him as the Son of the Most
High, and a multitude of wondering
men and women whose names have
not come down to us are publishing to
one another their convictions concern-
ing him. The company of disciples
have talked among themselves but
they have made no open acknowledge-
ment of their belief. Jesus will bring
them’ to decision, will force them to
the discovery on which his purposes
depend; and so he puts the question
direct: “But who do ye say that [
am? Elijah? One of the prophets?”
Messiah?’ Simon answers with a leap
of vision: “Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God.” :
A T———————— RT SC. .
Any scheme of State roadmaking
and State maintenance of roads
adopted in Pennsylvania will only re-
sult in systematized jobbery unless
it shall follow upon the adoption of
a well-considered and comprehensive
plan of procedure. Our present sys-
tem is a failure, asserts the Philadel
A uniform method of
control and construction is needed, to
be carried into execution by train-
ed men of engineering capacity who
should remain in charge during good
behavior. Politics and political
influence should; ‘be altogether es-
chewed. The experiment of political
management of: public improvements
was woefully illustrated in Pennsyl-
vania in the building and wrecking ~
of the State canals. That experi-
ence should never be duplicated.
A DOUBLE WRITING TABLE.
The furniture makers have put
out a very good writing desk for a sit
ting room. It has an upright centre
piece filled with pigecn holes on both
sides. There is a lid on each side
which is large enough to be fitted
out with the usual desk implements.
Two people can sit at it comfortably
without staring into each other's
faces as the centre upright is higher
than the head-—New York Times.
Caller—Nellie is your mother in?
Nellie—Mother is out shopping.
Caller—When will she return, Nel-
lie?
Nellie - (calling up stairs).—' 'Mam-
ma, what shall I say now?"’-—Harper’s
Bazar.
bd bh ook oh hod hdd Ah ARP AAO
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