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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 1889)
....-,, . -k -i 1 1 itfi I THE SKINNERS. TlMir Essay to Enter Society and What Game of It. ANDY, it kinder earn as if we'd ought to go to tats here charity bell. We don't want to be stin gy with oar none? now we've got i,and besides, I've got hankering to go." "Nathan Skinner, be you in your senses!" asked bis wife. "Mandy.that'sjust where I be. Waal's to bender!" "Well, we're pretty couple to think i gaugtoabaU. How od was you your last fcjrthdaj!" "Handy, you needn't be throwing it up to feller that he's getting on to the shady aide of Ufa I'm willing to adn.it that I aiat quite so young as I was once, but you aiat so old as I be. It's on your account I mt thinking of it." "Well, Nathan, don't think of itany more. It's foolish" w Nathan slept very poorly that night. He was thinking of the ball. Poor, foolish fel low, he wanted Handy to have one more chance to shine. He said to himself: "Why, (hey couldn't none of the girlsVompare with tar. I'd like to know what's been the good of our coming to town if we ain't areola' to git inter sassiety. I've alien wasted to move in the bcstcircles and when tare's a chance to git acquainted with the Hallams and McDonalds and all thereat, what must Handy do but turn stubborn." He had set his heart on going and tie tjould not bear to give it up. At breakfast the next morning while Handy baked griddles' full of crisp, brown cakes, and Nathan heroically devoured them as they floated in rich amber sirup, he spoke: "Mandy, I've been thinking it's or duty to go." "To go to what. Nathan?" said Mrs. Skin ner, absently. She was thinking she must set something to tempt Nathan's appetite. "He never stopped oft with four griddles full when we was up home. It must be the air ain't quite so good here in the city," she thought. "Why, the charity ball," said Nathan, impatiently interrupting her reverie. 0, yes," answered Mrs. Skinner, recall ing herself; "Irememberyoudid speak ol it." "Speak of it! I say we mutt got 'He that givcth to the poor lendcth to the Lord,' yon know. Our money may be took away rem us if we don't uso it right." "Well, I can't help it. I'd like to help some of them awful poor folks, but I can't go to that ball, and, Nathan, I wouldn't quote Bible to git me to go." "You've got to, Mandy. I've set my boot down that we'll go, and I won't foe dis puted." If I were to tell you that Handy never in tended in the least to go, you would won der why she meekly answered: "Very well, Nathan, if you're so set on goin', I .supposo we'll go." Mandy was a wise woman, and she had naoi lived with Nathan Skinner all these -years without learning to let him. have his own way, apparently. "Good. Now, Handy, that sounds right " Yen know you'll have to have a new dress . and some other fixin's." ''Nathan Skinner, you're extravagant. . Such things is sinful. I snail just wear my 'Mack silk." "No, you won't do no such thing. I ain't taea a reading tho papers lately for nothin'. . If you'd noticed you'd a seen me studying 'thea new fashions. What was I lookin' &sr, a new gown fer my Mandy." Nathan leaned back in his chair, shut his eyes and said, meditatively: "I see ye a atandin' on that ball-room floor a wavin'a ostrich feather fan, yor back hair put up en the top of yer head, yer front haircut rnther Bhort and wavy like, and a dress let's see, what'll yer dress be! I think a party red velvet, and you'll wear gloves, Mandy, long ones, to reach plum to yer shoulder." He opened his eyes and said, briskly : 'Til SO with you and help you git things; you see I know yer taste is pretty sober and I ain't a-goin' to have you look glum. We'll have to git at it to-day, Mandy. After you git the dishes done up, we'll go down and ee what we can And." That day they were seen to enter every dry-goods store in the city. Nathan in variably took the lead. "Trot down yer best velvet," be, would say, 'I don't care how much it costs." The shade of velvet which he wanted was otto be found. He had an exaggerated notion in his mind, gleaned from some very flashy novel, as to the wonderful richness lrhich velvet might possess. A disappointed -eeuple they started home that night. "Let's give it up, Nathan." "Well, I rather think I won't. They keep -taore variety in them big stores down to New York, don't they! I'm a goin' to send there." He composed a letter beginning "Dear Sirs," and then there was a long pause. The letter when finished did not satisfy "it's oca dott to eo." Imt he described the thine ha waatari i aMrl v as he conld. Thea he eneloaed liberal check and directed it to one of the prominent New York houses. "We kin git yer other aria's tare, appose," he said The next night after supper, with an art falaess worthy of a diplomat, Nathan be gan to talk of "old times." Times when they had danced together. When he thoarht ho bad cautiously led up to the sub ject, he said: "Mandy, I was apractKia'a little upstairs, and I find I've kinder forgot en how some of them steps goes. It won't ,w no hurt to try 'em a little. Come on. ffaady, I shan't dance myself, but I want yw to practice a little so you'll be good sac Camber." Nathan held out his haadand Mandy took 4L Nathan's moveawats, althoagh rathe tiCaad awkward, showed his exceeding t as he whistled ueoiawnes, cat Or mfhi sv EMy H At tag off between "promenade all," "jem bands," "sachet to partners," "ale-ma left." Manny's dancing was something pleasant to see. Her plump, pretty figure, with the lines of youthful grace still ia it, showed to great advantage as she took the steps with Nathan, proving aft had not forgotten. The dress came. Nathan was a little dis appointed, but Uandy was pleased and al most wished she could go to the ball. Nathan, having ideas ef his own on the subject, they searched the whole city over before they found the right person to un dertake the making of the dress. Then Nathan said to her: "Now, I want it to fit amazin'. You can cut it a little low, for Mandy's got such a pretty neck. Make it stylish. Money don't need to bender." He stopped every day to ace how the mak ing progressed Just four days before the ball the dress came home ia a large box. Mandy was looking at it and wonderiug if she should not wait and let Nathan open it, when a city ambulance drove up to the house, and as Mandy with an agonized face opened the door, they brought Nathan in to her. "O, Nathan! what's the matter?" she cried, when she knew he was not killed. "I fell on a piece of ice and broke my leg, they say. Oh, Mandy, I'm afraid you can't go to the ball," ana be groaned. "Do you suppose I care for that when .you're hurt!" said Mandy. When the doctors had set the leg and told him it meant three months in bed, and when he felta little easier, they talked it all over. "I'm sorry on your account, Mandy. I did so want you to go, but you've, neve "WELL, IT THAT AIH'T A STUNSElfc" been very much sot on It. I guess you was right. Weain'tjusttheones to go. I sea it now, but I thought you'd enjoy it." "I novcr meant to go. I knew we'd be made fun of, but that dress did almost tempt me. I hadn't got the box opened when you was brought in. I wouldn't care; but it was awful foolish of you, Nathan, to , get it ; 1 wonder I let you." "You couldn't help yourself, Mandy, and J I ain't sorry, but I did want that dress to go to the ball." Later, Ruth Brown, their pretty young ' neighbor, came in to sit awhile. Ruth's i family were not rich, but they moved in the. ucsk nuuieiy. nuiu ium uccu uuvu ucascu with the Skinners. Their domestic life interested her. She liked to watch them together. She talked on and on, of a reception, a concert and the latest news of tho charity ball. "I want so to go. Frank Mitchell asked me to. I ought to have told him no, but 1 hoped there would be some way out, and I have even been wicked enough to pray for something to wear. Mamma and I have looked over every single article of clothing we both possess, and there is positively nothing left Frank is coming up to-night, and I shall have to tell him I can't go be cause I have nothing to wear," and poor lit tle Ruth burst into tears. "I'm provoked at myself for telling my troubles here when you have so much to bear, but I did so want to go," the sobs sub siding. "Nathan," said Mrs. Skinner, Iayingdown her knitting, "don't you think Ruth and me's about the same size ! Just wait a mo ment," and Mandy left the room. She returned with the big white box. When it was uncovered Ruth opened hei eyes wide, with wonder. "Oh I oh!" she cried; "you beautiful thing!" Yes ; it was beautiful. Even Nathan was satisfied. "Now, Ruth, you run up-stairs and try it on and then come down and show us," said Mrs. Skinner. I "But where did you get it!" asked Ruth. "I got it for Mandy to wear to the ball," said Nathan. Then between them they told the whole story. "I'm thankful we was kept from making fools of ourselves," said Mandy. When Ruth came down, managing her train with wonderful skill, Nathan raised himself on his elbow and exclaimed : "Well, . if that ain't a stunner !" Mandy walked over, threw her arms' around the girl's neck and kissed her as she said: There's the gloves and the other fixin's, too." So the wine-colored velvet went to the ball in spite of fate. Frank Mitchell had been counting on that opportunity for so long, and there was a question asked and answered there that night that made two people happy. Ruth still persists in saying: "I owe it all to the Skinners and the velvet dress Nathan got for his wife to wear to the ball." A. B. HtntuuT. MODERN PROVERBS. I we do not know how to waste time, we may be assured that time knows how to waste us. SwKiBZxocan be nothing more than the wit of a fool who deems it honorable to have such a strong dialect of the devil's lan guage. Sons men go to the country to cultivate their virtues; but it often turns out a mere recreation to give new vigor to their vices. TsuFTATiox comes like a river; we need power to go against its tide, but we can float along with it and arrive at the transgress or's destination without the moving of a muscle. Baoonae. The etMS Vfcmlb. "Jeptha," said Mrs. Jones as her hus band sat reading bis paper, "I wish yon would buy some of that lovely Cheddar cheese in the market." "How much is it!" snarled Joaes. "Only fifty cento a pound, dear I" "Well, I should Cheddar!" said the reck less nun as he returned to Ida reading. HeWasRtgfc. "All about the Jones-Smith divorce and the n' earthquake," called a newsboy ia the street-car. Thea a meek-lookiag man get up and, nouing 10 a strap lor support, remarked : "i atways taoagat the before the divorce." COMMON SENSE NEEDED. Or. Talmage on the Necessity of Church Reforms. Common Sense as Necessary ia Religion as ia BaslaeM Attain It Should Be Exercised la Prayer and Is All Other Religions Duties. During bis summer vacation Rev. T. De Witt Talmage visited Montana and in a sermon at Livingston took for his subject: '-Outwitted by the World" His text was, 8t Luke xvi. 8: "The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." Following is the sermon: That is another way of saying that Christians are not so skillful in the manipulation of spiritual affairs as world lings are skillful in the management of temporalities. I see all around me people who are alert; earnest, concentrated and skillful in monetary matters, who in the affairs of the soul are laggards, inane, inert The great want of this world is more common sense in matters of religion. If one-half of the skill and fcrcefulness em ployed in matters of business had been employed in trying to make the world better, within ten years the lastjuggar naut would fall, the last throne of oppres sion upset, the last iniquity tumiJe and the anthem that was chanted over Beth lehem on Christmas night would be echoed and re-echoed from all nations and kindred and people: Glory to Godin the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." Some years ago, on a train going to ward the Southwest, as the porter of the sleeping car was making up the berths at the evening tide, I taw a man kneel down to pray. Worldly people looked on, as much as to say: '"What does this mean?" I suppose the most of the people in the car thought the man was either insane or that he was a fanatic: but be disturbed no one when he knelt and he disturbed no one when he arose. In after conversation I found that he was a member of a church in my own city, that be was a seafaring man and that he was on bis way to New Orleans to take charge of a vessel. I hoagbt then, as I think now, that ten -uch men men with courage for God as chat man had would bring the whole city to Christ; a thousand such men would bring this whole .and to God; ten thousand such men, in a short time, would bring the whole earth into the kingdom of Jesus. That he was successful in worldly affairs I found out That be was skilllul in spiritual affairs, you are already well persuaded. If men bad the courage, the pluck, the alertness, the acumen, the industry, the common sense in matters of the soul that they have in earthly matters, this would be a very different kind of world to live in. In the first place we want more com mon sense in the building and conduct of churches. The idea of adapt I veness is al ways paramount in any other kind of structure. If bankers meet together and they resolve upon putting up a bank, the bank is especially adapted to banking purposes; if a manufacturing company pat up a building, it is adapted to manu facturing purposes; but adaptiveness is not always the question in the rearing of churches. In many of our churches we want more light, more room, more venti lation, more comfort Vast sums of money are expended on ecclesiastical structures, and men sit down in them, and you ask a man how be likes the church; he says: "I like it very well, but I can't hear." As though a shawl factory were good for every thing bat making shawls The voice of the preacher dashes against the pi lars. Men sit down ander the shadows of the Gothic arches and shiver, and feel they must be getting religion, or something else, they feel uncomfortable. O, my friends, we want more common sense in the rearing of churches. Tfcere is no excuse for lack of light when the heavens are fall of it; no excuse for lack of fresh air when the world swims in it It ought to be an expression, not only of our spiritual happiness, but for our phys ical comfort when we say: "How ami able are Thy tabernae'ea, O Lord of hosts! A day in Thy courts is better than a thou sand!" Again I remark, we want more common sense in the obtainingof religious hope. All men understand that in order to succeed in worldly directions they must concen trate. They think on that one subject un til their minds take fire with the velocity of their own thoughts. All their acumen, all their strategy, all their wisdom, all their common sense they put in that one direction, and they succeed. But how sel dom, it is true ia the matter of seekiag after God. While no man expect) to ac complish any thing for this world without concentratloa.and enthusiasm, how many there are expecting after awhile to get into the Kingdom of God without the ase of any such m-ans. A m Her in California, many years ago, held ap a sparkle of gold until it be witched nations. Tens of thousands of people left their homes. They took their blankets and their pickaxes and their pistols and went to the wilds of Califor nia. Cities sprang up suddenly on the Pacific coast. Merchants pnt aside their elegant apparel and put on the miner's garb. All the land was fnll of the talk about gold. Gold ia the eyes, gold ia the ears, gold ia the wake of ships, gold ia the street gold, gold, gold. Word comes to ns that the mountain of God's love is full of bright treasure; that men have been digging there and have brought ap gold, and amethyst and carbnnc: and jasper, and sardonyx, and rhryitoprasus, and all the precious stones out of which the walls of Heaven were builded. Word comes of a maa who, digging in that mine for one hour, has brought ap treasures worth more than all the stars that keep vigil over our sick and dyi:g world. Is it a bogus company that is formed? Is it undeveloped territory? O no. the story is true. There are thousands of people in this audience who would be willing to rise and testify that they have discovered the gold and have it ia their possession. Notwithstanding all this, what is the circumstance? One would suppose that the aaanaacemeat would send people in great exe cement ap aad down our streets, that at raidn ght men would knock at your door, asking how they may get those treasures. Instead of that, maay or ns pat our hands behind oar back aad walk ap aad dowa in front of the mine of eternal riches aad say: "Well, if I am to be saved, I will be saved, aad if I am to be damned I will be damned, aad there is nothing to do about it" Why, ay brot her. you do aot do that wny ia business matters? Why do yoa not to-morrow go to your store aad sit dowa aad fold your arms aad say: "If those goods are to be sold they will be sold, aad if they are aot to be sold they will not be sold; there is nothing for me to do about it" No. yoa dispatch your agents, yea arfnt year ad vertisement s, you adorn your show win dows, you push those goods, yon use the instrumentality. O that m-n were as wise ia the matter of the soul as tbey are wise ia the matter of dollars and cents ! This doctrine of God's sovereignty, how it is misquoted and spoken of as though it were an iroa chain which bound us hand and foot for time and for eternity, when, so far from that in every fiber of yoor tody, in every faculty of your mind, in evry passion of your soul, you are a free man and it is no more a matter of free choice whether you will to-morrow go abroad or stay at home, than it is this moment a matter of free choice whether you will accept Christ or reject Him. In all the army of banners there is not oae conscript Men are to be dragooned into Heaven. Among all the tens of thousands of the Lord's soldiery there is not one man but will tell you: "I chose Christ; I wantel Him; I deired to be in His ser vice; I am not a conscript 1 am a volun teer." O. that men bad the same common sense in the matters of religion that tbey have in the matters of the world the same concentration, the same push, the same enthusiasm! In the one case a sec ular enthusiasm; in the other, a conse cratO'l enthusia-m. Again I remark: We want more common sense in the building no and enlarging of our Christian character. There are men here who have for forty years been run ning the Christian race and they have not run a quarter of a mile. No business man would be willing to have his investments unaccumulative. If you invest a dollar you exptcc that dollar to come home bringing another dollar on its back. What would you think of a man who should invest $10,000 in a monetary institution, then go off five years, make no inquiry in regard to the investment then come back, step up to the cashier of the institution and say: "Have you kept thoe $10,000 safely that I lo-lged with you?" but asking no question about inter est or about dividend. Why. you say, "That is not common sense." Neither is it but that is the wav we act in matters of the soul. We make a far m re im portant investm ut than $10,000. We in vest our souL It Is accumulative? Are we crowing in grace? Are we getting bet ter? Are we getting worse? God declares many dividends but we do not collect them, we do not ask about them, we do not want them. O, that in this matter of accumulation we were as wise in tho mat ters of the soul as we are in the matter of the wrM! How little common sense in the reading of the Scriptures ? We get any other book and we open it and we ay: "Now, what does this book man to teach me? 'It is a book on astronomy: it will teach me as tronomy. It is a book on political econo my; it will teach me political economy." Taking up the Bible, do we ask ourselves what it means to teach? It means to do just one thing; get the world converted and get us all to Heaven. Thit is what it proposes to da But instead of that we go into the Bible as botanists to pick flowers, or we go as pugilists to get something to ngnt other Christians with, or we go as 1 gicians trying t3 sharpen our m-ntal faculties for a better argument and we do not like this a boat the Bible and we d not like that and we do not like the other thing. What would you think of a man lost on the mountain-? Night basccm down; be can not find his way home and be sees a light in a mountain cabin; he goes to it, he knocks at the door; the mountaineer comes out and finds the trav eler aad says: "VVelL here 1 have a lan tern; you can take it and it will guide you on your way home." And suppose that man sh"uM say: "I don't like that lan tern; I don't like the handle of it; there are ten or fifteen things about it I don't like; if you can't give me a better lantern than that I won't have any." Now, God says this Bible is to be a lamp to our feet and a lantern to our path, to guide ns through the midnight of this world to the gates of the celestial ciy. We take hold of it in sharp criticism, and deprecate this, and deprecate that O, how much wiser we would be if by its holy light we found our way to our ever lasting home! Then we do not read the Bible as we read other books. We read it perhaps lour or ave minutes just b fore we retire atnighr. We are weary and sleepy, so t omnolent we hardly know wh ch end of the book is up. We drop our eye perhaps on the story of Samson and the foxes, or upon some genealogical table, important in its place, but stirring no more religious emotion than the announcement that omebody begat somebody else aud he be gat somebody else, instead of opening the book and saying: "Now I must read for my immortal lire. Mv eternal destiny is involved in this book" How little we use common sense in prayer! We say: "O. Lord, give me this," and aO. Lord, give me that." aad 'O, Lord, give me something else," and we do not expect to get it we do not know we have it We bare no anxiety about it We do not watch and wait for its coming. As a merchant yon telegraph or yoa write to some other city for a bill of goods. Yoa say: "Send me by such ex press, or by such a steamer, or bv aach a rail train." The day arrives. You sead yoar wagon to the ilepot or to the wharf. The goods do not come. Yoa immediately telegrupb: "What is the matter with the goods? We haven't received them. Send them right away. We want them now. or we don't want them at alL" And yoa keep writing, and you keep telegraphing, aad yon keep sending yoar wagon to the depot or to the express office, or to the wharf; until you get the goods. In matters of religion we are not so wise as that We ask certaia things to be seat from Heaven. We do aot know whether tbey o me or not We have aot any especial anxiety as to whether they come or not We may get them and my not get them. Instead of at seven o'clooc in the morning saying: "Have I got that blessing?" at twelve o'clock noonday ask ing: "Have I got that blessing?" a sevea o'clock ia the evenine saying: "Have I received that blessing?" aad aot getting it pl-ading, pleading begging, begging asking, asking until you g tit Now. my brethren, is not that conm n sense? If we ask a thing from God, who has swora by His eternal throne that He will do that which we ask, is it aot common sense that we should watch aad wait until we get it? Bat I remark again: We waat more common sense in doi g ;ood. How maay people there are who waat to do good aad yet are dead failures? Why is it? They do not exercise the same tact thesnm ingenuity, the same stratagem, the same common sense ia the work of Christ that they do ia worldly things. Otherwise they would succeed in this direction as well as they succeed ia the other. There are maay men who have an arrogant way with them, although they may aot feel arrogant Or they have a patronizing way. They talk to a maa of Ut world ia a manner which seems to say: ''Don't yon wish yea were as good as I am? Why. 1 have to look clear down before I you, yoa are so far beneath me." That meaner always dissasts. always drives rasa away from the kingdom of Jesus Christ instead of bringing them in. When I was a lad I was oae day la village store and there was a large group of yonng mea there full of rollicking and fun, ana a Christian man came in, aad witbout any introduction of tue subject and while they were in great hilarity said to one of them: "George, what is the first step of wisdom?" George looked up and said: "Every man to mind hisowa business." Well, It was a very rough answer, but it was provoked. Rel g.oa had been hurled in there as though it were a bomishelL We must ba adroit in the presentation of religion to the world. Do you suppose that Mary in her con versation with Christ lost her simplicity? or that Paul, thundering from Mars Hill, took the pulpit tone? Why is it people can not talk as naturally in prayer meet ing and on relish us subjects as they do in worldty circles? For no one ever succeeds in any kind of Christian work uness be works natmally. We want to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ, who plucked a po-m from the grass of the field. We all want to imitate Him who ta.ked with farmers about the man who went forth to sow. and talked with the fishermen about the drawn net that brought in fish of all sorts, and talked with the vine dressor about the idler in the vineyard, and talked with those newly affi anced about the marriage supper, and talked with the man cramped in money matters about the two debt ors, and talked with the women about the yeast that leavened the whole lump, and talked with he shepherd about the lot sheep. O, we might gather even the stars of the sky and twist them like forget-me-nots in the garland of Jesus. We must bring every thing to Him the wealth of langung?, the tenderness of sentiment, the delicacy of morning dew. the saffron of floating cloud, the tangled surf ot the tossing sea. the bursting thunder guns of the storm's bombardment Yes, every star must point down to Him, every helio trope must breathe His praise, evnry drop in the summer shower must flash His glory, all the tree branches of the forest must thrum their music ia the grand march which shall celebrate a world re deemed. Now, all this being so, what is ths com mon sense thing for you aad for m to do? What we do I think will depend upon three great facta. The first fact that sin has ruined us. It has blasted boiy, mind and souL We want no Bible to prove that we are sinners. Any man who is not willing to acknowledge himself as imperfect and a sinful being is simp y a fool and not to be argued with. We all feel that sin has disorganized our entire nature. That is one fact. A"other fact is that Christ came to reconstiuct to restore, to revise, to correct to redeem. 1 hat i a second fact. The third fact is that the only time we are sure Christ will pardon ns is the present Now, what is the common sense thing for us to do in view of tbese three facss? You will agree with me to quit sin, take Christ and take Him now. Suppose some business man in whose skill you ha 1 par feet confidence should tell yoa that to morrow (Mondny) morning between eleven and twelve o'clock you could bv a certain financial transaction make $i009, but that on Tuesday perhaps you might make it but there would not be aay pos it iveness about it and on Wednesday there would not bo so much, and Thurs day less, and Friday les, aad so on less and less when would you attend to the matter? Why. year com mon sense would dictate: "Immedi ately I will n tend to that matter between eleven and twelve o'clock to-morrow (Monday) mornin?, for then I can sorely accomplish ir. but on Tuesday I may not and on Wednesday there is less prospect I will attend to it o-morrow." Now. let us bring our common sense in this matter of religion. Here are the hopes of the Gospel We any get them now. To-onorr w we may get them and we may not N xt dav we may and we may not The prospect les and less and les and less. The only sure time now now. I would not talk to you in this way if I did not know that Christ was able to save all the people, and save thou-ands as easily as save one. I would not go into a hospital and tear off the baadages from the wounds if I had no balm to apply. I would aot have the face to tell a maa he is a sinner unless I had at the same time the author ity of saving he may be av-d. Suppose in Venice there is a Raphael, a faded picture. It is nearly faded away. Y n say: "O. what a pity that so woaderfu a picture by Raphael should be nearly de faced!" After a while a maa comes an. very unskillful in art aad be proposes to retonchit Yoa aay: "Stand off! I would rather have it just as it is; yoa will oaly make it worse." After a while there comes an artist who was the equal of Raphael. He says: "I will retouch that lictnre aad bring out all its original power." You have full con fidence in his abiity. He X aches it here and there. Feature after feature cornea forth and when he is doae with the pict ure it is complete in all its original power. Now God impressed His image m our race, bat that image has been defaced for hundreds aad for thousands of years, getting fainter and fainter. Here coms ap a divine Raphael. He says: I can restore that pc; are" He has all power in Heaven aad on earth. He is the equal of the One who made th picture, the image of God la oar soaL He touches this sia aad it i gone, that transgression and it dsappears and all the defacement van ishes aad "where sin abounded grace doth much more abound." Will you have the defac- m at or will yoa hav the res toration? I am well persuaded that if I could by a touch of Heavenly pathos in two m notes put before y n what has been don to save your soul there woald be an motional ide overwhelming. "Mamma." said a little child to her mother when she was being pat to bed at eight "mamma, what makes your hand so scarred aad twisted aad aalike other people's hands?" Well." said the mother, "sty child, when yon were yoaager than yon are now, years ago, one eight after I had pat yon to bed I heard a cry, a shriek, upstairs. I came nn ttnil fnamA ftfc lil immm ra Mvm ail V took hold of yoa aad tore on the burning I garments, and while I was tearing them off aad try iag to get yoa away I burned my hand and it has been burned aad scarred ever since aad hardly looks any more like a hand, bat I got that, my child. Ia try iag to save you." Oman I O woman! I wish to-day I coald show yoa the burned I head of Christ baraed in slacking yon oat of the wre, burned ia snatching yoa ' nway from the lame. Aye, alee the baraed foot aad the baraed brew, aad the baraed heart baraed His stripes ye are healed." by yea. "By The bad small boy, when bis mother calls, is like the echo. Ha answers, bat he doesn't coma. Soaa erviUe JourmaJL STALLCUP. Great Maa Who Knew How so Leek Oat for Number One. I am going to relate a bit of my own experience. Iu 1876 a number of print ers, including the writer, started (J had como within one of saying? estab lished) tho Evening Mail, in Nashville. We started out with fair prospects that is, the weather was clear aad bright. Our general manager, a fellow named T. Caar Stallcup. declared that the sunshine which greeted our first appearance was an omen of infalli ble significance. It was not at that time, nor is it now, exactly clear what he meant by "infallible signiGcance.T but I grasped his baud and warmly shook it. lie said that he had started quite a number of newspapers, one at Bear Wallow, Ky., among tho number, and that he bad always noticed that those born during sunshiny weather, needed less nursing, and. in fact, ap peared to live longer than those that had been born undor a cloud. Sueh words of encouragement thrilled us; and a set of resolutions which we im mediately adopted declared that T. C;esar Stallcup was the ablest news paper man in the State of Tennessee. He swallowed a lump of emotion, and said that it had ever been his habit to do his duty by big newspapers, and that, fate helping him. we should soon see the Mail soaring aloft like the proud bird of freedom. It was our duty to set type and await developments; it was Stallcup's duty to await developments. When wo needed money, which we did from the leginning. he talked to us of our strong band of brotherhood. When we be came hungry, he took us to one side and told us that we bad to make a sac rifice, or we should never become great "Look at Bennett." said he. "That man wrote his editorials on a Hour barrel." Somo of tho boys remarked that they would like to see a Hour barrel. This disgusted him. "Do you think that we are simply carnal ereatures?" he ex claimed. "Do you think that we live by Hour alone? A time has come when wo can all be great, but. shutting your eyes on this fact, you stand around and talk about a flour barrel." The boys, feeling ashamed of them selves, apologized. Stallcup. accept ing their apologies, said: "Now. you are talking like while men. I now see that you desire to be come great Go to your cases now and set up the paper. My duties grind me down at the desk. Would that I had time to help yon. But there is coming a time. boys, when I shall not be ground down. 1 do not complain of my overworked condition. There are men who would squeal undor this burden, but I do not murmur. Set up that advertisement for the Stepenbead brewery with a nourishing display." The man was so self-denying that that icshK we looked upon him with awe. told us where we could get the chel est sandwiches, and advised us to as few as possible. One of our fell heir to three dollars and eighty cents and had invited some of the boys to eat with him when Stallcup. overhearing the invitation, repri manded him: "You can not afford," said he. "to throw away your fortune. We have a duty to perform. Lend mo two dollars and a half." He took the money and sadly shoved it down into his trousers. We congrat ulated the man who had let him have it We said that he was a hero to the cause. The victim shook bands with us and laughed in a sickly way. Ho knew that he was doing his duty; he did not exactly know how but he felt that he was discharging the obligations of a great trust I envied him. I wished that 1 had possessed money to lend. Election time drew near. Candi dates came around. Looking up from my "case" I could see the aspirant for the office of sheriff and our manager sitting in close communication with a bottle of wine. One of the boys ven tured to remark that he would like a little wine, but Stallcup. hearing of the remark, came into the composing-room and told us that if we wanted to ham per him, all right. In the discharge of his duty he knew that he was subjected to ignorant criticism and that if we wanted him to resign his position he would do so. After awhile he came out as a candidate for sheriff. He said that he did this in self-defense and we believed him. He declared that the other candidates were unfriendly to the MaiL We worked for him. and by this time our paper had secured such a "pull" that we elected him. It was a happy day in our office when the returns came in. We shook one another's hands and in pledges of muddy water swore eter nal allegiance to our victorious pub lication. We knew that a dividend would be soon declared and the boys sat around and talked about the meal they were going to eat after awhile. One day. T. Cssar Stallcup, sheriff of Davidson County, came around, and by authority in hint vested, too charge of the office. In telling us to get out he said that it was our duty to obey the law. and assured us that in a few months time we might secure employ ment down on the steamboat banding. T. Caesar Stallcup was undoubtedly a sociable man. but there were some points about him that I do not admire. Opie P. Read, in Arkansaw Traveler. la Prof. Humphrey's "Report on Aged Persons." containing an account f of 824 individuals of both sexes, and ' between the ages of 80 aad 100; it is4 toted that 48 per cent, were poor. 42 per cent, were in comfortable circum stances, and only 10 per cent, were described as being ia affluent rtransn T. OESAR CTSa3SSggifJffi,a"w'i5a633s:RRs