WHAT CONSTITUTES THE NOBLE
MAN ?
\
What constitutes the noble man
And fitly measures life's brief span !
The breath of fame ?
A titled name ?
Borne creed believed ?
Some deed achieved ! * >
The idle pomp of kingly power ?
The empfly. trappings of an hour ?
Let tfcosa who prize the crowd's behest
Btand slaves to folly's train confessed ,
Enjoy a day
Of sordid sway ,
Or plory won
'
On'Marathon ,
Or Bnrrnah's gold with ease attained ,
Or TTldoncd realms ignobly gained.
frit prr.nflcr far than power or pelf
Tho eoul'a dominion over self ,
Ji heart aglow
For others' woo ,
The high-born thought ,
Tho p-nndly wrought
Hcsolvc nttnnod to exalted end ;
Thwo noblo manhood e'er attained.
_ tMis fulfills hla Maker's trust ,
Jn Blsjpto love of virtue , must ,
JIU name rnshrlncd
By nil his hind ,
Unvrcathcd upon
I The escutcheon
1 Of Irr.Q fanown , complete his days
" " Jtrtli nnd Heaven's conspiring praise.
'W n Jtiiter , Chicago Current.
DIAMOND NECKLACE.
IJV OUT DC
She was one of those pretty , charm-
J # fflrlfli born ns though through a mis-
of dostiny , among n family of
derlta , Sho had no dot , no hopes ; there
no way of her becoming knownun-
* loved and married by a rich
di8tin < nilsh"l jnan : and she nllownd
herself to ba married to a potty clerk at
tho Ministry of Jfuolic Instruction.
Bho drossod simply , according to her
xnaane , but wna unhappy as a person of
no defined position ; for women have no
eptato noy raco , their beauty , grace and
nharm. taking tho place of birth and.
family , Their innate shrewdness , their
instinct of fashion , their subtility of
mind , nro their only hierarchy , and
mako tho daughters of the poor tho
aeraalfl of tho greatest ladies.
When sho sat down to dinner before
the round table covered with a thrco-
Uay-old cloth , opposite her husband ,
wlio OB scon as ho described the soup-
tnreon declared joyously : "Ah ! good
ponn nnd boiled meat ! f know nothin
Jjottor than that " She dreamed o
fine dinners , of glittering silver-plate , of
tapestries peopling the walls with by
gone parsonages and strange birds in
tho midst of a fairy forest ; she dreamed
o ? exquisite dishes served In wonderful
plates , of whispered compliments listen
ed to with a.pphinx-like smile as sho cat
tho pink trout or a chicken wing.
Sna had no fine toilets , no jewels , and
flury woro all she cared for , she thought
Jjaraalf ilfc for such things. She wished
to pleasa ; to bo envied , to be attractive ,
nu gonght after.
Sho had a ricli friend , an old echool-
mata at tho convent , whom sho would
no longer go and seo , so much did sho
grieva on her return. And sho wept
whole days from grief , despair and dis
tress ,
Now , ona ovonlno ; her husband catno
Jiomo with a proud manner , and hold
ing Jn his hand a huge envelope.
"Hero , " ho naSd , "horo ia something
Jbr you. ' *
Sho quickly tore open tho paper , nnd
drew from it a printed card bearing the o
words :
Tho Minister of Public Instruction and
Mme. Georges Kamponneau begM. and
Jlmo. Loiselto do them the honor of
passing the evening at the hotel of the
Minister on Monday , January 18.
Instead of being enchanted , as her
Jmnband had hoped , she threw the
'
Invitation on the 'table with rage , and
muttered :
"What do yon want me to do with
that ? "
"Why , my dear , I thought you
would like it. Yon never go out , and
this is an opportunity , and such a fine
one. I have had great trouble in get
ting it. Every one wants one ; they
sire much" sought after , and are given
to but few of the clerks. You will see
sdt the official world there. "
She looked at him angrily , and de
clared with impatience :
"What do you want me to wear if I
should go there ? "
He had not thought of that , he
stammered.
"Why , the dress you wear to tho
theater. It seems to'me a very good
"
one
He was silent , stupefied , distracted ,
when he saw his wife weeping. Two
large tears rolled slowly down from
tho corners of her eyes towards the
corner of her mouth ; he stammered :
"What is the matter ? what is the
matter ? "
But with a violent effort she con
trolled her grief , and answered calm
ly , as she wiped her cheeks :
"Nothing. Only I have no dress
and consequently can not go to this
fete. Give the card to some colleague
whose wife is better fitted out than L"
He was greatly distressed. He an
swered :
"Come , Mathilde. How much
would it cost , a suitable dress , which
you could also wear at other times ,
something very simple ? "
She reflected a few moments , mak
ing up her accounts and thinking also
< of the sum she could ask for without
drawing on herself an immediate re
fusal and a frightened exclamation
from the frugal clerk. At last she an
swered with hesitation :
"I don't know exactly , but it seems
lo me that with four hundred friucs I
could do it. "
He became somewhat pale , for he
lad put aside just that sum to buy a
un and give himself some shooting
the following summer on tho plain
of Nauterre , with some friends who
were going to shoot larks there , on
Sundays.
However he said : "Well , I wild
pvo you four hundred francs. But do
your best to have a handsome dress. "
The day of the fete was at hand , and
3Ime. Loisel seemed sad , restless , anx
ious. Her toilet was ready , however.
Her husband said to her one evening.
What is the matter with you ? Come ,
you have been very queer for three
Says. "
And she answeied :
"It worries me to have no jewels , not
a stone , nothing toput on. I shall
anake a wretched appearance. Iliad al-
SiOfit rather not o that evening. "
He replied :
"You can put on natural flowers. D
is very chic at this season. .For ten
francs you can get two or three magnifi
cent roses. "
She was not convinced.
"No there is nothing more humiliat
ing than to look poverty stricken among
a lot of rich women. "
But her husband exclaimed :
"How foolish you are ! Go and find
your friend , Mme. Forestier , and asL
her to lend you some jewels. You an
intimate enough with her for that. "
She uttered a cryof joy.
"It is true. I had no thought of it"
The next day she went to her frienc
and told her of her distress.
Mine. Forestierwent to her looking
glass , took from it a large box , opened
it , and said to Mme. Loisel :
"Choose , my dear. "
She first saw bracelets , then a string
of pearls , then a Venetian cross of golc
and precious stones of admirable work
manship. Sho tried on the neckless be
fore the glass , hesitated , could not de
cide to leave them , to give them up.
She still asked :
"Have you nothing else ? "
"Oh , yes. Look ! I don't know what
you want. "
Suddenly she discovered in a black
satin box a superb set of diamonds , and
her heart began to beat with an immod
erate desire. Her hands trembled as
she took it up. She fastened it aboul
her throat over her high dress , and
stood in ecstasy before herself.
Then she asked , hesitating , full of ag
ony :
"Could you lend me this , nothing bul
this ? "
"Oh , yes , certainly. "
She threw herself on her friend's
neck , kissed her passionately , then fled
with her treasure.
The date of the fete arrived. Mme.
Loisel v as a success. She was prettier
than any elegant.gracious , smiling and
mad with joy. All the men looked al
her , asked her name , sought to be pre
sented to her. All the attaches of the
cabinet wished to waltz with her. The
minister noticed her.
She danced with frenzy , with passion ,
intoxicated with pleasure , thinking oi
nothing in the triumph of her beauty ,
in the glory of her success , in a kind oJ
cloud of happiness made of all this hom
age , of all this admiration , of all these
awakened desires , of this victory sc
complete and so sweet to the hearts of
women.
She left about 4 in the morning
Since midnight her husband had slept in
a little deserted salon with three othei
gentlemen whose wives were amusing
themselves very much.
He threw over her shoulders her wrap
that he had brought for her to go home
in , a quiet , cvdry day garment ; its pov
erty-stricken look contrasted with the
elegance of her ball costume. She fell
it and wished to flee , so as not to be re
marked by the other women who wrap
ped themselves in rich furs.
Loisel held her back.
"Wait then. You will catch cold out
side ; I will call a cab. "
But she would not listen and rapidlj
descended the stairs. When they were
hi the street they found no carriage , and
they began to look for one , crying aftei
the coachman whom they saw in the
distance. .
They went towards the Seine in de
spair , shivering. At last they found on
the quay one of those old noctambulisf
coupes that are seen only in Paris as the
night comes on , as if they were asham
ed of their wretchedness during the day.
He took them to their door on the
street of Martyrs , and sadly they went
up to their room. It was ended for her.
And he was thinking that he must be al
the ministry at 10 o'clock.
She took off her wraps that she had
thrown over her shoulders , before the
glass , in order to see herself once more
in her glory. But suddenly she utter
ed a cry. She had no longer the neck
lace about her neck !
Her husband , already half undressed ,
asked : "What is the matter ? "
She turned towards him in a fright :
"I have I have I ave no longer
Mme. Forcstier's necklace ! "
He stood up distracted : "What !
How ! It is not possible ! "
And they looked iii the folds of her
dress , in her pockets , everywhere.
They did not-find it.
He asked : "You arc sure you still
had it when you left the ball ? "
"Yes. I touched it in the Minister's
vestibule. "
"But if you had lost it in the street ,
we should have heard it fall. It must
be in the cab. "
"Yes ; it is probable. Have you the
number ? "
"No. And you , did not you look ai
it ? "
"No. "
And they looked at each other in
consternation. At last Loisel dressed
himself again.
"I am going , " he said , "over the
track that we" went on foot , to see if 3
can not find it again. "
And ho left. She remained dressed
just as she was , without the strength
to go to bed , overcome , on a chair ,
without fire , without thought.
Her husband came back about seven.
He hatl found nothing.
He went to the Prefecture of Police ,
to the papers , to offer a reward , to the
the cab companies , finally everywhere
where a suspicion of hope impelled him.
She waited all day in the same state
of fright before this frightful disaster.
Loisel came back in the evening ,
with his face pale and sunken ; he had
discovered nothing.
"You 'must write to your friend , "
he said , "that you have brokenthe
clasp of her necklace , and that yon
are having it repaired. That will give
us time to return it. "
She wrote as he dictated.
Athe * end of a week they had lost all
hope
And Loisel , five years older , declared.
"We must think how to replace the
jewel. "
Next day they took the box in which
it had been kept and went to tho jewel
er's , whose name they found inside.
He consulted his books.
"It was not I , madame , who sold that
necklace ; I must have furnished the
casket. "
Then they went from jeweler to jew
eler , seeking for another necklace like
it , consulting their recollections , both
of them ill with grief and despair.
They found in a shop of the Palau
* * ? " * s * t t1'7 "
< .
- , * ,
Royal , a chaplct of diamonds that ap
peared to them exactly like the one
they were looking for. It was worth
about forty thousand francs. They
could have it for thirty-six thousand.
Then they begged the jeweler not to
sell it for three days. And they made
a condition that they would give it back
for thirty-four thousand francs if the
first was found again before the 1st oj
February.
Loisel possessed eighteen thousand
francs , leffc him by his father. He bor
rowed the rest.
He borrowed , asking a thousand
francs of one , live hundred of another ,
five louis here , three louis there. He
gave notes , took up ruinous contracts ,
did business with the userers , with
every kind of lenders. He compromis
ed the whole end of his existence , risked
his signature , without knowing even ii
he could do so honorably , and appalled
by the distress of the future , by the
black misery that was to strike him
down , by the prospect of every kind oi
physical privation , and every kind of
inoral fortune , he went for the new
necklace , placing on the counter of the
merchant thirty-six thousand francs.
When Mme. Loisel brought backthe
parure to Mme. Forestier , the latter
said with a galling manner :
"You should have returned it sooner ,
for I might have wanted it. "
She did not open the casket , which
her friend was in dread of. If she had
seen the substitution , what would she
have said ? Would she not have taken
her for a thief ?
* * * * * *
Mme. Loisel became acquainted with
the horrible life of the indigent. She
became resigned of a sudden , heroical
ly. It was necessary to pay this fright
ful debt. She would pay. They dis
missed their servant ; they changed their
lodgings ; they took a mansard under
the roof.
Every month it was necessary to pay
notes , to renew others and obtain time.
The husband worked in the evening
in making up the accounts of a mer
chant , and at" night he often did copying
at live sous a page.
And this life went on for ten years.
At the end of ten years they had paid
back everything everything at an usur
ious rate , and at compound interest
Mme. Loisel now appeared to be an
old woman. She had become strong ,
hard , rough , and a wretched house
keeper ; shabby looking , with skirts
askew , and red hands. She spoke in a
loud voice and scrubbed the floors. But
at times , when her husband was at the
office , she took her seat near the win
dow , and thought of that evening long
ago , at that ball , when she was so hand
some and so feted.
What would have happened if she had
not lost that necklace ? Who knows ?
Who can tell ? How odd life is , how
changeable ! What a little thing will
ruin you or save you !
Now one Sunday , as she was taking a
walk in the Champs-Elysces to rest her
self from her week's work , she sudden
ly saw a woman walking with a child.
It was Mme. Forestier , still young , still
beautiful , still attractive.
Mme. Loisel was moved. Should she
go and speak to her ? Yes , surely ; and
now that she had paid , she could tell
her everything. Why not ?
She went up to herl
"Good morning , Jeanne. "
The other did not recognize her , be
ing astonished at being addressed so
familiarly by this poor woman. She
stammered :
"Bat-madame ! I don't know you
must be mistaken. "
"No. I am Mathilde Loisel. "
Her friend uttered an exclamation :
"Oh ! my poor Mathilde , how chang
ed you are ! "
"Yes , I have had many a hard day
since I saw you ; and many miseries
and all on your account. "
"On mine how so ? "
'Do you remember that set of dia
monds that you lent me to go to the fete
at the minister's ? "
"Yes , well ? "
"How ! Why you brought it back to
me. "
"I brought you back another just like
it. And for ten years we have been pay
ing for it. You can understand that it
was not easy for us , as we had nothing. "
At last it is done , and I am very , very
glad. "
Mme. Forestier stopped.
"You say you bought a set of dia
monds to replace mine ? "
"Yes. You did not notice it , ch ?
They were very like. "
Mme. Forcsticr , much moved , took
tier hands in hers.
"Oh ! my poer Mathilde ! But mine
were false. It was worth at the most
500 francs. "
The Private Bill Nuisance.
In the * senate , recently , Mr. Dolph , of
Oregon , called attention to the constant
ly-increasing number of private bills be
fore congress , and to the extent to
which they absorb time which should be
devoted to general legislation. During
the first fifty years of the government
the total number of such bills introduced
in the house of representatives was
8,777 , while in the forty-eighth congress
alone no fewer than 8,630 were intro
duced. Many of these bills are merito
rious , but by far the greater number
are not , and it is a well-known fact that
more of the latter class than of the
Former receive favorable consideration
at the hands of congress. It would be
to the advantage of all persons having
equitable claims upon the government
if some tribunal were established to in
vestigate the same ; and by this means ,
also , the innumerable jobs and steals
which are now smuggled through con
gress under cover of private bills would
be deefated. The private-bill nuisance
has attained such formidable dimensions
that this or some olher plan for its
abatement must be adopted in the near
future. Chicago Times.
No Poetry in His Soul.
" 1 wish you would follow the sugges
tion of this poet when you call to-mor
row , " said a young lady to her brother.
"What does he suggest ? " '
"He says , "Drink to me only with
thine eyes. "
"Thanks , awfully , but I must decline.
I don't like the taste of salt water , sis. "
Morning Journal.
At least four incorporated towns in Coloradc
arc t an altitude of over nine thousand fcei
nboe the sea.
THE CHOOSINGKF ) A WIFE
THE REV. DR. TAUVLAGE BEGINS
HIS SERIES OFSERMONS ON
"THE MARRIAGE RING. "
( Ministers Chided for Neglecting
Kindly Advice Begarding the
Choice of Life-time Com
panions.
Sot All Pitted for Marriage Prayer for
Divine Direction Essential Artificial
"Women and Coquettes ,
Che Women of To-Day the Best Ever
Known When a Wife is Bravest ,
Special to the Kansas City Times.
BROOKLYN , N. Y. , Jan. 10. The Eev. T. De
IVittTalmage preached this morning in the
Brooklyn tabernacle the first of his series ol
sermons on "The Marriage Ring , " the subject
oeing "The Choice of a wife. "
In the scries will be treated the following
subjects of the greatest importance to every
person : "The Choice of Husband and Wife , "
' 'Clandestine and "
Marriages Escapades ,
"Duties of Husbands and Wives , " "Duties of
Wives and Husbands , " In Matters of Religion
Should the Wife Go With the Husband , or the
Elusband Go With the Wife ? " "The Wrong
Waj-s of Women , " "Costume and Morals , "
"Competent Housewiferv " , " "Sensible Young
Womanhood , " "Women "Who Will Pass Life
Single , " "Influence of Sisters Over Brothers , "
' The Modern Novel and Woman , " "Boarding-
house aud Hotel Life , " andTreatment of
Manservant and Maidservant. "
The hymn sung this morning was : "The
Morning Light Is Breaking. The Darkness
Disappears. " An organ solo was rendered by
Prof. Henry Eyre Browne , who selected the
arst sonata in D minor by Ritter for his tnusi-
zal theme :
SAMSON'S CHOICE OF A WIFE.
After expoundin&r a passage of scrinture Dr.
Falmage took for "his text : Judges xiv. . , 3 :
"Is there never a woman among the daugh
ters of thy brethren , or among all my people ,
that thou goest to take a wife of the uucir-
jumciscd Philistines ? " Dr. Talmnge saiJ :
"Sam&on , the giant , is here asking consent
Dfhis father and mother to marriage with
Dnc whom they thought unfit for him. He
ivas wise iu asking their counsel , but not wise
! n rejecting it. Captivated with her locks
the big son wanted to marry a daughter of
jne of the hostile families , a deceitful , hypo
critical , whining and saturnine creature , who ,
iftcrward made for him a world of trouble till
she quit him forever. In mv text his parents
forbade the bannspractically saying : "When
there are so many honest anil beautiful niaid-
sus of our own country , are you so hard put
for a lifetime partner that you propose conju-
jalily with this foreign flirtJ Is there such a
3earth of lilies in our Israelitish gardens that
5-011 must wear on your heart a Philistine
"
thistle ? Do you take"a crab apple because
there are no pomegranates ? Is there never a
( voman among the daughters of thy brethren ,
ar among all my popple , that thou goest to
take a wile of the uncircumciscd Philistines ? "
NO EXCUSE FOIt THE SEI.ECTIOX.
Excuseless was he for such a choice in a
land and amid a race celebrated for female
loveliness and moral worth , a land and a race
af which self-denying Abigail , and heroic De
borah , and dazzling Vashti , and pious Esther ,
ind glorious Kuth , and Mary who hugged to
her heart the blessed Lord , were only magnifi
cent specimens. The midnight foliled in their
hair , the lakes of liquid beauty in their eyes ,
the gracefulness of spring morning in their
posture and gait , were 'only typical of the
greater brilliance and glory of their souls.
Likewise cxcuseless is any inau iu our time
ivho makes life-long alliauce with any one
nrho , because of her disposition or heredity.
Dr habits , or intellectual vanity , or moral
twistilication , may be said to be or the Philis
tines.
THE WOJIEX OF TO-DAT.
The world never owned such opulence of
tromanly character or such splendor of woman
ly manners or multitudinous instances of
widely , motherly , daughterly , sisterly devotion
is it owns to-day. I have ifot words" to express
my admiration iorgood womanhood. Woman
is not only man's equal , but in ailectional ind
religious nature , which is the best part of us ,
she is 75 per cent his superior. Yea , during
the last twenty-five years through the incrcasi-d
opportunity opened" for female education , the
no'men of the country are better educated than
the majority of thr men ; aud if they continue
to advance in mentality at the present ratio ,
before long the majority of the men will have
difficulty in finding in the opposite sex enough
ignorance to make appropriate consort. If I
am under a delusion as to the abundance of
ood womanhood abroad , consequent upon my
surroundings since the hour I entered this life
until now , I hope the delusion will last until I
embark from this planet. So you will under
stand , if I sav in this course o'f sermons some
thing that seems severe , I am neither cynical
nor disgruntled.
XO LACK OF THE BEST.
There are , in almost every farmhouse In the
2ountry , in almost every home of the great
town , conscientious women , worshipful women ,
self-saerificinir women , holy women , innumer
able Marys , sitting at the "feet of Christ , in
numerable mothers helping to feed Christ in
the person of his suffering disciples ; a thous-
sanu capped aud spectacled grandmothers
Lois , bending over Biblesvhose precepts they
aave followed from early girlhood , aud tens of
thousands of young women that are dawning
upon us from'schobl and semiuarv , that are
"
sjoingto bless the world with good"and happy
homes , that shall eclipse all their predecessors ,
i fact that will be acknowledged by all men
except those who are struck through with
moral decay from toe to cranium. More inex
cusable than the Samson of the text is that
man who amid all this unparalleled munifi
cence of womanhood marries a fool. But some
of you are abroad suffering from such disaster ,
ind to halt others of you'from going over the
same precipice I cry out in the words of my
text : "Is there never a woman among the
[ laughters of thy brethren , or among all niy
people that thou goest to take a wife of the
uncircumcised Philistines.
WHEUEINMIXISTEUS HAVE JTEGLECTED.
There arc thousands of American pulpits-
among them this pulpit , guilty in the fact that
on some of the subjects on which men and
women need practical advice they have been
silent or teaching them only in fcrceless cir
cumlocution. About the choice of a lifetime
companion , a question in which so much time
and all of eternity are involved , what almost
univcr&al silence "in the church so that there
are not ten people in this house who have ever
heard a discourse upon this theme ; and the
firtt one I have ever heard is the one I am
preaching. We leave to the flippant novel , or
the spectecular play , or the jiusle of the dog
gerel rhvme , that which ought to burden the
most tfemeuduous sermon a minister ever
preaches , from the day when he takes ordina
tion to the day when in judgement he meets
his God. And"so. in this course of sermons. I
am going to hitch up my best team to the
whimetree and put the coulter of the plough
clear up to the beam , and go straight on from
fence to fence , however many nests of moles
and serpents may be ripped up by the furrow
and however many alarmed people may cry
"Whoa ! "
XOT ALL DESTINED FOR 3IARIUAOC.
That marriage is the destination of the hu
man race is a mistake that I want to correct
before I go further. There are multitudes
who never will marry , and still greater multi
tudes who are not fit to marry. In great Brit
ain to-dav there are 948,000 more women than
men , and * that I understand is about the ratio
In America. Bv mathematical and inexorable
law , you see , "millions of women will never
tnarrv. The supply for matrimony is greater
than"the demand , "the first lesson of wnich is
that every woman ought to prepare to take
care of herself , if need be. Then there are
thousands of men who have no right to marry ,
because thev have become so corrupt of char
acter that their offer of marriage is an insult
to any good woman. Societv will have to be
toned up and corrected on this subject , so that
it shall realize that if a woman who has sacri
ficed her honor is unfitted for marriage , so is
anv man who has sacrificed his purity. .What
right have vou , O masculine beast I whose life
nas been loose , to take under your care the
spotlessness of a virgin reared In the sanctity
or a respectable home I Will a buzzard dare to
court a dove ?
DIVINE DIRECTION ESSENTIAL.
Bat the majority of yon will marry and have
a right to many , and as your religious teacher
I wish to say to these men in the choice of a
wife first of "all seek divine direction. About
thirty-Jive years ago when Martin Farquhar
Tupper , the English poet , urged men to prayer
before they decided upon matrimonial associa
tion , people laughed. And some of them have
lived to laugh ou the other side of theirmouth.
The need of divine direction I argued from the
fact that so many men , and some of them
strong and wise , have wrecked their lives at
this juncture. Witness Samson and this
woman of Timnath. Witness Socrates pecked
of the historical Xantipp ; . Witness Job ,
whose wife had nothing to prescribe for his
carbuncles but allopathic doses of profanity.
Witness Ananias , a liar , who might perhaps
have been cured by a truthful spouse , yet mar-
rving as great a liar as himself Sajjphira.
AVltness John Wesley , one of the best men that
overlived , united to "one of the most outrage
ous and scandalous of women , who sat in City
Road chapel making mouths at him while he
preached. Witness the once connubial wretch
edness of Join
and Frederick
cr. Witness a
by unworthy wives , termagants that scold like-
a March northeaster ; female spendthrifts that
put their husbands into fraudulent schemes to
get money enouch to meet the lavishmcnt of
domestic expenditure ; opium eating women
aboit00,000 of them in the United States
who will have the drug though it should cause
the cternai ciamnation of the whole house
hold ; heartless and overbearing , and namby-
pamby and unreasonable women ; vet married ;
married perhaps to good men. These are the
women who build the low club houses , where
the husbands and sons go because they can't
stand it at home. On this sea of matrimony ,
where SD many have wrecked , am I not right
in advising divine pilotage ?
ARTIFICIAL WOMEN AND COQUETTES
Especially is devout supplication needed be
cause of the fact that society Is so full of arti
ficialities that men are deceived as to whom
the } ' arc marrying , and no one but the Lord
knows. After the dressmaker and the milli
ner , and the jeweler , and the hair adjusterand
the dancing master , and the cosmetic art ,
have completed their work , how is an unso
phisticated man to decipher the physiological
bierogivpics , and make "accurate judgment of
who it "is to whom he offers hand and heart.
That is what makes so many recreant hus
bands. They make an honorable marriage
contract , but the goods delivered are so differ
ent from the sample by which they bargained.
They were simply swindled anil then backed
out. They mistook Jezebel for Longfellow's
Evangeline , and Lucrctia Borgia for Martha
Washington.
Aye , as the Indian chief boasts of the scalps
he lias taken , so there are in society to-day
many coquettes who boast of the masculine
hearts they have captured. And these women ,
though they may live among rich upholstery ,
are riot so honorable as the cyphrians of the :
street , for these advertise their infamy while
the former profess heaven while they mean
hell. There is so much counterfeit woman
hood abroad it is no wonder that some cannot
tell the genuine coin from the ba-e. Do you
realize that you need divine guidance when I
remind you that mistake is possible in this im-
portant"affair and , if made , is irrevocable J
IMI'OSSIBLE TO HKCAK THE YOKE.
The worst predicament possible is to be un
happily yoked together. 1 ou see it is impossi
ble to break the yoke. The more 3-011 pull
apart the more galfant the yoke. The minis
ter might bring you up again , and in your
presence read the marriage ccremony _ back
ward , might put you on the opposite side of
the altar from where you were when jou were
united , might take th'e ring off of the finger ,
might rend the wedding veil asunder , might
tear out the marriage" leaf from the family
Bible record ; but all that would fail to unmaf-
ry j'ou. It is better uot to make the mistake
than to attempt its correction. But men aud
women do not reveal all their characteristics
till after marriage , and how are vou to avoid
committing the fatal blunder ? There is only
one being in the universe who can tell you
whom to choose , and that is the Lord of para
dise. He made Eve for Adam , and Adam for
Eve , and both for each other. Adam had not
a large group of women from whom to select
bis wife , but it is fortunate , judging from
some mistake which she afterward made , that
it was Eve or nothing.
There ib in all the world someone who was
made for 3rou , as certainly as Eve was made
"
for Adam" All sorts of mistakes occur be
cause Eve was made out of a rib from Adam's
side. Nolxilknows which of his twenty-four
ribs was taken for the nucleus. If you depend
entirely upon yourself in the selection of a
wife there are twenty-three possibilities to one
that vou will select t'he wrong rib.
WHAT A MAN 31 VV CAPTURE.
Bthe fate of Ahab , whose wife induced him
to steal ; by the fate of Macbeth , whose wife
lushed him into massacre ; by the fate of
James Ferguson , the philosopher , whose wife
entered the room while he was lecturing and
wilfullv up et his astronomical apparatus so
that fie turned to the audience and said :
"Ladies and gentlemen : I have the misfortune
: o be married to this woman ; " by the fate of
Buhver , the novelist , uho e wife's temper was
so incompatible that he furnished her a beau-
: iful house near London and withdrew from
icr company , leaving her with the one dozen
dogs whom s'he entertained as pets ; by the fate
of John Milton , who married a termagant af
ter he was blind , anil when someone called her
i ros-e the poet saidI am no jmliie of cojors ,
nit it mabe so , for I feel the thorns daily ; "
) } the fate of an Enulifhinan whose wife was
so determined to dance on his grave that he
was buried in he sea , by the fate of a village
minister whom I knew whose wife throw-a cup
of hot tea across the table because they dif-
crcd in sentiment by all these scenes of dis
quietude and domestic calamity we implore
rou to be cautious and prayerf-il before 3-ou
enter ui > on the connubial state , which decides
vhether a man shall have two heavens or two
iclls a heaven here and heaven forever , or a
icll now and a hell hereafter.
A FEW NOTEWORTHY" BLESSINGS.
Bv the bliss of Pliny , who'c wife , when her
'
msband was pleading'in court , had messengers
coming anl going to inform her what impres
sion he was making ; by the joy of Grotius ,
vhose wife delivered him from "prison under
he pretense of having books carried out lest
hcbe " injurious to'his health , she sending
out" her husband unobserved in one of the
lookcases ; by the good fortune of Roland , iu
.ouis' time , whose wife translated and com-
> osedfor her husband , while sect etarv of the
nterior talented , heroic , wonderful Madame
Joland ; bthe happiness of many a man who
"
tas made "intelligent choice of one capable of
jcing prime counselor and companion in bright
ness and in grief prav to Almighty God ,
norniiur , noon and night , that at the risrht
ime , and in the right way , he will send j-ou a
jood , hone-t , loving , sympathetic wife"or ; if
he is not scut to you , that'ou mabe sent to
icr.
icr.At this point let me warn you not to let a
[ tiestion of"this importance be settled by the
celebrated matchmakers in almost every "com
munity. Depend upon vour own judgemen
divinely illumined. These brokers in matri-
mon3' are ever planning how they can unite
mpccunious innocence to an heiress , or celi-
> ate w > mcn to a millionaire or marquis , and
hat in many cases makes life an uuhappiness.
low can an3" human being , who knows neither
of the two parties as God knows them , and
tvho is ignorant of the future , give such dircc-
ion as you require at such a crisis.
SOLOMON'S UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
Take the advice of the _ earthly match-maker
nstead of the divine guidance , and you ma\-
come dabe led to use the words of Bolomoa ,
vhose experience in home life was as melau-
chohas it was multitudinous.
One day his palace with its great wide rooms
ind great wide doors and great w Me hall was
oo small for him and the loud tongue of a
roman belaboring him about some ot his neg-
ects , and he retreated to the housetop to get
relief from the lingual bombardment. And
while there he saw a poor man on one corner
of the roof with a mattress for his only furni-
ure , and the onen sky hisonly covering. And
Solomon envies hini and cries out : ' 'It
s better to dwell in the corner of the house-
op than with a brawling woman iu a wide
louse. "
And one day during the rainy season , rthe l i
vater leaked through the roof of the palace ' :
and began to drop in a pail cr pan set there '
o catch it. And at one side of him all day i ]
ong the water went drop ! drop ! drop ! while j 1
on the other side a female companion quarrej-1 j
ng about this and that , the acrimonious and j '
> etulant words falling ou hia ear In ceaseless 1
pelting-drop ! drop ! drop ! and ho seized hfi
pen and wrote : "A continual dropping in i
very rainy day and a contentious woman ari
alike. "
FEMALE SCOFFERS TO BE AVOIDED.
If Soloman had been as prayerful at the be
ginning of his life as he was at the close , IIOM
much domestic infelicity he would have avoid-
cd. But prayer about this will amount to notb
ius uulets vou nrav soon enough. Wait untt
you are fascinated" the equilibrium of yoai
soul is disturbed by. a magnetic presence , anc
then you will answer your own prayers , and yor
will mistake your own iufatuatlonfor the volet
If vou have this prayerful spirit vou wilh
surefy avoid all female icoffers at thcChrlstlat < - -
religion , and there are quite a number of their- /
in all communities. It must be told that r
through the onlv influence that keeps women
from being estimated and treated as t
slave aye , as a brute and a beast of burden
is Christianity , since where it is uot dominanl
she is so treated ; yet there are women who
will so far forget themselves and forget thcli
God that they will go hear lecturers malign
Christianity and scoff at the most sacred thing !
of the soul. A good woman , over-persuaded
by her husband , may go once to hear such a
tirade against the Christian religion , not fullj
knowing wttat she is going to near ; but she
will not go twice. A woman , not a Christian ,
but a respecter of religion said to me. "I was
persuaded by my husband to co and hear an
infidel lecturer once , but going home I said tc
him : 'Mv dear husband 1 would not go
again though my decllnature should result in
our divorcement forever. ' " And the woman
was right.
right.XO
XO BUTTEHFLIES OF SUNSHINE.
If after all that Christ and Christianity have
done for a woman s > he can go again and again
to hear such assaults , hhe is an awful creature
and vou had better not come near such a reek
ing fepress. She needs to be washed and for
three weeks to be soaked le carbolic acid , and
for a whole vear fumigated , before she is fit fox
decent society"While it is not demanded thai
a woman be a Christian before marriage , she
must have regard for the Christian religion 01
she is a bad woman and nnworthy of belnij
your companion in a life charged with sucli
stupendous solemnity and vicissitudes.
what 3ou want , O man I in a wife is not a
butterfly of the sunshine , not a giggling
nonentity , not a painted doll , not a gossiping
gad-about , not a mixture of artificialities
which leaves 3-011 in doubt as to where the
humbug ends and the woman begins , but an
earnest soul , one that can not only laugh when
you laugh , but weep when j'OU weep. There
Will be wide , deep graves in j-our path of life ,
and you will both want steadying when you
come to the verge of them , I tell you 1 When
your fortune fails you will want some one to
talk of treasures "in heaven , and not charge
upon you with a bitter , "I told you so. " A3
far as'l can analyze it , sincerity "and earnest
ness are the foundation of all worthy wife-
hood. Get that and j'oii get all. Fail to pet
that and you gwt nothing but what you wish
you never hail got.
r.EAUTr is BUT SKIN DEEP.
Don't make the mistake that man of the
text made in letting his i-ye settle the question
in which coolest judgment directed by divine
wisdom , arc all important. He who has no
reason for his wifely choice except a pretty
face , is like a man who should buy a farm be-
pause of the dahlias in the front dooryard.
Ueautv is a talent , and when God gives it He
intends it as a benediction upon a woman's
face. When the good princess of "Wales dis
mounted from the railtrain hist summer , and
I saw her radiant face I could understand
what they told me day before that , when at
the great military hospital where are now the
wounded and tin"sick from the Egyptian and
'
the other wars , the princess passe'd through ,
all the sick were cheered at her coming , and
those who could be roused neither by doctor
or nnr.su from their stupor , would get up on
their elbows to look &t her , and wau and wast
ed lips prayed an audible prayer : "God bless
the princess of Wales ! Doesn't she look
beautiful i"
But how uncertain Is the tarryin ? of beauty
in a human countenance. Explosion of a
kerosene lamp turns it into scarification , and
a scoundrel \ \ ith one dash of vitriol may dispel
it , or time will drive his chariot wheels across
that bright face , cutting it up iu deep ruts
and gullies. But there is au eternal beauty on
the face of some women whom a rough "and
ungallaut world may criticise as homely and
though their features may contradict all the
laws of Lavater on phvsioirnomy , yet they
uave graces of soul that will keep them at
tractive for time and glorious through all
eternity.
WIIEX A WIFE IS URAVEST. -
Thcre are two or three circumstances In
which the plainest wife is a queen of beauty to
her husband , whatever her stature or nrotile.
I.y financial panic or betra-al of business part
ner , the man goes down , and returning to his
home that evening he says : "I am ruined : I
im in disgrace forever ; ! eare not whether I
jive or die. " It is an agitated sto y he Is tell
ing iu the household that winter night. He
saysT.ie furniture must go , the house
wist jro. the social po ition must go , " and
from being sought for obsequiously they must
be cold .shouldered everywhere. After he
? eascs talking and the w ife has heard all in si
lence , she says : ' 'Is that all ? Why , you had
nothing wlicit I married you , and you have on
ly come back to where "j on started. If you
think that my happiness and that of the chil-
Jren depend" these trappings , \ on do not
know me , though we have lived liappilv to
gether thirty years. God is not dead , and the
national bank of heaven has not suspended
payment , and ifou don't mind , f don't care a
: eut. What little we need of food and raii
aient the rest of our lives we can , get , and I
ion't propose to sit down and mope ami groan.
Mary , hand me that darning needle. And ,
John , h'uht one of the other gas burners.
And , Jimmy , open the register for allttle more
heat. Fanny , fetch jour father's slippers. I
leclare ! I have forgot "n to set the rising for
those cakes ! "
GlliXDEUK OF SELF-SACHIFICE.
And while she is buy at it he hears her
auinmiiig Newton's olu hymn , "To-niorrow. "
"It can brin ? with it nothing
But He will hear us through :
Who gives the lilies clothing ,
Will clothe His people , too.
Beneath tile spreading heavens
No creature but is fed ;
And He who feeds the ravens
Will give his children bread.
' Though vine nor fig-tree cither
Their wonted fruit should bear ;
Though all the fields .should wither
Nor flocks nor herds be there ;
Yet God the same abiding
His praise shall tune my voice ;
For while in Him confiding
I can not but rejoice. "
The lm band looks up in amazement and
; a\s : "Well , well , you are the greatest wo-
uan I ever saw. I thought you would faint
lead away when I toldou. . " And as he looks
it her all the glories of physkxjmony in the
: ourt of Louis XV. on the modern fashion
ilates are tame as foinpared with the super-
mrnan splendors of that woman's fare. Joan
> f Are , Marie Antoinette and La Belle Hamil-
on , the enchantment of the court of Charles
[ I. , are now'ierc.
THE L.V&T GLORIOUS HOURS.
There is another time when the plainest
vife is a queen of beauty to her husband ,
she has done the work of life. She has reared
jer children for "God and for heaven , and
; hough some of them may be a little wild they
viliyet come baek , for'Go-.l has promised.
she is dyinc and her husband stands bv.
I'hcv think over all the vears of their cornpan-
onship , the weddings and the burials , the ups
ind downs , the successes and the fiihires.
Phev talk over the goodness of God ami his *
'aithfuluess to children. She has no fear
ibout going. The Lord has sustained her so
nanyear she would not dare to distrust
Him now. The lips of boih of them tremble
is they say good bye and encourage each other ,
iboutan earlmeeting in a better world.-
L'he breath Is feebler and feebler and stops.
\reyouFurcof it < Just hold that mirror at
: he mouth acu KG if there isanv vapor gather-
tig on the surface. Gone ! As one of the
icighbors takes the od ! man by t'-o arm gently
ind saysCcme , you had better co into the
icxt room anil rest : " he savsWalt a mo-
nent ; I must take out more look at that face
ind at those bands1 Beautiful ! Beautiful !
My friend ? , I hope you do not call that
Icath. That is an autumnal sunset. That is
i crystaline river pouring into a crystal sea.
Chat is the sole of human life overpowered bv
lalielujah chorus. That is a queen's coroaa-
; ion. That is heaven. That is the way my
'ather stood at S2 , seeing my mother depart at
. Perhaps so your father and inotlitr weri.
[ wonder if we will die as welL
