11 IMAGE ffl THE WEEK'S ' DOMINION
I The Great Divino Discourses to
Thousands.
8' "Ho U 's tho SuEEfstivo and Appropriate
[ 9 Text' Great Results May Dpp end on Spall
IE Events" - His
Beautiful Illustration of
IH Paul's Dothrontmsnt at tho Glistening
[ Ss -Gates of Damascus-How His Optics Were
lP -Coansed , and His Advocation of God's
11 ; "Word Thereafter Is Something Beyond
I ; Parallel.
I
I ; GitiManT , Canada , Aueust 20. Tbe Rev.T.
I ? ' DeWitt Talmoge , D. D.of Brooklyn , prcach-
I * d on the camp ground this place , to day.
I ' .ftll Canada ia represented In the tmmenso
I fthronga assembled. Dr. Talmajre has
I -preached at Grimsby many summers. This
I i closes his summer absence. He has preached ,
I \ lectured and visited In thirteen states of tho
I Union this summcr.hls audiences numbering
I , " , "ten and fifteen thousand proplc The sub-
I jectof hiB sermon hero to-day was ' 'Great
I Kesults May Depend on Small Events. " Dr
I : ' Talmage took for Ins text : "Through a win-
I slow , in a basket , was I let down by the
l | | -vail. " II Cor. Ch. 2 , v. 33. He said :
l | ] Damascus Is a city of white and glistening
| I .nrcbltccturc sometimes called "the eye of the
If J East , " sometimes called "a pearl surround-
| ; | -cii by emeralds , " at one time distinguished
m\ \ J -for swonls of tbo best material called Da-
If i tnascus blades'and upholstery of richest
iabric called damasks. A horseman by tbo
name of Paul , rldltic toward this city , had
"been thrown lrom the saddle. The horse
bad dropped under a Hash from the sky , which
at the 6amc time was so bright it blinded the
.rider for many clays , and , I think so perma
'
nently injured his eyesich' that this defect
i 3f vision became the thorn in the flesh hij
afterwards , speaks of. He started for Da
mascus to buteber Cbristians , but after that
.hard fall from his horse he was a changed
man and preached Christ In Damascus
till the city was shaken to Its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his arrest.nnd
the popular cry Is , "Kill him I Kill him ! "
• The cty is surrounded by a hlch wall , and
'the gates aru watched by the police lest tbo
-CUician preacher escape. Many of the
H .houses aru built on tlic wall , and their balco-
B uics projected clear over am' hovered above
H * ho gardcus outside. It was customary to
Jiang baskets out of these balconies and pull
Up Irults aud flowers from the gardens. To
this day visitors at the monastery of Monnt
-fiin-al are lifted and let down in baskets.
Detectives prowled around from bouse to
bouse looklnir for Paul , but his friends hid
H him now in one place , now in another. lie
H is no coward , ns fifty incidents in his life
demonstrate. But lie funis his work Is nob
aonu yet , aud so he evades assassluatiou. "Is
that preacher here J" the foaming mob shout
at one house door. "Is that fanatic here ? "
the police shout at another house door.
Sometimes on the street incognito be passed
llnough a crowd of cleuohed fists and toine-
*
tf roes he secretes himself on the house-top.
At last the Infuriate populace get on sure
track of him. They have iKnitlve evidence
that he 13 in the bouse of one of the Chris
tians , the balcony of whose home reaches
I over the wall. "Here ha isl Here he ib ! "
The vociferation aud blasphemv and howlin-r
of the pursuers arc at the front door. They
break in. "Fetch out that Gospelizer. aud
let us bang bis head on ihe city gate. Where
1 < be ? " The emergency was terrible. Provi
dentially there was a good stout basket in
the house. Paul's friends fastened a rope to
the basket. Paul steps into It. The basket
Is lifted to the edge of the balcouv on the
_ „ -wall , and then while Paul holds on to tue
J jot.e with both hands his friends lower awav ,
HJ caietully aud cautiously , slowly but
surely , further down aud further down
h until the baskets strikes the earth
and the apostle steps out , and afoot aud
B" alone starts on that famous missionary tour.
Hi the story of which has astonished earth and
-bcaveu. in Paul's
- Appropriate entry diary of
J travels : "Through a window , in a busuet ,
wn > [ let down by the wall. "
HJ Observe , first , on what a slender tenure
HJ ercat results bang. The ropemaker who
HJI twisted that cord fastened to that lowering
HJ | basket never knew how much would depend
HJI on the strength of It. How if it bad been
HJs broken aud the apostle's life had been dashed
HJg out ? Ubat would have become of the Cbrist-
HJ | Jan Chuicbi All that magnificent missionary
HJI work in Pamphilia , Cappadocia , Ualatia ,
fll Macedonia would never have been accom-
flf jilished. All his writings that make up so
HJI lndespaiislble aud enchanting a part of the
Hh | .New Test.unent would never have been
HM written. Thestory of resurrection would
Hb | JiL-v r have been so gloriously told as he told
H | | it. That example of heroic and triumphant
HB1 endurance at Philippi , in the Mediterranean
HB | euroehdon , uudurjQtiirellatfon aud at his be- .
Hb | hcad.ur would not have kindled the courage
Hh | > f ten thousand matter Joins. But that rope
mi holding that basket , Low much depended on
HJs it ! to a aln and atraiu great results have
HB ! bun < r on what seemed slender circumstances.
HB | Did ever ship of many thousand tons cross-
HhI Jn < ; the sea have such important passcinrer as
HB | iiad once a beat of leaves , from taffrail to
HJ ] stern only three or four feet , the vessel made
HK | waterproof by a coat of bitumen aud floating
HB | on the Nile with the infant lawgiver of the
HH < . Jews ou board ? What if some of the cattle
HHg wading in for a driuk should sink it ? Vessels
HHj ot uar sometimes carry forty guns looking
HBl throusrh the port-holes , ready to open battle.
HB | .But that tiny craft on the Nile seems to be
HB | armed with all the guns of thunder that
HHi bombarded Sinai at the law-giving. On how
Bjj fragile craft sailed how much of historical
HB3 .importance !
HB | The parsonage at Epworth , England , is on
HB | fire in the nisrht , and the father rushed
HHf through the haiiway for the rescue of his
Hh | cb.Idren. Seven children are out aud safe on
Hh | the ground , but one remains in the consum-
H | 1ng building. That oue wakes , and , finding
HJ | bis bed on tire aud the building crumbling ,
HB | comes to the window , and two peasants make
HJI a ladder of their bodies , one peasant standing
HJk on the shoulder of the other , aud down the
Hl | human ladder the boy descends John Wcs-
m | Jey. If you would know how much depended
H | on that ladder of peasants ask the milfions of
mj Jdeihodists on both sides of the sea. Ask
H | their mission stations all around the world.
HI Ask their hundreds of thousands already as-
H | tended to join their founder , who would have
mi perished but for the living stairs of peasants'
HI shoulders.
HB An English ship stopped at Piicairti Island ,
H -and right in tbc midst of surrounding canui-
Hfl halism and squalor , the passengers discovered
HH a. Christ an colony of churches aud schools
Hb | and beautiful homos and highest style of re-
B Jlglou and civilization. For fifty years no
HK missionary and no Christian iiiifuenca had
HI ] landed there. Why this oasis of light amid
HK .a desert of heathendom ? Sixty rears before
HW a. ship had met disaster , and on • ot the sall-
HS'j ors , unable to save anvthing else , went to his
Hlj trunk and took out a Bible which Ills mother
Hb ] liad placed there , and swam ashore , the Bible
HI ] held in his teeth. The Book was read on all
HK ldes until the rough and vicious population
HBi -were evangelized , and a church was
HK started , and an enlightened common-
HB | wealth established , and the world's bis-
K tory has no more brilliant page than
HI , ) -tbtt which tells of this transformation
HH | ot a nation bone book. It did not
HBJ geem of much imoortagce whether the sailor
HH' -couiinued to bold the book in his teeth or let
HBi it fall into the breakers , hut upon what small
HB ] .circumstance depended what mighty results !
HHI Practical InferenceThere are no inslgniti-
HH < canccs in our lives. The minutest thing is
HBl part of a magnitude. Infinity is made up of
HH | luficitesimals. Great things an ag-
HH | gregation of small things. Bethle-
HB | cm manger pulling on a star
HBl i the eastirn filer. One book in a drenched
HHI n'or * . * mouth the cvangslizi > iou of a mulli-
HH | tntie. Oue boat of \ apyrus on the Nile freight-
HHi | tdlh \ events for all ages. The fate of
HBJ Cbri ieudom in a basket let down from a wiu-
HH1 dt w on the wall. What you do , do well. If
HHJJI \ou make a rope make it strong aud true , for
H | veil know not how much may depend on your
H | workmanship. If you fashion a boat let it be
H | ivatT-nroof , for you kno not who may sail
HH | in it. If you put a B ble in the trunk of your
HHJ Lov as be goes from borne , let It be heard in
Hi a our prayers , for it may have a mission as far-
H | reselling ns the Look which the sailor carried
K in his teeth to the 1'itc.iirn Peach. The plain-
Hj est mail's life is an island between two ctcr-
Hj Tit"cs : eternity past rippling against his
K shou'ders , eternity to come touching his
j brow. Tbc casual , tbc accidental , that which
H | merely hapi ecs-so , ere parti of a great plan ,
H and the rope that lets the fugitive apo-tlc
H from the Damascus wall is'the cable that holds
B -to its mooring the ship of the Church in the
H north cast storm of the centuries.
H Again , notice unrecognized and unrecorded
B servos. Who snuu the rope ? Vrbo tied it
Hj to tbc basliet ? Who steadied the illustrious
H preacher as he stepped into it ?
H Al.u relaxed not a muscle of the arm or
H < li insed ! an anxious Ioik from his face
B until the basket touched the ground
B and discharged its magu.ficent cargo ? Not
B one cf tlieir names has come to ffs , but there
H wa co work doue that day In D..mascus or
Hal in nil the e rth oompired wlt"i " the Import-
r w J3S tKK l ! E rZsr f' ' 'iU * T i n I r " " " " " * *
HHHHfc * .T & fc MnW H BHHHHHaHHMwlH
HHHjHjHJBf * * f - * " rr JS fiSSsS US RB BB Kt KB B Bmt Ht BKMHa
1
J-
ngllntlon tied a knot that could allpl' Wlint
If tbo sound of a mob at the door hod led
them totav : "Paul must take care of him-
eelf , and we will take care of ourselves. " No ,
no I Thov held the rope , and In doing so did
more for the Christian Church than any
thousand of us will over accomplish. But
God knows and has made eternal record of
I heir undertaking. And they know. How
exultant they must have felt when thev read
his loiters to tho Itomanp , to the Corinthians ,
to the Gnlatlans. to the Epbeslaus , to the
Philippine , to the Colosslaus , to tho Tbes-
saloulans , to Timothy , to Titus , to Philemon ,
to the Hebrews , and when tbey heard how
he walked out ot prison with tho earthquake
unlocking the door for him , and took com
mand of the Alexandrian corn-ship when tbo
sailors wero nearly scared to death , and
preached a sermon that nearly shook Felix
off his judgment-scat. I hear tho men and
women who helped him down through tbo
window and over the wall talking In private
over the matter , and saying : "How glad I
am that wo effected that rescue I Tn coming
times others may get the glory of Paul's
work , but no one shall rob us of tbc satisfac
tion of knowing that we held the rone. "
Tbero are said to be about sixty-nine thou
sand ministers of religion in this country.
About fifty thousand I warrant came from
early komes which had to struggle for the
necessaries of life.
Tho sons of rich bankers nnd merchants
generally becomo bankers and merchants.
The most of those who become minis
ters are the sons of those who had
terrific struggle to get their every-day
bread. The collegiate and theological edu
cation of luatBon took every luxury from the
parental table for eight years. The other
children were more scantly apparolcd. Tho
son at college every little while got a bundle
from home. In it were the socks that mother
had knit , sitting up late at night , her sight
not as good as once it was.
And there also wero some delicacies from
the sister's hand for the voracious appetite of
a hungry student. The father swung tho
heav3' cradle through tho wheat , the sweat
rolling from his chin bedewing every step of
the way , aud then sitting down under the
cherry trco at noon thinking to himself : ' 'I
am fearfullv thcdbut it will pay if I can once
see that boy through college , and If I can
know that he will be preaching the Gospel af
ter I am dead. " The younger children want
to know why they can't have this and that as
others do , and the mother says : "Be patient
inv children , until your brother graduates ,
nnd then you shall have more luxuries , but
we must see that boy through. "
The years go by , the sou has been ordain
ed and is preaching the glorious Gospel , and
a great revival conies , and souls by scores and
hundieds accept the Gospel from the lips of
that young preacher , and father and mother ,
quite old now , are visiting the son at the vil
lage parsonage , and at the close of a Sabbath
of mighty blessing , father and mother retire
to tlieir room , the son lighting the way and
asking them if ho could do anything to make
them more comfortable , saying If tbey want
ed anything in the night just to knock on the
wall. And then all alone father and mother
talk over the gracious influence of the day ,
andsiy : "Well , It was worth all we went
through to educate that boy. It was a bard
*
pull , but wo held on till the work was done.
The uorld may not know it , bnt , moth
er , we held the rope , didn't .we ? "
Aud the voice , trcmu'ous ' with jovful emotion ,
responds : "Yes , father ; we held the lope , I
feel mv work is done. Now , Lord , lettest
lhnu thy servant depart in peace , for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation. " "Pshaw ! "
savs the father , "I never felt so much like
living in my life as now. I want to see what
that fellow is going on to do , he has begnn
so well ? "
Something occurs to me quite personal. I
was the youngest of a large family ot children.
My parents were neither rich nor poor ; four
of tbe son3 wanted collegiate education , and
four obtained it , but not without great home
struggle. We never heard tho old people sav
once that they were denvlng themselves to
effect this , but I remember now that my
parents alwavs looked tired. I don't think
that tbey ever got rested until they lay down
in the Soramerville cemetery. Mother would
sit down in the evening , and say : "Well. I
don't know what makes me feel so tired ? "
Father would fall immediately to sleen , seated
by the evening standovercome with the day's
fatigues. One of tbe four brothers after
preaching the gospel for about fifty years
entered upon his heavenly rest. Another of
the four is now on the other side of the earth ,
a missionary of the cross. Two of us are in
this land in tbc holy ministry , and I think
all of us are willing to acknowledge our ob
ligation to the old folks at home. About
twenty-two years ago the other put down the
burdens of this life , but they still hold the
rope.
rope.O men and women here assembedyou ! brag
sometimes how you have fought your way in
the world , but I think there have been
helpful influences that you have never fully
acknowledged. Has there not been
some influence in your early or present
home that the world cannot see ? Does there
not. reach to you from among the Canadian
"
hills , or western prairie , or "from southern
plantation , or from English or Scottish or
.Irish home a cord of influence that has kept
you right when you would have gone astray ,
and which , after you had made a ciookcd
tr.ick , recalled you' The rope may be as
long as thirty years or five hundred milc3
long or three thousand miles loug , out hands
that went out of sight long ago.till hold the
rope. You want a very swift horse , and you
need to reward him sharp 6purs , and to let
the reins lie loose upon the neck , and to give
a shout to u racer , if vou are going to ride
out of reach of your mother's prayers. Why ,
a ship crossing the Atlantic in seven davs
c-m't sail away from thatl A sailor finds
them on the lookout as he takes his place ,
and finds them on tbe mast as he climbs tbe
ratlines to disentangle axope in the tempest ,
and finds them swinging on the hammock
when he turns in. Why not be frank and ac
knowledge it the most of us would long ago
have besn dashed to pieces had not gracious
and loving hands steadily and lovingly and
mightily held the rope.
But there must come a time when we shall
find out who these Damascenes were who
lowered Paul iu the basket , and greet them
and all those who have rendered to God and
tbe world unrecognized and unrecorded
services. That is going to be one of the
glad excitements of heaven the bunting up
and picking out of those who did good ou
earth and got no credit for it. Here the
Church has been going ou nineteen centuries ,
and tins is probably the first sermon ever rec
ognizing the services of tbe people in that
Damascus Dalcony. Charles G. Finuev said to
a dying Christian : 'Give my love to St. Paul
when you meet him. " When you and I meet
him. as we will , I shall ask bim to introduce
me to those paople who got him out of tbe
Damascene peril.
We go Into long sermon to prove that we
will be able to recognize people in heaven ,
when there is one reason we fail to present ,
and that is better than all God will introduce
us. We shall have them all pointed out.
You would not be guilty of the impoliteness
of having friends in your parlor not intro
duced , aud celestial politeness will demand
that we be made acquainted with tall the
heavenly household. What rehearsal of old
times and recital of stirring reminiscences.
If others fail to give introduction , God will
take us through , and before our first twenty-
four hours iu heaven if it were calculated bv
earthly timepieces have passed , we shall
meet and talk with more heavenly celebrities
thm in our entire mortal state we met with
earthly celebrities. Many who made great
noise of usefulness will sit on the last seat by
the front door in the heavenly temple , while
right up within arm's reach of the heavenly
throne will be many who , though they could
not preach themselves or do great exploits for
God , nevertheless held the rope.
Come , let us g * right up and accost those
on this circle of heavenly thrones. Surely. "
they must have killed in battle a miliion'men.
Surely , they must have been burled with all
the cathedrals sounding a dirge aud all the
towers of all the cities tolling the national
gr.ef. Who art thou , mighty one in heaven ?
"I lived by cholre the unmarriedjlaughter in
an bumbie home that I might take cire
of mv parents in their old age , and I endured
without complaints all their querulousness
and administered to all their wants for tweuty
j ears. "
Let us pass on round the circle of thrones.
Who art thou , mighty one of heaven ? "I was
for thirty years a Chriatian invalid , and suf
fered all the while , occasionally writing a
note of sympathy for those w rse off than I ,
and was general confidant of all those who
had trouble , and once iu a while I was strong
enough to make a garment for that poor fam
ily In tbe back lane. " Pass on to another
throne. Who art thou , mighty one of heaven ?
"I was the mother who raised a whole family
of children for God and they are out in the
world Christian merchants. Christian mechan
ics , Christian wives , and I have had full re
ward of all my toIL" Let us pass on In the
circle of thrones , "I had a Sabbath-school
class , and they were always on my heart , and
thev all entered the kingdom of God and I
am waiting for their arrival , "
But who art thou , the mighty one of heav
en on this other throne ? Iu time of bitter
persecution I owned a bouse in Damascus , a
house on the wall. A man who preached
Christ was hounded from 6treet to street , and
I hid him from the assassins , and when I
found them breaking in my house and 1 could
no longer keep him safely , I advised him to
flee for his life , and a basket was let down
over the wall with tbe maltreated man iu It ,
i
, , I , , , n..LHJMimnipniMi | iiiif > , w'imn'iii ' ' > ii
111' " ' " " ' " " " ' ' " " ' ' "
111111 iifcrj&jjjtMuiUiUi-
i
rft ? ' ' W" * _ , _ _ _ _ _ _
" - -
*
-A-
und 1 wns'ono who helped hold tbo ropS , .
And I nald : "Is , that alii" nnd he auswered
"That is nil. " A"nd while I was lost in n > nur.a-
men' I heard a strong voice that sounded
ns thutigh it m'ght once have been bourse
from many exposures ami trlutmibnnt at
though it might have belonged to one if the
martyrs , and It said : "Not maur mighty'
not many noble are called , but God bath
chosen tho weak things tif the
world to confound tho things
which nrc mlghtv , and base things
of Jhe world and things which are dei-pised
hath God chosen , yea , and things which'are
not to bring to naught things which nre
that no flesh should glory in His presence. "
And I looked to see from whence the voice
came , and lo ! It was the very one who had
snld : "Through a window , in n basket , was I
let down by tbe wall. "
Henceforth think of nothing as insignifi
cant A little thing may decide your nil. A
Cunarder put out from Englaud for New
York. It was well equipped , but In putting
up a stove in the pilot box a nail was driven
too near the compass. You know how that
nail would affect the compass.The ship's
officer de'clevcd by that distracted compass
put the ship two hundred miles off her right
course , anil suddenly tbc man ou tbe lookout
cried , "Land ho ! and tbe 6hlp was halted
within a few yards of her demolition on Nan
tucket shoals. A sixpenny nail came near
wrecking a Cunarder. Small ropes hold
mighty destinies.
A minister seated in Boston at his table ,
lacking a word puts his hand behind his bead
and tilts back bis chair to think , and the ceil
ing fails and crushes tbe table and would
have crushed him. A minister in Jamaica at
night by the light of an insect , called the
candle-fiy , is kept from stepping over a prec
ipice a hundred feet deep. F. W. Robertson ,
the celebrated English clergyman , said that
he entered the ministry from a train of cir
cumstances started by the barking of a dog.
Had the wind blown one way on a certain
day , the Spanish Inquisition would have been
established in England ; but it blew the
other way , bnt that d ropped the ac-
cuiscd Institution with seventy-five thousand
tons of shipping to the bottom of the sea , or
flung the splintered logs on the rocks.
Nothing unimportant in your life or mine.
Three noughts placed on the right side of the
figure one makes a thousand , and six noughts
on the right side of the figure one , a million ,
and our nothingness placed on the right side
may be augmentation illimitable. All tho
ages of time and eternity affected by the bas
ket let down from a Damascus balcouy.
Remarks by Mr. Smith , of Smitliville.
The campaign and tho Georgia wat
er melon are wide open.
Wanted Several candidates for the
legislature at live dollars each. Apply
at this office.
A new book is announced : "How
to Get Married. " Will some one pluaso
write another on "How to Live After
wards ?
A gentleman by the name of Experi
ence lias been lecturing down this way.
Though his charges are exorbitant , ho
never lacks an audience.
The editor returns thanks to Mr ,
Tom Burton for three celluloid collars.
We arc now offering two of them in
exchange for an article to .wear with
the odd one.
There has oeah no railroad wreck
within tho last half hour , but the town
is full of lifo insurance drummers , and
there is no telling what the morrow
may bring forth.
We hopo that the commencement
agony is at an end now , We think we
witnessed the last one Monday night.
Tho old man commenced on him in tho
parlor , and the closing exercises wero
held at tho front gate.
As we drew a chair up to tho table
and sat down to enjoy our humble
meal yesterday it went to pieces with
us and we were precipitated to the
floor. Straightway the landlord raised
the board on up. remarking that the
fare was lo fattening for the money.
A subscriber sends us a goat in pay
ment for a year ' s subscription He will
hereaftter take charge of tho rejected
manuscripts , having a fondness for
poems on spring and obituary notices
exceeding ten lines. He has already
devowred a long letter on the Mills
bill , and is looking wistfully toward , a
poem entitled "To My L' > ve. "
Brother don't stop your paper just
because you don't agree with the
W"A
didn't agree with us either , but we
didn't drop you from our subserintion
list on that account. Xo : we simply
said , "Make us thankful for what we
are about to receive , ' ' and after we re
ceived it we were not able to sav any
thing. SmUhville ( Ga. ) New * .
German University Students.
The number of students iu attend
ance at the tweutj'one universities of
the German Empire last winter was
not far from 28,500 Of these one-half
were about equally divided between *
theology and law. and the other half
divided between medicine and general
education in the proportion , nearly , of
three to four. It was stated by Prof. *
James Bryce , of Oxford , in his preface
to the Jiinglish translation of Dr. Con- '
rad's "The German Universities for
the kast Fifty Years. " that in 1882 3
Germany , with a population of 45. -
250.000 , had over 24.000 university
students , while England , with her 28 -
000,000 of population , had less than
5 500 students at her uu versifies. Dr.
Conrad's statistics showed that die
German students for 1882-3 pa.d in fees
S1S2.150 and th.it the state paid $728 , -
600. or 72 per cent of thewhole cost
of tho twentv-one universities , 3J per
cent of the whole being for instruc
tion , in addition to the 18 per cent. *
paid by the students , and 42 per cent * ,
standing to the account of maintenance
.of hospitals , museums and other es
tablishments connected with the uni
versities. The three greatest of the
Germau universities are Berlin. Leipsic
and Munich , with about 40 per cent of
the whole number of German students ,
Berlin having about twice as many as
Munich and Leipsic standing about
half way between the two. A'ew Yorlc
Mail and Express.
A True Koose Story.
"When I was in Alabama , between
Porter's Gay and Miilersvillc. " said a
gentleman living in Atlanta , "I came
to a country place whoro a man was
driving ten or twelve geese from a
branch toward a cotton patch.For
heaven's sake , ' said I , 'what is it you
have on the necks of those geese ? '
'Those are gourds full of water , I
drive these geese into that cotton patch
and keep them there all day weeding
out the cotton. There is no water iu
the cotton patch , and I have to give
them water this way lo keep them
there. ' 'Hut how do they g.t the
water out of those gourds under their
necks ? " 'They drink out of each
others gourds. Each gourd has an
opening in the side so that another
goose can put his bill into the .gourd
and drink. '
"I wailed there half a day to see
that performance and linally I saw a
thirsty godso walk up to his
his neighbor and coolly drink out of
the gourd on his neck. Atlanta ( t . )
Constitution.
- - - ' * i
Gave Him Courage.
"What does that sign say up
there ? ' . ' asked a rather seedy looking
man , as he peered over the counter.
• "That sign says , "if you don't seo
what you want , ask for it' ' '
"Does that go ? "
" 1 beg pardon , sir. ' " Tcxus Sif.ing.
' , , ' . " " , * .
j * ; • } - fc ' > - - jA , f
" ,
" * " "J
* yI * t - " * v < - - -
lHjipiM w.wiWM'1 " ' " ' _ " " * Z * S Zlm
. , * , . , . , . .
' "
"
" " "
i > rM ' r r " "P. * " • * ' - - - - " * * * ? * .JJT * *
- A * - - I.I.JJM-
- ' '
v - ; ' "TITH THEE.
IfI could know thnt after nil
These heavy bonds have censed to thrall ,
"We whom in life tho faten divide
Should sweetly slumber side by Hide-
That one green aprny would drop its dew
Boitly alike ahovo hh two ,
All would bo well ; fori should bo
At last , dear loving heart with theel
How sweet to know this dust of ours ,
Mingling , with feed the sclf-snmo flowers
Tlie scent of leaves , theijong bird's tono
At once across our rest bo blown ,
Ono breadth of sun , one sheet of rain
Make green tho earth above us twain ;
All , sweet and strangefor I should be ,
At last , dear tender heart , with thee.
But half tho onrth may intervene
Thy pluce of rest and mine between
And leagues of land nnd wastes of waves
May stretch and toss between our graves.
Thy bed with summer light be warm ,
While snow drifts heap , in wind and storm ,
My pillow , whose one thorn will be ,
Beloved , that I nm not with thee.
But if there he a blissful sphero
"Where homesick souls , divided here ,
And wandering wide in useless quest ,
Shall find their longed for haven of pest ,
If in that higher , happier birth
We meet the joys we missed on earth ,
All will bo well , for I shall be ,
At lost , dear loving heart , with thee.
Elizabeth Akeks Allex.
A STORY OF THE WAR.
Coffee had just been served and the
room was filled with .smoke and that
genial afterglow of pleasant , remnis-
cent talk that always follows a good
dinner , and especially a dinner where
old friends have met , old friendships
been revived and old , stories told.
These men had been comrades in war
and served under the same flag , held
the same political opinions and suf
fered tho same losses. All but one
had told his story , when our host
turned towards him and said :
"Well , Ilarribon , Ave are waiting
for your story. "
Harrison smiled deprecatingly ,
gazed into the fire , and then began the
following in his soft , Southern drawl :
Well , my gtory happened when we
were in Georgia , just outside of Ma
rietta , and our moss consisted of six
men two Georgians , oneAlabamian ,
a Yirginian , myself and a Creole with
a beautiful face and a tenor voice
that would charm the birds from the
trees , named , singularly enough ,
Orphee. We became a very tuneful
sob under his inspiration , and ex
changed musical information with
much generositv. Our favorite. air
? % /
was that famous camp song , "Tent
ing on the Old Camp Ground. " You
should have heard us sing it. Or-
phee's tenor , my baritone , and the
three other fellows chiming in softly ,
until the very pine trees stopped
whispering to listen , and the fire
burned softly in admiration , and war
somehow did not seem so hard and
cruel. Well , one dark night we were
sitting around the fire , discussing
with unwearied enthusiasm the pros
pects of the cause , when we heard ir
regular footsteps outside , and paused
in our talk to chanting't
"You can turn in here until further
orders , " said our Lieutenant's cheery
voice , and a minute afterwards a
shore thick-set man entered. He
made an apologetic little bow , shook
himself like a dog , and , taking off his
large wideawake , disclosed a dark ,
square face , with shy , dark eyes ,
blue-block hair , and a wide , firm
mouth. He smiled tenderly , giving
an air of great sweetness to an other
wise sombre face. He sat down on a
blanket , Turkish fashion , quietly
hoped he was not disturbing us , and
then dropped his eyes meditatively
on the ground. Silence reigned. We
were too disconsolate to be polite ,
and so listened uneasily to tho slow ,
indefinite stirrings of the wind
through the trees , when suddenly a
new sound arose , as of stealthy , un
certain footsteps coming nearer and
nearer. The newcomer pricked up
his ears , and his face wore an expres
sion almost approaching guilt. "A
spy , " was my first illogical conclusion ,
as I rose to my feet and waited ex
pectantly.
The flap of the tent stirred slightly ,
cautiously ; the wind rose and swept
the darkened landscape ; the rain
poured down with a rush , as if to
give a tragic significance to what was
about to happen , for something did
happen the flap was suddenly push
ed aside , and a goat walked in and
went straight to the stranger , who
received her with an indescribable
tenderness of look and gesture. "A
rum go , " said the Yirginian under his
breath.
We all agreed , but contented our
selves with staring at the strange
spectacle of a man and a goat fond
ling each other with uncouth marks
of affection. After a while we resumed
our old lazy positions and silently
awaited further developments. The
little man signed the goat to a re
mote spot , where she lay down , and
then , turning towards us , said as if
taking up an unrepressed thought :
"You see , boys , I could not help it if
Nannie would follow me. I have ;
been good to her , and she remembers
it. Iliad to leave home secretly to
escape her , and all through the jour
ney I felt like a scoundrel , and now
well , here she is. "
He stopped abruptly without wait
ing for comment , and lay down with
a short good night. I lay awake
several hours a fter the others , wonder
ing idly as to the probably tie which
bound the new-comer to the goat ,
but arrived at no solution. From
that night Parsons and his goat be
came a subject of never ending spec
ulation to the mess. He was very
quiet and unobtrusive , never resent
ing , although contriving to evade ,
impertinent questions , and bearing
everything with a good nature
amounting to stupidity. As for the
goat , she became the hapless butt of
the whole division. We called her
derisively "Miss Anna , " treating her
with an amount of mock considera
tion that jnade Parsons' eyes fairly
glisten with appreciation. The
second night after their arrival we
began to sing , as usual , when the
Virginian rose , and in a speech , the
delicate humor of which I shall not
attempt to reproduce , begged that
"Miss Anna's rest should not be
broken by our rude chanting'
-
-
_ .
t
I shall never forge.t tho broken ,
tender , deprecating littlo reply that
came from Parsons , and how wo con
sented at last to sing. His faco was
so rapt ns he sab beating time with
his'forefinger and occasionally quavj
eringoutaneffective"DyingTo-night ,
Dying To-night , " we sang as if our
very lifo blood was ebbing awuy ,
that I began to realize tho absolute
cowardice of ridiculing a perfectly
innocent , unconscious man. I began
to try and shield him from the tun-
makers , and was finally joined by
Orphee , who became and eloquent
partisan. As for Parsons , he grew
almost to worship the handsome ,
sweet-voiced ad.
One luckless afternoon , Parsons ,
Orphee and I strolled off together ,
leaving "Miss Anna" to the mercies
of our mess ; but tormented by "some
vague presentment of evil , I induced .
my companions to return a little
earlier than they intended. As we
neared the tent my ear caught the
sound of derision that came first from
our Yirginian , and were then finally
caught up by the others and then
ended in peal after peal of laughter.
Wo pushed eagerly in. Alas ! ' 'Miss
Anna , " decked out in the most ridic
ulous toggery , had been tied between
four stakes driven into the ground
and the men were engaged in prick
ing her with pine burrs until the poor
animal fairly writhed with agony.
In a minute we had freed her and Par-1 I
sons held the poor bleeding creature : j
close tohisbreast. His small , square I
figure seemed to rise and dilate with i |
a certain sense of superior power , as i |
he turned his blanched face and blaz-1 j
ing eyes upon the crowd.
"You call yourselves gentlemen , "
he said harshly , "you who have tor
tured a poor , dumb , defenseless
creature left in your care. Thank
God , my meaning of the word is dif
ferent ! You have no excuse. You
are all supposed to be men and hon
orable men , men who are fighting
for the rights of their country , and
yet you can amuse ' yourself with
such senseless cruelty as you have
practiced this afternoon. You have
branded yourselves as cowards
and liars , for" and here his voice
broke suddenly "I trusted you. "
There was an ominous , threaten
ing stir in the little tent , and several
men stepped out towards the speak
er , picturesque in his very unpictur-
esquoness , whose grotesque figurw
stood out sharply against tho bit of
landscape showing through the open
ing in the tent. But his face awed
them back. The goat turned and
moaned pitifully , rubbing his nose
against Parson ' s coat with mute in
sistence , nis face softened wonder
fully , he seemed to forget the men ,
his anger , everything , and he whis
pered to her in soft , caressing tones.
"You have followed me through
thick and thin , Miss Anna. When
the overflow came and we were starv
ing , it was you who struggled back
to us through the water , and it was
your milk that kept us alive. Every
thing then depended on your
strength. We called our baby after
you and when the poor little one
died it cut me cruelly , cruelly. lean-
not forgive this day ' s work. Bo
brave , Miss Anna , be brave , " and
putting his cheek on Miss Anna ' s
head the tears fairly rolled out of
his eyes.
He stopped a minute , drawing in
his breath in short , quick little-sobs
and threw out both hands with a for
lorn gesture of abandonment.
"Oh ! great God ! I was so lonely
when wife and babies all were dead ,
and I loved Miss Anna th"n : I love
her now as the one relic left me of j
that beautiful , vanished past. Then
the war came and I tried to leave' -
you , thinking it would be host , but '
you followed me to be ridiculed , da- j
spised and even tortured. All the conI I
duct of the past week breaks over (
me and I see what a blind fool I have
'
been. "
"Parsons , you're to go on picket j
duty to-night , and you had better I
start noAV , " called in the voice of our j
lieutenant. The men , now thoroughly ;
ashamed of themselves , came nearer
and were about to offer some heart- |
felt words of apology , but Parsons
turned away , and delivering "Miss
Anna" over to Orphee , said plead
ingly :
"If anything should happen to me ,
you will take care of her ? "
Orphee's eyes filled with tears as he .
pressed the extended hand. j
Without another word or look
Parsons strode out into the dark.
"We're brutes , cowardly brutes ! "
said our Virginian , disgustedly.
"I would rather face a million Yan
kees thaa hear that man's story told
in that voice again , * ' said another.
That night was a weary one. We '
could not forget the solemn figure ,
the dark , patient face , the broken ,
harsh , tender voice , and the pines
above the river far away seemed to
mingle their grief at our cowardice
and brutality. Meanwhile "Miss
Anna" slept peacefully on the best
blanket of the mess , while we lay J
there sleepless , thoughtful , unhappy ,
even the greater issue of the war
momentarily forgotten.
With the dawn came action. The
Yankees were upon us , and we fought
like wildcats. As evening came on j
the fight was suspended , and when j
our mess met everybody was there ,
"Miss Anna" included , except Par
sons. ; We had made up a scheme to
begins forgiveness and to swear ,
to be gentlemen , at least , j
Each of us had a separate speech of >
apology to make expressive of j
shame and contrition. When night j
settled down and Parsons did not
appear we grew anxious , and sat , '
silently around , not daringto breathe '
the great fear uppermost in our
minds. "Miss Anna , " too. walked
up and down uneasily , sniffing the
air and nibbing her nose against any .
convenient shoulder. As we sat thus
(
our lieutenant called in to me : _ j
"Harrison , step here a minute. "
I arose and went out a little un
steadily , j
"Parsons was hurt last night on
guard , and has asked to see you.i i
Go now ; there isn 't much time I'm
afraid. "
He turned to lead the wav.
"I may tell them ? " I said ,
"No use , ' he answered shortly , as
Orphee's stricken face appeared in
the doorway.
Well , Ifollowed himto the rudenut i
selected for our hospital. It was ,
lighted by torches and the surgeons
.
.
> I wero busy with tfto men who had fal
len in tho day's fight. In the farthest
corner of tho room lay Parsons. I
knelt down by him and tookhishand.
He smiled faintly , reassuringly and
j whispered : •
J "It's not so hard ifc was go quick ,
j you know just a flash , a burn , and
then a dull pain. Only I lay there so
long , Harrison , thatl thought every
thing very clearly out , and I'm sorry.
How could those fellows know ! I am
afraid I lost my temper. I'm such a
devil of a fellow when I lose my tem
per , " lie said pathetically , "and Har
rison , 1 beg pardon , old fellow bub ,
Miss Anna ! "
His eyes apologized amply for this
inquiry , and I went in search of tho
men and their charge.
They followed me eagerly , and wo
unconsciously fell into a procession
find moved through the door with
"Miss Anna" in our midst. It must
have been a strange sight , a half-
, dozen nnd sol-
> men a goat marching -
i eranly up the aisle of the rude cabin ,
but to the credit of human nature , bo
it said , nobody laughed or seemed to
observe tho humorous side of tho
situation.
"Miss Anna ! "
Tho voice broke like a sob across
the stillness , and the faithful friend
pressed close to her master's side.
Tho strong men who had faced death
so unflinchingly all day quivered and
shrank before this new phrase. Orp-
hee looked longingly into the dying
face as tho Avhito lips murmured of
bygone days , of baby hands and ten-
der , wifely kisses.
"Miss Anna , " tho voice began
again , weakly , "the boys all know
and love her , " and then suddenly rec
ollecting , he turned his eyes on the
manly bearded faco around him , and
noted their moist eyes , then witli the
old frank smile of appreciation he
muttered : "Dying to-night , dying
to-night. Sing it , Orphee. "
The river rushed and sang , tho
wind sighed airily through the sor
rowful pines , but distinct and clear ;
rose the voice of Orphee , that sweet
high tenor , thrilling with tears and I
pathos. It quivered and fell as it J
reached the chorus , and tho "dying :
to-night" was sobbed out on his '
knees as he held the poor , cold hands
close to his breast. The wounded .
men turned on the rough floor , the '
surgeons desisted from their work , i
and one littlo fellow , his breast shot' '
to pieces , crossed himself involuntaj j
rily , stirred by the sorrowful sweet
ness. I
Again Parsons spoke : j
"Do good , boys , to 'Miss Anna. ' j
No better , truer sweetheart could
you find. Say with me now , Cod
bless 'Miss Anna. ' "
And wo said it with him. •
"Amen , " he answered solemnly ,
and with a spasm of pain he was ly
ing there quite still , smiling tenderly
as of old , with "Miss Anna" close to
his breast.
"And 'MissAnna"askedthehosb.
"Was shot down the next morning
in the first charge. "
There was silence for a few minutes ,
and then Harrison raised his glass
and looked wistfully around. In an
instant the glasses were refilled , and
with reverently bowed heads and
hushed tones the whole room drank
to the memory of "Miss Anna. "
New Orleans TimesDemocrat.l
-U > + & * 3
The Pan's History in iJrief.
Kan Si was the first lady who ear-
ried a fan. She lived in ages which j
are past and for the most part , for- -
gotten , and she was the daughter of (
a Chinese mandarin. Whoever saw i
a mandarin , even on a tea chest , with- ;
out his fan ? In China and Japan to .
this day every one has a fan ; and i
there are fans of all sorts for every- '
body. The Japanese waves his fan
at you when he meets you by way -
of greeting , and the beggar who , ;
solicits for alms has the exceedingly
small coin "made on purpose" for ]
charity presented to him on the tip
of the fan. In ancient times , among ! ]
Greeks and Romans , fans seem to J 1
have been enormous ; they were M
generally made of feathers , and car-j
ried by slaves over the heads of i '
their masters and mistresses , to proi i
tect them from tho sun , or wave j (
about before them to stir tho air , j j
Catherine de Medici carried tho first • '
folding fan ever seen in France , and j
in the time of Louis XIV the fan was j
a gorgeous thing , often covered with
jewels , and worth a small fortune. | (
In England they were the fashion in I
tho time of Henry VIII. A fan set in ' ]
diamonds was onee given to Queen '
Elizabeth upon New Year ' s day. '
The Mexican feather fans which' ' 1
Cortez had from Montezuma were ;
marvels of beauty ; and in Spain a '
large black fan is the favorite. It is 3
said that the use of a fan is as care-1 '
fully taught in that country as any i ]
other branch of education , and , j
that by a well know code of signal a 1
Spanish lady can carry on a long con- *
versation with anyone , especially an ' J
admirer. The Japanese criminal of j 1
rank is politely executed by means of ; 1
a fan. On being sentenced to death ' 1
he is presented with a fan , which he j
must receive with a low bow , and , as ! 1
he bows , presto ! the executioneer . 1
draws his sword and cuts his head j *
off. In fact , there is a fan for every I
occasion in Japan.
American and German Universities. ! 1
The averaire age of American col-
1
lesre students at graduation is cer-
tainly not greater than that of the 1
German student in leaving his uni-
versity. Tho American student is , " ' j
however , not only a better educated
man , in the best sense of the word ,
than the German student at a corre- (
spondimr age , but tho average Amer- '
ican college graduate , who has not j j
yet entered upon any professional I .
study whatever , either in law , medij j
cine , theology or science , but has ' ' J
spent three years at an academy of' , ]
the grade of Andover , Exeter or - '
Easthampton , and four years at amj' '
of the leading colleges of New Eng- '
land , is , by any fair test to be insti- ' \
tuted by a committee of British or '
European educational experts , abet- t '
ter educated man than the average
German student who has completed i ,
both his gymnasium and university I ; '
studies. Itev. Henry Loom ' s in/
American Magazine. j '
yaawttwiM-iimiwii . . . . . . .rm-TWmw J" " * *
'Mm '
A Bountiful riant , " II
Mr. Gceting , Superintendent of II
Public Instruction Jin Indianapolis , II
has a rare plant in his possession. Ifc I
is what travelers in tho cast ; and all # 1
tropical countries call tho resurrec 1
tionplanb. Helms had ifc foranum 1
bor of years receiving ifc from hisun- • I
Je , who was a sailor. Tho planfc. re-
sembles a small ball , with delicate M
littlo fragile roots hanging to ifc. Ib 1
is apparently perfectly dead , and i
could bo crushed to powder in ono's II
hand , so dry and crisp is ifc. When * ffl
thrown into a basin of water and im- | fl
mersed for a short ; time ifc soon be- sm
gins to unroll its fibers and spread II
out upon the surface of tho water like | fl
a lily. From a dull straw color ifc be- | m
comes a beautiful green , and floats # I
upon the surfaco like a mass of beau
tifulgreen mossradatinglike a starry ' M
flower from its heart in the center , m
When it is taken out of the water ib . fl
lifo seems to ebb slowly away , its- ! M
beautiful green dies , and once mor ( 9
ifc rolls its fibres together , and in t
short time gives no evidence of tin , m
slightest vitality , hanging upon itfc M
stem awaiting once more tho touch M
of the water to wake it into renewed n
life. Tho story of tho plant is told Jfl
thus by a great naturalist : SM
"While traveling on a professional ifl
tour in Upper Egj-pt eighb years be- } V
fore , engaged in exploring for s'ome I
losb emerald and copper mines , he | M
chanced to render medical service to . fl
an Arab attached * to his party. In I ( fl
gratitude , the child of the desert for- j jfl
mally presented to him this now ! jfl
called 'resurrection flower , ' at the ifl
same time enjoining him never to ( jfl
part with it. Like tho fabled gift of ifl
Egyptian lore , ifc was supposed to * J fl
have magic in the web of ib. ' • /fl /
"The doctor was solemnly assured ifl
by tho Arab and others of his race , fl
that ib had been taken ten years be- . J fl
fore from tho brcasb of an Egyptian - ' ; fl
mummy , a priestess , and was deemed ifl
agreab rarity ; that it would never | fl
decay if properly cared for ; that its Ifl
possession through life would tend ( "j fl
to revive hope in adversity. "IB
"For years tho doctor carried his fB
treasure with him everywhere , priz- ! )
ing it for its intrinsic qualities , and { -M
invariably awakening the deepest in- t fl
teresfc whenever he chanced to dis- fl
play its wondrous powers. During j fl
the.remainder of his life , ibisclaimed , J 9
he caused the flower to open many ' } '
times without causing any diminu- | I
tion of its marvelous property or any ifl
injury whatever to it. " j 'fl
MrGeeting has had the plant in ' fl
his possession for a number of years i I
and has had many oilers to buy ib. • I
He will nob part with it , however , f.
prizing it very highly , on account o\ \ ' m
its rarity and because of the way he , j : 9
came into its possession. ! I
- a - - ' & j U
An Ingenious 3re < lical Invention , i I
Tho English papers describe an in- 1 '
genious ' invention for producing va- | I
pors and gases for mcilical and sani- |
tary purposes. A very pure carbon f I
combined with oxidizing agent is I
molded into a hollow cone , the walls I I
of which are part for part equal , the (
size l varving with the use , and the j I
central ' cavity fitted with a glasg ' I
flask containing the matter to be Jj 3
dispersed , either iu vapor or as a fa I
gas \ ; the carbon cone and flask are ) } ' 1
\ secured on an incombustible base. | j
Being ; placed in a room to be disin- f
footed \ or deodorized , the cone is
lighted at the apex and burns slowly
and steadily downward , and as the
carbon \ encasement is adjusted in fa
substance - to the amount of henfc to ' f'
be i obtained , the result of this steady J'
progression of heating is that the \ i
neck of the flask is tho first to be
come intensely elevated in tempera- [ '
ture , the heat slowly reaching the y j
inner contained principle ; the layer t'f
of ' the contained substance first af- '
footed by the heated glass is at once . fi ?
raised into a state of vapor , which jF \
*
is propelled with great force along _ * i |
the super-heated inbulure of the- ' ( | f
flask and eventually escapes into it
the air in the form of a high visible . "
column. Thus , with these cones , a ? i
volume of vapor or gas may be pro- j |
duced of any magnitude , from a few \ \
cubic inches to many thousand cubic
feet. , i
j n i m ' 1
Geortria's Munchausen on riircons-
Reading your pigeon story remind- *
ed me of a pigeon story I have heard j
my friend Mr. John O. I lolmes tell.
It ran thus : "One morning before it
t
w.is light I went up on Pigeon Creek '
to shoot pigeons. I tied my horeeta
a swinging limb and waited for it to J ;
become light enough for me to see
how to shoot. When ifc was light ' ;
enough I shot at some pigeons near
by and when the smoke cleared away
I noticed that my horse was gone. I S
looked all around for him , bnt could (
not see him nowhere until , hearing a *
groan , I looked up and saw him ? - '
hanging in the air. I had tier ! him j '
to the top of the tree on which the tj \
pigeons were roosting , and when 1 J 13
fired the gun the pigeons flew , the | J' |
tree straightened up and carried my J.ll
horse with it. Friend John is a strict . | "I
member of the church. " Talbottom ' *
( Ga. ) New Era. t 'l { %
-CBS- - * - 4 *
' j
Ke Gave His Uoml for $50,000,000. I ;
Paris Despatch , London Standard. j I \
M. Charles Demachv , the great * J !
banker , who died suddenly just as he s * t
was getting ready to go to business , "a *
was buried recently. He was one * | i j
of those who , during the siege ol \
Paris by the Germans , gave his bond * - |
to Prince von Bismarck , at the office i f 1
of Messrs. Rothschild , for the 200. ' ! - 1
000.000 francs which the conquerors - * . , If
asked for in gold as the price of re- \ J
frainingfrommnrchintrtheirtriumpn- * | .J
ant battalions right through Paris. | |
M. Jules Feny , th 'ii Mayor of Paris. * \ ' & \
and M. Mallet witnessed the signa- . - | ]
tures , and when the bond was shown li | jj
to the Chancellor he immediately | \m
postponed his request forreadyeash. j I * \i
M. Demachv had a splendid house in * • * H \ \
Paris , the feature of which was that • - * \ \
every thing there was a 1' Anglais. jj ' \ j
-a a-
| (
Bride Henry , do you know that . j'4
snore ? Bridegroom No ; do I ? I'm " * 1 ; jj
very sorry to hear it. Bride ( drylyV | 'j '
So am I. - i. h >
'
' : -S Ml
"
d