lbCHILDEEN'S
CHILDEEN'S COBNEE.
Hk K
TIMELY TOPICS FOR OUR BOYS
[ Xft & { AND GIRLS.
• w IIrr zittlB I-iuiBlilissr Face KUlyH I'arty
Vm * k ' SI' ° Know th" I,1'I'rcnco Telling1
gT 1f tu : Truth Mother's Teara l'athctlc
RL C -Story of Heroism on the l'art of a Hoj %
R • t & 'iS4 '
IKE a tiny glint of
light piercing
through the dus
ty gloom
Comes her little
laughing face
through the
shadows of my
room.
And my pen for
gets its way as
'
it hears her patt'ring treaci ,
I While her prattling treble tones chase
I the thoughts from out my head.
I 3he is queen and I her slave , one whe
J. loves her and obeys.
/ J ! For she rules her world of home with
I ' imperious baby ways.
" In the dances , calls me "Dear ! " turns
the pages of my books ,
) Thrones herself upon my knee , takes
my pen with laughing looks.
Makes disorder reign supreme , turns
my papers upside down ,
'Draws me cabalistic signs , safe from
fear of any frown.
Drumbles all my verses up , pleased to
hear the crackling sound.
.Makes them into balls and then flings
them all upon the ground.
/ ) -Suddenly she flits away , leaving me
jl alone again
'
'With a warmth about my heart , and a
brighter , clearer brain.
And it chances , as I write , I may take
a crumpled sheet ,
Dn the which , * * God knoweth why ! read
my fancies twice as sweet.
Victor Hugo.
Kitty's Party.
Gladys and Nina had been planning
for some time to give Trot , their kitty ,
a. birthday party when she should be
-one year old.
When Trot was first given to them
she was just a little kitten , but kittens
grow so fast that now , much to the sorrow
row of the girls , she was quite a staid
and full-grown cat. But they loved her
just as much as ever.
"Who shall we invite to kitty's
party ? " they began to ask each other ,
somewhat anxiously , a day or two before -
( fore the date of her birthday.
* * " " " ' and
% Louise's kitty had run away
hadn't been seen for days ; Helen had
| only a dog , which wouldn't do at' all ,
' .and really there seemed to be no re-
spectacle cats to invite. Here was a
great predicament The morning of
i "the birthday arrived , and as Gladys
J and Nina dressed they discussed the
\ situation.
"We must find somebody to invite
this very morning , " Gladys announced ,
I . as she pulled on a shoe. She meant
I some cat , you know.
7 "Of course we must , " answered Nina.
[ "It wouldn't be any party at all without -
j -out some cat else at it. "
HRLf Somehow , all through breakfast ,
Rtftt * papa and mamma looked very myster-
1 ious and occasionally nodded and
3 smiled at each other , but the girls were
Hb < so busy planning for the birthday
KtfX.party that they did not notice it.
Qjvf Immediately after breakfast papa
Bi\ went to the shed and called the girls.
Bw ( They ran out at once and mamma fol-
V / lowed them and what do you sup-
K | pose ?
H | There , in Trot's box , cuddled close up
b\ io her , were five little baby kittens !
M\ She Knew the Difference.
kL The story is told of a little girl who
Bf came to the conclusion not long ago
B& that she wanted a bicycle. She had
B [ always been taught by her mother to
' wanted and for two
Hpk ' pray for what she ,
E " / or three nights in succession there
BF4 / was a S ° 0 ( * en-l aDout wheels in her
\
JkY supplications. So her father and moth-
2- ' -er put their heads together to try and
nB [ } arrange to have the prayers of the lit-
HHu tie miss answered. After a long dis-
L -cussioa they agreed that a tricycle
Hft would be more suitable and less dan-
R " " " " ' ' gerous for one of her age , as well as
Hfc less expensive. A tricycle was accord-
Hl ingly purchased , and the little girl
Bp found it waiting for her one morning
B when she got up. She seemed the least
B bit disappointed when she saw it , but
H F said nothing. Most of the day was
E ? spent -wheeling about near the house ,
Hk\ but -when it was time for her to go to
bed at night her fond parents were
E .somewhat startled and shocked to hear
E her begin her prayer as follows : "Oh ,
HB Lord , don't you know the difference
N between a bicycle and a tricycle ? "
B .J&
HT Telling the Truth.
Bj The following story , from the Young
Ht People's Paper , is an excellent illus-
B tration of the power of truth in the
B moment of death :
B Mr. Birch , an English evangelist ,
Bfl > tells of a dying infidel whom he visited
E by request The man had long been
Bf ill and la great need. Mr. Birch , with
Hj Christian liberality , had supplied his
B | -wants , and now the dying man told
Bf Trim he had sent for him , not to speak
Ql about religion , for he didn't believe in
Hj [ - L it , but to thank Mr. Eirch for his great
Br [ T kindness to him and his. Mr. Birch
Wrm then said :
E4 "Will you answer me one question ? "
K f "Yes , " said the dying man , "provid-
HB ed it is not about religion. "
B Lifting his heart in prayer to God ,
B Mr. Birch said : "You know I have to
B preach to-night ; many will be gath-
ercd to hear mostly poor people , whe
will soon have , like you , to face death ;
I ask you what shall I preach about ? "
Silence for awhile ; then , with tear-
dimmed eye and trembling voice , the
unexpected answer was given ; "Mr.
Birch , preach Christ to them ; preach
Christ. " And taen , utterly broken
down , the dying sinner sought mercy
from God for his own soul.
A Mother's Tears.
When Cyrus Hamlin was a small boy
he had seven cents given him by his
mother to celebrate musterday. The
money was for gingerbread , buns , etc.
"Perhaps , Cyrus , " said she , "you will
put a cent or two into the missionary
contribution box at Mrs. Farrar's. "
As he trudged along he began to ask ,
"shall I drop in one cent or two ? " I
wish she had not said "one. or two. "
He decided on two. Then conscience
said , "What , five cents for your
stomach and two for the heathen ! five
for gingerbread and two for souls ! "
So he said four for gingerbread and
three for souls. But presently he felt
it must be three for gingerbread and
four for souls.
When he came to the box he dump
ed in the whole seven , to have no more
bother about it. When he went home ,
hungry as a bear , he explained to his
mother his unreasonable hunger ; and ,
smiling through tears , she gave him
a royal bowl of bread and milk. And
ho pathetically asks , "What was the
meaning of mother's tears ? "
"Where the Colors Come From.
FeW people even artists themselves
know where the colors used in the
arts come from. It is an interesting
fact that one small paint box will often
represent the four quarters of the globe ,
and all sorts of materials , animal , vege
table and mineral. The cochineal in
sect supplies the carmines and rich
crimson , scarlet and purple lakes.
Sepia is the inky fluid discharged by
the devilish cuttle fish. Indian yel
low is from urine of the camel and
ivory black and bone black from
ivory chips. Prussian blue is made
by fusing horses' hoofs and other re
fuse matter with impure potassium
carbonate , an accidental discovery.
Blue black is from the charcoal of
the vine-stalk. Turkey red is derived
from the madder plant of Hindostan.
Gamboge is a yellow sap of a tree ,
which the people of Siam catch in
cocoanut shells. Raw sienna is the na
tural earth from Sienna , Italy. When
burned it is Burnt Sienna. Amber is
from Umbria. India ink is burnt cam
phor. Bistre is the soot of wood ashes.
Of real ultramarine there is little in
the market , as it is made from the pre
cious lapis lazuli , and commands a big
price. Chinese white is zinc , scarlet
is iodide of mercury and native ver
milion comes from quicksilver ore.
"Teddy" in the round.
For more than seven years a cur
dog has walked about the grounds of
Bellevue hospital , and nobody seemed
to pay any attention to him. Wednes
day the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals carted the animal
away , and suddenly every one con
nected with the institution decided that
the dog must be valuable.
Until a year ago the animal was
known simply as the "Cur. " But then
an attendant christened him "Teddy
Roosevelt , " and the name has clung to
him.
"Teddy" went out in Twenty-sixtl
street and it was then that he was
nabbed. It was not ten minutes be
fore a subscription list was going the
rounds. Deputy Superintendent Rick-
arts started it , and soon enpugh monej
was secured to get "Teddy" out of the
pound and buy a license for him. Nev
York World.
How the Katydid Sings.
Everybody is familiar with the rasp
ing notes known as the katydid's
"song. " It is the male only that i ;
sounds , and he does it in a most pecul-
capable of emitting the well-knowi
iar manner. His "vocal organs" are a
the base of his wings , and consist o
two flat excrescences of thin dry mem
brane. It is the rubbing of these tw (
membranous plates together whicl
produces the "song. " If your shouldei
blades were so loosely put togethe :
that one could be slipped under th (
other , and the under side of one anc
the upper side of the other were sc
rough that the operation of slipping
them past each other would cause i
rasping sound , you could imitate the
katydid's musical efforts very nicely
St. Louis Republic.
Helping the Minister.
"One thing helped me very mud
while I was preaching to-day , " said
clergyman.
"What was that ? " inquired a friend
"It was the attention of a little girl
who kept her eyes fixed on me , anc
seemed to hear and understand everj
word I said. She was a great help tc
me. "
Think of that , little ones , and when
you go to church , fix your eyes on the
minister , and try to understand whal
he says , for he is speaking to you as
well as to grown-up people. He is
telling about the Lord Jesus , who loves
the little ones.
Trno Lore.
A cry of "fire" was raised at a child
ren's entertainment. Amidst the con
fusion and terror a lad sat quietly in
his nlace , with a Gmaller child in his
arms. When the danger was passed ,
he was asked , "Why did you not try
*
to escape like the others ? " and the
beautiful answer came , "I couldn't car
ry baby through the crowd , and ]
couldn't leave him he's my brother. "
Commenting on this , the Occident
says : "The Bible tells us of a friend
who both can and will carry us safely
through a danger , never leaving us alone -
lone to face it.
TALMAGErS SEfiMOK
"A CAVALRY CHARGE , " LAST
SUNDAY'S SUBJECT.
From the Text : Kings , SlS-23 "I Will
Deliver Thee Two Thousand Iloruca
If Thou He Ahlo on Thy l'art to Set
Kldcrs Upon Them. "
I
P by the water
works , the upper
reservoir of Jeru
salem , the general
of the besieging
army and the gen
erals of besieged
Jerusalem are in
consult ation.
Though General
Rab-shakeh had
been largely paid
to stop the siege , he kept the mone
and continued the siege the militar
miscreant ! Rab-shakeh derides th
capacity of the city to defend itself , an
" not tw
practically sa/s , "You have
thousand men who can manage horse ;
cavalrymen , an
Produce two thousand
I will give you a present of two thot
You have not i
sand cavalry horses.
all your besieged city of Jerusalem tw
thousand men who can mount then
and by bit and bridle control a horse.
Rab-shakeh realized that it is easier t
find horses than skilful riders , an
hence he makes the challenge of th
text , "I will deliver thee two thousan
horses , if thou be able to sat rider
upon them. "
Rab-shakeh , like many another ba
man , said a vary suggestive thing. Th
world is full of great energies and grea
opportunities , but few know how t
bridle them and mount them and man
age them. More spirited horses tha
competent rioers ! The fact is that i
the church of God we have plenty c
fortresses well manned , and plenty c
heavy artillery , and plenty of soli
columns .of brave , Christian soldiers
but what we most need is cavalry-
mounted troops of God for sudde :
charge that seems almost desperate
If Washington , if New York , if Lon
don are ever taken for God , it will no
be by slow bombardment of argu
mentation , or by regular unlimberin :
of great theological guns from the port
holes of the churches , but by gallop o
sudden assault and rush of holy energ ;
that will astound and throw into pani
the long lines of drilled opposition
armed to the teeth. Nothing so scare
the forces of sin as a revival tha
comes , they know not whence , to di
that which they cannot tell , to worl
in a way that they cannot understand
They will be overcome by flank move
ment The church of God must doubl
up their right or left wing. If the ;
expect us from the north , we will tak
them from the south. If they expec
us at twelve o'clock at noon , we wil
come upon them at twelve o'clock a
night. The opportunities for this as
sault are great and numerous , bu
where are the men ? " "I will delive
thee two thousand horses , if thou b
able to set riders upon them. "
The opportunities of saving Americi
and saving the entire planet were neve
so many , never so urgent , never so tre
mendous as now. Have you not noticei
the willingness of the printing pres
of the country to give the subject o
evangelism full swing in column afte
column ? Such work was formerly con
fined to tract distribution and religion
journalism. Now the morning ant
evening newspapers , by hundreds an <
thousands of copies , print all religioui
intelligence ac % print most awakeninj
discourses. Never since the world ha :
stood has such a force been offered t <
all engaged in the world's evangeliza
tion. Of the more than fifteen thou
sand newspapers on this continent , :
do not know one that is not alert ti
catch and distriDute all matters of re
ligious information. Oh , now I see i
mighty suggestiveness in the fact tha
the first book of any importance tha
was ever published , after Johann Gut
enberg invented the art of printing
was the Bible Well might that pooj
man toil on , polishing stones and man
ufacturing looking-glasses , and mak
ing experiments that brought upon hin
the charge of insanity , and borrowing
money , now from Martin Brether anc
now from Johann Faust , until he se :
on foot the mightiest power for th <
evangelization of the world. The statut
in bronze which Thorwaldsen erectec
for Gutenberg in 1837 , and the statu <
commemorating him by David D'An-
gers in 1840 , and unveiled amid all th <
pomp that military processions anc
German bands of best music coulc
give the occasion , were insignifican
compared with the fact , to be demon
strated before all earth and all heaven
that Johann Gutenberg , under God , in
augurated forces which will yet accom
plish the world's redemption. Th (
newspaper press will yet announce na
tions born in a day. The newspapei
press will report Christ's sermons yel
to be delivered , and describe his per
sonal appearance , if , as some think , k <
shall come again to reign on earth. Th (
newspaper rjress may yet publist
Christ's proclamation of the world' :
emancipation from sin and sorrow anc
death. Tens of thousands of good mei
in this and other lands have been or
dained by the laying on of hands tt
preach the Gospel , but it seems to m <
that just now , by the laying on of the
hands of the Lord God Almighty , the
newspaper presses are being ordained
for preaching the Gospel with widei
sweep and mightier resound than we
have ever yet imagined. The iror
horses of the printing press are all
ready for the battle , but where are the
men good enough and strong enough tc
mount and guide them ? "I will deiivei
thee two thousand horses , if thou be
able to set riders upon them. "
Go out to ihe Soldiers' Home anc
talk with the men who have been ir
the wars , and chey will give you righl
appreciation of what is the impor
tance of the cavalry service in battle
You hear the clatter of the hoofs anc
the whirr of the arrows and the clasl
of the shields and the bang of th <
_ , . . -t > , . . >
i
carbines as ihey ride up and down tl
centuries. Clear back in time , Os :
mandyaa led twenty thousand mounte
troops in Bactriana. Josephus saj
that when the Israelites escaped fro :
Egypt , fifty thousand cavalrymen roe ]
through the parted Red Sea. Thrc
hundred and soventy-one years befoi
Christ , Epaminondas headed his troor
at full gallop. Alexander , on a hors
that no other man could ride , led hi
mounted troops. Seven thousand horse
men decided the struggle at Arbeli
Although saddles were not invente
until the time of Con3tantini
and stirrups were unknown until abet
four hundred and fifty years aftc
Christ , you hear the neighing an
snorting of war-chargers in the greai
est battles of the ages. Austerlitz , an
Marengo , and Solferino were decide
by the cavalry. The mounted Cossack
reinforced the Russian snow storms i
the obliteration of the French arm :
Napoleon said if he had only had su :
ficient cavalry at Bautzen and Lutze
his wars would have triumphantly ene ]
ed. I do not wonder that the Duke c
Wellington had his old war horsi
Copenhagen , turned out in best pas
ture , and that the Duchess of Welling
ton wore bracelet of Copenhagen'
hair. Not one drop of my blood b'J
tingles as I look at the arched neck an
pawing hoof and panting nostril c
Job's cavalry horse : "Hast thou clothe
his neck with thunder ? He paweth i
the valley : he goeth on to meet th
armed men. The quiver rattleth agains
him , the glittering spear and th
shield. He saith among the trumpet ;
Ha , ha ; and he smelleth the battle afa
off , the thunder of the captains , an
the shouting. "
* * •
Standing as I do , in this Nations
Capital , let me say that what we wan
in the Senate and House of Represent
atives and the Supreme Court is a pen
tecostal blessing that will shake th
continent with divine mercy. There re
cently came into my hands the record
of two Congressional prayer-meetings
on the rolls of which were the names o
the most eminent Senators and Repre
sentatives who then controlled the des
tinies of this republic the one Con
gressional prayer-meeting in 1857 , am
the other in I860. The record is in th
hand-writing of the philanthropisl
William E. Dodge , then a member o
Congress. There are now more Chris
tian men in the National Legislatur
than ever before. Why will they no
band together in a religious movemen
which before the inauguration of th
next President , shall enthrone Chris
in the hearts of this nation ? They hav
the brain , they have the eloquence
they have the influence. God gran
them the grace sufficient ! Who in Con
gressional circles will establish th
Capitoline prayer-meeting in 1S97 ? Le
the evening of the last decade of thi
century be irradiated with such a re
ligious splendor. There are the oppor
tunities for a national and internation
al -"barge , all bridled and saddled
Where are the riders to mount them
Here also are opportunities all read ;
for those who would enter the kingdon
of God. Christ said that the kingdon
of heaven was to be taken by violence
By one flash you may enter. Quicke
than any equestrian ever dashei
through castle gate you may pass int (
the pardon and hope of the Gospel
As quickly as you can think "Yes" o :
"No , " as quickly as you can make i
choice , so quickly may you decide thi
question of eternal destiny. No one
was ever slowly converted. He maj
have been thinking about it forty years
but not one in : h of progress did he maki
until the morn2nt of assent , the verj
second in which he said "I will. " Tha ;
instant decided all. Bring out the
worst two thousand men in all the
earth , and here are two thousand op
portunities of immediate and eterna
salvation. "I will deliver thee twe
thousand horses , if thou be able to se ;
riders upon them. "
The cavalry suggests speed. Whei
once the reins. are gathered into the
hands of the soldierly horseman , anc
the spurs are struck into the flanks
you hear the rataplan of the hoofs
"Velocity" is the word that describes
the movement acceleration , momen
tum and what we want in getting intc
the kingdom of God Is celerity. Yoi
see the years are so swift , and the
weeks are sowift , and the days are
so swift , and the hours are so swift , anc
the minutes are so swift , we need to be
swift. For lack of this appropriate
speed many da not get into heaven al
all. Here we are in the last Sabbatr
of the year. Did you ever know t
twelfth-month quicker to be gone ? The
golden red of one autumn speaks to the
golden rod of the next autumn , and
the crocus of one springtime to the
crocus of another springtime , and the
snowbanks of adjoining years almosl
reach each other in unbroken curve
We are in too much hurry about mos !
things. Business men in too muci
hurry rush imo speculations that ruir
them and rum others. People move
from place to place in too great haste
and they wear out their nerves , ant1
weaken the heart's action. But the
only thing in which they are afraid oi
being too hasty is the matter of the
soul's salvation. Yet did any one eve :
get damaged by too quick repentance
or too quick pardon or too quick eman
cipation ? The Bible recommends tardiness
and snail-like movement
ness , deliberation , -
ment in some things , as when it en
joins us to be slow to speak , and slow
to wrath , and slow to do evil , but il
tells us , "The King's business requiretl
haste , " and that our days are as the
flight of a weaver's shuttle , and ejacu
lates , "Escape for thy life. Look no :
behind thee : neither stay thou in al
the plain. " Other cavalry troops maj
fall back , but mounted years nevei
retreat They are always going ahead
net on an easy canter , but at full run
Other regiments hear the command o
"Halt ! " and pitch their tents for thi
night. The regiments of the year ;
never hear the command of "Halt ! '
and never pitch tct for the night.
T1H'Ml I l M mi I WITT i'I In ir
j
„ - . , Mir , * i r - - ' ' " ' " '
Oh , my friends , if all right for tr
next world , the years cannot gallc
past too rapidly. If It were possibl
for the centuries to take the speed <
the ycar3 , and the years the speed <
the days , and the days the speed of tli
hours , they could do us no harm. Th
shorter our life the longer our heavei
The sooner we get out of the perils t
this life , if our work be done , the bei
ter. No man is safe till he Is deai
Better men than we have bee
wrecked , and at all ages. Lord an
Lady Napier were on horseback on
road in India. Lord Napier suddenl
said to Lady Napier , "Ride on an
fetch assistance , and do not ask m
why. " She sped on and was soon on
of sight The fact was a tiger's eye
glared on them from the thicket , an
he did not dare to tell her , lest , ai
frighted , she fall in the danger an
perhaps lose her life. From all side
of us , on this road of life , there ar
perils glaring on us , from tigers c
temptation , and tigers of accident , an
tigers of death , and the sooner we ge
out of the perils of this life the bettej
Let 1897 takD the place of 1SDG , an
1S9S the place of 1897 , and our soul
will be landed where there shall b
"nothing to hurt or destroy in all God *
holy mount. " "No lion shall be there
nor any ravenous beast shall go u
thereon , it shill not be found there , bu
the redeemed shall walk there. An
the ransomed of the Lord shall returr
and come to Zicn with songs , and ever
lasting joy up-m their heads ; they sha ]
obtain joy and gladness.
The StrngSlli'Sr Young Author.
"About six weeks ago , " said th
struggling young author , "I sold an ar
tide , the first I eyer sold. Instead o
having the manuscript returned I go
a check. It was only a little article
and the check was not for an enormou
amount , but you can scarcely imagin
the delight it gave me , or you ma ;
have had the same experience yourseli
"Then , of course , I wanted to see m ;
first article in print The next sue
ceeding number of the publication ap
peared in about three days. Of cours
I knew that there wasn't one chanc
in a thousand that my article would b
in that , but I bought it just the same
I didn't mean to take any chances a
all. It was not there , but as I hadn'
expected it I wasn't disappointed ,
did expect to see it in the next week' ;
number , but it didn't appear there
Then I thought surely it would be ii
the next week , but it wasn't , and i
hasn't appeared yet.
"Maybe they're holding it for thi
Christmas number , or the midwinte :
number , or the midsummer , or thi
Fourth of July number next year , o ;
possibly for the grand centennial num
bcr in 1900. I don't know , but I thinl
I'd have liked it better if they'd print
ed it right away. " Ex.
A Xexr I. eg.
A European experimenter has pro
duced an artificial leg. It as nearl :
resembles a human member as an ;
that can be devised. This artificia
leg is a curious contrivance of hinges
screws and elastic bands. Extendinj
downward from about what in the hu
man leg is the ankle , to a point mid
• way between the heel and the instep
are two steel rods , placed one in fron
of the other. One rests on a sort o :
roller hinge , and allows the foot tc
give or bend with each step. The
other serves the purpose of bringing
the foot back into place after the stej.
is taken. Any lateral movement o ;
these rods is prevented by the side :
of the sdot through which they move
A screw and a nut at the top of the
rod also prevent the rod from turning
and thus giving trouble in walking
An artificial heel tendon is placet
within the foot , behind the ankle joint
and extends loosely through a hole ii
the leg , where it connects with a nul
at about midway of the limb.
Sea Monster.
A strange sea monster was-recently
met with by the g-ood bark Loontjana
as she was drifting about in the vi
cinity of the Santa Cruz group. It
was a gruesome beast , very like a
whale at its nether end. Its body was
30 feet long- and 11 feet wide , dark in.
color and potted with white , with a
head containing' a mouth larg e
enough to take in twelve men.
Alarmed at the advances of the beast ,
the crew had recourse to a Winchester
rifle. But the monster was invulner
able in the body. Its weak spot was
the head. After two wasted shots a
third was skillfully planted in the
skull , and with one sweep of the tail
the monstc- • ' - > - i < -.ooeared. .
LINCOLN'S ) Vic vur i HE MOON.
Couldn't Understand Why the- Moon
Looked Upside Down.
From 1SG2 to 1SG0 Trofessor A < = aplt
IIall worked on the nine-and-a-half-
inch equatorial at the naval ob
servatory under James Ferason. .
making- observations and reducing-
his work. One nig-ht , while he was
working- alone in the dome , the trap
door by which it was entered from
below opened and a tall , thin figure ,
crowned by a stovepip3 hat arose in
the darkness. It turned out to be
President. Lincoln. He hail come up
from the White house with Secretary
Stanton. He wanted to take a look
at the heavens through the telescope.
Professor Hall showed him the various
objects of interest , and finally turned
the telescope on the half moon. The
president looked at it a little while
and went away. A few nig-hts later
the trapdoor opsned again , and the
same fignre appeared. lie told Pro
fessor Hall that after leaving the observatory
servatoryhe had looked at the moon ,
and it was wrong- side up as he had
seen it through the telescope. lie
was puzzled and wanted to know the
cause , so he had walked up from the
White house alone. Professor Hall
explained , to him how the lens of a
telescope gives an inverted image ,
and President Lincoln went away
satisfied.
. . . . i - * t ify
i
CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S LETTER * . ;
She IVrltes of Thackeray and of Mac * *
3.
ready's Artliifr.
Ono of Charlotte Bronte'n letters ,
from a recent biography or her , is at
follows : "On ono occasion I met a
party of my critics seven of them. ;
Some of them had been very bitter i
foes In print but they were prodigiously - |
ly civil face to face. These gentlemen |
seemed Infinitely grander , more pompous - I
pous , dashing , showy , than the few II
authors I saw. Mr. Thackeray , for 1
Instance , is a man of quiet , simple do- 1 *
mcanor. He is , however , looked upon
with some awe and even distrust Ills
conversation is very peculiar , too per
verse to be pleasant. It was proposed
to me to see Charles Dickens , Lady
Morgan. Mesdamefc Trollope , Gore and
some others , but I am aware that these
introductions would bring a degree of
notoriety I was not disposed to en
counter. I declined , therefore , with
thanks. Nothing charmed me moro
during my stay In town than the pic
tures I saw. One or two private col
lections of Turner's best water-color
drawings were indeed a treat His
later oil paintings are strange things-
things that baflle description. 1 twice I
saw Macready act once in 'Macbeth' I
and once in 'Othello. ' I astonishe-d a I
dinner party by honestly saying I did I
not like him. It is the fashion to rave I
about his splendid acting. Anything I
more false and artificial , less genuinely I
impressive than his whole style I 1
could scarcely have imagined. The fact I
is , the stage system altogether Is hoi- I
low nonsense. They act farce3 well I
enough ; the actors comprehend their I
parts and do them justice. They comprehend - I
prehend nothing about tragedy or I
Shakespeare , and it is a failure. I said I
so , and by so saying produced a blank I
silence a mute consternation. I was , * M
indeed , obliged to dissent on many occasions -
casions and to offend by dissenting. I
It seems now very much the custom to I
admire a certain wordy , intricate , obscure - I
scure style of poetry , such as Elizabeth I
Barrett Browning writes. "
COT EVEN V/ITH THE CLERK. I
<
Howa Country Guest Made the Hotel '
Offleial l'ay Up. '
A country guest at a certain London fl
hotel , having a dread of pickpockets , H
went to the clerk and handed him a
20 note to be put in the safe , says H
Comic Cuts. Asking for it next day H
he was thunderstruck when the functionary - H
tionary to whom he had given the H
money coolly denied any recollection H
of the matter. Whereupon the countryman - H
man went to a lawyer. H
"Get another 20 note , " said the lawyer - H
yer , "and go , accompanied by a friend H
back to the hotel. Apologize to the H
clerk for your mistake. Say it was a H
defect of memory. Attribute it to ab- H
sent-mindednesa. Deposit the second H
20 note in the presence of your friend
and come back to me. " H
The mystified ruralist observed instructions - H
structions to the very letter. H
"Now , " said the lawyer , "go back H
alone to the clerk and ask him for H
your 20 note. Knowing that yonr H
friend saw him receive it he will give H
you back the second one. Then take H
your friend with you next day , approach - H
preach the clerk , ask him boldly for H
that 20 note and as there was no witness - H
ness to your receipt of the second note H
he will be forced to return that also. " H
The ruse proved completely successful - H
ful , much to the gratification of the H
countryman. H
True Test of Oysters. M
"The best oyster experts that I know H
of , " said the captain of an oyster boat , H
"judge an oyster by the smell instead H
of by the taste. There is something H
about the smell of an oyster that ii = di- |
rates its condition to me much plainer | H
than does the taste. People buy them M
and eat them probably on account of |
their taste. So , also , do they buy tea , H
coffee and the various grades of whiskey - |
key and brandy for their taste , but all H
experts on those things pass upon them |
sntirely by their smelL The profes- H
= ional tea taster or whiskey taster , so H
called , never tastes them , but simply H
irrives at their taste by their pecul i- |
irities of flavor , or , to speak plainly , M
smell. jH
"I can tall what price a load of oys- H
; ers will b rated at when they arrive | H
it the wharf here by opening up the | H
lold of the boat and smelling. In M
sight case ? out of ten I am right It M
strikes the oysterman as strange when M
hey see persons going about from boat fl
o boat , a ? they lie at the wharf , tast- M
ng oyster ? before they conclude to buy. M
Taste is . ' .11 right , but if they don't S
; mcll right they will never taste M
Tea Cannot Count a Trillion. | |
It is impossible to count a trillion. ' M
3ad Adam counted continuously from |
lis creation to the present day , he M
vould not have reached that number , |
or it would take him over 9,512 years. | |
U the rate of 200 a minute , there could jH
38 counted 12,000 an hour , 2S3.000 a |
lay , and 105,120,000 a year. H
Licorice. M
The licorice plant is chiefly grown |
m the banks of the Tigris and Euphra- M
los , in localities where for three |
nonths , during the prevalence of hot M
vinds , the temperature reaches 104 de- M
jrees , and for three months often regis- |
; ers 30 degrees below at night M
Many hundred poor families in New H
fork will mourn the death of "Moth- M
: r" Sherwood , who for twenty years H
? ast has given her time , labor and M
noney unceasingly to their service in M
; he name of Christ. She was G5 jears M
jf age , and was a sisterof ex-Gov. ' H
Phineas Lounsbury , of Connecticut M
Her queit. unostentatious , Christian M
ire of helpfulness was a blessing to H
he wh.Gle city. M