VEsarog- hi it i mam ' u
THE DARK ENIGMA OF LIFE.
By Rov. W. Q. Elmsllo, D. D.
Text. -St. John xl.
Tlic rulers of tlio Jows at Jerusalem
3uU resolved on Christ's death, and
the muss of tho pooplo sympathized
vUh them. Tho Master's llfo had
fceen threatened by a popular out
3iirt. When Jesus received the mcs
jagc IIo behaved In a very strnngo
inshlou. Apparently Ho Just did noth
ing, but wont on with Ills teaching
ud preaching.
Christ said the end Is llrst of all
death, but that Is not tho termination.
Through death sickness, strugglo of
doubt and faith, should end In tho
plory of God. LIo meant this; In tho
preparation of Ills life and Ills doath
-the death and resurrection of Lazarus
.Tield a central position, it -was tho
turning point, tho thing that dotormln
d Ills crucifixion on Calvary. That
'ircmciidous miracle compollod the ml
r of Jerusalem to resolve on and
tarry out Ills death. That mlraclo of
linanrus' resurrection gave to the faltli
of tne disciples and of Christ's follow
ers strength of clinging attachment
iltat carried them through tho eclipse
f their belief when they saw lllin
die on Calvary.
Now, what would you say? Was It
cruel of Christ to allow Ills friend
Xazarus, Ills dear friends Mary and
3Iartha, to go through a period of sus
pense, of anxlotly, of sickness, of
death, and of tho grave, that they
anight 'do one of tho great deeds In
Iiiinglng In tho world's Redeemer? Oh,
men and women, If God bo wise, and
if God bo great, then must It not be
that somehow or other the structure
of tills world Is the best for God's end,
ami our tears and partings and calami
ties but Incidents In tho grand uau
jinlgn that shall end In the resplendent
Slory of heaven?
Death cannot uUlmntoly be an evil,
since It Is universal tho comuinmn
Uon, ollmax, crown, of every human
life. Ah, If we had the grander ma
jesty of soul to look at it from God's
altitude, we should call death, not a
defeat, but a victory, a triumph. I
think sometimes that If death did not
end these lives of ours, how weary
they would get. Think of It to live
n forever In the sordldness, In the lit
tleness, In tho struggle, tho pain, tho
aln of this life of ours. Oh, we need
ilmt angel of death to come In, and
now and then stir the pool of our fam
ily life, that there may bo healing In
it, that there may be bleslsng In It.
Death, holding the hand of God
through It, death, to those that stand
by and see the sweetness of human
Tove, tho triumph of faith celestial, has
a. grandeur In it, like Christ's doubt
treating features and elements of Its
xtoruul Impediment death becomes
God's minister. It Is going home to
ane'a Father.
Ambiguous christians.
By Rev. G. B. F. Hallock, D. D.
Text. "Ye aro our epistle, written
Hi ouv hearts, known and read of all
men." 11. Corinthians 111.: 2, li.
, The root meaning of the word "am
blguous" Is "to wander about with Ir
sesoluto mind." It has come to mean
in general use tho state of being doubt
iul or uncertain, particularly as to sig
nification. But people, as well as
words or epistles, can be ambiguous.
lEhe contrasts between their words and
their acts, their professions and their
conduct, their beliefs and their char
acter may be so great that wo really
oimuot make them out, our thought of
them is doubtful and uncertain, to the
signification of their lives It Is dllll
tult to assign a real, plain, delln.to
jECiinlng. It is a sad fact that thero
aro so many so-called Christians who
anist be placed In this class.
One thing Is certain, either you aro
a Christian or you are not a Chris
tian. If you are not, then you show
plainly that you know your duty and
deliberately choose to do It not. If you
are, then, llko Potcr, you are deliber
ately denying tho very Saviour you
lbve and In whom you hopo. If you
aro not, then you have been In tho gar
den with Christ, have listened to his
teachings, have hoard and understood
the way of llfo, have come to know
the value of eternal llfo, wish your
friends, your children and all dear to
you to accept this great salvation, and
yet for yourself you aro deliberately
rejecting Christ, This Is certainly
aJnnlng against great light. If you
wr n Christian, then you havo been In
SUe garden with Christ; you do love
Slim; you have heard his gracious
ywds; he Is your beat friend and
i? wot
1
our only hope of eternal life, and yet.
llko I'oter, you aro cither afraid or
ashamed to confess that you ever
now tho Saviour. You surely can
not tnko refugo In tho thought of con
fessing Christ by your life, whllo you
are warming yourself nt tho tiro with
his enemies, or while standing at the
door without. You may bo a disciple,
but while you stay In this position you
aro denying Christ Tho very best
that can bo said of you is that you
nro an amblguouB disciple. Llko Peter,
you must bo qulcu to ropont.
Ho no longer, I pray you, bo no
longer an nmblguous Chrlstlnn from
lack of an open confession of Christ.
With tho heart man bollovcth unto
righteousness, and with the mouth
confession Is mado unto salvation."
Confess him. "Let tho redeemed of
tho Lord say bo."
THE CROMWELL OF I3RAEL.
By Rov. Samuel Horton.
Text. "For the tlmo would fall me
to tell of Jcphthah." Ilebrows
xl.:.l2.
Jophthah'8 llfo was a tragedy and a
triumph. From his birth ho was an Ill
used child. IIo came Into tho world
unwnntod. Jephthah had a hard time
of It In Glload's household. Ills fath
er's son treated him vilely. Tho Iron
entered his soul very early. They made
him their drudge, the butt of their wit,
and scapegoat for their wrong doing,
until at length ho ran away. Hotter
tho coldness of the world than the
mockery of u loveless home.
Tho lad who ran irom homo to push
his own fortunes Into tho world had
the making of a kingly man in him.
Ho had a chieftain's brain under his
hat, and a noblo heart under his coat.
IIo had grit and courage, and In the
day of adversity turned his face to tho
north wind with u bravo heart, lie
was of tho stuff out of which the
world's pathfinders aro made. IIo gath
ered to him all sorts of wild men like
himself, tho outcasts of society; ad
venturers; runaways, vagabonds, and
broken men; and out of this unpromis
ing material Jephthah moulded on ar
my that was well nigh Invincible, lie
proved himself to bo a military genius
of the first rank.
"We cannot," says Carlyle, "look,
however Imperfectly, upon a great
man without gaining something by
him." And this we gain from our
study of this Hebrew hero, that the
despised child, homeless and friend
loss, may bo the most valuable asset
tho nation possesses, that to n-glcct
such a child Is to sin against the fu
ture, and that pluck, energy and faith
may sot at defiance the most discour
aging circumstances. Among self-mado
men Jephthah has an honored phice.
To all young men who need a nerve
tonic I commend this history. Every
thing Is to the man who dnres. Na
ture's nobles may have to wait for
their birthright, but It will surely
come. God can do nothing for the
man who sits and whines, 'but will
turn tho very stars out of their courses
to hc'ji him who Is worthy. Tho king
ly soul will come to his crown, though
his throne bo his own tombstone.
Then, if It must bo so, God and I
against tho world. Tlmo and eternity
aro on the sldo of tho hero.
Short Meter Sermons.
Good cheer chokes many a fear.
You aro never rich enough to spurn
love.
Sacrifice gives a heavenly grace to
any gift.
Tho glowing vision comes In lowly
service.
Tho salt of tho earth will havo no
sour virtues.
True charity knows nothing of ab
sent treatment.
Angels are always singing where
love Is working.
God has only one school for charae
tor, that of dally life.
Tho happiness reaped to-day depends
on that sown yesterday.
Thero Is no hiding from tho sub
poenas of the court of conscience.
Tears In tho eyes aro often tele
scopes that bring heaven near at hand
There Is no happiness In all this
world If chore Is none In tho heart.
Tho outgoing of the heart to another
means tho incoming of hoavon to your
self.
There Is something wrong with the
heart when it hurts you to seo others
happy.
You cannot toll much about the
breadth of a man's mind by tho width
of his mouth.
Some men think they can put cash
in one pocket and conscience In tho
other, and by keeping tho loft hand 1
norant of tho deeds of tho right live
happy over after. 4
1 1 i wi'Tshkxxt'v - vc-: -vi
I 1 fiC-!SLVtfTi"
The Walker Apple.
First shown In any quantity nt the
Pan-American Exposition, at ItufTnlo,
Iho Walker apple has since been tried
In various sections nnd found all that
was claimed for It Its exceedingly
attractive appearance mnkes It valua
ble as n market fort, and It has tho
ndded merit of being of fair quality,
although not by any moans n first-
class apple In this respect In size It
Is a llttlo above tho medium, and In
color Is particularly attractive, being
striped with brilliant red. Under test
It proves to be only a fair bearer, but
NHW WAI.KKU AI'l'M:.
this may bo Improved as the trees
grow older. Mention of tho -variety
Is mado simply because It Is a promis
ing one and seems worthy of general
test. Indianapolis News.
Vomitr Prut t Trre.i.
There aro a number of good plnns
for protecting young trees from the
ravages of mice and rabbits, during
the winter, several of them having
boon referred to in this department.
Where coal is burned on the farm, no
better use will bo found for tho ashes
(minus tho largo clinkers) than in plac
ing them around the young trees. It
requires less tlmo than to arrange one
of the wire or tarred paper collars,
and costs nothing. Proceed after this
plan: With a rake or hoc pull away
from the tree for two feet all around
it, all the dried grass and weeds. Then
mound up foil eight inches and cover
this with the coal ashes so that they
are a foot high against the trunk and
extend to a foot or more away from
the bottom of the tree. This material
will pack during the winter and of
fers no warmth to the field vermin.
In tho spring it may bo drawn away
and spaded Into the soil whore It will
do no harm, even though It does no
particular good. The plan Is so good
that It Is worthy of attention.
Snowdrift Cnto IMiiK't.
This is a gate hinge of my inven
tion. It ran be used on any kind of
gate. Tho rod should be mado of 1
incli iron. The four eyes of !i-inch
iron. The eyes in the top of gate
should bo 10 or IS Inches apart. This
gate can be raised and opened
snowdrifts. The collar with tj
over
iiimb
screw will hold tho gate as wa
ntod.
The hangings can be made by
blacksmith. W. G. Freed.
any
TopdreNHliiK Kye it ml Clover.
To an Inquiry how to fertilize a field
of rye sowed last fall, Intended to bo
seeded also with clover In tho early
spring, Dr. C. W. Woods recommended
at a recent meeting the application of
four hundred pounds of muriate of
potash. This application was Intend
ed to encourage tho clover that was to
bo sown rather than tho rye. If It
was preferred to grow a larger crop of
rye rather than the clover, ho would
recommend a dressing of nitrate of
soda.
As in GroNN 1 1 rood I iik.
The vital objection to cross-breeding
is the danger that scrub stock may re
sult, which would likely bo tho case if
the crossing was continued beyond the
first generation. On the other hand,
there may exist conditions when it Is
dcslrablo to mako a cross, even while
admitting that tho grade of stock Is by
far to be preferred. The parent stock
may be all right for present purposes,
y6t should a demand arise for stock
finer bred, for bacon or other purposes,
surely ono would be Justified If the re
verso wore tho easo.
- 1!' Til K
CNr- josuj: f !
OATH HINOi: roil OMITS.
Corer for Sheep.
Old experienced sheep raisers real
izo tho Importance of providing cover
for animals on tho range or In tho
yards so arranged thnt tho sheep can
get under cover quickly In tho event
of sudden storms which nro likely at
this season of tho year. A structure
of this kind should 1c more than a
roof It should bo deep so that tho
sheep can get far enough under that
the storm can not possibly reach them.
It should also bo a hooded shed, that
Is, some provision should bo made for
a low front which will bronk the
storm. If this Is not feasible a good
way Is to build up a straw stuck or a
stack of corn stalks In the open In
front of the open part of the shed, but
several feet away so that the sheep
will not feel they aro penned in yet
can readily got In by going around
tho stack on either sldo. Tho floor of
tills shed should bo dry at nil times
nnd It Is nn excellent plan to have
more or less roughage In It which tho
sheep mny munch over to keep them
hnppy and contented. It Is not Intend
ed, that this shed be moro than a plnco
for cover In the event of storm. Tho
bnm or stable should bo tho regular
home and arranged for comfort. The
shed, as described, will save many
pounds of mutton, for nothing will
pull a sheep down more quickly than
exposure to n storm.
Adulterated Milk.
The ordinary methods of milk adul
terations aro easily detected by export
examiners. It Is reported that a
French chemist, Dr. Quesnovlllo, has
made some experiments that point to
the probability that for some tlmo
thero has been practiced a form of
deception In milk adulteration which
has escaped the attention of health of
ficers. In a paragraph In tho Birming
ham Dally Mail It is explained that
t'v deficiency of fats, whether duo to
the poverty of tho milk or tho extrac
tion of fnts, has been covered by tho
addition of foreign grensy mntter. Dr.
Quesnovlllo found that "bonzlno would
dissolve foreign fats without affecting
the natural fats In milk," and thus by
examining tho samples which havo
passed tho ordinary test ho discovered
such substances as pork dripping and
cocoanut butter.
An Outdoor Crnne.
The Illustration shows a crano for
an outdoor fireplace. For upright post
a, use scantling .'lx-I Inches, )s feet
long. For beam b uso scantling 5x4
inches, a feet long. For brace c, uso
scantling Uijxtf Inches, 20 Inches long.
For post d, to swing crano to, can uso
any ordinary post 7x7 inches, 8 feet
long. Set post throe feet In ground,
bore hole through iost six inches from
top end for upper hinge, ',lt feet lower
bore another hole for lower hinge, and
tho post is ready to swing crane to.
Exchange.
The Corner of the I'en.
There is no doubt but what tho moro
fresh air tho swlno got oven during
tho winter the better they feel, so in
stead of confining them to the house,
arrange one corner or ond of tho yard
so that they may still bo out of doors
and yet bop rotccted from storm. An
excellent way of doing this is to select
a spaco as large as necessary, facing
tho south, and build It up with gravel,
so that It is several Inches higher than
the surrounding soil; then there will
bo llttlo danger of Its getting damp.
With old boards build a rough low
structure, covering roof and cracks
with corn stalks. Not a fancy house,
costing considerable, but simply a
crude, rough structure which will bo
practically waterproof and comfort
able. Let tho swine have a portion of
the corn on the ear fed In this retreat,
and they will be hnppy and quite will
ing to stay out of doors most of each
day unless the weather Is unusually
cold; ns a result one will havo a clean
er main house, which Is worth consid
erable. Dntry Xnte.i.
Milk from uninspected herds should
not bo sold to thep ubllc.
Always give tho dairy cow a chance
to exercise In tho open air when tho
weather Is agreeable, but at no other
time.
A too common source of human con
sumption and typhoid Is milk.
As an extra and yet prudent precau
tjou, pasteurization of -all cream
should bo obligatory.
Creamery managers should require
every cow whoso milk Is received at
their creamery to bo Inspected for tu
berculosis. Winter dairying Is always most In
favor in tho older dairying districts.
This fact proves that experience dem
onstrates winter dairying to bo tho
best. Have the cows freshen in the
fall.
Ol TDOOU cuaxi:.
Cherry Ico Crcum.
Put one pound of granulated sugar
and one-half pint of water In a sauco-;
pan over the fire. Stir until the sugnr
is all dissolved, then let tho syrup
come to a boll. Drop in gently ono
qunrt of white cherries, pitted, and ljjfN
simmer fifteen minutes. Strain euro-'
fully, and when tho syrup is cold ndd
ono quart of sweet cream and freeze.;
When It gets rather thick remove tho'
dnsher, bent well with a wooden pad
dle, and stir In tho fruit. Pack nnd lot
stand three or four hours to ripen. (
Another very nlco wny to sorvo cherry,
Ice cream Is to stono and crush tho
cherries, and add sugar to mako them
sweot Chill on Ice, nnd put n spoon-i
ful of tho crushed fruit In small glass
es, nnd heap over vanilla Ice cream.j
Raspberry, peach, apricot and bananaj
Ico creams can bo maded nnd served
with tho samo directions as
berry or cherry ico crenms.
straw
Onions nml aicnt.
All white meats gain flavor from a
delicate onion ndmixturo with tho
gravy. The onion should bo grntcd
and put over tho meat beforo It has
Just finished roasting and then blend
ed by basting. In this way ono avoids
tho burnt onion slices, which some
times result from other methods, and
which hnvo, in a way, caused tho ad
dition of onion to bo regarded with dis
favor. Chcntiiut StuIlliiHT.
For a vory simple stuffing, shell and
blanch a couple of quarts of chestnuts
and boll for half nn hour In water
enough to cover. Drain and mash, add
ing to thorn threo tablespoonfuls ofi
butter, a lovel tablcspoonful of salt, a
saltspoonful of pepper, a teaspoonful
of minced onion, two tablespoonfuls
of bread crumb3 and tho yolks of two
eggs. Mix thoroughly nnd stuff tho
turkey.
llur I'tllllllllK.
Ono cup of currants, ono cup of seed
less raisins, ono cup of suet chopped
lino, ono cup of milk, one cup of mo
lasses, three cups of Hour, two tea
spoonfuls of baking powder. Plnco In
a pudding bag, allowing room for It to
swell. Put Into u kettle of fast-boll-Ing
water and boil for three hours. It
may bo kept on hand and steam
r
when wanted.
Plum Jelly.
This jelly is very nice, and enn bo
mado from large or small plums; it
jolls easier than most other fruit.
Cook, and drain through a jelly-bag;
measure, and allow ono pound of gran
ulated sugar for each pint of juice;
boat tho sugar and add, cooking from
twelve to fifteen minutes, then tost.
Suet 1'nililliiK'.
To ono teacupful of finely chopped
suet add four cups of Hour that havo
been sifted with a teaspoonful of bak
ing powder. Add a half-pound of rai
sins, a cup of molasses, u cup of milk
and a pinch of salt. Flavor with cin
namon, boll two and a half hours and
sorvo with snuce.
Xut Cuke.
Cream ono cup of butter with two
cups of sugar, add four beaten eggs,
ono cup of cold water and threo cups
of Hour that has been sifted with three
tenspoonfuls of baking powder. Last
of all, stir In two cups of nut meats,
well dredged with Hour.
Sweet Prult Suliul.
Mix together equal parts of Malaga
grapes, sliced bananas and halved
hickory nuts all mndo vory cold.
Turn Into a glass bowl and cover with
a dressing.
Short SiiKTKeMtloitn.
The dirtiest frying pan will becomo
clean if soaked five minutes in ammo
nia and water.
To bring out the brilliancy of cut
glass, nniinonln should be placed In
tho water In which It Is to bo rinsed.
Discolored saucepans of enamel can
often bo made to look llko now by
boiling a llttlo chloride of lime in tho'
water with which they aro filled.
To clean sponges when very foul
wash them in diluted tartaric acid,
rinsing them afterward in water; it
will make them very soft and whlte. .
If a cake falls in tho center tho "j
opening of tho oven door and the con- '
sequent rush of cold air may account
for It; too much baking powder may
havo been used, or the mixing may bo
nt fault. Never slam or bang the oven
door when a cake Is Inside.
Oilcloth is n nlco covering for pas-i
sago floors, and if It Is properly treat- )
od It will last a long time. It houia '
bo cleaned by being rubbed with ni
cloth dipped In pnrufun oil. Sonp and
soda or anunlnla should nover touch
it, for they will soon destroy tho oil iu
its paint and then It will quickly rot
and go Into holes.