Nebraska Newspapers

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CAPITAL CITY COURIER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1889.
(JURISTS WRITING.
TRACING IN THE DUST THE WORDS
I HYPOCRISY AND FORGIVENESS.
The Worlil In Still Under the IHvlno Eye.
Christ's Gentle Trenttnrtit of the llirlnjj
I Wnmiin An lllnstrotlnn of tlio World'
: Injimtlrc.
I DnooKt.TN, N Y., Fob. 17. Dr. Tnlmngo
preached this morning in tlio Hrooklyn Tab
ernaclo on tlio subject, "Tlio Literature of
tho Dust," After explaining appropriate
passages of Script uro concerning Christ ho
gavoout tho bymnt
, Oh, could 1 speak tho matchless worth,
I Oti, could 1 sound tho Rlorlc forth
Which la my Ravlour shlnol
Toxti John vlll, 0: "Jesus stooped down
and wroto on tbo ground."
A Mohnmmcdnn mosquo stands now whero
onco stood Herod's tcmplo, tho sccno of my
text Solomon's temple bad stood Micro, but
tfobuchndnezzar thundered it down. Zoro
babol's tcmplo bnd stood there, but thnt had
boon prostrated. Now wo tako our places in
a tcmplo that Herod built becauso ho was
fond of great nrchltccturo and bo wanted tho
preceding temples to seem Insignificant, Put
eight or ton modern cathedrals together and
tboy would not equal that structure It cov
ered nineteen acres. Thcro were marblo pil
lars supporting roofs of cedar and silver
tables on which stood golden cups, nnd thcro
wcro carvings oxqutslto and Inscriptions re
splendent, glittering balustrades and orna
mented gateways. Tlio building of this tcm
plo kept ten thousand workmen (may forty-six
years. In that stupendous pllo of ompnud
magnlflccnco sat Christ, and a listening
throng stood about him, when n wild dis
turbance took place. A group of men arc
pulling and pushing along n woman who
had committed tho worst crimo against
society. When they Iwvo brought her
in front of Christ, tboy nsk that Ho son
tenco her to death by stoning. Tboy aro
a critical, merciless, disingenuous crowd.
Thoy want to get Christ into controversy and
public reprehension. If bo say, "Lot her
dlo," thoy will cliargo him with cruelty. It
ho let her go, thoy will charge him with
being In complicity with wickedness.
Whlchovcr way ho docs, thoy would howl at
htm. Then occurs n sccno which has not
been sufficiently regarded. Ho leaves tho
loungo or bench on which ho was sitting nnd
goes down on ono kneo or both knees, nnd
with tho forefinger of his right hand ha
begins to wrlto in tho dust of tho lloor,
word after word. But they wero not to lo
diverted or hindered. Thoy kept on demand
ing that ho sottlo this ca&o of trnutgrchxlon,
until ho looked up and told them that thoy
might themselves bef,ln tho woman's assassi
nation, if tho complainant who hail never
dono anything wrong himself would open tho
flro. "Go ahead, but bo suro that tho man
who flings tho first mlssllo Is Immaculate"
Then ho rcsumod writing with his linger in
tho dust of tho floor, won! after word. In
toad of 'looking over his shoulder to heo what
bo had written, tho scoundrel skulked nwny.
Finally tho wholo placo is clear of pursuers,
antagonists and plaintiffs, nnd when Christ
has finished this strange chirography in tho
dust, ho looks up ami duds tho woman all
alono. Tbo prisoner is tho only ono of tho
court room left, tho Judges, tho police, tho
prosecuting attornoys having cleared out.
Christ is victor, and ho says to tho woman,
"Whero aro. tho prosecutors In this ca.se I Aro
thoy .all gonot Then I discharge you. Go
and sin no mora"
'cnmsT wnoTE in riiifti.no and vanishing;
DUST.
I.hnvo always wondered what Christ wroto
on tho ground. For do you realize that Is tho
only .time that hoover wroto nt nil f 1 know
that Eusebtus says that Christ onco wroto n
Jotter .to Abgnrus, tho king of Edcssn, but
thcro Is no good evidence of such n corre
spondence. Tho wUost being tho world over
saw and tbo ono who had moro to say than
any ono who over lived, uover writing a
book or a chapter, or a go or n paragraph
or a word on parchment. Nothing but this
.literature of tho dust, nnd ono sweep of a
brush or ono breath of a wind obliterated
that forovcr. Among all tho rolls of tho vol
tunics of tho first library founded at Thebes,
thcro was not ono scroll of Christ. Among
tho seven hundred thousand books of tho Al
.exoudrian library, which by tho Infamous
.decroo ofvCaliph Omar wero used as fuel to
bent. tlio. four thousand baths of tho city, not
ono Bcntcnco had Christ penned. Among all
tho.lnflnitudo of volumes now standing in tho
libraries. of Edinburgh, tho British museum,
.or Berlin tor Vienna, or tho learned reposi--tories
of nil nations,, not ono word written di
rectly by .tho fingers of Christ. AH that ho
ever .wroto, ho iwroto in dust; uncertain,
.shifting, (Vanishing dust.
My .text say a ho stooped down and wroto
on too ground. Standing straight up a man
mlghtaixlto on.tlio ground with n staff, but
if with ids fingers ho would writo in tlio dust,
lio must .bend clear aver. Ayo, ho must get,
At least, -an ono kneo or bo cannot writo on
tbo ground. Bo not. surprised tliat ho stooped
down. HJs wholo.llfo was a stooping down.
Stooping. down from costlo to lmrn. Stoop
ing down .from celestial homage to molio
cratlo Jeer. .From rcsldcnco. nbovo tho stars
to whcre.a star had to fall to deslgnato bis
landing place. From heaven's front door to
tbo world's .back gate. From writing in
round Aud silvered letters of .constellation
and galaxy ou. tbo , blue scroll of heaven, to
rrltingou the ground in tbo dust, which tho
feet of the crowd .had ,lof t in Herod's tcmplo.
If In January you have over stopped out of a
prlnco'j (conservatory, that bad Aloxlcan cue
tus and magnolias ia .full bloom, into tbo
outside air 10 degs. Iwlow zero, you may get
eonisidcaof Christ's cbaugo.of ntmosphero
from celestial to terrestrial. How many
heavens thcro are 1 know not, but .thcro aro
at least throe, for Paul was "caught up into
tbo third heaven." Christ .camo dowu from
highest heaven to tbo second boa vcu and down
from second hoaren to first boaven, down
swifter than meteors over fell, down amidst
stellar splendors that himself eclipsed, down
through clouds, through atmospheres, through
appalling space, dowu to whero there wns no
lower depth. From being waited ou at tho
banquet of tho skies to tbo broiling of fish for
bis own breakfast on tho banks of tho lake
From emblazoned chariots of eternity to tho
saddlo of a mulo'u back. From homage,
cherubic, seraphic, orchangellc, to tho pay
ing of sixty-two nnd a half cents of tax to
Ca'sar. From tho deathless country to a
tomb built to hide human dissolution. Tbo
upllf tod wavo of Galileo was high, but bo bad
to como down, licforo with his feet, ho could
touch It, and tho whirlwind that roso nbovo
tho billow wan higher yet, but ho had tocomo
down, licforo with his lip bo could kiss it into
quiet, Bethlehem n btooplng down. Nazareth
iv stooping down. Death lietwecu two burg
lars u iitooplng down. Yes, It wan In conson
ance w lib humiliations that had gono licforo
and with solf abnegations that camo after,
when ou that mcmnniblu day In Herod's
temple) bit stooped down and wroto on tho
ground.
THIS WOULD H BTII.I ;0KH THE DIVINE
Kli
UTiother tho words ho was writing wcro in
Greek, or lttlu, or Hebrew, 1 cannot say,
for ho know nil tlioso languages. But ho is
still stooping down and with hi finger writ
ing ou tho ground; In tho winter, in letters
of crystals.in tho spring, in letters of flowers;
In summer, in golden letters of harvest; in
autumn, In letters of II ro on fallen leaves.
How It would sweeten up and enrich nnd em
blazon this world, could wo soo Christ's call
graphy nil over Itl This world was not flung
out Into space thouvtnds of years ago nnd
then left to look out for Itself. It Is still
under tho dlvluo care, Christ never for n
half second takes bis band off it, or It would
soon bo n shipwrecked world, n do
funcj. world, mi obsolete world, nil
abandoned world, a dead world. "Lot
thcro bo light" was said nt tho begin
ning And Christ stand, under tho wintry
skies mid says, Iut there hosuowllakc. to en
rich tho earth; nnd under tho clouds of
spring, nnd says, Como yo blossoms and
mnko redolent tho orchards; mid in Septem
ber dip tho branches Into tho vat of beauti
ful colors nnd swings them in tho hazy nlr
No whim of initio Is this. "Without him was
not anything mado that was made," Christ
writing on tho ground I If wo could
soo his hand in nil tho passing sea
sons, how it would illumluo tho world!
All vcrduro nnd follngo would bo allegoric
and again wo would bear him say as of old,
"Consider tho lilies of tho field how thoy
grow;" nnd wo would not hear tho whtstlo of
a quail or tho cawing of n raven or tho roun
delay of a brown thresher, without saying,
"Behold tho fowls of tho air, thoy gnthcr not
Into barns, yot your benvonly Father fcedoth
them ;" nnd n Doniinio hen of tho barn yard
could not cluck for hor brood, but wo would
boar Christ saying an of old, "How often
would I hnvo gathered thy children together,
oven tut n hen gntheroth her chickens under
her wings;" nnd through tho redolent hedges
wo would hear Christ saying, "I nm tho roso
of8hnron;" wo could not dip tho seasoning
from tho salt cellar without thinking of tho
divlno suggestion, "Yo nro tho salt of tho
earth, but if tho salt hnvo lost Its savor,
It is fit for nothing but to bo cast out
and trodden under foot of men." Ixst us
wnko up from our stupidity nnd tnko
tho wholo world as n parable. Then If
with gun nnd pack of hounds wo start olf be
fore dnwn and soo tho morning coming down
off of tho hills to moot us, wo would cry out
with tho evangelist, "Tho day spring from
on high hath visited us;" or caught In n snow
storm, whllo struggling homo, eyebrows nnd
board and apparel nil covered with tho whirl
ing flakes, wo would cry out with David,
"Wash mo nnd I shall Ih whiter than snow."
In n picture gallery of Kuroio, thcro Is on tho
celling nil oxqulslto fresco, but peoplo having
to look straight up, It wearied mid dizzied
them, mid bent their necks almost boyoud
endurance, so n great looking glass was put
near tho lloor and now, visitors only need to
look easily down Into this mirror and thoy see
tho fresco nt their foot. And so much of nil
tho heaven of God's truth is reflected in this
world as In a mirror nnd tho things thnt nro
nbovo nro copied by things nil around us.
Whnt right hnvo wo to throw nwny ono of
God's bibles, nyo, tho first Blblo ho ever gnvo
the race! Wo talk about tho Old Testament
and tho Now Testament, but tho oldest Testa
ment contains tho lessons of tho natural
world. Some jieoplo Ilko tho Now Tost
nuient bo well, thoy discard tho Old Testa
ment. Shall wo liko tho Now Testament nnd
tho Old Testament so well as to depreciate
tho oldest, namely, that which was written
beforo Moses was put afloat on tho boat of
leaves which was calked withnxplialtum; or
reject tho Genesis nud tho llovelatlou that
wero written centuries licforo Adam lost a
rib mid gained n wlfoi No, no; when Deity
stoop down and writes on tho ground, let us
read It. 1 would liavo no loss appreciation
of tho Bible ou paper that comes out of tho
lor mill, but I would urgo appreciation of
tho Blblo in tho gross, the Blblo in tho mind
hill, tho Bible in tbo geranium, tho Blblo in
tho asphodel, tho Blblo In tho dust. Somo
ouo asked tho aticleut king whether ho had
seen thoeclipso of tho sun. "No," said he,
"I hnvo 60 much to do ou earth, I hnvo no
tlmo to look nt heaven." And if our facul
ties wero nil nwako in tho study of God wo
would not havotimo to go much further than
tho first grass blndo. I have no four that nat
ural religion will over contradict what wo
call rovealed religion. 1 hnvo no sympathy
with tho followers of Aristotlo, who after tho
telcscopo was invented, would not look
through it, lest it contradict somo of tho
theories of their great master. I shall bo
glad to put against ouo lid of tho Biblo tho
mlcroscopo, nud against tho other lid of tho
Blblo tho telescope,
the wonD9 cimiST wnoTE: "iiYrocnisv
AND roKOIVENES.S."
But when Christ stooped down nnd wroto
on tho grouud, what did ho write! Tho
Pharisees did not stop to examine, Tho
cowards, whipped of their own consciences,
fled Hill moll. Nothing will Hay a mau.liko
an aroused conscience. Dr. Stevens, In bis
"History of Methodism," says that when nor.
Benjamin Abbott, of olden times, was preach
ing, ho exclaimed: "For aught I know there
may bo n murderer in this house," and n man
roso in tbo assemblage and started for tho
door and bawled nloud, confessing to n mur
der ho had committed fifteen years before.
And no wonder theso Pharisees, reminded of
their sins, took to their heels. But whnt did
Christ writo ou tho ground I Tho Biblo docs
not stnto. Yot, as Christ nover wroto any
thing except that onco, you cannot blame us
for wanting to know what ho really did
write. But I nm certain ho wroto nothing
trivial, or nothing uulmportnnt. And will
you allow mo to say that I think 1 know
what ho wrote on tho ground I 1 Judgo from
tho circumstances. Ho might liavo written
other things, but kneeling there In tho tcm
plo, surrounded by n iaek of hyjiocrites, who
wcronself appointed coustabulary.ond having
In his proseneo n ei-bocuted woman who, evi
dently, was very cnltcnt for her blus, I am
suro ho wroto two words, both of them
graphic and tremendous and reverberat
ing. And tho ono word was IIyocrisy and
thoothcr word was Forgiveness. From tho way
theso pharlsoos and scribes vacated tho prem
ises mid got out into tho fresli air, as Christ,
with Just ono Ironical scntcuco, unmasked
them, I know they wero first class hypocrites.
It was then ns it is now. Tho moro faults
and inconsistencies iooplo hnvo of their own,
tho moro severe and censorious aro thoy
about tho faults of others. Hero thoy nro
twenty stout men nrrcstlng and arraigning
ono weak woman, Magnificent business to bo
engaged In. Thoy wanted tho fun of seo
lug her faint away undrr a heavy Judicial
sentence from Christ, and then nftcr tlio hail
been taken ouUldo tho city and fastened nt
tho foot of n precipice, tho Scribes and Phar
isees wanted tho eat UfacUou of each coming
nnd dropping n big etono on her head, for
that was tho stylo of capital punWinient that
thoy asked for. Somo ooplo liuvo taken tho
responsibility of saying that Clint nover
laughed, But I think as ho saw those men
drop overythlng, chagrined, mortified, ex
posed, nnd go out quicker than they camo In,
ho must havo laughed. At any rate, it makes
mo laugh to read of It, All of theso liber
tines dramatizing Indignation against im
purity. Blind bats lecturing on optics. A
lloek of crows on their way up from n car
casr, denouncing carriou. Yes, I think that
ono word written on tho ground that day by
tho finger of Christ was tho awful
word Ilyjwcrisy. But I am nun thero was
another word In that dust. From her entire
. inner, 1 nm Mire that arraigned woman
wns repentant. Sho mado no oology, nnd
Christ in no u Iso belittled her sin. But her
supplicatory bobavlor nnd her tears moved
htm, nnd when ho stooixxl down to wrlto on
tho ground, ho wroto thnt mighty, thnt Im
perial word Forgiveness. When on Sinai God
wroto tho law, ho wroto it with finger of
lightning on tables of Mono, each word cutns
by a chisel Into tho hard granite surface.
But when ho writes the offense of tills woman
bo writes It In dust, so Hint It enn bo easily
rubltcd out, nnd when sho reeiitsof It, oh I
ho wns n merciful Cht 1st I I wns rivalling of
n legend that Is told In tho far enst nbout hlin.
Ho wns wnlklng through tho streets of n city
nnd ho saw n crowd around n dead dog, And
ono man wild, "What n loathsome object Is
that dogl" "Yes," said another, "his enrs
nro mauled and blooding." "Yes," mid
another, "oven his hido would not lm of
any use to tho tnniior," "Yes," wild an
other, "tho odor of his carcass Is dreadful."
Then Christ, standing there, said' "But
iearls cannot equal the whiteness of his
teeth." Then the cop!o, moved by tho ldu
that any ouo could llnd nnythlng pleasant
concerning n dead dog, saldi "Why, this
must bo Jesus of Nazareth." Reproved and
convicted thoy went nwny. Surely this
legend of Christ Is good enough to be true.
Kindness In nil his words nnd ways nud
linblts. ForglvoncKsl Word of cloven tetters
nnd some of them thrones, nud somo of them
pnlm branches. Better havo Christ wrlto
closo to our names that one word, though he
writo It in dust, than to hnvo our iinmo cut
into monumental granite with tho letters
that tho storms of n thousand years cannot
obliterate. Bishop Dnhlngton hnd n hook of
only threo leaves. Tho llrst lenf wns black,
tho second leaf red, tho third leaf white. Tho
black leaf suggested sin, tlio red lenf atone
ment, tho white lenf purification. That Is tho
wholo story. God will abundantly pardon.
AN II.LfHTUATION OK THE WOIH.D'h INJUB
TICE. I must not forget to say that ns Christ
stooping down, with his finger wroto on tho
ground, It Is evident thnt his sympathies nro
with this ixMiltcut woman, nud thut ho has
no sympathy with her hyjiocritical pursuers.
Just opiioslto to thnt Is tho world's habit.
Why didn't theso unclean Pharisees bring ono
of their own number to Christ for excorln
Hon nnd capital punishment) No, no; thoy
overlook that In n man which they dnmnnto
in u woman. And so tho world has had for
oirending women, scourges and objurgation,
nnd for Just one olTeuso, sho becomes nil out
enst, whllo for men whoso lives hnvo lieen bo
domlc for twenty years, tho world swings
open its doors of brilliant welcome, and
they may sit in legislatures nud senates and
parliaments or on thrones. Unlike tho Christ
of my text, the world wrlto. u man's mis
demeanor In dust, but chisels n woman's of
fense with great capitals upon mclTnccnblo
mnrblo. For foreign lords nud princes, whoso
names cannot even bo mentioned hi rcsccta
bio circles abroad, becauso they uro walking
Inzarettoes of abomination, our American
princesses of fortune wnlt, nud nt tho first
beck sail out with them Into the blackness of
darkness forever. And In what nro called
higher circles of society thero is now not only
tho Imitation of foreign dress nud foreign
manner, but nil imitation of foreign disso
luteness. I liko an Englishman nud I liko nn
American, but tho sickest creature on earth
Is nn American playing tho Englishman.
Society needs to bo reconstructed ou this sub
ject. Treat them nllko, masculine mid femi
nine crime. If you cut the ono In granite,
cut them both in granite. If you write tho
ouo In dust, writo t ho other ill dust. No, no I
bays the world, let woman go down and let
man go up. Whnt Is that I hear plashing
Into tho Kust itiver nt midnight, nud then
there Is it gurgle ns of strangulation, and all
Is still. Nover mind 1 It is only a woman too
discouraged to live. Lctthomillsof thecruel
world grind right ou I
HIONIFICANCK OK CHIUST'H DUBT WUITINO.
But while I 8cnk of Christ of tho text, his
stooping down writing in tho dust, do not
think 1 underrate the literature of tho dust.
It is tho most solemn and tremendous of nil
literature. It is tlio greatest of till libraries.
When I-uyurd exhumed Nineveh ho wns only
opening the door of Its mighty dust. Tho ex
cavations of Pomiell hnvo only been tho un
clasping of the lids of a volume of u nation's
dust. When Admiral Farragut and ills
friends, a few years ngo, visited that resur
rected city, tho house of Bnlbo, who had been
ouo of its chief citizens in Its prosiierousdnvs,
was opened, ami u table wns spread in that
house which eighteen hundred and ten years
lias been buried hy volcnulu eruption, nud
Farragut and his guest walked over thu ex
quisite mosaics anil under tho beautiful
fresco, and It almost seemed like being enter
tained by those who eighteen centuries ago
uau turned to dust, un, this mighty litem
turoof thodustl Where nro tlio remains of
Sennacherib nnd Attlla and Epnmiiiondas
and Inmerlano and Trojan and I'hllip of
Mncedon nud Julius Casnrl Dust! Whero
are tho heroes who fought ou both bides at
Clucronca, at Hastings, at Marathon, at
Cressy, of tho 110,000 men who fought ut
Agincourt, or tho 'jmamo men who faced
death nt Jena, of the 400,000 whoso armor
glittered in tho sun ut Wngrnin, of tho 1,000.
000 men under Darius nt Arbelln, of tho
2,011,000 men under Xerxes at Thermopylae
uustl
Whero nro tho guests who danced tho floors
of tho Allmmbra, or the Persian imlnccs of
Aliusucms Dustl Wherenro tho musicians
who played, and tho orators who sjioko, und
tho sculptors who chiseled, nud tho archi
tects who built in nil the centuries except our
ownf Dustl The greatest library in tho
world, that which has the widest shelves and
tho longest n isles nnd tho most multitudinous
volumes and tho vastest wealth, is the un
derground library. It is tho royal library,
tho continental library, the hcmlsnherio li
brary, tho planetary library, tho library of
tho dust. And all theso library cases will bo
ojicihxI, and all these scrolls unrolled,
mid all these volumes unclasiiod; and
ns easily ns in your library or mlno
wo tnl;o up n boou, blow tho dust off
of it, und turn over Its nges, bo easily will
tho Lord of tho Resurrection pickup out of
this library of dust every volume of human
life, nnd open It nnd rend It and display it.
And tho volumo will bo rebound, to be set In
tho royal library of tho King's pnlaco, or in
tho prison library of tho bclf destroyed. Oil,
this mighty literature of tho dustl It Is not
so wonderful after all that Christ choso, in
stead of un Inkstand, tho Impressionable sand
ou tho floor of un ancient temple, nnd instead
of a hard pen, put forth his forefinger with
the same kind of nerve nnd muscle uud bone
and flesh as that which makes up our own
forefinger, and wrote tho awful doom of
hyjiocrlsy and full nud complete forgiveness
for rcjxmtnnt sIiiuci-h, even tho wors.t.
And now I can bcliovo that which I read,
how that n mother kept burning u caudlo in
tho window every ulght for ten years, and
ono night very luto, n jioor waif of tho street
entered. The aged woman will to her, "Sit
down by tho fire," and tho stranger taid,
"Why do you keep that light in the window I'1
Tho ngod woman uddi "That ia to light my
wayward daughter when thu returns. Blnco
tho went nwny ten years ago, my hair has
turned white. Folks blamo mo for worrying
about her, but you eo I nm her mother nnd
sometimes, half n dozen timeu n night, I open
the door nud look out into tho darkness and
cry, 'Llszlol 'LUzIo!' But I mutt not tell
you any moro nbout my trouble, for I guess,'
from the way you cry, you linvo troublu
enough of your own. Why, how cold nud
sick you nwuil Oh, my I enn It bl Yes,
you nro Mule, my awn lost child. Thank
God thnt you nro homo ngaln I" And whnt n
time of rejoicing thero wns In thnt house thnt
mghtl And Christ ngnln stoojHsl down and
In tho ashes of thnt hearth, now lighted up
not more by tho great blazing los than by
tho Jo7 ot n reunited household, wrote tbo
snmo fllMitliig words thnt he hail written
mere than eighteen hundred years ngo In tho
dust of tli Jerusalem temple. ForglvoiiossI
A word broad enough nud high enough to lot
pnss through It nil tho armies of heaven, n
million uhrcust,on whlto horn, nostril to
nostril, Hank to flnuk.
ODDS AND ENDS.
At every tnllrond In Holland thero is n
watch woman nt tho crossing,
Marriage would Iw more frequently n suo
ccmi if fower men nnd women were failure.
All mntches, frleudshtH nud societies nro
dangerous nnd Inconvenient where the con
tractors nro not equal.! Est range.
At Caunjnhnrle, N, Y,, a homo wns fright
ened to death by tho nolm made by steam es
caping from n locomotive.
Open your mouth nnd purse cautiously, nnd
your stock of wealth nud reputation slinil, nt
least tu repute, lie groat, Zimmerman.
A Kansas man hauled 800 rnrloads of dirt
hi ono mouth, nnd the local editor chronicled
It ns "NX) transfers of renl estate in ouo
mouth."
Rhubarb camo from Chlnn nbout IfiTO.nnd
when Introduced Into England wns cnllcd
"pntlenco." Turnip leaves wero llrst eaten
as n salad.
Atn Uxik sale In Boston nmmplilit entitled
"Captivity In Cnnndn," nud published by
Rev. John Norton In 1 747, fetched fiVM.
Tho pro)oscd East river tunnel between
Now York city and Img Island, It Is stated,
will bo four nnd n half miles long nnd cost
t.1,O0O,O0().
Our admiration of n famous man lessens
uiwu nearer acquaintance with him, nnd wo
seldom honr of n celebrated jierson without u
catalogue or somo notorious weaknesses nnd
liillrmltles. Addison.
A St. Iouls coal roniNiny mined nt Dan
ville, Ilk, u Iuiiiii of coal that weighed .'17,000
pounds. It was slilpixsl to Chicago, uud tho
timbers In tho mine hud to bo taken down for
its removal.
At n typewriting contest In London thero
wero 'M entries nud nearly nil npponrod. Tho
first prize wns for Kovcuty-ultio words n min
ute, twomy or thlity words less than has
lieen nchloved In this country.
Whnt a wretched commentary on tho "di
vlno right of kings" to rule Is alfonled when
wo coutempliito tho physical nnd mental
characteristics of tho kings nud princes of
EuroH)l Philadelphia Record,
Tho region covered by Professor Picker
ing's oxiKiinient for enumerating ncbulm,
photographed In n given iortloii of tho heav
ens, wns nbout four-thousandths of tho entire
sky, nnd resulted in tho discovery of twelve
now clusters.
A inllllonnlro named Tngllaliel, who died
ut Milan, bequeathed tho sum of fjO.OOO francs
to tho street Bweejiers of that town, on condl
tlon that thoy would nil go to his funeral In
their working clothes. In his youth ho had
himself been n street sweeper.
Tho Sevres dessert servlijo in Windsor cas
tlo Is valued by mi oxjiert nt fully I'lOO.OOO,
tho punch bowl nlono being estlmutcsl nt
10,000. Tho value-of tho chum at Bucking
ham jmlnco mid thnt of Windsor together is
thought to exceed considerably JL'i0,000.
At Chnrlotto Hnrbor, Fln.,n blackbird was
been to dive Into water his own depth nnd
bring out n llvo crab as big as a silver dollar.
Ho Hung tho crustacean on tho bench nnd
picked mid shook him until ho killed him, nnd
then mado u breakfast on him.
Candles nnd candelabra now find n pluco in
the most fashionable drawing rooms. Thoy
nro used for muiitel ornnments nnd btnud on
tables, and como in bilver, various kinds of
bronze mid chlnn. The most ttyllsh gas fix
tures nro also In tho shape of sconces and
candle brackets.
Tho war dejrartinent has granted to tho
Smithsonian Institution thoprivllegoof erect
ing nn astro-physical observatory on tbo
heights or Arlington, Its purjxiso being, as Its
iinmo Implies, the investigation or the physical
constituents or tlio heavenly lxUos.
A man w ho got lost in tho bush In South
Australia resorted to un Ingenious exjiedleiit
for escaping from his dilemma, After wan
dering about for four days he decided to cut
a telegraph lino and enmp on the spot. Ills
plan worked. Tho telegraph repairers wcro
tent out along tho lino to discover tho cause
of the interruption, and camo upon tho wan
derer in time to save his llfo.
A Itotury Icicle.
I must tell you of n curious Iclclo that
formed recently out in tho rar west. Tho su
perfntendent or a largo smelter in Colorado
savs In a recent toiler t. tm. "If ..,, I,
most curious nlfulr I over saw. Botween tho
engino room nud tho blower room nro numer
ous clcCtHe Ill-lit tlll-IHt mill ft Llfinll ct..nt..
pipe with a coupling joint, from which a
Buiuu jvs ui i.ii.uii scaping, ino steam
Condensed Ulld fin. nnlnniui,f llmu'lrn.
nud boon nn Iclclo iiuua down. Tho wire
iwiMoa so mni i no icicio tixiu n turn nud nu
othcr Doint form l. umu nnntlim- mwl tl,..
tho affair broke loose nt thu point where tho
wire wem inrnugii, mid a ierut pliiwhoel
was formed. It kept very slowly turning as
thoico grew heavier ou tlio side towards the
jot of steam. It was probably n foot in di
ameter, or even more, now here more than
three Inches through and remarkably sym
metrical, tho curves of tho spiral (jolng quite
regular. Philadelphia Times.
A I'nictlrnl I Ire KxtliifiiMier.
A physician says that ho had studied tho
subject very carefully uud wns convinced
that it would Iw well for every houm to keep
Its own tiro extinguisher, and ttcould Iwcuslly
done. It would certainly bo Invaluable to
jiersons living In tho country, and far re
moved oven from neighbors. Tho doctor then
told mo that ho would givo ma tho esact ro
cilK) now used in tho ll.-o extinguishers Ixing
offered for talo. Take twenty jiouiids of com
mon salt nnd ten oiiiuU of sal nmmouiuc
(murlato of ammonia, to bo had ut any drug
gist) und dissolve In seven gallons of water.
When dissolved It can to bottled and kept in
each room of tho house, to lie used in an
emergency. In caso of n lire occurring ono
or two Iwttles should bo Immediately thrown
with force Into the burning place to as to
break them, nud tho flro will certainly bo ex
tinguished. New York Telegram.
Tho riant und tho Miiulow.
A Plant which was Growing finely in tho
Sunshine of Juno wus suddenly covered by u
Shadow, nnd in soon us tho Gardener ap
peared It mid i
"I was doing Splendidly until that Shadow
e.Miie. lr you expect mo to do my Best you
must keep it nwny."
"My friend," replied tho Gardcuor, "If it
wcro all Suushlno you would Grow too fast.
If it were all Shadow you would not Grow
futt Enough. It wonts i Mixture to Make
you Worthy of your Name."
MOIUL
Tho toothncho nnd corns nnd colds in tho
head nnd tacky toro throats aro sent to keep
tu; from getting ahead too fast. Detroit Frec-Peu.
Helen nnd llrnsllrs.
TboM ti n saying, full of that keen observa
tion for which tho French nro famous, "Clin
cun n snbete dans In figure," Each of us has
a resemblance moro or less exnet to somo ani
mal, nnd tho lines of llkoncn to horses, dogs,
monkeys, birds, fishes, nakw, tigers nnd
mice, ns well ns to those or sheep, goats, pigs,
cows, cats nud lizards, can bo traced in men
nnd women who yot nro purely human nnd
without any moral likeness to their nutityies.
Home of them) resemblances mnko pretty
faces enough, If the horse mid cow lenvo
much to be desired on tho score of Utility,
tho dog gives wivernl fascinating replicas.
We have known stnulels uud setters nud
Skycs nud Blenheims nud runny little Jni
nucHn nondescripts, In frocks nud hats, walk
ing erect ou two legs with humnii voices to
match their human minds who wero ns de
lightful In their womanhood as they went
pretty In their xrsounllty, And yet their
faces, with only n fow strokes of the (tencH,
could lie Hindu nn exnet likeness of tho creat
ures we have mentioned.
Do we not nil know tho women who jieck
like birds when they mnko n show ot kissing I
They cannot kiss even their babies liko true
huiiinn beings, but dab and dash and iicck nt
tho soft flower face like rlrd picking up
grain, uud their pointed llm seem ns If they
must hurt ns much ns the liouy ixvik thoy
simulate. Ami nro not hands very often liko
clawsl uud did not Dickens liken tho working
sinews of nn old woman's shriveled neck to
the scratching legs of Kiultryl And nro not
certain men Ilko eagles! nnd certain others
like secretary birds t nnd others ngnln Ilko
herons ( nud yet ngnln, others Ilko geesol
And dowu not nil know tho dove among
women; and tho little brown wren; und tho
angry little hedgo sparrow, nil fuss nud bluitcr
nnd light uud feathers, with n body no bigger
tlinn a walnut underneath thou) npwircutly
quite formidable quillsf Surely! In fact,
birds have nearly ns largo n following ns
dogs, nud wo might multiply thu Instances of
likeness till we had Included nil tho species
given by Audubon. Iximlou Queen.
Tint Kind of it Wife Vou Want.
You say you demand n domestic, useful
woman as your wife. If that Is so, marry
Nora Mulligan, your laundress' daughter.
Sho wears cowhide shoes, Is guiltless or cor
sets, never had n sick day In her llfo, takes in
washing, goes out house cleaning, nud cooks
for u family or seven children, her mother
nnd threo section men who hoard with her.
I don't think sho would marry you, becauso
Con Bengali, the truck walker, is her stylo of
man. ICt un examine Into your qualifica
tions ns u model husband after your own
matrimonial Ideas, my boy. Can you shoul
der a barrel of Hour uud enrry It down cel
lar! Can you saw and split ten cords of
hickory wood In full so ns to hnvo ready fuel
nil winter! Can you sjiado up n hnlf aero or
ground for n kitchen garden f Do you know
what will take tho lime taste out of tho cistern,
nud can you jxitcli tho little lenk In tho
kitchen roof ( Cun you bring homo a pane
or glass and a wad of putty uud rcilr dam
ages in tho sitting room window I Can you
hang some cheap wiier on tho kitchen! Can
you fix tho front gate bo It will not swngl
Can you do nnythlng nbout tho house that
Con Bengali caul
My dear, dear boy, you sco Nora Mulligan
wants u higher tyK) of true manhood. You
expect to hire men to do nil the man's work
about tho house, but you want your wife to
do nnythlng any woman can do. Bcliovo
mo, my son, thut iilno-teutlis or tho girls who
piny tho piano nud sing so charmingly, whom
you In your limited knowledge set down ns
mere butterflies or fashion, nro better fitted
for wives than you nro for n husband. If
you want to innrry n first class cook und ex
perienced housckccor, do your courting iti
the Intelligence oflleo. But If you want n
wifo, marry the girl you love, with dimpled
hands nud n face like thu sunlight, und her
love will tench her nil these things, my lxy,
long before you havo learned ono-linlf of your
own lesson. Bob Burdettu in Burlington
Ilawkeyo,
A bucocMriil IMItnr.
Allen Tliorndlko UIco, editor or Tho North
American Itoview, U ono or the richest edi
tors In tho United Suites, mid his l.s un In
stance in which wealth uud ability go hand
in liund. Ho Is reputed to lo a millionaire
twico over, Is but iCI years of ngo, u handsome
man nud a bachelor. With these attributes,
combined with tlio advantages of an excellent
education nnd nn iuoxhnustlblo fund of in
formation obtained by foreign travel, It is
but natural that ho Is u popular as well as a
prominent leader in tho literary worhL Ho
received his early education in Franco nud
Germany und lhinlly graduated from Oxford.
His rather slight figure, dark complexion
andSjumlsh cast of countenance Is familiar
to tho habitues of tho up town clubs. In
manner ho is democratic, with a slight ten
dency to bo reserved. Ho sjicnds several
hours a day ut his oflleo and overlooks every
line of mutter that appears In tho inagazluo
of which ho is owner as well us editor. Mr.
Ulco is a frequent contributor to his own
ieriodlcnl. In politics ho is nn ardent He
publican, nnd takes un active art in overy
national campaign. His hobby In K)litIcs Is
electoral reform, of which ho has long been a
zealous advocato both by jien nud tongue.
Ho framed the first ballot reform bill ever
Introduced In tho Now York legislature His
stable contains somo horses the pedigree of
which U gilt edged, nnd ho is nlo tho owner
of n stenin launch which lias a record of
twenty-two miles an hour. Mr. Ulco is nu
energetic man und nn enthusiast l:i his work.
Current Literature.
An Odd Custom.
Law requires that in ono of tho rooms of
tho Tower of Ijiidon there shall bo kept six
horso shoes and stxty-ono nnlls. Tho sheriffs
of tho city wero formerly compelled, when
they wcro sworn in, to count theso, as n
proof or their education, as in tho tlmo or
lidwnrd II, when this usngo began, only well
educated men could count to stxty-ono! lr 1
urn not mistaken, sheriffs still go through tho
ubsurd form of counting theo horseshoes
and nails.
Another requirement was thnt in proor of
strength tho now sheriff should cut n bundle
of sticks; uud the samo buffo litis always been
used nnd Is still In existence, hut In placo or
sticks n bundle or matches is now mado to
answer tho purioso. Wide Awake.
tlull.ilni; In Winter.
Thoquetlo-i t carry lug on mason work in
frcorln;: r.ir.t..ir has cseltod a good deal of
attention n' i : ; architects lineo the publica
tion of un of.lcml rejKirt to the British gov
eriimeut by uo of its agents in Cojienhageii,
imiu which it nppcurs that brick walls nre
aid in tlu.t city in winter w 1th ierfect sue
.ets, the only pi ocuution taken U-ing to use
.if.shly flacked liiuo in the mortar, to that it
nay bo wurm when put un. Frank Usilu s
.i'ows paper.
Useful WnlUIni; htlits.
Walking sticks are now belug made that
iro useful ns well us ornamental. From one
. iJIk umlivlki can bo drawn mid crowed 1 1
lio cano; unother has n receptacle fur ulcuis
.nil cents, and is convenient fur thnsowho
ivbon street and other city car nnd cross
urrin; another contains a measure for tho
loiijlit of horses uud bus l spirit lovel attach-
nent, und still another has n good Httlo watch
ct in tho crystal houdlo. Chicago Times.
N. M. Ruddy,
Practical Optician.
A specialty made of expert Eye Glnm
!'iitlnu Glasses Hint rest Hie eye, 300G
kinds.
217 Sooth iOth Street,
Omaha. USTzejb.,
Miss EtM Howg,
Teacher of Singing
Room 131 Burr Block,
Hours, 10 A. M. to 6 P. M.
Ladies1 & Gents'
FINE SHOES
At greatly reduced prices
AT
W.W.WEBSTERS,
io,j3 O Street.
Hiss Claire E. Link,
TKAUIIIill OF-
Drawing and Painting
asrj
Orders taken tn Pastol and'Oil,
Room 131, : Burr Block
TUB QHEATE8T AND DEBT,
The Victor
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iiiacl.lau now beforo tlio
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It tins won premiums
nnd medals over nil
competitors und bus no
superior.
Bicycles and Tricycles
of alt sires nud descriptions. I'orcalnlOKUcs
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H.L.CASE,
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' at Tin: A
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tfEU 5
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We male a specialty of the celebrated
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Ouel'enou la tub I.
oitur can itcttrf on rM.
kxrtltirr wlib our tori "J '
uiblo Hot of Houiehultt
Nmuplra. TbiH wnlu,
W.U H WtKb, H MOJ
Vrcc. oJ tflar vou bf ktel
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