(
WELL MATCHED.
Ho was a flirt and she was a flirt,
Too clever by half, you see.
For each one thought
The other was caught.
Ana both were fancy free.
He made a mark on bis meersobaum pf pe.
That all hla victim enrolled;
She cut a nick
Oa her blue fan's stick.
That a tale of conquest told.
His number was only twenty-nln
And hers was thirty and three.
Yet both still cwore
That never before
Had they met affinity.
He was blinded by glimmering gold.
But not by her goWcn hair.
And she confessed
She was muct Impressed
To find him a millionaire.
The God of Love waxed michtlly wroth.
For tired and boreo was he.
"Dull and stupid.
Cried little Cupid.
"Is mere cupidity."
They played the prettiest comedy.
Till the gay season went,
Then In dismay.
They found one day.
That neither had a cent.
Dorothy Chapin. in Truth.
KTtS. DECK'S NEW LEAF.
Eow
Tommy's Sickness Taught
His Mother a Lesson.
Mrs. Deck was troubled about many
things. She craved the newest fashion
in sleeves, not only for herself, but for
her little girls, and wanted to have
every sort of dish and silver appliance
fancy has invented to clutter the table,
and enrich the shopkeepers. She be
longed to two missionary societies, and
to the musical and literary clubs and
he delighted in giving dainty af ter
aioon teas, and little dinners. Mr.
.Deck often said, with smiling- pride,
there was nothing- slow about tally,
and then he would give an odd little
.sigh as if he unconsciously regretted
his Sally's ability to keep up with life's
procession. But no one nol-ed that
sijh, unless it was little Tcminy,
whose quick ears and sharp eyes noticed
everything-.
Tommy was so often called an awful
"boy, iz Is probable he had his faults.
To sail on a mud puddle on -sl bobbing
bit of board, he would scour the little
city over, and if there wss a t'.eklish
job of tree climbing- necessary lo the
rescue of some fellow's kite, Tommy
was always the boy to xnoertakn it.
lie would tuck nails in the pockets of
his Sunday clothes, and drive them
into impossible places wiih the potato
masher, if no other hammer was
available, and tle time he had Hooded
the house from the bathroom and
g-iven himself tle croup tnd twisted his
ankles skating oould not be counted.
Rut Tommy never told lies, lie never
even told tiny fibs when by so
doing he -could have saved him,
aelf unpleasant pnnishnent. Tommy's
eyes were big, and the sort of gray that
often looked black. His hair was
brown ana as tliick on his head as it
could be without being solid, and over
his nose was a thick sprinkling- of
freckles. The little boys - all liked
Tommy, and so did the cats and dogs.
and so did MUs UramhalL his teacher,
though he was stupid in number work.
But his sisters usually spoke of him as
"a little plague,"" and his mamma.
without -being aware -ol it, fe.lt him to
be a great .hindrance .to everything she
wanted io ao. jr sne was practicing a
sonata, he would breaic in cpoa the
adagio by beginning to sing' !After the
Uall," to the best. of his ability. lie
had no voice whatever. Or, he would,
heset by rsome demon of unrest, steal
to the stairway and take that oppor
tunity to-slide down .the baluster rail,
and leave upon it etchings drawn by
his butters. If she -were studying a
page of .Browning, or irying- to write
an essay upon art. It did seem as if
Tommy fciways -.hoie the naorr.ent
that would disturb her most to play
wild Indian with a elect pi-rty of
friends, usr, under the window. So it
fell out that by degrees Tommy fell
more and rrore to the charge of Molly,
the nurse, and consoled himself when
in trouble Jtv visitin g the Tucker3, who
lived justart'und the .corner ia a. -brown
house. Mrs. Tucker somehow kept
"bread in the .mouths of .her brood-of six
"by washing; and what she called
"days works." At night they gathered
about her, sind the one lamp, and 3 n all
Khoreleigh tsere was not a happier
.group. She as busy .t something- al
ways, patching usually, but :it was
wonderful the amouiii oef -work 6he
-could get throng h with awarded .upon
by six pairs xf arms, asd talked to by
ix eager tonrues.
The literary iclub was goixig to, he Id
its annual banquet at Mrs. Deck's,. azid
that lady determined to ttake.the oci
siot one long to be remcaiVref.
"There may be eostlier one by. and by,
when Shoreleigi is a great, city," she
told Mr. Deck. but there 2iall xiot.be
iB prettier one."
"Well," assented Mr. Derk, o.itfc
don'.t cost too dear, Sally, I've nothing
to say. I do not mean in dollars, .for
. ;you.at always fcexsible about spend
ing teem, out yourself, ion spend
yourself too lavishly sometimes.'" Mrs.
Deck only laughed at this, -and
went off to the florists and spent tie
wiole -morning detucuDg whether sbe
would have roses or .ekrysantbeniun&s
lor decoration.
'-Chrysanthemums is newer, mam,'
said Mr. iliggs, rubbing his hands to
gether so they rustled. "An' you gits
great wariety. Take tils ere white.
Looks like a, big dahlia, an this 'ere
wmte ngaia ere like a mop o air a
droppin' back from a g-aTs face, an
this 'ere one again is piled sip like a lot
o thin-sliced cabbages, aa this one
as-ain arc like a sunflower for its
shapes, an' pink an white, or orange,
or then again all lavender pink, or all
frold color is 'andsome. Roses ain't
twhat you can call old, but they ain't
XjO wajs new, though I ain't one as is
too ready to force my opinion. Ladies
knows what they has and what they
wants."
Why- Mrs. Deck listened to Mr.
Iliggs Tommy was busy far away
sailing a mud puddle lake with Harry
Tucker, for it was Saturday, and wheu
'Xo v. pet hcino Mollie was too bns-v fin.
ishlng her new dress to note that his
feet and legs were wet It ached in
Tommy's head the next morning when
he got up, but he did not think to tell
anyone about it. His mamma had
been too busy thinking of her part ia
the coming entertainment to ask if he
had learned his Sunday-school lesson,
lie had an old-fashioned teacher, had
Tommy, and had to commit six verses
to memory each week. For quiet he
retired behind the curtains in the bow
window, and no one thought of the
redness of his face when he came out.
Hut when at dinner he ate little of his
chicken, and said he was too sleepy to
wait for his pie, his father discovered
that Tommy was a sick boy, and sent
off for Dr. Sanders.
"Is it something contagious? Will I
have to give up having the banquet
here?" asked Mrs. Deck, when the doc
tor had felt of Tommy's pulse, and
looked at his tongue and his breast.
"The symptoms are rather obscure.
just now," said the doctor, who never
told anything of which he did not feel
very sure. "There's a good deal
of
scarlet fever about and measles, and
I'm bound to say there's smallpox over
in Bagdad."
Mrs. Deck threw up her hands, ex
claiming: "Smallpox!"
"Yes, but I suppose he has not been
over in that region. It may be simply
a slight stomach trouble. Children,
especially of a nervous, sanguine tem
perament, aro liable to fever for slight
causes."
"llave you been over to Bagdad?" de
manded Mr. Deck of Tommy.
"Yes, sir," replied Tommy, unfalter
ingly. 1 went yesterday morning with
Harry Tucker. We wanted to see the
thing old Cnele Lijah I'lake's mad&.
It's a man sawing wood and goes fcy
wind like a paper windmill. Unn
Lijah said he'd whittle me one for t
nickels."
"Bless my soul!" exclaimed the doc
tor. Then he looked at Tommy's -vao
citation spot.
"It never took good, you know," said
Tommy's mamma. "The girls' wore
a.ll right, but Tommy's was contrary."
Now, if anyone can have the i-eur t to
hold a rose over a hot fire atd soe it
quickly shrivel and wilt, he cau have
some idea of what befell TomzJy Deck
within the next week. II c.id not
have the smallpox, but something near
ly as bad, scarlet fever, and af'.er that
first day he knew no one. He clung,
however, close- to his mothar, whom
be took to be Mrs. Tuci.er, and he
wrung her heart by imploring her not
to go away. "T like you i," he would
whisper, huskily. "I 'syect I'd like
mamma, if I could get a e.liance te get
acquainted with her. But she's awful
busy, and 1 giiess she d.n't like hoys
a-s well as girls. I forget and rum
ple her. bangs and hir frills. nd I
do forget about the forks and spoons.
But you're so cozy to have "round.
Mrs. Tucker, and please do tell me that
storv about the wild bear of county
Clare again.""
Unluckily, Mrs. Tucker herself was
kept close at home with her boy Harry
who was sick with the dreaded small
pox, so the story of the wild bear could
not be repeated. Plenty of other stories
were, bxi-wever, and dust gathered in
the pretty parlors, and the spring bon
nets came, and f.till Mrs. Deck-thought
of nothing but Tommy. But at last
there came a day, and what a happy
day it was, when he knew her, and old
Dr. Sanders announced that, if he did
not catch cold, and if he die not have
the dropsy, or half a dozen other com
plications, he would soon mend and be
about again. To look at Tommy was
a sorry spectacle. Ilis hair had grown
so thin it looked like the wiry seed ves
sels of wood moss, and stuck straight
up dryland dead. Ilis cheeks were
thin, and his fingers were skinny, and,
for that rraatter, the whole of his body
was peeling. He trembled when he
tried to sit up, and he wanted to do a
thousand things he could not, . and if ha
had never really been an awful boy, he
became one during the waeks of his
convalescence. But it was his. mother
who read to him, played dominoes with
him. and taught him to use .his paint
brushes. .All things end. even unhap
py things, and after sulphur had made
the whole house sweet, and whitewash
and paint and scouring had purified
Tommy's sick room, and Tommy him
self was .allowed to go out on sunny
days, Mrs. .Deck scared hrm and sur
prised his sisters and Mr. Deck '.by the
declaration that she was going it turn
over a new .leaf. Tommy, with .quick
rememfcraa.ee of the days before his ill
ness, broke out impetuously: "O. mam
ma, don't: Just go on."
"Well, perhaps that's what it -will
amount Ao. "The parlors are the pleas
ant est rooms iin the house, sad J 'have
taken dem-n .everything' in liem .that
can be easily : soiled, or broken, so sve
can enjoy them every evening, and I
am going lo stop making frills of any
sort, fancy cakes, fancy froeks fcr
girls, and ail sortrt of things thait take.tt
great deal ol care and time, so ae cart
have leisure far more stories and tudy
together."
"Good." cried Tommy. "ThatTi be a
love your home ckib. Mamma Deck, j
won't it, your new leaf?" Elizabeth i
Cummings. in Interior. I
I'hiloflopliy from ft'ogrgy llottom.
1 man dat kin -tell whether Le's
tired er jes lazy has judicial qualifica
tion dat fits him mcherly fur tle
s'preme bench. When er man goes
roun" askin fob. advice, de chance is
'bout seventeen ter tree dat he's jes
tryin' er put off gittin down ter busi
ness. De school dat you Tarns in makes
a heap b difTrence. 2vo good comes ob
teachin' r boy his rifmeticfiim a policy
blip. Er big glass di'mun shirt stud
an't got no magnifyin powers. Hit's
effect am ter make de taan dat
stan's behta it look mighty small.
Some men's fin's hit mighty hahd ter
think sense an' talk politics suaultu-
ously. Don't rib too much "tention ter
fancy compliihments. Er man gits
erhead much faster by plain walkin
dan he kin bv tcrnin somersault.
Washington Star.
The railroads of Holland are tba i
safest. There is only one passenger 1
killed per annum, whils only four ar
injured.
NELSON'S CANADIAN LOVE.
A Bvantlf ul Girl for Whom He Decided 1
leert Ilis Ship.
The attempt to wreck the Nelson
monument in Montreal has drawn the
attention of many writers to the visit
of the hero of Trafalgar to Canada. It
was in 17S2 that duty brought him to
Quebec He was then in his twenty
fourth year, and had but recently re
turned from the frigid region of the
Baltic, where he had commanded the
Albemarle frigate, twenty-four guns.
He arrived at Bic in July, and in due
course at Quebec. There he rem lined
for some weeks, when he departed on
a cruise along the American coast and
returned to Quebec oa September 17.
The sickness of his crew compeled him
to remain at Quebec for some time, and
it was not until October 14 that he was
able to take his final departure from
the St. Lawrence. It was during this
interval that there occurred one
j of the
I of his life,
most romantic incidents
The story was related by
j Henry J. Morgan, of Ottawa, the well-
; known historian and proprietor of the
: Annual Register. Mr. Morgan says
that Nelson fell a victim to the charms
of Miss Mary Simpson, the daughter of
a Quebec merchant, in which city she
was born in 17tS6 or 1767. She was about
sixteen at the time of Nelson's visit,
and is reputed to have possessed not
only "marvelous beauty," but likewise
mental gifts of a higher order. She
seems to have acquired a complete as
cendency over the head and heart of
the young first captain, and also of
others, including the estimable gentle
man who subsequently became her
husband, CoL Robert Matthews, long
the military secretary in Canada to
Lord Dorchester and other governors,
and for some years previous to his
death holding the post of governor of
Chelsea hospital. The climax of Nel
son' infatuation is thus related:
"When the Albemarle on October 14
was ready for sea, Capt. Nelson had
taken his leave and had gone down to
the river to the place where the men-of-war
usually anchored, but the next
morning, as Alexander Davison was
walking on the beach, he saw Nelson
coming back in his b-oat. On reaching
the landing place the former anxious
ly demanded the csuse of his friend's
return. 'Walk up too your house,' Nel
son replied, 'and y?u shall le made ac
quainted with tbe cause.' He then
said: 'I find it utterly impossible to
leave this place without again waiting
on her whose society has so much ad
ded to its chairs and laying myself
and ney fortune at her feet-' Mr. Da
vison earnestly remonstrated with
him n the consequence of so rash a
step. A severe altercation ensued, but
Mr. Tavi.son's firmness at length pre
vailed with Nrison, who, with no very
good grace, relinquished his purpose
and -suffered Siimself tc be led back to
his boat. It is perhtps useless now
to speculate "on what would have been
the -consequences had not Mr. Davi-son'-s
friendly counsel prevailed with
Nelson in Lis reckless infatuation."
That Nelson did not forget what he
owed personally to this determined
friend was frequently proved in after
years. Keraoving to London. Davison
became a navy agent and banker, and
coEimissariat contractor, in all of
which positions Nelson's great influ
ence was e-xerted in his favor. Of the
fair Quebecer. who inspired so passion
ate a regard in the heart of one of
Britain's-most illtstrious sons, the rec
ord sho-ws that, yielding at lenjrth to
Cot. Matthews' ardent proposals, she
joined him in England, where tlicj
were married. There in London she
continued to reside for the remainder
of her days. enjoN-ing in amplest meas
ure the respect and esteem ofalL She
survived ker early admirer many years.
her death occurrine in London not be
fore -she had reached her seventieth
j-ear. N. "i". Port.
OVER THE VERGE OF FUN,
Tw Toonf Son of the Learned Man I m
Kit Too Uamiiroux ut Time.
Stories about the little sot af a
Ieasned college professor are making
their -way into print all over the coun
try, and are evidently regarded as
f unmy.
Cue relates hw, when he was just
big enough to carry the nozzle of a
lawji hose, an eminent and beloved
citiien passing along said, kindly:
"WLat are you doing, my little man?"
and the "little innocent replied: T'm
tursing the hose on you. you old billy
g-oat."' and straightway drove the
stream into the 1 i gentleman's face.
Anotherstcrtsoff by saying that "This
terrible infant has his own notion
about baby brothers" which is a play
ful introduction to the incident
of his wheeling the baby carriage,
with his brother in it. into the middle
of the street, and leaving it there
while Jae went back to the sidewalk. A
baker's wagrn, spinning around the
corner, yust missed running down the
baby. A few jninutes later the baker.
driving fcack, found the carriage still
in the street, t5ie boy placidly awaiting
developnaents. "See here." said the
baker, "if you-don't ri-11 that baby out
of the street, he"ll be run over." "Will
he?" said the bos-, contentedly, "WelL
i hat's what I put it thetwe for."
Perhaps we are behind the times and
do not quite omprehend the scope and
iCLaracter of true iiumor, but these an
ecdotes oeen mow like contributions
in evidence of original sin. and total de
pravity than matters for p.s,ing laugh
ter. That child needs the wisest and
kindest and firmest handling to save
him from worse thirds. Iltd the babv
been run over and killed, wiere would
hare gone the amusiag- qualilie of the
anecdaVi Springfield EepuiZican.
Iotn(T Ills Iiet.
"Hello, Threeshelle. said
"Didn't know you were here,
in the town?"
linnko.
Taking-
"Well, I can't say that I'm taking in
the whole town," said Threeshelle. mm
he deftly extracted a gold-enameled i
hat-pin from the
headgear of a lady !
who was passing-,
but I'm not letting
anything escape me. Chicago Record.
She "Isn't Maude a striking- girl?"
He "Yes. but have you met bar fa
ther?" N. Y. Ledge
PERSONAL AND LITERARY.
President Diaz of Menlco looks
more like a country storekeeper than
he does like the president of a repub
lic. He is low of stature, small head,
retreating forehead, short crisp hair,
high cheek bones, and sallow face. Hi
manner, however, is fascination itself.
Secretary Lamont is still the most
exclusive member of the cabinet, and
he is even more exclusive than he was
at first. It is almost impossible to get
a chance to see him at his office, and
many men have spent several days in
a vain attempt to get even a glimpso
of him. And. besides, he is in the city
less than any other member of the
cabinet.
Secretary Lamar was once taken
to task by a lady at Bar Harbor who
thought he did not recognize her.
"Ah, judge," she said, "I am afraid
you don't remember me; I met you
here two years ago." "Remember you,
madam?" was his quick reply, with
one of his courtly bows; "why, I've
been trying ever since to forget you."
And she laughingly exclaimed: "O, go
away, you dear, delightful old south
ern humbug!"
It is a singular fact that while a
great many distinguished and promi- I
nent persons write fine, clear hands, j
most literary people have very indiffer- j
ent penmanship. Julien Gordon, who j
has written so many graceful society j
novels, has an abominable chirography, j
inelegant, hard to decipher and with I
no particular aim or idea, judging from j
the formation of the letters. Ella j
Wheeler Wilcox's writing is like that
of an ignorant child, the letters badly
formed, staggering and ugly. !
In connection with Count Tolstoi's i
last book a remarkable copyricht dis-
pute has been occupying the attention ,
of lawyers, publishers and authors in ,
England. As is well known, the Rus- i
sian philanthropist not only declines
to receive any financial return for his!
works, but even to avail himsiilf of any .
copyright protection for them. The
royalties which should be his, to give
them to the needy if he wish, swell in- ;
stead the pockets of publishers, who, I
in consequence, battle for a monopoly
privilege. They obiin for themselves (
the copyright refused by Tolstoi, and
prosecute each other for every in
fringement thereof. Meanwhile the ;
Russian poor are poorer through the
shortsightedness of their would-be'
benefactor. j
Louisa M. Alcott began her literary j
career by writing sensational stories of !
love and adveLture for a cheap Boston ;
paper. She wirs paid five dollars apiece :
for these effusions, but, as she said In
her journal, "sewing is a safer depend- .
enor," and for many years her literary J
work brocght her snch meairer returns I
she could not afford to trust it as a
support. Hospital sketohes first brought i
her before the public prominently, and
her success dated from these fugitive '
papers, which she did not think much i
of herself. Before these were written !
she was a strong, healthy young wom
an, and after the hospital experience,
the dangerous illness and privations
which she suffered she was a constant
invalid. Her fa. me was purchased at a
bitterly high price.
HUMOROUS.
Tagleigh "That girl in the plr.y
9id the dude to perfection." "lYhows
he dude?" Hallo.
Judge "(Do you know anything
favorable about the prisoner?" Wit
ness "He ran away wid me ould
woman, yeranner"'
Tommy "Paw, what is a morel
right?" Mr. Figg "It generallymeans
a right to dedge around the law." In
dianapolis Journal.
"I would not recall the passed,"
says the fellow who had successfully
; disposed of a counterfeit silver dollar.
' Yonkers Statesman.
j "I think Chappie and kis sister
, look very-Much alike." "Oh, do you?
I never thought she looked the least
i bit effeminate." Inter-Ocean,
i Tommy "Paw, what is a brag-
gart?" Mr. Figg "He is a man who
i is not afraid to tell his real opinion of
i himself." Indianapolis Journal.
! "Your son takes a great interest
in your business, doesn't he?" said the
! friend. !No; only six per oent; the
same as Ido." Washington Star.
j Tackit "Why do the raathemati
- cians make x represent the enknown
I quantity?" Lackit "IJecause it stands
1 for ten dollars." Washington Kews.
j Jillson says the appearance of the
: average printing-office towel would in
' dicate that it had been used to wipe
.the face of the earth. ISufX&lo Cour
. ier.
i Professor "How long should a
-man's legs be in proportion to his
!body?" Mr. Lowstand "Longenouph
I rto reach the ground, sir." Yale Rec
j ord.1
j Judge "Why did you commit a
i second theft after you had just been
acquitted of a first charge?" Prisoner
i "So that I could pav my lawver."
i Hallo. '
j "If, as the Bible says, 'all fledb is
grass,'" said tne star boarder at the
breakfast table yesterday, "this slaeak
must be the kind of stuff those touch
Mexican hammocks are made of."'
Philadelphia Record.
"1 have just been reading of a woman
who selected a wife for her husband
wheu she was oo her death-bed. I
think lit so strange that a woman
would " II usbaud "That's what I
think, aid I hope, nty dear, that you'll
have an opportunity to show people
you're not that kind of a wife." Inter
Ocean. TheGreatUnheard-Of. "Gold min
ing," remarked the enthusiastic boom
er, "is what pays its followers glorious
returns. Why, gentlemen," and his
voice took the fine oratorical turn of a
man with a few claims to sell, "I know
a man who made a hundred thousand
dollars in a month."
"Ugh," jrrunted
an old fellow who looked as if he had
heen there, '-what about the hundred
thousand who didn't?" and the ques
tion seemed to- cast a chill over the
subsequent proceedings. Detroit Frem
Press.
RELIGIOUS MATTERS.
LAID ASIDE.
My Master, at Thy call 'twas sweet
To follow Thee with eager feet;
Amidst the toiling throne to take
The lowliest place for Thy dear wake;
To seek Thy lost o'er mountains cold.
And help them homeward to the fold.
But oh! 'tis hard to wait and pine.
To still this restless heart of mine;
To watch the conflict, and to be
No wrestler in the ranks for Thee
A broken vessel laid asides
The longing left, the strength denied.
Help me. O Master, to attain
Self-conquest, in this hour of pain,
tVith folded hands to meet Thy will
Unmurmuring, and trust Thee still.
To watch and wait till sufferings ceasa.
And patience triumphs into peaae.
I was so eaper in the throng.
So hopeful, and I felt so ctrong.
As though Thy hand commissioned in
A leader in Tby cause to be.
This lesson of Thy love I need.
To teach me I am weak indeed.
Soon must these eyes have ceased to weep;
These hands be folded, pale, in sleep:
The burden dropped, the cross laid down.
Perhaps to lift a starless crown.
What matters. Master, if we meet.
Where I can kneel and kiss Thy feet.
Kev. W. Houghton, in Chicago Advance
POWER OF
MUSIC.
Tfa Mnsle by Which It Is a
Help
and m
Strength to Live.
A little while ago there was one of
those colliery accidents which make a
sensitive person almost shrink from
the sight of burning coal. This time
the siiaft of the Dolcath mine in Corn
wall collapsed, and eight men were en
tombed. After the rescuing party had been at
work many hours clearing away the
rubbish, they stopped and listened. It
is a well-known fact that sound pene
trates long distances in the body of the
earth. As they put their ears to the
ground in breathless expectancy, a
faint sound of human voices was heard.
Ovei joyed to find their comrades still
alive, the men were about to utter a
shout of encouragement, when the
foreman put his finger to his lips with
a warning gesture, for the sounds from
the imprisoned miners increased in
strength until they resolved themselves
into song.
From the depths of the earth, from
the darkness and dispair, there came
the strains of "Nearer my God, to
Thee." Reverently the rescuers listened
to this sublime death-song.
This hymn was followed by another
stronger ,in tone: "Jesus, Lover of
my soul." The rescuing party looked
at each other in the dim light of the
lamps. Tears were trickling down
sach miner's grimy face.
"Now, boys," said the foreman, rais
ing bis pick, "that's the music to work
by."
Some time ago a railroad disaster oc
curred even more horrible than .the
usual tragedy of this kind and the
cars, piled up on each other, took fire.
i The heat was so great that no one
! could approach the wreck. Then it
! was learned that several people, hope
! lessly pinned between broken timbers,
were beiug slowly burned to death.
I This awful fact was not announced bv
oaths or by frantic cries for help, but
by the chords of a hymn that reached
the stricken crowd.
Started by a masculine voice some
thought it the engineer's the sacred
song was taken ud by another, and
then another, until the chorus swelled
above the horrors of the scene:
K en though it be s cross
That raisetb me
Soon one voice dropped away, and then
another, and then the third, so that
the agonized bystanders knew the very
moment when the sufferers had passed
into unconsciousness.
One of the most beautiful examples
of the power of Christian song occurred
at the fall of the Pemberton mills in
Lawrence, Mass., many years aero.
Suddenly, without warning, in the
afternoon of a January day, the mill
collapsed. It was filled with opera
tives. The ruins caught fire. Over
eighty people were entrapped among
the beams and girders, and were
crushed, suffocated, or burned to death.
After the first cries for help, and the
first wails of agony, when the hopeless
ness of their position became mani
fest to them, the doomed girls
began to 6ing. Hymn after hymn
rose from their parched threats.
Voice after voice broke and was si
lenced. "Shall we gather t the river?"
"Rock of Ages, cleft for me," rose dis
tinctly above the roar of the flames.
Thus the poor girls sang their way into
death, by the sacred words that they
had sung at church and Sunday-school,
at home and among their looms.
The power of a Christian hymn has
been one of the great beneficent forces
in human life. It is almost impossible
to overestimate it. Literature and art
and oratory influence the emotions and
conduct of men. Noble poetry haunts
and inspires us. Rut in the trying
crisis of life in temptation, or misfor
tune, or sickness, or sorrow, or even
death myriads of souls have been com
forted and helped by the sustaining in
fluence of Christian song.
Many a boy, in his first battle with
the evil of the world, has been morally
arrested and saved from ruin, by the
accident of hearing in a critical mo
ment the strains of some dear old h vmn,
often sung in Sunday-school, or 'with
mothers and sisters on a Sunday night
in the dear old home. "That is music
to live by I" Youth's Companion.
T'JE OPPORTUNITIES.
Tim Enonrh for the LongMt Duty, Bat
Nona fcr tfa Shortest Sin.
It is truly humiliating to see how
enormous a proportion of the world'6
activity is spent upon the mere repair
of evils occasioned by human unfaith
fulness. fWhen the physician has reck
oned all the diseases and sufferings he
witnesses which involve any element
of guilt; wheu the lawyer has counted
the suits brought to him by fraud, in
justice and cupidity; when th trades
man has told how much of the cost he
incurs in looking up the debts which
else would not be paid, or watching
the servants who can not .be trusted
out of sight; when the 'labor diss been
weighed, which is occasioned wholly
by broken promises, and disappointed
expectations.and interrupted contracts,
how much, think you, would remain to
constitute the real productive and pro
gressive work of mankind, compensa
tive of no artificial evil, but fulfilling
the appointed Providential good? If
every posture of things were seized by
the faithful conscience at the right mo
ment, and no crises were lost, who will
venture to say what sorrows would be
saved, what complications would be un
raveled, or even what interval would
be left between the Heaven we hope for
and the earth we live in?
Nor must we forget that while objects
around us perpetually change, we our
selves do not stand stilL We also are
subjects of transient and evanescent
states, bringing with them their several
obligations, and carrying away their
fruits of tranquillity or of reproach.
Each present conviction, each secret
suggestion of duty, constitutes a dis
tinct and separate call of God, which
can never be slighted without the certainty-
of its total departure or its
fainter return. The spontaneous move
ment of the heart can then only be
replaced by the strivings of a heavy
and reluctant will, with twice the
work, and only half the strength.
The different feeling of to-morrow is
destined to a different work, and can
not be diverted to accomplish the task
which was due to-day. And to the
power which is not wisely Epent must
be wildly wasted. Our true opportu
nities come but once; they are suffi
cient, but not redundant; and we have
time enough for the longest duty,
but not for the shortest sin. James
Martineau.
A STEP FORWARD.
A Corporation's Eminently Practical Trib
ute to (iod't Iay of Rest.
The Erie railway has ordered all
trains, save those carrying mails and
perishable goods, to cease on Sunday.
The change affects eight thousand em
ployes, ninety per cent, of whom will
be free on Sunday. These, who are
paid by the trip and may earn less
money in a month, approve the new
order. The superintendent says that
a man who labors seven days a week
can not do as good work as he who la
bors only six days. We know of an
other railway superintendent who will
not employ a man if he has the least
scruple about Sunday work, since that
scruple may affect the quality of
his work on all days. The former offi
cial is the philosopher, and will super
intend the best work, in the aggregate.
The agitation of "Sunday rest" for all
workers is increasing. God's law i?
best for even those who reject that law.
When all railways follow this benefi
cent example, mankind will be reward
ed, if only as to their ears. The din in
the world will be diminished wonder
fully. No one can rest "clear through"
when all is stirring, and the whole
world seems to be in a whirl. Motion
is contagious, and universal rushing
forward begets the physical panic that
murders sleep and rest. Now let these
released railway men worship God and
enter fully into best of rest. N. W.
Christian Advocate.
The Two Ways.
There are two ways of appraising
one's self if such a proceeding were iu
itself profitable. One says: "I weep
over a drama, music lifts me up, I can
not contemplate the sorrows of my fel
lows without agony." Another says:
"I will act my part now; I will quench
this evil passion; with my own hand I
will draw out this neighbor from his
slough of despond; I will do this kind
deed to this very enemy." Iletter do
good than feelgood. S. S. Times.
Keif-Made Men.
Men are greatly self-made. It Is
our own action in the past which has
molded character. It is as we have
yielded to good or evil impulses that
virtue or vice has found development.
Our actions have begotten and fostered
habits, and each month and year has
contributed to make them more fixed,
Christian Inquirer.
CHOICE EXTRACTS. -
A man's conduct is an unspoken
sermon. Henri Frederic AmeiL
It is not hard to please God when
we devote our whole time to it Ram's
Horn,
The place for a man is the place
where he is doing his level best. Chi
cago Interior.
The man who is willing to serve
on a committee of one, is a host in him
self. United Presbyterian.
To fill the hour and leave no crev
ice for repentance or approval that is
happiness. Emerson.
Prayer is the soul's communion
with God. It is what we get by the
soul that makes us rich. Beecher.
The only question we ask is this
whether God is guiding the race or not?
If He guides it, then it is on its way to
good and not to evil. F. W. Robertson.
There are two freedoms the false,
where one is free to do what he likes,
and the true, where he is free to da
what he ought. Kingsley.
Could the Apostle John return to
earth would he not as emphatically as
ever say to Christian people: "Little
children, keep yourselves from idols."
Wealth, success, office are all idols in
this day, asd not a few Christians aro
in danger of worshiping them. Chris
tian Inquirer.
Doubts are a good deal like ver
min: They are good things to consume
the musty superstitions And decayed
theologies that lumber up the soul;
but if allowed to multiply they will
eat up everything you have. Chicago
Standard.
Remember that if tl e oiraortuni-
ties for great deeds should never come,
the opportunity for good deeds is re
newed for you day by day. The thing
for us to long for is the goodness, not
the glory. Frederic W. Farrar.
Faith trials, which come through
troubles, or prosperity, or temptation,
or in soma other way, never leave na
as they find us. One man is made bet
ter and stronger and more useful by
them; another is weakened, and his in
fluence for good lessened or destoyad.
United Presbyterian-
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