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ri..MT.-Mui.-:n.
NKi'IIAtflC
OUR NEW NEIGHBORS.
There Is truth in that old saying which we very
often bear.
That to make world It takes til sorts of
folks:
But to think, of all the millions, that the ones
who ar-? so near
Are the very worst our patience half pro-
T01S3
But 'tis Just as true as preaching that In all
th'.a treat, broad land
There are none which at the present we re
call "Who are quite so disagreeable or dISlcult to
stand
As the family in the fiat across the halL
lhe7 have a tin piano, which they hammer all
day lone.
Aad a poodle do; that barks throughout the
night.
tt may be wry sinful to deU on such a wrons.
But we'll s ay U-e creature some time with
delisrht
Their children tread as noisily as rampant
Texas sieers.
And p;nea the baby Just to hear it squalL
Xf they should ever move away there won't be
many tears
For tii s .'amily in the flat across the halL
Our daughter Mabel plays with grace the organ
now and then.
And Johnnie blows a little on his Cute,
tVhiie Manr-ret takes lessons on the pleasinjr
mandolin.
And Kx-hard plavs the violin and lute.
Of evenings all the young folks sing or haTe a
promenade.
And now and then we give a little balL
Our home would be real pleasant were It not
for noises made
By the family in the fiat across the halL
Nixon Waterman, in Chicago Journal.
TEDDY'S MAVERICK.
A Pretty Romance of the Great
Plains.
Sagebrush and sand sand and sage
brush sagebrush and sand again, be
fore, beh.iid, on either Bide, as far a&
the eye could reach. All the afternoon
the "overland" had beea creeping !
across the band plains of the great
American desert, and to the passengers
in the Pullman cars especially to those J
w ho disliked card, were too nervous to
read, or who didn't care to drink the
journey was growing' very tiresome. It
really seeuied, to the more imaginative
ones, that the refrain of the car whe-Als
was: "Sagebrush and sand, sagebrush
and sand "
The weary afternoon draped slowly
"by, and the conductor of the dining car
came through to announce dinner a
diverson, at least.
"Ah!"' remarked one tourist, sudden
ly, in a gratified tone; "there's a typical
scene for you, tne boy."
Against the red background made by
he rays of the setting1 sun, a short dis
tance from the track, sat a solitary
horseman, motionless, one hand resting'
on the pommel of his saddle, the other
1c the act of pushing- back from his
forehead his wide-brimmed white hat. I
Ttien, just as the rear cars of the train
approached, he suddenly took off the
hat. waved It, jammed his spurs into
his wiry little bronco, and started to
race with the train, yelling at the top
of his lung's. At the end of a t;uarter
znile or so, he blowed up, druw his re
volver and fired a parting salute into
the air, accompanying the volley with
a few more wild bowl.
The occupants of the Pu Jmaas were
amused; they had not seen anything so
interesting for a loner time. The tour
ist who had first observed the horse
man sighed, and declared he envied the
-o w boy he really did.
"How they must enjoy it, this wild,
free life of the plains, without a worry
or a care nothing to uo bat commune
with nature when they feel restless,
to be able to indulge in a wild, reck
less gallop suitable to the mood and
and er all that, don't you know?"
But it did not strike Teddy MacLea
n an, cowboy, that er way at all,
dca't you know? He was just think
ing how oppressively tiresome that
wild, free life of his was getting to bo
with
Nothing to do but work.
Nothing to eat but food
and
"Nowhere to iro but out.
Nowhere to come but in'
And, for the rest, nothing to do but get
drunk or amuse one's self liVe a howl
ing maniac, as he had just been doing
lor the delectation of the "tenderfeet,"
"Hit's sho" hell," he reflected, as he
continued beside the track, giving the
'bronc" a "breather" "hit sho" is, an'
I'm good 'n' tired, I am; but what t
do? Seeuis like we ail gits shif'iess.
hit does; jes' plug-gin' along n' workin'
Tiara an piayin' hard likewise (ontell
the stuff gives out), an' no airthly
Teason f'r bein alive
"Great sacrificed Wash'n't'n" he
ejaculated suddenly, jerking up his
horse. "I'll swaller a snake, will!"
I heard the story from Jerry Mad
den, Teddy's present partner ia the
cattle business, a couple of years ago,
us we sat in the suade of the ranch
house one afternoon.
"Why, Teddy don't drink, an like
wise swears quite few?" he asked, in
response to a query of mine. "That!
Sho'. he hain't tuk nothin f'r most
twelve 'r thirteen year, 'count o' his
kid. 'Married?' Oh! no, none what
ever. They hain't no heifer gits Teddy,
not much. 'Why?' Give it up. Mebbe
you c'n tell me?
"Ted was ridin along one day 'tis
thirteen year ago ridin' clost by tt'
railroad track one evenin', feelin' kind
' sore an' disgusted-like, when, all .i
a suddent, he sees somethin funny
trottin' along th' track. Ted stops 'n'
wipes his eyes an' gazes a hull lot
more, 'cause what he seen wa'nt noth
in' like what we finds 'roud ts yere
patch o' bresh; none whatever. More
overtnore, Ted d be'n tankin' up quite
plenty that day, he had, an' was dead
leary o' what might be th' matter of
his peeps. But e rubs 'em quite a lot
more, an' I bope I may straddle h
ghost bronc ef there wa'n't th' purtiest
little maverick ye ever see little jfirl
'bout five year old, bxowsiu along th
track, lookin' lokU
sheriff that he'was not ct'rtein of Ks j ha v'ing been removed.
nnfcmnrn bnt intrrTor" to tt11 thfll-tf , .
"Course Ted rides up an asts who
she is an' what she's doin there, all
alone, with er purty face n han's an'
elegant clo'es; but she couldn't tell 'im.
Jes' bn'st out cryin an' kep' a cryin',
an' 'twa'n't f r a day 'r so we c'd even
guess at er bein there, 'cause she was
tongue-tied Y somethin an' couldn't
say brtafew words, poro little thing.
But we gits at it th't 'er name's Norah,
we does, an th't sue draps off a train
jes' b'fore she sights Ted ('r him, her).
''She was a beaut, she sho was, an'
twa'n't mcre'u two days 'fore we all
was ready t do 'most anything f r her
me 'n' Ted, 'n ol' lady Parry (th'
boss' wife) an' all th rest; an' 'f I don't
b'lieve we wa'n't real glad, 'stead o'
sorry, when we fin's out they don't
seem t' be no one Lockin' fr such a
maverick 'cause we advertise:!, o
course, t' git 'er folks. But we gits no
word, not a bloomin' shout, so Ted jes
bran's th kid fr his'n, an pr'ceeds t
raise 'er (think o' Ted, which th same
never raised nothin' b'fore, raisin' that
little tender gyurl!), Mrs. Parry takin'
care of 'er f'r awhile.
"Well. Ted was jest th funniest cow
hand I ever backs up ag'in. Ye
wouldn't 'a' knowed 'int. Ted was a
howlin wolf, a reg'lar ol hyena b'fore
that, but after th' kid comes, he braces
right op an' gits good, none o' th' gang
objectin', 'cause they savvies why be
does it.
"After th" kid was 'bout nine 'r ten
years old, we all don't get t see much
of er. 'cause Ted, havin' laid up some
dough, sends 'er off t' school. "She's a
sho' 'nough thor'ughbred, she is,' says
Teddy, an' sho gits no scrub traiuin.
Sabe ?'
"That goes, o' course, an' th kid
likewise goes t' school, eomin' back
onot a year, lookin' sweeter an' purtier
'n ver, an' we all, mostly Ted. willin'
t lay right down an' let 'er tromp on
our measly ol' flea-bit frames. Oh, she
was jes' like Ted prognosticates on th'
jump a sho' 'noug"h thor'ughbred.
"Tell ye what she does one time,
'bout two year ago. They was livin'
't th station, her, n' Ted. 'n' Mrs.
Bell, th' woman th't give th' gyurl les
sons, an one day some eastern folks
gits off th' train, iookin' fr Mister Mac
Lcnnan, which i Ted since he gits
intuh business lor 'isself. They was a
real nice-lookin', fat ol' girl with spec
tacles with handles to 'em, an' a dood
with one o' these yere foolish little
caps ye sees through th' winduhs a' th'
sleepin' cars.
"Ted an' Norah was at the deppo
lookin' f r some school friends o the
gyurl's, when these folks gits off, an'
some one points Ted out, an' th' dood
braces 'im.
"'Aw, Die good man, says he, takin'
sight at Ted over the end of 'is cose
'aw. are you Mister MacLennan?'
"Ted's a good man no discount on
that but'e does sho" hate t' be called
one, moreover by a dood, which critter
is quite rousin' t' Ted's killin' instinc's
but 'e gives It out th't his brand is
sech. an' th' dood springs 'is game on
'im, which is th't he n' th" ol' la iy is
lookiu' f'r Nora Soinethin'-r-other,
which is th' name o' th' kid th't falls
oil a train one day ten years 'r so
b'fore our Norah, 6ho' 'nough.
"They was a su'prise all 'round, they
was. Then Norah takes a hand an'
flies 't th' ol' girl an' asts why she didu't
find 'er then, an' they gives it out th't
thy never saw Ted s advertisement,
an all that, an' never learns where she
is ontell they lately runs ontuh Mrs.
l'arry somewheres out west. They
likewise makes a play th't Ted had
stole th' kid. Th' ol' lady was goin' t
fail on Norah's neck an' weep a lot, but
Norah don't liie that style o' play, so
s'ae gives 'er a chill, an' moreover gives
it out cold th't she aon't move a step
th't she stays with Ted, th't's be'n a
reg'lar dad t' 'er.
"An' she stayed, you bet, an' Ted
was th' tickledest ol' stiff in th coun
try, t' think she'd rather flock with him
th'n t' train wi' them howlin' swells.
They makes do further play, thinkin',
mebbe, th't Borah's temper's Dretty
high up.
"Ev ryihinsr's real lovely ontell a lit
tle while ago last year it was. Things
got n little exeilin' 'round yere real
excitiu'fr some folks. I may say. They
was a few gents in these parts was get
tin' quite frisky with branuin'-irons,
an' was real careless 'bout drivin' off
beef-critters. Tney was real retiriu'
modest kind o' people, they was, even
ef they was talented in th' brandin
line, an we was quite anxious t' meet
up with 'em, but they lays pretty low;
we gits two 'r three of 'em strayiu
'round: but they keeps sawin wood an'
makin us real tired, so we goes t wo' k
an' organizes a vigilance c'mmittee,
with Ted as chairman.
"They was a young fellow t th' sti
tionthen, named Harwood. He'd come
fr'm somewheres, an' give it out 'e wa.s a
doctor, a little out o' health 'isself he
didn't look it, though, bein .bij:iusL.y
sort o" chap. lie hangs out "is shiai'ie
an gits a leeue acquainted, au intn
makes a dead play fr Norah, w'Lcb
V go all right; Norah lettin ca
t like th' duck quite plenty. Oh, bat
he was sho' spoony on her. Th' wust
was, we was thin.iin' th gyurl was
stuck on him, too. an' it did sho' give
us a pain, 'cause we didn't want uo
bloomin' chump friskiu 'round Ted's
corral cuttin' out Norah. An' still,
this yere felier seems white an' decent,
aa' 'twas square onpossibie t' hate 'im,
none whatever. So, when he offers t
juin th' c'mmittee, we says yes, o'
course. He wa'n't a real tenderfoot, ye
know, and acted like 'e had sand.
"Well, we keeps up th' good work an
ropes a few gents, au' they gits quite a
lot careful, but keeps on woruin.
liken, one night, ivheu Ted was out
! yrre, an' we was settia' up late, we
J Lf ars a noise among th' home bosses
j i th' corral, an" I says: 'O-hu! they're
t goia' intub th' hoss business, too, are
' they?' au me'u Ted breaks f r th' cor
ral
'They was five of 'em; bus we was
out f r business, an' cuts loose, an' they
i don't wait f pick-in ta'cuss we drappe I,
an' I'll eat a raw bide ef it wa'n't Har
wood! "J was f r killin of 'im elean, right
there; but Ted wouldn't have it, he
wouldn't, so we takes iiu intuh tb
kcuae an' bring 'its 'round, not bo bad
tJbe
hurt, after all. lie wants us . finish
th job, 'fraid, maybe, we're savin' of
'im t string up some; bat Ted only
grins a little, 6ort o' sour, an' tells him
t keep quiet.
"Next day me'n Ted hoi's a meetin.
we does, an settles th' case, an that
night we goes t th' c'mmittee meetin'
at Jeb Barlow's, where Ted gits up an'
makes a game o' talk. Says he:
" 'Gents. I an my pardner, Mr. Mad
den, has made a real techin' discovery
I hain't no great talker, but I jest wants
t' say th't we find th't Doc Harwood, a
member o' this yere hon'r'ble body, is
one o' th' gents we want mostest an'
"Kight yere they gits excited, but
Ted calls em down an' goes on' tellin'
'em how we gits doc, an' so on. Then
says he:
" 'I wants t add. right here, th't Dec
Harwood is at my house, hurt bad, an",
as Jong as he's there. I stands over im
an' keeps im fr'm harm. An' I adds
further th't I don't do th'.s b'cause I'm
stuck on Doc, but b'cause him'n my lit
tle girl is stuck on each other. Kow,
gents, 1 want t make a offer. Ye can't
have Doc 'thout gittin' me an' breakin
little Norah's heart; but I agrees f pack
th' galoot off V th' states an' guaran
tee he 6tays there, ef you-ail let's
im go. Does that go?
"I went O. K-, after some rag-chaw-in';
so, in a few days. Doe glides back
t' th' states.
"Nope. Nora didn't go not any. Ted
goes t' her an' give it out th't Doc's
be'n hurt by hoss thieves, an' has got t'
sl.de home does she want t' go?
"Eight 3'ere Norah gives 'im th' merry
'ha-ha!' Not much, she don't want t
go. 'Not with no hoss thief, anyway.
Uncle Teddy, she says.
" 'Hoss thief? says Ted. "What d'ye
mean b' that?'
" 'Mean what I say,' aays Norah.
'Never mind. Uncle Teddy, I knows
what I'm 'lludin' at.'
"Ted see's she's on. an it sort o' raz
zles 'im. 'But, look yere, says he, 1
be'n thinkin' you you sort o' well,
liked th cuss a hull lot.
'None &t all. Uncle Teddy,' says
Norah, real promp"; '1 was jes' only
havin' a leetle fun with 'im it's dull
out yere sometimes, ye know.
' This yere makes Ted feel a hull lot
better, 'cause well, 'cause, ye see, th'
ol' fool was (he tells me all about it)
sort o' havin aspirations 'isself.
"About a week after Doc left, Norah
comes t' Teddy one mornin', smilin,'
and blushin'. and kerryin a letter.
Ted was sittin' lookin out th' winder,
real solemn an' sad, wonderin', jes' that
minute, ef 'twas a &quar' deal, an right
an' straight, f'r t' asi: that leetle gyurl
t' marry him. That there proposition
was what'd be'n keepin' pore ol' Ted
awake f r mights ii" nights, an he was
sho' puzzled. 'Bout yere Norah bounces
in on 'im an' makes 'im jump.
" 'Oh, Uncle Teddy,' says she, 'I
wants ye t' do .somethin' fr Norah.
"Ted looks at 'er real solemn a min
ute, and then says, more solemn:
'"Ye know they hain't nothin' t' ask
fer th't I won't do f r ye,' he s.iys.
'W'y, see yere, Norah, darlin, can't y
onderstand th't I '
" 'Oh, I know, ye d-ar ol' goose. says
Norah, breakin' of 'is talk off short,
'but hain't this great? I've just got a
letter fr'n Alec '
"'Who's Alec?' says Ted, 'most broke
up, an' gittin Out o" th' chair, trembiin".
'"W'y, Aiec's you know Kate
Clerk's brother, an' I met "im at New
York when I was sta3"in' with Kate,
an' he says he love me an' wants me t'
marry 'im. an", oh. Uncle Teddy, ye
hain't cross, be ye?' And 6he falls on
Ted's neck 'n" weeps a lot.
"Ted stan's au' lets 'er weep quite
plenty, him chokiu down a big swellin'
in 'is throat all th' time. Then, says
he, very quiet:
'"Didn't I tell ye, darlin. they hain't
nothin ye can't have? I don't know
this yere Alec chap, but ef ye wants
'im. ye sho' gits 'im, ef 1 has f rope 'im
myself.'
"An' so she does. Oh. they's nothin'
Ted wouldn't do fr that there gyurL"
Lester Ketchum, in San Francisco Ar
gonaut, NEW COLLECTING CRAZE-
A Malnrac Who ila Secured Historical
lSuttou by the ltushel.
People get curious Tads, says a writer
in the Pittsburgh Dispatch. I met a
man from Maine, who had traveled all
over the yorld, lie had not made a
collection of spoons, stamps, auto
graphs, photographs, nor any of the
things th-t are Usually collected by
travelers. He hi i digressed from the
beaten paMis ami started a new fad,
which seems as sensible as at least t he
postage-stAinp caze. He has a ooilee
tion of buitons. hundreds of them, of
all sorts, shapes and designs, buttons
from poi'ce, Treraen, constabulary
and soldiery of all countries, cities
and towns, as well as buttons from
the clothes of famous men. Each but
ton had a history and a long" one, too,
as told by the Yankee, so I did not
wait to hear much about them. But
he had taken the button, surely.
It may not be long until the button
cranks may become prevalent, and the
great men of the land will not be
bothered any more by requests for
autographs, but it will be: "Will you
kindly send me a button from one of
your suits?"' The prospect of the
statesmen of these great United States
having to resort to hooks and eyes in
self-defense after having been deprived
of all their buttons to appease th de
mands of this coming army of raoki'
may cause some little joy in th hes--ts
of those who have been wearily watcn
ing triumphant tomfoolery in con
gress. The predicaments which this
new craze might cause are endless.
We might imagine an overobliging
celebrity being forced to Veep to his
room by thoughtlessly gratifying
tiiose who flattered his vanity by the
asking. No matter how the craze may
affect the victims, it is sur to boot
the button industry.
The idea that the toad Is poison
ous has a foundation in fact. The
skin secretes an acrid fluid, and just
behind the head are -wo sacs, which,
when pressed, eject a fluid that burnt
and stings the skin.
robbery ia j lift-iong, memtier or -tiie "Tuciii.m.n,,,
PERSONAL AND LITERARY.
The czar has among his household
an understudy, singularly like him in
appearance, who shows himself at the
windows of railway carriages and the
like when his imperial majesty does not
wish to disturb himself.
Mrs. Hannah Bedell, who died at
Hempstead, L. I., the other day, aged
I ft8 years, leaves eight children, forty
I grandchildren. ninety-seven gTeat
I grandchildren, and twenty great -great-!
grandchildren, 243 descendants in all.
Since his recent attack of the gTip
the czar has betrayed symptoms of a
permanent affection of the lungs. He
will probably make his imperial resi
dence at Kiev, where the climate is
more favorable than at St. Petersburg.
The duchess of Marlborough has
entered into possession of the Deep
deene, Lord Francis Hope's estate near
Dorking. It noble owner calls it a
"beastly hole," but is willing to accept
3.000 a year for it from the American
duchess.
Mine. Le Favre, who is lecturing in
New York on dress, says that men with
classic features should go clean-shaven.
As for women, they should dress with
true art. and they should be living,
animated pictures. Some of them are
pictures chromos.
During his first campaign for con
gress Representative McKeighan. of
Nebraska, who was living in a sod
house at the time of his nomination,
traveled ten thousand miles, visiting
every settlea.et of his big district, in
order to make himself known to the
voters.
Walter Besant is hunting for an old
book entitled "The Shoemaker of Jeru
salem." which was published in Dar
lington, England, in lTitO. He is anx
ious to obtain a copy of it for the reason
that it contains an account of a visit of
the Wandering Jew to the town of Hull
in 1709.
Narcisse Nero. an Italian imprisoned
in Kootenai county.Idalio.for burglary,
is so devoted to his prison life that
when his sentence expired a few days
ago he refused to go. He says they will
have to put him out. and the case is
waiting the arrival of the attorney gen
eral for a legal opinion in the matter.
Mrs. Humphrey Ward says that be
fore she finished her first novel she was
seized with writers' cramp and that
every word of the novel had to be dic
tated to a shorthand writer. She has
since recovered the use of her hand.
Mrs. Ward often rewrites a page twen
ty times before she is satisfied with the
result.
There is a woman in Sitka known
as 1'rincess Tom who is very rich. She
at one time had three husbands, but
has become Christianized and has dis
charged two. She is an extensive
trader, is known all over Alaska, and
wears upon her arm thirty gold brace
lets made out of twenty-dollar gold
pieces.
Ilev. F. E. Clark, the originator of
tbe Christian Endeavor movement, is
generally known as "Father Endeavor"
Clark. "The Dame originated as a huge
joke." he says. "It was given me oy an
old schoolmate, who possessed a re
markable propensity for punning on
names. He took the initial letters of
my name, and from these originated
the name "Father Endeavor Clark."
HUMOROUS.
"Here's a surprise for your birth
day, mamma." "Dear child: Where
did you get those flowers?" "From
your new hat." Hallo.
"Is my article in the soup?" inquired
the good-natured litterateur. "Not
yet." replied the editor: "but I'm going
to boil it down pretty soon." Wash
ington Star.
In a district school the pupils were
asked to define a bee line. A small hay
answered: "I know it. It's the line a
feller makes fer home when a bee's
stung him." Uuffalo Enquirer.
Mrs. Grimes "Henry, Willie is
teasing me every day for a sweater. 1
wish you'd get him one." Mr. Grimes
"A sw eater? What's the matter with
a buck-saw." Host on Transcript.
Heiress '"Dear, niel Times ari
hard." Murx-l "How do you know?"
Heiress "Why. all the men are propos
ing to me in their last year's phrases.
It's very monotonous." N. Y. World.
"What are you in here for?" asked
thf prison visitor. "Placiarism" an
swered the convict. "What?" "Pla
giarism. I tried to publish a private
issue of fifty dollar greenbacks.'" Indi
anapolis Journal.
Jilson says it may be extravagant
for the women to put so much material
in their sleeves, but a great deal more
goods would go to waist if the same
fashion should prevail in men's attire.
Huffalo Courier.
Ilinx " Wha.t are you writing now?"
Scrib "I am collaborating with my i enumerate exhaustively the various ac
fathcr on a book of poems." Kinx "I tivities which enlist Christian interest.
didn't know that your father wrote
poems." Scrit) "He doesn't: he's pay
ing for their publication." Tit-Hits.
An English health officer recently
received the following note from one of
the residents of his district: "Dear sir:
I beg to tell you that my child, aged
eight months, is suffering from an at
tack of measles as required by act of
parliament."
Mrs. Wayoft "And this picture
Ls " "That is Niobe. I suppose yon
are perfectly familiar with the 5tory."
Mrs. Wayofi' "No, I can't say that I
just recall it. There's a good many of
the neighbors I'm not yet acquainted
with." Inter-Ocean.
Mrs. Partington A pious old iady
happened in a Christian Endeavor
meeting. She was much impressed by
the young; people's earnestness, and
especially pleased with tne nging.
She said: "Oh. I do love to hear 'em
sing! Thev sing with such venom!"
Utica Observer.
- -"Poor Tommy is in disgrace." said
Mrs. VifTST tie friend of the family
who had dropped in. "I have just had
to give him a whipping. You can have
no idea how much I hate br do such a
thin?. 1 am so tender-hearted." "I
wish," sobled Tommy, "that you was
tender-handed :stead of tenAer-Learv
ed. India na i-Oiis Journal.
trt tpru , xms
FOR SUNDAY READING.
COME UP HITHER 1
(Rev. 4:1.
I have heard a voice that calleth
Down from Heaven's opt-n door;
Like a cooling dew it falicta
On my spirit wearied sore:
Fallett from the far blue ether.
From the heights bv angels trod:
"Come up hither: Hither! Hither!
Child of Heaven and of God.
"What ui this thy sad heart deemeta
Almost more than it can bear?
Come and see how shall it seemeta
In this cloudless upper uir'.
See it as the an?els see it.
Who have looked upon the Kin??:
Lift thy thoutrht to theirs, and free It
Jr'Toni all earthly fettering-
"Come up hither: Hither' Hither!
Eise above thy little life;
Dreams that vanish, hopes that wither.
Thankless service, wearying strife.
Pra-.se. and blame, and tears, and laughter.
Soon 'twill all be noutrht to thee:
I will show thee (iod's hereafter.
Come up hither: Come and see."
Miss E. C. Cherry, in N. Y. Observer.
INFLUENCZ OF RELIGION.
The F.xtent to Which It Lay Hold I'pon
and Affecta the Mind of the Acre.
The better conditions under which
men now live must themselves be
viewed as indications of religious prog
ress. No considerate student of history
can fail to see how large a place true
religion fills in the coming to pass of
those changes which not only make
human life more tolerable, but which
prepare the way for what is le.st in se
cular progress itself. The difference
between a Christian and a pagan na
tion, in respect to all that is signified
by civilization is the best meaning of
the word, is, first of all. in the fact
that while one is Christian, the other
is not. Those who work in religious
spheres and with especial view to re
ligious interests have a right to claim
a share for themselves in all the im
provements seen in a more set
tled condition of society, in friendlier
relations umong those who live to
gether in communities large or small,
in those opportunities of culture which
develop faculty and give direction to
genius and enterprise, in lettering con
ditions, as respects all that most con
cerns prosperity and welfare among all
classes. The indirect influences oper
ating among men are often the mighti
est, and most of all. in assigning credit
for things achieved, may le due to
those less obstrusive agencies which,
doing their work silently, are realized
at their true value only when men be
gin to ask themselves what the world
would lie without them.
Hut there is anotherview of this gen
eral subject. It is not surprising that
uneasiness, doubt, and dread of what
may lie portending, is sometimes felt in
view of what appears like disturbance
and questioning in those matters which
are. and have long been, "most surely
believed among us." Should it not le
borne in mind, upon the other hand.
that what is thus seen has this favor
able aspect, at least, that it indicates
the extent to which religion, as truth,
as teaching, lays hold upon and affects
the mind of the age? It is wonderful
how much of current inquiry and inves
tigation in all realms of human knowl
edge and thought takes a religious di
rection. Conclusions, indeed, are not
, all favorable to religion, yet time may
show that many of them are less un-
' favorable than may at first appear. In
any case, they prove that religion as
1 an element in the life of the age is a
wonderfully stimulating force: that the
' I'ible. while in parts of it the oldest of
books, is now more of an intellectual
and moral force than in ant former
age: that if there is for Christianity a
i better vantage-ground, somewhere, in
some respects, than what it has hereto-
fore held, it is sure to find it: that, in a
word, the very agitation, the question-
I ings. the hostile appearances; skeptical
science, disturbing criticism, an aopar-
: ent intermeddling with the very foun-
, dations of faith these all show how
little true it is that religion loses its
hold on men as the world waxes older.
; and secular interests grow more and
' more absorbing.
There would l e much to say. if there
' were rcom for it here, of the manner in
: which Christianity is evidently eqtiip
1 ping itself for great things in the
; future. Has the reader ever set him
! self to numlier up the various forms of
organized ClirLstian activity to which
; recent years have given birth? They
come upon the scene one after the
i other, sometimes in the face of protest
against the multiplying of such, yet al
j ways with a result which shows there is
a place for every one. And the notable
i thing is that their effort is to organize
i for work all the resources of the church
i as found in the various classes of his
i memlership. The women, the young
j people, young men and young women
among the older grown, missions, chari
l ties, hospitals; who could hope to
and by occupying it intensify and
broaden it? Is there not a looking to
ward some glorious future in all this?
And when was there such an equip
ment for the defense of Christianity, on
every side where assault is threatened,
or for public teaching which lays hold
upon all classes of the people, entering
into the life of the time as a formative
energy transcending every other?
We can not think that what is seen
among men at the present time indi
cates decline in any clement of Chris
tian power, but a notable and most
promising increase in all. "The end of
the age." surely, is not to be a scene of
wide-spread and calamitous defeat, but
of victory and triumph; the preparation
; now going forward, spreading and per
' mcating, coming t last to the aus
picious moment w n power from on
high shall turn weakness to strength,
and make the banner of righteousness
victorious all over the world. Chicago
i Standard.
THE BEST AND THE WORST.
Employ the Orpins of Speech in th Serv
ice of od.
Make right and holy use of the
tongue, writes T.ev. T. De Witt Tal
mage. under "Enemies of our happi
ness.'" in the Ladies Home JoumaL It
id loose at one end and can swing either
rrr r"'
way, but is fastened at the other end
to the floor of your mouth, and thafc
makes you responsible for the way
it vrafrs. Xanthus. the philosopher,
told his servant that on the morrow he
was going to have some friends to dine,
and told him to get the best thing; he
could find in the market.
The philosopher and his guest sat
down the next day at the table. They
had nothing but tongne four or five
courses of tongue tongue cooked in
this way and tongue cooked
in that way, and the philosopher
lost his patience and said to
the servant: "Didn't I tell you to get
the lest thing in the market?" He
said: "I did get the lest thing in the
market. Isn't the tongue the organ of
sociality, the organ of eloquence, the
organ of kindness, the organ of wor
th ip?"
Then Xanthus said: "To-morrow I
want you to get the worst thing in the
market."
And on the morrow the philosopher
sat at table, and there was nothing but
tongue four or five courses of tongue
tongue in this shape and tongne in that
shape, and the philosopher again lost
his patience and said: "Didn't tell you
to get the wrst thing in the market?
The servant replied: "I did, for isn't
the tongue the organ of blasphemy, the
organ of defamation, the organ of
lying?"
Employ the tongue, which God so
wonderfully created as the organ of
taste, the organ of articulation, to
make others happv, and in the service
of God!
ATHEISM IN THE HEART.
An Inward ninbelief Which Taken Away
Our Enjoyment In t hrist.
It is hard for even the best of us to
realize how full the world is of the Di
vine presence, and how full life is of the
Divine help. When we come at last to
the vision of the realities nothing will
more astonish us than the blindness
which held us back from the perception
of the Divine element in common things.
God's thoughts lie scattered over a world
of use and beauty, each charged with a
mission to the needy and hungry spirits
of His children: yet they too often rec
ognize nothing in them but pure bits
and parts of a big lifeless machine called
Nature. God's care lies around our
lives, guarding us against a thousand
dangers. Yet we think of our lives too
much as the relation of our own only
to the environment in which we are
placed. We are constantly comforted,
strengthened, enlightened in the tryinjr
places of life, and see no more in it than
the shift of a mood within us, for
whose change no cause need be sought.
So we practice a private and personal
atheism, which keeps us from joying in
God. our Maker and Helper. It is a
great blessedness to keep the mind fixed
upon this heavenward side of common
life: for "whoso is wise shall heed to
these things, and they shall consider
the mercies of the Lord."
I am His creature, and His air
I breathe where er my feet may stand;
The angels' sontr rinps everywhere.
And all the earth is holy land.
S. S. Times.
Served by Serving Others.
Serving and served! Such is tbe mu
tual relationship and experience of all
who are joined in Christian work. Paul
served the churches and was often
served by them. He expected and de
sired to serve the Corinthians and by
them to set forward on his journey into
Judea. Hy such help rendered to him
they would be serving others whom
I'aul would serve at his coming. Par
ents really serve their children -in re
quiring service of them. So the Mas
ter serves both us and others in re
quiring services of us. Serving Him is
personal culture of the lest sort. God
is the gTeat example of service to us.
And He clearly and distinctly serves us
by requiring service of us. To evade
or neglect duty is to turn away from
the Divine lnefieience towards us. To
refuse the cross is to push aside the of
fered crown. To seek and demand grati
fication is to despise and hinder satis
faction. Christian Inquirer.
TRUTH BOILED DOWN.
Some of tbe Kam'i Horn's Choicest Bita
of Thougrht.
Sin nearly always legins with a look.
The man who prays right will always
pay right.
In the arithmetic of Heaven nothing;
counts but love.
God will not give us His truth until
we are willing to live it.
The man who hates light is always
afraid of his own shadow.
When people have only a litte reli
gion they are apt to lie ashamed of it.
The prayer of faith always holds out
both hands to receive the answer.
There is no trouble almut knowing;
God's will when we are willing to do it.
There are some blessings that God
can bestow upon His children only in
the lions' den.
You will never fall into the devil's
mire as long as you pave your way with
Hible promises.
God will see to it that we always
have something to say if we talk about
His own goodness.
When you pra3 for God to bless other
people don't insist that He shall do it
in your way.
Every time the devil makes a hypo
crite he has to admit that nothing pays
so well as leing good.
Prospering in a worldly way is very
apt to make men stop praying that they
may be pure in heart.
It is easier to run an engine without
fire than it is to keep up the spiritual
ity of a church without the pvayer
meeting.
Every sin has a dagger in its h.nd
with which sooner or later it will
strike, no matter how harmless it rtay
look.
One reason why Paul laid up treasure
in Heaven so fast was because lie was
always being persecuted for righteous
ness" sake.
It won't do for the man who clfcims to
love the Lord on Sunday to be fourfd
selling goods with a short yard-stick on
Monday.
One reason why there are so many
lame x'ople in the church is because
they made a sttrt for the war without
putting ou the whole armor ui God.
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