Nebraska Newspapers

    The Sioux County Journal,
VOLUME VIIL
HAKKISOX, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, NOV. 28, 1895.
NUMBER 12.
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TALMAGE'S SERMON.
NEW LESSON FROM THE FEA8T
OF BELSHAZZAR.
Watskad la tk Balance and Foaad
I Waatiaa-Tk Baddenacaa of Ood's
Jadaaacata-A Tkoagkt to tka
Forma of Prayer Iook and Live.
!
Tk Baaqnct of Bin.
Biaca his going to Washington Dr.
Talmaga'a pulpit experience bat been a
remarkable oue. Not only has the church
In which he preaches been tilled, but the
audience have overflowed into the ad
Joining streets to an extent that has ren
dered tbein impassable. Nimilar scenes
were enacted at lant Sunday's services,
when the preacher took for his subject,
"Handwriting on the Wall," the text
chosen being Daniel v., 30, "In that night
was Belshaxiar, the king of the Chal
deans, slain."
Night was about to come down on Baby
Ion. The shadowa of her 250 towers be
gin to lengthen. The Euphrates rolled
on, touched by the fiery splendors of the
setting sun, and gates of brass, buruisbed
nd glittering, opened and shut like doors
of flame. The hanging gardens of Baby
lon, wet with the heavy dew, began to
pour from starlit flowers and dripping
leaf a fragrance for many miles around.
The streets and squares were lighted for
dance and frolic and promenade. The
theaters and galleries of art Invited the
wealth and pomp and grandeur of the
city to rare entertainments. Scenes of
riot and wassail were mingled in every
street, and godless mirth, and outrageous
excess and splendid wickedness came to
the king's palace to do their mightiest
deeds of darkness.
A royal feast to-night at the king's
Plce I Rushing up to the gates are
chariots, upholstered with precious cloths
from Uedan and drawn by fire-eyed
horses from Togarmah, that rear and
neigh In the grasp of the charioteers,
while a thousand lords dismount and
women dressed in all the splendors of Sy
rian emerald, and the color blending of
agate, and the chasteness of coral, and
the aomber glory of Tyrlan purple, and
princely embroideries brought from afar
by camels across the desert and by ships
of Tarshlsh across the sea.
A Oreat Baaqnef.
Open wide the gates and let the guests
come in. The chamberlains and cup
bearers are all ready. Hark to the rustle
of the silks, and to the carol of the music!
See the blaxe of the jewels! Lift the
banners. Fill the cups. Clap the cym
bals. Blow the trumpets. Lot the night
go by with song and dance and ovation,
and let that Babylonish tongue be pal
sied that will not say, "0 King Belshax
anf, live forever!"
Ah, my friends, it was not any com
mon banquet to which these great people
came. All parts of the earth hail sent
their richest viands to that table. Brack
ets and chandeliers flashed their light
upon tankards of burnished gold. Fruits,
ripe and luscious, in baskets of silver, in
twined with leaves, plucked from royal
conservatories. Vases, inlaid with em
erald and ridged with exquisite traceries,
filled with nuts that were thrashed from
forests of distant Janda. Wine brought
from the royal vats, foaming in the decan
ters and bubbling in the chalices. Tufts
of cassia and frankincense wafting their
sweetness from wall and table. Gorgeous
banners unfolding in the breeze that came
through the open window, bewitched
with the perfumes of hanging gardens.
Fountains rising up from Inclosures of
ivory, in jets of costal, to fall in clutter
ing rain of diamonds and pearls. Statues
of mighty men loking down from niches
in the wall upon crowns and shields
brought from subdued empires. Idols of
wonderful work stunding on pedestals of
precious stones. Embroideries stooping
about the windows and wrapping pillars
of cedar, and drifting on floor inlaid with
Ivory and agate. Music, mingling the
thrum of harps, and the clash of cymbals,
and the blast of trumpets in one wave of
transport that went rippling along the
wall and breathing among the garlands
and pouring down the corridors nnd thrill
ing the souls of n thousand banqueters.
The signal is given, and the lords and
ladles, the mighty men and women of the
land, come around the table. Four out
the wine. I,et foam and bubble kiss the
rim! Hoist every one his cup utid drink
to the sentiment: "O King Belshaxxiir
live forever!" Beslarred head baud mid
carcariet of royal beiiuty gleam to the up
lifted chalices, as strain nml ,.;., .,,!
again they are emptied. Away with care
from the palace! Tear royal dignity to
tatters! Four out more wine! (Jive us
more light, wilder music, sweeter -perfume!
Wd shouts to lord, captain ogles
to captain. (Joblets clash; decs nters rattle.
J here come In the obscene song, and the
drunken hiccough, and the slavering lip
nnd the guffaw of idiotic laughter, burst
ing from the lips of princes. Mushed, reel
ing bloodshot; while mingling with It all
I hear, "Hnxxa. huxxa! for great Belshax
aar! '
What is that on the plastering of the
walV Is it a spirit? I. it a phantom?
Is It God.' The music stops. The gob
lets full from the nerveless grasp. There
is a thrill. There is a start. There Is a
thousand voiced shriek of horror. Iet
Daniel !e brought in to read that writing
He gomes in. He reads it "Weiglu-d in
I lie 1. ii In lire nnd found wanting."
A Warning.
Meanwhile the Medes, who for two
years had been laying siege to that city,
took advantage of that carousal and cuiuc
In. 1 hear the feet of the conquerors on
the palace stairs. Massacre rushes hi
with a thousand gleaming knives. Death
bursts upon the scene, and 1 shut the door
of that banqueting hall, for I do not
want to look. There is nothing there but
torn banners, and broken wreaths, and
the slush of upset tankards, and the blood
of murdered women and the kicked and
tumbled carcass of a dead king. For "In
that night was Belahaiaar, the king of
the Chaldeans, slain."
I go on to learn some leaaons from all
this. I learn that whea God write any
thing on the wall a nun bad better read
It as it is. Daniel did not misinterpret or
modify the handwriting on the wait It
is all foolishness to expect a minister of
the gospel to preach always things that
the people like or the people choose.
Young men of Washington, what shall I
preach to you to-night? Shall I tell yon
of the dignity of human nature? Shall I
tell you of the wonders that our race has
accomplished? "Oh, no," you say. "Tell
me the message that came from God.
will. If there is any handwriting on the
wall, it is this lesson: "Repent! Accept
of Christ and be saved!" I might talk of
a great many other things, but that Is the
message, and I so declare It Jesus never
flattered those to whom he preached. He
said to those who did wrong, and who
were offensive in bis sight. "Ye genera
tion of vipers, ye white sepulchers, how
can ye em ape the damnation of hell!"
Faul the apostle preached before a man
who was not ready to hear him preach.
What subject did he take? Did be say,
Oh, you are a good man, a very fine
man, a very noble man?" No; he preach
ed of righteousness to a man who wss
unrighteous, of temperance to a man who
was a victim of bad appetites, of judg
ment to come to a man who was unfit for
it So we. must always declare the mes
sage that happens to come to us. Dan
lei must read It as it is.
A minister preached before James I. of
bnglsnd, who was James VI. of Scotland.
What subject did he take? The king
was noted all over the world for being tin
settled and wavering in his Ideas. What
did the minister preach about to this man
who was James I. of England and James
VI. of Scotland? He took for his text
James I., 6: "He that warereth Is like a
wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed." Hugh Latimer offended the king
Dy a sermon preached, and the king said,
nugn Latimer, come and apologixe.
1 will," said Hugh Latimer. So the day
was appointed, and the king's chapel was
run oi lords and dukes and the mighty
men and women of the country, for Hush
Latimer was to apologise. He began his
sermon by saying, "Hugh Latimer, be
think thee! Thou art in the presence of
mine earthly king, who can destroy thy
body. But bethink thee, Hugh Latimer,
that thou art in the presence of the king
of heaven and earth, who can destroy
both body and soul in hell fire." Then he
preached with appalling directness at the
sing s crimes.
The Bad of Bin.
Another lesson that comes to us to
night: There is a great difference be
tween the opening of the banquet of sin
and its close. Young man, If you had
looked in upon the banquet in the first
few hours you would have wished you had
been invited there, and could sit at the
feast. "Oh, the grandeur of Belshazzar's
feast! yon would have said, but you look
In at the close of the banquet and your
blood curdles with horror. The king of
terrors has there a ghastlier banquet;
human blood is the wine and dying groans
are the music. Sin has made itself a king
In tne earth. It has crowned itself. It
has spread a banquet It Invites all the
world to come to it. It has hung in its
banqueting hull the spoils of all kingdoms,
and the banners of all nations. It has
gathered from all music. It has strewn,
Iroin Its wealth, the tables and floors anj
arches. And yet how often is that ban
quet broken up, and how horrible Is its
end! Ever and anon there is a handwrit
ing on the wall. A king falls. A great
culprit is arrested. The knees of wick
edness knock together. God's judgment,
like an armed host, breaks in upon the
banquet, and that night is Belshazzar.
the king of the Chaldeans, slain.
Here is a young man who says: "1
cannot see why they make such a fins
about the intoxicating cup. Whv, it is
exhilarating! It makes me feel well. I
cau talk better, think better, feel better.
I cannot see why people have such a
prejudice against it." A few years pass
on, and he wakes im and funis himself
in the clutches of an evil habit which he
tries to break, but cannot, and be cries
out, "O Ird God, help me!" It seems
as though God would not hear his prayer,
and in an agony of body and soul he
cries out, "It biteth like a serpent and it
Htingelh like an adder." How bright it
was at the start! How black it was nt
the last!
Here is a man who begins to reud loose
novels. "They are so charming," he says.
"I will go out and see for myself whether
all these things are so." lie opens tho
gate of a sinful life. He goes in. A sin
ful sprite meets him with her wand. She
waves her wand, and it is all enchant
ment. W by, it seems as if the angels of
God hail iHiurcd out vials of perfume In
he atmosphere. As he wulks on he finds
the hills becoming more radiant with foli
age and the ravines more resonant with
the falling water, (lb, what a charming
landscape he sees! But that sinful sprite,
with her wand, meets him again. But
now site reverses the wand, ami till the
enchantment is gone. The cup Is full of
poison. The fruit turns to anlics. All
the lesves of the bower are forked tongues
of hissing serpents. The flowing foun
tains fall buck in a dead pool stciichful
with corruption. The luring songs be
come curses and screams of demoniac
laughter. lxst spirits gather about him
and feel for his heart and beckon him on
with "flail, brother! Hail, blasted spirit,
hail!" He comes to the front door where
he entered and tries to push it back, but
the door turns aguinst linn, and in the jar
nf that shutting door he hears these
worils, "This night is HcUhnzziir, the
king of the Chaldeans, slain."' Sin may
open bright ss the morning. It ends dark
as the night!
Death at the Hanqiict.
I learn further from this subject that
dentil sometimes urcims in niton a luin
quet. Why did he not go down to the
prisons in Babylon? There were people
there that would like to have died. 1 sup
pose there were men and women in tor
ture in that city who would have wel
comed death, but be comes to the palace,
and just at the time when the mirth is
dashing to the tip-top pitch, death breaks
In at the banquet. We hare often seen
the same thing Illustrated. Here is a
young man just come from college. He is
kind. Ha la loving. He Is enthusiastic.
H la eloquent. Br on spring he may
bound to heights toward wblcb many men
ha? been straggling for years. A pro
fska open befor him. He la estab
lished In the law. His friends cheer him.
Eminent men encourage him. After
awhile you may see him standing In the
American Senate, or moving a popular
assemblage by his eloquence, as trees ars
moved in a whirlwind. Home night be
retires early. A fever is on him. Delir
ium, like a reckless charioteer, seixes the
reins of his intellect Father and mother
staud by and see the tides of his life going
out to the great ocean. The banquet is
coming to an end. The lights of thought
and mirth and eloquence are being extin
guished. The garlands are snatched from
the brow. The vision is gone. Death
at the bauquet!
We saw the same thing, on a larger
scale, illustrated in our civil war. Uur
whole nation had been sitting at a nation
al bauquet North, South, East and West
hat grain was there but we grew it
on our hills? What invention was there
but our rivers must turn the new wheel
and rattle the strange shuttle? What
warm furs but our traders must bring
them from the arctics? What fish but our
nets must sweep them for the market?
What music but it must sing in our balls?
v bat eloquence but it must speak in our
senates? Ho, to the national banquet,
reaching from mountain to mountain and
from sea to sea! To prepare that banquet
the sheepfolds and the aviaries of the
country sent their best treasures. The
orchards piled up on the table their sweet
fruits. The presses burst out with new
wines. To sit at that table came the yeo
manry of New Hampshire, and the lum
bermen of Maine, and the Carolinian from
the rice plantation, and the Western emi
grant from the pines of Oregon, and we
were all brothers brothers at a banquet
Suddenly the feast ended. What meant
those mounds thrown uo at Chickamauga.
Shiloh, Atlanta, Gettysburg, South Moun
tain? What meant those golden grain
fields, turned into a pasturing ground for
cavalry horses? What meant the corn
fields gullied with the wheels of the heavy
supply train? Why those rivers of tears
those lakes of blood? God was angry !
Justice must come. A handwriting on the
wall! lhe nation had been weighed and
found wanting. Darkness! Darkness!
Woe to the North! Woe to the South!
Woe to the East! Woe to the West!
Death at the banquet
Sudden Judgment.
I hare also to learn from the subject
that the destruction of the vicious, and
of those who despise God, will be very
sudden. The wave of mirth had dashed
to the highest point when the invading
army broke through. It was unexpected
Suddenly, almost always, comes the doom
of those who despise God and defy the
laws of men. How was it at the deluge?
Do you suppose it came through a long
northeast storm, so that people for days
before were sure It was coming? No. I
suppose the morning was bright; that
culmness brooded on the waters; that
beauty sat enthroned on the hills, when
suddenly the heavens burst and the
mountains sank like anchors into the sea
that dushed clear over the Andes and the
Himalayas.
The Bed Sea was divided. The Egyp
tians tried to cross it. There could be no
danger. The Israelites had just gone
through. Where they had gone, why not
the l-.gyptians? Ob, it was such a heauti
ful walking place! A pavement of tinged
shells and pearls, and on either side two
great walls of water solid. There can
be no danger. Forward, great host of thu
Egyptians! Clop the cymbals and blow
the trumpets of victory! After them! We
will catch them yet, and they shall be de
stroyed. But the walls begin to tremble!
They rock! They fall! The rushing wa
ters! The shriek of drowning men! The
swimming of the warhorses in vain for
the shore! The strewing of the great
host on the bottom of the sea or pitched
by the angry waves on the beach a bat-
ered, bruised and loathsome wreck! Sud
denly destruction came. One-half hour
before they could not have believed it.
Destroyed, and without remedy.
I urn just setting forth a fact which
you have noticed ss well as I. Ananias
comes to the apostle. The iiMistle says,
"Did you sell the lanrl for so much?" lie
says. "Yes." It was a lip. Dead, as
quick as that! Napphira, his wife, comes
in. "Did yon sell the land for so much?"
Yes." It was a lie, and quick us that she
was dead! God's judgments are upon
hose who despise him and defy him.
They come suddenly.
A Him pie Prayer.
The destroying angel went through
Egypt. Do you suppose that any of thu
people knew that he was coming? Did
they bear the flap of his great wing?
NoJ No! Suddenly, unexpectedly he
came.
Skilled sportsmen do not like to shoot
bird standing on a sprig near by. If
they are skilled, they pride themselves
on Inking it on the wing, and they wait
till it starts. Death is an old sportsman,
hihI he loves to take men flying under the
very sun. He loves to take them on the
wing, till, Hee to God this night! If
tl
be one in this presence who linn
wandered fur away from ChriHt. thoueh
he may not have beard the call of the
gospel lor many a year, 1 Invite lum now
to come and be saved. Flee from thy sin!
Flee to the stronghold of the gospel! Now
s the accepted tune. -Now is the dav of
salvation.
Good night, my young friends! May
you have rosy sleep, guarded by him who
never slumbers! May you awake in the
morning strong and well! But, oh, art
thou a despiser of God? Is this thy lost
night on earth? Shouldst thou be awak-
ncd in the night by something, thou
knowest not whst, and there be shadows
flouting in the room, and a handwriting
on the wall, and yon feel that your last
hour Is come, and there he a fainting at
the heart, and a tremor in the limb, and
a catching of the breath then thy doom
wquld be but an echo of the word of the
text, "In that night was Bclsha..ar, the
king of the Chaldeans, slain."
(Ih, that my Ixrd Jesus would now
make himself so attractive to your souls
that you cannot resist him, and if you
have never prayed before or have not
prayed ainre those day when yon knelt
down at your mother's knee, then that
to-night you might pray, saying:
Just ss I am, wit boat on pic
Bat that thy blood was shed for rot
And that thou bidat m oom to the,
O Imb of Ood, I oome!
GOWNS AND GOWNING
WOMEN GIVE MUCH ATTENTION
TO WHAT THEY WEAR.
riaf Glance at Faaclea Feaalalaa,
Vrivoloaa, Mayhap, and Tet OBTerad
la the Hope that the Heading ProT
Baatfal to Wearied Womankind.
Ooaala from Oar Ootkaas.
New York corrr.poDd.no:
UME of the drew
accessories, that are
first displayed In
tils country on Im
ported costume
were originally
planned for econ
omy, little as the
wearer that have
paid extravagant
price for them
guess of the troth.
Their being Import
ed make them
bring a big price, but, more than that,
It gives to them an especial value when
added to a dress from their appearance
nnd without regard to the country of
their manufacture.
The current favor for combining allk
and aatln with cloth, and two klnda of
allk with or without velvet In one cos
tume, 1 one that 1 amenable to econ
omy's code, provided that some of the
silk can come from Hi piece bag, or
from old dree sea. But, as now seen,
theae Ideas are usually carried out
without much regard for coat For ex
ample, silk and satin are being much
used for Louis XVI. coats over skirts
of color to match of cloth, this being
but one evidence of the tendency to
ward cloth for skirt. Then velvet In
combination with cloth or with flower-
A DAINTY AHHAXOKMENT OF LACES.
ed allk or brocade Is now used for just
the body part of the dress, the sleeves
and the skirt being of another mate
rial. Since the best velvet Is expen
give this Is a good way of making use
of it In the quaint model of the first
picture two shades of silk are employ
ed, maroon for the skirt and figured
pale green for the waist. The latter
has fitted lining, fastens Invisibly at the
Hide, and has a wide box pleut In the
center with drapery at either side. Its
bishop sleeves are of the same silk, but
the yoke, which Is divided In the center
and has 1830 sleeve caps. Is of maroon
silk. It is garnished with four buttons
on each side and is cut iu one with the
stock collar. The gown Is lined with
pale green silk, the maroon skirt being
entirely plain.
Chiffon-covered Ixidlees are as fash
ionable as ever, for all they are de
cried In the advanced style. Tile only
change Is that all the bodices take n
folded belt or scarf of chiffon that fast
ens a little at one side of the front un
der a rldi buckle, or In a bow. Long
enda, weighted with Jewels or spangles
at the lower edge, float to the foot of
the skirt. The effect Is charming, and
softens the contract between skirt and
bodice. Very beautiful gowns are
shown In soft figured ilk, the front
A MOKRI, TO OOHJUHI WITH.
and back of tbe bodlo covered wltb
chiffon to match tbe color of the figure,
Chiffon not appearing elsewhere la Um
dress. Tola Is all vry well when oo
la a llttl abort of material or la "mak-
lag vr." In the lattar case, the plee
of goods a little damaged can b safely
used under tbe chiffon. Lao and
spangles are used In much the same
way, though they ar leas serviceable la
makeshifts. It seems a pity anyway,
to employ tbe prcttlneas of nice lace aa
a covering for defects. It la better
used, as In the next picture, to deck
a dress that la new and stylish, and.
if possible, In some novel way. Here
lac flounces fall from ttye bodice's
tabs, and bice cascades edge the vest.
wblcb Is embroidered with gold, as are
the inserted pieces at the shoulders
and the collar. All tbe skirt seams are
outlined with jet, and Jet buttons show
at cuffs and shoulders. Corn-colored
glace allk was tbe dress material, the
sleeve being of black velvet, the whole
being designed for a bride's mother.
A HODICB KROST LIKB A BUTTERFLY.
The skirt might be short or trained, as
preferred, but should be edged with a
full velvet ruching.
Plaids and stripes are all the rage.
But no matter how lovely they look in
the piece, one must remember that un
less tbe maker hi going to use tbe goods
artistically, matching the plaids per
fectly, or making use of the stripes so
that the figure la shown to the beat ad
vantage, one had far better not Indulge
In the material. Nothing Is more dread
fully Inartistic or unbecoming than a
badly matched plaid or stripe. Yet
In the next picture there la a bodloe of
striped stuff, whose beauty Is enough
to make a woman risk stripes, even
If she hasn't perfect confidence In her
dressmaker, and even If Its striped stuff
were used for the back of the body.
An unusually pretty evening bodice
appears in tbe next sketch, and was
found In white satin. It had rounded
points back and front, and was draped
over a fitted lining. The back w
plain and had no fullness whatever,
but the front formed a large bow like
a huge butterfly with wide wings at the
bust, but tapered down to points In the
waist A twisted band of satin gave
the belt, and the full elbow sleeves
were met by long white suede mosque-
talres. Besides In white, such gloves
appear In tan, pearl and all delicate
shades. As usual, t'he glove of pro
nounced color Is not good taste, except
In the strong reds and browns suitable
for walking, driving and shopping.
Short button gloves are worn on all
occasions requiring lone sleeves, the
glove drawn up over the sleeve being
rarely seen. On the other hand, or
rather on both hands, the lone clove
is worn with the elbow sleeve with ex
cellent effect. White short gloves with
black stitching continue to give the
proper dressy effect
If nil the chance for letting In cold
came thus at the throat, It would be
bad enough, but It doesn't. Look at
the cape pictured here, and think of the
chilled arms and waist that are its in
evitable accompaniment. One might
say, too, think of street cars and nar
row doorways, but big sleeves have
trained women to disregard such con
siderations, so that doesn't count. Nor
should it be forgotten that this Is a
highly fashionable model. Aa sketched
It was of black velvet lined with white
satin and bordered with llama. Points
of steel embroidery reached nearly to
t edge, between these It was strewn
with steel points, and a garniture of
black velvet loops set off Its fur col
lar. Copyright, 18M
Th Puritans war so named In 4
risloo at tbalr profession of being
purer thu other popl.
VKHY STYLISH COI.D STOKAtlK.
"Where Highways Cross" la la fk
Iris Library. Tbe author 1 Mr. J. fx
Fletcher, whose Tborean-Uk work,
"The Wonderful Wapentake," and a
tlrting romance, entitled "When
Oharle the First Was Kin," bare lav
troduced blm to American reader. '
A very beautiful book soon to be pot
Ushed Is tbe long-awaited "Book a boot
Fans," comprising the history of fas
and fan painting, by M. A. Flory, aew
getter with a chapter on fan collecting;
by Mary Oatwelader Jones. The lllnav
trationa are photograph of tbe Anas
specimens of the art, reproduced fog
the most part from original. j
Since the copyright law has been pass
ed, the enormous American sale re
sulting from the protection given to
British authors has made reputation,
and fortune for such authors as Rnd
yard Kipling, Anthony Hope Hawkins,
Rider Haggard, B. R. Crockett, J. II.
Barrio, etc. A. P. Watt, the English ,
"literary agent" who ha built nn a
plendld business for himself by plac
ing to the best advantage the produc
tions of the leading English writers.
and whose opinion 1 consequently en
titled to respect, recently got back to
London rrom a visit to the United
States, where he had been looking ovr
tbe field, and expresses himself as "Im
mensely Impressed by the market he
found there for British llterarr
ware."
The Saturday Review says that tbe
queen ha been pressed to make W. X.
Henley the poet laureate, and adds:
"The appointment would not be unfit If
William Morris and Mr. Swinburne and
Coventry Patmore had previously re
fused the post" As for Sir Bdwla
Arnold, the Saturday administers this
little dose: "He Is a past master of
claptrap, of the turgid, the bombastic
and the rhetorical; and we are at a
loss whether to envy him more the
knowledge of languages which enable
him to translate Indifferently from so
many tongues, or the superb assurance
with which he dubs his execrable vers
poems." Lord Salisbury's accession to
power, rn the opinion of most people.'
made the selection of Sir Edwin secure,
for he Is one of the editors of the Dally
Telegraph, the most Influential Liberal
Unionist paper supporting the govern-11
ment Recently Sir Edwin Lawson,
proprietor of the Dally Telegraph, had
been canvassing vigorously In Sir Ed
win Arnold's behalf. The New York
Sun's correspondent recently cabled
that "It Is rumored that Sir Edwin ha
actually received the appointment, and
that an announcement to thbj effect will
appear In an early Issue of the Official
Gaxette. '
A question that Is agitating the Eng
lish press just now Is, "What la a lit
erary blackleg?" A recent paragraph
says: "According to Robert Sherard,
it is a reviewer, a man who is hired by
newspaper proprietors to write down
'Innovators.' A 'literary blackleg' is
aleo a successful author who reads
manuscripts for a publisher. "These
literary blacklegs,' says Mr. Sherard,
'are so-called men of letters, and
should be with us, but prefer to be Ish
maels, with oue hand against the au
thors and the other hand extended for
the coppers of those who are not the
friends of men of letters.' From this
It appears that you cannot be a review
er without being an Ishmael, that no
newspaper proprietor ever befriends
men of letters, that a successful author
say, George Meredith or James Payn'
who reads for a publisher Is a 'black
leg,' and also, In the elegant diction of
Mr. Sherard, a 'public spittoon.' The
'blacklegs' 'stalk untarred and unfeath
ered,' and Mr. Sherard proposes that a
'black book,' containing their names
and addresses, should be carried by
every honest author, who will then
know the company he ought to kick.
And, if anybody ihinks all this is rath
er extravagant. Mr. Sherard Is prepar
ed to give him satisfaction." f
A Tramp Cries. '
It was simply an everyday Incident ot
city life, but It attracted the attention
of one passerby.
The inciTj" pupils of one of the dis
trict schools were romping In the play
ground, nothing distracting their at
tention from the sport; but from with
out a man, a tramp, with ragged coat
and unkempt HpH'iiraiKv, was peering
through the Iron palings.
Nothing was said, but when the chil
dren were called back to work, he
turned away, brushing a tear from his
sodden face with his ragged sleeve. An
ordinary Incident but one with page
of history Ixdilnd It. Cincinnati Com
mercial Gazette.
Ohio the Champion Divorce state.
Stsdsticj completed for the annual
report of the Secrwtary of State show
Dhat 6,M(l suits for divorce wars
brought during tbe year In Ohio. Of
theae petitions 070 were refused and
2,407 divorces were granted, tbe addi
tional number of cases still being la
the courts. New York Ban.
Every woman temporarily renew
her youth when reading good leva
tsrr.
' ..'V
i.