MOST FAMOUS HEADS OF CHRIST. DDETdDMALS OPINIONS OF GREAT PAPERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS UUNKACSY'S " CHRIST BEFORE PII.ATE. TITIAN'S " THE TRIBUTE MONEY. HOFFMANN'S "CHRIST AT THE DOOR." CUIDO RENl'S "F.CCE HOMO. AMONG the many beautiful conceptions of the divine face of Christ that art lata have en deavored to portray on canvas are five that are so surprisingly beautiful and no wonderfully la harmony with the Ideal of the God-man that sug gesta Itself to most people that they have been uni versally declared to be masterpieces of sacred art. These five famoiiH "Heads of Christ" are here reproduced. The picture of the Savior of mankind, shown with the face in profile, straight hair falling down to the shoulders, and a look of Intense earnestness In Ills eyes, Is taken from the world-famous painting of "Christ Before I'llate, by Muukacsy. This painting has been exhibited all over the world, and copies of It bang on the walls of count less homes. It represents Christ at one of the most trying periods of Ills troubled life, when brought Into the pres ence of Pontius I'llate for declaring himself to be the Hon of God. The picture differs from almost all other famous pic tures of Christ In that It depicts Him with features that are stern and set and with little trace of the compassion ate sweetness that so many artists have given to the face of Christ. With the rabble howling around Him, Christ faces I'llate, and were It not for the position of the two, I'llate on his throne, Christ standing liefore him, It would seem that the relations were reversed, and that I'llate was the accused, Christ the accuser. The masterly hand of the artist has thrown Into the upturned face of Christ a latent suggestlveness of super natural power that lifts It up from those surrounding It, and marks clearly the distinction between the divine and the human In the throng. For a picture of the beautiful, the divine, the compas sionate, for all that Christians love to look for In the face of Christ, the masterpiece of the modern artist, Hoffmann, Is the one to turn to. The head of Christ Is taken from Hoffmann's "Christ at the Door,"' the familiar picture rep resenting Christ with a shepherd's crook in hand, knocking at the portals of a home. The tender sweetness of the face, which Is turned full toward the spectator, Is won derfully shown. It Is a face In which gentleness is em phasized by the settled melancholy of a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." It Is pleading, pathetic, but RAPHAEL'S " CARRYING OF THE CROSS.,, not weak. The artist has ennobled the features of Chris1 so that the womanly attributes of gentleness and sympa thy are made majestic by the strong, mauly attributes that save the face from any suggestion of effeminacy. Th attitude is dignified and expectant, the face calmly, seri ously, solemnly Impressive. Raphael has given us the beautiful head of Christ shown with the crown of thorns ou the brow. It Is taken from the picture entitled "Carrying of the Cross." It is one ol the most pathetic of the entire gallery, and the face Is on of the most Interesting studies of all pictures of Christ In the original Raphael depicts Christ bending beneath the weight of the heavy wooden cross. The suffering eyei look patiently out from the shadow of the plaited crowq of thorns, whose sharp points pierce the forehead. Th genius of the artist was never more strikingly shown than In the expression of this face of Christ. Even with thi suffering and pain depleted on the countenance there li plainly seen the sympathy of the divine nature that prompt ed the utterance, "Forgive them. Father, for they know not what they do." There Is no resentment, no trace of Indignation. Th artist has made the face one of heavenly beauty and tenderness, even In the dreadful hour of the cross. Among the liest known of the biblical paintings is Guide Rent's "Kcce Homo." showing Christ In the agonies of Hli last hours, with the crown of thorns on Ills head, and dying eyes turned heavenward. It Is one of the mos! pathetic of all the "Heads of Christ," and Is a great favor Ite with church people. It Is doubtful whether any artlsi has given us a more beautiful conception of Christ thai has Guldo Reul In his "Ecce Homo." A picture that Is unique among the conceptions of Chris: Is that of Titian, called "The Tribute Money." Christ li here shown with a calmly Judicial face, with a tinge ol the sadness that all artists Impart to the Savior's features It Is the face of one who reasons convincingly, but without a shade of triumph over the successful turning of the tablei on one who has laid a trap. It Is a strong face, godlike Ir the wisdom that It reveals, and conveying with great sklli the expression of solemn, pitying rebuke that befits th subject. Chicago Record-Herald. A CENTURY OF EA8TER HAT8. The Wblma of Dame Faablon la Hundred Year. The periods of a century are punctu n ti ll by Its hsts, and woman's headgear for the past 100 yeara Illustrates with striking effect the varying whims of time, says the New York Mall and Express, Beginning with the first year of the taut century, Diune Fashion was modest .mil Inexpensive, fur then, aa now, the mode tame frmn France, and simplicity ws previilliiiK in Paris it that time, in strik ing ronl rust to the extravagance of the aristocratic Indies who lost not only tlielr lints hut their hcnils In the Revolution. Ten yenrs Inter the fashionable lint re milled on elbow of atovepipo more close ly than anything else, and women of the prewc-nt ilny have at lenst one thing to he thankful for that such styles no longer prevail. The bonnets of 181T and 1H.'!0 were pleasantly picturesque, the one with lis high crown, the other with deep poke brim, no becoming to a pretty face and offering mirh charming background fur ringlets bobbing around the ears. Flow er and ribbons galore were used on these old time 1 1 11 ( m, which ten yesrs later were modified into s simplicity slmost Quaker like, a n K0 IIIiinT rnt Ion will evidence. Reni'liiiig the turning point of the cen tury, the In In suddenly been me flat and hapi'lms no crown, no brim, simply a piece of silk shaped to the head In hood fashion nml really milking most fnscl nuiiiK bit of headgear, an unobtrusive fr.iuie for the pretty face below. With the nest type all art familiar, for hoiv mother has not worn hat In (lie styles of the sixties? How old fash ioned it looks now, yet with certain -n -t in i rh nrm of Its own, far preferable 1 1 lie fashionable lint hideous ah a pes of l ie next twenty yearsl Varied and outre vi r.i t ie style of this period, the last 1 1 .1 offering a welcoea relief . The hats of to-day are the prettiest of the. century in point of materials and mak ing. There Is more art in the designing of millinery to-dny than at any time dur ing the past hundred years, more tnste and skill in the manipulation of materials and more elegance and expense In their make-up. Easter Gin. Each year find the custom of ex changing gifts at Easier more wide spread. 1'nlike Christmas presents, in which wide latitude Is allowed, the East er gift should be both dainty and seiiHon able. The seeut snrhets, so popular fur Christmas enrds, have reappenred in charming guire for Faster. They are decorated with all the flower that bloom In the spring and tied with ribbons to match. There are, too, unique tit t lu sachets of mi tin in the shape of a lily or pansy. A novelty which will find favor is a basket of colored tissue paper re sembling a big chryaniitheinum. IU long leave are meant to conceal Easter eggs or bonbons. Tiny potted ferns set In cups of crimped and (minted paper are Just the thing for an Easter greeting. Home of the cups represent Enntrr lilie". I Decorated china violet holders are an-I other pretty suggestion. Seasonable gifts wnicn niny ne nsea lor r.nster win he found among the art linen, traveling esse, steamer pillows, fancy silk bug Biid the new washable cam- for turnover collars. New and beautiful designs in decorated china are ailnpfnble both for Easter and wedding presents. Decorating (tin Church, The superintendent of a flower com mittee ought to possess some knowledge of architecture well as an artistic imm of form and color In order to use floral decorations with good effect. In the adornment of a church It la necessary to consider it geaeral architectural style and Its prevailing tone of color. For twining around pillars natural trails of Ivy or any climbing plants are prefersble to made-up garlands of uni form breadth. Large vases or Jugs fill ed with flowers and foliage are used wherever good taste msy suggest. The Introduction of colored drapery adds greatly to the general picturesqtio ness. These hangings may be of soft silken material or of velvet brocade or piusn. in some village churches In England It is customary to lay warm hued draperies over the window sills and pluce upon these brown earthenware pitchers filled with and half hidden in green houghs and flowers. , l'aluis mid growing plants are Inrnlnn. ble, as thev are certain not to fade and droop before the decoration season ends, and for corner of churches noth ing could be more suitable than the ole ander, with it glossy leaves and coral tinted blosfoms. Rich colored flowers lose much of their beauty when placed against dark wood panels. When a good effect is desired, the wood may lie concealed by soft col ored material fastened with Invisible nails. Only pale gray or creamy brown or greenish tinted scnil-transparcnt stuffs should he used. Each bud and leaf and flower will then stand out In strong relief. The Easier Kiss. It Is the Russlnn usage thnt no lady, however lofty of birth, may refuse to kiss the humblest petitioner If the re quest Is preceded by a profTer of an Eusler egg. This 1 commonly compro mised, however, by the payment of I small coin on the lady'a part. A human being Is Dot, In any prop er aeuse, a buo so being til! bo la edu cated. H. Mann. A Universal Language. n COMMITTEE which was appointed by a congress of scholars at I'aris some time ago to consider the n question of an auxiliary International language has made a report ami begun an active propaganda. The members have decided to work upon the principle :hat all civilized nations should agree upon one particular language to "ise in writtou and oral communications be tween persons of different mother tongues. The project of a universal language Is uo new thing. It bus haunted the minds of scholars for centuries. Once Latin was practically such a Ianguuge. For diplomatic jses, French long nerved the purpose. But Latin is now jut of the question, and neither French nor any other modern tongue could bo agreed upon. International jeal jusles and antipathies would innko that impossible. There ire few attachments stronger tlnin the attachment to one's aative tongue; few feuds so lusting; as language feuds. The alternative, of course, Ih the creation of a new lan ?iinge. Hut It is hard to see what the promoters of the jew movement can do that was not done by the originators if "Voliipuk" a score of years ago. There were optimists who thought that the dream of a universal language was realized In "Vohipuk." It was beautifully constructed. S'otblng could be more simple or regular. It drew its vo- ?a biliary from both the Teuton and Romance languages There were Voliipuk grammars, lexicons, text books, and '.he movement seemed likely to carry everything before it And then, all at once, It halted. Who has heard of Volapuk for a dozen years? The new experiments, like the old, are sure to furnish fresh proof of the great fact that languages are not to be made offhand. They are the product of growth, and of slow growth, and the process can rarely be even assisted, nuch less supplanted. Boston Journal. Changes in English Pronunciation. N a recent number of the Nineteenth Century it is shown by Mr. C. L. Eastlake that important changes are tak ing place In the pronunciation of English by the En glish, and not always for the better. The clipping ot the final "g" was formerly regarded in England, as In Maryland, as an Inexpiable siu, but It has now become the mode, it Is stated, to say "mornln'," "puddin'," "huntlu' " and the like. In London father, we are told, has become "fathah," mother "mothah," and a good fellow Is debased Into a "fellah." A London paper disputes this, but has to confess that "awf'ly jolly" Is of universal application, like our "ail right." Various pronunciations once in vogue among "the best circles" are now barbarous. For example, It was not over 100 years ago, according to Mr. Eastlake, when an educated Englishman of the best society could say "(look" for duke, and "Toosday" for Tues day, Captain MacMurdo, of tiie Life Guards, a crack corps, called Rawdon Crawley "Old Ktoopid." Earl Russell was always "ablceged," never obliged. Pope, who prided him self on his correct use of words, rhymed Rome with doom, Join with line, obey with tea and rnead with shade. "Axe," we are assured, was the original form of ask, and is not so ridiculous In the mouth of the uneducated as some per sons think, being a survival. A disli of "tay," instead of tea, Is similarly of respectable ancestry. As for Mr. Weller's use of w for v "wlttles," for example, for victuals it, too, according to Mr. Eastlake, has a history, being traced to the French silk weavers who settled In London after the Edict of Nantes. They could not negotiate the w, and all cockneydom was affected by their misuse of the letter. In excuse for the g which Thackeray found so very ridiculous when added to French words ending In n, the writer cites the fact that French dictionaries, published not long ago, print angfang and malntenong as the phonetic equivalent of enfln and malntenant. He suggests that the g here used Is a survival which such words as loin (Latin longus) makes Intelligible. It Is evidently dangerous to laugh at the sup posed error of speech of the uneducated poor, since they often represent the good usage of an older, If not a better, day. Baltimore Sun. Passing of the Steam Engine. IS the steam engine to follow the mastodon into extinc tion? It Is still less than a century since "Puffing Billy" made that amazing journey from Stockton to Darling ton, and Judging by the life of things we might have assumed that the progeny of "Pulling Billy" had centu ries of triumph before them. But even now the doom ap proaches. Electricity, whose essence still defies analysis, but which we treat with a familiarity that Is In proportion to our ignorance of Its nature, has come to claim the field. The deposition of the steam engine, the supreme triumph and the truest symbol of the nineteenth century, Is only the most striking of many evidences of how soon things become obsolete In these breathless days. A century ago the stage coach still rumbled leisurely over the King's highway, and "post haste" was the word that conveyed the maximum of human motion. For centuries the uace of a horse and the condition of the roads had been the measure of the means of communication on land, and the breadth of sail and the rate of the wind had been the measure of speed at sea. "There was a sense of finality about these things. Our forefathers doubtless looked forward to aa endless vista of winter evenings lit by a rushlight, and saw In the stage coach and the sailing boat the last word on the subject of motion. They lived in a world fixed and unchangeable. We, on the other hand, live in a world that Is full of surprises. We literally do not know what a day may bring forth. The new becomes old before the bulk of the people have sampled its virtues, and one is In danger of being ever In the rearward of the fashions. When most of us were young the ordinary bicycle was still the wonder of the countryside the latest and last utterance -of modern mechanism. What a succession of safeties and cushion tires and pneumatic tires and other miraculous Inventions fills the Intervening space, and now behold the bicycle Itself is almost supplanted by the motor car and the motor-bicycle. And so we move from change to change, and the whole outward appearance and equip ment of life alters yearly. The passing of the steam engine but falls in with the spirit of a time when, In a very literal sense, "change and decay in all around we see." When it is finally delivered over to the scrap heap there will be no tears of sentiment shed over It, and yet there is a certain pathos and tragedy In Its fall. For, as we have said, the steam engine Is a symbol as well as a practical achievement, and Its disap pearance will symbolize the passing of much besides itself. London Daily News. A Coalless Age. WE suppose there can bo little doubt that all the coal and coal oil in the earth will be exhausted in two hundreds years at the present rate of per capita consumption. Natural gas will go much sooner than that. Wood will not do for a dependency because of its ill adaptation to many purposes for which other fuel products are employed and for the further reason that the destruction of the forests would produce unendurable calamities. But all that does not necessarily mean that a coalless age, and the absence of natural gas and kerosene will be destitute of heating faclIV ties; that there will be no heat for domestic uses, for manu-'-facturlng, and for transportation. Nature has made no such blunder as that Nothing In the story of this earth furnishes ground for such an indict ment of Its Creator. The means of developing heat would be ample if all existing fuels were swept off the globe. Th winds, waves and tides produce force enough to warm a thousand worlds if their motion were so controlled as to tax Its heat-developing capacity. And there is exhaustless heat in the sun. Invention Is not dead. Neither abstract " nor physical science is going ou the retired list. What has been accomplished even in the last few decades ought to banish any doubt of the capacity of man to overcome such an obstacle to progress as the exhaustion of fuel. Why- may not stored heat from the sun take the place of coal? And who, in view of what we have before us in electrical science, has reason to doubt the feasibility of employing the force of the waves and tides to do all that the coal minei are now performing. Washington Post. Dawn of the Farmer's Day. THE prices of agricultural products will never again fall to a low level. Capitalists, aware of the situa tion, are now reaching out to buy farm lands. They know there is no safer or better investment. Land cannot burn down. There is no element of risk In holding It. This Investment has taken money by the mil lions away from New Tork. It will not return In the samo volume as heretofore. The era of whilom cheap. grain will never return. The Eastern fellows, for many years fa vored by class legislation, no longer have the advantage. In time an Intense feeling between the urban and tha rural population may develop. The ruralist will be held1 responsible for prices that will be fixed by natural causes, and not by combinations, as will probably be charged. Washington Times. t i Health and Longevity. I WE regret to record the death of the Hon. Charles Kreck, of Alientown, Pa., at the age of 80. Sixty-one years ago Mr. Kreck applied for mem-! bership In an Odd Fellows' lodge and was re-' jected on account of his supposed bad health. Afterward he was accepted, and he survived all the mem-' bers but one. A little dose of bad health In early life la often a help to long life. Rejected men live long some times, as any life insurance doctor will tell you. Indeed, the life Insurance companies often do good to men whom they are compelled to reject. A man so rejected often changes his habits and takes better care of himself, and perhaps becomes a good risk. Besides, his obstinacy la awakened, and he tries to live to "spite" the company, which, after all, was right. New York Sun. REVENGE AFTER TWO YEARS. Then the Drummer Got Even with a Falthleee Competitor. Drummers' stories are not so plenti ful as they were years ago, In the days of slow trains, Inefficient telegrams, and fierce rivalries between merchants, who under the present Industrial sys tem would probably be acting together In some sort of a combination. Here Is a yarn from the .South, however, which has Home of the old flavor about It. Two drummers, Benson and Moore, became acquainted on the road, mid though they were strong competitors " they came to lie the best of friends. They nut at a hotel In Raleigh, N. C, one night, and conversation developed the fact that they Intended to work the same-towim on one of the roads lending out of Rnlelgh the next day. Both counted on working four towns before sunset. It wns In the summer time, and neither iiini) was anxious for a contest of wils, so when Moore proposed a com munity of I n I crests Benson eagerly ac cepted his proposition. There were seven towns, and they each took three, agreeing to meet at the seven! li after the diiy's work was over. When they reached the scveulh town they put up together In the same room at Hie lead lug hold. Each had done a good day's business, but In order to keep In prac tice I hey decided to fight It out over Hie business In this town the next illuming. They went to sleep Joking each other about the fight of the next day. Benson wjh n very heavy sleeper, but Moore ! i mixed to wake him at an early hour, ile lld nol keep hi promkte. Bonaon awoke at 10 o'clock, to And Moore gone and the room locked tight. By the time he was able to get out and down town Moore hud sold to every merchant In the place and caught the limited for Raleigh. It took Benson more than two years to get even. At last his op portunity came. Yellow fever was raging on the Gulf coast, and a shotgun quarantine had been established In southern Alabama. Benson landed In one of the best towns and learned Moore was to arrive next day. Without hesitation Benson Informed the excited authorities of the town that n man who hiii been exposed to fever In a Missis sippi town had declared his Intention to defy the quarantine. He gave an accu rate description of Moore, and the of ficials began to watch every up train. When Moore readied the town the next morning he was nabbed by the local authorities, placed In the pest house, and kept there for three days. In the meantime Benson secured all the busi ness In every town In the surrounding seel Ion. Before leaving he wired Moore his congratulations, with a reference to "old times." New York Evening Post. RETORT TO THEATER TALKER. Hiowlnu How n Little Wit Hupproncil an Intolerable Nuisance. They had been rending n RoVe an notated edition of the play, and there was nothing In "Julius Caesar" that they were not perfectly familiar with. Before the performance whs half through there was nothing that they knew which everybody within half a doxen rows did not hear about; for among the three of them a man and two women-there wera auch rapaci ties for conversation as are met wltaj nowhere except in a theater. In tones that alternately hissed and brayed and rasped till spinal column; all around them ached they told one) another that Anthony was much bet- tor done than Brutus; that Portia, would come on In a minute In the gscv. den scene; that Cnsca was supposed to be a gruff old Roman; that Caesar actually did have fits-think of it! that' It wns u pity (this In a whisper that shivered far down the aisle and splln tcred nt least a score of vertebrae) Roman Indies didn't wear corsets. So on, ml nausea in. At last the ghost and the distraught Brutus met and there was a thrilled! silence In nil the crowded house save In row Q, where a strident voice com-, plained; "I can't hear a word the ghost snya,1 Why doesn't he speak louder?" A man behind the querulous dis turber, quite beside himself with rage leaned forward and said, In tones aa courteously sweet ns the sting of a honey bee: "Perhaps the ghost Is a gentleman, and does not like to annoy people." Which, of course, was very rude, says this New York Mall and Express, though It did fill many hearts with an unholy joy. We have noticed that In a book or magazine article entitled "The ConfM. slons of a Wife," or "The Confession of a I Victor," or "The Confessions of a Lawyer," that not much la copftanad. Society seems to get along pretty, wall, considering that It la aJwayi (' ting shocked.