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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (July 31, 1896)
TALMAGE’8 SERMON^ an old fashioned mother, SUNDAY’S SUBJECT. lother Mad* Mia • Bnafhl II M HI— [HI—DM DM •» HE stories of De borah and Abigail are very apt to dis courage a woman’s soul. She says within herself: "It Is impossible that I ever achieve any such grandeur of character, and I don’t mean to try;” ■ - as though a child should refuse to play the eight notes because be cannot execute a "William Tell." This Han nah of the text differs from the persons I just named. She was an ordinary wo man. with ordinary tntellsctual cspa dty, placed in ordinary circumstances, and yet, by extraordinary piety, stand ing out before all the ages to come, the model Christian mother. Hannah was the wife of Blkanah, who was a person very much like herself ua romantic and plain, never having fought a battle or been the subject of n marvelous escape., Neither of them would have been called a genius. Just what you and 1 might be, that was Klksnah and Hannah. The brightest time In all the history of that family waa the birth of Samuel. Although no mar ran along the heavens pointing down to his birthplace, I think the angels of God stooped at the coming of so wonderful a prophet. As Samuel had been given In answer to prayer, El w».h knd all his family, save Hannah, started up to Shiloh to offer sacrifice* of thanksgiving. The cradle where the child slept was altar enough for Hannah’s grateful heart; out wnen me boy waa old enough she took him to Shiloh, and took three bullocks end an vylnk vt ftuUl • >■* • WU'» •( «lM, and made offering of sacrifice unto the Lord, and there, according to a previous ▼ow, she left him; for there he waa to atay all the days of his life, and min ister In the sanctuary. Years rolled on; and every year Hannah made with her own hand a garment for Samuel, and took it over to him. The lad would have got along well without that gar ment, for I suppose he was well clad by the ministry of the temple; but Han nah could not be contented unless she was all the time doing something for her darling boy. "Moreover bis mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice." Hannah stands before you, then, to day, in the first place, as an Industri ous mother. Thero was no need that she work. Elkanah, her husband, was tar from poor. He belonged to a dis tinguished family; for the Bible tells os that he was the son of Jeroham, the son of Ellhu, the son of Tohu, the ■on of Zuph. "Who were they?" you ■ay. I do not know; but they were dis tinguished people, no doubt, or their stames would not have been mentioned. Hannah might have seated herself In her family, and, with folded arms, and dishevelled hair, read novels from year |o year, if there had been any to read; but when I see her making that gar ment and taking It over to Samuel, I know she Is Industrious from principle ■a well as from pleasure. Qod would not have a mother become a drudge or n slave; he would have her employ all the helps possible In this day in the rearing of bor children. But Hannah ought never to be ashamed to be found making a coal for Samuel. Most moth ers need no counsel in this direction. The wrinkles on their brow, the pallor on their cheek, the thimble-mark on their finger, atteat that they are faith ful in the maternal dutlea. The bloom and the brightness and the vivacity of girlhood have given place to the grand er dignity and usefulness and industry of motherhood. I)ut there Is a heath enish Idea getting abroad In some of the families of Americans; there are mothers who banish themselves from the home circle. For three-fourths of their maternal duties they prove them selves incompetent. They are Ignorant of what their children wear, and what their children eat, and what their chil dren read. They entrust to Irresponsi ble persons these yoorg Immortal*, and allow them to be under Influences which may cripple their bodies, or taint their purity or spoil their man ners, or destroy their souls. From the nwnward cut of ttamuel'a coat you know his mother Hannah did not make It. Out from uuder darning chande liers, and off from Imported carpets, and down the granite stairs, there Is eomlug a great crowd of children In this day, untrained, saucy. Incompetent fur all the practical duties of life, ready lo be caught la the first whirl of crime and sensuality. Indolent and unfaithful mol here will make Indolent and unfaithful shildren. You eannot espevl neatness and order In any house wh«re the daughters see nothing hut slatternliness and upetdedewnallve wene In their psiesu. Let Hannah he oil* and most certainly iamuel wilt grow up Idle Who are the ladnetri wue men In nil nur eecuputlona and pro IteUsMf W ho are they managing the ■mrvhead tie of the world, hollaing the wells, tinning the roofs, weaving the ear pet a. making the lees, governing the nation*, making the earth to guahe and home and roar and rattle with the tread of gigauuv enterprueaf W ho are they f FVr the asust part. th*y defend ed front tnduotrteus met hers, who. In the ehf homeetee I, <wed to spin their own yarn, and weave their own ear* gate, and plait their own door main aad flag their own *hnl< s. and da their aea werh. The stalwart men and the te*weaUal women at ihla day. ninety nine out nf n hundred el ihem. eems from such an Illustrious ancestry of bard knuckles and homespun. And who are these people In society, light as froth, blown every whither of temp tation and fashion—the peddlers of filthy stories, the dancing-Jacks of poli tical parties, the scum of society, the tavern-lounging, store-infesting, the men of low wink, and filthy chuckle, and brass breastpin, and rotten associ ations? For the most part, they came from mothers idle and disgusting, the scandal-mongers of society, going from house to bouse attending to every body's business but their own; believ ing In witches and ghosts, and horse shoes to keep the devil out of the churn, and by a godless life setting their children on the very verge of hell. The mothers of Samuel Johnson, and of Alfred the Great, and of Isaac Newton, and of St. Augustine, and of Richard Cecil, and of President Edwards, for the most part were industrious, hard working mothers. Now, while I con gratulate all Christian mothers upon the wealth and the modern science which may afford them all kinds of help, let me say that every mother ought to be observant of her children's walk, her children’s behavior, her chil dren’s food, her children’s books, her children's companionships. However much help Hannah may have, I think she ought every year, at least, make one garment for Samuel. The Lord have mercy on the man who Is so un fortunate as to have had a iaxy mother! Again: Hannah stands before you to day aa an Intelligent mother. From the way in which she talked in this cnnpier, mu iruiu iue mij «» man aged this boy, you know she was in telligent. There are no persona In a community who need to be so wise and well-informed aa mothers. O, this work of culturing children for this world and the next. This child la timid, and It must be roused up and pushed out Into activities. This child Is forward, and he must be held back, and tamed down Into modesty and po liteness. Rewards for one, punish ments for another. That which will make George will ruin John. The rod la necessary in one case, while a frown of displeasure is more than enough In another. Whipping and a dark closet do not exhaust all the rounds of domestic discipline. There have been children who hare grown up and gone to glory without ever having had their ears boxed. O, how much care and in telligence is necessary in the rearing of children! But In this day, when there are so many books on this sub ject, no parent Is excusable In being Ignorant of the best mode of bringing up a child. If parents knew more of dietetics, there would not be so many dyspeptio stomachs and weak nerves and inactive livers among children. If parents knew more of physiology, there Would not be so many curved spines and cramped chests and Inflamed throats and diseased lungs as there are among children. If parents knew more of art, and were in sympathy with all that Is beautiful, there would not be so many children coming out In the world with boorish proclivities. If pa rents knew more of Christ, and prac tised more of his religion, there would not be so many little feet already starting on the wrong road, and all around as voices of riot and blasphemy would not come up with such ecstacy of Infernal triumph. The eaglets In the eyrie have no advantage over the eaglets of a thousand years ago; the kids have no su perior way of climbing up the rocks than the old goats taught them hundreds of years ago; the whelps know no more now than did the whelps of ages ago—they are taught no more by the Ilona of the desert; but It la a shame that In this day, when there are so many opportunities of Improving ourselves In the best manner of cultur ing children, that so often there Is no more advancement In this respect than there has been among the kids and the eaglets and the whelps. Again: Hannah stands before you today as a Christian mother. From her prayers, and from the way she con secrated he* boy .o God, I know she waa good. A mother may have the finest culture, the most brilliant sur roundings; but the Is not fit for her duties unless ahe be a Christian mother. There may be well-read libraries In the house; and music In the parlor; and the canvas of the best artists adorning the walla; and the wardrobe be crowded with tasteful apparel; and the children be wonder ful for their attainments, and make ! the house ring with laughter and In nocent mirth; but there Is something wofully lacking In that house, If It be not also the residence of a Cbrtatiao uioiher. 1 bless God that there are not many prayerleas mothers. The weight I of responsibility la so great that thhy feel the need of a divine hand U help, and a divine heart to aympathlse Thousands of mothers have been le i Into the kingdom of God by the bandi 1 of their little ehlldiea. There ar« hundred# of mothers today who would not have been Christian# had It n«i been tor the prattle of their littU one* (bonding some day In Ibi cur eery, they bethought themselves "this child tlod has given me to rats* I tor eternity. What Is my inOnetu-t upon tit Not being n Christian my self, bow can I ever eipecl him to be come n Christian. UrJ help we"' ti are there nations mothers who knot nothing el the Infinite help of re ligloa? Then I commend te you Han sab. the pious mother of fiawuet in not think It la absolutely twpoeuibb that year children mat* up iniquitous Out el loot such (air bruea and heigh eyes and soft bands end taaerea heart* crime gets Its v tell ms catir paling purity (roan the hears, an t rah Mag mat the mhsmIim from in brae, and quenching the I net re of th eye, and shriveling up and puteoalni and pe'ref y leg and seething an scalding aad blasting aad harntag will shame aad wee. Every child is a bundle of tremend ous possibilities; and whether that child shall come forth in life. Its haart attuned to. the eternal harmonies, and after a life of usefulness on earth, to Co to a Ufa of Joy in heaven; or, whether across It shall Jar eternal dis cord*, and after a life of wrong-doing on earth, It shall go to a home of Im penetrable darkness and an abyas of immeasurable plunge, 1* being decided by nursery song snd Sabbath lesson and evening prayer, snd walk and rlda and look and frown and smile. 0, how many children In glory! crowding all tha battlements and lifting a million voiced hosanna, brought to Ood through Chriatlan parentage! Ona hundred and twenty clergymen together, and they were telling their experience and tbelr ancestry; and of the one hundred and twenty clergymen, how many of them, do you suppose assigned, as tha meana of their conversion, the Influence of a Chriatlan mother? One hundred out of the one hundred and twentyl Philip Doddridge waa brought to Ood by the Scripture leaaon on tha Dutch tile of the chimney fire-place. The mother thinks ahe Is only rocking a child; but at the same time she may be rocking the destiny of emplree— rocking the fate of natlona—rocking the glories of heaven. The same maternal power that may lift a child up may press a child down. A daughter came to a worldly mother and said ahe waa anxloua about her sins, and ane nan oeen praying an nignt. me mother said: "Ob, atop praying! I don't believe in praying. Get over all those religious notions, and I’ll give you a dress that will cost live hundred dollars and you may wear It next week to that party." The daughter took the dress; and she moved In the gay circle, the gayest of the gay that night; and sure enough, all religious Impressions were gone and she stopped praying. A few months after, she came to die, and In her closing moments said; "Mother, I wish you would bring me that dress that cost five hundred dol lars." The mother thought It was a very strange request; but she brought It to please the dying child. "Now," said the daughter, "mother, hang that dress on the foot of my bed;" and the dress was bung there, on the foot of the bed. Then the dying girl got up on one elbow and looked at her mother and then pointed to the dress, and said; "Mother, that dress Is the price of my soul!" Oh, what a momentous thing it is to be a mother! Again, and lastly; Hannah stands before you today, the rewarded mother. For all the coatB she made for Samuel; for all the prayers she offered for him; for the discipline she exerted over him, she got abundant compensation In the piety and the usefulness and the popu larity of her son 8amuel; and that is true In all ages. Every mother gets full pay for all the prayers and tsars in behalf of her children. That man use ful In commercial life; that man promi nent in the profession; that master mechanic—why, every step he takes In life has an echo of gladness tn the old heart that long ago taught him to be Christian and heroic and earnest. The story of what you have done or whcft you have written, of the influence you have exerted, has gone back to the old homestead—for there is someone al ways ready to carry good tidings—and that story makes the needle in the old mother’s tremulous hand fly quicker, and the flail In the father's hand come down upon the barn floor with a more vigorous thump. Parents love to hear good news fyom their children. Do you send them good news always? I^ook out for the young man who speaks of hls father as the "governor," the "squire,” or the "eld chap.” Look cut for the young woman who calls her mother her ‘‘maternal ancestor,” or the "old woman.” "The eye that mocketh at hls father and refuseth to obey hls mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick It out and the young eagles shall eat It."__ unne ■ eao ununnAiia Brown—You don't look well, Jones— I don’t want to look well; If I looked well my wife would think I could work. —Town Topics. "I went to two receptions last night nnd lost my umbrella st the last." "Its a wonder you didn’t lose It at the first one." "That’s where I got It.”--Truth. Rogers (to Rasher, whom he has met accompanied by a 2-year-old child)— : Hello. Rasher! That's your little hoy, le It? By Jots! It's a dead Image of you. Rasher- Kscuae me. but ibis hap pen* to he a neighbor’s child. Rogers (not to be thrown down)- Well—er— or It looks Ilka you. anyway.—San Francisco Wave. l*ollte doctor (cautiously)—Your bus* band Is suffering from overwork or eicesslve Indulgent** In alcoholic stim ulants It Is tahcm) a little difficult to tell which. Aatloua wife Oh. It * overwork Why, he can't oven go to the theater without rushing out half a doaeu time* to *»•« his business part* Sera.-New York Weohly. pon houiiwiviv, Mtlh keep* from souring longer in n shallow pna this In n milk pltchsr. im#p pans msko an sfiasl amousi «f cream j A small pise# af vsndW may h# mod# to harm atl slgkt hy patting lively puwdsred salt on tt until It roaekss Ik* black part af tks wick, i latsi wash oil * bilks or lloeleum I la hot soapsuds. Wash Ihom with topid ester and wtpa with a doth lam pane l la *W >*> part* of cult SttU Sit l , asisr. i j To reaait lb* finger murks from l varatshsd farattaro rah them with a I rloth dampsaed with sasot atl Ta v rernme tnem from attad faratiart ana j hocus* se all. FARM AND GARDEN. MATTERS OP INTEREST TO AGRICULTURISTS. Some Cp-to-Dote Blots About Coltlea tloo or the Boll end Yield. Thereof —Horticulture, Viticulture nod Flori culture. (Farmers’ Review Special Report.) ROFESSOR TAFT •poke on pests new and old. During the last few yeitff1 we have had' brought in, at least to our notice, a numer of new In sects and diseases. The most danger ous of these Is the San Jose scale. I do not know of any In this state, but it may be here In large quantities, for It Is not usually discovered by the ordinary farmer till the third year, when the tree Is drying from Its effects. Then the or chardlst begins to hunt for a name. A single scale on a tree In the spring will develop millions before the season Is over, and so you see the dlfflcutly of fighting It. If any of you have bought trees from New Jersey, you had better look them over. The trees. If Infested, will look as If they had been sprinkled with coal ashes, and when these specks are examined It will be seen that there Is a depression near the center of the Insect and In that depression is a little yellow speck. If a tree Is found with them on the trunk, you had better cut It down and burn it; If on the branches, you may be able to save the tree by burning the branches. The plum scale Is In our state, but It Is doing little damage on trees that are growing properly. The only remedy for all of the scales Is- whale oil soap or kerosene emulsion, some thing that will kill by contact and not by being eaten, as the scales live by During the last few years many peach growers in New Jersey and some other states were troubled by what they thought was the yellows, but on Investigation it was found to be due to the black aphis swarming on the roots. Trees that have been brought to this state have been found Infested in a number of cases and generally the trees have died. When these Insects are found on the branches they can be killed by the whale oil soaps, or to bacco water or kerosene emulsion. But on the roots it is more difficult. Some apply kalnit over the roots; but in applying, one should not dig the earth away so the kainlt will come in direct contact with the roots. Q. —When we bring oranges Trom California and they have the scale on them is there not a danger that they will Introduce the scale into this sec tion 1 Professor Taft.—I certainly think there Is. We should have a law to keep out those Insects whether they come In stock or fruit, though it might be hard to stop It on the oranges. R. D. Graham of Grand Rapids spoke on the New American Fruit Growers Union. He described the meeting at Chicago, which was for the organizing of an association of state and provin cial (Canadian) associations. The Michigan association had not yet seen a reason for taking part in the move ment. He took up the question of uni formity of packages advocated by some. He did not think it was advis able to have a uniform package for dif ferent markets have different ideas about this; but as to capacity he thought there should be uniformity. A bushel basket should contain a bushel, and others should contain what they are represented to contain. We already have a law to that effect that should be enforced. S. H. Comings.—We Bhould have that law enforced, for a good many snide packages are being put on the market from this state, and It is hurting the fruit trade. There are two forces that are working for the reduction of size of packages: first, the manufacturers want a smaller package for then they sell more of them: and the transporta non companies want smaller pacKages, so they can get more for carrying them. Mr. Morrill spoke on the transporta tion of fruit. We are approaching a time, we'll l>e In It within 30 days, when the state will need better trans portation facilities for fruit than at present. There should be organization iu selling fruit, to prevent the many losses In various ways. The state is hill of men who have lost consignments of fruit sent to men they know uoihlng about. They do not even look In llradstreet'a to see If the man has any standing, or that he estate at all. If we have a strong association ws can sell to better advantage and Itulm-e the package manufacturers to tusks pack ages according to law. Mr. Huth,—We have too easy a way of selling our fruit. We pack It au<l lake It to the duck and that ends it do our ability to sell has withered as any other ability withers when not used Now | want to see an oigentta tlun, but how can we go about It? Mr Munson, of Urnnd Hspids, told | of the fruit eellern' association of that vicinity. They hats a membership of asters! hundred members wbo pay |l per year membership sad |i sstra tor awry I.omu bushels of fruit sold. They send out circulate tu all the great fruit-buying centers and so licit buyers, stating what fruit they have on hand The plan has proved very aueconsful. ns buyers now com* sad port base the fruit either In the ; marks! os In the orchards They do 1 il>tt ship to commission men In stker | cities, an do the fruit men in dt Joseph, Iwastay ttMtarS. The mustard family imludes mu * only that what wo know as mustard. but cabbage, turnip, radish. I i leh, nmet trees, and even (ho .. . Hnm For field cultivation the white end black or brown rarletlea of mua tard are used. The seed of the white mustard Is nearly white, and of the black mustard the seed Is brown or nearly black. The mustard of com merce consists of seeds of both of these varieties ground together. The black mustard seed is the strongest. Mus tard is grown both as food for cattle and sheep, and for turning under in the green state. Some object to It for the reason that once on a land it is hard to eradicate, but the best way of getting rid of It Is to allow It to come to the blossoming stage and then turn it under. ’• For growing mustard a soft, loamy soil Is preferred. The seed may be sown broadcast at the rate of one peck to the acre, or In drills at the rate of six quarts to the acre. The latter is preferred when the seed Is to be used for commerce, aa the weeds can thus be kept out, and the mustard seed will be pure when threshed. Such drills are usually put in about two feet apart, this giving room for cultiva tion. The harvesting begins when the pods turn brown or yellow. The crop i- * a poo nor nr anvt h a If Ihf* pods are yet In that state where they need to be dried, the mustard Is piled up In the open field for a day or two. But often the pods are so dry that they readily break open and Bplll the ripe seed. In that case they are hauled at once to the barn, a cloth being put In' the bottom of the wagon to prevent any of the seed from being lost, which Is very likely to bo the case. The greatest danger In curing Is the wet weather, which often injures the crop to the extent of rendering It unfit for market. « ... Wliat Bee-keeping Requires. The essential thing in caring for bees Is the right kind of hive. Not that the bees will gather any more honey In one hive than another. This is a fake of the patent hive vender, but some hives are more convenient than others, and enable the bee keeper to so manip ulate them that he can get his honey In marketable shape. Some of the es sentials of a good hive are ease of ac cess, every part movable and Inter changeable, freenese from all super fluous traps, drawers, etc., and a sur plus arrangement holding boxes which may be taken out one at a time. There Is no patent on anything of value In the construction of a beehive and any one can make a modern hive If he wishes to do so. Competition, however, has so beaten down prices In these goods that in most cases they can be bought In the flat, cut ready to nail, for about what the lumber would cost In small quantities. After the hives, come a few simple and Inexpensive tools, which facilitate the work of handling bees. Chief among these Is what la known as a smoker. The fact was recognized long ago that when beeB are disturbed or alarmed they at once fill themselves with honey. When filled with honey they seldom sting, unless hurt In some way. They dislike smoke of any kind very much, so that when a stream of tt is thrown into the hive they at once fill their honey sacs. After this they may be driven from one place to an other simply by blowing a current ol smoke upon them. The smoker Is an Implement for generating smoke, so constructed that the current may be di rected to any point the operator wishes. A very fair smoker may be had for 50 cents. The timid, and those who have a number of colonies to manipulate, and want to work rapidly, will find it convenient to have a bee veil to pro tect the face, as a sting about the head or near the eyes is apt to cause some inconvenience, to say the least. There are other tools, such as an extractor, a drone trap, a swarming box, a bee escape, etc., which will be found necessary by those who carry on certain phases of bee-keeping, or conduct it on a large scale, but the farmers can manipulate a few colonies ... J ^ . a * L n tp t l.v.ntt in U lUiUlll UUJ VI lUVtu. - — Nebraska liee-Keeper. Teeth of the Horse. The teeth of the horse form the sub ject of a bulletin issued by the Agri cultural Experiment Station of Vir ginia. It concludes with the following practical suggestions: “When young colts are troubled with indigestion, or refuse to suckle, look into the condition of their teeth and gums. If the gums are inflamed, swol len, and painful to the touch, have them properly lanced. If at the age of from two to five years the colt refuses to eat. wads his hay and lets it drop, or eats with difficulty, have his teeth examined and properly treated by a competent veteriuariuu. If the eyes become weak and inflamed during den tition, the teeth may need the atten tion of the veterluury surgeon. If the Jaws become enlarged, in nine cases out of ten the teeth need attention. It the horse turns his bead to the aide while eating, and attempts to chew bis food on one side, ids teeth need atten tion. Wadding (be hay and dropping it la symptomatic of a long tooth, which needs the attention of the vete rinary dentist If the hurae gradually hues flesh without any apparent cause, although well cared for, the teeth are probably ai fault. If the horse slobbers while driving and pulls viciously on the hit. look to the teeth; many 'pull en'* are made so for the want »f proper denial attention t arrying the head to one side while being driven Is frequent ly symptomatic of a faulty condition •f the teeth which is relieved by a few minutes' work of the veterinary sur geon ' \ few simple rules wfcteh will assist In giving a a# a good carriage la walk tag are Always lift the heel grat. It* ; |,it throw hash the »Saunters ta your •hurts not ta stoop, aad aevor walk an the beets, hut wee the hall of the hot ! intend no not so lag the arms war I (he shout t« ta aad let the kaa Is hang ! oj the sides with the points turned backward so that the keek* of yaqr hs»uo will I* to < »* i.ini ta nnyaae n ,. tr * ? oh t hts 1 * mac .* more grace HWMM t gi act tea at le t * g ssatnei ana'a atd*a THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON V. AUGUST 2—THE KINDNESS OP KING DAVID— Uoldan Text! “Be Kindly Affeetloaed One to Another With Brotherly Lot*’* —Romani 111:10— Tha Howards of Brotherhood. HIS lesson, which center* on David’s kindness to Jonathan’s son, yet reaches back more than twenty years, to the time when Jonathan and David made their coven ant of friendship (II. C. 10*2), and forward almost twenty years, to the time when Mephlbosheth'* friend gave aid to David In his time of trouble and seeming ruin (B. C. 1022). The whole range of his tory, so far as It relates "t*" fills Subject, should be studied. The prac tical lesson Is on the surface, and can be Illustrated In many ways by modern ex amples. This section Includes chapter 7 and chapter 16: 1-4. Also 17: 27-2», which give* Incidents concerning the relation of David to Mephlbosheth. Historical Hotting.—Time. Unknown, but probably after David's earlier wars, and In the quieter times before the second half of his reign. Perhaps II. C. 1010. Place.—Jerusalem and Do-debar. near Ma hanalm. In Gilead, east of the Jordan. David, about 4« year* old. Mephlbosheth, about 20 years old. 3. “I* there not yet any of the house of Haul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?” David could not have done this In the early part of his reign, because his kingdom was not then so firmly established that It would be safe. Hut as s>sin as there was no danger of bringing division and dis cord, David’s heart led him to make this Inquiry. "The kindness of Ood” Is kindness like God’s, large and free, and forgiving, or very great kindness; or kindness for God’s sake, according to God's example. t to enemies, according to the precept of Proverbs 25: 21, 22, and Homans 12: 19-21. Haul bad several times tried to kill David: he had driven him Into exile, and haunted him from place to place. There was a long black chapter of wrongs In the past. The Unfortunate Prince.—Vs. 3-8. “And Zlba said." Zlba was an old trusted servant of Haul, who had cared for Mephlbosheth in his need. “He was now a prosperous man with fifteen sons and twenty servants, and sup posed that he could Inform the king."—Kitto. “Jonathan hath yet a son," unknown to David, because his friends would fear that ho might be regarded as a rival. “Which la lame on his feet." When the news came of the death of Jonathan and Saul on Mt. Oil boa the nurse look Jonathan's little boy, then five years old, and fled from Jezreel. In her haste she let him fall, and he became lame In both feet. That was flf.een years before this search of David, so that Mephl bosheth was about twenty years old when he came to David’s court. Thus both by his physical condition, and by Ills circumstances as the last of a conquered dynasty, and by his poverty, this young man would And It difficult to look forward to a very successful life. 4. “Dehold, he Is In the house of Machlr." He was a rich man, judging from 2 Samuel 17: 27, who, after the death of Saul and Jonathan, had received the lame son of the latter Into his house.—Kell. “In Lo-debar," a town not far from Mahanaim. cast of the Jordan on the Jabbok, where Jsh-bosheth. his uncle, held his court, for seven years, while David was In Hebron. Mephlbosheth. was thus dependent on friends for his support. 6. “David sent, and fetched him.” not merely by a summons, but as Joseph sent wagons from Kgypt to Palestine for his father. 7. “And David said unto him, Fear not." It is quite probable that Mephlbosheth was afraid of becoming known to David. One day a messenger arlvers at Lo-debar. It Is a messenger from the king. Mephlbosheth is alarmed when he finds the king has sent for him. The messenger was probably charged not to disclose the king’s object, for when the lame youth appeared before the king, and prostrated himself In humble reverence, some trepidation seems to have been visible in his manner, as we may gather from the kind and assuring words of David addressed to one In whose countenance he probably found some traces of the friend he had loved so well.—Kitto. 9. “I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul.” Saul’s family estate, which had fallen to David in right of his wife (Num. 27: 8), or been forfeited to the crown by Ish-bosheth’s rebellion (chap. 12: 8), was provided (v. 11, also chap. I 19: 28) for enabling him to maintain an es tablishment suitable to his rank, and Zlba appointed steward to manage It. on the con dition of receiving one-half of the produce in remuneration of his labor and expense, while the other moiety was to be paid as rent to the owner of the land (chap. 19: 29.)— J. F. D. The estate must have been consid erable. much larger than the patrimonial In heritance of Saul, perhaps Increased by con fiscation during his possession of royal au thority.—Milman. 10. “Shalt till the land.” as he had prob ably done either for David, or for those who had possession. Possibly Zlba was using it for himself. Henceforth he was to till the land for Mephlbosheth, “and bring In the fruits, that they master s son may have food to eat." Though Mephlbosheth himself was to be a guest at the royal table, ho would lh*» of this estate for the Mephlboiheth * • • shall eat bread al wuy at my table." Thla waa to do honor, the greatest honor, to hla frlend'a son. It wcs^ also politic to keep him under hla eye and a to bring him Into loving relationship. Tor. however Innocent he might be. or however Incapacitated from becoming king, he might easily become a nucleus around which the enemies of David might gather. There are two Incidents In after years which bear upon the present story. They orrured during Ab salom's rebellion. II. C. |«K or I'CSa Seven teen or eighteen years aftar the events of today's lesson. During this rebellion. Zlba betrayed hie matter and falsely accused him of treachery lo David. The klug believing him as was guile natural under the circuit! ataaces. took away Mephiboaheth's property and gave It to Zlba. Utter on. when Mepbl boshetb seemed to tell him tbe truth, ca ptaining hie position aud action David re stored half of lb Tbe st rv la very touch lag. tgee t dam. If. I t. I* tt-MJ Too Musts t-ospni There are men who h*v# heard the gospel gu lung that It b*a became gov and nature They have beard It go frequently that Ibe divine grtre make* no tmpreeaien on ibem, when the hearts of others beat faster by reason of Ibe tuuch of divine lav*, ttav. l>r. frail, Mtests of flats. \ The only bind af a miser that tbe Mini* approve* of la a miser of time. Kvery man should remember that each hour on I a ins Ml minute# studded with dlaUiuuda of know ledge Net M C. fue king. kveaig The non miserable man on earth may be katpy la Ibe thought af a bum* In the future (Kid has premised ue Ikal. and II Is that fur which wo hope wad work Archbishop Ireland,