TALM AG E’S SERMON.
"CHEERS FOR THE UNKNOWN"
•SUNDAY'S SUBJECT.
tlio Test. lttoiiait* xvl, 14 himI 1.1
i»» Follow*: ».«liiii. mrltu*. l*lil*>
Ron, llrrma*. I'afrolm*. Ilernii.*, ITiU
tiloRti* ami Julia.
ATTHEW Henry,
Albert Barnes,
Adam Clark,
Thomas Scott, anil
all the commenta
tors pass by these
verses without any
especial remark.
The other twenty
people mentioned
in the chapter were
distinguished for
something and weie therefore dis
cussed by the illustrious expositors;
but nothing Is said about Asyncrltus,
Phlegon, Hernias, Putrobas, Hermes,
Phllologus and Julia. Where were
they horn? No one knows. When
did they die? There Is no record of
their decease. For what were they
distinguished? Absolutely nothing, or
the trait of character would have been
brought out by the apostle. If they
had been very intrepid; or opulent, or
hirsute, or musical of cadence, or crass
of style, or in any wise anomalous,
that feature would have been caught,
by the apostolic camera. But they
were good people, because Paul sends
to them his high Christian regards.
They were ordinary people moving
In ordinary sphere, attending to ordi
nary duty and meeting ordinary re
sponsioimtes,
What tho world wants Is a religion
for ordinary people. If there be In
the United States 70,000,000 people,
there are certainly not more than 1,
000,000 extraordinary; and then there
are 69,000,000 ordinary, and we do well
to turn our hacks for a little while
upon the distinguished and conspicu
ous people of the Bible and consider In
our text 'lie seven ordinary. We
spend too much of our time In twist
ing garlands for remarkable* and
building thrones for magnates and
sculpturing warriors and apothoslzlng
philanthropists. The rank and file of
tho Herd's soldiery tired especial help.
The vast majority of people will
never lead an army, will never write
a state constitution, will never electri
fy a senate, will never make an im
portant Invention, will never introduce
a philosophy, will never decide
the fate of a nation. You do not ex
pect to; you do not want to. You will
not he a Moses to load a nation out.
of bondage. You will not he a Joshua
to prolong the daylight until you can
shut five kings in a cavern. You will
not he a St. John to unroll an Apoca
lypse. You will not be a Paul to pre
side over an apostolic college. You
will not he a Mary to mother a Christ.
You will more probably he Asyncritua
or Phlegon, or Hernias, or Patrohas,
or Hermes, or Philologus, or Julia.
Many of you are women at the head
of households. Every morning you
plan for tho day. The culinary depart
ment of the household Is In your do
minion. You decide all questions of
diet. All the sanitary regulations of
your house are under your supervision.
To regulate the food and the apparel
and the habits, and decide the thou
sand questions of home life Is a tax
upon brain and nerve and general
health absolutely appalling, if there
be no divine alleviation.
It does not help you much to be
told that Elizabeth Fry did wonder
ful things amid the criminals at New
gate. It does not help you much to
bo told that Mrs. Judson was very
brave among the Bornesian cannibals.
It does not help you very much to be
told that Florence Nightingale was
very kind to the wounded in the Cri
mea. It would be better for me to tell
I'rtli 1 lin ♦ <1... rl i t. 1 n n ,1 a t*
• . Ot .Mill ,1
and Martha is your friend, and that lie
sees all the annoyances and disap
pointments and abrasions, and exas
perations of an ordinary housekeeper
from morn till night, and from the
first day of the year until the last day
of the year, and at your call lie is ready
with help and reinforcement.
They who provide the food of the
world decide the health of the world.
Von have only to go on some errand
amid the taverns and the hotels of the
rutted Suites mid (ire.it llrltain to ap
preciate the fact that u vast multitude
of the human race ate slaughtered by
incompetent cookery. Though a young
woman may have taken lessons In mu
sic, and may have taken lesauna In
painting, and less ms lu astronomy, she
Is u it well educated unless she has
taken lesson* lu dough! They who ile
eolu the apparel of the world, and the
find of the world decide the endurance
Of the world.
Au unthinking man may consider I!
.t miller of little importance the
tree of the household and the econo
mi -a of domestic Ilf# hut I tell you ’
'he earth Is strewn with the martyrs
>f kitchen and nursery The health
•hitterrd womanhood of America ir e*
<ut for a (lot! who an help ordinary
*. m.*n in the ordinary bur tew of house
k tprug. The wearing grinding un
u-t»e* rated work goes un. but the warn* ;
t'biist who stood oa the hank uf Halt
b » in the errlr morning and kindled
t!>« Hie and had the gal, already '
I ■ isel an-t broiling when the spurts
m a stepped ash *re «hilled sad bun
at I, wilt h»U» evety woman to pee
pci* iiicllu whether by her own
hand u* the Kant ol her hired hei,»
lbs tied slit made iwdeelmlI Me #0 !
Ml of ItabWab who made a vwat for
Pa mu* I, her sow And earthed it la the j
temple every fail Will help •*a*y wo |
mm in pie pa "tag the family ward
tern- fba H»l who ogees the thbia i
•t*h the «- 4 kkiaham s ewtertwta
m<*nt !>y the three angels on the plains
of Mamre, will help every woman to
provide hospitality, however rare and
embarrassing. it is high time that
some of the attention we have been
giving to the remarkable women of the
Bible—remarkable for their virtue, or
their want of it, or remarkable for
their deeds—Deborah and Jezebel, and
Herod las and Athalia, and Dorcas and
the Marys, excellent and abandoned—
It Is high time gome of the attention
we have been giving to these conspicu
ous women of the Bible be given to
Julia, an ordinary woman, amid or
dinary circumstances, attending to or
dinary duties, and meeting ordinary
responsibilities. * * •
N'ow, what Is wanted is grace—di
vine grace for ordinary business men,
men who are harnessed from morn till
night and ail the days of their life -
harnessed in business. Not grace to
lose a hundred thousand, but grace to
lose ten dollars. Not grace to super
vise two hundred and fifty employes in
a factory, but grace to supervise the
bookkeeper and two salesmen, and the
small boy that sweeps out the store.
Grace to Invest not the eighty thou
sand dollars of net profit, but the twen
ty-five hundred of clear gain. Grace
not to endure the loss of a whole ship
load of spices from the Indies, but
grace to endure the loss of a paper of
collars from the leakage of a displaced
shingle on a poor roof. Grace not to
endure the tardiness of the American
Congress In nassinir a necessary law,
but grace to endure the tardiness ol
an errand boy stopping to play marble?
when he ought to deliver the goods.
Such a grace an thousands of business
men have today -keeping them Iran
<iuil, whether goods sell or do not sell,
whether customers pay or do not pay
v ether tariff Is up or tariff Is down
whether the crops are luxuriant or a
dead failure- calm In all circumstances
and amid all vicissitudes. That Is the
kind of grace wo want.
Millions of men want It, and
they may have It for the ask
Ing. Some hero or heroine
comes to town, and as the pro
cession passes through the streets the
business men come out, stand on tip
toe on their store steps and look at
some one who In Arctic clime, or In
ocean storm, or In day of battle, or In
hospital agonies, did the brave thing,
not realizing that they, the enthusias
tic spectators, have gone through trials
In business life that are Just as great
before God. There are men who have
gone through freezing Arctics and
burning torrlds, and awful Marengoei
of experience without moving five
miles from their doorstep.
Now, what ordinary business men
need is to realize that they have the
friendship of that Christ who looked
after the religious interests of Matthew,
the custom house clerk, and helped Ly
dia, of Thyatira, to sell the dry goods,
and who opened a bakery and fish mar
ket In the wilderness of Asia Minor to
feeil the seven thousand who had come
out on a religious picnic, and who
counts the hairs on your head with as
much particularity as though they were
the plumes of a coronation, and who
took the trouble to stoop down with
his finger writing on the ground, al
though the first shuffllo of feet obliter
ated the divine caligraphy, and who
knows Just liow many locusts there
were In the Egyptian plague, and
knew just how many ravens were nec
essary to supply Elijah’s pantry by the
brook Cherlth, and who, as floral com
mander, leads forth all the regiments
of primroses, foxgloves, daffodils, hya
cinths, and lilies, which pitch their
tents of beauty and kindle their camp
fires of color all around the hemisphere
— that that Christ and that God knows
the most minute affairs of your busi
np«sH 11flinvvrvnr i m>nnI>1<>
understanding all the affairs of that
woman who keeps a thread and needle
store as well as ail the affairs of a
Rothschild and a Baring.
Then there are all the ordinary farm
ers. We talk about agricultural life,
and we Immediately shoot oft to talk
about Cinelnnatus, the patrician, who
went front the plow to a high position,
and after he got through the dictator
ship, In twenty-one days, went hack
again the plow. What encourage
ment is that to ordinary farmers? The
vast majority of them none of them
will he patricians. Perhaps nouu of
them will he senators. If any of them
have dictatorships, It will he over for
ty, or fifty, or one hundred acres of
the old homestead. What these men
want is grace, to keep their patieuce
white plowing with balky oxen, and to
Keep cheerful amid the drouth that de.
stroys the corn crop, and thut enables
them to restore the garden the day aft
er the neighbor's cuttle have broken In
and trampled out the strawberry bed.
and gone through the I.lma bean patch
and eaten up the sweet corn In such
large i|uant!tles that they must lie
kept from the water lest they swell up
and die
Grace In catching weather that en
sides them, without imprecation, to
spread out the hay the third time, al
though again, and again, and again. It
has been almost ready for the mow A
grace to doctor the row with a hollow
horn, and the sheep with the foot rat.
and the horse with the distemper, and
to Compel the unwilling seres to yield
a livelihood for the Ismtly. and school
lug fur the children and little elites to
help the abler hoy In business and
something for Ih* daughter s wedding
out At. and a little surplus for the time
when the ankles will gel stiff with age
and the breath will he g little short
and the swinging of the ersdl# through
the hot harvest held will bring ten the
nM man s i erttgo. Itetter close up
about t in- inoatu* I know §«a huw
4red ta*users Just aa noble as ha was
What they want ia *« know that they
have the fttandshtp i*f that t'hrut Who
•fun drew hia stmiles ftusn the farm
sr a *if* aa who* ha sold A auwsr
w«*t forth Ns sow, * aa whan ha hutfl
■■■■■nBHBnHinacanBnaiM
: Ills best parable out of the scene of a
farmer boy coming hack from his
wanderings, and the old farm house
shook that night with rural Jubilee;
and who compared himself to a lamb In
♦he pasture field, and who said that
the eternal God Is a farmer, declaring,
“My father Is the husbandman.'’
Those stone masons do not want to
hear about Christopher Wren, the ar
chitect, who built St. Paul's Cathedral.
It would be better to tell them how to
carry the hod of brick up the ladder
without slipping, and how on a cold
morning, with the trowel to smooth off
the mortar and keep cheerful, and how
to be thankful to God for the plain
food taken from the pall by the road
side. Carpenters, standing amid the
adze, and the hit, and the plane, and
the broad axe, need to he told that
Christ was a carpenter, with his own
hand wielding saw and hammer. Oh,
this Is a tired world, and It Is an over
worked world, and It Is an under fed
world, and It Is ri wrung out world, and
men and women need to know that
there Is rest and recuperation In God
and In that religion whleh was not so
much Intended for extraordinary peo
ple as for ordinary people, because
there are more of them. .
• * •
Al an anniversary of a deaf and dumb
asylum, one of Ihn children wrote up
on the blackboard words as sublime as
Ihn Iliad, the Odyssey, and the "Dlvlna
Commedla” all compressed In one par
agraph. The examiner, In the signs
of the mute language, asked her, “Who
made the world?” The deaf and dumb
girl wrote upon the blackboard, "In the
beginning God created the hpaven and
the earth.” The examiner asked her.
“For what purpose did Christ come In
to the world?” The deaf and dumb
girl wrote upon the blackboard, "Tills
Is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came In
to the world to save sinners.” The
examiner said to her, "Why were you
.i L. ...t. it., r t__.1
speak?” Hhe wrote upon the black
board, "Even so, Father; for so It
seemcth good In thy sight.” Oh, that
we might be baptized with a contented
spirit. The spider draws poison out
\ of a llower, the bee gets honey out of
a thistle, but happiness Is a heavenly
elixir, and the contented spirit extracts
It, not from the rhododendron of the
hills, but from the Illy of the valley.
MERRY WARFARE.
M lii'ii Two NiM'lfty M'omen Halo Kmli
Ollier Cordially,
"You can’t appreciate what may he
embodied In that term bitter-sweet,”
sighed I.lmptou to the Detroit Free
l’ress man, "till you hear two society
women In conversation, each hating
the other fervently, yet smiling, laugh
ing and looking angelic while they are
stabbing each other as cruelly and vig
orously as though it were a duel to the
death. This Is between us, but I Just
came away from a little scene confirm
ing my view of the case. Hinckley's
wife bad called on mine. Mrs. Bink
ley had said somewhere that Mrs. Limp
ton looked prematurely old, and that
she dressed in execrable taste, con
sidering her appearance. Of course,
some ‘good friend’ told Mrs. I.lmpton,
I expected blue blazes when the two
met, but the event showed far more
diplomacy than is displayed In the
management of International affairs.
When Mrs. Blnckley called Mrs. Limp
ton kissed her, clung to her hand, chid
ed her for not coming oftener, and
then, In the softest tones of solicitude,
asked her If she was troubled with ma
laria, now prevalent. ‘You look so yel
low,' she went on, 'and drawn. 1 al
ways have you in mind as plump and
rosy. Do take treatment, dear.' ‘It’s
nothing serious,’ laughed Mrs. Hinck
ley. 'The doctor tells me I hat a person
with strong eyes aud teeth always has
wonderful recuperative powers. It la
I only a matter of a short time and not
at all as though 1 had stepped per
manently from my prime into old ago.'
This was hot shot, for my wife has
worn glasses ever since she was a little
girl, and some of her prettiest teeth
were supplied by a dentist, but she
blandly told of how many of her dear
t fi'ic.ta ,1 V, 1.11......
pearance of health had gone with quick
consumption, and they fell to talking
about hired girls. Woman is a sphinx.”
Woiiit*II tli«* 11«*•*t
Of one thing there can he very lit
tle doubt, aud that is the greater readi
ness in conversation of women than
men. A woman can creute conversa
tion, which is a very useful thing, anil
is frequently found a great social diffi
culty. If we give a man a subject on
which he kuows anything at all. un
less he be a fool or morbidly reticent,
be can talk about It so as to make him
self fairly Intelligible ami perhaps In
terestiug (or those to whom the sub
ject has any Interest at all. Men. when
their feeling of enthusiasm Is excited
throw off the slowness and hesitation
which frequently cramp their power In
society, just as they throw off the
physical Infirmity of stuttsrlog under
the Influence of some awakening theme
or some strong sympathy. Hut the
power of conversation In some women
and not always those of remarkable
ability. Is the tery art of making brick*
■ without straw They will talh lu owe !
by I he b mr about nothing that Is on
wo particular subject aid with no par i
! tu telar object aa I lath coherently and I
aol foolishly and * it leal very pleasant- {
ly alt the time |t would, we are free ;
le confess he rather dtgkult for the
listener to retry away with him any
mental note* of whai bed sent, j
h* may y *t be eon*. i>o»* of haying
gained any new ideas or of basing had
his old “«*•» much enlarged, but he will
rise and go hla way, aa one due* after
a light and whedemrme meal, sensibly
t Meted an t refteahed. has retaining no
truss Isle some memories of the isgr •di
sci's wh.> h hate tompueed tt
Why dues a msn alnaya kma h>« 1
• »«ss just When ha needs H m-at >
GLADYS’ 'KKBCHIEFS.
tlly Litla Patrick Wilson, in Short
Stories.)
HILIP WARINO
walked along Main
etreet with a quick,
nervous tread. Ills
mouth was set de
terminedly, and a
deep flush of red
dyed each cheek.
The happy stir of
(he Christmas sea
son was still In the
air, hut Philip had
a guilty feeling that every one who
passed knew that his engagement with
Gladys Lawton was broken, and that
there reposed in his left hand pocket,
to bo returned to their owner, one
dozen little notes on heavy white pa
per, monogram G. L., and In his right
hand pocket a diamond scarf pin and
six dainty handkerchiefs, with flufly
borders, especially designed to tickle
a lady-like little nose. Why Philip
defied custom In returning these ar
ticles in person the little god of love
alone knows.
A far more Imposing array of Rifts
and love tokens wus being collected at
the other end of the line, for Phil was
a generous soul, and his ladylove most
chary of her favors. Letter writing
she detested, and Phil at an early stage
In their engagement had been em
ployed as secretary. The answers to
Ills dally notes were, to bis disgust,
usually given hy telephone. As to the
handkerchiefs —thereby hangs a tale,
for Gladys was one of those unfortun
ate beings—a girl without a pocket—
and could he traced hy the trail of
pretty moucholrs she left behind her.
Phil's hand Involuntarily tightened
over the packet which aroused such
hitter sweet remembrances. One lit
tle square of linen, with wide ruffles of
lace, ho pilfered the day they became
for It had wiped awuy two happy tears
from Gladys' Idg eyes. Another had
been put In his pocket for safe keeping
one evening ns they were going to see
a famous tragedian. “Keep It for me,
Phil, for 1 know I shall cry,” said
Gladys, fully conscious of her weak
ness. It was not needed, for the play
proved more glad than sad, and Philip
added the bit of cambric to his rapidly
growing collection.
Gladys had a pretty habit of wearing
a fluffy handkerchief tucked coquet
flshly up her sleeve, and another of
Phil's souvenirs had been used one
happy night to bandage a finger he hail
bruised in raising a window,
lie smiled to himself as he remem
bered how many times he had heard
her agonized whisper, "Please lend me
your handkerchief, Phil, I can’t think
what has become of mine.” This com
mon occurrence had caused Phil, In
making his toilet, to Invariably add
an extra one for Gladys and her emer
gencies.
Phil heaved a sigh that would have
been a credit to the stagiest lover, and
his honest heart thumped bard as he
r""
“IN THU LIBHARY, Slit."
walked up the steps of Mrs. Lawton's
house. "Ah, well, Gladys is the only
1 In the world for me; but our first
quarrel Is to be our last, for she does
not care for me, that's evident, fool
that I was." And lie pulled the bell
so savagely that Polly, the maid, fairly
Hew to the door. Phil's eyes <1 topped
as he met the beaming gaze of Polly,
the maid, Polly, who had opened the
door so sympathizing!)' through all the
stages of his courtship she. at least,
would he sorry there wits to he no wed
ding, and Phil's voice faltered a trifle
as be asked for Miss Lawson.
"She Is In the library, sir," Polly
said in her usual encouraging tones.
Phil hesitated. The library was the
private sanctum where Gladys received
only her Intimate friends VYarlug felt
that It would tie a hard mutter to end
his euaagentrul In that loom
"I think I will wall In here," he said,
going toward the drawtug room "Oh.
sir, Mrs. Imwtuu has a mother's meet
tag In there," said Polly, and led th •
way to the sacred precincts so familiar
to him of late No u«« was there
sad Waring sat down In a remote tor
ner. feeling lit at u « with these stir
rounding* When Mt lase« bad
Uftuniv a flHB ID4I w
»ra«i«« u»HH • a* In tunaiant retain I
Hun of meat la#* fur #11 »nr<« a»4 run
lltlwna «f »«»»•» UU4>* M «trana*»t
a ltd In »f In «*» !• i»m *
•tunlul apart amnt « full ul k*i M<
»«4 fan*Inn Hud )uu l*» run ba4 B*.»
laban tniu Krt tuatt t-n.. lb* Muaa- il
l«4 *nl*r»4 I bn tuuar Muoaium tat
4aBa In Ik* aiB'lun* l»* «limbn<i
a4««aluruual> *nnaf4 lbn natiina Ibn
•«M al«»> bo a I nn I an >«M luabn tabk*
•a* mukuami ailb taur a#4 buil>
bHtlM ib« baaadiul ba4«* at I'krW
■aa* aaa bi iMt **aH*r«4 li*l|
• bar*
A a**#** tuna !*•*«b *t» b i • *»J
i«a| r*a«H* aa lb# *#•• It bai
never been known to tell the right fltne ’
and Philip hart learned to love It for
Its happy faculty of insisting it was
only 10 o’clock, when well-regulated 1
time pieces were mildly hinting it was
nearly 12.
Gladys was studying Greek history j
and sculpture, and the usual pictures
in the room had been removed to give
place to her attic treasures. The Par
thenon had the pdace of honor over
the piano, and the gods and goddesses
were assembled on the walls In almost
as great numbers as in the days of
old when they had gathered on Mount
Olympus.
Phil grew uneasy as a flood of asso
ciations rolled over him, and he moved
restlessly about. There on the desk
was that mummy hand paper weight
which old Van Tyle had sent to Gladys
at Christmas. How Jealous he had
been of Van for the pleasure his pres
ent had given! He remembered how
cuttingly he had remarked that It was
Just like Van’s meanness to offer her
some other fellow's hand!
On the table w*as the novel they had
been reading together. Phil had used
his scarf pin as a bookmark, and It had
been left undisturbed.
From Its place on the chandelier a
little sprig of mistletoe suddenly
dropped on Phil’s hand. Christmns
eve ho had stood In this same spot,
and Gladys, shy, reserved, undemon
strative Gladys, had softly stolen up
behind him and actually
Phil shook himself Impatiently, put j
Ills hands In his pockets nnd turned j
to look at the dying embers In the
grate. Yes, Gladys had evidently Just
left the room—fled, he supposed, when
she heard his voice. Drawn up cosily
in front of the Are waa her favorite
lounging chair, in which she curled
herself comfortably like a cat. f
Tn tho flinthu iif thn cliiiir n nmnll
white object attracted Phil's attention.
Mechanically, from pure force of ha
bit, lie stopped to pick It up, and a
wretched little specimen of moueholr
It was. It looked as If Telemachus had
wept abundantly upon It, and Nlobe
added her ceaseless tears. It was ns
damp as a cobweb left out over night
In the dew.
A great light came Into Phil's eyes.
Gladys crying! Gladys unhappy! Rap
turous thought she must care for him
after all! Philip drew a long breath
that sounded like a soli; then, with a
boyish, happy laugh, he walked toward
the door. There was a light Btep on
the stair, a rustle of drapery In the
hall, and she entered. “Gladys," said
Philip, pocketing the tell-tale treasure,
“I came to tell you how much 1 love
you."
Tim Florlil* 1 millin'.
The Indian question, says a corre
spondent of the New York Evening
Post, is so associated in most minds
with the west that few persons recall
the fact that we have a good many red
men still In the east, living in charac
teristic Indian fashion and their prog
ress in civilization subject to the same
drawbacks as that of their western
brethren. The most Interesting of
these are the Florida Seinlnoles, of
whom there are between four hundred
and six hundred scattered through the
Everglades. Until within a little while
no one thought of disturbing them
there, for they were living on land be
longing to the United States and in a
district which no one else cared to oc
cupy. Various speculative schemes
for redeeming the Everglades have
been pushed to the front of late, how
ever, and, to crown all, the United
States government lias decided to make
a gift of this tract to the stale of Flor
ida. With the prospect that the land
occupied by the Indians might become
valuable, there arose a local demand I
for their removal to some spot where !
they would be out of the way of white I
development of the country; and a i
hoard of trustees appointed by tin
state government to select a site for u
permanent reservation has reported to ,
the governor.
■trace Attempt* at Kngilsli.
From the New York Tribune: The
following notice is displayed in a
hotel in Norway: "Bath! First-class
I hath. Can anybody get. Tushbath. i
j Warm and cold. Tub bath and show
er bath. At any time. Except Jatur- i
day. By two hours forboie." And
this Is the notice that was posted up
recently in an art exhibition in Tokio,
Japan: "Visitors are requested at the
entrance to show tickets for Inspec- I
lion. TIcketB are charged 10 cens and
cens. for the special and common re
spectively. No visitor who is mad or
ilitoxiealed Is allowed to enter In, If
any person found in shall be claimed
to retire. No visitor I* allowed to car
ry ill with himself any parcel, timbrel- I
la. stick and the like kind, except his
purse, and I* strictly forbidden tu take
within himself dog. or the same kind
of besits. Visitor I* requested to take
good rare of himself from thieveljr.’*
HU ksssIMit ml Iwls
While Meades artu> as marching
out of the Wilderness drum corps
lu passing Utaui » he# | tarter* caught
sight of the chief and ht oite* (truck
■ip a then popular negro rump meet. t
lug air Kverycme Iwpit to laugh
What • the fith *“ Inquired the gen- ,
erst Wh> til (he r< pi*, "they
air placiag t**t I tlllil to (let Oct
oh ds WrilJ<*rneaa' The geaetal i
• miied at the ready *il of the mil- j
- tans and *atd Aril with me * mu- !
so *t Juh* wiwai a restate** ssplanatma
I know' stity iss tunes sat t* Yanks*
Iksstl* and the other Isn't * H.e flea
! ref tie newr*I and t hroat4 te.
ssecakst fMWMt
I .'Uefu- igh I tnM ran what It t*. j
i these a some funny things happen ta !
Ihks w«»id K'spei t hat a a task t
i list tong ago del im happen tn f j
j Moat on Court
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VIII.. FEB. 20 MATT 1(>
2-15 — APOSTLES DEPART.
(Golden Text: “Freely Ye Have Ho*
«elve«lf Freely Give" —Matt.
The Disciples Go f orth for the Salvo*
tloa of Met).
The section Includes the chapter, the
Instructions to his disciples us he send*
them out to work for the salvation of
men.
Tima,—Autumn of A. D. 28 atid winter
of 28 and 2Jt. Place.—Some village or town
in Galilee. The exact place la unknown.
The Third Circuit of Galilee was begun
at this time by Jesus with his disciples,
the instructions for which are given in
the chapter of to-day's lesson.
Review briefly the gradual development
of the work of bringing in the kingdom
of God. as seen In the first two years of
Christ's ministry.
Our next Interest Is In the persons se
lected to be the intimate friends and pu
pils of Jesus, to he Instructed In his
truths and trained In his work, and fill
ed with ills spirit, ho that after ids death
they would be prepared to build up tho
church und spread tho gospel over tho
world. This work Is very practical for
us all. Jt Ih full of instruction, inspira
tion, and comfort for us all. We are to
look at the principles Involved, and fol
low those principles. Bo far as our cir
cumstances are the same, we can follow
the definite Instruction given lure for
those circumstances. Ho far as our cir
cumstances differ, we can only apply tho
principles. Jesus did the same with Ills
disciples, and later bade them preach to
those to whom he now forbade them to
preach. We cannot work miracles as
tie dlHelpIcs did, but we can do good
and help the sick uud afflicted even mom
than they.
Their Great Variety of Character. “Je
sus chose twelve disciples, that every
man, in all time, might find himself rep
resented among the apostles. The doubt
er finds himself In Thomas; the fierce,
hot-headed, quick-tempered man finds
himself In John, the Hoii of Thunder;
the opinionated, Impulsive man in Refer;
the hard-headed, practical man, desiring
tho first place in the kingdom, In James,
etc. We arc all there. And to all of us
can come Iik«* fitness, worthy <f upostle
shlp.“—Bp. If. W. Warren. All kinds of
nun can become Christians; all kinds
can serve the Lord In some good way.
This great variety In Christians enables
Christianity to meet the vast variety of
nun in the world. Rut all were one in
heart, in the love of Jesus, In seeking tho
higher life, in building up the kingdom
of heaven.
Counterbalances. “One of the ways Je
sus takes to overcome their imperfection
In doing a work, which called for per
fection In the workers, was in his group
ing of the apostles. Our imperfection
very commonly is of tlie nature of half
ness. We see one side of a truth, and
not the other. We feel the greatness of
some quality so strongly that we depre
posed to it, but is really complementary.
Our Lord seems to have acted with care
ful reference to this in sending out his
apostles two by two, In the order Indi
cated In Matthew." Peter, the bold. Im
petuous man acting on the spur of the
moment. Is joined with Andrew, the
apostle Instinctively chosen by the Scotch
as their national patron, as far-seeing,
cautious, careful, full of the sense of dif
ficulty. James and John differed greatly
in age. John must have been very young,
for he outlived Jesus nearly saver*ty
years. Ho the Master paired them off. old
and young together. Philip, the slow
witted, was paired with Nathaniel Bar
tholomew, the quick-witted. Thomas, the
doubting, skeptical intellect, was joined
with Matthew, one of the heroes of faith.
James, the author of the epistle, the most
practical of men, was united with Jude,
the man of doctrine. Hlmon, the Zealot,
a man of '/.cal, enthusiasm, Independence,
and patriotism, was with Judas Iscariot,
the business economist. “So the Master
made one whole man out of two half
men. And so his church should go forth,
two by two, each with the one most un
like himself, and therefore best able ir>
help him."—Pres. H. 13. Thompson, H. T.
I>.. in Sunday-School Times.
Two by Two. They were sent out tw'O
by two (Mark 6: 7). (1) Because thus they
were complete and well balanced. Each
would BUplement the work of the other.
They would reach different classes of
minds, and where one failed the other
would be ready with the right word. (2)
They would aid and encourage one an
other. keep up each other’s courage in
time of difficulty, be suggestive of plans,
and aid one another’s warmth and glow
of spiritual life. “With two there Is
warmth.” (3) Two Is the best number.
More would be a hindrance, and would
be divisive, while two would accomplish
nearly all that more could do. (1) This Is
still one true and effective method of
Christian work. Two are more than twlca
one.
Their Personality ami Possibilities.
They were plain n\yn who had not been
perverted by the false philosophies, tra
ditions, and morals of. the day. They
were mostly working men. business men.
practical men, hut of great variety of
early training. ami or iiutonem me. home
were poor: some were comparatively well
off; some belonged to country villages,
some to the city; several were fishermen.
•There were two, at least,” says Ur.
Gibson, "the choice of whom seemed to
violate all dictates of wisdom and pit
donee Matthew the publican, of a hale'*
class, inviting hostility: and Hinton Him
Zealot, a radical revolutionist In poli
tics.” Vet the choice of these showed
the broadness of the gospel, and Its
power. They were men uf ability; there
were greut possibilities In them. Christ
transformed common men Into apostles,
the foundation stones of the New Jeru
salem. the leaders of the kingdom that
was to transform the world. The char
, oal was changed Into diamonds They
were far from faultless hut the faults
were llaws In a Jewel, not the crudeness
of the charcoal.
Illustration It Is very noticeable In
all history that the larger part of th«
great men In every department ha»w
sprung from the common people, so tar
as the absence of wealth or rank or
great ancestry ran make them common
VERBAL. BRILLIANCIES.
Speech Is the smalt change of
site (•••#.
Observation la the most enduring of
the pleasures of life.
What a woman thinks uf women I*
the teal of her nature.
Me women atlas life unly when ww
have never met the man to reverence.
Thera la nothing th* budjr suffer*
that the vuul may not profft hjr
Th* future not being horn, my
ft tend, we w itl abstain (rum Isapuatn*
II,
Aft** hr man have wanted the r
habit* and w»»»a are uaiy so l»»m l«v
the Mat. awl wot th* mui Important
That email motive* at# at th* hot*
tom uf many illtMithm* aeiMm ta A
modem dWeovtry
The hero of twa woman moat iff
aad be wept «>«i ia «e«ar~~ “
