Nebraska Newspapers

    THE NORTHWESTERN.
BIMCnoTIR A OinaON. Ed* and Pah*.
U)DP CITY, • • NEB.
Lillian Russell indignantly denies
that aha la engaged to William C.
Whitney. Miss Russell's denial was
the first news of the matter that got
into general circulation.
A military expert says, in Harper's
Weekly, that the number of wagons
and animals required to supply an
army increases In geometric iatio with
each day's march from the base. The
statement makes it easier to under
stand why forces can be moved so
much more rapidly in the offices of
sensational newspapers than In the
field.
Heavy is the burden of poetic ances
tors which weighs on the little son re
cently horn to the Hon. Neville Lyt
ton, heir-presumptive to the earldom
of Lytton. Through his father he is
grandson of Owen Meredith and great
grandson of Bulwer Lytton, and
through his mother great-grandson of
I>©rd Byron and grandson of Wilfrid
Blunt.
The establishment of International
telegraphs and telephones has made
possibly direct dialogues between the
foreign offices of different govern
ments. A writer In the National Re
view sees herein a lightening of tbs
duties of diplomatic functionaries and
a possible diminution of their import
ance. The world is becoming one
neighborhood.
During the past winter, which has
been marked by uncommonly high
temperatures In the Northern Hemis
phere, a similar elevation of temper
ature appears to have occurred in the
Southern Hemisphere, which, of
course, has its summer when we have
our winter. In South America, South
Africa and Austrlla exceedingly hot
weather was experienced while our
part of the world was enjoying a mild
winter.
The studies of the lodiacul light
made at sea lead Mr. F. J. Bayldon,
formerly of the British navy, to re
mark that the air over the Pacific
Ocean appears clearer and better
adapted for celestial observation than
that lying over the Atlantic Ocean.
Honolulu is admirably situated for
dearness of air, and it may become an
Important outpost in astronomy, it
has already been selected as one of
the chief points for the study of the
vibrations of the earth.
A very large attendance has charac
terized the Paris exposition ever since
the formal opening. The American at
tendance is much larger than was an
ticipated. President l.oubet of the
French republic, attends every dedica
tion made necessary by the delayed
completion and throwing open to the
public of the various buildings. The
two palaces of fine arts were opened,
with pictures by several hundred Am
erican artists prominently displayed.
American sculptors have a fine dis
play, while architects, engravers, and
miniature painters have a separate
section. It Is claimed that America
excels in all the arts except sculpture.
It is well known that Mrs. Emmons
Blaine has made munificent provision
for establishing the Chicago Institute,
with the twofold object of providing
Ideal educational conditions from
kindergarten to college and offering to
teachers the best advantages for pro
fessional training. One feature of the
enterprise which is not often men
t'oned is of much importance. Aftet
the staff of instruction was appointed,
the twenty-six men and women who
comprise the staff were placed under
salaries and were allowed a year for
maturing their own qualifications be
fore being called to their respective
chairs. Most of them are now pursu
tug special studies at universities.
In a little western town, originally
settled by Quakers, stands a church In
which the practice of seating men and
women apart still prevails. A few
years 140. a newcomer mustered cou
rage to crow the alale aud sit beside
his bride. The second Sunday another
man committed the same offence, and
the third Sunday saw a generous
sprinkling of bared heads alongside
spring bonnets. The aged minister,
with outraged sense of propriety,
chose for his test: "!.et destruction
come upon him at unawares, and let
his net that he hath hid catch him
self,’’ and minced no words In eiposl
tlon The men who had dated to etray
from established custom rebelled st
being eternally doomed for silling be
side their wives, sad left the . hurch In
a body. The result Is that today In
that little town stands two church
buildings side by side counterparts la
sis# sad paint and outlook, but la one
the seise are divided by a middle
Isle while In the ether promiscuous
Hitting' prevails The trivialities
which btadrr t'brlsiian comity may
travel far lor an aptsr lllusi ration
Kirs li.suranee esperta isport Inst
the Iasi year has been one of great Mrs
lueses They think the 'moral haz
ard as the r:»h of people burning
their own pioprrty tu g<*t the mater*
an.e money ts .ailed was probably
smaller than usual c.a account of th«
good time* Wh*n bull u«e« are i»»*t*
ty well acr ipied there tg lews tempta
tion In commit the offense than In a
period of stagnation. Just now else*
trierIty comes in for a good shaee of
the blame for Kits ts a cause it
operate* for the a •! part out of sight,
tehtnd while and under Soots
SCIENTIFIC TOPICS
CURRENT NOTES OF DISCOVERY
AND INVENTION.
A Scientific DUruulon of the Indian'*
Art In Rmprrt to 1'hariulng Serpent*
— Homo l Refill Intention*—Interesting
1>U. coverlet.
Snake CharmliiR In India.
With a musical instrument made of
reeds or bamboo the Hindu, or native
of India, manages ot soothe the evil
spirit of the deadly Indian serpents,
playing a peculiar dinning melody
that, according to its quickness or
slowness, causes the snake to raise its
body and sway its head about In time
with the music, or to lie quietly with
dull eyes watching the Immovable
musician. Gradually the player may
draw the poisonous cobra de capello to
bis side without danger so long as the
music lasts; but many snake charm
ers, either through carelessness or fa
tigue, have lagged with the music and
have been struck and fatally poisoned
by the fierce snake. Many are the
stories told of the powers of these
snake charmers, however. A General
Campbell of the British Indian service
tells how a big cobra was found at the
bottom of a well near his headquar
ters. The soldier hurried to get his
gun and a crowd of natives remained
to pelt the hated snake with stones.
In this way they drove It into an
opening In the brickwork of the well.
Two snake charmers were sent for.
They were let down into the well by
means of ropes, and one of them be
gan to play a shrill and monotonous
tune on a sort of bagpipe. His com
panion stood on the other side of the
hole where the snake was hidden, and
held a long pole with a slip noose at
tached to its end ready to noose the
snake as soon as Its head should ap
pear. For a time the snake appeared
unconscious of the seductive music,but
In about half an hour, during which
the playing had oeen constant, the co
bra was heard to move, and soon out
slowly came its ugly head. In an in
stant the slip noose had done its work
and the snake was a dangling prisoner.
After being hoisted from the well the
snake charmers carried their prize to
an open place and released it. The
ugly snake made a rush at the by
standers and sent them scattering
The piping charmer now tapped the
snake on the tail, causing it to turn
angrily, but hearing the subtle music
the cobra colled up and lifted its head
in the striking position. But it did
not strike. The head swayed a little
from side to side, and not till the
music stopped did the creature spring
at the musician, who barely escaped
being struck by a quick leap to one
side. Many of our own wild creatures
are singularly affected by certain notes
repeated in succession. Often have I
caused a rabbit to sit up in his tracks
by whistling in a low tone some simple
tune. The squirrel will chatter from
his treetop if you whistle to him. But
if you keep it up the little fellow will
gradually work his way down to the
trunk of the tree and will crouch there
and listen as if spellbound. Try whis
tling a simple warble near a catbird.
The impudent little fellow will ruffle
up his feathers, cock his head on one
side, listen attentively for awhile and
then will try to imitate the sound.
IMiotegrap'ilr Wmililng Apparatim.
Every amateur has his own troubles
In printing, toning and washing films,
plates and prints, and even with the
best of appliances to be purchased at .
the photographic shops this task is
none too pleasant. However, William !
Fitzgerald Crawford, residing in Lon
don, England, disclosed in a recent
WATER MOTOR WASHING BATH
patent a water motor washtug hath,
which, be aaaerta, makes the toiling.
filing and washing process** com
paratlvely convenient and pleasant.
The apparatus by which he acconi
lithe* tble contialt of two grooveu
discs or wheel*, mounted upon a horl
■ontal ail* and belted by mean* of
cord* with a tiny water wheel, by
which they are revolved In a trougu
This I* for waahlng only for toning
flalng or printing when the water ha*
to he kept out of the hath, the strap*
are removed, and the disc* turned by
hand, by a crank or milled buttona
To hold flint* and print* * tltaule car
re IS are provided These ore plate#
are placed tietween the d*cs with
their opposite aide* In rorrnaflondlnfl
radial groove* A rubber band, which
eu lri leu the i n ttmferenre of tn« <(•» •
prevents I tier falling out when the
| d!».» are revolted lh-> toulag de
veloptng® living wr tin* ng eolation is
I pla«*d In (he trough k'ur » iupt»
j Washing plat a the trough • Riled
i with water and pboed under a tun
I ning spigot whew the •mall water
j wheel till t* at the *>*(. of •',« t-*ice I*
i eauaed lo turn lhu< idltbitl th* di«
and thereby thoroughly washing the
plates held between them.
Improved Cycle fab.
All the bicycles hitherto In use are
adapted to carry only one person, oi
are so arranged that when two or
more are carried each rider must aid
In the propulsion of the machine.
James C. Anderson, a Chicago Inven
tor, has turned his attention to the
designing of a vehicle which is adapted
to carry tw'o persons through the
physical exertions of only one. The
inventor states that, the machine will
be found useful in cities and towns
for the purpose of conveying a pas
senger comfortably and economically
to any locality expeditiously. The per
son who propels the machine also has
full control of the steering, which is
accomplished by turning the front
wheel exactly as though it were the
forward wheel of an ordinary bicycle,
and the driver is also expected to
maintain the cab In an upright posi
tion when at rest, in order that the
passenger may seat himself or alight
in perfect safety. The vehicle is com
posed of two frames, which are hinged
to each other, with the handle bars
CYCLE CAB FOR PLEASURE OR
BUSINESS.
attached at the rear of the forward
frame, causing the wheels to turn In
opposite directions and aid In main
taining the equilibrium of the ma
chine.
Kipectoral ton lu York.
The board of health of New York is
giving considerable attention to the
question of regulating and abating the
practice of expectoration. A recent
ordinance of that board might be prof
itably adopted by the health boards of
other cities. It forbids expectoration
in carg, other public conveyances and
in public places and requires that no
tices to such effect shall be posted. It
further provides that the proprietors
of cigar manufactories and printing
offices must provide cuspidors in pro
portion to one to every two persons
employed in such places. It is prob
able that eventually the demands of
the public will compel the introduction
of cuspidors in smoking cars and the
smokingroom of ferry boats. The ques
tion of preventing the atmosphere
from becoming laden with infectious
germs and microbes is causing a great
deal of discussion all over the coun
try at present, and if promiscuous ex
pectoration can be stopped a long
step in the desired direction will be
made.
!■ tin- rin<-Hpt>l« of a I'oIhoikiiia Nttsrtt
The chemists now say that we must
give up the pineapple as an article of
food, and be particularly careful to
keep its Juices out of our circulation.
They find that the pineapple has a
very bad record. In Java, the Philip
pines and through the far east it is
said and believed that the juice of the
green and growing plant is a blood
poison of an extremely deadly nature.
It Is said to be the substance with
which the Malays poison their krishes
and daggers. It is also said to be the
fingernail poison” formerly in use
among aboriginal Javanese women,
who cultivated a nail, or more, on each
hand, to a long, sharp point, and that
the least sciatch from one of these
was certain death.
The Toucan on lie KihmI.
The amiable, usually silent and gen
erally sleepy bird known as the tou
can, had to carefully adjust Itself be
fore going to sleep for It will become
overbalanced and fall from Its roost or
perch. It Hist cocks up Its little scut
of a tail which Is nut more than three
or four lm he* long, in a very slow and
cautious manner This must materi
ally affect Its balance, for It never
moves on Its pe ek after the tall is
once adjusted l.ater It gently turns
its huge, unwleldiy bill around by de
grees and lava It along Its ba. k in the
usual bird fashion It then perches
ou one foot and goes to sleep If awak
eued suddenly It will tumble down In
a heap, being unable to adjust Its bal
ance owing to the weight of Its poa
detuus bill,
l»MMl ttH 9 drill
The reputation of being the divest
.pot on earth u claimed by Pavla, In
Peru a place about H*«* dvgieea south
of the equator In IVbruary there was
a tall of rain of mot# than 21 hours,
the ltd for eight yeare I he aver
age interval between two ahowere is
•even years d»« fugs u e>«utia »a t*f
about nine »p«- lee of piante s»lli«l
by a reient vleitor eeveu were euatt
ate, a»4 their wtdi Mud have teiaata
e | dormant la the gr«* tad fur eight
veers In »plle uf the I *• k of rain the
h ug trailed Peruvian cvMtoa la grown
m the dried up fiver led furnishing
itiiy* that yield tuba-stm e to the aa
live*
AMONG THE THIEVES,
DIAMOND "BOOSTERS” THE
SLICKEST OF THEIR KIND
And M«-nl Prr« lou» Jewels I'nder the Ejes
ot the Ileslers - Home of the Methods
by Hhlt h They Operate Dressy Women
Thieves With Male Arronipllces.
Perhaps the wiliest thieves in the
world are those known as boosters—
persons who make their living by
stealing diamonds. Men and women
engage in this business and as a rule
they are hard to capture owing to the
clever method of their operating. The
method is something like this: A
swell carriage, rented for the day at a
livery stable, drives up to the door ot
a big jewelry house, a footman jumps
down and holds open the door and the
proprietor of the store with his eye
out for customers, rubs his hands as
he sees a fashionably attired man get
out and extend his hand to a woman,
also dressed In the height of fashion.
The Jeweler is obsequious when his
customers stroll in, gaze around the
store as if they intended to buy the
place if they should chance to like it.
They want to see unset diamonds—
the lady wishes to rpplate some lost
from a tiara or a necklace. The pro
prietor is delighted to show his stock.
The big safe is opened and a tray of
beauties placed before the < ustomers.
The man who accompanies the wo
man shows but a languid interest in
the proceedings. Evidently his mis
sion is solely to pay for the gems; he
looks into the show cases and exam
ines the silverware while the woman
picks up the diamonds one by one,
holds them to the light, has them
weighed and puts them back in the
tray. There is nothing there which
exactly suits her—she Is afraid the
stones will not match her necklace.
If the proprietor wishes to try his ex
pert hand at matching she perhaps
produces a diamond necklace from a
chatelaine bag—a necklace with two
or three diamonds missing. There Is
the last proof that she is a genuine
customer.
The jeweler handles the necklace
reverently and sets some of the choic
est stones In the vacant settings to try
their effect. But still the woman Is
not satisfied. She cannot make up her
mind. At last she picks out two stones
and tells the jeweler to set them aside
with her name on them, and if she
cannot find a better match elsewhere
she will return for them. She gives
him a name and address—always an
address in a fashionable locality. The
jeweler puts the diamonds in a little
bo* and stows it away in the safe.
He tells her he is sure she will return,
as he is confident she cannot match the
diamonds more closely. The escort
yawns and suggests they had best be
moving. And they move. The car
riage drives away, the proprietor see
ing his wealthy customer to the door,
and after it has been gone an hour, or
maybe less, the jeweler discovers that
one or more of the valuable diamonds
which were in the tray, are gone. He
is loath to suspect the lady. He
searches everywhere, takes out the
little box to see if he put too many in
it, counts the remaining diamonds
again and again to satisfy himself that
some are really missing and at last it
dawns upon him that he must have
been robbed. Perhaps before the po
lice have been summoned the boosters
have dismissed their carriage and are
on a train bound for anywhere out
of town. A diamond worth 1250 or
5.T00 Is worth the risk and the expense
of a $4 carriage for an hour.
Another trick of diamond thieves of
this character ia known as “switch
ing" gems. In this practice the make
up and general plan of approach is
the same, calculated to throw the Jew
eler off his guard and make him think
he is dealing with a wealthy couple
who desire to buy a few thousand dol
lars' worth of diamonds. The man
who intends getting the stone has a
"phony" diamond concealed In one of
his hands—a paste affair which pre
rents a good appearance to a casual
glance but will not stand the tests.
While examining the tray of diamonds
the thief gets his eye on a stone re
sembling as much as possible in size
and cut the one he has in his hand
and at a favorable opportunity, when
the proprietor is talking with the wo
man confederate, for Instance, he
'switches" the paste diamond to the
tray and gathers in the genuine stone,
I he moat watchful dealer may be vic
timized in this way, for if he knows
how many diamonds he had In the tray
and takes a mental survey of them
before hla customer* leave there are
nil the stones apparently just as they
were when he showed tha tray He
cannot detect the substitution at a
glance aud often after the customers
hava decided uot to buy and have
driven away he puts the tray back in
the safe without a suspicion of any
thing wrong, and It may be a week
later that he discovers a ’ phony Jia
m.>ot! in the lot Theu, of course, pur
suit la almost hopele*«
I «l lriMi*iwl»l,
!*i«if«’t»<ir <1# (i'liliv H* hniollrr,
whose rte< laratioti that Hraul must
| »«Ntn become a areal state under tier
man Ihtiientr has been like ret tor of
the l utveielty of Iterbn slate lav, He
la one of the foremost poll that et tin
»Ml*t« of Kurope and fur years has
, let tnie l ta Merman universities on pit
lit uni st lent e e. onomit a and history
1'i fi »*<.i m hmollet was lawn at Met)
Pious i* i’J* •**.'I »i -l><d in the I a!
varsity of Wurtemlturg la Ih| a>
was laile't to a t hair la Malle, sad
from isai to Is7l he was lean of the
Ualvetsiit of ittrsah tig la tssj t*r«*f
ht hmoiter was transfer < eg tu Iterlta as
prof*mu.* of hle'ote of politoal ••(»«,»
Mis opinions upon uainmal ma'tes
yf grsatt wrfhki
A valuable wild beast.
The (iorillA In Hard to Capture and la
Alvrjtvft Id Demand.
“At the present time there are no
wild animals in such great demand for
exhibition purposes as the gorilla,"
says a dealer in all kinds of wild
beasts. "A full-grown gorilla stands
about four feet six inches high and is
worth |1,200 to 11,600. They sell easily
for such prices, owing to the (ad that
they are rare and very diffic ult to cap
ture. C'hlefs in the interior of Africa
have been offered large sums if they
would succed in catching one of these
beasts. Numbers of little gorillas have
been captured at various times, but
they have always pined away and died
in a short time. The chief difficulty
about the capture of the gorilla is that
he lives in very unhealthy districts
where fevers prevail. A white man
has to fight the climate as well as the
animals, in addition to the well
known ferocity of the gorilla he is re
garded with a superstitious awe by the
natives, who have a legend to the ef
fect that this terrible beast carries
away the women to the Juugles. They
also regard the gorilla as endowed
with supernatural powers. Two men
sent out last year by a well-known
German firm that deals in wild beasts
perished in the wilds of Africa while
seeking for gorillas, it may seem sur
prising to an American, equipped with
all the appliances of science for the
subjugation of the animal kingdom,
that it seems impossible to capture and
cage a gorilla, But If his fearrul
strength is considered and his wonder
ful shyness, it will prove to be not so
much a matter of strength after all.
All kinds of suggestions have been
made to hunters with regard to the
devices to be used, such as traps, pit
falls and like appliances, but none of
these has proved to be successful. One
of the largest gorillas ever captured
belongs to the? zoological gardens in
London. The animal stands four feet
nine inches high. It Is so valuable
that offers of flTOO and >2,000 have
been made without acceptance.”
AVOIDABLE ACCIDENTS.
How tmnlliarlty with Accident* Hegel#
('■rek"iitn>4«
There Is no saying truer than that
familiarity breeds contempt, says an
old Pittsburg railroad man. Take, for
example, men who handle high ex
plosives. When they first go on the
work they handle the explosive tender
ly and gingerly, but with the constant
handling of the dangerous compounds
they grow careless, and dangerous and
deadly explosions are frequently the
result. VVe had a bad accident at one
time, and in order to dear the tracks
it was necessary to dynamite the
wreck. On the wrecking train the
dynamite was in one box on a flat-car,
with thv caps in another, while a third
box was provided in which to place
the dynamite cartridges when capped
and ready for use. The two' men ixi
charge of the dynamite, as the wreck
ing train neared the scene of the acci
dent, began to make ready the ex
plosive. One man affixed the cap to
the cartridge, and then tossed it to his
companion, some seven or eight feet
away, who caught and laid it in the
box We never knew exactly what
happened. Either one man missed his
catch or the other dropped a cartridge
in capping, but the car, dynamite and
men were wiped out of existence; a
large hole where the car and tracks
had been marked the scene of that
famillarity-breeds-contempt accident.
Warding Off Danger,
There is at least one lady in Ken
wood who believes thoroughly in the
efficacy of prayer. About a year ago
her husband engaged in a business
venture that looked rather uncertain.
But his wife had strong faith thut it
would turn out well. "Go ahead. John,
she said, “and let us put our trust
in the Lord. 1 pray every night that,
we may have no reason to regret the
risk we are taking." The affair seem
ed to turn out pretty well right from
the start. Handsome dividends were
paid all through the summer and dur
ing the winter and great Joy was In
the home of this man and the sharer
of his fortunes. But there came a
turn about a month ago. The busi
ness ceased to pay. and since then the
losses have been increasing every day.
Nothing was said about it «t the fire
side around which so muc h happiness
bad centered during the past year
until the other day when it was sug
gcsted by the husband that it would
be well to cut down expenses Ques
tions followed, as a matter of course,
and then It had to be confessed that
the business was not going well.
hear me!" exclaimed the distressed
lady, when all the truth had been re
vealed to her. "I must begin prayiog
again tonight!''
I tiwmcrr* •*!
The commerce of Belgium has made
nioet remarkable progrees The budget
for m*o shows that from the modest
Itgcire of 302 000 *#• franee c |St» ktni 0t»o»
in 1*31 the general commercial total
with foreign countries for |kt* was
• j*ta two.tew franca ill III.bit ou®»,
ftom !*>, Ooo moo franca ||U SM.OtW)
lb* special commerce ha* risen to >.•
S31 oral iMsi francs 1173*3*3 0001, and
ISM w ll l ung lb... .»■ co I 0*sc css' UOi* |
Irani s 1177f.Ooo uooi Half a eentury |
agu Belgium was scarcely known To
day It* proctoi ta and manufacture# are j
in the market* of every known corner I
of the globe nud thin IIHiv country
with It* at*** •*•*• in habitant* only a
few more than the rtt> of I am den. (
rank* as ths seventh industrial cscci1 |
tyy of tk» globe
I t4* «i IM I l|V
III# kO|N * 4# i* % I H III** Htciflf? |# |||*
Ki i# iA \* # Hfl ti<y|i4ift| AS I
Im I* rPili* 4k ?♦*!#•* # id til j
nil##
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON I. JULY 1- MATT. 14:
22-33.
"Of a Truth Thou Art the Son of God"
— Mutt. 1 4:0H — l.lgtit Front Other
Scripture* ( Itrlilt Stilling u Tempest —
On the Ironliletl Sen.
‘Anil straightway." a* soon as he
had tent o*,iy the five thousand men be
sides women and ehildren, whom he hail
fed with the five loaves and two fishes
tsee Lesson XII., of last quurteri. "Je
sus constrained." frged, compelled by
his authority and influence, contrary to
their own natural desires. The disciples
were reluctant to go away and leave their
teacher alone In this desert place at
night. It seemed like disloyalty and de
sertion. "To get Into a ship." Better us
In R. V'., to enter the boat, the ona they
had come In; not very large, for It could
be propelled by oars. "And to go before
him unto the other side." Mark: "to
Rethsalda"; John: “toward Capernaum,
this being the ultimate point to be
reached.
23. "Apart." Privately, by himself
alone. "To pray," as Ids disciples must
pray. If they would lie like their Master.
"And ns he prayed, the faithful stars In
the heavens shone out." "And when the
evening was come." The second or late
evening, beginning with sunset. The
din knees had notv descended upon the
whole scene. "He wa: there ulonc.” This
season of prayer alone with Uod lasted
several hours, for It began In the even
ing after sunset; ond i.e does not come
to his disciples till the fourth watch, or
hetiwi n 3 and U o'clock the next morning
(v. ii>).
2(. "But the ship ithe fishing boat) was
now In the midst of the sea," which was
here only shout five miles across. When
Jesus came to thim they had gone twi n
ty-llve or thirty furlongs (John 0: IP),
"which would he not quite three miles,
the Orcek stiolloil (furlong) helng consid
erably less than our furlong. "—Dr.
Broadti*. "Torsed with waves." The ex
pression In tin original Is forcible, ‘Tor
tured by the waves."
70. "And iii the fourth watch of the
night." Between 3 ami ti o'clock in the
morning. The night was divided by the
llomar.s Into four watches of about three
home each from sunset lo sunrise. "Je
• us went unto them, walking on the sen. '
In the extremity of their danger, exhaus
tion, and despondency, Jesus came to his
disciples by his supernatural power over
nature.
2li. "They were troubled, saying, ‘It Is
h rplrlt.’ ” The word In the Greek Is not
the usual one for "spirit." It was rather
an apparition, a ghost, a phantom, a
specter, and hence to them a sign of dis
aster or death. But “they cried out for
fear'' (the apparition was worse than tho
storm), and therefore (v. 27) "straight
way Jesus spake unto them." They
could recognize the familiar tones of Ills
voice. “Be of good cheer. It Is I." Your
Master; I, who a few months ago bade
the storm cease by my “Peace, he still;"
1, who have w rought so many miracles
In your presence; I, who am the Son of
God.
2S. "I.ord, If It he thou." Rather
"since It Is thou;" not expressing a
doubt, or at most hut the lingering echo
of doubts driven away by Christ's assur
ing words. "Bid me come unto thee on
the water." Or waters. Not "let me,”
hut “give me the word of command,"—
"command,” or "order me to come unto
(lice upon the waters."—J., F. and B.
2D. "And he said, ‘Come.' " Make a
trial of your faith. Jesus knew that by
permitting him to make the trial, Peter
would learn some very Important lessons
he needed much. "He walked on the
water.’’ Not necessarily very far; and
yet so long as he thus walked, It was
through supernatural aid from Christ,
which could operate upon him only so
long as he had faith.
30. "But when he saw the wind bois
terous,” I. e., the high waves. Impelled
by the wind rushing against him, "He
cried, saying. 'Lord, save me.’ ’’ Peter
had sense enough and faith enough to do
the one sensible thing.
31. "And Immediately." Mark the Im
mediately. Jesus did not delay. "Jesus
stretched forth his hand and caught
him." lfe unswers lo Peter's faith In
him, although that faith was small. "O
thou of little faith.” Heal faith, but too
little of It. "Wherefore didst thou
doubt?” Why could not you, who have
witnessed my power so many times, hold
on a little longer, and against seeming
difficulties? Peter had couruge and faith,
but both were Imperfect. Compare hl»
actions u year later, when he was confi
dent that he would die with Jesus before
he would deny him, followed so soon by
hla three dentals and his repentance.
Perhaps this scene among the waves was
a preparation for that more terrible trial
and experience.
32. "The wind ceased.” A beautiful
word In the Greek; the wind grew weary,
sank away like one who Is weary with
his fierce struggle* and lies down to rest.
33. "They that were In the ship." K.
V., "boat.” Others besides the disciples.
—Meyer, Schaff. Trench. “Came and wor
shipped him. Reverently bowing and
making the following confession.—Whe
don. Mark says of the disciples: "They
were sore amazed In themselves beyond
measure, and wondered. For they consid
ered not the miracle of the loaves, for
their heart was hardened.” "Of a truth
thou art the Son of God." This new dis
play of power had convinced them. It
was not so marvelous as (he miracle of
the loaves, hut was more striking In
form.
Mod Fragrant »lower*.
It 1* an Intereating thing to know
that 4.200 specie* of plant* are gath
Fred and ured for tommerelal pur
poaes in Europe. Of the.ee, 430 have
n perfume that la pleating and enter
largely Into the manufacture of scent*
and aoapa. There are more specie*
of white flower* gathered than or
*ny other color 1.124 lu all Of theae.
1*7 have an agreeable acent. an e«
traordlnarlly large proportion. Neat
in order com* yellow blossoms, with
Ml. aevmty-aeven of them ttelng per
fumed Hed flower* are of &P4 vari*
Ilea thirtv four of which are pei
fumed and the violet hloaatima are
pleanaati) od trlferuu* — Tld Mil*
< audUerattaa ml Olkoa
Mum* a mm who would be aahamed
lu atrik* a brut* heaat with a Uiudgvuu.
ha* no attarne In rnahlag a bludgeon of
hi* tongue tu airthe human being* a
the tendered pla> ea of their being —
ibeir »<►. tal •ewdbilttlea and their aelf
eatvent i‘rtwllt in lie groes and out
ward futtn* we in* In good tweaaur *
•uypre-ted. hut the it lined cruel! | of
the hitter w«>rg ih* unloving reantit
th# ! uani'x are not yet »«
tin t l,et u» he »» tareful of men •
ikt.tr ebia* *• «l our outer A A
TUhea