I A B4RTEREDJLIFE.
Hi international press association
Ht CHAPTER III. fCONTIKUED.I
H ! "Perhaps it would be better for mo
H not to change my dress , if I am likely
H to infringe upon the dinner hour , " said
H Constance , at her chamber door.
H I "Oh , I do not think my cousin would
H approve of that ! " exclaimed her cm-
H phatic conductress. Then she amended
H jher inadvertence. "Of course , .Mrs .
H ( Withers is the proper Judge of her own
H < * factions , and I would not appear to dic-
H tatc , but my cousin is punctilious on
H I jsome points , and the matter of ladies'
H { pttire is one of these. I have known
H' ' I jhim so long that I am conversant with
H. j. .fall his amiable peculiarities. I am con-
H | fldent he would be pleased to see Mrs.
H { Withers assume the head of her table
Hj tdn full dinner toilet. But as I remarked ,
M I do not presume to dictate , to ad-
M vise , or even suggest. Mrs. Withers is
H I .undisputed empress here. " Having run
trippingly through this speech , she in
flicted a third remarkable courtesy
upon the novice , and vanished.
"She is underbred and a meddler , "
decided Constance , while she made a
rapid toilet. "I hate to be addressed in
I 'the ' third person. I thought it a form
lof speech confined , in this country , to
kitchen maids and dry goods store
clerks. "
Before she could invest herself in the
( 'dinner dress that lay uppermost in hnr
'trunk ' the bell rang to summon her to
ijl he evening meal , and three minutes
H thereafter the footman knocked at her
M Ifdoor with the message that Mr. With-
H ers had sent for her.
S [ "I shall be down directly. Tell him
H not to wait for me , " she said , hurried-
B ly. She did not expect to be taken at
| H her word , but upon her descent to the
H i dining room she beheld her husband
seated at the foot of the board and Miss
! Field at the head. The latter laid down
I the soup ladle and jumped up , fussily.
"Here she is , now. I resign my chair
to one who will fill it more worthily
H | than I have ever done. "
H I "Keep your place , Harriet ! " ordered
M 1 her kinsman. "Mrs. Withers will waive
H 1 her claims on this occasion , since she
H I is late , " designating a chair at his left
H I as that intended for Constance's occu-
H i pancy. "We would .have waited for
H | you , Constance , had I been less faint
H i and weary. My physician has repeat-
H fjedlj- warned me that protracted absti-
nence is detrimental to my digestion.
Harriet , here , understands my consti
tution so well that I am seldom , when
at home , a sufferer from the twinges of
djspapsia , that have afflicted me in my
absence. "
"Those horrible public tables , " cried
I Harriet. "I assure you I never sat down
to a meal when you were away without
sighing over your evil plight in being
subjected to the abominable cookery
and intolerable hours of hotels. "
| "I did not Imow you were a dyspep-
ftic , " observed Constance. "You seemed
to enjoy good health during our tour. "
H "That was because Mrs. Withers
H does not yet comprehend your marvel-
H H ous patience the courage with which
| H you bear pain , and the unselfishness
Hithat leads you to conceal its ravages
Kfrom the eyes of others , " explained
H < ; Miss Field , ogling the interesting suf-
Hlfercr , who was discussing a plate of
H excellent white soup with a solemnly
Kconscious air. "Now that you are safe
Runder your own roof , we will soon undo
the mischief that has been done. You
Kdo not know what a prize you have
Kwon , Mrs. Withers , until you have seen
Hhim in the retiracy of home. His vir-
Htues are such as flourish in perfection
in the shadow of his own vine and fig-
Htree ; shed their sweetest perfume upon
the domestic hearth. "
B "As you perceive , my good cousin's
partiality for me tempts her to become
poetically extravagant in her expres-
Hsions , " Mr. Withers said to his wife , in
Hpretended apology , looking "well
plcased , nevertheless.
B "I could not have a more patient auditor -
itor than Mrs. Withers , I am sure , " re-
Hjoined Harriet. "Mrs. Withers will
Hnever take exception to my honest en-
Hthusiasm. "
B CHAPTER IV.
I
ONSTANCE an
swered by her ster
eotyped , languid
\ smile , wondering
2
5 only at the coinpla-
y cency with which a
vl man of her spouse's
s _ years and shrewdness -
*
ness hearkened to
the bold flattery of
ApApj his parasite.
P P Bfl The exhibition
Hceased to astonish her before she had
Hlived in the same house with the cous-
P P pns for a month. Within the same pe-
Hriod she was gradually reduced to the
Hpositiou of a cipher in the management
B Hof the establishment. After that first
Bday Miss Field had not offered to abdi-
Bcaie the seat at the head of the table ,
Hoxccpt al the only dinner party they I
Hhad given. Then the handsome Mrs.
Withcrs appeared in pearl-colored sat-
Hin and diamonds as the mistress of cer-
Hcmonies to a dozen substantial citizens
Hand their expensively attired wives , en-
Bdiired the two hours spent at table , and
the two duller ones in the great par-
HHlors , where the small company seemed
Kost and everybody talked as if afraid
K > his own voice. She was no gayer than'
the rest by the time the entertainment
was half over. The atmosphere of re-
Hspectahle stupidity was infectious , and
Bthis pervaded every nook of her new
Hiome. In her brother's house she had
had young visitors , and there was , al
the dullest , the hope of release to con
sole her. Now she was "settled in life , "
could sit down with idle hands and
spend her days in contemplation of her
grandeur. She had married well. No
body looked askance at her when old
maids were the subjects of pity or ridi
cule. The most censorious could not
couple her name with the dread word
"dependence. " She had no household
cares. Mr. Withers and Miss Field re
lieved her of all such.
And the mistress of the mansion was
left to her own devices ? By no means.
If her husband were fastidious , he was
also tyrannical. He dictated not only
what dress his wife should appear in
daily , but also what laces and orna
ments she should sport ; at what hours
she should take the air ; whom she
must visit and whom invite ; what
songs she should sing to him when he
asked for music in the evening , and
when the day should close the day so
wearisome in its similitude to all that
• had preceded and those which should
follow it.
"My cousin is a man with aspirations
above the frivolities of fashionable
life , and excitement is injurious to his
health , " Miss Field notified the bride
that day after her home-bringing. "I
fear Mrs. Withers will tire of the even
tenor of our way. "
"I like quiet , " Constance replied.
But she did not mean stagnation.
She was married in April , and on the
first of July the trio removed to Mr.
Withers' country seat. Here Constance
was to find that the dead level of her
existence had yet a lower plane of dull
ness. There was not a neighbor Avithin
four miles , hardly a farm house in
sight.
"We recruit here after the dissipa
tion of the winter , " Miss Field said ,
enjoyingly. "The solitude is enraptur
ing. One can sleep all day long if she
likes. "
This proved to be her favorite meth
od of recuperating her exhausted ener
gies. Mr. Withers , too , liked a post
prandial siesta , "prescribed by his phy
sician as eminently conducive to diges
tion. " Constance was not more lonely
when they slept than when they were
awake. The horrible sterility of her life
was not to be ameliorated by their so
ciety. If commonplaceness be a crime ,
Mr. Withers and his cousin were of
fenders of an aggravated type. Harri
et's affectations and Elnathan's plati
tudes were to the tortured senses of the
third person of the party less endura
ble than the cicada's shrill monotone
through : the hot summer day , and the
katydid's endless refrain at night. Her
chains , which had hitherto paralyzed
her by their weight , began to gall and
fret into her spirit. She grew unequal
in temper , nervous and restless , under
the restrictions imposed by her spouse.
An insane impulse beset her to defy his
authority and set at naught his coun
sels ; to rush into some outrageous
freak that should shock him out of his
propriety and provoke the prudish toad
eater to natural speech and action.
This madness was never stronger
than on one August afternoon when she
escaped from the house , leaving the
cousins to the enjoyment of their re
cuperative naps in their respective
chambers , and took her way to the
mountain back of the villa. She had
never explored it , tempting as was the
shade of the hemlocks and pines that
grew up to the summit , and the walls
of gray rock revealed through the rifts
of the foliage. A current of fragrance ,
the odor of the resinous woods , flowed
down to greet her ere she reached the
outskirts of the forest , and the lulling
murmur of the wind in the evergreen
boughs was like the sound of many
and wooing waters. The tender green
tassels of the larches tapped her head
as she bowed beneath their low branch
es , and the wide .hemlocks were spread
in benediction above her. She was
alone with nature free for one short
hour to think her own thoughts and
act out her desires. She laughed as a
bushy cedar knocked off her hat at the
instant that she tore her dress upon a
bramble-
"They are leagued with my legal
proprietor in the commendable business
of " repressing the lawless vagaries of
those who cannot get their fill of nat
ural beauties through the windows of
a state chariot. But I shall have my
frolic all the same. "
Another and a higher peak tempted
her when she had sat for a.while upon
a boulder crowning the first , revelling
in the view of valley and hill , includ
ing the basin in which nestled the
house , and the plain opening eastward
toward the sea and civilization. The
second height was precipitous , in some
places almost perpendicular. From
treading fearlessly and rapidly from
crag to crag , she came to pulling her
self up gravelly banks by catching at
the stout underbrush , and steadying
herself among rolling stones by tufts
of wiry grass. But she kept on , and
forgot aching feet , scant breath and
blistered hands when she stood finally
upon a broad plateau hundreds of feet
above the house , that had dwindled
into a toy cottage , and the environing
plantations of trees like patches in an
herb garden.
"This is life ! " she cried out in a sud
den transport , and she sat her down
upon a cushion of gray moss in the
3hadow of a cedar , to gaze and wonder
and rejoice.
She made a discovery presently. A
spring , clear and impetuous , burst
fi-om between two overhanging rocks ,
. . . . . , . .
) | M | - J I ul l l II I.I WM 'Wf ' W.M.M" | " " f.
tfm in.imii iw iMmMi iUii iriiMijiiniii iiiiii HTWlimn m i , r
and chose the- shortest route to the
valley , babbling with all its little
might. It was joined , before it htd
gone many feet , by other rivulets , and
from a point midway in the descent ,
whore the cliffs were steepest , came up
the shout of a waterfall. This , and the
tireless murmur of the evergreens ,
made up the music of this upper sanc
tuary , until Constance'3 voice rose from
the rocky table , sweet , full , exultant :
"The wild streams leap with headlong
sweep
In their curbless course o'er the moun
tain steep ;
All fresh and strong they foam along ,
Waking the rocks with their cataract
song. •
My eye bears a glance like the beam on
a lance
As I watch the waters dash and dance.
I burn with glee , for I love to see
The path of anything that's free.
I love I love oh , I love the free !
I love I love I love the free !
"The skylark springs with dew on his.
wings ,
And up in the arch of heaven he
sings
'Tra-la-tra-la ! ' Oh , sweeter far
Than the notes that come through a
golden bar.
The thrall and the state of the palace
gate
Are what my spirit has learned to
hate. "
The strain ceased abruptly , and , in
place of the rapt musician , borne above
the power of earthly woes to crush and
petty vexations to sting , a woman grov
elled upon the mossy cushion , weeping
hot , fast tears , and beating against the
rough rock with a child's folly of des
peration the white hand that wore the
badge of her servitude.
What was she but a caged bird , bid
den to preen its feathers and warble
the notes its master dictated between
golden bars ? A slave to whom state
and thrall meant one and the same
abhorrent thing ? What had she to do
henceforward with dreams of beauty
and freedom she , -who had signed
away her liberty of spirit and person ,
voluntarily accepting in their stead
the most foul captivity a pure and up
right woman can know ? She felt her
self to be utterly vile plague-spotted
in soul and flesh in the lonely sublim
ity of this mountain temple a leper ,
condemned and incurable , constrained
to cry out at the approach of every
passer-by , "Unclean ! unclean ! " It
would have been better for her to beg
her bread upon the doorsteps of the
wealthy , and , failing that , to die by the
wayside with starvation and cold , than
to live the life of nominal respectabil
ity and abundance , of real degradation
and poverty , which were now hers.
The tears were dried , but she still sat
on the gray carpet , clutching angrily
at it and the wild flowers peeping
through the crevices of the rock , rend
ing them as passion had torn her ; her
bosom heaving with the unspent waves
of excitement and a mutinous pout
upon her lips , when a crackling among
the brushwood thrilled her with an un
comfortable sensation of alarm.
Before she could regain her feet or
concert her scheme of defense or
flight , the nearest cedar boughs were
pushed aside , and a man stepped into
the area fenced in by the hardy mountain - |
tain evergreens. With subsiding fears , j
as her quick eye inventoried the vari
ous particulars of his neat traveling
suit , gentlemanly bearing , pleasant
countenance and deferential aspect
toward herself , Constance arose , visibly
embarrassed , but dignified , and await
ed his pleasure. The stranger betrayed
neither surprise nor confusion. Walk
ing directly up to her , he removed his
hat , bowing low , with a bright , cordial
smile. "Unless I am greatly mistaken
I have the pleasure of seeing my broth
er's wife. And you are more familiar
with my name and my handwriting
than with my face. I am Edward With
ers ! "
( TO BE COXTIXCEti. )
Coining : of Pennies.
It is not generally known that all the
minor coins of base metal , such as
pennies and nickels , are made at the
Philadelphia mint , and that nearly
100,000,000 pennies are coined there
every year. This large number is oc
casioned by the fact that thousands of
pennies are lost annually , and the gov
ernment has some difficulty in main
taining a supply. The profit of the
government on their manufacture is
large. The blanks for making them
are purchased for § 1 a thousand from
a Cincinnati firm that produces them
by contract. Blanks for nickels are
obtained in the same "way , costing Un
cle Sam only a cent and a half a piece.
Gold is coined in Philadelphia and San
Francisco. Not enough of it comes in
to the mint at New Orleans to make
the coinage of it worth while. Gold
pieces are the only coins of the United
States which are worth their face value
intrinsically. A double eagle contains
? 20 worth of gold without counting the
one-tenth part copper.
Retrograding.
Lord Nocount ( proudly ) "I can trace
my descent from William the Conquer
or. " Cynicus "You have been a long
time on the downward path. " - Truth.
Good A4vicc.
"Mr.X has threatened to kick mt
next time he meets me in society. If I
see him walk in what should I do ? "
"Sit dowa. " Standard.
Gormandizing Insects.
The caterpillars are great eaters , the ,
different species consuming from five
to twenty times their own weight of i
food each day. - > \
> , _ t . . rw , . . . . .x- a gsagbBaai
| DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON. !
Washington , Nov. 22 , 189G. A re
sounding call goes out in this sermor
of Dr. Talmage. If heeded it would be
revolutionary for good. His subject is
"Young Men Challenged to Nobility , '
and the text : 2 Kings 6:17 : "And th
Lord opened the eyes of the young
man. "
One morning in Dothan , a young
theological student was scared by find
ing himself and Elisha the prophet ,
upon whom he waited , surrounded by a
whole army of enemies. But venerable
Elisha was not scared at all , because
he saw the mountains full of defence
for him , in chariots made of fire , drawn
by horses of fire a supernatural ap
pearance that could not be seen with
the natural eye. So the old minister
prayed that the young minister might
see them also , and the prayer was an
swered , and the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man , and he also saw the
fiery procession , looking somewhat , I
suppose , like the Adirondacks or the
Alleghanies in autumnal resplendence.
Many young men , standing among
the most tremendous realities , have
their eyes half shut or entirely closed.
- May God grant that my sermon may
open wide your eyes to your safety ,
your opportunity , and your destiny !
A mighty defence for a young man is
a good home. Some of my hearers look
back with tender satisfaction to their
early home. It may have been rude
and rustic , hidden among the hills , and
architect or upholsterer , never planned
or adorned it. But all the fresco on
princely walls never looked so entic
ing to you as those rough-hewn raf
ters. You can think of no park or
arbor of trees planted on fashionable
country-seat so attractive as the plain
brook that ran in front of the old
farm-house and sang under the weep
ing willows. No barred gateway ,
adorned with statue of bronze , and
swung open by obsequious porter in
full dress , has half the glory of the
old swing gate. Many of you have a
second dwelling-place , your adopted
home , that also is sacred forever. There
you built the first family altar. There
your children were born. All those
trees you planted. That room is sol
emn , because once in it , over the hot
pillow , flapped the wing of death.
Under that rcof you expect to lie down
and die. You tr ' with many words to
tell the excellency of the place , but you
fail. There is only one word in the
language that can describe your mean
ing. It is home.
Another defence for a young man is
industrious habits. Many young men ,
in starting upon life in this age , ex
pect to make their way through the
world by the use of their wits rather
than the toil of their hands. A boy
now goes to the city and fails twice
before he is as old as his father was
when he first saw the spires of the
great town. Sitting in some office ,
rented at a thousand dollars a year , he
is waiting for the bank to declare its
dividend or goes into the market ex
pecting before night to be made rich
by the rushing up of the stocks. But
luck seemed so dull he resolved on
some other tack. Perhaps he borrowed
from his employer's money drawer , and
forgets to put it back , or for merely
the purpose of improving his penman
ship , makes a copyplate of a merchant's
signature. Never mind ; all is right in
trade. In some dark night there may
come in his dreams a vision of the
penitentiary ; but it soon vanishes. In
a short time he will be ready to retire
from the busy world , and amid his
[ locks and herd ? cultivate the domestic
virtues. Then those young men who
once were his schoolmates , and knew
no better than to engage in honest
work , will come with their ox-teams
to draw him logs , and with hard hands
to heave up his castle. This is no fancy
picture. It is everyday life. I should
not wonder if there were some rotten
beams in that beautiful palace. I
should not wonder if dire sickness ,
should smite through the young man , or
if God should pour into his cup of life
a draught that would thrill him with
unbearable agony ; if his children
should become to him a living curse ,
making his home a pest and a disgrace.
I should not wonder if he goes to a
miserable grave , and beyond it into the
gnashing of teeth. The way of the un
godly shall perish.
My young friends , there is no way to
genuine success , except through toil ,
cither of head or hand. At the battle
of Crecy , in 1346 , the prince of Wales ,
finding himself heavily pressed by the
3nemy , sent word to his father for help.
The father , watching the battle from a
windmill , and seeing his son was not j
wounded and could gain the day if he !
would , sent word , "No , I will not come. J
Let the boy win his spurs , for , if God j
will , I de3ire that this day be his with '
all its honors. " Young man , fight your |
own battle , all through , and you shall '
have the victory. Oh , it is a battle i
worth fighting ! Two monarchs of old
fought a duel , Charles V. and Francis , ,
and the stakes were kingdoms , Milan j
and Burgundy. You fight with sin , j
and the stake is heaven or hell. j i
Do not get the fatal idea that you are j
a genius , ' that , therefore , there is
qo need of close application. It is here j
where multitudes fail. The curse of
this age is the geniuses ; men with enormous - '
mous self-conceit and egotism , and •
nothing else. I had rather be an ox j
than an eagle ; plain and plodding and
useful , rather than high-flying and \
good for nothing but to pick out the
eyes of carcasses. Extraordinary capacity - <
pacity without work is extraordinary
failure. There is no hope for that person - '
son who begins life resolved to live by
his wits , for the probability is that he
has not any. It was not safe for Adam.
even in his unfallen state , to have j
nothing to do , and therefore , God commanded - 1
manded him to be a farmer and horti- i
! mm .mi , , * ' * jU. * . * *
culturist. Ho was to dress the gar
den and keep it , and had he and his
wife obeyed the Divine injunction and
been at work , they would not have
been sauntering under the trees and
hankering after that fruit which de-
troyed them and their posterity ; a
proof positive for all ages to come that
those who do not attend to their busi
ness are sure to get Into mischief.
I do not know that the prodigal In
Scripture would ever have been re
claimed had he not given up his idle
habits and gone to feeding swine for
a living. The devil does not so often
attack the man who is busy with the
pen , and the book , and the trowel , and
the saw , and the hammer. He is afraid
of those weapons. But woe to the
man whom this roaring Hon meet3
with his hands in his pockets !
This is the statement of a man who
has broken this Divine enactment : "I
was engaged in manufacturing on the
Lehigh river. On the Sabbath I used
to rest , but never regarded God in it.
One beautiful Sabbath when the noise
was all hushed , and the day was all
that loveliness could make it , I sat
dov/n on my piazza , and went to work
inventing a new shuttle. I neither
stopped to eat nor drink till the sun
went down. By that time I had the
invention completed. The next morn
ing I exhibited it , and boasted of my
day's work , and was applauded. The
shuttle was tried , and worked well ,
but that Sabbath day's work cost me
thirty thousand dollars. We branch
ed out and enlarged , and the curse of
heaven was upon me from that day on
ward. "
While the Divine frown must rest
upon him who tramples upon this
statute , God's special favor will be
upon that young man who scrupulously
observes it. This day , properly ob
served , will throw a hallowed influence
over all the week. The song and ser
mon and sanctuary will hold back from
presumptuous sins. That young man
who begins the duties of life with
either secret or open disrespect to the
holy day , I venture to prophesy , will
meet with no permanent successes.
God's curse will fall upon his ship , his
store , his office , his studio , his body ,
and his soul. The way of the wicked
he turneth upside down. In one of the
old fables it was said that a wonder
ful child was born in Bagdad , and a
magician could hear his footsteps six
thousand miles away. But I can hear
in the footstep of that young man on
his way to the house of worship to-day
the step not only of a lifetime of use
fulness , but the oncoming step of
eternal ages of happiness yet millions
of years away.
A noble ideal and confident expec
tation of approximating to it are an in
fallible defense. The' artist completes
in his mind the great thought that he
wishes to transfer to the canvas or the
marble before he takes up the crayon
or the chisel. The architect plans out
the entire structure before he orders
the workmen to begin , and though
there may for a long while seem to be
nothing but blundering and rudeness ,
he has in his mind every Corinthian
wreath and Gothic arch and Byzantine
capital. The poet arranges the entire
plot before he begins to chime the first
canto of tingling rhythms. And yet ,
strange to say , there are men who at
tempt to build their character without
knowing whether in the end it shall
be a rude Tartar's tent or a St. Mark's
of Venice men who begin to write the
intricate poem of their lives without
knowing whether it shall be a Homer's
"Odyssey" or a rhymester's botch.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine men
out of a thousand are living without
any great life-plot. Booted and
spurred and plumed , and urging their
swift courser in the hottest haste , I
ask : "Hello , man , whither away ? " His
response is , "Nowhere. " Rush into the
busy shop or store of many a one , and
taking the plane out of the man's hand
or laying down the yardstick , say ,
"What , man. is all this about , so much
stir and sweat ? " The reply will stum
ble and break down between teeth and
lips. Every one's duty ought only to
be the filling np of the main plan of
existence. Let men be consistent. If
they prefer misdeeds to correct courses
of action , then let them draw out the
design of knavery and cruelty and
plunder. Let every day's falsehood
and wrongdoing be added as coloring
to the picture. Let bloody deeds red-
stripe the picture , and the clouds ot a
wrathful God hang down heavily over
the canvas , ready to break out in clam
orous tempest. Let the waters be
chafed and froth-tangled , and green
with immeasurable depths. Then take
a torch of burning pitch and scorch in
to the frame the right name of it the
soul's suicide. If one entering upon
sinful directions " would only in his
mind or on paper , draw out in awiul
reality this dreadful picture , he would
recoil from it and say : "Am I a Dante ,
that by my own life I should write an
other 'Inferno' ? " But if you are re
solved to live a life such as God and
seed men will approve , do not let it
be a vague dream , an indefinite deter
mination , but , in your mind , or upon
paper , sketch it in all its minutiae.
You cannot know the changes to which
rou may be subject , but you may know
what always will be right and always
will be wrong. Let gentleness and
2harity and veracity and faith stand in
the heart of the sketch. On some
still brook's bank make a lamb and
lion lie down together. Draw two or
three of the trees of life , not frost-
stricken , nor ice-glazed , nor wind-
stripped , but with thick verdure wav
ing like the palms of heaven. On the
darkest cloud place the rainbow , that
pillow of the dying storm. You need
not print the title on the frame. The
dullest will catch the design at a
glance , and say , "That is the road to
heaven. " Ah. me ! On this sea of
life , what innumerable ships , heavily
laden and well rigged , yet seem bound
for no part ! Swept every whither of
wind and wave , they go up by the
mountains , they go down by the vai-
i
leys , and are at their wits' end. Theyi H
sail by no chart , they watch no star , < M
they long for no harbor. * H
Many years ago word came to mo tr H
that two impostors , as temperance lee'i i H
f
turers , had been speaking in Ohio , in H
various place ? , and giving their experience - H
rienco , and they told their audience H
that they had long been intimate with , |
me , and had become drunkards by 'l l
dining at my'table , where I always had H
liquors of all sorts. Indignant to the I H
last degree I went down to Patrick H
Campbell , chief of Brooklyn police , H
saying that I was going to start that H
night for Ohio to have those villlans j H
arrested , and I wanted him to tell me ' H
how to make the arrest. Ho smiled |
and said : "Do not waste your time by M
chasing these men. Go home and do |
your work , and they can do you no H
harm. " I took his counsel , and all was H
well. Long ago I made up my mind H
that it one will put his trust in God H
and be faithful to duty , he need not H
fear any evil. Have God on your side , H
young man. and all the combined H
forces of earth and hell can do you no H
damage. |
And this leads me to say that the ' H
mightiest defense for a young man is H
the possession of religious principle. |
Nothing can take the place of it. Ho H
may have manners that would put to H
shame the gracefulness and courtesy k H
of a Lord Chesterfield. Foreign Ian- H
guages may drop from his tongue. He w l
may be abe ! to discuss literature , and Vi l
laws , and foreign customs. He may ' M
wield a pen of nncqualcd polish and l |
power. His quickness and tact may |
qualify him for the Highest salary of |
the counting house. Ho may be a < f H
sharp as Herod and as strong as |
Samson , with as fine locks as these ' 1
which hung Absalom , still he is not H
safe from contamination. The more H
elegant his manner , and the more fascinating - |
cinating his dress , the more peril. Satan - |
tan does not care for the allegiance of H
a cowardly and illiterate being. He H
cannot bring him into efficient service. H
But he loves to storm that castle of H
character which has in it the mo3t H
spoils and treasures. It was not some |
crazy craft creeping along the coast |
with a valueless cargo that the pirate V H
attacked , but the ship , full-winged and , J H
flagged , plying between great ports. H
carrying its millions of specie. The n l
more your natural and acquired accomplishments - H
plishments , the more need of the religion - H
gion of Jesus. That does not cut in |
upon or hack up the smoothness of disposition - H
position or behavior. It gives symme- 1
try. It arrests that in the soul which |
ought to be arrested , and propels that |
which ought to be propelled. It fills 1
up the gulleys. It elevates and trans- .J H
forms. To beauty it gives more 'l l
beauty , to tact more tact , to enthusiasm - * H
siasm of nature more enthusiasm. " H
When the Holy Spirit impresses the H
image of God on the heart he does not / ' t H
spoil the canvass. If in all the multitudes - . ' * M
tudes of young men upon whom religion - M
gion has acted you could find one nature - ' M
ture that had been the least damaged. H
[ would yield this proposition. * * * u l
Many year3 ago I stood on the anni- ' J H
i-ersary platform with a minister of ( H
Christ who made this remarkable \ ' H
statement : "Thirty years ago two H
poung men started out in the evening J |
; o attend the Park theater , New York , < j H
where a play was to be acted in which H
Lhe cause of religion was to be placed H
in a ridiculous and hypocritical light. H
They came to the steps. The consciences - H
sciences of both smote them. One . H
started to go home , but returned again . ' H
: o the door , and yet had not courage to |
inter , and finally departed. But the H
ather young man entered the pit of the H
theater. It was the turning point in # / H
the history of these two young men. , H
The man who entered was caught in H
the whirl of temptation. He sank H
leeper and deeper in infamy ; he was H
lost. That other young man was ' 1
saved , and he now stands before you H
to bless God that for twenty years he H
tias been permitted to preach the Gos- ' H
"Rejoice , O young man , in thy H
youth , and let thy heart cheer thee < H
in the days of thy youth ; but know H
thou that for all these things God will H
bring thee into judgment. - H
WORTH KNOWING. |
Locusts are doing much damage tc |
he crops in Argentina. * * |
The army of India now numbers 280 , - M
! 00 men , of whom 180,000 are native v • H
soldiers. H
Chichester cathedral , England , is 411 i . Hj
7
eet in length , 151 feet wide and 271 ' H
cot high. ' ; H
Next year is the centennial of the a M
stovepipe hat , which first came into u - H
ommon use in Paris. , / H
Two wealthy Hebrews of Bagdad \ > M
iow own all that remains of the an- tL H
lent town of Babylon. y H
Three hundred thousand tons of H
-egetables , valued at $25,000,000 , were H
old in the city of Paris in 1895. H
Six couples living within a circuit of J H
sup mile at Milford. X. H. , have cele- H
> ratpd their golden wedding anniver- ( M
A floral bicycle was the funeral trib- |
ite recentlj - made by a Lewiston ( Me. ) ' M
: ot-house for bereaved cyclomaniac M
riends of a young man who had lived M
here. ( M
Wicks I heard a pretty compliment |
o Hamlin , the actor , to-day. Squee- H
jicks says he possesses the art which . - |
ronceals art. Hicks That's a fact. fl
fcu'd never know he had any. Boston H
Transcript. H
"There doesn't seem to be much of a ' |
lemanil for seats to this performance , " J * * H
; aid the star. "Xo. " said the manager , T l
as he ran over a bundle of dead-head i < > * |
applications : "nothing but requests. " * a < H
Washington Star. * v H
v
"Dearest ! " He stopped reading his H
: > aper long enough to ask what hi3 * |
jestest little wife might want. "When t H
mark the dollars down . H
hey to 53 cents , - /
will it be every day or only qu Frt- * H
lays ? " Indianapolis Journal. H