II I My Fellow Laborer. |
I k i m By H. RIDER HAGGARD. *
H I CHAPTER III.
Bj f < * rj = = f7 D0UT tliree months
H I sffl [ / after my dear
B J kL * wife's death , Fanny
\ MMs&i Dcnely , ana l com
= = menccdourinvestl"
H
wffi
r m.
I 1 rP//// / Eatlons in good
C.rarY > / / /
I $ ! earnest. But , as I
xrot
I 1 ) * jSs ! igW/ $ had prophesied , I
/ J Ii soon discovered
% that I could' not
/ \ QjmMthat
i Is Pi * serve two masters.
H \ e It was practically
I i ' impossible for me to carry on the
B \ -every-day work of my profession , and
B I at the same time give up my mind to
B i the almost appalling undertaking I had
B | in hand. Any spare time that was left
B J * to me , after providing for my day's
B % work , was more than occupied in col-
B % lectlng notes of those particular kinds
B * of physical and mental , or , to coin a
V M word , spirituo-meutal phenomena
B m some of which are , as readers of "The
B J Secret of Life" may see , exceedingly
W f rare that I required as a groundwork
B \ of ray argument , and with the carry-
I t | ing on of a voluminous correspondence
It with such scientific men all over the
M ' world as did not set mo down as a
I 'I dreamer , or worse. So I had to make
up my mind either to do one thing or
I i the other , give up my search after the
I ) moral philosopher's stone , or surreu-
I \ der the lease of my chambers in tha
I city. For some months I worked dou-
I / v ble tides , and hesitated , but at last my
I \ y decision could no longer be postponed ,
/ / it must be one thing or the other. So
I j ( in my perplexity I consulted Fanny ,
* and having laid the whole matter be-
I I fore her , asked her which course she
I \ thought I ought to take. Her answer
B l was prompt and unhesitating. It was
I \ to the effect that I should give up my
I / profession and devote myself exclu-
I \ sively to my investigations.
I * "You have eix hundred a year to live
K . on , " she said , "and therefore will net
V starve ; and , if you succeed , you will
Wi achieve immortal fame ; for you will
I \ have found the way to minister to a
i mind diseased , and , if you fail , you
I will have acquired an enormous mass
J of knowledge which you may be able
to turn to account in some other way.
I have no. doubt myself on the matter.
Think of what the reward before you
„ is. "
I did not quite like Fanny's way of
putting the matter. She always seemed
i
ed lo me to dwell too much upon the
personal advantages that would re
sult from my success. Now such a
quest as mine is not for the individual ;
it is for the whole wide world , and for
the millions and millions who are yet
I % .i ' to * * ve uP ° n ft * What does it matter
I , w l who finds , provided that the truth is
I • found ? Why , any right-thinking man
I % should be glad , if his circumstances
B * will permit of it to give his life to such
B jX a cause ; aye , even if he knows that , so
m. & \ far as he is concerned , he will never
Bjlj v reach the goal , but be trodden down
Bl and forgotten. He should be glad "and
Bm happy , I say , if he can only think that
B * . some more fortunate seeker will be able
B I to step a pace to forward on his pros-
B 1 trate form. But , after all , even the
Hd ) best and widest-minded women , as I
B\ have found them , will look at things
B \ in a strictly personal light. I do not
B y think that as a class they care much
B J\ for humanity at large , or would go far
Iff out of their way to help it ; of course , I
V 1 t mean if they are certain that nobody
| \ will hear of their good work. But this
M\ is only an opinion.
I \ I pointed this out to Fanny , who
I f shrugged her handsome shoulders , and
I \ said that really she did not think it
_ ff , mattered much which way one looked
I * E i at it ; the great thing was to succeed.
I \ Well , I took her advice , partly be-
I JT cause it fell in with my own views , and
l p partly because I have always paid more
llr attention to Fanny than to any other
3 7 living creature. Indeed , to this day I
9a hold her judgment in almost childish
HE veneration. It was a hard wrench to
W me , giving up the outward and visible
J i following of my profession , more espe-
k . cially as I was then in a fair way to
I ill achieve considerable success in it ; but
ftp * ifc nai to be donefelt Jt my duty t0
Kef do it , and so I made the best of it.
B What was still harder , however , was
| the reception that my decision met
Bi \ with among such few relatives as I
3&f possessed , and my friends and ac-
BW quaintances. They remonstrated with
B . me Persona y and Dy letter , and an-
B noyed me in every way , and upon every
B A possible occasion. Even relatives with
BdP whom I had never had the slightest in-
B8T tercourse thought this a good oppor-
HjP tunity to inaugurate an epistolary ac-
quaintance. One old aunt wrote to ask
I K what amount of truth there was in the
I Jp rumor that I had given up my profes-
I \ sion.and what I had taken to in place of
B Jp it ? I replied that was devoting myself
T to scientific research. An answer came
I \ by return of post , to the effect that ,
PI | having heard that I was doing so well
1 I as a doctor , she had recognized my
m Jr talents in her will. This she had , on
Mi receipt of my letter of explanation , at
WiS once given instructions to alter by the
Im ommission of my name ; she was not
{ * gpia to have her money squandered
Mi on scientific researches , which always
Kf \ ende < 3 in smoke. "Science , indeed , "
\ her letter ended. "Why you might as
W\I \ \ well have taken to looking for the
I Jf * y North Pole or even literature ! "
I | Finding my resolution unalterable
I S * \ for one of my few oed points is that
F P I do not turn back I was , however ,
9 ' eon given up by the whole family as
\ an irreclaimable ne'er-do-well , and it
was , I believe , even hinted among them
/ that I was not altogether responsible
> for my actions. At any rate , the rumor
V did get round , and ( \ether it wa3 owing -
\ ing to Uiis or to tntr fact that I could
;
no longer be looked upon as an In
dividual who was likely to make
money , I soon noticed a decided change
in the manner of my acquaintance ,
professional and lay , toward me. Be
fore , their attitude had at least been
respectful ; now it was , if not con
temptuous , at least tinged with su
perior pity.
Well , I put up with It all humbly
enough , but now that my position Is
such that these very people who have
treated me with contumely for so many
years , go about and boast of their in
timacy with me , and arc even so kind
as to supply the papers with the sup
posed details of my private life , I will
confess that the pill was a bitter one
for me to swallow. Not that I was al
together without comfort , faintly fore
seeing the hour of triump that has
come.
Besides , even when we must perforce
do worship to Mammon and bow the
knee to Baal , there are yet consola
tions. It is something to feel with
the keen instinct which kriows no er
ror that the minds of those contemptu
ous scoffers , who think so well of them
selves and so ill of you , are to your
mind as the ditch-mud Is to the mir
ror reffecting heaven's own light ; that
in you there dwells a spark of the
glorious creative fire of which they
know nothing , and cannot even under
stand ; and that they , the rich , the re
spected , the prosperous and unctuously
happy , are as far beneath you , whom
they despise as an unsuccessful dream
er , in all that really tends to make a
man divine , as their dogs and horses
are beneath them.
That was how I thought in those
days , and think so still , though now
that it Is showered in upon me , I do
not care much for that world-wide
praise I used to covet in my bitterer
and more lonely moments , when im
minent failure seemed to press me
round like the darkness closing in. It
is too rank and too undiscerning , and
much of it is merely tribute to suc
cess and not to the brain and work that
won it.
In short , as will be understood with
difficulty , being human , I felt all this
neglect of which I have striven to show
the color , pretty sharply , and though I
submitted , and was perfectly able to
analyze its causes , it gave my mind a
misanthropic turn , from which it has
never quite recovered , for the world's
adulation can never atone for the
world's contempt , or even for the neg
lect of those around us who make our
world. And thus as time went on I
gradually acquired a greater and
greater dislike to mixing in society ,
and began to attach myself more and
more to my studies and to Fanny , who
became by degrees the only person
that I thoroughly trusted and relied
on the world.
When my dear wife had been dead
eighteen months , it occurred to me
that there were inconveniences attach
ing to our mode of life , and that if she
saw matters in the same light , it would
be well to draw the bond of friendship
and affection yet closer by marriage.
Not that I was in love with Fanny
Dennelly in the sensoinwhich the
term is generally used. Indeed , it was
one of her great charms in my eyes
that it seemed possible to- live on the
terms of the closest friendship and
affection with her without any nonsense
of tlie sort being imported into the in
timacy , either on one side or the other.
Also , as far as I was concerned , I had
buried all passion of that kind with
my dear wife , and my speculations oc
cupied my mind far too entirely to
allow of the entry into it of any of
those degrading imitations to which
imaginative and intelligent men are ,
oddly enough , especially liable if they
are not very hard worked , probably on
account of the greater irritability and
sensitiveness cf their brains.
What I looked forward to in marry
ing Fanny Denelly was a reasonable
and sensible companionship , entered
into for the comfort of congenial so
ciety and to furtther the end to which
we had both devoted our lives. Also
1 was desirous of giving my unfortunate
boy a permanent substitute for his
dead mother , and one whom he dearly
loved. Accordingly , I took occasion
one evening after dinner to speak to
Fanny about the question , before we
settled down to our night's work. This
I did with some trepidation , for how
ever well you may think you under
stand a woman , it is not always pos
sible to know how she will take a mat
ter of the sort. Still I put the best
face on it that I could , and talked for
a quarter of an hour without stop
ping.
All the time she sat still with her
hands behind her head , and her "dark
eyes fixed upon my face , and never said
a word.
"You are a very curious man , Geof
frey , " she answered , with a little
laugh when at last I had done.
"Why ? " Iasked.
"Because you have put the whole
question to me as though marriage
were a chapter out of 'The Secret of
Life. ' "
"Well , for the matter of that , so it
generally is , " I said.
"And you have not said one word of
affection. It has all been business ,
from beginning to end. "
"My dear Fanny , * ' I answered , "you
know how deeply I am attached to you.
I did not think it necessary to en
large upon the point. "
"Yes , " she answered , gently , and
with a new light shining in her eyes ,
"but it is a point that women like to
hear enlarged upon. I am only a wom
an , after all , Geoffrey. I am not all
scientific and mathematical. "
I saw that I had made a mistake , and
had appealed too much to the reason
ing side of her nature as opposed to
the sentimental. To tell the truth ,
when one lives day by day with a wom
an , and all one's talk is of the highest
problems of existence , one is apt to
forget that these matters are , after
all , only more or less accidental to
her , and that the basis of flesh and
blood , on which they are built up , re
mains the same. In short , one geta
to view her more in the light of a
man.
man.A man can lose his old Adam In
studies or aspirations , or In devotion tea
a cause ; but a woman , so far as my
experience goes , and as the moral of
this story tends to prove , can never
quite get rid of the original Eve.
"My dearest Fanny , " I said , "for
give me , " and then I took another line
of argument with her which I need
not enter into for that tale has been
told so often before , and besides one
always looks back at those sort of
things with a kind of mental blush.
Sufficient to say that it proved effec
tive.
"I will marry you , dearest Geoffrey , "
she murmured at last , "and I hope that
in looking together for the Secret of
Life , we shall find the secret of Hap
piness also. "
"Very well , love , " I said ; "and now
that we have settled that , let us get to
our work. We have lost an hour al
ready ! " *
( TO BE CONTINUED. )
Towers for Klectrlc Lights.
When are lights were first introduced
for street lighting there was a very ex
aggerated idea of their lighting power.
A light of 1,000 candle power * seemed
such a powerful illuminator that the
idea was very naturally conceived of
placing lamps on the top of tall tow
ers and lighting the whole area of the
city. Several municipalities adopted
this tower system of lighting , of which
the best known example is doubtless
Detroit. It was at once found , however ,
that a cluster of arc lamps 150 feet or
more from the ground might be an ex
cellent plan for lighting the whole of
a large area ; but was a very poor plan
for lighting city streets. In the aver
age American city , with long blocks ,
the streets comprise not more than one-
third of the area. Hence with the tow
er system of lighting 66 per cent of the
illuminating power is wasted in light
ing up house roofs , backyards and va
cant lots. Nearly every city of which
we have information that orginally
adopted the tower system of lighting
has abandoned it. It is therefore quite
surprising to learn that Des Moines ,
Iowa , proposed to put in a municipal
street lighting plant and to use the
tower system. What consideration in
fluenced the city authorities to adopt
this system we do not know , but we
would strongly urge them to investi
gate the experience of Detroit and oth
er cities with the tower system of light
ing before they construct such a plant
in their own city. Engineering News.
The Trcaks of False Teeth.
Accidents will happen sometimes ,
even to the veteran in official or social
life. But when a certain congressman's
eloquence grew stt"spirited Wednesday
that his false teeth flew out into space
very few knew it , except those sitting
close to him , and the adept manner in
which he caught them went 'to show
that he is familiar .with their freaks.
It reminded a Kansan of a man whom
he once knew , a prominent editor of
one of the largest newspapers in his
state. He had beautiful false teeth , but
he didn't love them , and when he had
visitors and got into a reminiscent
mood it was his habit to remove his
teeth and play with them. In this man
ner they were liable to get lost and
would be found in the most unexpected
places. One day he absently mailed
them among a batch of letters , and the
mischief was to pay until he saw them
advertised in his own paper. After
that he had his name engraved on the
solid gold plate and felt that he was
quite safe. When he talked very rapid
ly his teeth had a startling habit of
flying out. He was a picturesque improviser -
proviser of profanity , and when he got
excited his false teeth would often
punctuate his remarks by their sudden
appearance. One day his unfortunate
foreman was thus attacked , and the
teeth struck him in one eye , nearly
blinding him. He kept the teeth , sued
and recovered damages. Washington
Star.
A Joking Monkey.
There is a monkey in one of the sub
urbs of Washington that is a practical
joker of the most irrepressible sort. A
few days ago , a member of the family
found the Simian apparently stiff in
death. As the animal was a great pet ,
there was a great howdy-do , and a
quick summons for a doctor. The physician
'
sician came and after a thorough exam
ination pronounced his monkeyship
dead. No sooner had he delivered his
opinion than the monkey hopped hrisk-
ly up , gave the doctor a military sa
lute , and scampered away , chattering
and screeching at the top of his voice.
The physician is hearing a great deal
about the affair from his friends.
Decidedly Objectionable.
The Tenant I want to change my of
fice for one on the second floor. The
Agent What's the trouble ? The Ten
ant You know I'm on the fourteenth
floor now. Well , every time my wife's
mother comes up to see me it gives her
palpitation of the heart so to come
up on the elevator that she invariably
insists upon stopping in my office two
hours for the palpitations to ease down.
Gimmie a room that can be reached
by a stairway. Cleveland Plain Deal
er.
Unavoidable.
Wallace Wasn't it rather strange
for Tippler to marry that snake charm
er ? Brutts Yes. It was brought about
through circumstances. He had de
lirium tremens that night , and she was
the only one who could do anything
with him. Philadelphia North Ameri
can.
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
"A CART-ROPE INIQUITY" SUN
DAY'S SUBJEBT ,
Prom the Following ISlhlo Text : Ivilnli ,
Chapter fi , Verne 18 : "Woo Unto
Them That Sin A It V > * r > With n
Curt-Hope. " Vigilance Advised.
. HERE are some In
iquities that only
nibble at the heart.
After a lifetime of
their work , the man
f. still stands upright ,
respected , and hon
ored. These vermin -
min have not
strength enough to
gnaw through a
m an's charac
ter. But there are other transgressions
that lift themselves up to gigantic pro
portions , and seize hold of a man and
bind him with thongs forever. There
are some iniquities that have such great
emphasis of evil that he who commits
them may be said to sin as with a cart-
rope. I suppose you know how they
make a great rope. The stuff out of
w-hich it is fashioned is nothing but
tow which you pull apart without any
exertion of your fingers. This is spun
into threads , any of which you could
easily snap , but a great many of these
threads are Interwound then you have
a rope strong enough to bind an ox ,
or hold a ship in a tempest. I speak
to you of the sin of gambling. A cart-
rope in strength is that sin , and yet I
wish more especially to draw your at
tention to the small threads of influ
ence out of which that mighty Iniquity
Is twisted. This crime is on the advance ,
so that It is well not only that fathers ,
and brothers , and sons , be interested
in such a discussion , but that wives ,
and mothers , and sisters , and daughters
look out lest their present home be
sacrificed , or their intended home be
blasted. No man , no woman , ban stand
aloof from such a subject as this and
say : "It has no practical bearing upon
my life ; " for there may be in a short
time in your history ? n experience in
which you will find that the discussion
Involved three worlds earth , heaven ,
hell. There are gambling establish
ments by the thousands. There are
about five thousand five hundred pro
fessional gamblers. Out of all the gam
bling establishments , how many cf
them do you suppose profess to be hon
est ? Ten. These ten professing to be
honest because they are merely the
ante-chamber to those that are ac
knowledged fraudulent. There are first-
class establishments. You step a little
way out of Broadway , New York. You
"
go up the marble stairs. You ring the
bell. The liveried servant introduces
you. The walls are lavender tinted.
The mantels are of Vermont marble.
The pictures are "Jephthah's Daugh
ter , " and Dore's " 'Dante's and Virgil's
Frozen Region of Hell , " a most ap
propriate selection , this last , for the
place. There is the roulette table , the
• -finest , costliest , most exquisite piece of
furniture in the United States. There
is the banqueting room where , free of
charge to the guests , you may find the
plate , and viands , and wines , and ci
gars , sumptuous beyond parallel. Then
you come to the second-class gambling
establishment. To it you are intro
duced by a card through some "roper
in. " Having entered , you must either
gamble or fight. Sanded cards , dice
loaded with quicksilver , poor drinks
mixed with more poor drinks , will
soon help you to get rid of all your
money to a tune in short metre with
staccato passages. You wanted to see.
You saw. The low villains of that place
watch you as you come in. Does not
the panther , squat in the grass , know a
calf when he sees it ? Wrangle not for
your rights in that place , or your body
will be thrown bloody into the street ,
or dead into the river.
You go along a little further and find
the policy establishment. In that place
you bet on numbers. Betting on two
numbers is called a "saddle ; " betting
on three numbers is called a "gig ; " bet
ting on four numbers is called a
"horse ; " and there are thousands of
cur young men leaping into that "sad
dle , " and mounting that "gig , " and be
hind that "horse" riding to perdition.
There is always one kind of sign on the
door "Exchange ; "a most appropriate
title for the door , for there , in that
room , a man exchanges health , peace ,
and heaven for loss of health , loss of
home , loss of family , loss of immortal
soul. Exchange sure enough and in
finite enough.
Now you acknowledge that is a cart-
rope of evil , but you want to know
what are the small threads out of which
it is made. There is , in many , a dispo
sition to hazard. They feel a delight in
walking near a precipice because of
the sense of danger. There are people
who go upon Jungfrau , not for the
largeness of the prospect , but for the
feeling that they have of thinking
"What would happen if I should fall
off ? " There are persons who have their
blood filliped and accelerated by skat
ing very near an air hole. There are
men who find a positive delight in driv
ing within two inches of the edge of a
bridge. It is this disposition to hazard
that finds development in gaming prac
tices. Here are five hundred dollars.
I may stake them. If I stake them I
may lose them ; but I may win five
thousand dollars. Whichever way it
turns I have the excitement. Shuffle
the cards. Lost ! Heart thumps. Head
dizzy. At it again just to gratify this
desire for hazard.
Then there are others who go into
this sin through sheer desire for gain.
It is especially so with professional
gamblers. They always keep cool. They
never drink enough to unbalance their
judgment. They do not see the dice so
much as they see the dollar beyond the
dice , and for that they watch , as the
spider in the web , looking as II dead
. . . . ' . .
i .i n.ijyiM in ) | ir " > WWT1
until the fly passes. Thousands of
young men In the hope of gain go Into
these practices. They say : "Well , my
salary Is not enough to allow this lux
ury. I don't get enough from my store ,
office , or shop. I ought to have finer
apartments. I ought to have better
wines. I ought to have more richly
flavored cigars. I ought to bo able to
entertain my friends more expensively.
I won't stand this any longer. I can
with one brilliant stroke rnatoj a for
tune. Now , here goes , principle or no
principle , heaven or hell. Who cares ? "
When a young man makes up his mind
to live beyond his income , Satan has
bought him out and out , and it is only
a question of time when the goods are
to bo delivered. The thing Is done.
You may plant In the way all the bat
teries of truth and righteousness , that
man is bound to go on. When a man
makes one thousand dollars a year and
spends one thousand two hundred dollars
lars ; when a young man makes ono
thousand five hundred dollars , and
spends one thousand seven hundred
dollars , all the harpies of darkness cry
out : "Ha ! ha ! " we have him , " and
they have. How to get the extra five
hundred dollars or the extra two thou
sand dollars is the question. Ho says :
"Here is my friend who started out the
other day with but little money , and in
one night , so great was his luck , he
rolled up hundreds and thousands of
dollars. If he got it , why not I ? It is
such dull work , this adding up of long
lines of figures In the.counting-house ;
this pulling down of a hundred yard3
of goods and selling a remnant ; this
always waiting .upon somebody else ,
when I could put one hundred dollars
on the ace and pick up a thousand. "
Many years ago Tor sermonlc pur
poses and in company with the chief
of police of New York I visited one
of the most brilliant gambling houses
in that city. It was night and as we
came up in front all seemed dark. The
blinds were down ; the door was
guarded ; but after a whispering of the
officer with the guard at the door , we
were admitted into the hall , and thence
into the parlors , around one table , find
ing eight or ten men in mid-life , well-
dressed all the work going on in
silence , save the noise of the rattling
"chips" on the gaming-table in one
parlor , and the revolving ball of the
roulette table in the other parlor.
Some of these men , we were told , had
served terms in prison ; some were
ship-wrecked bankers and brokers and
money-dealers , and some were going
their first rounds of vice but all in
tent upon the table , as large or small
fortunes moved up and down before
them. Oh , there was something aw
fully solemn in the silence the in
tense gaze , the suppressed emotions of
the players. No one looked up. They
all had money in the rapids , and I
have no doubt some saw. as they sat
there , horses and carriages , and houses
and lands , and home and family rush
ing down into the vortex. A man's
life would not have been worth a
farthing in that presence had he not
been accompanied by the police , if
he had been supposed to be on a Chris
tian errand of observation. Some of
these men went by private key , some
went by careful introduction , some
were taken in by the patrons of the
establishment. The officer of the law
told me : "None get in here except by
police mandate , or by some letter of
a patron. " While we were there a
young man came in , put his money
down on the roulette-table , and lost ;
put more money down on the roulette-
table , and lost ; put more money down
'
on the rouiette-table , and lost ; then
feeling in his 1 pockets for more money ,
finding none ; in severe silence he turn
ed his back upon the scene and passed
out. While we stood there men lost
their property and lost their souls.
Oh , the merciless place ! Not once in
all the history of that gaming-house
has there been one word of sympathy
uttered for the losers at the game.
Sir Horace Walpole said that a man
dropped dead in one of the clubhouses
of London ; his body " was carried into
the clubhouse , and the members of
the club began immediately to bet as
to whether he were dead or alive , and
when it was proposed to test the mat
ter by bleeding him , it was only hin
dered by the suggestion that it would
be unfair to some of the players ! In
these gaming houses of our cities , men
have their property wrung away from
them , and then they go out , some of
them to drown their grief in strong
drink , some to ply the counterfeiter's
pen. and so restore their fortunes ,
some resort to the suicide's revolver ,
but all going down , and that work
proceeds day by day , and night by
night. "That cart-rope. " says some
young man , "has never been wound
around my soul. " But have pot some
threads of that cart-rope been twisted ?
I arraign before God the gift en
terprises of our cities , which have a
tendency to make this a nation of
gamblers. Whatever you get , young
man , in such a place as that , without
giving a proper equivalent , is a rob
bery of your own soul , and a robbery
of the community. Yet , how we are
appalled to see men who have failed
in other enterprises go into gift con
certs , where the chief attraction is not
music , but the prizes distributed
among the audience ; or to sell books
where the chief attraction is not the
book , but the package that goes with
the book. Tobacco dealers advertise
that on a certain day they will put
money into their papers , so that the
purchaser of this tobacco in Cincinnati
or New York may unexpectedly come
upon a magnificent gratuity. Boys
hawking through the cars packages
containing nobody knows what , until
you open them and find they contain
nothing. Christian men with pictures
on their wall gotten in a lottery , and
the brain of community taxed to find
out some new way of getting things
without paying for them. Oh , young
men , these are the threads that make
the cart rope , and when a young man
consents lo tUeso practices , 'ho la be'j 'j | |
ing bound hind : and foot by n * habit 1 |
which has already destroyed "a great mil
multitude that no man can number. " fig ]
Sometimes those gift enterprise ! ! arc Mil
carried on in the name of charity ; and Ml
some of you remember at the close of KJ
our Civil War how many gift enterprises - |
prises were on foot , the proceeds to Ml
go to the orphans and widows of the SI
soldiers and sailors. What did these ml
men who had charge of those gift en- Bl
terprlses care for the orphans and 11
widows ? Why , they would have al- II
lowed them to freczo to death upon § 1
their steps. I have no faith in a char- % M
ity. which , for the sake of relieving III
present suffering , opens a gaping Jaw > | l
that has swallowed down so much of | | I
the virtue and good principle of the { | I
community. Young man , have nothIng - { * I
Ing to do with these things. They f | I
only sharpen your appetitie for games * | I
of chance. Do one of two things ; bo L I
honest or die. | I
I have accomplished my object if I { i 1
put you on the look-out. It Is a great | 1
deal easier to fall than It Is to get up f
again. The trouble Is that when men 'Ijl
begin to go astray from the path of ifl
duty , they are apt to say : "There's no § 1
use of trying to get back. I've sacri- II
ficed my respectability , I can't return ; " • ' I
and they go on until they are utterly I
destroyed. I tell you , my friends , that
God this moment , by his Holy Spirit. i
can change your entire nature , so | l
that you will be a different man in a !
minute. Your great want what is it ? 41
More salary ? Higher social position ? Ifl
No ; no. I will tell you the great want Ifl
of every man , if he has not already , H
obtained it. It is the grace of God. fl
Are there any who have fallen victims jfl
to the sin that I have been reprehend- Jfl
ing ? You are in a prison. You rush H
against the wall of this prison , and , I
try to get out , and you fail ; and you H
turn around and dash against the other I
wall until there is blood on the grates. ]
and blood on your soul. You will V
never get out in this way. There is jH
only one way of getting out. There 13 1H
a key that can unlock that prison- jl
house. It is the key of the house of H
David. It is the key that Christ wears > H
at his girdle. If you will allow him 'B
to put that key to the lock , the bolt B
will shoot back , and the door will H
swing open , and you will be a free H
man in Christ Jesus. Oh , prodigal. H
what a business this is for you , feeding - ; | H
ing swine , when your father stands in mM
the front door , straining his eyesight M
to catch the first glimpse of your return - M
turn ; and the calf is as fat as it will be , M
and the harps of heaven are all strung , M
and the feet tree. There are converted J A
gamblers in heaven. The light of M
eternity flashed upon the green baize M
of their billiard-saloon. In the laver H
of God's forgiveness they washed oft H
all their sin. They quit trying for H
earthly stakes. They tried for heaven M
and won it. There stretches a hand H
from heaven toward the head of the H
worst offender. It is a hand , not H
clenched as if to smite , but outspread mm
as if to drop a benediction. Other M
seas have a shore and may be fathomed - M
ed , but the sea of God's love eternity H
has no plummet to strike the bot- H
torn , and immensity no iron-bound H
shore to confine it. Its tides are lifted H
by the heart of infinite compassion. j H
Its waves are the hosannahs of the re- H
deemed. The argosies that sail on it H
drop anchor at last amid the thundering - H
ing salvo of eternal victory. But alas H
for that man who sits down to the H
final game of life and puts his immortal - H
mortal soul on the ace , while angels j H
of God keep the tally-board ; and after H
kings and queens , and knaves , and H
spades are "shuffled" and "cut , " and H
the game is ended , hovering and impending - H
pending worlds discover that he ha3 9mW
lost it , the faro-bank of eternal darkness - H
ness clutching down into its wallet H
all the blood-stained wagers. H
HH
Mother's Dying Word3. , .ii mm ]
( By J. F. O'Haver , Harrodsburg , Ind. ) M
During a round of pastoral visits , I H
called at a country residence , and before - H
fore I left read a passage from the H
Bible and had prayer. Contrary to H
my custom , I concluded to read the H
first passage at which my Bible open- H
ed. which was the lOCd Psalm. As H
scon as I began to read the lady of the W
house began to weep , and continued to H
do so throughout the reading and H
prayer. H
Upon rising from our knes , she H
burst into tears , and told me the first H
words of that psalm were the last H
words of her mother on earth , and that H
she died in that very room , and she j H
sobbed as if her heart would break. I H
learned she had not been to church for H
many years , but I notice she has been. H
regular in attendance since. H
Who will say that a mother's saintly H
life is soon lost , or that the Spirit does H
not lead His servants ? H
A Iirother's Love. UU\ \
Little Jennie disobeyed her mother M
one day , and she made her leave her H
play and go and sit for an hour in the H
corner. H
Her little brother was very fond cf H
his sister , and he was so sorry for her mWt
that he asked his mother to let him sit H
iiJennie's placa and let her go and H
Their mother allowed him to do so. H
After a little he said : H
"Mamma , am I not like Jesus ? " H
"Why ? " said she. M
"Because I am suffering in Jennie's H
place. " H
"Yes , " said mamma , "and you do it H
because you love her , don't you ? " H
Jesus suffered once and for all , for H
us. But we are always like him when H
we suffer or deny ourselves for others. H
Nothing makes us so much like Jesus - H
sus as to forget ourselves and live to H
make somebody else happy. H
Some men forget their sins so easily H
that they are often amazed and hurt H
when others remember them. H
-1-J _ jjg _ J IMi _ ; . _ IM | IM W l l MI. - UMU\