TALMAGE'S SERMON.
'ENEMIES OVERTHROWN" LAST
SUNDAY'S SUBJECT ,
"Lot otl Arise , Let IIlH Knomlcs Be
Scntlerert" IJoolc of I'salin * , Cluiiitur
Ixvlll. , Verse 1 Tlio Struggles of
Hum mi Kxlntencc.
A procession was formed to carry
the ark , or sacred box , which , though
only three feet nine inches in length
and four feet three inches in height and
depth , was the symbol of God's pres
ence. AB the leaders of the procession
lifted this ornamented and brilliant box
by two golden poles run through four
golden rings , and started for Mount
Zion , all the people chanted the battle
hymn of my text , "Let God arise , let
his enemies be scattered. "
The Caraeronians of Scotland , out
raged by James I. , who forced upon
them religious forms that were of
fensive , and by the terrible persecution
of Drummohd , Dalziel and Turner , and
by the oppressive laws of Charles I.
and Charles II. , were driven to pro
claim war against tyrants , and went
forth to fight for religious liberty ; and
the mountain heather became red with
carnage , and at Bothwell Bridge and
Aird's Moss and Drumclog the battle
hymn r.nd the battle shout of those
glorious old Scotchmen was the text
1 have chosen : "Let God arise , let his
enemies be scattered. "
What a whirlwind of power was Oli
ver Cromwell , and how with his sol
diers , named the "Ironsides , " he went
from victory to victory ! Opposing
enemies melted as he looked at them.
He dismissed parliament as easily as
a schoolmaster a school. He pointed
his finger at Berkeley Castle , and it
was taken. He ordered Sir Ralph Hop-
ton , the general , to dismount , and he
dismounted. See Cromwell marching
on with his army , and hear the battle
cry of the "Ironsides , " loud as a storm
and solemn as a death-knell , standards
reeling before it , and cavalry horses
going back on their haunches , and
armies flying at Marston Moor , at
Winceby Field , at Naseby , at Bridgewater -
water and Dartmouth "Let God arise ,
let his enemies be scattered ! "
So you see my text is not like a
complimentary and tasseled sword
that you sometimes see hung up in a
parlor , a sword that was never in bat
tle , and only to be used on general
training day , but more like some weap
on carefully hung up in your home ,
telling its story of battles , for my test
hangs in the Scripture armory , telling
of the holy wars of three thousand
years in which it has been carried , but
still as keen and mighty as when Da
vid first unsheathed it. It seems to
me that in the church of God. and in
all styles of reformatory work , what
we mcst need now is a battle-cry. We
raise our little standard , and put on
it the name of some man who only a
few years ago began to live and m a
few years will cease to live. We go in
to contest against the armies of iniqui
ty , depending too much on human
agencies. We use for a battle-cry the
name of some brave Christian reform
er , but after a while that reformer dies ,
or gets old , or loses his courage , and
then we take another battle-cry , and
this time perhaps we put the name of
some one who betrays the cause and
sells out to the enemy. Yfhat we want
for a battle-cry is the name of some
leader who will never betray us , and
will never surrender , and will never
die.
die.All
All respect have I for brave men and
women , but if we are to get the victory
all along the line we must take the
hint of the Gideonitas , who wiped out
the Bedouin Arabs , commonly called
Midianites. These GidconStes had a
glorious leader in Gideon , but what was
the battle-cry with which they flung
their enemies into the worst defeat in
to which any army was ever tumbled ?
It was "The sword of the Lord and of
Gideon. " Put God first , whoever you
put second. If the army of the Ameri
can revolution Is to free America , it
must be "The sword of the Lord and
of Washington. " If the Germans want
to win the day at Sedan , it must be
"The sword of the Lord and Von Molt-
ke. " Waterloo was won for the Eng
lish , because not only the armed men
at the front , but the worshipers in the
cathedrals at the rear , were crying
"The sword of the Lord and Welling
ton. "
The Methodists have gone in triumph
across nation after nation with the
cry , "The sword of the Lord and of
Wesley. " The Presbyterians have
gone from victory to victory with ths
cry , "The sword of the Lord and John
Knox. " The Baptists have conquered
millions after millions for Christ with
the cry , "The sword of the Lord and
of Judson. " The American Episcopa
lians have won their mighty way with
the cry , "The sword of the Lord and of
Bishop M'llvaine. " The victory is to
those who put God first. But as we
want a battle-cry suited to all sects
of religionists , and to all lands , I
nominate as the battle-cry of Christen
dom in the approaching Armageddon
the words of my text , sounded before
the ark as it was carried to Mount
Zion : "Let God arise , let his enemies
bs scattered. " v
As far as our finite mind can judge ,
it seems about time for God to rise.
Does it not seem to you that the abom
inations of this earth have gone far
enough ? Was there ever a time when
sin was so defiant ? Were there ever
before so many fists lifted toward God
telling him to come on if he dare ?
Look at the blasphemy abroad ! What
towering profanity ! Would it be pos
sible for any one to calculate the num
ber of times that the name of the Al
mighty God and of Jesus Christ are
every day taken irreverently on the
lips ? Profane swearing is as much for
bidden by the law as theft , or arson ,
or murder , yet who executes it ? Pro "
fanity is worse than theft , or arson , or
murder , for these crimes are attackd
on humanity thut 13 an attack oa God.
This country la pro-eminent for blas
phemy. A man traveling Itx Russia
was supposed to be n clergyman. "Why
do you take mo to bo a clergyman ? "
said the man. "Oh , " said the Russian ,
"all other Americans swear. " The
crime is multiplying in Intensity. God
very often shows what he thinks of It.
but for the mcst rurt the fatality is
hushed up. Among the Adlromlaeks I
met the funeral procession of a man
who two days before had fallen under
a flash of lightning , while b6n tlns
after n Sunday of work in the Holds ,
that he had cheated God out of ono
day , anyhow , and the man who worked
with him on the same Snbbath Is still
living , but a helpless invalid , under the
same flash.
* * *
I Indict this evil as the regicide , the
fratricide , the patricide , the matricide ,
the uxoricide of the century. Yet un
der what innocent and delusive and
mirthful names alcoholism deceives the
people ! It is a "cordial. " It is "bit
ters. " It is an "eye-opener. " It is
an "appetizer. " It is a "digester. " It
Is an "invigorator. " It is a "settler. "
It is a "night cap. " Why don't they
put on the right labels "Essence of
Perdition , " "Conscience Stupefier , "
"Five Drachms of Heart-ache , " "Tears
of Orphanage , " "Blood of Souls , "
"Scabs of an Eternal Leprosy , " "Ven
om of the Worm that Never Dies ? "
Only once in' a while is there anything
in the title of liquors to even hint
their atrocity , as in the case of "sour
mash. " That I see advertised all
over. It is an honest name , and any
one can understand it. "Sour mash ! "
That is. it makes a man's disposition
sour , and his associations sour and his
prospect sour ; and then it is good to
mash his body , and mash his soul , and
mash his business , and mash his fam
ily. "Sour mash ! " One honest name
at last for an intoxicant ! But through
lying labels of many of the apothe
caries' shops , good people , who are
only a little under tone in health , and
wanting some invigoration , have un
wittingly got on their tongue the fangs
of this cobra , that stings to death so
large a ratio of the human race.
Others are rained by the common
and all-destructive habit of treating
customers. And it is a treat on their
coming to town , and a treat while the
bargaining progresses , and a treat
when the purchase is made , and a
treat as he leaves town. Others , to
drown their troubles , submerge them
selves with this worse trouble. Oh ,
the world is battered and bruised and
blasted with this growing evil ! It is
more and more entrenched and forti
fied. They have millions of dollars
subscribed to marshal and advance the
alcoholic forces. They nominate and
elect and govern t'he vast majority of
the officeholders of this country. On
their side they have enlisted the might
iest political power of the centuries.
And behind them stand all the myr
midons of the nether world , Satanic ,
Apollyonic and Diabolic. It is beyond
all human effort to overthrow this
bastile of dccanteis or capture this
Gibraltar of rum jugs. And while I
approve of all human agencies of re
form , I would utterly despair if we
had nothing else. But what cheers me
is that our best troops are yet to come.
Our chief artillery is in reserve. Our
greatest commander has not yet fully
taken the field. If all hell is on their
side , all heaven is en our side. Now
"Let God arise , and let his enemies
be scattered. "
Then look at the impurities of these
great cities. Ever and anon there are
in the newspapers exposures of social
life that make the story of Sodom
quite respectable ; "for such things , "
Christ says , "were more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah" than for the
Chorazins and Bethsaidas of greater
light. It is no unusual thing in our
cities to see men in high positions
with two or three families , or refined
ladies willing solemnly to marry the
very swine of society , if they be weal
thy. The Bible all aflame with de
nunciations against an impure life , but
many of the American ministry utter
ing not one point-blank word against
this iniquity lest some old libertine
throw up his church pew. Machinery
organized in all the cities of the Unit
ed States and Canada by which to put
yearly in the grinrting-mill of this
iniquity thousands of the unsuspecting
of the country farm-houses
, one pro
curess confessing in the courts that
she had supplied the infernal market
with one hundred and fifty victims in
six months. Oh ! for five hundred
newspapers in America to swing open
the door of this lazar-house of social
corruption ! Exposure must come be
fore extirpation.
While the city van carries the scum
of this sin from the prison to the po
lice court morning by morning , it is
full time , if we do not want high Amer
ican life to become like that of ths
court of Louis XV. , to put millionaire
Lotharios and { he Pompadours of your
brown-stone palaces into a van of pop
ular indignation , and drive them out
of respectable associations. What
prospect of social purification can
there be as long as at summer water
ing places it is usual to sea a young
woman of excellent rearing stand and
simper and giggle and roll up her eyes
sideways before one of those first-class
satyrs of fashionable life , and on the
ball-room floor join him in the dance ,
the maternal chaperon meanwhile
beaming from the window on the
scene ? Matches are mads in heaven ,
they say. Not such matches ; for the
brimstone indicates the opposite
region.
The evil is overshadowing all our
cities. By some these immoralities are
called peccadilloes , gallantries , eccen
tricities and are relegated to the realms
of jocularity , and few efforts are be
ing made against them. God bless the
"White Cross" movement , as it is call
ed an organization making u mighty
assault on thla ovtl ! Goil forward the
tracts ou this mtbjoct ilhitrlbntod by
the rullglouH traol uoolotlo * of the
land ! God helj > imreiitK In thy grout
work they are Uolnj ? , In trying to iitiirt
their children with nuro prlm-lplcji !
Unt Is thla all ? Then It IH only u
question of tlmo when the huit voHtlKo
of purity and homo will vanish out of
sight. Human anus , human iiono , hu
man voices , human talents are not nf-
IK'lont. I lujgin to look up. I Ihilun
for artillery rumbling down the imp-
phlro boulevards of honvon. I watch
to aeo If In the mornluK Unlit thuro bu
not the ( lash of doscondlnK xiumltars.
Oh. for Hod ! Docs U not ocm tlmo
for his appearance ? Is It nut tlmo
for all lands to cry out : "Lot ( Jotl
arise , and let his enemies bo U-
tored ? "
Not only are Ihe attaint of this
world so u-twlst , a-Jnnglo and luckoil ,
that there soenm a need of the Dlvluo
appearance , but there. Is another rea
son. Have you not noticed that In the
history of tills planet God turns a loaf
about every two thousand yours ? God
turned a leaf , and this world was fitted
for human residence. About two thou
sand more years passed along and God
turned another loaf , and It was the
Deluge. About two thousand moro
j-ears passed on , and it was the Na
tivity. Almost two thousand moro
years have passed , and he will probably
soon turn another leaf. What it shall
be I cannot say. It may bo the demoli
tion of all these monstrosities of tur
pitude , and the establishment of right
eousness in all the earth. He can do
it , and he will do it. I am as con
fident as if it were already accom
plished. How easily he can do it , my
text suggests. It does not ask God to
hurl a great thunderbolt of his power ,
but just to rise from the throne on
which he sits. Only that will be nec
essary. "Let God arise ! "
It will be no exertion of omnipo
tence. It will be no bending or brac
ing for a mighty lift. It will be no
sending down the sky of the white
horse cavalry of heaven or rumbling
war chariots. He will only rise. Now
he is sitting in the majesty and pa
tience of his reign. He is from his
throne watching the mustering of all
the forces of blasphemy and drunken
ness and impurity and fraud and Sab
bath-breaking , and when they have
done their worst , and are most surely
organized , he will bestir himself and
say : "My enemies have denied me
long enough , and their cup of iniquity
is full. I have given them all oppor
tunity for repentance. This dispen
sation of patience is ended , and the
faith of the good shall be tried no
longer. " And now God begins to rise ,
and what mountains give way under
his right foot I know not ; but , stand
ing in the full radiance and grandeur
of his nature , he looks this way and
that , and how his enemies are scat
tered ! Blasphemers , white and dumb ,
reel down to their doom ; and those
who have trafficked in that which de
stroys the bodies and souls of men
and families will fly with cut foot on
the down grade of broken decanters ;
and the polluters of society , that did
their bad work with large fortunes and
high social sphere , will overtake in
their descent the degraded rabble of
underground city life , as they tumble
over the eternal precipices ; and the
world shall be left clear and clean for
the friends cf humanity and the wor
shipers of Almighty Gcd. The last
thorn plucked off , the world will be
left a blooming rose on the bosom
of that Christ who came to gardenize
it. The earth that stcod snarling with
its tigerish passion , thrusting cut its
raging claws , shall lie down a lamb at
the feet of the Lamb of God , who took
away the sins of the world.
And now the best thing I can wish
for you , and the best thing I can wish
for myself , is , that we may be found
his warm and undisguised and en
thusiastic friends in that hour when
God shall rise and his enemies shall
be scattered.
Kartli's Oldest riower.
So great is the antiquity of the rose
that all account of its origin has been
lost. There seems every reason to
believe that the national flower of
England is the oldest of which there
is any record ; to Englishmen , at least ,
it seems a casa of the survival of the
fittest. It is not mentioned in the Bib
lical writings earlier than the reign
of Solomon , but the allusion to it then
made is such as to indicate that the
flower had already long been known.
In Egypt the rose is depicted on a
number of very early monuments , be
lieved to date from 3000 to 3500 B. C. ,
and in the tomb of an Egyptian prin
cess , disinterred a year ago in south
ern Egypt , several hermetically sealed
vials were found , which , when opened ,
contained genuine attar cf roses , so
that the modern claims for the dis
covery of this delicious perfume are
vain. Rose water , or the essence of
roses , is mentioned by Homer in the
"Iliad. " Both the Greeks and He
brews probably borrowed the idea of
its manufacture from the Egyptians ,
and these , for aught anybody can tell ,
may have had it from the Chinese. The
rose in one of those flowers which are
supposed by the people of every land
to be so well known as to need no de
scription and hardly mention , for it is
a singular fact that every continent
en the globe , with the solitary excep
tion of Australia , produces wild roses.
Even the frozen regions of the north ,
where the summer lasts but two or
three months , and is at best a season
which may be described as very late
in the autumn , produce their wild roses
and travelers through Greenland ,
Kamschatka and northern Siberia
found , in the proper season , an abun
dance of blossoms , while the crews of
whaling vessels which call at Spitz-
bergen usually come off shore with
bouquets cf the native Spitzbergen
rose.
FOE BOYS AND GIRLS.
GOOD OTOIURS FOH OUR
JUNIOH
Hovon Inluuilfii , u Cninlt'iil Nhntoh tlmt
Will I'riiliuM } ' M' I ( You l.4iiiti nml
Tlilnlt A tliiiUliim iluiiiitloii 'i'liw
niiulo ,
! My Mtttlirr.
My wotlinr ! oft tin thy ilcwr narno I
IIH'ntlOII.
Or u-miti tlilno Iwiijjn in tiiy niUKliu ;
ilroitm.
How Htrnln my hoiirl tmrvtm to thulr roll
out iniiMlon ;
Mow mvtilln and lioumlw , Illtu ftn Jin-
IlflMOIIOtl HIIVIUII ,
My niMllttMN wplrlt lo KO forth to ( line ,
WhoHo < U ! ir , .tour nu-w , I In oiiuli illicitly
vlHlun nuut
Dour mntlinr , of tlio tiioiimuul ntrlnjii
wliluli wnlcmi
Tlio alonpliiK imrn within the liuitmn
heart.
I'ho lomroHt l ipt In tune , lho jh oft
foraakon.
In that In which the niothur'n volco
bourn part :
Ilor Mtlll. Hiiuill voice , which o'cm the
Turncth with ( loop ruvorunco uiul pure
t to hoar.
Hut once , kind mother. might thi : ncli-
\i\K \ forchoad
Fool the Heft pre.smiro of thy Kcntlo
hand
Couhl tills poor heart , that HO hath pined
and sorrowed ,
Yet once more feel Its pnlao or hope
expand
At thy dear presence oh , mother , might
this be.
I could dlo bloHsliifj God , for ono lust
look ut tlieo !
For ono last word alas ! that I should
ever
Een carelessly have caused thy heart
a pain !
How oft. amid my late life's "fitful fe
ver , "
Thy many acts of kindness rise again !
Unheeded then , but well remembered
now.
Oh for thy blessing said once more above
my brow !
Fond wish , but vain ! and I nm weak to
smother
The human yearnings that my bosom
fill ;
Thou canst but hope and pray , dear dis
tant mother ,
That the All-pitying may aid me still-
Aid thy frail child to lift , in lowly trust.
The burden of her heart above this trem
bling dust.
And pray that as the shadowy hour draws
nearer ,
God may irradiate and purify
My spirit's inmost vision , to see clearer
Through Death's dim veil the pathway
to the sky !
Mother beloved ! oh let this comfort thee ,
That in yon blissful heaven shall no
more partings be.
Seven Johnnies.
Lyndon stood by the window , tear
ful Jy watching a van as it bore away
the last of the goods belonging to the
family who had lived next Soor.
Alas , they were to live there no longer !
That was the reason of Lyndon's dole
ful face. Reason enough , too , Lyndon
thought. For were not Johnny Hin-
man and he the best of friends ? And
now Johnny had gone to a distant part
of the state , and sorrowful Lyndon
never expected to see him again.
"Perhaps the new neighbors will
make up for the loss of Johnny , " said
mamma , comfortingly ; but Lyndon re
fused to be comforted.
"I can get along daytimes , " he
whined ; "but evenings I shall be so
lonesome. "
"You never saw Johnny then , "
laughed mamma.
"No , because he went to bed early ,
and I couldn't have seen through the
curtains if he hadn't ; but I knew he
was inside , and that made the differ
ence. "
Lyndon's mamma worked for a
dressmaker down-town , and she was
often obliged to be away evenings.
These were lonesome hours for Lyn
don. Sometimes he went to bed early ,
but usually he would sit at the win
dow , weaving odd fancies about the
passing strangers on the street , or of
the twinkling stars overhead.
For a few dreary days all that met
Lyndon's eyes as he Jooked out at the
next house were bare , curtainless windows
dews and a big placard "To Rent. "
Then he spied a tall man and a rosy-
cheeked little woman walking about
the vacant rooms , and the next morn
ing the placard was gone , and he
rightly guessed that the house was
rented. After awhile he saw women ,
with mops and pails and brooms , put
ting the rooms in order for the new
tenants , and later some furniture ar
rived , and Lyndon recognized the tall
man as he gave directions about the
disposition of the goods. He wondered
if there were any children , and when
the children began to come he won
dered if there were any end to them.
After considerable counting he made
out that there were a big boy , a little
boy , and a boy about his own age ; a
big girl , little girl , a middling-sized
girl and twin babies. Such a merry
troop as they were !
Lyndon had a sore throat the day
they moved , so he could not go out
doors , and he watched them from the
window. There was plenty to see.
Men were carrying in beds and tables
and chairs and trunks , the biggest boy
was helping with the smaller articles ,
the boy about Lyndon's size was cut
ting up antics on the front terrace and
getting in everyone's way , while the
eldest girl had the ether children in
the sitting-roorn , where she seemed
to have her hands full to keep them
within bounds.
When Lyndon's mamma had gone
back to the dressmaker's , after tea.
and he had washed the cups and
plates , he peeped qut to see if there
were lights at the next house. Oh ,
joy ! The gas was brilliant and not a
curtain to hide the pictures. He was
not lonely that evening. He could see
the father and mother putting things
In order , and the little ones being un
dressed and made ready for bed. He
was so interested in his new neigh
bors that he was astonished when
mamma and nine o'clock came. Never
liml an oronltiK Boomed KO abort. Dttt
the next afternoon Lyndon bade Rood *
by to hlii ovonlnK ttlKhtaeoltijj , for every
curtain wito In ltd place. Still , after
tmt ho could not forbear n look , and
tiioro wore the wlndown Jt t an they
luul boon on tlio prucvilInK nlKht ! Not
a curtain wan down ! Uvury moment
IID oxiitieioil that fomubody would nhut
out tlu ) pretty piuitowlmw , but no ouo
did.
Thoxit were only the flmt of many
Iwjipy ovijiiliiKif. " 'l iia tor thw day * ,
why , LymlonVi mamiim wild Hint about
nil nho heard at her honio-conilnKu was
what "tho I'orkhm boy " said , and
what "tho I'ftrJtliiH Klrln" did : for the
lonely HttlM boy WUH not ulovIn mak-
IriK frlomlH of the wliolo family.
"Jiint think , mamma , " Lyndon eald ,
"how I cried whoa the Hlnmuna went
away ! And If they hadn't KOno the
I'orkhiHon couldn't hav corno. Folk *
wouldn't worry no mwh If th y knew
what KOOI ! thhiKH wore uhsitd , would
they ? Of coiinw. " ho added , loyally.
"I don't want Johnny ; ono , but It !
alrnoKt an nlao HH having aeven John-
nl' % coiintliix the twhiH an one , they
uro all HO woct and Jolly ! "
At HnillliiiH Junction ,
"CtmtiKo cam for Dreamland ! "
Hey rotuiud up a little. He moved
hlH hum ! and It touched the arm of
the low rocker. He felt for hl pic
ture-hook. It was gone. He thought
It had dropped on the floor ; btlll he did
not open hla eyes.
"Passengers for Dreamland change
cars ! "
Boy knew the voice ; he wanted to
answer ; he tried to lift his head , but
It was EO heavy he could not move It.
His HIM parted , and after a while ho
said. "Wh-a-t ? "
"This is the place where we change
cars , " said the voice. "It la Bedtime
Junction. We reach here at seven fif
ty-nine. The gentleman called Mr.
Charles Albert has taken the Dream
land car. I came back after you acd
we must go at once. "
Boy felt himself lifted by strong
arms. The next he knew he was laid
in a soft bed , and a soft hand was
drawing a white sheet over him. while
a soft voice said : "This is the Dream
land car. You do not change again
till morning. I will let you know. I
look after all the passengers. I am the
conductor. "
Boy's eyes opened wide. "You're
mamma ! " he said.
Mamma kissed Boy's plump , pink
cheeks. His eyes closed again and the
Dreamland car moved on , carrying
Boy , with a through ticket in his nigh-
cap.
The Best Music.
"What do you consider the finest
piece of music you ever heard ? " a pro
fessional musician was asked.
"Well , " he replied , after some re
flection , "altogether the most thrilling ,
soul-satisfying melody I ever listened
to was the yowling of a cat. "
"You are joking. "
"I never was more in earnest in my
life. I will tell you about it. For sev
eral years I resided in a small town.
I was an unmarried man , and my lodg
ings were on the top floor of a tall j
wooden building used as a store and
poatoffice. The only means of access
to my room was a narrow , winding
stairway , and up there I pursued my
studies , sometimes until very late at
night. On one occasion I had sat up
until after midnight and went to bed
very tired.
"About 1 o'clock I was aroused by
the appalling cry of 'Fire ! ' It was re
peated two or three times. There was
no fire department in our little town.
Every man was his own fireman. In
imagination I had often dwelt upon
the horrible probability of a conflagra
tion's breaking cut in that store build
ing , and the slender chance I should
have of escaping if it took place at
night.
"I was wide awake in an instant , and
nearly paralyzed with fright. I could
see no flame , but I seemed to smell
smoke. Grasping my clothes and hur
riedly putting them on as I ran , I
hastened to the stairway. I heard the
terrible cry repeated , apparently on
the roof , and I paused a moment sit the
top step.
"It was repeated again , and this
time I heard it distinctly. It was not
'Fire ! '
"It was 'Me-a-ow ! mc-a-ow ! '
"Don't talk to me oC the 'concord of
sweet sounds , ' " he continued. "The
yowling of that cat. as it came distinct
ly to my ears , assuring mo that my
fears were groundless , and that I was
in no immediate danger o being
burned alive , was the sweetest mus'.o
I ever heard. I listened to it thank
fully for half an hour. "
DUtnnco of tlio Stui * * .
From the New York Sun : From
measurements of the mean paralluxe-J
of the stars the Beta , Gamma. Kpsllon
and Zeta , in the Great Bear live of thf.
seven stars which form the Great Dip
per astronomers now obtain values
so small as to indicate that the system
formed by these stars is separated
from the earth by such a distance thaJ
It is no random assertion to sny that
200 years must be required by the light
to reach us. The distance of Beta and
Zeta is found to be at least 4.000,000
times greater than that which separ
ates the earth from the sun. and from
calculations made by Mr. Holller the
star Epsilon of this group is calculated
to be forty times brighter than Sirius.
A few years ago Professor Pickering of
the Harvard college observatory de
duced from spectroscoplc observations
of the star Eta Ursae Majorls Miznr.
the middle star in the handle of the
Dipper that its distance is about 150
light years , an estimate with which
these later determinations of the dis
tance of other Dipper stars accord fair
ly well.
L " "I
MIGHT OF SOLDIERS.
xo Ktaturo of MtMt Countries De >
cllma * Armtra Inerra- .
An the alzcof modern armleji IB In-
crc'iiMd ! Uhe avKray.it hijjbl of fighting
men la diminished. Th * Tar.eblatt. at
JicrJIn , tiKrrlbc * the rvductlca In tb *
average ntuluro of Holdlttr * In mod n
.itnnlo * to conscription and * aya thn * .
In the German array It I * nov eely
OO.fia Incboa. Jn the Iirit ! h array tlw
hlghl IH rUG inrbft , fthowing the UP-
nfM of the avwrajjp Hngifeitmaa ad
ficmrhman. Frenchmen and SjmaXrJg
are takwn at 1.64 mete . Italian * tt
1.C5 rnfctew ( Cl ItuhM ) . and tu * * aa %
minimum mca nromit Je tii ? n la la
AiiHtrla , The Itu lan minimum l <
l.M mt trn and In th United Sti *
It IK 1.019 raetcrx (83.78 lnhn ) . In
1SCO. b ; for ; the b < ; ; : lanla % of UH ;
American rlvJJ war and before tb * ga
ral arruhiK of Kurope , the av rR. ; *
hkht of me > n wrrlnj ? In tb * rinio-.ji
Kurouan ar/nla * xva a * follows ,
In Indie * Italian. 05. Spaalab.
French. CC ; Hung&rlan. fliU ; A
Ctj.5 ; IJalglan , CC.9 ; Ktmfitn. < 37 ;
lluh. C7.5 ; IrMj. 6S ; Scotrk , 5 J5 ;
wexlan. 00. Although the sv ra > r-
bUht of soldi * h-sx d crfca fed dnrist
the la tt-M year * coneid-rably { a tfco-
countrlw * Jn wbJch eosMriptJca In Ti.-
rule. It IH found generally tb a Ja eoi- ,
trlin In which p * ; fq ! eondtitoaj pr *
vail and no great uadlag * r r ;
maintained the tatur ; of < w Wi -
IB gradually lner-alag. Tbia it
conHplruouuly In the ea * ot
where the averagblgbt of new , :
dtern Ltwer n l&JO and 15 wa * ' ;
Inchr-s. OC.2 betwe'-n 1 0 * ad 13W. V r
between 1SCO and 1870. M.S btsfw * " "
1370 acd 1S30. and 5 b tw a 1836 zz '
1330.
PORTUCEE ENGLISH ,
Marrelou * Kagllth la & KJo .J
Zoological Garden Circular.
It was a renowned Portagiwe * : r
structor in language who firs : 13115 *
us. some twenty y rarg ao. 'Essllsh w
she is spoke. " Remernberiss sda . ' = -
brilliant expoeltion of oar nc- '
tongue , we are glad to cote that * " -
instruction stll ! goes on aad tia : r
gift of tongues his not passed TT-
the Portuguese aad their children V
Rio Janeiro there has lately fceea 'f-
duced sorse of the Snest speeiae s '
our language used for the ednea :
and information of persons teraporsr
sojourning in that city. Ose of -
undoubted attractions of the Brar : ' . -
capital is the Zoological gardes * , s . : -
circular advertisement addressed
visitors lying at anchor" runs tls
Joological Gardens In these gird- :
the visitor will Snd sonm of rare-t f"
best specimens of wild beasts of Brsr
also a collection of Snak = Isnak -
reptiles. etc. "vVkick isrill proTer -
source of : terest et E tsrtaim - *
many who haor a four boars to :
whib in Rio Janeiro. Trara'arays "
longing to Cornpy Evry 10 Miz-t -
The wayfaring can. as ell a = tie s
going passenger , cansot
this very choice piece of P
lish as she is spoke. Who caa cc -
that these "saaks sue reptiles" *
furnish no end of wfcsrest" " to v
ever has "a four bours to sp ! "
Rio ? May those Joolocica ! Gar .
long survive !
\VcU Done On ttoth >
Private Sneliing of the Firs ; U\ \ . -
regiment had a peculiar exper.er >
while doing patrol duty on the * >
at Tampa vrhen General Sfesfter f v ,
es were there. Smoking R S proh >
ited. a big warehouse b izg aear sr
notices were posted on all hands. >
says the Chicago Xetrs. whicb : ys
continues the story : The cni r - >
ytrictly obeyed , as a general this ?
jis Private Szelhng was p&t7XlJa > : v 5
ueat he saw a rend nma in full u-
Lorm walldnt : and conversing ia &n s .v
orbcd manner with a sr\y-siousra : -
ed. straight , soldierly-lookins : cr. ' *
man dressed plainly in black , sz
wearing n straw hat. Both "were s -
ing. and continued to iU" > so in ert "
t'orgetfulness till their psth - s b-v 5
by a Springfiehl riU"Sirs , v cw
have to quit smoking , " orxir > d v"
Chion.coan. a troiV.or crefptav : tatv- " -
voice as ho noun ! that the asaa in -
form bail on his saonUlers
star insignia of the rank of
oral. "Yes. certainly. " calmly o vo
eil the smoker * . srin i * s tlwir \ > c
under their ho s. "First HU o *
perceive. " rcmarkotl ho of
clothes. "Very roe l. v < pry
docil. " and with that thy
SrolHnj : jolueil his l cntocBt
: : Je Inter and gasiw J. " ? a\ . I
into a major-general ami
quit his \vec l ; it was
if. ' " "Yes. that was 51ianr. wsy
aiil the Houtonaat. "a ii tl yow V-
who that-aml l lo jwntJo'.wsuvlth * -
was ? " "No.vho was ho *
l 5g ? " "Nobo.ly at aU ; only
MII A.
in the
The subject of a yowutf kiv\y > > i . ' !
who was RKuUwtiM frosu a l t. < U 9 . .
In an Obi * ) town.a "lttiKM ; .
: ird in her oss.ty tfho sat l. "At
of thlrty-nlno Hawthoruo
ttiok his wlfo to the oM tu.uo < " \r
day after th < oommoncomout nnoof t > > >
villnixo maidens oallml on Ml * K , n. " \
In tnlkliiK the aff.Ur ever ,
"Wasn't It awful tl nt Mmulo
say such a thing \ \ \ bor ( nyw % M *
K. Inqulrod tohat s > ho t\thuio ) \ \ * > \
she s\lil : at ( ho ano oC thirty-ulwo H\v >
thorno married an l t ) ok his \\lfv to C
old man'i' . Why ll hx't she w y to Tt
father-in-law's ? "
Never to tire , never to juwv
he patient , * yini ) thotl \ lomUwj t
look for the bvd < lhUow > w ttttvl " * '
opening hourl ; to huiio JilVvCtytk t\
God : to luvo jil\vay lUttl t&
Amlel.