TALMAGE'S SEEBION.
'MUSICIN WORSHIP/'SUNDAY'S
SUBJECT.
Neliomliih 7 : 07 : "And Th y Had Two
Hundred forty and J'lvo Hlnclnc flleii
find Singing Women" Children of the
-Heavenly King.
< Copyrslit ! 1S39 by Louis Klopsch. )
The best music has been rendered
under trouble. The first duet that I
know anything of was given by Paul
and Silas when they sang praises to
God and the prisoners heard them. The
Scotch covenanters , hounded by the
dogs of persecution , sang the psalms of
David with more spirit than they have
ever since been rendered. The captives
In the text had music left in them , and
I declare that if they could find , amid
all their trials , two hundred and forty
and five singing men and singing wom
en , then in this day of gospel sunlight
and free from all persecution there
ought to be a great multitude of men
and women willing to eing the praises
of God. All our churches need arousal
on this subject. Those who can sing
must throw their souls into the exer
cise , and those who cannot sing must
learn how , and it shall be heart to
heart , voice to voice , hymn to hymn ,
anthem to anthem , and the music shall
swell jubilant with thanksgiving-
tremulous with pardon.
Have you ever noticed the construc
tion of the human throat as indicative
of what God means us to do with It ?
In only an ordinary throat and lungs
there are fourteen direct muscles and
thirty indirect muscles that can pro
duce a very great variety of sounds.
What does that mean ? It means that
you should sing ! Do you suppose that
God , who gives us such a musical in
strument as that , intends us to keep
It shut ? Suppose some great tyrant
should get possession of the musical
instruments of the world , and should
lock up the organ of Westminster Ab
bey , and the organ of Lucerne , and the
organ at Haarlem , and the organ at
Freiburg , and all the other great mu
sical instruments of the world you
would call such a man as that a mon
ster ; and yet you are more wicked if.
with the human voice , a musical in
strument of more wonderful adapta
tion than all the musical instruments
that man ever created , you shut it
against the nralse of God.
"Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God ;
But children of the Heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad. "
* * *
I congratulate the world and the
church on the advancement made in
this art the Edinburgh societies for
the improvement of music , the Swiss
einging societies , the Exeter Hall con
certs , the triennial musical convocation
at Dusseldorf , Germany , and Birming
ham , England ; the conservatories of
music at Munich and Leipsic , the Han
del and Haydn and Harmonic and Mo
zart socieities of this country , the acad
emies of music in New York , Brooklyn ,
Boston , Charleston , New Orleans , Chicago
cage , and every city which has any en
terprise.
Now , my friends , how are we to de
cide what is appropriate , especially for
church music ? There may be a great
many differences of opinion. In some
of the churches they prefer a trained
choir ; in others , the old-style pre
centor. In some places they prefer the
melodeon , the harp , the cornet ; in
other places they think these things
are the invention of the devil. Some
would have a musical instrument
played so loud you cannot stand it , and
others would have it played so soft you
cannot hear it. Some think a musical
instrument ought to be played only in
the interstices of worship , and then
with indescribable softness , while
others are not satisfied unless there be
startling contrasts and staccato pas
sages that make the audience jump ,
with great eyes and hair on end.as from
a vision of the Witch of Endor. But.
while there may be great varieties of
opinion in regard to music , it seems to
me that the general spirit of the Word
of God indicates what ought to be the
great characteristics of church music.
And I remark , in the first place , a
prominent characteristic ought to be
adaptiveness to devotion. Music that
may be appropriate for a concert hall
or the opera house or the drawing
room may be inappropriate in church.
Glees , madrigals , ballads , may be as
innocent as psalms in their places.
But church music has only one de
sign , and that is devotion , and that
which comes from the toss , the swing
and the display of an opera house is
a hindrance to the worship. From
such performances we go away say
> . .v ing : "What splendid execution : ' "Did
you ever hear such a soprano ? "
"Which of those solos did you like
the better ? " When , if he had been
rightly wrought upon , we would have
gone away saying : "Oh , how my soul
was lifted up in the presence of God
while they were singing that t'rst
' \ hymn ! " "I never had such rapturous
views of Jesus Christ as my Savior as
when they were singing that last dcx-
ology. "
My friends , there is an everlasting
distinction between music as an art
and music as a help to devotion.
Though a Schumann composed it ,
though a Mozart played it , though a
Sontag sang it , away with it if it
does not make the heart better and
honor Christ. Why should we rob the
programmes of worldly gaiety when
we have so many appropriate songs
and tunes composed in our own day ,
as well as that magnificent inheritance
of church psalmody which has come
down fragrant with the devotions of
other generations tunes no more worn
out than they were when our great
grandfathers climbed up on them from
the church pew to glory ? Dear eld
souls , how they used to sing ? When
they were cheerful our grandfathers
and grandmothers used to sing "Col
chester. " When they were very medi
tative , then the boarded meeting hous2
rang with "South Street" and "St. Ed
mund's. " Were they struck through
with great tenderness , they sang
"Woodstock. " Were they wrapped in
visions of the glory of the church ,
they sang Zlon. " Were they over
borne with the love and glory of
Christ , they sang "Ariel. " And In
those days there were certain tunes
married to certain hymns , and they
have lived in peace a great while ,
these two old people , and we have no
right to divorce them. "What God
hath joined together let no man put
asunder. " Born as we have been amid
this great wealth of church music ,
augmented by the compositions cf art
ists In our own day , we ought not to
be tempted out of the sphere of Chris
tian harmony and try to seek unconsecrated -
secrated sounds. It is absurd for a
millionaire to steal.
I remark also that correctness cught
to be a characteristic of church music.
While we all ought to take part in
this service , with perhaps a few ex
ceptions , we ought at the same time
to cultivate ourselves in this sacred
art. God loves harmony and we ou'ght
to love It. There is no devotion in a
howl or a yelp. In this day , when
there are so many opportunities of
high culture in this sacred art , I de
clare that those parents are guilty of
neglect who let their sons and daugh
ters grow up knowing nothing about
music. In some cf the European ca
thedrals the choir assembles every
morning and every afternoon of every
day the whole year to perfect them
selves in this art , and shall we be
grudge the half-hour we spend Friday
nights In the rehearsal of sacred song
for the Sabbath ?
Another characteristic must be spirit
and life. Music ought to rush from
the audience like the water from a
rock clear , bright , sparkling. If all
the other part of the church service is
dull , do not have the music dull. With
so many thrilling things to sing about ,
away with all drawling and stupidity.
There is nothing that makes me so
nervous as to sit in a pulpit and look
off on an audience with their eyes
three-fourths closed , and their lips al
most shut , mumbling the praises of
Gcd. During one of my journeys I
preached to an audience of two or
three thousand people , and all the
music they made together did not
equal one skylark ! People do not
sleep at a coronation ; do not let us
sleep when we come to a Savior's
crowning.
In order to a proper discharge of
this duty , let us stand up , save as age
or weakness or fatigue excuse us.
Seated in an easy pew we cannot do
this duty half so well as when upright
we throw our whole body into it. Lfft
our song be like an acclamation of vic
tory. You have a right to sing ; do
not surrender your prerogative. If in
the performance of your duty , or the
attempt at it , you should lose your
place in the musical scale and be one
C below when you ought to be one
C above , or you should come in half
a bar behind , we will excuse you ! S'ill ,
it is better to do as Paul says , and
sing "with the spirit and the under
standing also. "
Again , I remark church music must
be congregational. This opportunity
must be brought down within the
range of the whole audience. A song
that the worshipers cannot sing is of
no more use to them than a sermon
in Choctaw. What an easy kind of
church it must be where the minister
does all the preaching and the elders
all the praying and the choir all the
singing ! There are but very few
churches where there are "two hundred
and forty and five singing men and
singing women. " In some churches it
is almost considered a disturbance if
a man let out his voice to full com
pass , and the people get up on tiptoe
and look over between the spring hats
and wonder what that man is making
all that noise about. In Syracuse ,
N. Y. , in a Presbyterian church , there
was one member who came to me
when I was the pastor of another
church in that city , and told me his
trouble how that as he persisted in
singing on the Sabbath day , a com
mittee , made up of the session and the
choir , had come to ask him if he
would not just please to keep still !
You have a right to sing. Jonathan
Edwards used to set apart whole days
for singing. Let us wake up to this
duty. Let us sing alone , sing in our
families , sing in our schools , sing in
our churches.
I want to rouse you to a unanimity
in Christian song that has never jet
been exhibited. Come , now , clear your
throats and get ready for this duty , or
you will never hear the end of this.
I never shall forget hearing a French
man sing the "Marseillaise" on the
Champs Elysees , Paris , just before the
battle of Sedan in 1870. I never saw
such enthusiasm before or since. As
he sang that national air , oh , how the
Frenchmen shouted ! Have you ever
in an English assemblage heard a band
play "God Save the Queen" ? If you
have , you know something about th
enthusiasm of a national air. Now , I
tell you that these songs we sing Sab
bath by Sabbath are the national airs
of the kingdom of heaven , and if you
do not learn to sing them here , how
do you ever expect to sing the song
of Moses and the Lamb ? I should not
be surprised at all if some of the best
anthems of heaven were made up ot
some of the best songs of earth. May
God increase our reverence for Chris
tian psalmody , and keep us from dis
gracing it by our indifference and friv
olity.
olity.When
When Cromwell's army went into
battle he stood at the head of it one
day and gave out the long-meter doxology -
elegy to the tune of the "Old Hun
dredth , " and that great host , company
by company , regiment by regiment ,
division by division , joined in the doxology -
elegy :
"Praise God , from whom all blessings
flow ;
Praise Him , all creatures here below ;
Praise Him above , ye heavenly host-
Praise Father , Son and Holy Ghost. "
And while they sang they marched ,
and while they marched they fought ,
and while they fought they got the
victory. O , men and women of Jesus
Christ , let us go Into all our conflicts
singing the praises of God , and then ,
instead of falling back , as we often do ,
from defeat to defeat , we will be
marching from victory to victory.
"Gloria in Excelsis" is written over
many organs. Would that by our ap
preciation of the goodness of God and
the mercy of Christ and the grandeur
of heaven , we could have "Gloria in
Excelsis" written over all our souls.
"Glory be to the Father , and to the
Son , and to the Holy Ghost ; as it was
in the beginning , is now , and ever
shall be , world without end. Amen ! "
THE COMING CENSUS.
On the first day of next June , census
enumerators in the various districts
assigned to them will start forth to
count the population and to acquire
such other Information as congress ' -as
decreed shall be a part of the twelfth
decennial census of the United States.
These enumerators will have two
weeks in the cities and four weeks in
the country in which to gather their
information , and will count each per
son as belonging to the city or town
of which he was a legal resident on
June first.
Whether this Is the best time in the
year to take the census has long been
in dispute. Previous to 1830 , August
first was the date on which the count
began. This shows that the summer
vacation habit had not then developed.
June is now almost lee late. Most
students of statistical science think
April or May would be a better time ,
and Mr. Carroll D. Wright , in a cen
sus bill which he drafted a few years
ago , made April first the date for be
ginning. Congress was conservative ,
however , and preferred to make no
change ; but by 1910 it is probable an
earlier month will be chosen.
The objection to beginning the enu
meration on June first comes from the
cities , most of which are ambitious to
show as great a growth as possible.
When the census reports are not as
favorable as had been expected , the
cry of "inaccuracies in the census' is
usually raised. It is doubtless true
that the summer migration to the
country does result in some errors and
oversights in an enumeration begun in
June.
The Christmas holidays are a fa
vorite time for census taking in Eu
rope , but in America the heavy snows
of the Northern states would make
any winter month impracticable. Even
in April the country roads in the ex
treme North are heavy with mud , and
travel is almost impossible.
The difficulty in fixing a date adapted
to all parts of the great republic is a
forcible reminder of the extent of its
territory and the diversity of its cli
mate and physical conditions.
A Henry Clay Story.
An old negro and his wife , who had
found freedom through Clay's efforts ,
made their home in Washington ,
where the old man , with the assist
ance of some white folks , turned an
unused barn into a meeting-place for
ligious services. He was indefatigable
in his eorts to collect a sufficient
fund to supply a pulpit , and so en.
One Sunday morning he was walking
along Pennsylvania avenue , when ho
happened to meet the great Kentucky
senator. "Well , Bob , " said the sen
ator , "what are you doing out so early
Sunday morning ? " "Sarvant , Marso
Henry ; sarvant , sah. You know de
earl } ' bird ketches de worm. " "Oh ,
you are worm-hunting , are you ? "
"Yes , Marse Henry. I wants to ax of
you , won't you help me some 'bout
my little church. " "No , indeed , " said
the senator ; "I'll not give you a cent.
I gave you something not long ago
to help you with that church. " "Yes ,
Marse Henry , dat's so , sah ; you did
indeed , sah , an' dat's a treasure laid
up for you in hebben , sah. " "Oh , it
is , is it ? " and Clay moved on. Turn
ing suddenly , he said : ' 'Come here ,
Bob , come here. " Taking from his
pocket a roll of bills , he continued :
"Here is ? 30 I won at cards after sit
ting up all last night. Now , if you
can reconcile the use of money gotten
in that way to church purposes , take
it along. " Old Bob bowed and pulled
his cap. "Sarvant , Marse Henry ;
thankee , sah. Gcd do move in a mys-
terus way His wonder to perform !
Thankee , Marse Henry ; thankee , sah ! "
The Argonaut.
\
Built Her Nest on a Pulpit.
Cincinnati Enquirer : Glenville , W.
Va. At Vadis , this county , a member
of the congregation found a bird's nest
on the pulpit cf the M. P. church con
taining five eggs. The nest was built
of a variety of flowers that had bsen
placed on the graves of soldiers on
Decoration Day. The bird is new set
ting , and a glass of water has been
placed near the nest for the bird to
drink. The members are greatly agi
tated and think the appearance of the
bird is a token cf death.
Ilonil of Friendship.
"I never can forget Mabel Meadows ,
whom I went to school with. "
"Was she so studious ? "
"No , but she always brought such
lovely cucumber pickles with her
luncheon. "
HER FRIEND SAID NO.
The manager threw the manuscript
down upon the table , tilted his chair ,
thrust his hat a little further back on
hs ! head , and gave two or three satis-
fled puffs at his cigar.
"We've got a winner there , Colby , "
he announced decisively.
The stage manager took up the
manuscript and looked over the list
of characters.
"Looks like it if you get the right
people , " he assented ; "but it calls for
a strong company. "
"Oh , I won't spare expense ! I'm
going to give it a production that will
make it the talk of London. It's splen
didly advertised already , you know !
The people are crazy over Crinton's
work , and this Is the best thins he's
done. Supposing we could get the people
ple , how would you cast It ? "
"Beverly , of course , for Lord Roth-
say , Norris for the heavy , Ellerton for
young Hal , Barry for Sir Jerry , Benton -
ton for the low comedy , Mrs. Frlsby
for the dowager , Carbridge for the earl
he's the best old man on the stage.
As for the adventuress , " went on the
stage manager , checking off each name
rapidly as he spoke , "Lady what's
her name ? I don't know a woman who
could beat Wallace in that role. She'd
be great ! Little Dellaboy would make
a good Kitty Darling the part suits
her down to the ground ! "
The manager took his cigar from his
mouth , and gazed at it meditatively.
"Don't let such a trifle as the salary
list bother you , " he commented briefly.
Colby stopped his checking to look
keenly at his chief. "You've got to
have the best , " he answered. "I know
they're all high-priced , bu it will pay
you to engage them. "
'
"How about Lady Clare ? " asked the
manager. "You've mentioned nobody
for that , and it's the star role of the
piece. "
"I don't know. I've been running that
over ever since I read the play and no
body I've thought of seems to equal it.
There's Maud Lester she'd look the
part to perfection , and she's sympa
thetic , but she hasn't the power. Helen
Dracy's got power and intelligence ,
but she hasn't the looks. Can you
suggest anybody ? The success of the
piece depends on Lady Clare. "
"I know of only one woman who can
play it as it should be played , and has
the looks to go with it , " said the man
ager. "That's Edith Kingsley. "
The stage manager shrugged his
shoulders.
"Her declination was very decided , "
he remarked.
"I've known women to change their
CAN YOU ANSWER THAT ARGU
MENT ?
minds occasionally ! " said the man
ager , with flippant sarcasm.
"But she said her retirement was
final that she would never act again. "
The manager bestowed a look of pity
on his subordinate.
"Kingsley had the world at her feet
when she married and retired two
years ago. She's had time to think it
over , my boy ; the novelty of private
bliss must have worn off somewhat by
this time. "
Colby gave another look at the
manuscript.
"If you can get her it's a success , "
he said.
He had too much on his mind to en
ter into the ethics of the philosophy
of a woman's change of mind.
The manager gave another self-sat
isfied puff at his cigar.
"I'll see Kingsley today , " he said.
Two hours later he was ushered into
the pretty drawing-room of a house in
a fashionable quarter of the city.
With his practiced eye he took in the
handsome surroundings , while the neat
maid carried his card to her mistress.
"Shp's got all the money she wants , "
thought the manager ; "but money
isn't everything to an ambitious
woman. "
Something on a table near by at
tracted his attention. He went to it ,
and took up a large tinted photograph
of a beautiful , grave-eyed girl in
Juliet's bridal robes.
"H'm ! " he chuckled. "She hasn't
forgotten her old triumphs. "
As he put down the picture the mis
tress of the house entered the room
and greeted him with outstretched
hand.
"How glad I am to see you , Mr.
Hunt. Is this a social visit ? "
With a keen , professional eye to ef
fect he looked on the beautiful wom
an before him on the queenly pose of
the stately figure , on the deep-set
flashing dark eyes , with their long
lashes and perfectly curved brows ; on
the straight , patrician nose , with its
thin , delicate nostrils ; on the small
red mouth , with its short upper lip
and its Cupid's bow ; on the white ,
resolute chin , cleft with a deep dim
ple ; on the delicately clear cheek , with
its faint rose-flush ; on the soft wave
in the masses of velvety black hair ;
and the managerial heart within him
rose in revolt against this waste of
youth and beauty on the desert of pri
vate life.
"My dear Miss Kingsley I beg par
don , Mrs. Arnold I have come In per
son to urge the offer I made In my
hitter. "
"But I answered your letter ! " she
replied , smiling , but with a very de
cided curve to the red lipa. "I am
happily married my old ambitious
are dead. "
The manager's eyes turned In a swift
glance toward the Juliet photograph.
Her voice dropped suddenly.
"I never had a home before ; I lived
en the stage. "
"Best child-actress we ever had ! "
promptly broke in the manager. "Now ,
listen to me. " Ho pulled out his
watch. "Will you give me half an
hour'.1 I want to show you what you
are throwing away.
Nature had endowed the manager
with a gift of plausible eloquence
which had tided over many a crisis hi
his theatrical career ; but never had
he sounded so plausible , so eloquent ,
even to himself , as when he tried his
persuasive powers on the woman be
fore him. When his half-hour was
ended he felt that he had made good
use of it.
"Don't think me inhospitable if I
must ask you to say goodby , " she said ,
as she held out her hand. "You have
spoken very persuasively , but I can
not answer you at-once. I have a dear
friend a very dear friend whom I
must consult. Come tomorrow , and
you shall have my answer. "
When the manager walked into the
office his face was glowing.
"I think you may cast Miss Kings-
ley for Lady Clare , " he said.
The stage manager looked up in
credulously.
"You don't mean to say she has con
sented ? "
"Well , she's to talk it over with a
friend , and I'm to go for her answer
tomorrow. But I rather think , Colby ,
that friend is going to decide in our
favor. "
The manager still felt sure when he
went next day for his answer. It was
not in human nature , he argued , to
refuse to sparkle as a bright particu
lar star in the leading production of
the season. "That woman isn't hu
man if she resists it , " he murmured ,
just as the tall , graceful figure he was
mentally posing before the newspaper
camera entered.
"Well ? " he said.
"I have consulted my adviser , and I
am convinced that my original deci
sion was best.
The manager groaned aloud.
"My dear Mrs. Arnold , " he said , "I
think , if I could see your friend and
talk to him , I could convince him that
you are making a mistake. "
She shook her head.
"His opinions are very positive. "
"You don't object to my calling on
him ? "
She smiled.
"Not at all. And he is very near
in fact , he happens just now to be in
the house. Will you come with me ? "
The manager followed her , a little
mystified.
She threw open a door , and they en
tered a large room flooded with sun
shine.
' 'Here is my friend , Mr. Hunt. He is
ready to hear all your arguments. "
The manager lairly gasped with as
tonishment. He found himself stand
ing at a little crib in which lay a fat ,
round , rosy baby , crowing to himself
in perfect content.
"The gentleman wants to talk to
you , darling , " she said , bending over ,
with a tender thrill in her voice new
to the man standing beside her , well
as he thought he knew its everi' ac
cent.
The baby's great bright eyes looked
up at them ; then , as he saw his moth
er's face bending over him , he gurgled
ecstatically , while the little face broke
into dimples of delight , the fat little
fists clutched eagerly at her , and the
bare , rosy little heels beat a trium
phant tattoo in accompaniment to the
gurgles.
"Mam-mam-mam ! " he cooed , raptu
rously.
She turned to the manager with
shining eyes.
"Mr. Hunt , can you answer that
argument ? "
By this time the manager had re
covered himself.
"My dear madam , this is hardly
fair " he began.
"By-by , " said the baby. Answers.
The PoshlbUities of Pea re.
Three powers stand out preeminently
ly in the world as being strong at the
present time , and as having great pos
sibilities of development 'before them
England , with her dominion on the
shores of every sea ; Russia , with her
vast empire in the old world ; and
America , with her magnificent union of
states in the new. Each of these pow
ers is aiming at peace , though by dif
ferent methods. Russia proposes a
self-denying ordinance of disarmament ,
America proclaims the sufficiency of
arbitration , out neither of these coun
tries has as yet abandoned the effort
to secure exclusive advantage for in
dustrial and commercial development ,
and the possible clash of national in
terests still looms in the future for
each ; the thunderclouds have not dis
persed. But there is a better method
of pursuing the same end ; if we can
prevent strife from arising , we need
not concern ourselves about methods
for keeping it within bounds or allay
ing it. England alone has entered up
on a line of policy by which the old
occasions of hostility are laid aside ;
with all her national pride , she shows
a genuine unwillingness to take of
fense. Perhaps this is the more excel
lent way. William Cunningham in At
lantic Monthly.
Johnnon I.odgrd In .Tn'.l.
WAHOO. Neb. , Sept. 11. Johnson ,
the would-be slayer of Sheriff Karris ,
was brought to thin city and lodged in
jail to await n preliminary examina
tion.
.1. . .
Ciiu slit on Croa liijr.
SUTTON , Neb. , Sept. 11. While
driving home In n buggy , the hired
man of L. Lavington attempted to
cross the railroad track ahead of No. 3
and was struck by the engine and
thrown out but not seriously hurt. The
horse was killed rml the buggy
wrecked.
Fu'U From ti Windmill.
TECUMSEH , Nob. . Sept. 11. Earl ,
.he 5-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. F.
F. Vcrsaw , who reside northeast of
Tecumseh , climbed to the wheel plat
form of a windmill and fell to the
ground. Besides being badly shaken
up , his right leg was broken betweea
the thigh and knee.
William Rhoden. n f.irmer boy re
siding near here , was severely scalded
about the head one day recently in
some manner and as a result he will
probably lose an eye.
Switchman Klllinl.
LINCOLN. Sept. 11. D. S. Quick , si
switchman employed In the Burlington
yards , was killed here by being run
over by a freight car. He had been
employed by the road in this capacity
for a short time. He was 23 years old
and leaves a wife and three children.
At the time of the accident u switch
engine attached to a short string of
cars was at work on a repair track.
The unfortunate man was standing on
top of one of the cars , when It Gave
a sudden lurch and threw him for
ward. Before he could regain his bal
ance he fell to the track and the wheels
of the car passed over him , killing him
instantly.
Wreck on the Union Piielllo.
SIDNEY , Neb. . Sept. 11. A wrecic
occurred on the Union Paciiic at Pine
Bluffs , Wyo. Freight train No. 22.
eastbound , with Conductor Smith anil
Engineer Henry Theme in charge , had
been at the above named station
switching for an hour.
There is a sharp curve at this point
and a fruit special , with Engineer
Baldwin and Conductor Ed Leightoa
in charge , came around the bend at
the rate of thirty-live miles an hour.
The freight had no signal out and of
fered no warning for the fruit special.
The latter slowed down to ten miles
an hour und struck the caboose of the
freight train and smashed it , together
with five cars of coal. No one was
seriously hurt.
Tin ; Claim JCejuctfd.
LINCOLN , Sept. 11. Auditor Cor
nell has rejected the claims of Robert
W. Furnas for the unused state fail-
appropriations for the years 1898 and
1899. Mr. Furnas , acting as secretary
of the state board of agriculture ,
sought to obtain this money , amount
ing to $4,000 , to apply on the indebted
ness of the association. Deputy At
torney General Oldham furnished the
auditor with a written opinion this
afternoon , holding that the money
appropriated by the legislature could
be drawn from the treasury only for
premiums offered and paid by the
board of agriculture. As the board
has held no fairs for the last two years
the money will therefore remain in
the treasury. The indebtedness of the
association is something like $ G,000
and it was thought that the appropria
tion might be applied on unpaid pre
miums of previous years.
Parollod liy th < * ( iovcrnor.
LINCOLN , Neb. , Sept. 11. Benjamin
D. Mills , the Harlan county banker
who was sentenced to the state peni
tentiary about three years ago on the
charge of being an accessory to the
unlawful conversion of public funds ,
has been paroled by Governor Poyn-
ter. Mills had spent about a year and
a half of a five-year sentence in the
penitentiary. Benjamin Mills was at
one time one of the leading repub
licans of Harlan county and head of
a bank at Republican City. The offense
for which he was convicted was that
of borrowing public money from Ezra
S. Whitney , treasurer of Harlan coun
ty , who was also convicted , sent to
the penitentiary and paroled about
two weeks ago. When Whitney retired
from office his books were inspected
and it was found that heras short
over $20,000. On promise of immunity
for his own dishonesty he testified
that he had loaned $6,000 of the county
money to Mills.
Seeks to Recover JJljr Damages.
LINCOLN , Sept. 11. Attorney A. G.
Wolfenbarger has instituted a sensa
tional suit in the district court against
Isaac B. Robinson , seeking to recover
$35,010 damages , alleged to have been
sustained as a result of a severe horse
whipping he was subjected to on O
street about two months ago. Wolfen
barger was the attorney for Mrs. Rob
inson in a divorce suit and during the
trial of the case he provoked the de
fendant husband to such an extent that
the latter assaulted him a few minutes
afterward with a rawhide , inflicting
several wounds about the face and
neck. This affair took place in front
of the Burr block on O street and was
witnessed by several hundred people.
In his petition Mr. Wolfenbarger as
serts that he expended $10 for medical
treatment and that altogether , includ
ing the pain , injury anil humilation
and the damage to his name he has
suffered in the sum of $35,010. Mr.
Wolfenbarger is a prominent temper
ance advocate and reformer and a few
weeks ago a local anti-saloon organi
zation passed resolutions attributing
the assault to the influence of the
liquor power.
Corner Stone * I.i : ! < l at IVUama.
TEKAMAH , Neb. . Sept. 11. The
ceremony of the laying of the corner
stone of the new high school building
in this city occurred under the aus
pices of the grand l3t.ge of Masons
of Nebraska. Hon. W. W. Keysor de
livered an appropriate address. Hon.
M. R. Hope well was in chaige of tha
ceremonies and marshaled the parade.
The city was prettily decorated. All
business houses were promptly closed
at noon by the order of Mayor W. G.
Sears. The new school building is to
be built of brick and stone and to
cost ? 25,000.