Earlier text: THE BIBLICAL INSTITUTETruth.
By Raymond F. Cottrell
TRUTH is better than error; and the Bible is full of it. The word of God is truth. "Thy word is truth." John 17:17. The truth as it is revealed in the Bible is more valuable than all the creeds in Christendom. Those who take the Bible as it is, have the best creed. And there is no compromise between truth and error. Those who worship God acceptably must worship him in spirit and in truth. To claim to worship him in spirit, while the truth is disregarded, is false and vain. The truth is something to be done. Actions speak louder than words. We read: "And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." John 3:19-21. Now what is the truth to be done? Is it the law of God. "They that keep his commandments do the truth. Read again. "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." Ps. 119:142. The righteousness of God is everlasting. It never changes. That which was right in respect to moral law in ancient time is right now. The law which was in David's day is the truth now. That law was his commandments. In verse 151 we read: "Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth." To which code of commandments does this refer? To that which God spoke in person—the ten commandments. Again we read: "Thou camest down also on Mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, [Heb. laws of truth,] good statutes and commandments; and madest known unto them the holy Sabbath. And commandest them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant." Neh. 9:13, 14. The commandments spoken by the voice of God are the truth. The truth of the Lord endureth forever. These are right judgments. Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever. To abolish these commandments then, would be to abolish the truth. Is this what they desire who teach that they have been abolished? To change them would be to change the truth; and what will the truth become when changed? Let an apostle answer. Speaking of those who broke the first command by worshiping created things instead of the Creator, Paul says: "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator." Rom. 1:25. Each of the ten commandments embodies an everlasting truth; and when we keep them as they are, we testify by our acts to the truth—we do the truth. If we have no other God but Jehovah, we testify to the truth that there is but one living and true God. If we speak not his name, but with reverence, we testify to the truth that reverence is due to God. If we regard the life, property, and good name of our neighbor, we testify that his rights are equal to our own. And so of all the rest. The fourth commandment is the truth as well as the rest; and when we keep it as it is, laboring on the six working days and resting on the seventh, we bear testimony by our actions to the truth that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. But many Christians think that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day of the week to the first; and accordingly they labor on the seventh day and rest on the first. But that which made the seventh day the Sabbath of the Lord, is the truth that he rested on that day. He did not rest on either of the other six; how then can either of them become his Sabbath day, that is, his rest day. Suppose we read the commandment according to the present practice. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the first day. But that which made the Sabbath of the Lord is the truth that he rested on that day. But that is not the truth. To what then do you testify, when you keep the first day as the rest day of the Lord? Is it not possible that men have made this change which contradicts the word of God; and that you have unwittingly been bearing testimony to a falsehood, instead of the truth? If so, your deeds are reproved by the light; and your only remedy is to turn and walk in the light that your deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God. All his commandments are truth. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and thy law is the truth. By what authority then has the law of God been changed? Of the Son of God, it was prophesied that he should magnify the law and make it honorable. Isa. 42:21. And the testimony of Jesus is: "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law." Matt. 5:18. The law of God was not changed in a single letter or the smallest point. But we were foretold in prophecy that an anti-Christian power should arise, and its rise was still future in the days of Christ and the apostles, that should think to change the times and laws of God. Dan. 7:25. The Roman church profess to have this power. It claims to be the author of the change in question—the change from the seventh to the first day of the week. It says to its disciples: "How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?" The answer is: "By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday." Again, this church testifies of herself: "Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." On the authority for the change then Christ and anti-Christ agree. Shall we not believe their united testimonies? Christ repudiates even the intention to make any change whatever; the Roman church claims that it made the change without any Scriptural authority. This prophecy of the law changing power of Dan. 7:25, is parallel with that of chapter 8:12, where it is said of this same Roman power, that "it cast down the truth to the ground." Thy law is the truth. But still the truth shall judge us in the last day. "He cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth." Psa. 96:13. "As many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law, . . . in the day that God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Rom. 2:12, 16. "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isa. 26:2. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14. God's law is everlasting truth. It is ever the same. It is impossible that it should change. But in contradistinction from this, there have been, from time to time, truths which have been true only at a particular time. As an example: In Noah's time it was true that a flood of waters was about to overflow the earth. That is not the truth now. The truth for the time is what an apostle has called, "present truth." 2 Pet. 1:12. Present truth is that which is being done at the time present, in carrying out the plan and purpose of God. There is a present truth at the present time. In the progressive fulfillment of the plan of God as foretold in prophecy, we have come to the fulfillment of the last promised message of warning to the world, before the second coming of Christ. Rev. 14:9-12. This warning has been rising for more than a quarter of a century. It is a needed warning against following the Roman papacy, the power that should think to change times and laws, and it calls the attention of the people to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. It is a present truth that, in obedience to this divine call, there are people in almost every enlightened Christian nation in the world, that have lately embraced and are keeping the ancient Sabbath, the only weekly Sabbath of the Bible. The truth, long downtrodden by the beast, is being restored to the true hearted of every denomination and nationality. Reader, will you obey the heavenly call, and unite with us in the work of restoration? Will you take your feet off the Sabbath, and call it a delight, the holy of the Lord and honorable, no longer stigmatizing it with the dishonorable title of Jewish? "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it, that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." See Isa. chapters 56 and 58. Who will accept the blessing? Who will do the truth? Who will serve God by keeping his commandments? It will soon be known who are on the side of God and truth. R. F. COTTRELL
By R. F. Cottrell
who are on the side of God and truth. [The following is from the Sabbath Memorial of January, 1878, published in London, England, by Elder W. M. Jones :] With devout thankfulness for all mercies of the past year, and with renewed encouragement we enter upon the duties and pleasures of the New Year. Although trials have been thickly strewn at times in our path, they have been mercifully removed. The promises of the Lord have comforted and supported us. There has been an increase of a thousand Sabbath-keepers during the year. The number of assemblies for Sabbath worship is fully 600; but there are thousands of isolated Sabbath-keepers for whom we feel a special interest and who are not forgotten. They are not alone, for God keeps holy-day with them. We all love to remember one another on the "sweet day of rest." The brethren abound in labors which speak of incessant diligence and self-denial worthy of their high calling in Christ Jesus. Preaching, lectures, tracts, periodicals, and humble, consistent living before all, are making impressions, educating and convicting the public mind, on this distinguished subject, to an extent that has hitherto been unknown. The doctrine of the Sabbath is now promulgated in a dozen different languages, in eight of which there are Sabbath publications, and plans are maturing to publish in other tongues. The work in Britain progresses chiefly through the circulation of Sabbath literature. In Italy, there are a few indefatigable adherents who labor in hope. Dr. Ribton is a vigilant and hard worker—working much too hard, we fear, for his health. May God bless him in that sunny and classic clime, and give him many faithful associates in his new found faith. Elder Velthuysen, in Holland, travels, and preaches and reaps the harvest of his own sowing. Already more than thirty Hollanders have become commandment-keepers and the work is going forward. We solicit earnest and constant prayer for this brother and his people. To these and other workers on the Continent, to our friends in these Islands, to the multitude of covenant-keepers in the Western Land beyond the wide waters, and to the faithful little band in China, we extend a hearty good cheer and the wish of a happy New Year. (Condensed from Review and Herald.) ALSTRUP.—Elder Matteson writes under date of December 17 : "Yesterday our new meeting-house in Alstrup was dedicated. It can seat about two hundred persons. We held two meetings, and had a full house each time. A brother from Sulsted, who has kept the Sabbath eleven years, was present, and our Sabbath meeting was the first that he had ever attended. There were also friends present from several distant cities. "A copy of the Advent Tidende, sent to Bergen, Norway, from Chicago has interested many. We have received letters from five persons who have read the paper, and other works which we have sent them. They are much interested in the truths which pertain to our time, and long to hear the message of the second coming of Christ proclaimed among them. There is more religious awakening in Norway than in Denmark, and the temperance cause has made better progress there than here; but there are also souls here who must be won over to the Lord's side and be prepared for his coming. There are many other places where the people long to hear the word of God. May the Lord send out more laborers into the harvest." DANVERS.—A house of worship has been erected in this place, and a series of meetings commenced. Elder Canright writes : "After being away from Danvers about two months, except to stay over night here once in a while, we came back last week, to begin labors again. Our church is done. It was all finished, to the turn of the key, before our meetings commenced. This is the way it ought to be. It is always bad to crowd in meetings when a house is about two-thirds done. The building, the stoves, the seats, and everything complete, has cost $2,050. Everybody admires the house. It suits me by far the best of any I have ever seen. Then it is so easy to speak in—it is just right. It is 32 by 52 feet, with 18 feet posts. Over the entry, which is seven feet wide, is a fine prayer-room, 10 by 26 feet, where the gallery usually is. I think our brethren who are building, would do well to have a pattern of this house. "Sabbath day all were out. It was the end of the first quarter of our Sabbath-school. The secretary's report showed an average attendance of ninety scholars for the three months, thirty of whom had not missed a Sabbath. The school has been very prosperous and well conducted. We have good teachers and competent officers throughout the school. Interesting remarks were made on the occasion by several leading brethren. Sabbath afternoon nearly one hundred Sabbath-keepers were present. Nearly all belong here, as we had not invited the brethren from abroad. It was an excellent meeting. Sunday afternoon came our dedication. Before the appointed time, the house was packed till not another could get in. Scores had to go away. The Lord seemed to favor us on every hand. The weather was fine. The music was the best we have ever had. Interesting and appropriate remarks were made by Elder I. Sanborn, of Wisconsin, Elder Haines, who has lately embraced the Sabbath, Elder Mooney, another convert to the Sabbath, Brother Wood, of Boston, and Brother C. W. Stone. In the evening the house was again filled to overflowing. I have now begun another course of lectures here, to continue as long as the interest requires." ROME.—Elder S. B. Whitney writes: "January 5 and 6, by the request of the president of our Conference, I was with the church in Rome, our meeting was a good one. The ordinances and business of the church were attended to with order and promptness. The Lord gave freedom in speaking the word, and all seemed encouraged. Some of our old churches can profit greatly, if they will, from the example of this young church. The members have a zeal and interest in the work, and a desire to learn the best methods of performing it, which are commendable; and if they seek humility and consecration, they may be very useful." POTTER COUNTY.—Brother A. H. Hall writes : "Here among the Alleghanies, I have found about twenty-four good people keeping the Sabbath. Eight or ten were observing the Sabbath when Brother Saunders came here to labor. They need to have our views faithfully presented to them. One good feature of the work among these people is, that nearly all who keep the Sabbath take part in the prayer and social meetings. This is an important point to be gained in new fields." MR. TAGGARD frowned as he observed the pile of bills by his plate, placed there by his prudent, economical wife, not without an anxious flutter at the heart, in anticipation of the scene that invariably followed. He actually groaned as he read the sum total. "There must be some mistake, Mary," he said, pushing back his plate, with a desperate air; "it is absolutely impossible for us to have used all these things in one month!" "The bills are correct, John," was the meek response; "I looked them over myself." "Then one thing is certain, provisions are either wasted, thrown out of the window, as it were, or stolen. Jane has relatives in the place, and I haven't the least doubt but that she supports them entirely out of what she steals." Mrs. Taggard's temper was evidently rising; there were two round crimson spots upon her cheeks, and she tapped her foot nervously upon the floor. "I am neither wasteful, nor extravagant, John. And as for Jane, I know her to be perfectly honest and trustworthy." "It is evident that there is a leak somewhere, Mary; and it is your duty, as a wife, to find out where it is, and stop it. Our bills are perfectly enormous; and if this sort of thing goes on much longer, I shall be a bankrupt." Mrs. Taggard remained silent, trying to choke down the indignant feelings that struggled for utterance. "You will have to order some coal," she said, at last; "we have hardly sufficient for the day." "Is there anything more, Mrs. Taggard?" inquired her husband, ironically. "Yes; neither myself nor the children are decently or comfortably clothed; all need an entire new outfit." "Go on, madam. As I am a man of unlimited means, if you have any other wants, I hope you won't be at all backward about mentioning them." "I don't intend to be," was the quiet, but spirited reply. "I wouldn't do for another what I do for you, for double my board and clothing. Both the parlor and sitting-room need re-furnishing; everything looks so faded and shabby, that I am ashamed to have any one call. And the stairs need re-carpeting, the blinds and gate to be repaired, and the fence needs painting." "That can't be all, Mrs. Taggard. Are you sure that there isn't something else?" "I don't think of anything else just now, Mr. Taggard; though if there should be a few dollars over and above what these will cost, they won't come amiss. I should like to have a little change in my pocket, if only for the novelty of the thing. You needn't fear its being wasted." Mr. Taggard was evidently not a little astonished at this sudden outbreak in his usually quiet and patient wife, but who, like most woman of that stamp, had considerable spirit when it was aroused. "Now that you are through, Mrs. Taggard, perhaps you will let me say a word. Here is all the money I can spare you this month; so you can make the most of it." Laying a roll of bills on the table, Mr. Taggard walked to the door; remarking, just before he closed it, "that he should leave town on the next train, to be absent about a week." The revery into which Mrs. Taggard fell, as she listened to the sound of his retreating steps, was far from being a pleasant one. Aside from her natural vexation, she felt grieved and saddened by the change that had come over her once kind, indulgent husband. His mind seemed to be entirely filled with the greed of gain, the desire to amass money—not for the sake of the good that it might enable him to enjoy, or confer, but for the mere pleasure of hoarding it. And this miserly feeling grew upon him daily, until he seemed to grudge his family the common comforts of life. And yet Mrs. Taggard knew that he was not only in receipt of a comfortable income from his business, but had laid by a surplus, yearly, ever since their marriage. She taxed her ingenuity to save in every possible way, but when the monthly bills were presented the same scene was enacted, only it grew worse and worse. And this penuriousness extended to himself. He grudged himself, as well as wife and children, clothing suitable to his means and station, and went about looking so rusty and shabby that Mrs. Taggard often felt ashamed of him, inwardly wondering if he could be the same man who had wooed and won her. With a heavy sigh Mrs. Taggard took up the roll of bills on the table, hoping to find enough to pay what was already due—she did not look for more. An ejaculation of astonishment burst from her lips as she unrolled the paper in which it was folded. It contained $500 in bills, and a check for $500 more. With a look of quiet determination in her eyes, Mrs. Taggard arose to her feet. "The family should now have some of the comforts to which they were entitled, if they never did again." First, she settled every bill; a heavy weight being lifted from her heart as she did so; besides getting a fresh supply of fuel and other comforts. Her next move was to order new furniture for the sitting-room and parlor, have the hall re-carpeted and papered, the broken door step mended, and the fence and blinds painted and repaired. She then took the children out, and got them new garments from hats to shoes. She bought herself three new dresses; a neat gingham for morning wear, a delaine for afternoons, and something nicer for best. And before going home she took the children into a toy-shop; delighted the boy with the skates he had so often asked for, and giving the girl the chief wish of her heart, a doll and doll's wardrobe—not forgetting some blocks for the baby. For like a wise, as well as kind mother, Mrs. Taggard desired to make their childhood a happy one; something to look back upon with pleasure through their whole life. Neither was John forgotten; by the aid of some old garments, for a pattern, she got him an entire new suit, together with stuff for dressing-gown and slippers. The day on which Mrs. Taggard expected her husband's return was a very busy one; but at last the carpets were down, the paper hung, and everything in the best of order. He was expected on the five o'clock train, and Mrs. Taggard set the children, attired in their pretty new dresses, at the window to watch for papa, while she went below to assist Jane in preparing something extra for supper. She had just returned when Mr. Taggard was seen approaching the house. It looked so different from what it did when he left, that he stared at it in amazement, and would have hesitated about entering, had it not been for the name on the newly burnished door-plate. But he was still more astonished when he entered. "Am I in my own house, or somebody's else?" he ejaculated, as he looked around the bright and pleasant room. "It is the new furniture I have been buying," said his wife, smiling. "How do you like it?" "Have you been running me in debt, Mary?" "Not in the least, John, it was all bought with the money you so generously left me when you went away." Mr. Taggard clapped his hand into one of his pockets. "My goodness!" he exclaimed, in an agitated tone and manner, "I gave it to you out of the wrong pocket!" Mrs. Taggard did not look at all astonished or disturbed at this announcement; on the contrary, her countenance wore a very smiling and tranquil aspect. "You don't mean to say that you've spent it?" inquired Mr. Taggard, desperately. "Why, what else should I do with it, John? You told me to make the most of it; and I rather think I have." "I am a ruined man!" groaned Mr. Taggard. "Not a bit of it, my dear husband," said his wife, cheerfully; "you would not be ruined if you had given me twice that amount. Besides, I have saved enough for our housekeeping expenses, for three months, at least. I think you had better give me an allowance for that purpose in future; it will save us both much annoyance." The children, who had been led to consider what their mother had bought them as "presents from papa," now crowded eagerly around him. Mr. Taggard loved his children, and it would be difficult for any one having the kind and tender heart that he really possessed, to turn away from the innocent smiles and caresses that were lavished upon him. It was a smiling group that gathered round the cheerful supper-table. And as Mr. Taggard glanced from the gleeful children to the smiling face of his wife, who certainly looked ten years younger, attired in her new and becoming dress, he came to the conclusion that though it might cost something to make his family comfortable, on the whole, it paid. We do not mean to say that Mr. Taggard was entirely cured; a passion so strong is not so easily eradicated. But when the old miserly feeling came over him, and he began to dole out grudgingly the means with which to make his family comfortable, his wife would pleasantly say: "You are taking it out of the wrong pocket, John!"—words which seemed to have a magical effect upon both heart and purse-strings. "Let us not deprive ourselves of the comforts of life," she would often say, "nor grudge our children the innocent pleasures natural to youth, for the purpose of laying up for them the wealth that is, too often, a curse rather than a blessing."—Hours at Home. The Mind.
By Eliza H. Morton
THE mind is the intelligent power in man which acts through the organ of the brain. The mind gains strength by exercise and is capable of infinite improvement. As the brain of the child expands and grows in size his powers of perception and memory increase. And, although, the body has attained its full growth, yet the brain may be enlarged by cultivating the intellect. If we desire powerful minds we must think. Some people allow loose and disconnected ideas to run riot, where beautiful harmonious chains of thought should exist. Concentration of mind may be acquired by perseveringly recalling wandering thoughts and fixing them for the time being upon the subject under consideration. Our thoughts may be trained, governed and marshaled, until like a company of soldiers they stand ready to obey our slightest call. Intellectual power is gained more by depth of thought than by extent of study. Ideas are obtained from observation and from books, but ideas are useless unless incorporated into the mind by patient thought. It has been said that the mind of man is like a farm, that to be of use "must be enriched with learning, plowed with energy, sown with virtue, and harvested with economy." Thought always precedes action; hence if our thoughts are pure, our acts will be right. The constant presence of holy thoughts will make us spiritually minded and fit us for the society of the angels that surround the great white throne above. Fellow-mortals : when you become wearied and faint in your minds, forget not the "Rock of your strength." Remember that the high minded, the double-minded, and the corrupt minded, will not be able to stand in the evil day; but those that mind heavenly things will be exalted far above kings and princes of earth. Yea, an everlasting kingdom, "many mansions," glittering harps and crowns and white robes are reserved for the faithful, and the promise is: "The pure in heart shall see God." [There is a whole sermon on right living in this fine poem, which, estray in the newspaper world, has lost all signs of paternity.] FOREVER the sun is pouring his gold
On a hundred worlds that beg and borrow;
His warmth he squanders on summits cold,
His wealth on the homes of want and sorrow.
To withhold his largess of precious light
Is to bury himself in eternal night;
To give
Is to live. The flower shines not for itself at all;
Its joy is the joy it freely diffuses;
Of beauty and balm it is prodigal.
And it lives in the life it sweetly loses.
No choice for the rose but glory or doom—
To exhale or smother, to wither or bloom.
To deny
Is to die. The seas lend silvery rain to the land,
The land its sapphire streams to the ocean;
The heart sends blood to the brain of command,
The brain to the heart its lightning motion;
And ever and ever we yield our breath,
Till the mirror is dry, and images death.
To live
Is to give. He is dead, whose hand is not open wide
To help the need of a human brother;
He doubles the length of his life-long ride,
Who gives his fortunate place to another;
And a thousand million lives are his,
Who carries the world in his sympathies.
To deny
Is to die. Throw gold to the far-dispersing wave,
And your ships sail home with tons of treasure
Care not for comfort, all hardships brave,
And evening and age shall sup with pleasure;
Fling health to the sunshine, wind, and rain,
And roses shall come to the cheek again.
To give
Is to live. What is our life? Is it wealth and strength?
If we, for the Master's sake, will lose it,
We shall find it a hundred-fold, at length,
While they shall forever lose, who refuse it;
And nations that save their union and peace
At the cost of right, their woes shall increase.
They save
A grave. The Curse of Unjust Riches
UNJUST riches curse the owner in getting, in keeping, and transmitting. They curse his children in his father's memory. - Warsaw contains 90,000 Jewish residents.
- Rev. G. Herbert, of Bergen, Norway, has been fined $65 for administering baptism.
- Bishop Merrill recently sailed for Vera Cruz to visit the Methodist missions in Mexico.
- The Missouri Lutherans have appointed their first missionary for work among the Southern negroes.
- Petitions are circulating in New Hampshire for a restoration of Bible reading, or some religious service in the public schools.
- Slade, the Spiritualist, has been expelled from Vienna, because he was unable to describe his avocation satisfactorily to the police.
- Just at the time when America is thinking of taking the Bible out of the schools, England is issuing, in detached parts, an annotated edition of the Bible for the use of schools.
- The Wesleyan Female College of Cincinnati, an old institution which dates back nearly half a century, is compelled to close its doors for lack of funds. Its debts amount to $80,000. Among its prominent graduates is Mrs. President Hayes.
An eccentric old gentleman of wealth, named Morgan, invested a sum of money, the income of which he designed to be used for the liberal education of the most deserving lad in town. He made his plan known to five gentlemen, requesting them privately to make observations and report to him in six months. Had the boys known this, many of them might have used every means to gain his favorable opinion, but as the matter was a secret, he had an opportunity to watch them without their suspecting his motive. At the end of six months the five gentlemen met at Mr. Morgan's and discussed the question in all its bearings. Each had his favorite whom he considered most worthy. "There is Johnny Ingalls, who is a most exemplary lad," said one. "What fault can you find with him, Mr. Morgan?" "I will tell you," was the reply. "I once hired him to take some important letters to the morning mail, but he met a companion on the way, and was so anxious for his own amusement that he neglected to mail the letters till it was too late, and they were delayed a day, and a gentleman overheard him say to a companion that 'he did not care much, so long as the old fellow did not find it out.' But the delay caused the loss of quite a sum of money." "Gentlemen," continued Mr. Morgan, "I have tried in one way and another all the boys you have mentioned, but none of them satisfy me." "Then you have to give up your project," said one; "for I think we have discussed the merits of nearly every boy in town." "I believe Jimmy has not been mentioned," said Mr. Morgan. "What! Jimmy, the cow-boy?" asked one, with a smile. "Yes, I believe he drives cows to and from pasture." "Surely, Mr. Morgan, you must be joking now." "I never joke; and had I any disposition to, I should not take a poor little boy for a subject." "But, Mr. Morgan, do you know any good of this boy?" "Do you know any harm of him?" "Nothing special; but does he amount to anything, except to drive cows?" "He never has had an opportunity, but I intend he shall have. I am fully decided to give him the benefit of my project." "You will tell us the reason for making him your choice?" "Certainly, with pleasure. You call him a cow-boy. Well, that does not signify to me one way or another. It is simply because I know him to be a good and faithful cow-boy that I give him the preference. It seems a small thing to drive cows to pasture, but he is the only one who has always done it faithfully every day, the season through, the same in my absence as when I was at home, while others loitered on the way, and allowed them to stray into other inclosures for the day, thinking it would never be known. It is evidence to me that if he is so strictly faithful in small things, he has the right spirit in him to make him trustworthy in greater things." Jimmy, gray-shirted and barefooted, just then was driving the cows slowly down the road; he guided them into the yard, put up the bars, saw that the gate was all secure, and was about to trip away, when Mr. Morgan called him into the house, where he told him something that made him dumb with glad surprise, and sent him home the happiest lad in town.—Ex. —The debt of Boston is $43,354,444. —The number of deaths in Chicago during 1877 was 8,026, or 546 less than in 1876. —Henry M. Stanley, the African explorer, has been presented with a gold medal, the gift of the late King Victor Emmanuel. —The funded debt of the State of New York has been reduced $12,000,000 during the past year, and is now a little more than $10,000,000. —There are now 854 manufacturing establishments in San Francisco, whose aggregate products amount to $62,338,000. They employ over 26,000 persons. —Egypt has 765 non-navigable canals used solely for irrigation and traffic. Of these canals over one hundred have been opened during the reign of the Khedive. —The State Department has received letters from China, showing that university education there, under American and other foreign professors, is making good progress. —Jamaica began quinine planting in 1860, and now has eighty thousand trees, of which experienced chemists report most favorably. The experiment made by the government, is regarded as a complete success. —The boring of the Channel tunnel between France and England is to be done by the French railway company, the Chemin de Fer du Nord, and the Southeastern and Chatham railway companies of England. —Great loss of property, and damage to shipping is reported from the heavy gales of January 10, in Maine. Trees and fences were prostrated, barns blown down, and houses unroofed. Total loss estimated to be $20,000. —Postmaster-General Key says business has so increased in the South that over 200 postoffices have been made presidential offices, namely: such as receive appointment from the president, and confirmation by the senate. This indicates prosperity. —While a Chicago north-western box car was being loaded with nitro-glycerine at the Jackson mine, near Negaunee, on the 2d inst., the mass exploded, instantly killing seven men, and demolishing the car. The locomotive was lifted into the air and thrown fifty feet and landed a confused heap of wood and iron. —Heavy rains in Richmond, Va., caused another rise in the rivers. The bridge over the Staunton river, on the Richmond and Danville road, just completed, was again swept away—the third time inside of two months. The iron bridge over the same river on the Midland road, between Lynchburg and Danville, was also washed away. This bridge was destroyed during the great flood in November, and but recently replaced. —Annually, for the last decade, there has been paid to the British Government by the Bank of England a sum slightly in excess of $17,500,000, representing the unclaimed dividends on consols. In other words, $580,000,000 of the English National Debt will never have to be redeemed. These hard times a little trifle of five or six hundred millions do not come amiss to any of us. It is a period in the financial history of the world when the smallest favors are thankfully received. —In consequence of extraordinary depression in trade and manufacture in England, in iron establishments and the mines, especially, many thousands of working people—men, women and children—are out of employment, and suffering fearfully for want of clothing, food and shelter. A large number are begging in the streets and highways, and some driven to desperation, rob and plunder where they can. Memorials have been addressed to the Government to appropriate a sum of money to cover expense of work that shall be done on public roads by which to furnish employment to these destitute people. They must have help, or they will perish.