Earlier text: None of Us Liveth to HimselfEuropean News and the Boer Campaign
The Russian press, in articles evidently inspired by the Russian Government, holds out the threat that in case the tariff war continues, Russia may lay a heavy import tax upon still other classes of American goods. Thus the work of the trusts in influencing legislation to keep up the price of sugar will bring a heavy hardship on many other American industries, and may lead to a general tariff war against America on the part of European countries. Such a state of affairs was foreshadowed several years ago when the first suggestion was made of a European combination against America, and the suggestion seems now in a fair way to become a fact. The Boers under General De Wet have made several desperate attempts during the week to escape from the water belt of the Orange and Brak Rivers, but have been unsuccessful. It is reported that General De Wet escaped across the river in a boat with a handful of followers. General French is said to be driving before him a considerable number of small companies of Boers, having defeated them in several small engagements, and captured a considerable number of prisoners, with a large amount of ammunition, many horses, trek oxen, cattle, sheep, and wagons. The burghers seem to be hard pressed in a number of localities. Lucie Faure, daughter of the late president of France, has secured the financial support of the French Government for a great children's exposition, to be opened May 1, under the auspices of the French aristocracy. Everything pertaining to childhood is to be represented, artificial brooders, kindergartens, infant gymnastics, rational feeding, toys, home training, and amusements. Exhibits are to be sent from the different countries. Two of the great art palaces erected for the exposition of 1900 will be occupied by the children's fair. So much pressure has been brought to bear upon the promoters of the great steel and iron trust by congressmen that the corporation is reported to have abandoned its first plans of consolidation; but the several companies, tho maintaining their respective organizations, will still be under the control of one organization. The companies which were to have been consolidated will now be “harmonized” instead, and the same object will be attained, but in a way more difficult of legislative control or interference. The power of the moneyed trust is fast becoming supreme in this country. Father McKinnon, of Manila, has given out thru the Associated Press a statement to the effect that the Federal party of the Philippines is merely a cloak for Protestant attempts to weaken the power of the Church of Rome in the islands, and accuses the Methodist and Presbyterian missionaries of using unfair means to induce the Filipinos to leave the Catholic Church. Father McKinnon declares that only by securing the good-will of the priests can Americans make permanent progress in the Philippines. The Cuban Constitutional Convention has completed its work, and delivered to General Wood a copy of the Cuban constitution as drawn up by that body. This document will be translated and forwarded to Washington at once for ratification. The belief is quite general that the constitution as it now stands will not be ratified, as the United States is demanding greater rights of interference in Cuban affairs than the Cubans wish to grant. The Russian police continue to make arrests of students in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kieff, and Odessa, and the military are put at the service of the rectors of the various universities for the purpose of quelling any revolutionary demonstrations among the students. The great mass of the students of these institutions are said to be imbued with republican and revolutionary principles, and a number of arrests are made daily. The great ice trust, in order to maintain the high price of ice, has decided not to harvest any ice on either the Penobscot or Kennebec Rivers this winter. On this account, about 12,000 men and 4,000 horses usually employed in the harvesting of ice on these rivers are idle; and the overseers of the poor in every city and town within the zones usually influenced by the cutting of ice, are receiving many appeals for assistance. One of the most important astronomical events of recent years is the discovery of a new star, which has, within a few days, advanced in brightness from the tenth to the first magnitude. The new star is located in the constellation Perseus. A map of that constellation will enable one to detect quite readily the presence of the stranger. The cause of the sudden appearance of this luminous body is not known. The Senate on February 23 passed a bill making available the appropriation of $5,000,000 for the Louisiana-Purchase Exposition, to be held at St. Louis in 1903. The bill was amended so as to provide an appropriation of $250,000 for a government exhibit at the Charleston Exposition, to be held next December. Before the bill was passed, amendments were adopted closing both expositions on Sunday. Complete reports of the exports of the United States during the year 1900 show that America stands at the head as an exporting nation, having risen from the fourth place during the past 25 years. The amount of the exports of the larger exporting nations for the year 1900 are as follows: United States, $1,453,013,659; Great Britain, $1,418,348,000; Germany, $1,050,611,000; and France, $787,060,000. On account of Russia's systematic work of Russianizing Finland, Helsingfors went into mourning on February 18, the anniversary of the czar's manifesto in regard to Finland. Black sheets were hung in the streets, and black curtains draped in the windows, while the monument of Alexander II. was draped in mourning. Many of the Finns are emigrating on account of the action of Russia. A bill declaring that all saloons in which liquor is sold illegally are public nuisances passed the Kansas Legislature on February 22. The “Nation” raids continue in Kansas, and several persons have been hurt in the attacks on the saloons. One woman, the wife of a saloon-keeper, was shot and instantly killed in a saloon raid at Leavenworth, February 18. A murder trial in Anderson County, South Carolina, has developed the fact that practical negro slavery still exists in a portion of that county. This bondage is shrouded under the convict lease system, and many negroes have been sent into these convict camps on trumped-up charges, losing their liberty for long periods. As a result of the failure of crops in the Apulia district, Italy, there is great misery among the peasantry. Thousands of persons are said to be without shelter or bread. In some places the peasants have assailed the authorities with stones and other missiles, and troops have been sent to preserve order. Tens of thousands are said to be starving in the famine-stricken districts of Russia. Southwestern Russia and the provinces east of the Volga are equally destitute, and for months many of the inhabitants have been subsisting on roots, herbs, and grasses, and are now dying of sheer starvation. The attempt to amend the Post-office Appropriation Bill so as to cut down the amount paid the railways for transportation of the mails was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 51 to 18. This is regarded as another great victory for the railways, at the expense of the postal facilities of the country. The bones of two monster dinosaurs, or giant prehistoric lizards, have been found near Sturgis, South Dakota, on the Fort Mead reservation. From the length and size of the bones found, the animals are supposed to have been 80 and 60 feet long respectively. Three Indian mummies, which are thought to be about 400 years old, were recently received by the Smithsonian Institute from Peru. One of the mummy packages has been opened, and in addition to the mummy contained a fine specimen of old Indian pottery. The rebellion in Venezuela, instead of subsiding, is showing signs of increased activity. The leader is being assisted by General Hernandez and the supporters of ex-President Andrade. The whole interior of the country is reported to be at the mercy of the rebels. The Japanese official organ recently published a recommendation of the Japanese Bureau of Education to the effect that Japanese words be written in Roman characters. The Roman letters are henceforth to be used in all grades of Japanese schools. The trust wave has struck Mexico, and capitalists are planning the combination of a number of Mexico's large industrial concerns. These concerns include the breweries, the cotton mills, cigarette factories, and soap factories. Russia's quick retaliation for America's increased tariff on Russian sugar is creating some consternation in Germany, where it is feared that similar action will be taken by Russia in regard to imports from Germany. The consular representatives of Italy and Uruguay at Manila are under suspicion of having carried on dealings with the insurgents, and the accusations against them are being investigated by the authorities there. An international company has been formed whose object is to monopolize the trade of China. It is understood that King Leopold is the secret promoter of this gigantic financial undertaking. Great destitution is reported among the natives of Alaska, especially along the lower Yukon, where the death rate has been very high, owing to weakened constitutions thru long privation. Signor Marconi has established wireless telegraph stations on the Isle of Wight and the Lizzard, 200 miles apart, and perfect communication has been established over this distance. A disastrous fire occurred in the Diamondville coal mine, near Kemmer, Wyoming, on February 25. Thirty-six miners and 15 horses met their death in the burning coal mine. A clash of arms has occurred on the border between Haiti and San Domingo. Efforts are being made by the consuls of the two States to put an end to the fighting. Another great oil strike is reported from Texas, near El Paso. Oil experts declare that this new oil field will be one of the largest producers in the country. A new hot-water geyser is reported to have broken out in the Yellowstone National Park. The new geyser plays at regular intervals of about two hours. A party of astronomers left New York on February 24 for Sumatra, to take observations of the eclipse of the sun, which occurs on May 17. A donor who withholds his name has given to the Harvard University $500,000 for the building and equipping of an architects' building. The Senate, by a vote of 42 to 18, has rejected the anti-hazing bill, which was designed to prevent the practise of hazing in military academies. Twelve persons were killed and 30 injured in a railway collision at Rustings, New Jersey, February 22. GROWING BUDGETS OF THE BIG NATIONS.
By G. B. Thompson
Under the above heading the New York World of Jan. 28, 1901, speaking editorially, gives the following items concerning the national expenditures of the various nations:— “It is interesting to speculate on what the annual expenditures of the leading civilized nations will be at the end or even at the middle of the present century if they keep on increasing at the pace set by the nineteenth.” “Great Britain’s imperial government is now spending money, not including Boer war expenses, at the rate of over $500,000,000 a year. That is an increase of 400 per cent. for the last century and of 84 per cent. since 1871.” “France under the great Napoleon, and when he was carrying on his stupendous wars, was spending a total of $225,000,000 a year. For 1900 her expenditures, in a time of peace, were almost four times as great. Her population has increased less than 30 per cent. since 1815, while her annual budget has increased 400 per cent.” “The German Empire, created only thirty-one years ago, has nearly trebled the total of its annual expenditures in that short time. In 1900 they footed up nearly $400,000,000.” “Russia’s ordinary expenditures have risen from a little over $200,000,000 in 1877 to $700,000,000 in 1900, and this takes no account of the $1,000,000,000 added to her vast railroad debt within the last four years.” “Nor is the United States behind in the matter of expanding expenditures. For many years past the Federal Treasury has been paying out for pensions alone twice as much as the total annual expenditures of the government down to 1860. Since President Buchanan’s time our yearly national expenditures have increased from less than $70,000,000 to over $500,000,000. That is to say, they have been multiplied seven times, while our population has been multiplied two and a half times.” “If this enormous increase in the yearly disbursements of all the leading governments of the world represented only or chiefly money spent to build railroads, dig canals, improve harbors, maintain public schools, and promote the arts and sciences, the growing burden of taxation which it implies might be borne with patience. But it mostly represents, in European budgets, and very largely in our own, money spent in war and in preparations for war. And all war is waste.” And then the nations of earth continue their gigantic preparations for war. Navies are increased, the standing armies are enlarged, and are equipped with the most formidable engines of death which man can invent. They see in the near future a bloody conflict, and are preparing for the terrible carnage. The nations are angry, and the day of God hastens on. “The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters; but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.” Isa. 17: 13. And then there will be a time of peace. G. B. Thompson. [From "A Book of Verses," by Nixon Waterman, Forbes & Co., Boston.] O SOLDIER! must you longer stay?
Have not the centuries sufficed
To teach mankind the better way?
Have you not heard of Christ? Forget the battle-cry; instead
Sing joyous songs of peace and trust.
Let swords that once with blood were red
Grow redder still with rust. Turn from the eagles; woo the dove;
For it will glad the angels more
If you will train a vine above
A lowly cottage door. And give your bayonet so bright—
If you would serve the greatest good—
To make a pen wherewith to write
A song of brotherhood. THE FATHER AT THE TABLE.
By John L. Sewall
[Rev. John L. Sewall, in the Congregationalist.] We all agree in theory with the suggestion of a quaint little book on domestic life: “The right administration of the table is an important item in home education. The meals are more than means for sustaining physical wants; they are opportunities of improvement and social happiness. Is there danger of affixing undue importance to that which may teach, at the rate of three lessons a day, punctuality, order, neatness, temperance, self-denial, kindness, generosity, and hospitality?” If these lessons are to be taught, some one must give thought to preparing and impressing them, and this burden should not be put upon the mother alone. In ancient days, when dining was a fine art, every feast had its master, who not only regulated the potations, but controlled the various courses of intellectual entertainment, the choice of themes, and the direction of thought. The average meal of the typical American home will not suffer from similar guidance, and who, if not the father, shall undertake this duty? Table manners indeed must be taught, line upon line, but there are other lessons than those of forks and spoons and the proper dimensions of a mouthful. In many of the homes where these words will be read, meal-time is the father’s only work-day chance for genuine acquaintance with his children, following their daily work and play, keeping in touch with their progress, and sharing their ideas and purposes. Unrecognized, this chance will pass unimproved; appreciated, it may become a priceless opportunity. The father may direct and not simply drift upon the stream of talk, which with five vigorous children around him is not likely to suffer from feebleness of volume, and may easily pass into uselessness or ill-tempered disputation. Let the father plan somewhat for topics, and skillfully bring them forward in a natural manner. Above all things, let him thus drive out personal and petty discussion of neighborhood affairs, which are unworthy of minds having or hoping for any greatness. One lovely home has its meal-times spoiled, according to my thought and feeling, by perpetual attention to minute details of the affairs of other people. As a result a large circle of bright and otherwise finely-trained children are being taught by their elders some sad lessons of petty gossip. There is no reason why large themes should not have brief and bright discussion at the table. In these days, when current events are so engrossing, when the doings of our own nation and of other lands have so much which children ought to know and in which their schools are now frequently trying to interest them, the father’s duty at the table is a plain one. Each child’s progress in school work, favorite lines of study, questions of school ethics, kindly and just judgment of the traits and deeds of schoolmates, reports of one’s reading items in the daily press worth noticing—here are a few of the directions in which a father may turn the thought and conversation at meal-time, so that it shall be equally pleasant and profitable. Success in this, however, means earnest thought, hard work, constant struggle against selfish absorption in one’s personal moods, and unwavering patience. One more privilege and duty of the father at the table deserves emphasis. It is here that the Christian father’s priestly function may reveal itself, not with unnatural obtrusiveness, but with great and vital power. The blessing at the beginning of the meal must be thoughtful and not mechanical; and there is, in my judgment, no such hour or place for week-day family worship as at the breakfast table, when all the family are together for the first (and sometimes the last) time in the day. The waiting fruit or cereal will suffer no harm while there comes a reading from the Sabbath-school lesson study, or a familiar psalm recited in unison, and a prayer, in which the family gratitude shall be voiced, with specific petitions for daily needs. There is no father so hurried by the approaching train or electric car that he can not, under ordinary circumstances, accomplish this, maintaining thus the reality of family worship, while escaping the formalism which has had so much to do with its disappearance. If to these things the father is willing to give thought and persistent effort, great will be his reward. AN EVENING AT CURLAND'S.
By Alice Irene Nichols
CURLAND'S hotel has had an extra cleaning and is brilliantly lighted, for it is Saturday evening, and the men from the lumbering camps have received their month's wages. Curland himself is in high glee, and is giving commands to his bartender. “We will make a big pull this night. Is everything ready? Whew! won't the money flow! But you just keep an eye on that gang from Mayre's. They are a desperate set, and it won't answer to let them get the start of us.” “Good-evening, Tom. Brought your violin? You're the man.” The music soon draws a crowd, the majority of whom are rough-looking men. A few show that they have known “better days.” Apparently the toughest of all are the ones known as “Mayre's men.” Mayre, their boss, is one whom all fear. Tall, of commanding appearance, he is a born leader of men, and those from his camp have imbued that wild, reckless spirit which dominates their master. “Say,” exclaims one, “Mayre, you're lucky, you're taking all the money.” “No, he isn't. He is dishonest,” comes from a man who belongs to another gang. “Hold still, Harold Sard; what are you doing?” Drinks are had. Down go the cards. There is quarreling over cards and pool. What cares Curland? He is reaping a harvest. A storm has arisen, and it is nearly nine before the stage arrives from the nearest station. “Passenger to-night,” shouts the obliging stage-driver. Curland, remarkable for his graciousness, welcomes the newcomer. An old, feeble man is he, with a staring, wandering look. “Appears a little out,” remarks the stage-driver on entering. “Wonder what he is doing up here.” The old man sits by the stove with a forlorn, despondent gaze. His eyes keep roaming about from one to another. “Mister, have a drink?” The offer, tho frequently given, is refused. Somehow this doesn't please Curland. He is not in the habit of having any one about who does not drink. From the stage-driver he has learned that the old man seems to have plenty of money, and he is determined to have some of it. When drinks are again put up, he insists that the stranger shall have a treat. Slowly the old man walks toward the bar. “Men, will you have a story?” says he. “Yes, yes; story,” comes from the excited crowd. “He is crazy!” “Crazy as a loon!” “Look at his eyes!” are the various remarks. With outstretched hand the stranger leans forward and gazes at the crowd. Instantly they are silenced at the strange scene and the stranger tale. “Years ago,” says he, “I was a wealthy man of influence in a far-away Eastern State. A wife and son composed my family. We were proud of the boy, who was exceedingly bright, and at the time of the opening of my story was preparing for college. That year I was elected mayor of the town, which had been for a few years without saloons. I had been called a ‘temperance man,’ but when the vote was taken as to whether we should have saloons or not, I wanted to be popular, so I broke the tie, and the saloons were opened. Six months later checks were presented for payment, forged by my son, when gambling, under the influence of liquor. Angry and excited, I drove him from our home. Weary with sorrow, the mother lived only a few years and died moaning for her boy. Since then I have traveled from State to State searching for my son.” With eager, excited tones the old man again breaks the silence: “Have you seen him? Do you know Casper Mayre?” The hushed group are startled. The old man is grasped by strong arms; for the son is found. “Don't you know me, father? I am your son.” “No, no,” said the old man; “my boy is young. You are not my son.” “Boys, he is my father, but he is crazy, and I made him so. Who will help me take him to the camp? No, Curland, no more liquor to-night. I have had all I ever intend to have.” With sobered speech the men follow the father and son as they pass out into the night. The sparkle of the wine in the glass, the clink of the coin on the card table, has lost its fascination for the time. One by one they separate, some to go home to loved ones still watching and praying for the prodigal son, others to wander up and down the quiet streets, thinking, as they have not for many a day, of the old folks far away in some country home. The lights are out in the hotel. Curland's trade will decrease, for Casper Mayre's influence will be used in a better way.—Alice Irene Nichols, in Union Signal. My heart was hungry many a day;
While plenty lay upon my board;
Men saw my need and turned away
Until ye came who serve your Lord. Unto my lips ye held love’s wine,
Love’s gracious gift of daily bread.
Ye knew not, meeting need of mine,
It was your Master whom ye fed. My soul was naked to the blast,
And shivered helpless in the cold,
Until your pity, coming past,
Drew near and wrapped Me in its fold.
With tender words of cheer and care
Mine utmost want your love sufficed.
Ye knew not, when ye left Me there,
Your love had warmed the heart of Christ. I was in prison with My pain,
Barred into darkness, left alone,
Until ye came to loose My chain
And break away the walls of stone.
Ye led Me forth to light and day,
Struck off My bonds, and set Me free.
Ah, blessed, when your Lord shall say,
“ This have ye done, and done to Me”! Referring to the old question of the “new woman” and her influence upon home life, the Rev. George C. Adams has this to say:— “In these days, when we hear so much about woman’s interests and so much about woman’s sphere, I can not but wonder whether it is possible, under present conditions, for the rest and sweetness of the old-fashioned home to be preserved. I sometimes wonder whether it is not all lost. “The woman who is of the world to-day could never be the mother of a Wesley or a Cromwell. The home of John Wesley was a place of song and prayer, and from that hearthstone came the Wesleys, who turned the world upside down. “Are not the children and the young people, thru the Sunday-school and other organizations, losing the sweetness of the Bible in the home?” “No one can teach the Bible to a child like his mother. Her teaching makes an impression that can never be produced by a Sunday-school teacher. . . . The question for us to consider is the kind of influence with which we are going to surround our children. Many of the little people of to-day are trained to consider their dancing lesson one of, if not the most, important duty in life. Think of it! I tremble for the future of children so reared. Let us remember one thing, my friends, the spirit of the home is reflected in the character of its children.” While the Sabbath-school has its place, and an important place, too, it never was designed to take the place of home study of the Word; and the faithful parent will not relegate to the Sabbath-school the work which God designed he should do in that fruitful missionary field, the home. A horse named Billy belonged to the city of Rome, N. Y., and for nine years drew a patrol or ambulance wagon. Officer Watson had been his driver all that time. After his nine years' service the horse was sold, but his new master could not induce him to eat, and finally sent for Watson to see what was the matter. The moment his old master entered the stall, Billy grew excited with joy. He ate grain from his old master's hand, and ate a feed-box full of hay while Watson stood by. The horse was simply homesick, and showed every sign of his appreciation of the fact that he was in the company of an old friend. How much better treatment our domestic animals would receive if we gave them credit for the intelligence which they really possess and for the affection which they really have for those who treat them kindly! S. Various sanitariums and private hospitals are using the “salt-rub,” and it is becoming so popular that some Turkish-bath establishments are advertising it as a special attraction. It is just as good for well people as for sick ones, is the most refreshing of all the baths and rubs ever invented, only excepting a dip in the sea itself, is very strengthening, and can be taken at home easily. Put a few pounds of coarse salt—the coarsest you can get, sea-salt by preference—in an earthen jar, and pour enough water on it to produce a sort of slush, but not enough to dissolve the salt. This should be taken up in handfuls and rubbed briskly over the entire person. It is better to have it rubbed on by another person, but any one in ordinary health can do it for herself or himself very satisfactorily. This being done, the next thing is a thorough douching of clear water, preferably cold, and a brisk rubbing with a dry towel. The effect of elation, freshness, and renewed life is felt immediately, and the satiny texture of the skin and increased clearness and brightness of the complexion, swell the testimony in favor of the salt-rub. For young children it is best to drain off the salt and add two tablespoonfuls of pure bay rum to a basinful of this salt water. Apply with a soft flannel, and dry with a soft Turkish towel. Care should be taken that there is not too much salt in the water, as it may irritate the tender skins of some children.—Anon. “BETTER TAKE A SHEEP TOO.”
A VALUED friend and able farmer, about the time the temperance reform was beginning to exert a healthful influence, said to his newly-hired man— “Jonathan, I did not think to mention to you when I hired you that I shall try to have my work done this year without rum. How much must I give you to do without?” “Oh,” said Jonathan, “I don’t care much about it! You may give me what you please.” “Well,” said the farmer, “I will give you a sheep in the fall if you do without rum.” “Father, will you give me a sheep, too, if I do without rum?” then asked the elder son. “Yes, you shall have a sheep if you do without.” The youngest son then said, “Father, will you give me a sheep if I will do without?” “Yes, Chandler, you shall have a sheep also.” Presently Chandler speaks again: “Father, hadn’t you better take a sheep, too?” The farmer shook his head; he hardly thought that he could give up the stimulant, but the appeal came from a source not easily to be disregarded; and the result was, the demon rum was thenceforth banished from the premises, to the great joy and ultimate happiness of all concerned.—Selected. NEVER be ashamed of honest work. Some people are afraid of lowering their dignity, as they call it, by doing common work when occasion really demands it. But people of sense, with true dignity and character, know that honest work is honorable, whenever it may be that they have occasion to do. One writer tells this story of the emperor of Austria:— One day, when traveling in Italy, a wheel of his carriage broke down, and he went to the shop of a blacksmith, in a little village, and asked him to mend it without delay. “I would,” said the smith, “but, as to-day is a holiday, all of my men are away at church. Even the boy who blows the bellows is away. “Now I have an excellent chance to warm myself,” said the unknown emperor. So, taking his place at the bellows (instead of calling one of his attendants to do so), he followed the smith’s directions, and worked as if for wages. When the work was finished, instead of the little sum which he was charged, the sovereign handed out six gold ducats. “You have made a mistake,” said the astonished blacksmith, “and given me six gold pieces, which nobody in this village can change.” “Change them when you can,” said the laughing emperor, as he entered his carriage. “An emperor should pay for such a pleasure as blowing a bellows.” I have known some boys, says the writer, who would have waited long, and sent far for help, before they would have “come down” to blowing a blacksmith’s bellows. It is not boys with the best sense who thus stand upon their dignity.—Selected. THERE is a good deal of religious life that is much like the practice of “marking time” among soldiers. They lift up one foot and then put it down in the same place; then they lift up the other foot and put it down in the same place. They are marching, but they are not moving. In other words, they are but going thru the motions of a march. So it is with many professors. They are but marking time. They are “going thru the motions” of a Christian life, but they are not getting on. They are saying their prayers, but they are not praying; they are going to church, but not to heaven; they are talking in meeting, but bearing no testimony.—Church Army Gazette. Virtue Is Not Alone
By Confucius
VIRTUE is not left to stand alone. He who practises it will have neighbors.—Confucius. OUR MODERN SHIP OF STATE.
By T. R. Williamson
The ship of State rides proudly still, and grandly
Her ensign floats o’erhead,
Whether tornadoes rave, or smoothly, blandly
Rose zephyrs round her spread. Not as of old in light of freedom’s splendor
Does she confront the world;
Despotic power and lust for gold attend her
Where’er the flag’s unfurled. Her shotted guns that roared when slavery flaunted
A traitor standard high
Have roared again, and Freedom, all affronted
Because the lowly cry,
Pleads up to God against their tyrant roaring.
They slay the weak, the poor,
And round her sides and from her scuppers pouring
Blood stains the ocean o’er. The days are gone when honest indignation
Kindled those guns to flame
Because that from a dark part of our nation
The slave’s deep sobbing came;
Because from cane fields and from rice swamps sounded
The lash, the bloodhound’s bay,
And fierce oaths rankled up o’er forms sore wounded
Thruout the hate-tinged day. No more she offers peace to all peace-seekers,
No odds what land they leave,
So that upon her decks they prove peace-keepers,
And new life aims receive. Now in the East her flag hangs downward drooping
Where o’er the skies afar
Rises a wild flame up the clouds groping
With the fierce growl of war. What is the need and what the guerdon sought for
When we in late days cruise?
Freedom’s the watchword still as when ’twas fought for
By old heroic crews. But Freedom’s mighty self withdraws her presence
From our ship’s decks to-day;
Proud Tyranny’s on board in form and essence,
To rule with grasping sway. O, let the great past float once more before us;
Let our far wanderings cease!
O, let the Christ rule break in grandeur o’er us,
And bless us with its peace! Oakland, Cal. T. R. WILLIAMSON. No good deed is ever forgotten. An incident is related of a little girl whose mother was a sick widow, and who stopped a young man on the street and begged him to buy her chestnuts. He was poor, but could not withstand her pitiful look. He handed her a coin, and said, “I can not use your chestnuts, but you are welcome to this.” She thanked him, and then hurried away. Twenty years passed. The little girl grew to womanhood and became the wife of a banker. Passing the library one evening, she saw a man with her husband whom she recognized as the man who, years before, had been kind to her. When he had gone, she inquired his errand. “He came to see if I would give him a vacant position in the bank.” “I wish you would,” she said, and then told him the story of her poverty and the man’s generosity. The man sat beside his sick wife’s bed that night, when a liveried servant brought him a note. “We shall not starve,” he exclaimed; “I have the position.” He opened the note and found inclosed a $250 check, with the words, “In grateful remembrance of the little silver piece a kind stranger gave the little chestnut girl twenty years ago.”—Christian Herald. A YOUNG man just starting upon his work in the ministry was one day talking to an aged minister in London, who had spent a lifetime in the service. The young man said, according to the Christian Citizen.— “You have had a great deal of experience; you know many things that I ought to learn. Can’t you give me some advice to carry with me in my new duties?” “Yes, I can,” was the response. “I will give you a piece of advice. You know that in every town in England, no matter how small, in every village or hamlet, tho’ it be hidden in the folds of the mountains or wrapped round by the far-off sea, in every clump of farmhouses, you can find a road which, if you follow it, will take you to London. Just so every text which you shall choose to preach from in the Bible will have a road which leads to Jesus. Be sure you find that road and follow it; be careful not to miss it once. This is my advice to you.” The place of the daughter in the home is as large or small a place as she is able to make it. It is really a creative place, one in which she can be the brightest, happiest, most helpful influence in the home, or simply a partaker of the comforts and protection of the home, with no thought of any return on her part.—January Ladies' Home Journal. Cornell’s Rare Earth Collection
“THE laboratory at Cornell has the investigation of the ‘rare earths’ quite to itself in America. Yet it is doubtful if it is anywhere known what a mass of these costly elements has been accumulated at that institution. A recent inventory disclosed that of didymium, which sells for $7.00 an ounce; Cornell has 300 ounces; of cerium, quoted at $6.00 an ounce, 400 ounces; of lanthanum, worth $35 an ounce, 30 ounces; and considerable quantities of yet rarer ‘rare earths’ which can not be obtained upon the market at all.” The Politeness of Letting Mistakes Pass
It is a high attainment in politeness to allow others to be mistaken. Let a trifling misstatement pass unnoticed where no principle is involved, and when a mistake is past remedy, it is best to let the subject drop. The argument of the “I told you so” character is always quite superfluous.—Mrs. Burton Kingsland, in December Ladies’ Home Journal.