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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLucknow Sentinel, 1907-09-11, Page 3THE FRUITS OF RELIGION Ko Man Is Saved Until He Is Made Strong Sane, Useful and Reliable. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” —Matt, -fl., 16. YL-fre is an. honest inquiry rather than •querulous criticism in the question, often asked, Why does not religion pro­ duce a higher and stronger type of moral character ? Enthusiasm for the leachings of Christ often is cooled by ■contact with some flabby willed, nar­ row minded professed follower of those teachings. It is a common saying with business men that it is hard to find a man of .absolute integrity, one who even mea­ sures up to tho standards of commer­ cial honor among those who are reli­ gious, either by vocation or avocation. At any rate, it is true that a certificate -of religious ofllliations by no means Is equivalent to a guarantee of high moral worth. Yet it ?s easy to arrive at wrong con- •clusions when judging the effect of reli­ gion on personal character as tested by daily business and living. One is in •danger of judging from exceptions. We may remember as a religious person the man who makes the loudest protesta­ tions of his piety and fail to recognize the religious, sources of strength in the •quieter one of whose sterling qualities ■we need no persuasion. When religion has little root it often springs up with a rapid self-assertive growth; but it withers even more ■quickly under the scorching sun of the market and business affairs. It also •would be the height of folly to conclude that religion contributed nothing to a ’man’s moral worth, because the morally ■worthless seek to hide their nakedness by WEARING IT AS A CLOAK. If wo stop to think of the strong men •and women we know, of those whose integrity is undoubted, whose character wealth constitutes the real reserve and bulwark of our business stability, we ■shall find that they are controlled by religious ideals and principles, that the ^strength and beauty which we admire in them in itself is religion. They may have or may not have ecclesiastical affiliations; these are but Incidental. They do have religion. Somehow we feel that their actions rise not from superficial wells, of policy or ■custom but from deep springs that go -back into the roots and rock of things. THE S. S. LESSON INTERNATIONAL LESSON, SEPT. 15. (Lesson XI. Moses Pleading With Israel. Golden Text: Deut. 6. 12. TIIE LESSON WORD STUDIES. Based on the text of the Revised Ver- ;sion. Approaching Canaan from the East.— After leaving Mount Hor the Israelites iseem to have proceeded southward along the western side of Mount Seir to the ‘Gulf of Akabah, and from thence east­ ward and again northward along the -eastern frontier of Edom and Moab, un­ til they arrived in the country imme­ diately northeast of the Dead Sea. Here for a time they paused before attacking -•Canaan west of the Jordan. With the .story of their sojourn in this district are ■ associated the episode of Balaam (Num. .22 2-24. 18), the seduction of the Israel­ ites by the Midianite (or Moabite) women •-(25 1-9); the taking of a second census •of the people (26); the selection of Joshua -as the successor of Moses. (27. 15-23); the ■communication of numerous laws and regulations (27. 1-14; chapters 28-30; 33. 50-36. 13). In chapter 31 is recorded the punishment of the Midianit.es for having .seduced the Israelites. Chapter 32 re­ cords the assignment of Gilead to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe ■of Manasseh, and their settlement in the Territory assigned them. Chapter 33. 1-19 contains a summary of the itinerary of the entire journey of Israel from Egypt to the eastern border of Canaan. Before entering upon actual possession of the Promised Land it was natural that a number of important things should be attended to, and Moses, who had now grown to be an old man and who felt that his death could not be far distant, gathered the people together and in a long discourse reminded them of the past guidance and blessing of Jeho­ vah and exhorted them to obedience and constancy in their devotion and service to Jehovah. (For a brief discussion of the purpose and nature fo Deuteronomy, see “The Lesson Exposition,” “A Simple Plan for Teaching,” and the “Lesson Outlook.”) Verse 1. In chapters 1-4. 40, Moses-, after reviewing the recent history of the people and pointing out Jehovah’s love f-or Israel as revealed by that history, earnestly urges upon the people the duty of keeping Jehovah’s laws, reminding them of his spirituality and absoluteness. Then in chapters 5--- inclusive follows ar. exhortation which may be considered as introductory to the more specific in­ junctions of chapters 12-28. The special relation between Jehovah and his people was established on the basis of the De­ calogue which is here repealed (Deut. 5. 6-21), Moses at the same time reminding the people of their promise to obey any further commands which Jehovah might give (chapter 5). The source of all true obedience, however, is a right attitude, and therefore Israel’s first duty is the duty of love to Jehovah and of service and reverence, and, further, of keeping his claims constantly before their chil­ dren. These points are emphasized in cur present chapter. The commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances- Those additional laws and commandments promised in verse 31 of the preceding chapter: “I will speak Unto tb'se -he commandment, and ( They look out on life with eyes that see beyond questions of immediate and passing advantage, they see visions and ideals ; they are drawn on by lofty as­ pirations. The recognition which we accord to real worth, to high, and noble, and strong manhood and womanhood, with the scorn we have for the canting weak­ ling, is but part of our discrimination between a living, deep religion expressed in conduct and a mask or pretense adopted for profit or convenience. Still there are many good people, sin­ cere in their religious professions, who practically are no good at all when they come to some strain on conscience, or some real test in life. Is it not because in their minds religion never has been related to conduct? They are grounded on the eschatology of Christianity but not on its ethics. It is possible to go through a full course of religious instruction in the regularly appointed agencies of many churches and to come out with clear cut conceptions of heaven and angels, but with the most misty and even MISLEADING CONCEPTIONS of right relations among men, of hon­ esty, and justice, and truth. The schools, teach us about the stars and the earth, about men dead and beasts living; the church teaches us of saints and seraphs, and about an an­ cient literature ; but who shall teach us : and our children the art of living, the laws of human duties ? Of what value io all our knowledge unless we get the wisdom of right living? The most irreligious thing in this world is a religion that makes people think that an imputed or technical sal­ vation absolves them from the necessity or practical salvation, the working out of the bast and noblest in their lives. Re­ ligion without morality is a mockery. Real religion is the secret and source of the highest, strongest, cleanest char­ acter. It furnishes the life with motives mightier than any considerations of ad­ vantage or profit; it ties the soul up to eternal and spiritual verities; it refresh­ es the heart as with living waters when life seems all desert; it sets the heart in step with the Infinite One who marches oil through the ages. HENRY F. COPE. the statutes, and the ordinances which thou shalt teach them.” 2. That thou mightest fear Jehovah— To implant in the hearts of the people this reverential fear of Jehovah had been Hie aim and scope of all the instruction which Moses had given them. Thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son —One generation is to be responsible for handing the law and the traditions of the fathers on to the next. 3. Increase mightily—Not in numbers only, nor yet primarily, but in rank and position among the nations. A land flowing with milk and honey— Compare our Lesson Word Studies for September 8. 4 Jehovah our God is one Jehovah— Or, “Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one”; or, “Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone.” 5. With all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might—No part of man’s intellectual, emotional, volitional, or physical life is to be withheld from tho service of Jehovah his God. 6. Be upon thy heart—Constantly in thy thought and mind. 7. Thou thalt teach them diligently unto thy children—Lit., “impress,” that is, “inculcate” (prick in). When thou sittest . . . and when thou walkest—The laws of Jehovah are to be the subject of conversation between par­ ents and children at all times. 8. Bind them for a sign upon thy hand—An expression doubtless intended only figuratively here, but interpreted literally in later times when the people converted little parchment scrolls of the law into amulets which were actually worn fastened to the hand. For frontlets between thy eyes—Also ir-.lended figuratively no doubt, the sense being that the commandments of Jeho­ vah are to serve as an ever-present re­ minder to the Israelites of their relation­ ship to Jehovah, and of the debt of gratitude which they owe him. In ac­ tual practice, however, the Jews carried the injunction out literally by inscribing or. small scrolls of parchment portions of the law, which scrolls they then in­ closed in small cases and bound these with leathern thongs to the forehead (as also on the left arm) at the time of the daily recitation of the Shema, or as­ signed portion or summary of the law. 9. Upon the doorposts of thy house, and upon thy gates—This provision was, and still is, carried out literally by the Jews. Even to-day these tiny cylinders enclosing portions of Scripture written on parchment may be found on the door­ post of the homes of orthodox Jews, the pious Jew touching this little case or box or kissing his finger as he passes it to go in or out of the house, to and from his daily work. 10. In the remaining verses of our les­ son text the exhortation is against for­ getfulness of Jehovah and his past de­ liverances during a time of material prosperity and blessing which is sure to come. 11. Cisterns hewn out—The broad, deep, rock-hewn cisterns in which the water from the scanty rainfall of winter is hoarded up for use in the long-, hot, dry season are still a great boon in Pal­ estine. Vineyards and olive trees—Two of the principal sources of livelihood in Pales­ tine. 12. Then beware lest thou forget Jeho­ vah—It. i.s easy in times of prosperity to forget past adversities. 13. And shalt swear by his name— The modern Oriental is profuse in his use of oaths. He swears by everything and in proportion to the reverence with which he regards that by which he swears his word and his oath may be trusted. When he swears by the divin­ ity in which he believes he usually speaks the truth and may be trusted to fulfill the promise emphasized by such an oath. If, however, he swears by a god not his own or something of minor dignity and importance, his oath may not bo considered as binding, and cer­ tainly is not so considered by himself. To what extent modern customs in this respect reflect ancient conditions it is difficult to say, but clearly the Israelite is here exhorted to call upon no other gods but Jehovah to witness his most sacred promises and vows. An oath, moreover, is a peculiarly solemn con­ fession of faith, and as such the Israel­ ite was sacredly to regard it. SOME HISTORIC BUTTONS A NEW YORK WOMAN IIAS QUITE A STRING. Buttons From the Gown of Queen Vic­ toria and the Coat of George Washington. A New York woman has a very val­ uable button-string. One of the buttons once adorned the coat of the “Little Cor­ poral” after he became the great Emper­ or Napoleon. It has his profile clear-cu-t o 1 its surface. A modest little grey cloth button loses its insignificance when its owner tells you that it was one of a row that fastened a walking-gown of Queen Victoria’s. An artistic button in pearls and priceless lace once adorned a ball-dress worn uy the unfortunate Empress Eugenie. More interesting than any of these re­ presentations of royalty is a pathetic, shabby button, which, could it talk, would tell tales of hunger and cold, long, weary marches, feet that bled at Valley Forge, voices that cheered and eves that wept, all for liberty. It is a button cut from an old army coat of George Washington’s. BELONGED TO GREAT MEN. As a companion to this American but­ ton there is a little, rusty cloth disk that travelled the world over with Benjamin Franklin. Almost every great soldier of modern times has added a button to the collection. Florence Nightingale, of Crimean fame, to whom the world owes its trained nurses, is represented by a pink cambric-covered button. Thack­ eray once wore a suit of grey broad­ cloth, evidently, for a mould covered with that material is one of the prizes <M. the collection. A similar button, cov­ ered with brown broadcloth, was once worn by Dickens. A button-string that would illustrate the many stages in the evolution of thp button would. be very interesting. Everything under the sun almost has been used in the manufacture of but­ tons. There have been buttons of gold and silver buttons of iron and bone, and recently a process has been discovered by which potatoes may be solidified into very handsome buttons. There are pearl buttons, glass buttons, tin but­ tons, wooden buttons, and buttons of vegetable ivory. Horn buttons belong almost to a past age. The few that are now placed on the market come from France. Yet it is scarcely half a cen­ tury since M. Bosset of Paris introduced buttons made from hoofs. They became very popular and made a French saying which runs, “Set a button at right angles with a woman’s eye and she’ll make you a millionaire.” Horn buttons made many millionaires before they went cut of fashion. TEST OF TRUE MANLINESS. Moral Courage Which Obtains Only With Highest Type. The real and unfailing test of manli­ ness is a fixed purpose to do the right at all hazards. Physical courage alone •may be possessed in a remarkable de­ gree by the bulldog or the weasel, but moral courage obtains only with the highest type of men. Loyalty to the truth, an abiding conviction that no man can afford to be false in any re­ lation of life is a quality of true manli­ ness. This type of manliness never squirms, equivocates or fawns. When in error it most frankly confesses to the wrong, but never compromises with evil. Our genuine man will risk life, reputation, alt, for truthfulness of speech and rectitude of behavior. JUST THOUGHTS. All that glitters is not guilt. Wise men always look before they leap for joy. Don’t look at trouble through a mag­ nifying-glass. Of two evils some people choose both as samples. People who lives in glass houses ought to grow tomatoes. It is the early bird who catches his sweetheart in curl-papers. Lots of people are suspicious of others because they know themselves. How much trouble would be averted if women feared men as much as they do mice! You find people ready enough to. do the Samaritan without the oil and pence.----------q---------- NEW FIRE ESCAPE INVENTION. A Swiss engineer has perfected a new fire escape. It consists of a series of folding iron ladders, attached to window frames. -Each ladder reaches from one window to the next one below it. By turning a crank on ony floor the frames benqath are unfolded in less than a min­ ute, and form a continuous means of descending to the ground. ______■ ECONOMY. “Yes,” boasted an overdressed indivi­ dual, “I make my clothes last. This hat i- an example of my thrift. Bought it three years ago, had it blocked twice, and exchanged it once for a new one at a restaurant.” Some men would have more money if their friends would pay up. A woman is never surprised when she is handed a compliment.. Al Sandhurst in Australia is a gold­ mine nearly 3.C:00 feet deep. Remorse is the sling that results from the past slapping the present in the face. If takes an up:’ r. iia d.al r to see the silver lm.ii„ o.' a cmud. I 1|The Home | o 1 ‘s SOME DAINTY RECIPES. Poached Eggs without Toast.—Make seme blancmange with cornflour or gelatine as you would for an ordinary mould, pour this into very small, wet­ ted saucers; when set, turn out into a glass dish, place half a preserved apri­ cot on each, and pour the syrup round. The latter will be improved by a slight flavoring of liqueur. For Ormskirk Gingerbread.—Mix two pounds and a half of flour with one pound of raw sugar, one grated nut­ meg, one ounce of mixed spice, and four ounces of candied peel. Warm half a pound of treacle, mix with one pound of butter, then knead into the dry ingre­ dients thoroughly. Roll out thin, cut into biscuits, and bake in a slow oven till crisp. A Good Tomato Sauce.—-Take eight ripe "tomatoes, cut them up, skins and all, and stew till they are very soft. Then press through a sieve, season highly with salt and cayenne pepper. Add a gill of thick brown gravy, stir all well together and heat, stirring till it boils. Pour over a boiled cauliflower, fowl or fish. Victoria Sandwich.—Take one egg and its weight in ground rice, caster sugar, and butter. Add to these ingredients a teaspoonful of baking powder and fla­ voring to taste. Spread the batter on twe small tins of equal size, and bake in a sharp oven. When done turn on to a sieve, spread one cake lightly with jam, and set the other on it. Sift caster sugar over, and serve. Dundee Tartlets.—Beat one egg and two ounces of caster sugar to a cream, flavor with a teaspoonful of orange­ flower water and half an ounce of sweet almonds cut up very finely. Melt three ounces of fresh butter and whisk it into the mixture. Line eight small tins with puff pastry, then rather more than half fl’l with the above mixture. Place half a preserved cherry on the top of each and bake in a steady oven. Gainsborough Pudding.—Boil one pint of milk, adding while still warm half a pint of breadcrumbs. Sweeten to taste and flavor with lemon. When cool add the beaten yolks of two eggs and one ounce of butter. Place in a greased pie­ dish and bake slowly for half an hour. Let it cool a little, then squeeze over the juice of a lemon and spread with jam. Whip the whites of eggs to a stiff froth and pile on the pudding, and just set in the oven. Rice Snow.—Boil a teacupful of rice very gently in a pint of milk, until the rice is tender and the milk is absorbed. Separate the whiles and yolks of two eggs. Take the rice off the fire and boat in the two yolks, a dessertspoonful of caster sugar, and a few drops of vanilla. Pour into a buttered pie-dish. Whip up the whites of the eggs with a little cas­ ter sugar and pile on the top of the pud­ ding. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Eat hot or cold. Delicious scones from this recipe should be made when any sour milk is available. Take four teacupfuls of flour, three-quarters of a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of baking soda, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Mix all well together, then add as much sour milk as will make a soft dcugh; knead into a round and put on a baking sheet. Brush over the top with eggs or milk and Kake in a moderate oven till ready. If liked currants or sultanas can be added to the dough. This scone will rise just' like bread. Beef and Ham Pie.—Take one pound and a half of beefsteak, cut into neat pieces. Cut about half a pound of cooked ham and four hard-boiled eggs into slices. Arrange these ingredients in layers in a pie-dish, season each with chopped parsley, thyme, marjoram, lemon, peel, pepper and salt. Put a cupful of good stock into the dish, cover with rich pie-crust, ornament with leaves cut out of the pastry, brush over the crust with yolk of egg, and bake in a sharp oven till the pastry is cooked. Then let the meat cook slowly till done. Serve cold. Cold Meat Salad.—Take some cold meat, cut it into neat cutlets, and ar­ range in a shallow pie-dish. Boil one quart of good stock with one ounce of gelatine, a teaspoonful of tarragon vine­ gar, any other seasoning you like, and the white of one or two eggs beaten to a froth. Whisk all till it toils. Then put the saucepan in a cooler place and allow it to simmer for a quarter of an hour. Strain through a thick cloth on Io the cutlets. When quite cold cut out the cutlets and mince up the remains of the aspic finely. Take a lettuce and some tomatoes prepared as for salad, pile in the centre of a dish, and arrange the cutlets around. HINTS FOR THE HOME. Varnish for Walnut Wood.—Dissolve one pound and a half of shellac and one gallon of naphtha together. To give it a good color add a very little dragon’s blood. When boiling common starch sprinkle in a little fine salt, which will prevent it sticking. Some people use sugar in the same way, but it is not so effective as salt. Salt for table use should be mixed with a small quantity of cornflour before putting it in either a salt-cellar or salt sifter. This prevents the tendency it has form in sond lumps. To keep sponges soft and while wash occasionally in half a gallon of warm water in which a teaspoonful of tartaric acid has been dissolved. Afterwards rinse in plenty of cold water and set in the air. Some Uses of Lemon—A piece of lemon will take ink out of white cotton or linen fabric if rubbed on at once. It will also take out of porcelain, china, and clothes the ugly brown stain from Condy’s fluid. Lemon pulp and peel will remove stains from the hands and make them soft even in cold weather. Serge dresses can generally be freed of spots by rubbing with a solution of boiling water and ammonia. Keep adding fresh boiling water as you use it. If a serge dress is in goo<?condition, but bodly spotted, it is quite worth the while to send it to a eood chemical cleaner, who, for two or three shillings, will return it equal to new. A pleasant dressing for the hair, which renders it soft; and glossy, is made thus : Dissolve half an ounce of the best white wax in seven ounces of almond oil. When nearly cold, add any perfumo that is preferred, such as twelve drops of oil of cloves, ten drops of es­ sence of almonds, and twenty drops of essence of lemon. To Whip Cream.—Procure thick cream and see that both the whisk and the basin (which should be large) are very clean. Carry out this operation in a ccol place, and, if possible, by an open window. Sweeten and flavor the cream, and, with a wire whisk, beat till the “whip” is stiff. For a Short, Light Crust.—Take three ounces of lard, butler, or clarified drip­ ping, and rub it into six ounces of flour. Add a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of baking-powder, and make all into a stiff paste with just, three tablespoonfuls of water. Roll the paste out thinly, and bake in a very hot oven till a delicate brownish color. To Remove Scorch from Linen.—Peel four onions and extract the juice from them. Mix with one ounce of soap, four ounces of fuller’s earth, and a pint of vinegar. Boil all well together. When nearly cold put on to the scorched linen; allow it to dry in the air. Afterwards wash with clean water. Should one application be insufficient, repeat the process. Garnishing does not receive sufficient attention from most of us. So much de­ pends on it whether p dish is appetis­ ing or not, that we should bestow more care on it. For hot meat any boiled vegetables in season, peas, bits of broc­ coli, French beans, etc.; for poultry no­ thing is better than watercress. This is also good for cold meat, as are beet­ roots, carrots, slices of pickles, and any kind of salad. Parsley should garnish every dish. This is how to make oak stain, which, if kept in a well-corked bottle, is al­ ways fit for use. Take a quart bottle, place in it two ounces of American po­ tash and peerlash, then fill with water. For using this care should be taken that it does not touch the skin, for t acts as a blister. It is best to use an old paint brush when.applying any kind of stain, for it will spoil a good one. To Whiten Glomes that Have Become Yellow.—Steep them overnight in luke­ warm water, and next morning wash them in good clean suds, and then put them in the copper with coAl water, some pieces of curd soap, and one tea­ spoonful of borax. Boil for twenty min­ utes, rinse immediately, and leave them for another night in clean cold waler, to which a little powdered borax has been added. If possible, bleach on the grass after this. ____„.___ _________ __ USES OF MILK. Numbers of Strong and Useful Things Made Out of It. When at the close of a hard day’s work you get home, and wait patiently or impatiently, as me case niav be,— you know best—for a cup of tea, have you ever thought of the numbers of strong and useful things that can 'e made out of the milk which you pour in the amber fluid? Probably you have not, but you could build a house of milk, if you liked, and it would be as is'rong and lasting as though made of Aberdeen granite. Moreover, all the fittings could be made of the same sub­ stance, and they would outlive the fin­ est ordinary material that was ever constructed. Billiard balls, fancy boxes, and many other things are made from the new substance, galalith, which is made from milk. There is really no limit to the articles which can be made from gala­ lith. Galalith is the best substitute for ivory ever discovered, for it is smooth to the touch, retains its soft, creamy tinting for years, is not marred by soap and water, and, unlike celluloid, is proof against fire. It docs not chip or crack like bone, and can be cut into the most delicate shapes, being tough and not easily broken. In Austria, something like 179.000 quarts of skimmed milk are used daily f<r the purpose of making galalith, and the industry is largely on the increase. CATS TO SAVE INDIA. Now Voyaging Eastward to Tackle the Plague. Twelve oafs embarked recently on board the SS. Kincraig, at Victoria Docks, London, bound for India, to make a fight against the plague. They came from a cats’ home at Hammersmith, and are being sent to the Army colony at. Muktipa, under the special care of a Russian member of the Salvation Army. Each cat has a separate cage. Large tins of sardines have been taken for their exclusive use, as well as tins of herrings, fifteen large tins of condensed milk, some tinned New Zealand mut­ ton, forty .pounds of rice, and, .among a variety of other delicacies, several boxes of puppy biscuits. If the experiment is at all successful more cats may follow. The Plague Comrifission in India proved last year that plague is spread by rat fleas. The cats will, it is hoped, gradually -kill the rats, and thus eventually exterminate the chief medium by which the bacillus i-: communicated by one being to an­ other. AIRSHIP FOR BRITISH ARMY. Military Engineers Constructing It for Two Years. It is announced that British military engineers at Aidershot have been en­ gaged for two years in the construction of an airship for the army, and that it is now completed. It is stated to ap­ proximate the French type of La Patrie, 'll is sausage-shaped. The balloon car­ ries a light framework of steel and bamboo. The envelope is of great lift­ ing power. U -is 80 feet long and 80 1 feet, in diameter. Both planes and' fan propellers are used in directing and propelling. Petrol furnishes the mo­ tive power for the engines, which are of the automobile type. The King re­ cently inspected the airship. ----------$---------- “The Smiths are going to move out of this neighborhood after being here near­ ly a year.” “That’s strange, just as people are getting to know them.” “That’s the reason they’re going.' AFRICAN CHURCH IN CARS MISSIONARIES FOLLOWING THE CAPE TO CAIRO HOAD. Two Such Cars at Work Now—May Reach Great Lakes cf the Interior. The great distances between the South African townships, in which whites and' blacks live side by side, has suggested a novel and practical mission which takes the form of railway carriages,, capable of being hitched at a moment's! notice to passenger or freight trains bo tween Cape Town and the Zambesi, Between the townships English set­ tlers are scattered in this way. Every live miles or so along the line there may be a cottage occupied by a white plate layer and his family, with close by half a dozen native huts filled to overflow­ ing. Near the stations or sidings, every twenty miles, two or three white fami­ lies are found, while railway camps or villages stand from seventy to a hun­ dred miles apart. Here the drivers,: guards and other employees have their homes, flhen there are any number of lonely farms, stores, inns and police camps. All of these are utterly beyond the or­ dinary ministrations of the Chunch, and THE CAPE TO CAIRO RAILWAY is always opening up new centres. In spite of free passage granted by the Cape Government railways to spiritual pioneers it was found hopeless to deal with tho mixed population of English, Dutch and natives scattered along 2,000 miles of line. For three years the Rev. Douglas Elli­ son, who with the Rev. I*. B. Simeon was the first in this vast field, traversed his- parish once every three months by goods train, by railway trolley or on loot. He visited the lonely gangers in the stations, the railway camps and vil­ lages baptizing and teaching children,! celebrating weddings, burying the dead' and holding services in waiting rooms or even freight sheds. Al last the Cape Government gave Mr.- Ellison a coach, arm later on the Bishop) of Grahamstown lent a small cottage to1 serve as Mission House. Just after the war Mr. Ellison was invited by the! Bishops of Pretoria and Mashonaland toi extend operations into their dioceses,; and now there is a second railway coach whirling through the Transvaal and' Rhodesia. These “MISSIONS ON WHEELS” are served by nine English pastors, a. deacon, three or four laymen, five na-1 tivu catechists and two women. The railway coaches, without which, (his work would be impossible, form' small peripatetic homes on w’heels, and; one of them—“No. 404”—is known throughout nearly one-half of the Dark Continent. It contains a “state drawing­ room” and bedroom in one, an entrance hall, a sitting-room and bedroom for the native catechists, a kitchen, bathroom- and a store room. This sounds very, opulent indeed, until one realizes that' all these apartments are contained with­ in a length of twenty feet ! No wonder. Mr. Batty, working in Natal, says he. found it difficult to get a Sunday school of fourteen children into the “state drawing-room” and that he was almost tempted to put the little ones in the lug­ gage racks. A small Zulu boy travels with each coach and unites in his one small per­ son the offices of cook, housemaid, but­ ler and valet. These homes on wheels sound very interesting, yet travelling over immense distances day and night is inexpressibly wearisome, so hot a.td cramped and shakv are the coaches. , It is hoped to extend the work pro-) pcrlionately with the new railway con­ struction, of whicn no less than 2,000 miles is projected for the next few years. This will take these church; homes on wheels away up into the Great, Lakes of Central Africa, and in due time they will doubtless REACH KHARTUM ITSELF. Each coach has its own crew, who far* forth on the old Gospel principle, twa) by--two, on a beat of a thousand miles,. They move quietly along, establishing) friendly relations with the railwaysid®'. populations, and watching not only new) railway developments, but also oppor-i tunities of organizing more permanent; and settled ministrations. The coaches are loaded with literature of various’ kinds, old magazines and weekly papers, being much appreciated by the isolated; people, and also in the camps of th® South African Constabulary, which ara often near the railway. One can well imagine how warmly^ “Old 404” must be welcomed, as sh»i trundles up to some remote siding; and in this welcome is often enough the, nucleus of a church. The first meeting may be under the dazzling skies of, Africa. Then comes some old goods! shed, decently garnished and decorated with flowers. The next stage is a hum­ ble enough little chapel, and later on! comes a regular church—which in one classic instance was built of nothing more substantial than brown paper! ' Indeed at Kliplaat at this moment may be seen quite a handsome little church constructed entirely of wire wove felt and a few laths. --------------------- EASIER JOB. “Madame, I must request you to re­ move your hat,” remarked the polite theatre attendant. The lady smiled grimly. “Does my hat annoy the little man behind me ?” “Yes, madam.” “Then you’ll find it much easier to remove him.” < >I < <5/ > > A PASSING THOUGHT. A poiTto little girl was dining one day, with her grandmother. Everything at; the table was usually dainty and unex­ ceptionable, but on this particu'--* occa-j sion the little girl found a hair in fieri fish. “Grandmamma.” she said, sweetly,; “what kind of fish is tilts « “Halibut, my dear.” “Oh,” replied the child, Ihc'.iKdi per­ haps it was mermaid.”