HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1905-05-04, Page 61+1-i+H-H +4-1-1-1 I t.'Mi• 41-144-1-1-141-1-1-1-1-i-11-1-11-11
ilis Favorite Niccc; 7
+H-1-14-1-14-14-1-144444-164-144 4-144 4-1-1'•l-l--t••!:•!-344-b-l-4-444.14 4
('IIAI''1 EIt XX u11.—(Continued). to every heart. and left nn irttpre$-
Hettie Made the most of her edu- &ion t here. %hen the clear. earnest.
voice ceased, there was a slight stir
in lite organ -loft, and thea a dead
silence.
Mint broke it? A clear, sweet
voice. which Sir Basil never forgot,
singing a solo in a grand old an-
them, every word of which was dis-
tinct and audible—'beautiful words,
well thatched with the fine rruusie and
the angelic voice. He listened in
wonder; he had heard stoma of the
finest singers in Italy and some of
the grandest music in the world, but
nothing liko this --clear. sweet., and
puthet ie. at t imes sonttdlig as
thouglt it wel•n full of Wars, and
noes, took her with hint for a few again jubilant and ringing. He was
—____OR
A SECRET REVEALED•
cation; she gave lessons to the chil-
dren of the well-to-do people wh e
lived in the neighboring villas, Cho
sung in the fine old Norman church,
she made pretty little sketches of the
lovely scenes aroune, them, and so
enrnee money enough to supply her
father with all that he needed. It
was characteristic of him that Ito
never noticed his daughter's shabby
dress or her worn shoes. She gave
hint unreservedly all she had—her
love. her money, her flute, and her
attention. Tho only break that ever
came to the monotony of her life wag
when her father, going out on busi-
days. She thought it an act of not sentimental, and flattered him -
kindness on his part, while he knew
that without his most loving and
devoted daughter he should enjoy
very little comfort. Sho had novor
spoken to him of what she had read
and seen of Leah. She knew that he
perused the newspapers, but so word
or look from him revealed the fact
that ho had seen her name. Hattie
was compelled to proserve silence on
the subject, but her thoughts ever
reverted to Leah. So it often hap-
pened that, when father and daugh-
ter sat together in tho porch of the
pretty cottage, watching the sea in
the distance, both wort thinking of
Leah. elart'ln saw her still as tho
beautiful child with the flash of de-
fiance on her face with which slip
had left him. Hattie drearnd of
her always a9 she had seen her last,
in the brilliancy of her beauty and
magnificence. Neither of them over
imagined how near she was to them.
Southwood did not posaese a news-
paper of Re own. and Deno Abbey
was quite out of their world. The
great preen hill rose between them,
and separated them as though they
were in different hemispheres.
In Southwood no one troubled
himself or herself about politics.
•'The Voice of the People" was
dumb there: the portlier agitator
was but little known. Most people
had an idea that the quiet, stern -
looking occupier of Roeewnik was a
writer: and they knew that, he could
not he well off because his daughter
had to support hint by her exertions.
'Phis fair, gentle girl. whose) whole
life was spent in working for others.
who neverad time to think of her-
self, was X'ently beloved. If over
she had a leistire hour, it was spent
in some deed of charity. She visit-
ed the sick and the sorrowful; front
her slender -store she helper' those
who were in greater need. When
means failed her, when !rhe had nei-
ther food nor money to bestow, she
gave kind words full of consolation
and tender In their wisdom. She
worked very hard, from early thorn
until dewey eve. She rose with the
sun. She had manuscripts to copy
for her father. lessons to arrange, a
hundred things to do. If the day
had been twice as long, she could
have filled it with pleasant duties.
She was beloved by all—by the ehil-
then whom she taught, by tho par-
ents who employed her, by every per-
• eon with whom she had to deal. It
was not only her fair. angelic beauty
but her sweet temper and witrome Daring lur.chenn he spoke of the
ways, that won all hr arts. music ho ham hoard at Southwood.
1 hese wore the days of ?Karlin in of the clear, sweet soprano voice, so
Ray's decadence. atel ho could not rich and rare in quality.
perhaps have ehosen any :pot on
earth when•° he could have been more
secluthetl or more forgotten.
It was n strange chance that
brought these two sisters so near
toeethcr. yet placed them so far
self that he took a practical view of
most things; but as he listened he
thought to himself:—
"That must be how the angels
sing."
Ho looked up into the organ -loft
from which the sound carne, and
there he saw a picture that was pho-
tographed on his brain for evermore.
A tall, slender girl stood in the
midst, of the choir, in a dress of pale
bluo--a girl with a face so fair, so
rapt, 90 seraphic, that it awed and
bewildered him. She was singing—
not to the people, who listenedi with
bated breath.—not to him, whose
oyes never moved from her face. Her
head was slightly upraised, her face
upturned. Her thoughts had pierc-
ed the old grolned roof and the blue
ether that lay beyond, and had gone
to the land where angels dwell. Her
golden hair made: a halo round her
head, and Jet could have thought that
an angel had descended from "the
realms of light." Then. as the per-
fect spiritual loveliness of the face
dawned upon him, be found that it.
was strangely familiar to hire.
Somewhere else ho had seen those
lustrous blue oyes and that sweet
pleading mouth—the sante face, but
with a dikereat expression. Then
it dawned upon him slowly that this
girl had been the original of the
picture. "'1'ha Float Glimpse of
Morning." and he remembered what
ho had said to Leah, "Thatfaeo has
what yours lacks—tender/wee." "i
am qcstin4t to know her through
the arts," he said to hirnself. "She
dawned upon me in painting, I see,
her etherealized by tousle—yet what
is she to roe?"
She was nothing to him, yet dur-
ing the whole of the day that rapt.
spiritual face seenmed` always before
him. He would have asked who she
VMS, but he knew no one there, and
when the anthem finished trite van-
ished. ITo lingered in the old
churchyard. where the tall elm -trees
cast graceful ehndows on the grass,
but he caught no glimpse of her. ile
went horse to keno Abbey with the
clear, rich voice ringing in his ears.
There was a little rivulet that ran
through the lone woods, ho bent
over it, and, lo, the sweetface smil-
ed at hila from its clear depths! He
laughed at himself. No woman's
fano had ever haunted hint before.
With all its brilliant beauty, even
Leah's had not haunted him as this
ono did.
The duke said that he had hoard at.
yam% singer spoken of there as hav-
ing a very beautiful voice. One or
ttvo of the visitors said they would
like to go to Southwood Church.
The (nuke of Hosed -me declared Half
apart. The stop green hill that laughingly that (hero was a feud
stone, between Alibey and Southwood between himself and the rector of
was typical of the great barrier
Southwood and that until 1t was
canto which parted them. 'there
were Milnes when both at the sante
moment watched the same Reale the
same skietr, yet neither had the hetet
notion of the other's presence in
that part of the country.
n and op-
pressive.
had
been hot
aunl.m
The .
3fartln Hay had suffereel
notch. and it was some relief when
the enol breezes of 11,1t limn emote.
They heard casually that Rene Abbey
was filed with visitors, bet that
any of the visitors canopied them
never (recurred to them. Father and
daughter would not have sat so qui-
etly watching the heaving waters
hail they known that Leah was so
near them.
'Phe occupants of iteno Abbey sel-
dom attended the pretty old Noonan
church at Southwood, where llettio
sing me sweetly and so clearly.
There was a church nearer to them
called St. Itarbauld's, which at oust
in the centre of a little village neer
the sen. But Sir Basil liked South-
wood hest. He admired the quaint
old Norman church. with its n•luare
lower and line arches. Through the
windows one could see the tall elnt-
trues; and Sir Basil said that more
devotional thoughts carne to hint
there than in any other place. So,
one Sunday morning, when the
whole party went over to St. Bar-
haeld's Sir Basil went through the
woods. climbed the steep hill. and
d seen oaf the b ettert iful, grassy
slope.. until he reached the old Nor -
wen church where his fate awaited
hint. Ile never forgot one detail—
the green churchyard, the row of
esu; -trees that evened to elle( it in
f,otit tho world. the old fashioned
einehal. near which trail :4t111110Wers
grew. the golden hare that tilled the
511 o•ttoith+, and the deep shadows
within.
l ate rector read the prayers. ane1
said a fow words to the prt>vl•e —
le, hesent words tbat went home
healed neither himself not; the duch-
ese would leave St. liarbaul 's.
Sir Basil derided that every Sun-
day while he remained at Dene he
would go and hear the beautiful
voice that had channel hint so
greatly. "If any one could fall In
love with it voice,n}oul
think
k
thnt hae done ao."
he ,atid to
hirnaelf. Some strange instinct that
he did not undorrat srsl at. 1110 tines
kept hien silent to Leah concerning
both tho fat's and the voice of the
fair young singer. Ile w"ald have
told her that in her he reeognirrd
the original of the painting they had
admired. but that he remembered so
well that She had bpm hart by itis
compnrfson of her own and the pic-
tured face. and he did not wish to
remind her of the cir•curnstnnce.
"I wonder." thought Sir Basil,
later on in tho day, "if she stands
there every Sunday in that pale blue
dress, the light on her golden heir?"
Ile ans sitting by one of the open
witnloes that evening, haunted still
by the fair fare he had urn, when
Leah carne eudeenly behind him and
inid ane hand caressingly upon ble
hard head.
"lintel," she said, "you have been
very distrait to -day. Ito you know
that you have not spoken fifty
w(rrels to me. 1 have been patient
to bear it so long, but now you
must make amends for it."
Even as ho looked up into her face
the other fairer one t.eent ed to (naso
led ;green them.
"How shell 1 make amend'.," he
asked, with a smile.
"Yon nest find that out for your-
self," she replied.
If. drew her to the seat by his
aide and whispered *one tender
wncd* to her. She loved hint se
entirely that very little ,ratisiie,i her.
Onto more exacting might have
thought that ho was not a very de-
monstrative lover, but Lvali was too
•
u'tch blinded by her own passion 1o!I"i4` 444 i4'e+1044•1f♦+at
note any defect in hint. That hour
spent with him at tho open window
in tho autumn gloaming was one of IP
the happiest she ever knew.
That same night. while her maid L
stood brushing out the long dark T
rippling waves of hair, Leah. with
a happy senile, was looking at her
own fact In the glass. She said to
herself—and the words carpo home
to her afterwards: "If I never have
any more happiness whim• 1 live, I
have had enough for a lifetime." Sho
loved him so well.
The week that passed before Sun-
day ensue again was u long one to
Sir Basil. Ile had not the least
intention of ever being, oven in
thought. untrue to Leah. If he had
dreamed that there was any danger
in seeing the beautiful singer again,
he would have avoided her. Ila was
engaged to marry Leah llattote—how
could ho know that he Wa9 in dan-
ger. In Italy he had loved to listen
to such voice e; hero in England ho
never missed goo.1 'music when ho
had a chance of hearing it. What
harm could there he in going to
Southwood Church to hear a grand
old anthem beautifully sung? Ile
did not, speak to Leah about it. He
had ono definite motive for silence,
and ho had twenty reasons that
were not quite definite.
Sunday carte—a t;eatitiful day.
bright, warm, full of fragrance, the
sky serenely blue, the green earth
all smiling and fair. Sir llasil was
more silent than usual at the break-
fast -table, and tho girl who loved
him, looking at his thoughtful face,
wondered if he were thinking of her
or of the future before thorn.
On that. bright Sunday morning no
warning came to Sir Basil that he
had better not sea the young singer
again. TTo went. She sang more
sweetly than ever, and looked to his
enchanted eyes fairer than before.
With her dress of pale blue, her
fair, flower-like face and golden hair,
she reminded him of the beautiful
figures he bad ween in the churches
in Italy. He must find out who she
was; he would much like to know
what natne went with that face. Ile
would like to speak to her; it would
bo pleasant to know if her voice
sounded as sweet in speaking as in
singing.
This time,- when the people went
out of church he contrived to bo
among the: first., and then het yaw the
blue dress trailing over the grass:
he noticed that every movement and
action of the girl was as full of
grace as her singing was full of
music. 'The sun was shining on the
tall elm -trees and the green graves
where the dead slept so well; on the
old Norman church, on the groups
of worsbipper9; and something stole
into his heart that had never been
there before—a now delicious life. It.
thrilled in his veins and hent at his
heart—a keen pleasure so great as to
Ito almost pain. Ile thought the
tranquility of the day had touched
him; he thought the beautiful music
had affected hits. Something had
with sudden sweet swittnt's9 changed
the fair face of Nature for hire.
Ile watched the girl who had sung
of tho "bright seraphim." She had
stopped flog of all to speak to a
group of fair-haired childtren; then
he sate that this old then and women
all tried to have a few wools with
he Hum
DAlltl' ECONOMICS.
The first $25 of the annual in -
memo from a cow yields but little or
no Leola to the owner over the cost
of her keeping and it will take 5,000
pounds of milk at 50 cents at hun-
dred pounds to bring that sutra. If
by [roper selecting and breeding one
can get at cow that will yield 8,000
pounds of milk with but little, it
any, more expense for food and care
the extra 3,000 pounds will repre-
sent pro:it. It is recognition of
this principle and action accordingly
that makes fortunes in other lines
of business and why should not. the
farmer profitby the example. Which
cow gives the most milk anti pro-
duces the largest quantity of butter
in a year, may be known to every
farmer who lilts a herd, but only a
few of them know the exact quant(
Lies for every clay or week in the
year, simply because they do not
keen records. Then there is the cost
of milk and butter to be known, as
soma cows aro heavy feeders, and
do not. produce accordingly, while
it. is also possible. for a good cow
to give large yields and yet not at
a cost to allow a profit. An I'ng-
lish farmer claims to have made a
diseovcry which Is valuable if his
claim is well founded. As is well
known, it is difficult io select a
calf at birth for its future usefulness
as a milker, yet be asserts that it.
can be done. ITo states that on the
inner side of the cheeks, near the
corner of the mouth. troy be, observ-
ed the pales, which have different
forms according to whether the calf
will bo good, medium or Indifferent
milker. 1f the pulps are largo,
broad and flat they give large quan-
tity of milk. If they are only round
the milking qualities will bo only
ordinary. if painted the milk yield
will he email. The "palp" i9 not
defined, hut it le probably a por-
tion of the mouth raised above tho
smooth surface that can he felt, or
plainly seen. The economical and
profitable production of milk and
hutter is easy for the farmer who
will attend as carefully to all of the
details of business as iso men in
commercial pursuits. Beginning
with the selection of the calf by
some well established rule and fol-
lowing rap with its physical develop-
ment and proper care, food, exercise:
and training. a study of its disposi-
tion and treatment accordingly, even
a hart tempered nnlral can bo made
to do his Beet and developed Into a
source of profit. when otherwise. it
would not be worth the cost of its
keeping.
1'11ODUCiNG COOL) MILK.
Never milk cows in a dusty at-
anosphere. It is a yore method of
svi.ting the milk with the worst
forme of bacterial organisms. Germs
cannot live on pure air and water.
but are found by millions in those
substances when they contain dust
or other organic :natter. When for -
her; after that she disappeared, and eign matters of any kind enters the
he could not sew in which directlbn milk pail, it is sure to detract f:•one
she had gone. the value of the milk as a food or
Ile found the old sexton. Sir Basil for the manufacturer of butter or
discos cored in a moment the way to cheese.
his heart: it was suggested by the I few people appenr to realize that
almost pathetic manner in which tho once ccntaitinat.ed, there is no wo-
man said that. it was a dry day. Iio thud by which silk can be restored
was so completely oVerwholtncd whjen to its pore condition as found in the
Sir Basil dropped something into
his banal with which to stake the
day more comfortable that he would
have answered any number of ques-
tions.
"Who was the lady that swig?"
Slie was M199 stay—STiss lfettla
Bay, daughter of the old pan who
lived at Itosowalk.
Where was Ito9ewalk?
"It Is a cottage built. on the elope
of the hill round there by South-
wood"—a vague direction, but Sir
Basil remembered every word of R.
lett° tens the old man?
Alt. that the sex(lon did not know!
All that he could tell was that he
cow's udtter. At tho temperatare at
which milk is drawn from the cow -
0.7 degrees_-- foreign ntntter disaolses
very readily and is then iuttl>ossilee
to remove by any chemical tneano
such as straining. At the sumo tem-
perature germs multiply at their
gre►tteet rate, causing souring, gas
and various putrid flavors in milk.
Milk contains arnnll quantities of
mineral, carbonaceous and nitro-
genous matter in solution, the ideal
cotelitions for germs, growth ani
1ucrerete On entering a 1>acteterio-
logical laboratory an observer will
notice milk cultures of the moist vir-
ulent Feral*. Scientist* oto milk
hal heard that ho was a fat 0 a extensively ter growing gowns on Re-
writer In the political line, that ito count. of its special fltneee for this
WW1 i , and that his daughter
worke1 very hard. Ile know little of
bite, because ho kept away from
every one and shut hima'lf sup in hie
little cottage.
t
tile.
a
"]father a curious history."
thought the young baronet. "Such
a father and such a datighter!
cannot pos•.ibly be It political. writer
of any note. or 1 should have hcnr,l
sotto one spent( of him. Before long
I will see for myself what Itosowalk
is Mie."
('I'o be Continued.)
WORDS SPO, N IN HEAT.
They had been married fully thres
months, awl were having 1 heir thir-
teenth tinily quarrel, thirteen being
an unlucky number.
"You only married :no for my
tnnney," he said.
"i didn't do anything et the
kind," she retorted.
"Well, you didn't marry too becnuse
you loved me."
"i knew I didn't."
"in Heaven's name, madam, whnt
did you marry me for."
".rust to make that hateful Kato
Scott you were engaged to cry her
eyes out because she had to give you
up to another."
ile fell down on the whine bear-
skin rug at her feet and rolled over
in it until he looked like at huge the farm. and they enter into many
snowball. of the household dishes. In testi-
"Great Caesarl woman"• he *put- orating the profits from poultry. the
tared, at he tried to get the hair out
of hie mouth, "what have yon done?
Why, 1 marrted you because Kato
Scott threw me over!"
And by the time dinner was randy
their sweet young hearts were once
more so full of outshine that awn-
ings were quite necessary.
purpose.
The dairyman should always bear
in mind that. milk la one of the most
delicate articles of food, and if he
physical and chemi-
cal
1A ♦ a
understand!:1
i .
cal nature it will he an aid to him
in producing a sanitary milk.
No time !bottld be lost after milk-
ing in cooling the milk to about. 50
degrees. Hero again tho micro or-
ganism condo in; like other members
of the vegetable kingdom, cold is
inmicnl to their development.
MEAT ON FARMS,
Ronst pork and roast pig aro fav-
orite dishes, and &he termer never
1111S9413 the pork from his table oven
when other meats are lacking. Ile
can Just as easily and cheaply hero
const duck as roast pork. in pro-
portion to food consumed, the duck
will cost no more than the pork, and
a four -pouted duck can he put on the
table in eight weeks from the time
it is hatchets. The farmer who anis-
es one hundred ducks can have roast
duck twice n week nearly every week
in the year, and he does not have to
plckte the meat to keep it. The (tuck
can Ito raised on any kind of fond
that the hog will consume. and the
fernier can have a rene•ket for his
ducks at horse, leaving hint the pork
10 sell. What 'would a farm, be that
did not contain a flock of fowls'' The
eggs are considered es adjuncts to
eggs ani poultry consumed( by the
family should he given the tamo
as though touch supplies were pur-
eha.e.ed. No farmer should Bell his
eegt and live on something lest. de-
sirable,
o-sirable, but he remelt' enjoy the
ancon luxuries a* those who aro wil-
ling to have the best is the cities.
"SALAD
is now the Favorite
Drink of MiH�n
Black, Mixed or Natural Green. Sealed rackets only
HIGHEST AWARD ST. LOUIS 1904.
PROFIT IN POULTRY.
1'ew people realize what enormous
quantities of poultry and eggs are
consumed or how rapidly modern
methods are revolutionizing the
pots lev but:ineee. Not many years
ago there was not a largo poultry
farm in existence, and no one believ-
ed exclusive poultry farthing could
has made to pity. but to -day there aro
many large poultry farms which aro
giving a good account of themselves
and it is dilicult for ono to spy what
the limit is to the size of a poultry
farm or the wonderful improvements
in methods of handling and selling.
It is certain that the American hen
is snaking herself farliota and is
rapidly being recognized as on en
equal footing with our other great
Interests, such as dairying, stock
raising and other agricultural pur-
suit a.
-__♦
WA.X-FAfMING IN CHINA.
An Intereating Description of the
Work.
Ono of tho occupations of China
which is little known to the outside
world 1i wax -farming. A tiny insect
is cultivated with groat shill by the
Chinese of a certain district, because
of tho fine white wax which it pro-
d•tces. The Scientific Atnoi•ican de-
scribes the work of these wax-farrn-
ers.
This little insect, which is hardly
yot known to W(atern science, has
many peculiarities, ono of which is
that for the successful pru•tvction of
wax two stages of its lifo must be
pas.'ted in very different re:;ions. The
earlier stage, in which *he females
develop until almost ready to depos-
it their eggs, is in the Chien Chang
Valley in tho weetern pert of China,
whero grows a tree, at an altitude
of eve thousand feet, on which the
Insect passes that stage of its Olds -
(cure. In May it is time to remove
the colonies of wax -makers to tho
lower altitude of Szechwan province,
where is foetid another tree, feeding
upon which the insect makes its wax.
'This removal is one of the most
pictuioequo features of the industry.
The:man:is of porters are employed
In it. The colonies of inserts remov-
ed from tho trees are wrap{etl in
leaves of the wood -oil tree. Packed
carefully in baskets, they are slung
frurn the shoulders of tha porters,
who must hour them front two to
four hundred miles The way lies
over the rocky paths and heights of
the Szechwan mountains, through
several cities, and ends at the farms
where the masters of the bearers
await them. All tho journey Must
be made ut night, as the :;en's hunt
would develop the insects too fast.
At that time of year it Is the cus-
tom of the cities along aim way to
leave their gatc't open all night in
order that the progress of the bear-
ers may not be interrupted. With
tho baskets s:►apended from their
shoulders, the porters run in weird
procession at their top speed from
dark till daylight. Clad almost in-
variably In rain -proof straw, they
carry picturesque lanterns, which
swing a9 they run, throwing tho fan-
tastic shadowa of their bodies all
round.
At. daybreak the men find some
dense shade for their burden*, pre-
pare their meals and go to sleep. At
nightfall they aro under way again.
At the farms where tho wax is to
be formol the leaves containing in-
sects aro tied to the limbs of trees,
Smother
A Cough
Press your hand hard enough
over your mouth and you can
smother a cough, hut you can't
cure it that way. The outside
is the wrong end to worst on.
SCOWS [Min
thoroughly cures coughs be-
cause it strikes at the root of the
trouble. The throat and lungs
need a regular system of educa-
tion to cure an old cough.
The point of value about
Scott's Emulsion and coughs is
that while Scott's Emulsion
does soothe the raw throat and
lungs, it also nourishes and
heals the inflamed parts.
It replaces inflamed tissue
with healthy tiuue--the only
real cure for an old cough.
Send for Free Carnet.
*COOT & DOWNS. Chemise, Teresto,
where the hest of the sort develops
theta. Crawling out, the males pro-
ceed to forst c•uroone, and these are
the source of the vote. In a short
time the entire trete; are covered with
the shining valuta), so that, but for
the treat, ono would believe they were
hidden in frust. '11iin white covering
is sum etirnes a quarter of an inch
thick over 'nett of a tree. It is
scraped off duel refined. and from it
are made candles for the household,
objects for the temp i's, and many
other things, and an annual tribute
of the best quality is seat. to tete em-
press at feeing.
IN THE JUNGLE.
A Woman Describes a Fight Be-
tween Panther and Hyena.
An Englishwoman travelling with
her hu:,band in India passed an en -
tiro tight in the top of a tall tree,
waiting for her husband to got a
shot at a panther. She describes the
cxper knee in tho I'nll Mall Maga-
zine:
Toward ono o'clock we were cer-
tainly getting drowsy, when we wore
both startled out of our sleep by
hearing the most fearful snarls and
yells cooling from just below our
tree. My husban.1 was peering out
in an instant, but only just in time
to see two largo animals, fighting
hard. disappear into the shadows of
the trees. In tho diftivult light of
the moon wo had not time to see for
certain what animals tl-ey were, but
it looked and sounded like a panther
driving off a rig.
Whether what 1 had seen was the
THE STAR (IF BETHLEHEM
THE FOUNDATION OF ALL AS-
TRONOMY.
Here Is a Fossiblc Explanation
of a Brilliant
Star.
'111e recent conjunction of the two
great planets, Jupiter and Venus,
itae been watched with interest. The
fourth of July they approach atill
roarer, writes Garrett. Fisher k iso
London Mail.
Tho dawn of •astronomy is said to
bo traceable to such a spectnclo.
Somewhere about 251.0 B.C. all live
of the then known planets reached
the sa>no longitude in the course of
their ordered wanderings—Mercury,
Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn
were grouped together in the same
region of the sky. This observation,
which was naturally made in China,
is iho edest. on record, and probably
redy IMIensidered as the foundation
of all asuonumy.
Mr. Stoc kwoll, an astronomer of
replete, hes made a very interesting
suggestion as to the poa.;iteu part
which such a conjunction once ploy -
ell in the accepted history of man.
In the beautiful story of the Gospels,
few things aro more difficult either
to atc.'pt er reject than the Star of
Bethlehem, which lea the Wise Mon
of the East to the birth -place of the
destined Saviour of mankind. 1f we
deny its existence, as Browning asks,
"lehat comes next
net Flchto's cunning cut at God
11io,s+lf?"
If wo accept it in its full descrip-
tion by the evangelist, what becomes
of all our reliance upon the imntuta-
bility of natural law? Modern criti-
cism pins at a policy of rvconcilia-
tlum, and tries to explain what it.
cannot frankly accept and would be
sorry to deny.
'1'1IE CONJUNCTIONS.
Many attempts have been made
account for the star. A bright &
f.
teor or fireball, flying across the
land in a direction which the astro-
1oflically-minded Magi might well fol-
low in expectation of meeting with
aomo aomarkable portent—a tempor-
ary star, such us lately blazed uut in
Perseus, only far brighter—a comet,
pointing towards the humble Bethle-
hem stable—all have been suggett.ed;
but it is wif..rtunately impossible to
test such hypothesis.
kir. Stockwell looked for a
simpler
Wither er not I do not know, but and more probable origin for tho
a dark shad ,tv passed beneath us, Bible story. lie remembered that
and there, right opposite us un the when Venus hapl-ened to seine with
bank. with his white chest gleaming
in the moonlight, sat a largo panth-
er
special splendor in the morning sky,
Greenwich Observatory was always
besieged with inquiries whether it
My husband got his rifle into post- were not the Star of Bethlehem re -
lion and flet. el, and the panther roll turned again. Ot course, the Magi
ell over with a growl. In a minute were learned in all the astronomical
with another low growl, ho rolledtali 1. re of the Chaldean :shepherds. and
over again into a clump of wore not litdy to Imiateke the fam[I-
ban,grasses just at the bottom of the lar Ile i er-1'hosphar, t2 a star of
bank, and rental:led quite still. Ile morn and eve, for a portent and pro -
was completely hidden from us, ani dig}. But was it not possible that
we could only watch the plata and Ven::s might have been is caw knctloa
wai•.. hardly had we got settled with some. ower
planet at the
when a crackling came on tho dry
TIME OF THE NATIVITY?
leaves under the tree, and a hyena
apponred. Ile stopped a few yards It is a simple though a laborious
front the clump of grass in which the task to calculate the positions of all
Panther lay, and began baying. If. the planets at argiven time. Tho
it was intended as a challenge. itI "Nantieal >Lntantscc" always contain
had the desired result. for in a min- a list of their places for several
tate wo heard at savage growl come Sears to come. and seamen steer
from the long grass• and quicker than their courses in confidence that noth-
my eve could follow in the uncertain lug will fel-ifyr these preeletions. By
light the psni her had sprung out the same process we can follow their
upon the hyena. utovewents beck into the past, and
And now how can I describe thatsatisfy ourselves where Venus or
awful tussle? Snarl:r, howls and tierce Mart was shining on any given night.
growls all horribly ntixeel as those Mr. Stockwell accordingly comput-
two fearful animals fought. The ed the moticne of the chief planets
panther. we could Fe,., was ,ieyerepy about the nasumed tune of the birth
wounded, in fact, one shoulder ate of Christ. It was clear (h t any
pea reel quite useless, and soon it star or combination of stat which
seemed pruhablu thn. the hyena could tidal the account of the Star
would got the best of it, when stet- of Bethlehem must have been an un-
eg
denly 1 h two animals parted a few usually coneplcuous object in the
yards, and lag gasping and panting morning sky within .two or three
on the around. years before tho death of Herod In 4
M • husband availed himself of this; 11,C. Saturn and Mercury were speed -
chance of a shot, and with the report I i'y rejected as not being bright
enough to he worth considering. The
that rang out like n minim the
by bolted, nna the panther rolle.l' conjtinetions of Venus and Mars aro
ovc'f on his side. Wing new riotaln hever v consitit'unii9 Oaks. Cel -
that he would never move again, my: c"laifonof the motions of Mars
husband called to Inc to come down; i and Jupiter showed that they had no
but this Was no very era,• matter, ns; conjunction within the assigned spa '•,
somehow my, knees felt 'toot cur-
: of time which was at all likely to
tousle. feeble. i did meow. how -1 have led tho Magi to Bethlehem.
ever, to reach the ground sprite safe-
ly, and was hurried back to camp
just as dawn was breaking.
•
TO A I1AT
You cannot steel n tint with im-
punity in New %entente Someone has
dared to venture upon an
exchange
o
of headgear in this colony, the re-
sult being the insertion of the fol-
lowing "agony" in the local Press:
"A Brand-new Felt lint was 'ex-
changed' at a Iocnl lintel last 'Thurs-
day, and has not been returnticl. It
the present owner Mould escape
hanging, it it the late owner's de-
vout wish that the lightning may
strike through the hat into his mis-
erable skull. and convince hire that
he is a low-down 'thief anll it dis-
grace to an honest hat."
LEGISI.ATiVl: STRIKE:.
There is a strike atilt running In
Germany which has lasted for thirty-
five years. It has other remarkable
features, an the strikers are mem-
bers of Parliament, though a very
small one. They are the deputies to
the Diet of the priu$dpulity of Hato,-
burg,
tntze-burg, and they are striking against
the reactionary constitution imposed
by the Grand Duke of Mecklenh+erg-
Strelitz in 11409. Since that year the
member, of the Diet have steadfastly
refused to meet, although frequently
called upon to (10 so.
SETTING NIM RTG)rr.
"I don't know whether you've no-
ticed it," said Bragg; "I don't know
why it should be, but I can't help
remarking how much thn girls al-
ways Make of me."
"liow carelcsri you aro h•centing
In your speech." told Knox, "you
left a word nut of that sentence.'%
"Eh! What's thnt?"
"Tho word gun' after 'much'; t
A FASCINATING THEORY.
Only Jupiter and Venus, tho two
noblest of the planets, remained.
Withan
increasing er
dor of
research,
re
h
31 Stockwell tuckwcll s• t himself to ferll.>w
their perplexing movements, Remark-
ably enough, ho discovered that these
'Annetta were actvnlly In conjunction 1
on the eth of May, B.C. b, and that
1 r
the conjunct l in was a . 1 ingu al y
deo) one. Roth planets were almost
In the plane of tee eliptic at that ,
period, and at the ►potent when they
canto nearest on each other they .
meet have been all but In it straight
line to a terrestrial observer. (Being
then to the west of the sun, they
would ee vixiblo as a single star of
quite unusual brilliance about two
hours before sunrise on that day.
Any one who will look to -night at
the 1 onutiful sight presented by these
two splendid planets so near together
can easily convince himself that. If
they came into apparent contact,
tho reserltnnt star would awe and
amaze all who new it. Whether it.
was really the Star of Ik•thlehetn
must be left to ote.ers to de'.ide.
though no other explanatine f that
fascinntinq story has boontit for-
ward which has any definite astrone
omicttl foundation.
FOUND TIME SMALLPDX.
In a house in the l:ngllth town
of Exeter eat two men. (tne of them
informed his companion that the
lost timo he was in town he suffer-
ed front smallpox in that very room.
"In that corner," he laid, "was a
cupboard where the bondage' were
kept; it is now plaet. reel over, but
they are probably still there." And
he took a poker, broke (leen the
plaster and found them. From their
"find" the two men contracted the
disease, and it spread throelpli tho
town and worked fearful havoc.
-----♦
Honesty is tho beet policy wheel
MO truth U knows.