HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1890-10-30, Page 3IIB MODERN PULPIT.
ZIGITIE FARE,
By Rev. efelet A. eeteratleen.
"Re paid the fare thereof." -Jonah 1, J.
I have many a time thought, when I hap-
pened to stand iu a crowded, railway station
mid evatehed the passengere men their
fares, thet there were few spectaclee more
tereetiug and euegestive. But wheia at-
tempted to guess the secret of eaeh es he
came and went, I have so often said to my-
self, "Were 1 the ticket clerk I should, be
thankful for nothiorethan for this, that
I was not compelled to becomefamilign with
ad to judge the history of eaeti pasWger."
In such a ea.se as that a Jouah, mate other
hand,the man who pays his fare may say,
"It is well for my purpose that the clerk
does not know me and my errand and my
history." Beyond a doubt, had these been
kuow to the heathen sailors when he paid
his fare, they would not have received hie
morey, and would not have granted him
paean%
The Ls had chosen him long before to
be a propl" Ife had predicted the flush of
prosperity that came to Ierael under Jero-
boam IL Once more the word of the Lord
came Whim. How it wane we do not kuow
It may have been in adream orin a evalkiag
vision, or by any audible voice, or throng!)
the promptings of his own heart. Where n
eatee we do not know. It rev helm been h.
Jeruselem, in. Sarmeria, eu Peppin in Oeth
hepher I in the bouse, or out -of -deers ;while
he was praying in the =Weary, or labour.
ing M the field% Of that weare told mating
Only this we know. that Jonah hedno doubt
«bit it was the voice of the Lord. As be
heatel it, it was a summons to diligence and
personal effort; "Arlo aud awl go. ' It de-
fined Ids sphere : "Mete, go to Nineveb."
It ect his dialeulties before him
great city." It summonea him to herd
labour ; "Cry ageinst it" His words wore
to lte bold, plain mid zealous
-
like the wind that rends the mountain, like
the hemmer that breaketh the rook in pieces.
It supplied bim with argument% That the
sword might pierce more deeply, the reasou
is Assigned: "For their oickeduese is vome
up before Me."
Jonah heard the volee,, and rose up. But
he rose up to Ace to Tershish. He wanted
feet to go to Nineveh -he found wings for
Terehiste There's a devil's proveleuce es
well as a Divine Providence, If men hove
a mind to ilieobey, the opportunity win not
be 'wanting, 'elf you want to serve Satan
he will eupply you with spurs, whip, aud
bridle -ay, and poseborses to hoot' No
doubt the prophet could urge malty reittons
why he should not go. „Nineveh was a Mug
way off, Going to Nineveh he would be a
stranger in a strange lautl, and he bad never
left the hounds of ledestine. It was a den-
geroue road. Robber l'ands haunted the path
of the pilgrim. The work was hard, and
likely to he thankless. Ile would be the
one worshipper of the true Gad amoug.
thousands of idolaters; the one prophet di
rtgliteousnees in a eity eteeped to the lipe in
violence mul bloodshed. 'The mildest of
them would call him a bare brainee enthus-
iast ; the violent would throw dust in the
and '
err "Away with such a fellow from
the earth I" Perhaps they would stone him
with stems, and leave bin; half dead.
There was not much likelihood of sueecee,
.o, and if he deism:toed it WAS a success he did
not want. Ho had, no wivh to co-operate
with Jehovah in the salvation of Nineveh.
If Nineveh eepeetea, the destruetion of
Israel was tit hand ; but especially if
Nineveh repereee his own reputation might
suffer. Hence he desired to flee from the
tiresome of the Lord -the special presence
itecoreee to priest and prophet in Israel.
While he was in the laud of bred Jouab
knew that he would be haunted by this mill.
Bather Um preach to Nineveh he would
cease to be aeprophet. And so we have him
here at (Topple stepping on board the ship
bonne to Tershish, and when he found the
anchor up, the sails unfurled, the 'cargo on
board, the seamen at their posts, paying the
fere and goiug down into it, content to
think that he was fieciug from the presence
of the Lord.
There had been ninny hindrances in his
. way to prevent Lim from coneummating the
act of disobedience but he overcame them
all. And yet this fact that he heti paid the
fare might have startled him. It was the
last hindrance to his headstrong will. Had
he gone to Nineveh he would not have need-
ed to pay bis own fare. The Lord never
sends a messenger at hie own expense. Had
he done the Lord's errand in the Lord's way,
He would have made Ms path prosperous.
But deliberately selecting his own way,
Jonah was left to pay les own fare.
I. I do not dwell, upon this feature of the
case, but accept it as a starting -point
Obedience is economy; disobedience is ex-
pensiee. If you wee be a decalogue turned
upside down -if you will read "Thou shalt"
-where God says "Thou shalt not," and
" Thou shalt not" where he says " Thou
shalt" -you must, in the most literal sense,
pay for it You ma* earn money by die-
.
obedience, but you will put ie into a bag
with holes. You may accumulate a fortune,
by disobedience, but: it will be like a snow:
ball in the hand, that inelts more quickly
the more it is pressed. You may ley up
eealth by disobedience, but yon inight as
well, for all the pleasure it will bring you,
throw it into the sea. •
IL But this was only a small poet of the
fare that Jonah paid. When the shekels
had past from his girdle to that of tlie cap-
tain of the ship he was only paying the first
instalment. In the second place, he paid
his fare in the thwarting of his purl:pees.
To avoid the damp, he was running into the
water. To avoid the heat, he was goiug into
the fire. He made more haste than good
speed. The ready way was not the right
way. "The Lord hurled a great wind into
the sea, anct there was a mighty tempest in
' wi I
The 46
ds would not waft ,Jonah; the
the sea, . that the ship was like to be
4
brokm ,
ship would not carry him ; the sailors, with
the best intentions'could not help him ; the
the lot would not spare him. The. Lord
Meant him to go to Nineveh, and he could
not go to Tershish. .. .
This is part of the fare that every dim-
' tedient eeevent 'of the Lord among us Must
' pay. The centurion did not pile his 'ser-
vants so absolutely as God does •the works
Of His hand. To, the wind He. says "Go,"
and it goeth ; to the waters ' 'Come," and they
come i to the, sun "Do this," and he doete
it; to the mountains "Remove, and they
are cast into the sea. Lions cannot harm
His friends. Fire ciumot burn His people.'
Ravens feed His prophet. Manna . falle
mend about the camp. Fishes bring Aim
tribute money. If He has enemies they
caamot escape Him. "Every bush is His
officer." Every breeze His censtable. Every
place His armoury. Every person the ex-
ecutioner of His will. Every sin is a coin.'
isseed from your mint which one day will
, come back to you, and regarding which" He
will demand, "Whose is this image and
superscription ?" •"There's not a crime but
takes its proper change out 'still in crime if
once rung .on the counter of the world."
"none) they dig into hell, saath the Lord,
thence shall Mine heecl take time. Though
they climb up to heaven, theme will, .1 bring
them down. Though they hide on the top
of Carmel, I will search and take them out
thence, Though they he hid from My sight
in the bottom of the sea, there will I coun
mend the serpent and he shall bite them."
III. Bat in the third plaee, as pert of the
fare the prophet had to pay for his dis-
obedience, I meutiou his moodiness and
peevishness. His early ministry had been
happy and honourable because whe.o the
word of the Lord eame be him he uttered it.
From the Moment he began to question
God's right to send him on His errands -the
axe dictating to the. woodman -from that
=meat his peevisheirritabie state of mind
began,. It ended ha his refusing the hospital-
ity of Nineveh, hardening himself agarnst
God, maintaining that He did well to be
angry, and, strangest of all, (hawing front
hie snccess as a prophet fresh reason for
auger and passion and complaint. It is ever
so. The men who sing at their work; who
whistle at the plough; who remove from
eleumbling street, where tim sun never
shines and the birds uever sing, into Thanks-
giving street, where the air is always balmy
and the hours witched away by song, are
men who make the will of God their load -
star. Oa the other hand, the men who have
fat fasts and leen feasts; whose mouths are
always opeu for mercy, ane always shut
against thanks; "who leap into the saddle
of preferment, and yet complain of the
that held the stirrup," -are the me
consciously hole and consciously
against, the will of floe,
IV. In the fourth place, part ot
that Joutili paid for his disobedi
the withdrawal of J ehovalespresen
(tenger into which he brought hi)
cliscribee by the prophet 111 tenon
greet force, He speaks of /time
affliction, in distress end attend
floods compeesed hint about; the we
wrapped about his heed ; tee certh
bars was about him for ever ; lie w
belly of hell, in the midst of the st
this was little, compared with his
dietress. It is easy for a good man
with the things the world values lino,
vided he bee the cousciouences that
with iffin. The milliouaire can smote
to part with it penny, When in addi
must sutler many triale-; 'when afi
comes with limy !dings, anti every al
its own venom; when trouble COM
IMO, in heap, iu troops ; when ti
that MOO in like the lamb goes out li
lion -even then be floes not complain,
do not And fault with the smith if lat
not use halide -me tool% with the phy
because Ids voile is not of gold, wit
keeper of the furnace because be hea
tire seven times, with the fisherman b
be beats the side of the stream. Aud
men (toes not complain against God b
Isis life is not oue of uninterrupted pro
ity,The vine yields richer grapes we
has been prima. But a disoheateut pr
could not take such comfort to himself. He
could not lighten the etroke of the rod by
kissing the band that held it. He had lost
everything. Life itself was in danger, and
he had loat God beside. Like the stricken
deer, lie ran from thicket to thietrot, his
wound festeriog the longer it was minima.
Hence when all on board were Crying to
their goes -the eloebites to (Immesh, the
Magneto); to Beelzebub, the -Philistiues to
Dagen, the Tydeus to Beal -be could not
pray. He went down into sides of the ship
end slept. How he had fallen frombis high
estate ! Many e. thno Ito had sung the hymn
in which the devout Israelite magnifies his
God itt tho expense of the gods of the
heathen; "Theit idols aro silver and geld,
the work of mores bands. They have mouths,
but they speak not. Eyes have they but
they see not, They have ears, but they
hear not, noses., but they smell not, bands,
but they handle not, neither speak they
through their throats." Many it time, doubt-
less, in discoursing on that text, he hail re-
minded bis comitrymen of the scene on
Mount Ca,rmel, when the priests of Baal
called from morning till evening with vain
repetitious, "0 lead, bear us !" and cut
themselves with knife and lancet till the
blood gushed out upon them. Many it
time had he repeated the taunt of
Elijah, "Cry aloud. He is a god.
Either be is takiug, or he is pursuing, or he
is on it journey, or peradventure he alemeth
and must be awaked." Many it time had
he denounced the idols of the heathen as
lying vanities; broken cisterns that could
hold no water; meteors that burned the
hand which grasped them; thorns that
wounded the arm which leaned. upon them.
nese were breve words; they were truems
they were brave. And yet just at the mo-
ment when he might haveproved them true,
when he might have anticipated on the
Mediterranean Sea the tithed° Christ
wrought on the Lake of elalilee-hushed
the waters by a word, and made the winds
to obey. Him -he, failed. It seemed aa if
the art felpayer had been instituted
for nothing; as if the promises lied been
given in vain; as if how= were net acej
cessible from every quarter of the earth.
This part , ofthe fare every disobedient
'servnt
amuse pay for his disohediente.
True prayer is a net that is never spreadin
vain' a.bow that • never returns empty ;
giaetthat carries away , with esee the gates
of hem 'and brass; a contest in which the
strongest wrestler delights to yield to the
weakest
V. Further, and in the last place, Jonah
pteidhis fare in the loss of reputation. Regard
to repatation was the only defence he made.
He was commissioned to preach to Nineveh.
The substance of bis message was, 'Patience
has stretched one day into it thousand years
and judgment will condense a thousand•
years nit° one day. There is leprosy, the
leprosy of idolatry it every stone of the
building. . ft must be pulled to the ground,
The .patienee of the Lord is turned to fury.
His hand has been long uplifted, it will smite
more heavily. Yet forty days and Nineveh
shall be destroyed." But under that threat-
ening he knew there was the implied promise
that if Niueeeli repented she would be for-
given. "I knew that Thou art it gracious
God and merciful, sloie to anger and of great
kindness, and repeetest Thee of the evil."
['herefore he did not care to stir from his
own country. Jonah had a great reputation.
He stood higher in public esteem than most
of the prophets had steed. During Jis early
ministry the flOrd hied determined to erent
Israel 0, reprieveeel he days Of Solemoe weee
to retnen: High Acmes,. were to beet
again je the, leearteeheee nation, - and ,Jonah
was, ' the eerbiegee Of this good tfine.
The Lord ' selectee him to fteretell the.
T. ,T
totem.' of preeperrty toIsraeh. ',Between.
hinidind theeother ?prophets therefore theke.
eves a clieteretice, Ahab said to Elijah,
"Hese, 'thou' found me, p. mine enemy ?"
And ef *Meta. lie said "Ilutte him, . 'for
he cloth not prophesy good concerning me,
but eye." In consequence he made Elijah
a fugitive and Micaiah prisonee, feeding
him on dm bread and water of affliction.
Jonah's poeition was very different. His
meisage niede him a favourite with the king.
The eo-artiers dressed their faces at the
king's mirror. The good among the people
were pleased to. see Jehovah honoured itt
Hit servant. The bad wonld say, "Tins is
a prophet to our liking. He eats and drinks
'like other men. He is not always complain-
ing of his burden, crying, Woe ! woe 1' and
dealing damnation mend the land." . There
was no dispete on any side as to Whether
he WS tO be ranked in the goodly fellow-
eliip of the prophet% And. naturally Jonah
liked it. All men spoke well of him. He
was assailed by a temptation to which every
prophet of the Lord M. that dayand every
muui
ster of Christ in this day s peculiarly
sesceptible, Reputation, if by that we
mean character, S 515 ono sense les whole
stock ie trade, What a man is collies to le
of more importance thee what he eays. It
were well if all who hantlle freely the name
and reputation of Christ'e servants would
remeniber this. More emphetically than
any other he may say
" Wbo steals my purse steale traele "ria some
'
thing -nothing,
Twas mine, 'Us bee and has been slave to
Bat be who Aloes from me my gooa name,
Robs me of that wheel na ape t en riches, him,
And leaves me poor indeed."
But just because reputation is so important
to the prophet it may be overestioneted.
• It is a 'newts of doing good ; it is to be valu-
ed as such. But if the means is exalted into
an end, if reputation becomes the be-all and
end-all of the ministry, there is no limit to
the harm that may accrue, Duty will be
evaded as with hiudes feet. Inclinetion will
be mantled as on eagle's wings. The servant
of Christ will comment ev'
Truth will be $
men
Two Sinners.
There was a leen, it was said one time,
Who went astray 0 lem youthful prime.
Can the brain geep cool and. the heart keep
Wherr"thicet blood is it river that's running riot?
And boys will be boys, the old folks sey,
And the man's the better who's had his day.
The sinner reformed, and the preacher told
Of the prodigal son who came back; to the fold
And the Christian people threw open the dour
With it warmer welcome than ever before,
Wealth and honor was his to e muland,
And a spotless Wellete gaVO hint her band,
And the world strewed. their pathway with
flowers a.bloone
Crying, "(Sod bless lady and God bless groom,'
There was a. maiden went astray,
ln the golden dawn of her /He's young day:
She had more pass.ion end heart than head.
And she followed blindly where fond love led,
And love unchecked is a dangerous guide, •
To wander at will by a fair girl's side.
The woman repented and turned from sin.
But no door opened to let her in :
The preacher prayed that she m "gilt be for.
But toglIdvallel'r to look for mercy In heaven ;
For this is the law of earth, we kuow,
Tbat woman is scorned while the man may go.
A brave roan wedded her after ail.
Bat the world said, frowning, "We shall not
Mylifteri0110 pelage',
ambled in the woods
to spy, amid the brake,
ride Ltis way beside
s.eirog tranquil lake.
elltp:rsiltrrlotegrhe talineglgtrhe en fit
itt vjst ielYoaid mean 1
t bat lake
aneed tosco
my prey,
tone eaugbt .she ;
oat tbe fishes leapt
ea. to their hearts' content,
nor did the maid but sing -
int on earth. it meant:
(lamed my way,
it neighed loud and long'
boat sped all afloat
maiden sung hor sung;
tis the prudentshade
er kind'y willows threw,
ml a youth and male --
In it ail, an you 1
.2.14 in the German of Relate&
he Nestle Hope, •
nein, wondreue hope in me,
no star from out the darknee
t the terming of the morn ;
'15*. a patteess itrysters'
emetointled eyes no way Call
MCR, rnstt liregrOWS Most foe
ingh the last dread Meat to
„ Death isnot, ehall not bel
! Tell me 0 Pilule
t the earth :irelust to dust.'
1 of love, and hope.and strife
and ie blown this living
to witispers or strong trust
alit' - of life
1"ev.MiNOT J. SAVAGE,
I Shall Be Satie54,
when the golden bowl is brokee
At the sunny feuntain side ;
When the turf lies green and mid above
Wrong, and sorrow, anti lose and love ;
eVilen the great dumb walls of silence stand
At the' door: of the undiseovered land -
When all we have left in one olden peqte
IRan entety elude and a pictured Awe;
When the prayer is prayed, and the sigh i
°glied' 1 shag be satisfied,
g item aothe most wettable dowry. They
stand prominent in the bistro% of nations
and ni the memory of individuals, re-
presentetives of all that is praiseworthy.
Their spirits attend us through life, not in
the far-off backgrotind, but always otos° et
hand, at our shies. On their name time
deposits iso rust anti discovers no decay.
." They prove themselves ever swords of the
right Jerusalem blade, the harder rubbee
the clearer steel." They are trees of the
Lord, whose roots aro planted hard by the
river of God, whose branches are ever green
with luxuriant foliage, end laden with
precious fruit. In striking contrast there
are rank, ungainly tares sown among the
finest ef wheat; characters deformed 'in
themselves, but doubly deformed by con-
trast with the grace of their neighbors ; as
the poet bas it, damned to immortality :"
living mi everlasting death of infamy, re-
membered only to be oursed, spoken of
only to be hissed at ; with monuments that
eannot perish, but mounments, like Abet).-
lom's peter, reared. of stones cast by every
passer-by; with names spread world-wide,
but names for which 150 000 can invent an
epithet too vile ; with characters in the
hook of history, but, characters branded
into it, not written on it.
Our subject has deeper reaches than any
we have touched upon. We have confined
our thoughts to the immediate context.
Suffice it to say that in every department of
life we find the truth, the servant of the Lord
if disobedient mustlofty his own fare. But I
do not leaye you here. The story is not
to be treated as the sketch of it romantic
life, not even as the the story of the punish-
ment of a perverse prophet. In Scripture
the star el hope never sets. It shines most
brightly in the darkest sky. There is a
depth of despair into which it does not pen-
etrate. I should not be afraid to peril the
claims of this book to its place in the inspired
record agrinstthe banter of sceptics and the
jesteof. witlings on this one point, the man-
ner inwhichit illustrates the abundant mercy
of God. One star in the firmament of Scrip-
ture, it is true, differs from another in glory.
One captain in this warfare slays les thou-
sands' and another les tens of thousands.
Onelightisappointed to rule the day and
anether to rule the night. But all are
united in this. The beads of revealedtruth
are all strung on the thread of this thought.
Samuel and Moses, Paul and David, _Amos
and. -Peter, Jonah and John have but one
testimony, "The Lord, the Lord God is
merciful end gracious, long-suffering and
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquities
and transgression and. sin, and will by no
means clearthe guilty." If we have had
exelusively to deal with the latter phase of
His character, we may not forget that there
is the other side as well. It is illustrated
by God's readiness to pardon Nineveh when
king and nation resolved to make repent-
ance partner of the throne and inmate of
the cottage. It is more to. our purpose to
remind you that Jonah's restoration proves
it to a demonstration. Se Bernard says,
"11 thou knowest how to chauge the sin
God knows how to change the sentence."
Passing here from the Old Testament to
the New, you remember that thus the Lord
confirmeh the pardon °fleeter. Peter sinned
very grievously. There was everything to
eggrevete his offence. He was warned, yet
he sinned. A maiden questioned 'him, with
men who had DO right to question him, yet
he sinned. When the mild rebuking eye of
Christ looked him theough and through he
'repented. pleleft theeconmany who had
tempted 'hem, and inade hit peace with God.:
Battled, wae not .enough. Tie sought the
comparer of the disciples and waited with
them. But that was not enough. His re-
investiture itt ofAce was 'not completed till as
-three times he bed denied the Lora he heard
the Masteesay three times, "Feed My sheep'.
Feed My lambs." Come thus as Jonah came,
asPefer eeme, and though yet have been a
disobedient servant, the Lord will not only
pardon the past, but will seal the pardon by
calling you to fresh service in the future.
Recognized at Last.
"Did You recoenize your wife at the •mas-
querade bell last night ?PT
"Not until I patted her shoulder, and
she whispered to me Lemuel, don't make
a fool of yoarself, yon old donkey.' ".
•
A revolver is no large weapon, but it can
be made to cover 0 very large lean.
Kenmair Wood, Carmyle,
salt news lee read hao set me to
The wontlerin: gin it's really true
That I nee mart, will wander noo,
In pensive mood,
-Mang ecenes wha'S beeette cheered the view
Ie Kenmuir 'Wood,
Wilmot courtbe timing emang trees an' flow -
Fond loi e::
Destine tion rude,
ere spend the glottmin' houre,
Aix' wr
ls reveal their vocal powers,
Wi' axe an' threatenin' eepect giewere
Ou leteenuir Ne ood.
Wbaur piemie partiee plower° scale
An' get a new
An' ramblin" clubs
s
tint oi41' iplianeepbosnieN ki;ree' k
Own beauties brood,
Maun armed destruction havoe wreak
On Kenmuir wood.
An' maim the butterfly nal' bee
That there sip nectar drawees can gie,
An' roam aboot, enjoying free
its salami°,
tk tr -tion soon. destroyin', eee
Fair Kenemir Woo(13
.An' mann the botaniet an' poet
As Kenmuir Wood soon ceased to know it 3
Once Rumour raised its vole° to show it
In accents load,
Ha entum protection to bestow it
For Xenumir Wood?
Arise ! ye lovers o' fair scenes,
An' ask what this encroachment means;
'While to the side o' justice leans
Opr caue, we should
Use to preserve defensive means,
Fair KenmuirWood.
Arise in Justice well confide.
An'she)v
:the weapon ill provide
That will bring 'victory to our side,
An' banish rude
Destruetion, that wad rob the Llyde
0' Kerunuir Wood.
F. Beenexest.
The Voiceless.
We count the broken lyres that rest
Where the sweet, wading singers elumber-
But o'er the silent sister's breast
The wild flowers who will stoop to number?
A few can touch the magic; string,
And noisy Fame is proud to win tbent ;
Alas for those who never sing,
But die with all their musie in them!
Nay, grieve not for the dead. alone,
Whose song has told their heart's sad story -
Weep for the voiceless, who have known
The cross without the crown of glory!
Not where Leucedian breezes sweep
O'er Sappho's memory -haunted billow.
But where the glittering night dews weep
On nameless sorrow's churchyard piliow.
0 hearts that break and give no sign
Save whitening lip and lading tresses,
Till death poursout his cordial wine
Slow -dropped from Misery's crushing presses
If singing breath or echoing chord
To every hidden pang were given,
What ndless melodies were poured,
As sad as earth, as sweet as heaven.
' • °Liven WENDELL HOLMES.
At the Villape Vost ()Moe Wiadow,
The life of it Post Office clerk in e town of
:wo or three thousand inhabitants is full of
eleasentness, and all his paths are peace.
Ere has nothing meter the sun to ruffle the
Auld serenity of hie arnieble temper, and
ensequently bit dispositiou soon becomes
ts sweee and mild as the perfume of o, meg-
Iona grove wafted on the gentle breath ol
tummen All he has to do Is to engage in
othilarating conversations like 1 -bit:
"Is there anything here for Sereh Bil-
'S
"Nothing, madam."
"Are you surer
"Quite sure'madam."
"But you didn't look. How do you know
without looking e,"
"I treve looked over the letters be the 'B'
ox seven hundred times to -day, and I re-
member that tliere were no lettere addressed
,o
"Well, now, that's strange. I should
have had a letter yesterday, aml I thought
wonld come to -slay, sure. Do you sup-
pose it could have been lost?"
"It's potsible."
"Do teeny letters .get lost ?"
"About sixteen millions annually."
my! Whet is the reason?"
"By reason of ineerreet or inelligeole ret-
irees, insufficient pestage, and other causes."
"Goodness ! And I euppase lots of them
'tailnioney in I"
"Yes. Twenty-eight thousand of the let-
ters seat to the Dead Letter Offiee last year
met:tined money, amounting iu all to
4%042 ; 4,000 _had enelosures of postal
;cotes aggregating e3,300, and 27,001 wee:
'mind to contain drafts, cheeks, notes cont.
mereial paper, etee, in the sum of $1,471,-
471."
"ely laud ! And who gets this money ?"
"If the letter con Mine the aderess of the
iender it is sent back to him, lint in over
11),00,0e0 eases Wet of 0,000,000 nO athlrest,
whatever is gi ...en by tilt, writer,”
"Then, perhate, my letter bee gone to the
Dead Letter Office, or is !mid for postage,
sr sometbingeike that"
"Perhaps.'
"Well, chalet you think --?"
"Madam, will you pleass stansl aside a
noment until E wait on the people who are
Toy/ding around the window?'
Antias elartam departs she mutters spite-
fully thee she "never eew suck an insolent,
netheering, memeonnuotlating fellow as
that Post Offiee clerk. He Can't eVen asi
ewer
it civil que-eion,aud 1 aiss goingeo have
isbn repeated to tho aeparttneut tilts very
lay."
.1141••••••••••.1
, Shut Oat.
It is hard for gmovai people to realize how
ninny things are perfectly simple to them
hut quite beyond the co nprehension of
eltildren. Figures of speeell iti particular
tre alma %ire to involve the little people
iu a tangle of perplexities.
Something of tine sort hapmened to little
Fanny in church not Meg since, She is a
mere morsel of humanity, awl it is the pride
ef her life that SIM itt old enough to be allow-
ed to go alone to the house of her aunt, three
doors away.
Fanny is too short to reach the bell -knob,
and as her soft little fiat can not make noiee
enough to to heard by auy ono inside, she is
obliged to stand ou her mules doorstep until
-mine good-natured pereon comes along whom
-die coo ask to ring the bell for Ler. This
difficulty, however, eisa bas been careful not
to mention at home.
One Sunday the preacher had um& to say
about coming to the gate of heaven, and
knocking for entrance. Fanny lietened at-
tentively, with a face whieli grew constant -
h, more sober, until at last, when is picture
was drawn of as little child's coming to the
portal, shesuddeely put her head emu into
her mother's lap, and buret into a perfect
mnoulsion of tears Astonished at this sud-
len outbreak her mother bent down, and in
111 SONIOUS whisper asked what the ;natter
was.
"0 mamma," was the answer, in a sob-
bing whisper, "I don't think I could over
get into heaven."
"Why not ?" asked the puzzled mother.
"0 IDEMMO, I am so little I could never
reach the bell, ameI never can make any-
body hear me knock."
Her grief was'so bitter that she had to be
taken out of church, and the rest of the aft -
_Imam devoted to explaining to her thee the
minister's words -were not to be akan too
literally.
* Butterflies that Bathe.
Tn the Victorian IVaturelixt, 0. Lyell, jun.,
of South Melbourne, notes that while walk-
ing along the edge of a mountain -stream in
Gippsland be observed a peculiar habit of
theVictorianbutterfly(Papitio maeleayanus).-
One of the butterflies was seen to alight
Iclose to the water, into which it backed till
the whole of the body and the lower part of
the hind-evings were submerged, the two
fore -legs alone .retaining their hold of the
dry land. After remaining in this position
for sornetee-4 like half it minute, it flow
away, apperently refrethed. "During the
morning," says Mr. Lyell, "I noticed quite'
a number doing the same thing. In one in-
stalue four were to be seen Nvithm a space
of not more then three yards, and to make
sure that I was not deceivedI captured sever-
al as they rose from the water, and found in
each case the body and lower edge of the
hind -wing quite wet While in the water
the fluttering of the wings, so noticeable at
other times, was suspended ; and so intent
were the butterflies in the enjoyment of
their cold bath that they would hardly
move, even when actually touched by the,
net. Apparently the heat of the weather
drove them down to the water, as immed-
iately they emerged they flew up again to
the hill -sides.
Lawman of the Itoustaohe.
b
Do you know, gentle reeder, that a mous-
tache ia a great index of character? As the
formof the upper lip and in, the regions
about it has largely to do with the feelings,
pride, eelf-rellance, manliness, vanity, and
other qualities that give -self-control, the
moustache is mere particularly connected
with the expression �f those qualities or the
reverse.. When the moustache ip mega,
and, as it were, flying hither ,and thither,
there is lack of 'proper self,eontrol. When
it is straight and orderlY the reverse is the
case, other things, of course, taken into
Account. If there is a tendency to curl at
the onter ends of the moustache, there is
tendency to ambition, vanity, or display.
When the curl turns upward there as a
geniality, combined • with a love of approba-
tion; when the inclination is downward
there is it more sedate turn of mind, not un-
accompanied with gloom. It is worthy of
remark that good-natered men will, in play-
ing with the moustache,invariably give it
an upward inclination, wbeeees cross-grained
or morose men will pull it obliquely down -
Ward. '
A Young Bridge -Jumper.
Little Alice Beaumont, aged 10, was re-
cently. a prisoner at the Mansion House Po-
lite Station, London, charged with being a
bridgeetimper. The constable who testified
against her declared that he saw the dimin-
utive prisoner climb up on the parapet of
London Bridge and, throwing off her clothes,
prepare to jump into the river. She was
urged to attempt the hazardous feet, witness
declared, by a woman wh&turned:ont to be
the child's mother, and to complete the pic-
ture of shocking and. unnatural treatment,
her father was waiting below to pick, up his
daughter, dead oralive. On being taken'
into custody the mother declared:that they
were a family.of professional swimmers, and.
that 10 year-old Alice had already been in
the business six years and .bad dived from
heights miming up to 40 feet. This extraor-
dinary and criminal zeal to obtain notoriety
was severely censured by the magistrate,
who bound the parents over hi a20 bail to
keep the peace.
Helping Him On.
LADES' JUIJRNAL
Bible' Competition 1
The Old Reliable again to the
tore. A splendid list of
Rewards.
Don't Belay ! Send at Once !
Competition Number Twenty Six opens
nowatthe solicitation of tb,ousands of the old
friends and competitors in former eontests.
The Editor of Tits LADIss' Jetrax.jan hat
nearly forte, thousand testimonials as to the
fairness wttli which these Bible Competi-
tions have been conducted,
This eompetition is to be short and de-
eisiVe. It will remain open ouly till the
15th day el December inclesive.
Tile questions are as fellows :-Where in
the Bible are thefollowing words first fogad,
I Hen. 2 Ron; 3 Gentes,X•e.
To the first person sending, in the correct
answer to these questions will be given num-
leer one of these rewards -the Piano. To
the next person, the el00.00 itt cash,
and SO on till aU these rewards are given
sway,
FIRST REWARDS,
First one, an Elegant Ueright Plano by
celebrated Canadian Firm /400
&tend Otto, Otto Hundred Dollars in cash. 100
Next liftemecathaeriperbly bound Terrell.
er's
Nest seven,each a Cleetlemates Fine Gold
Open Face Watelegood movement 1100 420
Next eleven, cub it Pine Quadruplellete
Individual Salt and Pepper Cruet.„. 55
Next ave. each e, beautiful Quadruple Ste
ver Plated Tea eiervicee4 eleceele-leo
Next one. l'Wenty D011ars east) 200 ,
Next it ve, an elegant China DinnerServiee, 20
01101 pieces.
Next ave, 0101 a tine French China Tea 260
Serviee of ge Mecca. . . - .. . . ,
Next seventeen, etch complete saCt 2°°
of
.50‘e‘oorts.ge, E Uots wOrht, Wood ioa Moth,
Next seven, each e Ledies" Ping Geld Open 75
nee or Hunting Case Wsstels,Penn 210
• MIDDLE REWARDS.
To the person, sending tbo middle oriereee
answer cf the whole competition from time to
hot will be given the fifty dollars in ertele To
the sender of the next correct answer following
the middle will he given Meat the ten dollar
amounts, and so on till all the row.ards
are distributed.
First, Fitty dollars in cash....
Next live, each $10 in eaeh
Next atelyze.,,Tacieh a fine Fanaily Sewing 59
xt
Next ten, each it Fine Triple Silve”i 25°
Next tweate-one, each it set -of Dickens', 'Werke, Beautifully bound in Clo. 1.50
.........tho.°
Plated Tea $a, pieeee/ 550 . 400
Watch, $50
Next iivemn elegant Chinn DinnerService
ot 101 piece% by Powell,. Bishop &Stonier. Reenter, Englaue
Next five, cacti a nee French China Tea
Service, 01 68 pieces, epecially import-
ed, $40 . ... , ... ... . „ ... 200
Next eeventeen., each is. complete set or
Geore„e Eliot's works Wand in, cloth,
5 vols., $15
Next eighteen, each it htuelsome Silver 75
Plated, Sugar Botyl, $e... ee., „ ....
..
Islext flee. each it Ladies' Flee eloid
NVOtch 550
23°
Next, llfty.five. each it handsome long
Silver Mated Batten Hook 65
CONSOLATION TtEW.A.RDS.
For those -who aro too late for any ot the
above rewerds the followir g epecial list is
offered, as far tea they will O. 10 the_Sender
of the last correct answer received at LAMES"
Totnteet, offlee postMarked 15th December er
earlier, will be given number one of theee eon-
solntion prizes, to the next to the last, number
two, and so on till these rewards are all given
away.
•
First one, One Hundred Dellara in caeh.,. $100
Ne.xt fifteen,each aimperbly bound Family
Bible, beautifully illustrated, usually
sold at $15 225
Nextseven, each it Gentleman's Fine Gold
Open Face Watch,good niovementsee0 420
Next nineteen, each a Set of it Dozen Tea
Knives, heavily plated, $10 IDO
Next five, each a, Ladies'Fine Gold Watch
5•50 250
Next Ilf teen, each a Lad' es' Fine Gold Gem
Ring, $7., 105
Nextforty-one, each an Thule tion Stool
Engraving, Rosa Bonhourn Berea Fair
$.2
Next twentrnine, %mho Complete Set ot
Dickens Works, Handsomely Bound
in Cloth,10 vols., Ve0 BO
Next twenty-one, cacti a Fine Quadruple
PlateIndividual Salt andPepper Cruet
new eesign5
Next five, each c. beautiful Quadrimh; sli-
.
ver Plated Tea Service (I pieces) M200
Next twenty-five, a Teachers' Fine, Well
Bound Mble, w.th coneordance100
Each person competing must send One
Dollar with their answers, for one year's
subscription to the LADIES'4OURNAL. The
Lewes' JOURNAL has been greatly enlarged
and improvea and is in every way epeal at
this price to any of the publications issued
for ladies on this continent You. there:
lore, pay nothing at all for the .privilege of
competing for these prizes.
...The prizes will be, distributed in time for
Christmas Presents to friends, if you wish
to use them in that way.
• TIM distribetion will be in the heeds of
disinterested parties and the prizes given
strictly in the 'order letters arrive at the
LSDLES' JOIIII.N.AL otfice. Over 255,000 per-
sons have received rewae de in previous coni -
petitions. Address Editor Lams' Jot:a-
nal, Toronto, Canada,
420
250
eo
Cornelias ; "Don't address me as
Mr. Lovell, Mande; it is so formal, you
know. Call me Cornelius." .
Miss Maude: "I'd call you Clone if -if--"
"If what, darling ?"
"If I thought you'd pop.''
Me. Lovell le now engaged,
Another Murderer Condemned.
Sae -Melees; Q13,, Oxi. 2l . -The Sher-
brooke court was occupied from Monday
morning until this afteruoon in the trial of
the murder case of Blanchard, who killed
with a revolver in November lust one Cal-
kins, at Stanstead Junction, .M a drunken
braNyl. There was no premeditaticrn in the
case. Both men had been drinking. Blan-
chard escaped across the border, but wars
brought back by, detectives. He -was an
American "tramp, ' and, a.s he himself says,
withouerelatives. Very little interest has
been taken itt the case, more p irtMulerly as
the culprit himself has seemed so indifferent
to his position, having statesi to his lawyer
that rather than plead guilty and run the
risk of being sent to thepenitentiary for life
he would hang. This indifference was pain.
fully manifest to the court by the almost
conetant chewiug of tobacco, in winch he in-
dulged, even after the jury brought in the
verdict of guilty of murder, -He has beeo
sentenced tobengonthe 12tdayef,Dee
ber next. • on-
.kald.ng Home Attractive,
"1 den% see why I can't keep my husband
at home," said it dis.tresse4 looking little
woman.
"Why don't you try to make home attrac-
'tive to him?" ' • '
"1 have. I've taken up the parlor carpet,
sprinkled saWdust on the floor, and put a
beerkeg in the room, but some way or other
it dome seem to make any difference.'
--[Wasthington Post.
Smartik
"I. ELVA, a screw-driverthe other day that
Weinelic 4 two thousand pounds." , 1
I.`Neeseuse." , •
"Bet I' Old, thottgle"
'l\Tlaere' woe' it V
,‘In the Migiee room on an ocean steamer.'