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The Exeter Times, 1894-8-16, Page 3THE EXETER, THE TRAGEDY OF DRESS. TALwhan nuo AimuT DRESS " AT THE ANTIPODES. Beauty or the Apparel or the Dandlworks or sted—itee Inevarti and Secret whinge or the neert Should be in Coulson. eitee Therewith if the Example is Fel- lowed; " Bnooketo, August 5.,—Itev. Dr, Tal- mage, whe is now in Melbourne, Australia, on hie round-the.world tour, haa chosen as the sulsjeot of his sermon for to -day, 'through the pioss ; "The Tragedy of Dress,' the text eeleated being, I Pet. 3 ; 3, 4, "When adorning let it not be that out- ward &dinging of plaiting the hair, and the wearing of gold, or of putting ou of apparel ; but let it be the hidden man of the heart." That we should all be clad is proved by the opening of the first wardrobe in Para• dise, with its apparel of :lade green. That we should all, as far as our means allow us, beautifully and gracefully appareled, is proved by the fact that God never made wave but He gilded it with golden sun- beams, or a tree but He garlanded it with bloescans, or a sky but He studded it with •eters, or allowed even the smoke of a fur- nace to ascend but he columned and tur- reted and domed and scrolled it into out- liues of indescribable gracefulness. When I see the apple orchards of the spring, and • the pageantry of the autumnal &meats, I come to the conclusion that if nature ever deo join the church, while she may be a Quaker in the silence of her woiship, she never will be.a Quaker in the style of her dress. Why the notches of a fern leaf, or • the stamen ot a water lily? Why, when. the day departs, does it lee the folding- • doors of heaven stay open so long, when it might go in so quickly ? One summer morning I saw an army of a million spare, each one adorned with a diamond of the first water—I mean the grass with the dew on it. When the prodigal mine home his father not only put a coat on his back, but jewelry on his hand. Christ wore a beard: Paul, the bachelor apostle, not afflicted with any senelmentality, admired the ar- rangement of a wonian's hair when he said in his epistle, "if a woman has long hair, • it is a glory unto her." There will be a fashion in heaven as on .earth, but it will be a different kind of fashion. It will de- cide the color of the dress; and the popu. lotion of that country, by a bettutiful lew, will wear white. I say these things as a backsground to my 'sermon, to show you that -1 have no prim, precise, prudish or • cast-irons:theories on the subjeot of human • apparel. But the goddess of fashion has Now let the silk curtain drop on the stage. Bet up her throne in this world, and at the The farce is ended and the lights are out. • sound of the timbrels we are all expected Will you forgive me if I say in tersest tn _fall down and worship. The Old and shape possible that some of the men have • to forge and to perjure and swindle to pay • ej,ash" for their wives dresses? I will say New Tesearnent of her- Bible areeth ionee0tes 1 Her altars smoke with the whether you forgive me or not! sad,Wea of the bodies, ininds and souls of Again, inordinate fashion is the foe of tend!: eltsand viothns. In her temple four all Christian alma -giving. Men and women people stand in the organ bit, and from put so muoh in personal display that they them comes down a cold drizzle of music, teeften have nothing for God and the cause freezing on the ears of her worshippers. •of suffering humanity. A Christian man This goddess of fashion has become a rival creaking his italais Royal glove across the of the Lord of heaven and earth, and it is back by shutting up his hand to hide the high time that we unlimbered our batteries •one cent he pats* into the poor -box! A against this idolatry. When I come to Christian woman,at the story of the Hotten- count the victims of fashion, I find as tots, crying copious tears into a twenty.five many masculine as feminine. • Men make dollar handkerchief, and then giving a two - cent piece to the collection,thrusting it down under the bills so people will not know but it 'was a ten -dollar gold piece! One hundred dollars for incense to fashion; two cents for God. God gives us ninety cents out of every dollar. The other ten politiMana may • theoeize until the expira. won of their terms of offiee se to the beim Wet of lusproving our morietary eoeditior in tide country ; it will be of no use, an things, will be oo better Mitit we leern t put on our heads, and lseckst end feet, and bande no more than we Ian pay for. There are clerk's in stores and hanks On limited salaries who, in the vain attempt to keep the wardrobe of their family as showy as other folk' s watdrobes, are dying of mulls, and diamonds, and shawls and high hats, and they have nothing left ex. cept what they give to oigars and wine suppers" and they die before their time and they will expect uis ministers to preach about' them as though they were the vic- tims of early piety, and lifter a high-class funeral, with silver handles at the slide of the coffin, of extraordinary brightness, it will be found out that the undertaker is cheated out of his legitimate expenses? Do not eend to me to preach the funeral sermon of a man who dies like that, I will blurt out the whole truth, and tell that he was strangled to death by his wifets rib- bons. Our countries are dressed to death. You are not surprised to find that the put- ting up of one public building in New Y-ork cost millions of dollars more than it Might to have cost, when you find that the man who gave out the contracts paid more than live thoueand dollars for his daughter's wedding dress. Cashmeres of a thougand dollars each are not rare on Broadway, It is estimated that there are ten thameand women in these two cities who have ex- pended on their personal array four thous. and dollars a year. What are men to do in order to keep up Both home wardrobes? Steal—that is the only respectable thing they can do! During the last fifteen years there have been in. numerable fine businesses shipwrecked on the wardrobe. The temptation conies in this way: A man thinks more of his family than of all the world outside, and if they spend the evening in describing to him the superior wardrobe of the family across the street, that they cannot bear the sight of, the,man is thrown on hie gallantry and on his pride of family, and, without translating his feelings into plain language, he goes into extortion and issuing of false stook, and skillful penmanshipinwriting somebody else's name at the bottom of a prornissory note; and they all go down together—the husband to the prison, the wife to the sewing machine, the children to be ta'ken care of by those who were called poor rela- tions, 01 for some new Shakespeare to rise and write the tragedyof human clothes. Act the first of the tragedy. .—A plain but beautiful home. Enter, the newly -married pair. Enter, simplicity of manner and be. laavoin Enter, as much happiness as is ever found m one home. Act the second.--Disoontene with the humble home. Enter, envy. Enter jealousy. Enter, desire of display. Act the third. --Enlargement of expenses. Enter all the queenly dressmakers. .Enter, the French milliners. Act the fourth..—The tip•top of society. Enter, princes and princesses of high life, Enter, magnificent plate and epuipage. Enter, everything 'splendid. Act the fifth, and lase—Winding up of the scene.. Enter, the assignee. Enter the sheriff. Enter, -the creditors. Enter hum- iliation. Enter the wrath of God. Enter the contempt of society. Enter death. an easy tirade against woman, as though • she were the chief worshipper at this idol- • atrous shrine, and no doubt some men in the more conspicuous part of the pew have already cast glances at the more retir- e ed part of the pew, their look a prophecy • of a generous distribution. My sermon cents by command of His Bible belong to shall be as appropriate for one end of the Him. Is not God liberal according to • pew as tor the other. •this tithing system laid down in the Old • Men are as much the idolaters of fashion Testament—is not God liberal in giving us as women, but they sacrihce on a different ninety cents out of a dollar, when He takes • part of the altar. With men the fashion but ten? We do not like that We want goes to cigars, and cluo-rooms, and yacht- to have ninety-nine cents for ourselves and ing parties and wine suppers. In the one for God. United States the men chew up and smoke - Now, I would a great deal rather steal one hundred millions of dollars' worth oL ten cents from you than from God. I think tobacco every year. This is their fashion. one reason why a greet many people do not • In London, not long ago, a man died who get along in worldly accumulation faster is started in life with seven hundred and fift3t Because they de not observe this divine thousand dollars, but he ate it all up in rule. God says, "Well, if that man is not gluttonies, sending his a.gehts to all parts satisfied with ninety cents of a dollar, then • of the earth for some rare delicacy of the I will take the whole dollar, and I will palate, eornetitnes•one plate of food costing give it to tlie man or woman who is honest him three or four hundred. dollars. He Ate with mei' The greatest obstacle to charity up his whole fortune, and had only one in the Christian churoh to -day is the fact guinea left'with that he bought a wood- that men expend so much money on their cook, and had it dressedin the very best table, and women so much on their dress, style, ate it, gave two hours for digestion, they have got nothing left for the work ot then walked out on Westminster bridge God and the woiadts betterment. and threw himself into the Thames, and Attain, inordinate fashion is distraction to died, doing on a large scale what you and I have ?thea seen done on a srnall scale. But men do not abstain from millinery amd elaboration of skirt through any superiority of humility. It is only because such appen. dages would be a blockade to business, What would sashes and ttains three and a - half yards long do ha a stock market.? And • yet men are the disciples of fashion just as • wo4en. Some of them wear boots at:light they can hardly walk in the paths of -right- eousness. And there are meu who buy ex- pensive suits of clothes, and never pay for themand who go through the streets in great'stripes of color like animated checker boards. I say these things because I want to show you that I am impartial in my dis- course, and that both sexes,in the language of the Surrogate's office, shall "share and share ' As God may help Me, I shall shosv you what are the destroying and deethful influences of inordinate fashionea.cocks, the awful question of the soul's public worship. You know very well there are a good many people who come to church just as they go to the races, to see who will come out first. What a flutter it makes in church when some woman with extraordinary display of fashion comes in. "What a love of a bonnet 1" says some one. "What a portent fright!" says fiete hundred. For the merciless entice in the world are fashion critics.— Men end wotnen with souls to be saved passing the hour in wondering where that man got his cravat, or what store that woman patronizes. In many of those churches the preliminary exorcise are taken up with the discussion of ward- robes. It is pitiable. Is it not wonderful that the Lord does not strike the meeting hours with lightnin'g ? What distraction of public wership ! Dying men and women whose bodiee are soon to be turned into dust yet before three worlds strutting like The first baleful influence I notice is in fraud, illimitable and ghastly. Do you know that Arnold of the Revolution proposed to sell his oountry in order to get money to suppore his wife's wardrobe? • I cleoIare here before God and this people that the effort to keep up expensive estab- lishments in this eoentry is sending snore business men to temporal perditien than all • other eseises combined. What ,was it that sent Gilman to the penitentiary, and Phila,- delphie. Morton to the watering of dock's, and the Web:mural:ice preaideuts to perjured statements about their assets and has com- pletely upset our American finances? What was it thet overthrew the United States Seeretaity at Wathinetoft, the Mush of vrhose fall shook the continent? 13ut why should I go to then terneus defaulting's to • show what men will do in order to keep up great home style and expeOsive wardrobe, When you and I kneve license of men are pee to their wile' Owl, aid are lashed from dantiary to December in the attemot Our eee estiny submerged by the question of navy blue velvet and long fantrain skirt, long enough to dr leg up the church aisle, the husband's store, °nice, 'shop, factory, for- tune, and the admiration of half the people in the building. Men and women come late to church to show their c'othes. People sitting down be a pew or taking up a hymn book, all absorbed at the same time in personal array, to shig: Rise, my soul, and stretch tby wings, Thy better portion trace •, 'Ilse from transitory things, Toward 14tetven, thy native plaeet I adopt the Episcopalian peayer ahd say: " Good Lord deliver us 1" Insatiate fashion also belittles the intel- lect. Oer minds are enlarged or they dwindle just in proportion to the importahoe of the subject on which we constantly dwell. Can you imagine anything more dwerflng to the human intellect than the atudy.of fashion? I see then so tint stri3et who, Judging from their eIaboration i. tidal 1 eeteeteteteeetes insist have taken two Imre to mange their alMstrel. After a feweyeere of that kind of absorption, whieli one of 11/104llitster'e Mag. nifyiug glasetos will be powerful eneegh to, make the mat's character visible '? They all land in idioey. I have sem men at the :summer watering -places, through fashion the mere wreck of what they once were, Sallow of cheek. Mew° of limb. Heiken of chest, Showing no animation save in rushing across a room to pick op it lady's fan. Simpering along the corridors, the same compliments they 'simpered twenty years ago, A New York lawyer at united States Hotel, Spgatoge, within our hearing, rushed egress the room to trey to it 'sensible woman, ,,y.pn are as sweet as peaches." The fook e. fashion are Myriad. Fashion nob only destroys the body, but it makes idiotio the intellect, Yet, my friends, I have given you only the milder phase of this evil. It shuts a great multitude out of heaven. The first peal of thunder thee shook Sinai declared: 4"Xhou shalt have no other God before Me," and you will have to choose between the goddess of fashion and the Christian God. There are a great man Y seats in heaven, and they are all easy seats, but not one seat for the devotee of Whim. Efeaven is for meek and quiet sph•ite, Heaven is for those whe think more of their souls thaes of their bodies. Heaven is for those who have more joy in Christian charity tha:a in dry goods religion, Why, if you with your xdoltary of fashion should somehow get into heaven, you would • be for putting a French roof on the "house of many mansions." Give up this idolatry of fashion'or give up heaven. What would you do standing beside the Counteas of Huntington, whose joy it was to build chapels for the poor, or with that Christian woman of Boston, who fed fifteen hundred children of the street at Faneuil Hall on New Year's Day, giving oat as a sort of doxology at the end of the meeting a pair of shoes to each one of them; or those Dorcases of modern society who have con- secrated their needles to the Lord, and who will gat eternal reward for evey stitch they take. Oh, men and women give up the idoltary of fashion The rivalries and the competitions of such a life are a stup- endous vvretchednese, You will always ind someone with brighter array and with more palatial residence and with laven- der kid gloves that male a tig'hter fit. And if you buy this thing and wear it, you will wish you had bought something else and worn it, And the frets of such a life will bring the orow's feet to . your temples before they are due, and when you come to die you will have a miserable time. The most ghastly death -beds on earth, the one where a man dies of . delirium tre- mens, and the other where a woman dies after having sacrificed all her fadulties of body, mind and soul in the worship of fashion. My friends, We must appear in judgment to answer for what we have worn on our bodies as well as for what re- pentances we have exercised with our souls. On that day I see coming in, Beau Brum- mel of the last century, without kis cloak; like which all England got a, cloak; and without his cane like which all England, got a cane; without his snuff-box like which all England got a snuff-box—he, the fop of the ages, particular about everything but his morals; and Aaron Burr, without the letters that down to old age he showed in pride, to prove his early winked gallantries; and Absalom without his hair; and Mar- "chioness Pompadour without her titles; and Mrs. Arnold, the belle of Wall street, when that was the centre of fashion, with- out her fripperies of vesture. And in great haggardness they shall go away into eternal expatriation; • while among the queens of heavenly society will be found Vashti, who wore the modest veil before the palatial bacchanalians; and Hannah, who annually made a little coat for Samuel at the temple; and Grandmother Lois, the ancestress of Timothy, who imitated her virtue; and Mary, who gave Jesus Christ to the world;, and many of you, the wives and mothers and. sisters and daughters of the present Christian church, who through great tribulation are entering into the kingdom of God, Christ announced who would make up the royal family of heaven when he said, "Whoso• ever doeth the will of God, thesame is My brother, My sister, My mother." MORE TROUBLE IN SOUTH CHINA. An ti-roreign. Agitators Succeed en stir ring hp Serious Disturbances. Advices from Hong Kong say that it appears that the recent murderous attack upon two female missionaries • at Henan wae but the prelude of far more herious disturbances] throughout south China. 111. fe.eling engendered over the treatment, of plague patients in Hong Kong has been taken advantage of by anti -foreign agate, tors to incite the ignorant and. illiterate classes of Chinese against all Europeans. Unless strong measures are adopted by foreign Ministers at Pekin it is not unlikely that many lives will be lost and the pro- gress of foreign trade with China seriously interfered with. A correspondent of the Chinese Mail writes from Tung -Jinn that on Wednesday, June 20, the American Presbyterises Church at Sheklung was demolished by a mob, and a person, whether a foreigner or a native is not yet ascertained,was killed. The Ronaan Catholic Church there was well guarded by Chinese authorities, who bad two disturb. ors arrested and sent to the magistrate for trial. The church of Tung•Kun City is now also in danger. From Macao come reports of dangerous anti -foreign agitation. Three Chinese were arrested for selling poisoned armlet& powder. This they were charged with throwing into the well in front of the Senate House. An analysis, however, showed the • powder to be harmless. A few days later placards Were posted in Chinese declaring thee the French missionaries were conspir- ing with a Portuguese editor to poison the peopli3. Serious riots are expected. Ye SyMpathetie Friend. George---" Jack, old boy, rm so glad I ran across you. Never needed your friend- ship more, " Pm in love with the belle of the season, and I promised her a sail to -day, but I hada run of bad luok last uight, and haven't a cent left." Jack—," Too bad." " Yes, I don't care for myself, you know; but its such a pity that a charming creature like that should be disappointed. You have a littleononey to spare, haven't youV' "Oh, plenty. getke yourself easy, niy dear boy. She shate t be disappointed. I'll titke her myself." "There are 00 Mee on me," said the fresh young man, with idiotic gayety. " No," said the sedate girl, with an air of deep thoughtfaleess. I suppose there are 'mine thipgs even flies can't stead." ITUNTING A LEGACY. The 17th of jone, 188—, was an impor. taut day for Henriette Bardonnel, milliner at Rouen, She Was 'seated at about 10 in the morn- ing in frout of her window, which faced on the Ruedes °berrettas, boy 'shaping and trimming a euperb bonnet, when Mme• Dufresne, her employer, opened the door euddenly, and ilontishing a paper burst in- to the room. "Henriette 1 Henrietta 1 Haven't yeti read it? Don't you know?" shouted she,, out of breath. "Look, Beet" And she thrust the paper—Le,Vetit Rouennaie—under her eyes, pointing out a notice on the fourth page as follows; Mme. Heuriette Enibiene Bardonnel, daughter of Pierre Auguste Berdonnel, late piano tuner, Rue de GrrandPont, at Rouen, is requested to send her address to Mr. Thiebault, lawyer, 53 Place du Vieux, Marche, Havre property. "You must write the lawyer at °nee, my dear—at once," "Yes, I am gong to, of course, Mine. Dufresnes, right off," said Henrietta. The following evening, in reply to her letter, Mlle. learclonnel received word from M. Thiebault acking her to come at once to his office. • To pay ourrent expenses a check for 6,0 frames was inclosed. Decidedly things were leoking.well, and Mme. Dufrenses re- marked npennit "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, my dear. I have always said so.. And Mt Leonce.—he, too, is very hap. py, is he not? Is he going with you to Havre? • M. Leonce, or Leonel:: Lecarpentier, was the son of a linen draper on the Quai aux. Meules, a promising young bachelor of 28, blond and hearty, but as gentle and timid as a lainb. Employed in hie father's shop, for papa Lecarpentier did not believe any more than was necessary in throwing his money into the gutter, Leonce could only indulge rarely lila passion -for the pretty liege mil- liner." A bracelet or a gown on her birth- day or at New Year% a few picnics on Sundays during the summer and a few parties occasionally, and that was all. •• Restrained, however, by paternal and business exigencies, Leonce had to let Hen. riette take the journey alone trona Rouen to Havre. The lawyer's office was in the second storey of an old, dilapidated structure at the end of a courtyard. M. Thiebault, a thin little man, with bent figure, sharp eyes under his large copper. rimmed spectacles and a black velvet cap on hie head, motioned 'to the young girl to take a seat on his left opposite Op window. , , "Mlle. Bardonnel, I suppose ?" "Yes, sir." "You have taken care to bring your cer. tificate of birth, as I suggested?" "Here it is, Md." 'The lawyer unfolded the paper and care- fully read the statement,. "Pierre Auguste Bardonnel-- so far so good. Correct! • Your father left France about 1866, did he not, miss ?" "Yes, sir. I was then 5 years old. We were going to meet him in New York. My mother had often told me the story. He wrote us three or four times, as nearly as I can remember. But we never receiv- ed anyfur ther notice from him—never. My mother has been dead six years, and I have no living relation except it cousin at Elbeuf. "Your &tate miss, dibd on Jap,22, 1879, n South Amend.. leaving a fortune valued at 120,000 piastrle, or 600,000 francs, of which you are the scle heir. To enter in- to the possession of the whole of this for- tune it will be necessary for yet to go there In person in order that, you may see my colleague, M. Guastella, who is the execu- tor." "Go way down there? .But monsieur, geg,_ e "We shall advance.the necessary amount. Have no fear on chat score." "And when mnst I start?" "Let us see—the Eurydice—theMeuse— Friday,Saturd ay. Ah, here it is—the lberie, for Buenos Ayres. You will sail next Monday. That's rather soon. You have just time to get back to Rouen and make yail. our preparations. shall expect you them m madeoiselle, on Monday next without f • * * * * * Twenty-five days after Henrietta Bar - donne!, fortified with M. Thiebault's in- structions and suggestions, and with the address° IM. Guastella, Anibal Guastella abogado 1.82 Bolivar street, in her pocket, landed al Buenos Ayres, and repaired,with her trunk, to the hotel so favorably named De Is. Bonne Soupe. • 'Within an hour after Henriette's arrival and before she had finished her dinner all herneighbors at the tableas well as the pro- prietor and three servants, who spoke French, where already informed of the motive and the object of her journey. One of her neighbors, the one on the tight, was an elegant and seductive Span- ish gentleinan of 30 years, who murdered French • dreadfully. He answered to the name of Mandel Alvarez and lived at Montevideo, where he was in the cattle butilakea eli s. gallant hidalgo, he offered to aid Etenriette in her search, if she needed him —in short, he was at the service of made- moiselle. The &Retying morning early Henriette, with an interpreter, went to Bolivar street' to the addrees of the advocate Guastella. No Guastelta was at the number men- tioned, not even an abogado in the build- ing. Nor wee he ia any of the nbighboring buildings. No. s. A 125 was a bush:len agent named Carlos Figueras, They sought him, but el Senor Figueras knew no advocate Guastella. ite was sure, even, that there was nobody of that name in the 'whole city. "There is a oommiasion merchant tells, 30 San Martino street. You might go and See him." Quickly they departed for this Guastella. He assueed them he 'thew nothing of what they asked him; had never been written to by M. Thielea.ult at Havre, of whose exis-• ence he was ignorant. In What anxiety, in what a terrible dil. emtna, poor Henrietta tound hetself. For two days, eecerted by her intetpret. or, she sooured the whole town, 'visited all th'o abegados, 'tonere, notaries, emirtiers, business agents. But no Anibal Guattella, po Bardoemel porperty—nothing. M. Mese*" Atvarez undertook to intro' duce he to the Feench consul. "1 regret exceedingly, madeinehtelle," replied this funotionary to Henriette "to dispell micas an a.greesble illusion, Out if there had been here an euolairned Freneb property I should have hem the first to know it, and there is none. You lreve been made the victim of a hoax." Henriette, when she retoroed to the isotel, followed the consul's advioe by ex. ploring her memory to find some one who had a personal interest, in expatriating her and in getting rid of her. And elle found some one without treat difficulty. It was Leonce's father, the old scamp of a papa Lecarpentier. Not al doubt of it. Ce her account Leonce had let Elio severe good matches, a Mlle. Coutois of Lisieux among others. Now they were scheming to make him marry Mlle. Henpequin, daughter of a merehane of the Rue St. Sever. • • "For how many sous did he buy the complicity of that Havre lawyer. But wait, juet wait, old wretch ! There are judges in Frame. They give damages there. He laughs best; who laughs last." And boiling with indignation and rage Henriette weht back to the coesulate, and though without funds asked to be sent back home. ' They promised a favorable reply to her request, but she must wait a fortnight. No beet would leave for France before the end of that ebiienn°I Onng as she was walking on the arm of M. Maned Alvarez and telling him of her mortification's that wealthy and se. ductive Spanish gentleman, mnrmured ten- derly: " Enriquetta,, mignon, suppose, instead of returning to Europe, you should stay here with me."• • Five years later, one morning in May, Mme. Mancrei Alvarez, nee Bardonnel, step- ped from a train at the Rouen station and directed her way toward the Rue des Charettes. She did not wish to go through France when she was travelling with her husband without seeing again her native city. et me. Dufreshes kept tient-mete to dinner and brought out for her the very best. "Oh, deary, I always told you that you were born lucky. Don't you rentember "And the Leearpentiers and my little Leonce.? What has become of them ?" " What has become of them ? Oh, my dear Henrietta, the good God has given them their punishment. "The linen business ran out. It is two years ago since the firm of Lecarpentier & Son failed and gave unbusiness. "]?our months after you went away Le - once married Mme. Felicite Hennequm, whose father kept a large shop." "1 know, and didn't the marriage turn out well?" • "You. can't really say that it did. M. and Mme. Leonce left Rouen when the • failure came. They are probably living wretchedly somewhere, in Paris perhaps. As for papa Lecarpentier, his troubles have affected him so that he is in his second childhood. He is begging. Ildhen you go, you have wily to turn up the street till you get in front of the theatre, and there you will see him." Arrived at the end of the street, Henri- ette saw seated on a little stool an old bab. bler who handled feebly a wheezy old acoor- d•ilnbon't you remember me, papa Lecar. pentier ?" The poor wretch interrupted the tearful strains of his instrument and fixed on the young woman a stony, fixed stare. "You played me a villainous trick, in your day, with your story of the property in America. But that's all over now. Come, old scamp, here's something for you, And she let fall into the beggar's cap all the gold she had in her purse. A CUSTOMS DEFINITION Regarding tbe Market Value or Goods Pnrchaked ill Bond. A despatch from Ottawa says :—A mis- conception appears to have arisen with re- spect to the order recently promulgated by the Board of Customs respecting the mar- ket value of goods purchased in bond. The text of the circular is as follows: Inasmuch as section 58 of the Customs Ant provides that ad valorem duties shall be cullected upon the fair market value ef the goods as sold for home consumption in the principal markets of the country whence, and at the time when the same were exported directly to Canada, it is clear that the price actually paid for goods purchased in bond in any foreign market is not the value for duty in Canada, nor the fair market value within the meaning of the Customs, Act; but to the price paid for the goods in bond there must be added the customs or internal revenue duty leviable in the country where the goods are purchased in bond, and which is collected in all oases by the fereign Gov- ernment concerned before the goods are allowed to go into home consumption in such foreign country. Further, in the ease of any goods to which stGovernment bounty may attach, when the same are exp: rted, and which may have been purchased in bond, the amount of such bouhty should also be included in the value for duty at Canadian customs. Suoh principle must be strictly nestled, by you to all cases in which goods may have been purchased in bond, and in respect of which entries may be tendered at year port. This. is not a new decision, and is not designed to hamper trade. The practice has been in vogue since 1883. In order to secure uniformity in the collection of duty at the various ports it has been deemed advisable to issue this (Amulet'. Process of Prodtieing Artificial Silk. The process of producing " artrhoiel silk, "invented by Dr. Lehner, was shown to a party of soientists, at Bradford, Eng., a.st week. Waste cotton, wool, jute or other saitable material is reduced to an emulsien by means of a mixture of nitric: and sulphuric acids'when it is formed Bite threads by foreingit through glass tubes of small bore, and is .passed over a series of rollers and wound in the ordinary way on bobbins. Before the artificial silk is used in manufaotures or is told it is denitrated to destroy the explosive pro- perties and is also rendered uninilainnaable, Whith will render it suitable foe many purposes,etpcoially as111s said to resemble real silk very clogely. According to sortie wilters the silkworm has had " notice to leave. 4. Swedish copper mine hoe beeetwork ed Without interruption for 800 years. "Joheson, you aro drinking too hard, Your nose is as red es 8 beet." "But that tomes froni a tveeleti iishiejt trip." " That merely oonfinires Whitt X stele .st ;its be' THE SUNDAY SO110011 INTERNATIONAL LESSON, AUGHST • 19, UN& nrst Disciples or Jesus. —Joint 1 Time.—A. D. 27, February, Shortly after the teraptetion, Tibenue Caesar, Emperor of Rome ; Pontius Pilate, Geyer- noaroiLn J:dceiverleIacroti Antipas, 0/Verner ef Gli Inace.—Betbabara, or Bethany, wet of the Jordan. (Not the Bethany near Jeru- 'saloon) The place was probably at a ford of the Jordan, near Jericho, where a road crossed the river. The Place in the Ifistory.—We begin now a part of the story of the life of our Lord which John alone records. It ineludes the first year of his ministry. The remain. ing lessons of the present quarter belong in this first year which Jesus 'spent in Judea. See " Hermony" on foregoing page. Between the Lessons.—After the forty days of the temptetion ',Tem returned to Bethany (see "Plaese"), where John was Still baptizing. On the day of his return a deputation of priests and fan:lees came from Jerusalem to John, With the question, "Who art thou?" John declared to them the true nature of his mission and testified of Jesus, who was then standing unknown among the crowd, as the Coming One, of whom he was the forerunner, John 1 :19- 28. The next day John, seeing Jesus among his hearers, recognized him and pointed him out as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1 : 29-34, The events of our present lesson occurred the next day. Hints for study.—John alone records the incidents of this lesson. Read the whole section, vs. 19-49. • nEnrs IN LE,,1AND,TO THE X..ESSON. 35. The next day.—After John's testi- mony (vs. 29-34) and two days after the visits of the priests and the Levites from jerusalem.—Two of his disciples. One of these was Andrew (v. 4), the other was doubtless John himself, although no name is given. Tha account is that of an eye- witness. If it had been some one else, John would not have omitted his name, but he always omits his own name in his Gospel. 36. Behold the Lamb of God.—John saw in Jesus the Damb of Isaiah 53, or the pas- cal lamb (see T. 29). John's word. was really the asking of his disciples to leave him and go after Jesus. 37.—Heard hira speak.—And were so impressed by his words about Jesus that they went after him. This was the begin- ning of the Christian church. It started with w ht ;mo. s them following.—He saw into their hearts at the sande glance. What seek ye.?—That is, in rue. He does not ask "Whom seek ye?" It was evident that they sought him. Rabbi—An honorable title given to teachers among the Jews. Where dwellestethou? Showing their de- sire to be with him and to be taught by 39. Come and see.—"Come and ye shall see." He wanted them to learn for them- selves. The way to know about Christ is to come to Him mid learn by experience. Abode with Him that day.—That was a day never to be forgottet by these dis- ciples, as it turned the whole current of their lives. Tenth hour—Probably about ten o'olook in the morning, although there is some difference of opinion about John's mode of marking time. • 40. Andrew.—Andrew was soon almost lost sight of among the disciples. Peter is the prominent one, but we must never for- get that there would not ba,ve been a Peter but fer Andrew. A humble Chriseian may bring another to Christ who will over- shadow the first altogether. But God will never forget the lowly and obscure one Who brought his greater brother or friend. For Andrew and other names see "Bible Dictionary." 41. He first findeth. —" He findeth first." The meaning is that both Andrew and John in their eagerness run eaoh to tell his own. brother, and that Andrew finds his brother before John finds his. But doubtless John found James. 42. He brought him to jostle. Andrew is knownspeciallyfor bringingothers toJesus. He brought also tbe lad with the loaves (John 0:8), and certain Greeks (John 12: 22). This is about all that is known of Andrew, but it makes a beautiful record. Thou art Simon.—That was his name at the: time. Son of Jona.—"Son of John." Thou shalt be called Cephase—An Aramaic word, of the language commonly used ie Palestine at that time. By interpretation a stone.— "Peter." The name Peter means a stone, or a mass or piece of rock detached from the great living rock. The word contained. a nrophecy of what Simon would become. It took him a long while to grow into a true Peter, but at last he reached that character through the Grace of Christ (See Matt. 16: 18.) 43. Would go forth.—" Was minded to go." He findeth Philip.—John the Baptist pointed ont Jesus to Andrew and john. Simon and James were brought each by his brother. But no one told Philip of Jesus or brought him. Jesus himself sought and found him. Follow me. —Philip was the first to be asked to follow Jesus. 44. Bethsaidtte—See "Bible Dictionary." 4b. NathismaeLe—Probably the sante as Bartholomew, afterward one of the twelve apostles. Moses in the law.—In Deut 18: 15, and in all the types and promises to Adam, Abraham, Jacob, etc. The prophets. —Such as Ise. 6: 7 ;53 : 9 ; Jen 5: 6 ; Dan. 0: 24.27; Zech. 13. Mae& Son of Joseph. —Tho words are Philip's, and expressed ptheeopre.mmen belief or s.iroposition of the 46. Can there any good thing.—Nazareth was a place of proverbially bad character. It was despised even by Galileans. It was also small and insignificant. Come and see. —The only way to meet such a false judgment mud to remove prelitdiee was to see tor him3elf. 47. An Israelite indeed.—A true, prayer. ful servant of God. No gaile.—A truly sincere man, simple-hcerted and faithful. 48. I saw thets.—Nathanael may have been preying under the tree when Jesus saw him, He sees us always. 49, Rabbi . . the Son of God . the King of Israel.—eThe Messiali, to whom both these titles were given among the J ewe, and in the prephecies ooneerning him. Hard Tilries Brilliancy. l3ride (disconsolately)—“Half my wed. ding, ptesents are cheap plated things." 'Mother—"blevor mind, ray dear ; no one will suspeot it. I have hired We deteetives to make themselves eonspletious Watching them." gNOLAND'S An line ease en EVerrrilin- But Two. The first quarter of the filiettirdel shows an increase on every Dein of the revenee but two, and tlicese two are bet et small importance, says the Lostsien pailty New's. The leriecellarunais Revetaue is lee* by 447,945, and the land tex ISIS by £25,- 000. Ou eight other heads there ie it total gain on the mune quarter of laist year et £1,04,569. The net increase en the quarter s 4871,624. Part of tide increase is, of course, dtte to new taxation. The new beer and 'spirit duties heve been in Hotual opera tion since the resoluteness Were passed on April 16: This account': for a portion of the increase, both in meter:is and excise but not for the whole, The 4263,000 more customs thitiespaid and the 4300,000 addi- tion to the excise are, apart from the in- creased duties,encoureging signs of improve, merit in the condition of the country. The flame may be said of the £100,000 increase in stamps, for the new estate duty is oat yet levied. The gain on the income tax ex- actly represents what the additional penny would yield if the whole 42,160,000 had been collected at 8d, But this ie not the caee. These 42,000,000 represent either that lase year's erreare were somewhat larger, VirDiCh was probably not the case, or more likely that the total. income on which the tax is paid has inoreased. In the postal and tele- graph services the gain isnot large; 430,000 in one and 425,090 in another, represent. however', a good deal more than the normal increase, and showthat there is a quiet and steady growth of business, These two sources of revenue, moreover'unlike cus. toms and excise, compare with it quarter in which Post Office and telegraphs were almost alone in showing improvement, when oustonas and excise and stamps were all moving downward. In the June, Sep- tember, and December quarters of last year there was conatant falling off. That down- ward movement has been entirely stopped, and the upward tendency wanch 'showed itself in the last quarter of the 'financial year has continued during the three menthe now gone, CHEAPEST OF METALS. Aluminium WM Surely Take This Item.. in Time—The Slow Reduction `Which Hag Taken Place in DA Price. What metal is four times lighter in weight than silver, but very nearly as brilliant, possessing indeed so little weight that ie will almost float on the water, so abundant that it is found in common clay, so sonorous that when a bar of it is struck it rings like a bell, so malleableand ductile that it may be rolled into the thinnest sheets or drawn to fine wire, and so tena- cious that when beaten in the cold it becomes nearly as hard and strong as iron? It conducts heat and electricity as well as silver, but unlike silver is slow to tarnish or corrode and neither nitric or muriatic acid will affect it Aluminum or aluminium is the name of this wonderful new metal, that haa long been known to exist and possess all the valuable properties mentioned; but of which no one can make1.188 of owing to the expense of extracting it from the clay. A German, Woehler, long ago as 1827, used to produce alumblium from clay in the form of powder by a chemical process • and 28 years later a Frenchman learned how to procure it in larger quantities ; but the cost of extracting it was $90 a pound, much too expensive to be of any use to any one. Recently, however, by the means of elec. trioity, it has been discovered that alumin- ium can be readily and inexpensively taken from clay and. now he this country and in. Europe all manner of tuseful and erne. - mental objects are being made of it. Pots, pans, scarf -pins, picture -frames, thimbles, tea -services, dishes and even yacht keels are manufactured of the wonderful alu- minium, that, for its light weight and the fact that it does not tarnish proves in many instances vastly more useful than steel, tin or silver. Because it is so abundant it will become in time the cheapest of metals. Even now. one can buy for 10 cents a pretty aluminium thimble that does not tarnish and will last as long as any one needs. An aluminium kettle, big enough to boil a ham in, can be lifted. on and off the stove as lightly as a tin pan. An aluminium tea-pot never needs polishing. CHINA AND JAPAN. -- Degradation °ETA Bung Chang May Cause Revolt in the Chinese Army—The Em. ueror Promises the Soldiers Double Pay, A Shenghai special says n—Despatehess have been received, confirming the report that the Emperor has divested Viceroy Lt Hung Chang of the order of the Yellow Riding Coat, which 18 the highest order in China, allowing the wearer privileges next to those of royalty. The Emperor has freely expressed his anger at the Viceroybs having allowed Japan to get ahead of China in preparing for wer. The act ot the Emperor in dives- ting the Viceroy of this order does not necessarily imply his deposition from office. HIS REHOVAL wirx,LEAD TO A. CRISIS. The action of the Emperor in divesting Viceroy Li Hung Chang of the order of the Yellow jacket has fallen like a thunderbolt here, as it is feared the incident will lead to his complete overthrow. He is regarded here as the only leader capable of coping with Japan ha the ioevitable long war. A crisis is regarded as imminent. The Emperor has beet influenced in his action by members of his family hostile to the Vieseroy's pro -European policy. It is expected that Sir Robert Hart, the British representative, will assert his authority and "support Li Hung Chang, nouutt TAY PROWITSED THE SOLDID118. The soldiers beheaded et Tien -Tait& for desertion pleaded in extenuation of their offend° hunger and exhasistion. Before they were eiteouted they wet(' stripped of their uniforms and their pig -tails were cut oft The example has terrified the army. An ediot has gouts forth and the artily will receive double pay henceforth during tho war -with Japan, and a large bonus has beees offered to officets tompetent to eserigate the Chinese naval vessels asid trasispor to. Chappleee"Thero goes theetwentri Ibab invented smokeless powdah." Weerfo Beauey---"I should, feel More interested in hint if Ise had invedeted smokeless+ Mose 11