HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1895-10-10, Page 6TIIE EXETER TIMES
STDAN GE BiTTLE th. 50 people 40 the work, Take a mem-
I heroine) a 500, mei rett generally find that
ton peopled° the work. There ere scores
of ohurohes where two or three people do
the work,
We mourn that there is so much uaelese
lumber in the mounteine of Lehenen. 1
thiuk, of the 10,000,000 membership of
the ehriatian chureh te-day if 5 000,000
the natnefi were off the bet% Ira the cletwoh
The InevfnInees Clirestian Strairegiroorr 0.
eserseeese number in the Monneoing or tvould be ritronger. You leinew thet the
oeommino4eom,0 Deputed Amy Ann more cowards a•ncl, droues there are in eny
army the weaker ib is. I vvould gabber
the alreat or Ols Wonderful have the 300 picked. men of Gsdeon than
Victora.
the] 32,000 unsited hoot, Etow many
N
ew Sept. 20. -Lan hie Barmen or
Christian)] there are Mending iu the way of Youm, f
e all progress ! I think it is the duty of the
troday Ben. Dr, Talmage dieousees a sum. church of God to ride aver them, end the
jeot vvidoh is of special interest to Sunday quioker it does it the quicker it does its
eohool theoliers and, soholere at the present duty ,
tiambeing Gideon's battle with the Midian, Do not worry, 0 Christian, if you have
itea near Mount Gilboa The text 'Arisen t•odo more than your share ef the work.
u had beeter thank God that he lute
waa andges vIi 20, "And the three called you to be one of the picked men
companies blew the trumpets and brake rather than to belong to the host of
the pitchers, and held the lamps in their stragglers. Would not you rather be one
ot tlr 22,th
left bands and the trumpets in their right 300 that 6ght than the000at run . suppose those cowardly Gideonites
bands to blow withal. And boldly stood who went off congratulated themselves.
every man in his plane and roundabout the They said: "We got rid of all that
fighting, did we not ? How lucky we Itave
camp, and all the host ran and oried and
been. That battle cost us nothing at all,"
fled." But they got none of the spoils of the
Then is the strangest battle ever fought victory, After the battle the 800 inen
God had told Gideon to go down and thrash went down and took the wealth of the
; Midianites, and out of the cups add platters
the Midianiten but) his army is too large
of their enemies they feasted ,nnd the
dine will come, my deerbrethren, wheo
for the glory must be given to God and not
to man. And so proclamation is made that the hosts of darkneas will be routed
and Christ will say to hie to his troops:
all thoae of the troops who are cowardly
,
and want to go home may go, and 22,000 "Well done, my brave menGo up and
, take the spoq
ils. Be more than con uerors
of hem scampered away, leaving only forever 1" And in. that day all deserters
e
10,000 men, But God says the army is too will be shot.
large yet, and so he orders these 10,000 Again, I learn froin this subjeot that
Goe's way is different from man's but is
remaining to me.rah down through a stream
always the best way, If we had the plan -
and commands Gideon to notice in when ning of that babble, we would have taken
manner these men drink of the water as those 32,000 men that originally belonged
they pass through it. If they get down to the army, and we would have drilled
to them and marched them up and down by
on all fours and drink, then they are
be Pronouncecl lazy and incompetent for the ways but it is always the best. `rake,
the campaign but if if in passing through for ins tants% the composition of theday, week
the stream they scoop up the water in the and month, and we would have had them
palm of their hand and drink and pass on, equipped with swords or spears'according
they are to be the men selected for the
to the way of arming in those times, and
battle. then we would have marched. them down in
Well, the 10,000 men marched down in solid column upon the foe. Bub that is not
the stream, and the most of them come the way. God depletes the army, and
down on all fours and plunge their mouths takes away all their weapons and gives
like a horse or an ox, into the water and them a lamp and a pitoher and a trumetet
drink, bun there are 300 men who, instead and tens them to go down and drive out
of stooping, juat dip the palm of their the Midianites. I suppose some wiseacres
hands in the water and bring it to their were there who said : "This is not military
lips, "lapping it as a dog lappeth." Those tactics. The idea. of 300 men unarmed,
300 briak, rapid, enthusiastic men are conquering such a great host of Midian-
chosen for the campaign. They are each ites 1" It was the best way. What eword,
to take a trumpet in the right hand and a spear or cannon ever accomplished such
pitcher in the left hand and a lamp inside a victory as the lamp. pitcher and trump -
the pitcher, and then at a given signal they et, n
are to blow the trumpets and throw down "'sus W& 18 different from man's waY.
the pitehers and hold up the lamps. So it but it is always thebest I Take for instance
was done. the composition of the Bible. If we had
It is night. I see & great host of Miami.. had thewriting of the Bible,we would have
ites sound asleep In the valley of Jezreel. said: "Let one man write it. If you have
Gideon comes up with his 300 picked men 20 or 30 men to write a poem,- or make a
, and when everything is ready the signal is statue, or write a history,or make an argu.
given, and they blow the trumpets, and ment, there will be littweandoontradictions.
they throw down the pitchers and hold no But God says, "Let not one man do it,
the larnpa, and the great host of Midiani tee, but 40 men shall do it." And they did.
Waking out of a sound sleep, take the
crash of the crockery and the glare oflamps
for the coming on of an overwhelming foe,
and they run and out themselves to pieces
and horribly perish.
The lessons of this subject are very
spirited and impreseive. This seemingly
ealueless lump of quartz has the pure gold
In it. The smallest dewdrop on the meadow
at night has a star sleeping 10 its bosom
and the most insignificant passage of Scrip-
ture has in it a shining truth. God's mint
coins no small change.
I learn in the first place, from this sub.
jean the lawfulness of Christian strategem.
You knew very well that the greatest
victories' ever gained by Washington or
Napoleon were gained through the fact
that they came when and in a way they
were not expected—sometimem falling back
to draw out the foe, sometimes breaking
out from ambush, sometimes crossing a
river on unheard ot rafts, all the time
keeping the opposing forces in wonderment
as to what would be done next.
You all know what stratagem is in
military affairs. Now I think it is high
time we had this art sanctified and spiritu-
alized. In the church, when we are about
to make a Christian assault, we send word.
to the opposing force when we expect to
come,• how many troops we have and how
many rounds of shot, and whether we will
come with artillery, infantry or cavalry,
and of course we are defeated. There are
thousands of men who might be surprised
into the kingdom of God. We need more
tact and ingenuity in Christian work. It
ia in spiritual affairs as in military, that
success depends in attacking that part of
the castle which isnot armed and intrench-
ed.
For instance, here is a man all armed on
the doctrine of eleotion, all his troops of ,
argument and prejudice are at that etude- I ""„—aye' none at all. How many gcod
ular gate. You may batter away at thab people there are at their wits' end about
side of the castle for fifty years ; and you their livelihood, about their reputation.
will not take it, but just wheel your troops But they will find out it is the best way
to the side gate of the heart's affections, after awhile. God will ahow them that he
and in five minutes you capture him. I depletes their advantages just for the same
never knew a man to be saved through a reason he depleted the army of Gideon—
brilliant argument. on cannot hook men that they may be induced to throw them -
into the kingdom of God by the arras of a selves oa his mercy.
dilemma. There is no grace in syllogisms. A arapevine says in the early spring,
Here it a man armed on the subject of "How glad I am to get through the win.
perseverance of the saints. He does not ter 1 I shall have no more trouble now 1
believe in it. Attack him at that point. Summer weather will come, and the garden
and he will persevere to the very last in not will be very beautiful 1" But the gardener
believing it. Here is a man armed on the comes and outs the vine here and there
subject of baptism. He believes in sprink- with his knife. The twigs begin to fall,
Lug or immersion. All your discussion of and the grapevine cries out: Murder
ecclesiastical hydropathy will not change What are you cutting me for ?"
him. I remember when I -was a boy that says the gardener, "1 don't mean to kill
with other boys 1 went into the river on a you. if I did not do this'you would be
/dimmer day to bathe, and we need to dash the laughing stock of all the other vines
water on eaoh other, but never got any before the eeason is over." Months go on,
result except that our eyes were blinded, and one day the gardner comes under the
and all this splashing of water between trellis, where great clusters of grapes bang,
Baptists and Pedobaptists never results in and the grapevine says " Thank you, sin I
anything but the blurring of the spiritual You could not have done anything so kind '
eyesight. In other words, you can never as to have cut me with that knife."
capture a mania soul at the point at which "Whom the Lord loveth he ohaeteneth."
he es especially intrenohed. But there is No pruning, nograpes; no grindingmill, no
in every Meg heart a bolt that oan flour ; no battle, no victoey; no cross, no
. 'TALMAGE ON GIDEON'S ARMY
AND GOD'S 1/ITAY.
differing enough to show that there had
been no collusion between them, but not
contradicting each other on any important
point, while they all wrote from their own
standpoint and temperament. So that the
the matter-of-fact Man has his Moses; •the
romantic nature his Ezekiel ; the epigram-
rnatio hie Solomon ; the we rrior his Joshua;
the Sailor his Jonah; the loving his John ;
the logician his Paul. Instead of this
Bible, which now I oan lift in my hand—
instead of the Bible the child oan carry to
Sunday school, instead of the little Bible
the sailor oan put in his jacket when he
goes to sea—it it had been lef t to men to
write, it would have been a thousand vol-
umes, judging from the arnount of ecclesias-
tical controversy which has arisen. God'a
W& y ia different from name's, but it is beat,
infinitely best.
So 18 18 in regard to the Christian's life.
If we had had the planning of a Christian's
life, we would have said; "Let him have
80 years of sunshine, a fine house to live
in. Let his surroudings all be agreeable.
Let him have sound -health. Let no chill
Shiver through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow, or trouble shadow his soul." I enjoy
the prosperity of others so much I would
let every man have as niuch money as he
wants and roses for bia children's cheeks
and fountains of gladness glancing in their
large round eyes. But that is not God's
way.
It seems as if man must be cut and bit
and pounded just in prqportio- • s he is
useful. His child falls from e. d story
window and has its life daehe out. His
most confident investment, cumblea him
into bankruptcy. His friends, on whom
he depended, aid the natural force of
gravitation in taking him down. His" life
is a Ball Run defeat. Instead of 32,000
advantages, he has only 1,000. Aye—only
Iforge thy ebeins but kuow that thy fall
freere heaven wasnot greeter than
thy final overthrow shell be when thou
shalt be driven,. disarmed, itito thy
eery den, and for every lie thee haat
framed upon earth thou shalt have an
additional hell of fury lemma into thine
[impish by the vengeance of our God, and
all, heaven shall shout at the overthrow as
fromn. the rausoined earth the song broke
through the skies r " Hallelujah 1. for the
Lord God Omnipotentreigrieth :Hallelujah!
for the kingdoms of alio world have become
the kindgoins of our Lord, Jesus Christ 1'
004.8 way in the composition of the Bible,
God..sway in the Christiauts life, God'a
way in the redemption of the world, God's
way in everything—different from man's
way, but the best
I learn from this subject that the over.
throw of God's enemies will be sudden and
terrific: There is the army of the Midian-
ites down in the valley ot Jezreel. 1 suppose
their mighty men are dreaming of victory.
Mount Gilboa never SSOOd sentinel for AO
large a host. rite spears and the shields
of the Midianites gleam to the moonlight
and glance on the eye of the •Israelites,
who hover like a battle of eagles"reedy to
swoop from the cliff. Sleep on,0 army of
Midianites I With the nighb to hide them
and the mountain to gus.rd thern,and strong
arms to defend them, lab no slumbering
foeman dream of digester 1 Peace to the
captains and the spearmen 1
Oraeh go the pitchers! Up fly the lamps 1
To the mountains !Fly 1 Fly !Troop run-
ning against' troop, thousauds trampling
upon thousand)] 1 nark to the soream and
groan of the routed foe, with the Lord
God Almighty after them 1 How midden
the onset, how wild the consternation,
how utter the defeat 1 I do not fear so
much whatis against me if God is not. You
want a better sword or carbine than I have
ever aeon to go out and fight against the
Lord Omnipotent. Give ine God for my
ally, and you may have all the battlements
and battalions.
I saw the defender in his splended house.
It seemed as if he had conquered God as he
stood amid theblaze of chandeliers and pier
mirrors. In the diamonds of the wardrobe
1 saw the tears of the widows whom he
had robbed, and in the snowy satin the
pallor of the white oheeked orphans whom
he had wounded. The blood of the oppress.
ed glowed in the deep orimson of the
Imported ohair. The musio trembled with
the sorrow of unrequited toil. But the
wave of mirth dashed highemon reefs of
coral and pearl. The days and nights went
merrily. No sick child dared pull that
silver doorbell. No beggar dared sit on
that marble step. No voice of prayer
floated amid that tapestry. No shadow of
a judgment day darkened that fresco. No
tears of human sympathy dropped upon
that upholstery. Pomp strutted the hall,
and diesipation filled her oup, and all
seemed safe at the Midianite)] in the valley
of Jezreel. But God came. Calamity smote
the money market. The partridge left its
eggs unhatched. Crash went all the porce-
lain pitchers 1 Ruin, rout, dismay and
i
woe n the valley of Jezreel.
Alas for those who figpt against God !
Only two sides. Man" immortal, which
side are you on? Woman immortal,
which side are you on ? Do you belong to
1 the 300 that are going to win the day or
- to the great host of Midianites asleep in`
the valley, only to be roused up in con-
sternation and ruin? Suddenly the
golden bowl of life will be broken and the
trumpet blown that will startle .our soul
into eternity. The day of the Lord cometh
as a thief it) the night, and as the God
armed Israelites upon the sleeping foe.
Hal Comet thou pluck up thy courage
for the day when the trumpet which bath
never been blown shall speak the roll call
of the dead, and the earth dashing against
a lost meteor, have its mountains scattered
to the stars and the oceans emptied in the
air? Oh, then, what will become of you?
What will become of me?
If therm Midianites had only given up
their swords the day before the "disaster,
all would have been well, and if you will
not surrender the sins with which you
have been fighting egainst God, you will
be safe. Oh, make peace with him now
through Jesus Christ, the Lord 1 With
t•he clutch of a drowning man seize the
cross. Oh, surrender. Surrender 1 Christ,
with his hand on his pierced side, asks
you to.
ARMENIAN RIOTS.
be easily shoved. A little child 4 year1 crown
Old may touch that bolt ; and it will spring
back,and the door will spring open, and
Chriet will come in.
ehink that the finest of all the flue rate
is the art of doing good, and yet this art is
the least cultured. WO have in the king-
dom of God to -day enough troops to con•
quer the whole earth for Christ if we only
So God's way in the redemption of the
World is different frorn ours, If we had
our tvay we would have had Jesus stand
'n the door of heaven and beckon the IOS-,
gene up to light, or we would have had
angela flying around the earth, proolaiming
the unseenchable richee of Christ. Why
is it that the cause goes on so slowly?
had skilful maneuvering. I would rather ViThy is it that the chains stay on when
have the 300 lamps and pitcher e of Chrig-i God could kook them alt' Why do
tian stratagem than 100,000 drawn swords l thrones of despotism stand when God
oould so easily dernoleth them 1 It- 19 1115
way, in order then all generations may co.
operete, and that all Olen may know they
(mown, do the work themselven Just in
proportion 8,13 these pyramide of shi go up
n height will they oome down in gliastli.
tress of ruin.
0, thou ioniser of all iniquity 1 I(thou
cannot hear my velem above the orackling
of the flames, drive on thy projecte, dies
patch thy emissaries, build thy templet; atid
of literary and ecolealentieel combat
I learn from ibis subjecb also, thab
small part of the army of God will have to
do all the hard fighting. Gideon' i army
even originally composed of :32,000 men,
hut they vvent off until 'there were only
10,0001)3ft ond was. aubtracted from until
there were snlv 800. It is the earn° in all
ages of the Ofiristian chum)] ; a few men
have to do the hard fighting. Take a
Olen10raliA3S of 1,000 and you generally fliid
The Daily News' account shows That
the Turkish Officials Acted Treach-
erously and irrittalia.
The London News prints a despatch
from Constantinople giving the following
versionof the riot which occurred there
recently :—Several Armenians had start-
ed on their way to the gate of the Sultan's
palace, where justice is usually administer-
ed, with the intention of presenting to the
Grand Viiier a petition against the Govern.
meat. Warning had been given to the
officials,and en their orders all the approa-
ches to the palace were blocked with police.
While the crowds were waiting the Min-
ister of the Interior arrived at a point near
the gate, whereupon a, rush was made
towards him from all the surrounding
streets. The police attempted to drive the
people back,battering many of them severe-
ly and finally firing upon them. A detach-
ment of cavalry vvas ordered to menet the
officers' and charging upon the crowd,soon
clearedthe roadways. The persons killed
or wounded in the fight included Turks as
well as Armenians. According to the
despatch it is reported also that a mob
attacked the residence of the Minister of
Police and fired several volleys ab the house,
wounding the Minister. Intense excite,
men t prevaile throughout the city,
Great Memories.
Webster is said to have been able to
repeat the most, if not all, of " Paradise
Solomon,aecording to aHebrow tradition,
could repeat all the Proverbs in his collec-
tion,
Neibuhr, • the historian, read with ease
twenty different languages, and could con-
verse in ten or twelve.
The Rabbi Libettue Comeeinetus was blie
master of twelve languages, all of which he
spoke with the utenoet fluency.
Alexander the •Qraat knew Homer by
heart, and could repeat both the "Iliad"
and the " Odysgey" from memory,
Sohn Bunyan made himself very popular
among his people by remembering them all.
He said a face never lett him,
Charlemagne could hold his tongue in
eight different languagele Ire made a
speciality of atudying every langurtgespoken
in his einpire.
Wild doge begin to be a nuietthee fo
some parts of Malan&
Little Girl to Hee Marnota---" What ie a
dead hitters please 1" Matruna—"One thee
has been given to your father to pose"
HOW SHIPS 0011111TNIOATE.
•THE MODES OP SIGNALING AT SEA
EXPLAINED,
l'iliefoCV°17017417sttallinteteks°11:
4t Night Malta and llocketS Are Used
Minute Guns' 000114 'Allen
sal Strikes a ItoekS Shovel
When the shipa of a fleet advance or
retreat or manoeuvre, to gene advantage
over an eneiny in time of war, or for drill
in time of peace, they have 000 the tele-
graph or telephone to send commando from
ship to ahig. Land forces thus keep in
constant commuuication wItn One another),
but on se; other means must be employed.
Of all the methods of communieation flag
signaliug by day, for short dimbances, is the
commonest. It is generally known as the
"wig -wag " system, Every motion of the
flag, to the right, to the lett, or to the
front, has ib meaning, and the many
combinations of these motions express the
letters of the alphabet and the simple
numerals, so that any message may be sent
in this way from one shiti to another, when
the code is known, or it the code be oem-
mon to army or navy, a rapid and efficient
communication may be kept up between a
sea force near the shore and a. land foroe on
or near the coast, which rosy be quite
necessary to their action in concerted
movements.
This method is too slow for the rapid
transmission of the commands for evolutions
of ships. Fon these, ten large flags of
ditierent colors and patterns represent the
ten lower numerals. Several others are
used to represent oells,answering pennents
andfor °petitions of the nemerals.
A large book has been prepared with
many words and sentences of common rase
in navigation, alphabetically and numeric-
ally arranged, so that if any ship desires
to send any short, common message to be
foundein the signal book,it is only neceseary
to attach
IPHE NUMERAL news
to the halliard in the proper order for the
required signal and run them up to the
mast head.
When this is read by the men on the
ship signaled, she in turn rune up the
answering pennant The message is sent
inless time than it bakes to tell it
For convenience's sake, every ship in the
navy has a number Or arrangement of four
signal letters in the code, just as every
registered merchant ship has a disbinguish-
ing number or set of letters. With these
codes all the evolutions of sea drilla, battle
exercises or deity routine may be carried
on. The officers of the various ships in the
command may converse with »oe1 another
almost as madly as city people can with the
telephone.
For many years the .signal numbers to
designate the various commands that
might be usedin an engagement with an
enemy, were as carefully guarded as state
sporets, and no one but -the trusted officers
M. the ship were allowed to see them. The
book was always kept under look and key,
and its covers were weighted with strips
of lead, so that in the event of the sur-
render or capture of the ship, the book
would sink, the officer in charge of the ship
tosaing it overboard, to prevent the code
from falling into the hands of an enemy.
These precautions are no longer so itrin-
gently kept, as the changes in the mode of
sea warfare make the code of but minor
importance. ,
All this " does well enough for the day.
rime, but ships must sail and steam and
sometimes fight by night So 11 18 equally
necessary to have a system of
SIGNALS ON OARS NIGHTS.
Of course, lights of various kinds are used
in all these codes, varying from. the simple
torch or lantern on a stick, waved back
and forth in the wig.wag code,to an elates.
rate system of electric light% worked from
p. a keyboard, with nearly a hundred possible
combinations.
Rockets of many colors are used in
various ways, from a danger signal rocket
to a carefully arranged code of rockets of
red, green and white, known SS the °oaten
signals. The flashing of these variegated
signal lights in a large fleet -makes a very
pretty sight, and a person uninitiated
would take them fora pyrotechnic dieplay.
Where the electriclight system is em-
ployed five lanterns containing red and
white lights are placed at intervals in a
line from the ship's rail to the masthead,
and the different combinations of these
lights are used for the different letters, of
the alphabet, for the numerals and several
abbreviations and short words.
The ship sending the message throws id
flashlight on the vessel with which com-
munication is desired. Upon seeing it the
officerareply by turning on the sarne signal,
and give .0. K." in a manner similar to
the working of the heliograph on shore.
By practice the signal men and officers
become veryexpert and the lights can be
flashed on and out like the clicking of a
telegraph instrument and with as much
accuracy. These Bred lights are only good
tor a limited distance.
One kind of night signalling, that by
TICE SkAllert MOOT,
has been done over a distance of forty
miles, under conditions especiallyfavorable.
Almost eyeryone who has been on the gee -
shore has noticed the long, shimmering
white beam of light cast on tbe sky by a
powerful search light, and knowing bow
plainly visible it Is, it is easy to under.
stand that this beam of light may be used,
Blunting it off and on for long and abort
intervals, to send a signal over miles of
water or land, to another ship or station.
Bub when the fog is thick the keenest
eye cannot pierce it by day, and the
brightest light is visible bate short distauce
at night. Then the dangers of navigation
become greateat, and the steam whistles or
sirens are used to give letters of the adopted
" wig.tvag" system in long and short
blytS.
There
is
a faxereaching code arrangement
which any nation may use, by which ships,
•whose officers speak in different tongue)].
may easily communicate. This system 18
the international code Of signals. It, flags
represent the consonants of the alpbabet,
and these nineteen letters oan be formed
into different oombinationg in signs,' benne
to Stand for an almost limitless; number of
seetenoes and words of common use in
ocean traffic: end intercourse.
Thus a German vessel, having He code
book with the sentences andphrases in the
German language set opposite the various
signal combinatiohs, might otter a Spanish
port and signal a meegage t,tittthe Spanish
harbor station, where the people'thotigh
they would not know a word of German,
would 'quickly amid the mileage, Mtge
their owri bode book gives the sante mean,.
Inge to .the different letter conibinatiette
expreeeed by the Spanieh language.
The Japanese have adopted and, edapted
tine
eneerteekeroeten
Arid nlolOgib every ehip Oust sails the mate
of the world ha e eignal number in the
cede book, go that she may enter any port
with her signal flying, or page any marine
reportieg etation and Ise immediately
receguixed by the people there., regerdlese
of the difference lauguage, by reference
to the signal book,
Every navy of the world has int own
peculiar eet of signal% but when, aa in the
case of a great combined naval review, the
ships and squadrons ot different nations
came to aot together, they use this inter.
national system, with the result that the
senior admiral oan give his orders and have
them quiokly obeyed, even by a captain
whose language he cannot spead.i.
A squadron of' men-ofewar at sea at
uight, with the usual running lights—per,
red, starboard green, and white at foot,
masthead—and beside speed lights,position
lights, and the red and white signal lights
presents a stareling and gay appearanoe.
One can hardly blame the greenhorn
sailor on a merchant steamer who was on
the lookout, eocording to thMiory, and,
suddenly seeing such a squadron loom up,
aung out, "Light ho 1" -"Where away , '
mum from the officer on tbe bridge, and
then, "Can you make it out?" The hewn -
dared lookout had never seen ao many
blazing lights of so many' colors etoept in
the shop windows of shoreland, so he
replied, 'No, sir, I am not sure whether
it's a drug store or a saloon."
SIBBONANT VESSELS
use the usual international signals, and
sometimes the navy signals, where the
vessel belongs to the naval reserve of the
eountry. Then it has line flags to show to
what line it belongs Ithe "port flag" at the
foremast, or the flag of the country to
which she is bound, and often the official
mail flag of the country whose mail is
carried flying at the mainmast.
One curious exception to the rules.
governing fog signals should be noted. To
the Turkish people the bell Is saored aa 50
implement (so to speak) of religion, so they
have asked other countries to allow them
to use a horn, instead of a bell on their
vessels, and it has been allowed, though
otherwlse they follow all the universel rules
of the road at sea.
All these signals are to prevent danger
and make navigation easier, but when, in
spite of all of theuedisaster does csome,and
a good ship strikes on a rooky or stormy
shore, it has signisle to use that will bring
what help is near. One is the discharging
at intervals of large rockets, and another
the firing of "minute guns" which have
been so often used and misused in the ro-
mance and poetry of the isea.
These signals may seem many to the
"landlubber," but the necessities that arise
on the fiokle seas under uncertain skies are
many, and must all be met and oonguered
if possible, or ships could not, as they do
now, run from New York to Europe as
close to thMr scheduled time as the trains
between Montreal and Vancouver.
ROW. CRIMINALS ARE TATTOOED.
Queer InScrlottons Wound on the "Bodies
et Some of Them.
Perhaps the mostourious literary objects
of interest at New Scotland Yard, the
headquarters of the London police force,
are the archives containing particulars of
the marks, eto., found on criminals who,
at one time or another, have had dealings
with
hertearhePee°sli'LeC
Talvolumes of extraordinary
interest, and their contents are, naturally,
of the greatest assistance to the police
force in tracking or recognition of old
offenders. It is very odd to note that
nearly every man who has come within the
reach of the arm of the law is tattooed in
one or another part of his body. And when
the thousands of criminaliare taken into
account, it will be seen that tattooing must
be .carried on somewhere on an extensive
scale. Most, of the prisoners tattooed belong
to the lower -middle and lower classes, few
of those who are entered ais of fair educe,
bion bearing any tattoo marks upon their
boirriese.k
layers, labourers, navvies, common
thieves, sailors, pickpockets who "snatch"
handkerchiefs, etc., are those wha chiefly
enjoy the doubtful privilege of bearing the
most "marks." One young man desirous
of making a permanent record of his
sweetheart's name, has . pricked on hie
chase the words, "I love Mary Jane,"
while another prefers 10 say, "In memory
of my sweetheart." The records show
hundreds of oases of this kind.
The rnan who inscribed on his chest the
words, "I love," followed by the initals
of fifteen girls, elitist certainly have been
a criminal Don Juan., The entries of the
phrase "Dove" found on prisoners' bodies
during the past three years fill several
pages of a large book, Other marks of
affection are, "In memory of ne sister
and mother," and "Sacred to the memory
of my dear cousin," while one criminal of
religious tendencies has the " Lord's pray-
er" inscribed on his bank in letters of blue
and red. ,
Not a few prisoners show a predilection
for the sea, if tattoo marks go for anything.
One man rejoiced in being tattooed from
the neck to the calf of his leg, the piotuees
representing sea fights, ships in full sail,
etc. Another bears on his chest the Union
Jack, with the words, " In memory of the
old flag," and yet another glories in the
possession on his chest and hack of a
mermaid, three ships of war, three wo-
man's head, and three men, the latter
fishing from a boat.
Ships in full sail are tatter) marks very
frequently found on the body of prisoners,
one man actually being tatooed hi this
muainer en the sole of his right toot. That
this mark shmild have been obeerved is a
good illestration of the strictness of the
search made by the police e.uthorities, A
crucifix is a favorite tattoo mark ; and one
Man went to the length of having the
bwenty.third psalm inscribed oh his back.
Many prisoners apparently indulge in
strong drink, if the marks on their bodies
mean anything. One man had depleted
upon his chest two 'training tankards of
beer, several pipes,. and a tobacco potioh.
Several, too, go in for fisticuffs, many pris-
ohers—ohieffy young men and boys—bear.
ing the words. "Smith and Kilrain," eton
on different parts of their bodies. An
Irishman was found to have completely
covered his chest with a large design of the
ha'rflPhe°atEbovrien.
aro only a few examples of the
large variety of tattoo marks found on the
bodies of prisonere who, probably, if they
knew how useful to the police for purposes
of indentifloatioft tattooing was,would keep
away from coloured inks in future. Many
prisoners h eve apparently tried to obliterate
the marks, but never with any greetamount
of outwears,
PURELY CANADIAN NEWS
INTERESTING ITEMS ADMIT OUR
OWN COUNTRY.
--
Gathered front Various ratites rye= the
Atlantic to the Poem:.
Elore is organizing a band.
Allendale will soon have a newband.
There are 446 conviote at Kingston.
Otterville has a graze for horse -racing.
Blenheim, wants to ereot a $6,000 Town
Hall.
The post.offiee at Aldborough hes been
closed.
Sarnia delights itself with sunflower
Boole's,
„
Lewis' warehouse, Truro, N. S, has been
burned.
Brockville needs another wing to ite
asylum. ,
Lest year Brantford's population in
creased E00, -
-
Sixty thousand railway ties are piled at
Georgetown.
Police Magistrate Chadwiek,of Ingersoll,
hes retired.
Ohmaotnhtioh.
me.lost $30,000 by fire in the last
six
eHlnetriheray,soys it has "no use for the Salve,.
tio
The London Field Battery is in camp at
Por b Stanley.
10s1
lnfrom
Ottawa whits Morristonmhe.
kfarmer recently eaught a
pure
is manufacturing a
fu •
Salt works are to be established at the
village of Sutorville.
swaawadufetc.
t°17
Rev. W. A, Cook, of Dorchester, has
been oalled to Thorold.
Rev. Father Mackie, Belleville, has been
stricken with paralysis.
11 18 rumoured that a new band will be
organized in Orillia.
The plan to inerease London's water
aupply will cog $45,000.
' Tilbury has abandoned tbe fifth book
class of its Publio school.
Over 83,000,000 of property in Hamilton
is exempt from taxation. -
Kum; church, London, recently had its
contribution boxes rifled.
An orange tree bearing fruit is in posses-
sion of a Woodstock lady.
A North Burgess farmer has an ear of
iii
corn weighing 938 grans.
A new organ has been put into the Eng',
lish church at Wyoming.
Hamilton will have four can didrstes at
the next mayoralty elution.
The Campbellford Presbyterian church
has called Rev. Robert Laird.
A large summer hotel is 'to be built on
the river front near Brockville.
Mrs. Elizabeth Logan, Thorndale, has
just .celebrated her 95th birthday.
The remains of a wild boar were recently
unearthed at St. Thomas.
Mr. Ralph Ross has been ohosen Princi-
pal of the Pembroke Publio school.
The railway power house chimney, Lon-
don, will be the tallest in that city.
The corner stone of St. James'. new
church at Eganville has just been laid.
James Doolittle of Dover, has been die.
figured for life by the kiok of a horse.
Bev. Mr. Greenaeld, Thorold, has been
eri ously hurt in a runaway accident.
Hiram Walker spent $250,000 trying to
raise cranberries in Essex, but failed.
At a recent meeting of the London West
Council two members nearly cameneblows.
The first white brick achool house in
Muskoka has just been built at Port
Carling.
The Mansion House, Harriston, encently
destroyed by fire, is 'being rapiRly re.
built.
A Leamington Newfoundland dog bit a
cow which became mad and had to be
killed.
The mining, lumbering and farming
interests of Algoma are said to be flourish.
ing.
The othet day a. bunch of apple blossoms
appeared on a tree in a Centreville
•
orchard. ,
Two young girls of London were recently
seriously poisoned by eating canned sal-
mon.
Chief Atchisoe, of the Hamilton Fire
department, inherits $10,000 by the death
of his father.
Rev. ft. F. Salton, Methodist, of Strat.
ford, has been oalled to the First Churoh
of St. Thomas.
The Berlin Thresher end Manufacturing
Company is organized with a capital of
$40,0000.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen MoCombs North
Ridge, Essex, .have just celebrated their
golden wedding.
Rev. Mother Marie Oliver has been
elected Superior of the Community of Sis-
ters of Jesus.
A. Chatham man had to pay 330 for sell-
ing liquor to a man after tieing warned not
to do so.
G.T.R. President Wilson presented the
G.T.R. Institute at Stratford with £20
when he was there.
A Brantford druggist cut prices 50 per
oentiand thus compelled every other drug.
gist t� follow suit.
Springfield, Manitoba, is trying to re-
cover $1,475 in taxes from the Catholic
ohuroh at St. Bonifaoe.
Ams.sso. Wood, St. Thomas, has contrie
buted 81,700 for a new organ in the
Methodist church there.
The steamer Athabasoa recently took 30
cars of binder twine on her outward trip,
valued at $45,000.
An Ingersoll baker had 92 loavee of bread
con fieriated the other day beceuse they weee
uhder weight.
Mr. atid Mrs. Jame* Ralph, Dorchester
Station, recently observed the 501h anni-
versary of their marriage.
A shark recently weshed ashore at Mid -
Ian, British Columbia, had 'Iwo distinct
tails, three perfect, oyes, and what appeared
to be the rudiment of a fin or dipper
hanging to the under jaw
The Gallant Grocer.
Mrs. Binke—My husband did not like
that tea you sent us lest
Grooer (politely)—Did you like it ma-
dame ?
Mrs, Bitike-tYe, I liked it.
Grooer (to clerk)--Jareee 1 Send Mre.
Bina another pound of the earn° tea she
had lent, Aey thitig else, madatne ?
•
SOMEWHAT CURIOUS.
Tbe earlieat military head covering is
believed to have been a rawhide cap, meth
a cap of iron.
About 10,000 Ainericane are now in
Europe clamoring for acoonneodationnweo
°Aaiun get paisage.
For swearing inMembers in the house of
°envious thcs revised version of the Bible
is used for pronsetante, the Doesi version
for Catholios and a copy in ebrew for
Jews.
It is a significant feet teat enriergeeen
hospitals in New York add their testimony
58 10 the benefit of Sunday closing. Sunday
instead of being the bum)* dayns now the
quiebest.
Should a great misfortune overtake *
Maori such as the death of hie favorite
child,his relative(' are allowed to diposeest
him of all his goods, and if needs be of the
very roof whioh shelters him. He must pay
for the honor conferred on him by being
specially looked down upon by the gods.
jewsharps are made eliefly in Boccerio,
the seat of the industry since the sixteenth
century. A good wodernan oan make seven
dozen in a day, and, simple as the little
instruments are, no less than 20 tools are
employed in their manufeetture, including
anvil, hainmer, tongs, and so on. There
are, moreover, 24,distinet operabions.
Cyrus Weed, the Chicago man who
teaches that bhe world is flan proposes to
build a new oity, vrbere his ides shall
prevail, in Louisiana, and oall it New
Jerusalem. The streets are to be 400 feet
wide and the city is to be built in tiers, one
above the othenone for pedestrians,one for ,
bicycles one for horses and wagons and
one for reilroads. , •
Poor Bataan is threatened with another
famine. A terrible drought oppressed for
many weeks the southern governments, a
region already impoverished by excessive
taxation,. In direct taxes the poor farmers
there pay annually on an average about
$18, besides the looal and eohool taxer], and
the indirect taxes exceed the direct ones.
Every year tens of thousands of farmers
are compelled to surrender their holdings.
The beggars of Paris are up to business.
For inatance, they have regular "Directory
of Benefactors"—in two editions—a small
one at three francs and a large one for six
francs. These give the names of persona
known to be benevolent, Mile their religion
and political faith ; also the hour et which
bhey may be found at home, (no. The
"religious racket" ia very remunerative it
seems. An old ragpioker at ()Roby lately
confessed that last winter her child was
baptized twelve times in Protestant
churches and ten times in Catholic ones ;
eaoh time the mother received one frano
and a new dress. When epidemics are
raging the beggar asks for contributions on
the plea that his or her offspring is down
with diphtheria, croup, no., and many
people quickly respond in order to get rid
of what they believe to be a dangerous
person.
•
OLD CUSTOMS KEPT ALIVE.
quaint Formalities and Institutions
atm staietir observed in England.
There are some exceedingly quaint and
curious oustpms which are yet observed in
England, some dally and. others only at
certain seasons of the year, whose origin
is so anoient as to be quite unknown.
In the Tower of London every night,
for example, a little before 11 o'clock, the
yeoman warder on duty calls to the main .
•
guard for the " escort to the keys." The
main guard immediately turn out under
charge of an officer, and on their appreach
the sentry challenges, " Who is there ?"
The yeoman warder answers, "Keys."
Whose keys ?" the sentry than demands,
and the reply is; "Queen Victoria's keys."
The sentry then calls out, " Advance,
Queen Victoria's keys. Guard, turn out!"
The guard then preeent arms, the warder
advances, and, standing in. front of the .
guard, holding the keys up in his hand,
calls out, "God preserve Queen Victoria!"
to which the guard respond wibh a chorus
of "Amens.'The yeoman warder then
proceeds to the apartments of the Gov
ernor of the Tower and there deposits the
keys.
Ib is in the provinces, however, in the
secluded villages, where time seems to
have stood still for centuries, that the .
MEREST/NG OBSETWANOBS
ftre to be met with. In Wiltshire a faiorite
farm of sale is the "auction by candle."
No one knows the origin of this method of
sale, but it has been kept up for hundreds
of years. The auctioneer lights a bit of
candle about half an inch in lengte, and
while it butne extols the merits of whet
he had to tell. As the candle sputter% and
is eltoub to expire tbe bidding begins, and
the article is kirocked down to the purchaser
whose bid is receivedthe instant the candle
goes out.
The institution known as the "Dunmow
flitch" has been in existence for over nine
hundred years. Early in the eleventh
century Robert Fit•zwaiter made a bequest ,
that "whatever married couple shall go to
the priory, and, kneeling 00 two sherp
pointed atones, will swear bhist they have
not querrelled nor repented of their mar.
riage within a year and a day after its
celebration, shall receive a flitch of bacon."
It ci] interesting to 'note that this flitch of
bacon was not Manned tintil some two
hundred years af ter the death of the legator,
but that nowadays there are frequent
clati,ipnettenettefor 11.thetoay,, at,
the W
estminster
School is another ancient °intone On this
day, at 11 o'clock, the senior verger of the
Abbey, silver wand in hand, ushers the
cook of the sohool—carrying a silver frying.
pan in whieh reposes a "pancake" of
substantial proportions—into the presence
of vhe arisembled school. Theo the ccok
steps forward and
TOSSES THE *PANCAKE
high in air and the boys make a grand
scramble foe it. The One who gen] it, or
the largestpiece of it, secures the prize
trom the Dean. The prize is a guinea for
his part in the affair, .
At Ilungerforci there is a cmairet custom
which Inte not been allowed to fall into
disose einee it was originated in the days
of John of Gaunt Two townninet are
chosen each year, and, carryiese a pole
decorated with flowers, they go ahem, the
town, vitiating every house and demandiag
a kiss] from entity lady.
in several 01 the eeaporb towns of the
eastern coast of &viand every Good Friday
the "camtigation of Judas" lit indulgedlu
An effigy of the betrayer is tioisted to the
rigging of ship, then lowered and (Wood
three times in the soh. It is then hoisted
on board and soundly flegged be the 8di lora.
who keep up a coutirittous nide ohant,
The custom is said to date from soon after
the introduction of Chrieti %eine kite
Britain,