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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1896-2-6, Page 4ROW TO TAKE A OHL AO,111:ELECH WAS A RASCAL, BUT lIE IINEVI, HOW TO FleHT. seee •nevi Or. Tetinara slums llow God Some time iiilbes a straight Nall 'With a Poor Ilanutter-'rite Reseed Mr of iiheetieut and Ls Lesion, Washinerton,44an. 28. -In his sermon for to -day Rev. Dr. Talmage took for his stilkject "The Power at Example." The text selected was Judges ix, 48: "And Abhuelech took ' an ax in his hand and out down a bough from the trees and took it and laid it on his shoulder and said unto the people that were with him, 'What ye have seen Me do, make baste and do as I have done.' And all the people likewise out down every man his bough." Abimelech is a name raalodorou.s 111 Bible history and yet full of profitable suggestions. Buoys are black and un- seemly, but they tell where the rocks are. The snake's rattle is hideous, but it giv#, timely warning. From the piazza ef my summer house, night by night, I saw a lighthouse 15 miles away, not placed there for adornment, but to tell mariners to stand off from that dangerous point, isei all the iron bound coast of moral danger is mark- ed. with Saul and Herod and Rehoboam and Jezebel and Abinielech. These bad people are mentioned in the Bible, not only as warnings, but because there were sometnnes flashes of good eon - duet in their lives worthy of knits - tion. God sometimes drives a very straight nail with a very poor ham- mer. The city of Shechem had to be taken. and Abimelech and. his men were to do It. I see the dust rolling up frora their excited march. I bear the shouting of the captains and the yell of the be- siegers. The swords clack smartly on the parrying shields, and the vocifera- tion of two armies in death grapple is horrible to hear. The battle goes on all day, and as the sun Ls setting Abirae- kyle and bis army cry "Surrender!" to the beaten foe, and, unable longer to resist. the city of Shechern falls, and there are pools of blood and dis- severed limbs, and glazed eyes looking up heirgingly for raerey that was never ehown, and dying soldiers, with their heed' on the lap of mother or wife or sister. who bare come out for the last offiees of kindness and affection, and a groan rolls across the city, stopping not, because there is no spot for it to rest, so full is the piece of other groans. A city wounded! A city dying! A city dead! Wail for Sheelaem, all ye who know* the horrors of a sacked town. look over the eity 1 can find only one building. standing, and that is the temple of the god Reedit. Some soldiers outside of the city in a. tower, finding that they can no longer defend Sitechem, now begin to look out for their own personal safety, and they flit this temple of Berith. They go wit lit, the door, shut it, and they say, "No* e. are safe. Ablenelech bas taken the -Zedeole city, but he cannot take this tenehle of Berith. Here we shall be under, the protection of the gods," 0 Berith. the god, do your best ZIONV for these. refugees! If you have eyes, pity them; if you have hands, help them ; if you have thunderbolts, strike for them, But how shall Abime- lech and his array take this temple of Berith and the men who are there fortified? Will they do it with award? Nay 1 Will they do it with spear? Nay! With battering ram, rolled. up by the hundred maned strength, crashing against the walls? Nay! Abimeleeh marches his raen to a, wood in Zalmon. With his axe he hews off a lira!) of a tree and puts that limb upon his shoul- der, and then he says to his men, "You do the same." They are obedient to their command- er. There isa struggle as to who shall have axes. The whole wood is full of bending bou.ghs, and the crackling, and the hacking, and the cutting, until every one of the host bas a limb of a tree out down, and not only that, but has put it on his shoulder, just as Abimelech showed him how. Are these men all armed with the tree branch? The reply comes, " All armed!" And they march on. Oh, what a strange army. with that strange equipment 1 They come tip to the foot of the temple • at Berith, and Abimelech takes his limb of a tree and. throws it down, and the first platoon of soldiers come up, and they throw down their branches, and the second plantoon, and the third, until all around about the temple of Berith there is a pile of tree branches. The Shechemites look out from the window of the temple upon what seems to them childish play on the part of their enemies. But soon the flints are struck and the spark begins to kindle the brush, and the flame comes up all through the pile, and the red elements leap to the casement, and the wood- work begins to blaze, and one arm of flame is thrown up on the right side ef the temple, and another arm of flame Is thrown up on the left side of Urn temple, until they olav their lurid palms under the wild night sky, and the ery of "Fire!" within and "Fire !" without announces the terror and the strangulation, and the doom of the Shecheraites, and tbe complete over- throw of the temple of the god Berith. Then there went up a shout, long and loud, frora the stout lungs and. swarthy chest of Abimelech and his men as they stood amid the ashes and the dust cry - Ing., "Victory', victory!" Now I learn first from this subject the telly of depending upon any one form of tactics in anything we ha,ve I to do for this world or for ad Look over the weaponry of olden times -1 javelins, battleaxes, habergeons--and 1 show me a single weapon with which Atiimelech and his met could. have I gained midi complete tritamh. It is no easy thing to take a temple thus armed. I have seen a house wbere„ 1 ." " itan a4dt. ; laves." Yet you are willing to *edify toelay tbat by no other inotle--cer- tatoly not by ordinary modes-eould that temple so easily, so thoroughly, have been taken. Fathers and moth- ers, brethren and sisters in Jesus Christ, what the churck most wants to learn this day is that any plan is right, is lawful, is best, which, hells to over- • throes,. the temple of sin and capture this world for Gerd. We are very apt to stick to the old modes of aEtack. • We put on the old style coat of mall. 1,Ve come up with the sharp, keen, glit- tering steel spear of argumeuta ex- pecting in that wav to take the eastle, out they leave 1.000 spears where we hive 10. And so the castle of sin • stands. Oh, my friends, we will never eaPture this world for God by any keen sabre of sereasm, by any glitter- ing dances, of rheterie, by any stepping and mining of profound. disquisition, by any gunpowdery explosions of in- dignation, by sharpshootings of wit. tee howitzers of mental strength made to swing, shell five miles, by cavalry horses gorgeously caparisoned pawed the air. In vain all the attempts on the part of these eedesiaetical foot soldiers, light horsemen and. grena- diers. My friends, I propose a different style of tactics. Let eaeh one go to the forest of God's promise and invitation and hew down a branch and put it on his shoulder, and let us allcome around these obstinate iniquities, and then. with this pile kindled by the fires of a holy zeal and the flames of a conse- crated life we will burn them out. What sword cannot do fire may. Anal announce, myself in favor of any plan of religious attack tbat succeeds -any plan of religious attaek, however radi- cal, however odd, however unpopular, however bostile toall tbe conventional- ities of church and state. If one style of prayer does not do the work, let US try another style. If the church music *2 to -day does not get the vic- tory, then let us make the assaults with a, backwoods chorus. If a prayer raeeting at half -past sevexi in the even- ing doe.s not succeeds. let us have one as early in the morning as when tbe angel foimd. wrestling Jacob too much for him. If a sermon with the throe authorized heads does not do the work. then let us have a sermon with 20 heads, or no beads at all. We want more beart in our song, more heart in our almsgiving, more heart in our prayers, more heart in our preaehing. Oh, for less of Ablinelech's sword and more of Abirnelecha confla- gration! I had often heard There is a, fountain filled with blood sung artistically by four birds perched on their Sunday roost in the gallery until 1 thought of Jenny Lind and Nilsson and ironing, and all the other warblers, but there came not one tear to zny eye, nor one master emotion to my beart. Bat one night 1 went down to the African Methodist meeting house ia Philadelphia. and at the elose of. the service a blaek woman in the middle of the audience began to sing that hymn. and all the audience joined in, anti we were floated .sinne three or four miles nearer heaven than 1 ba.ve ever been since. I saw with my own eyes that **fountain filled with blood" -red, agonizing. sacrificial, redemptive -and I heard ihe erimstli plash oz the wave as we all went dou n under it. For sinn.ers plunged beneatli that flood Lose all their guilty stains. Oh, emy friezes, the gospel is not a syllogism; it is not casuistry; it is not polemics or the seience of squabbles! It, as blood red fact; it Ls warm hearted mei:ration; it is leaping, bounding, fly - log good news; it is efforescent with all haat; tt i rubescent with all summery glow; it is aborescent with all sweet :shade. I have seen the sun shine on Mount Washington, and from, the Tip- top House, but. there was no beauty in that eompared with the dayspring from on high when Christ gives light to a soul. I have heard Parepa sing, but there was no mueic in that compared with the voice of Christ when he said: "Thy sins are forgiven; go in peac.e." Good news! Let every one cut down a launch of the tree of life and wave it. Let all the way from. Mount Zal- man to Shechera be filled with the tor.s- ing joy. Good news! This bonfire of the gospel shall consume the last tera- Ple of sin, and will illumine the sky With apocalyptic joy that Jesus Christ came tnto the world to rave sinners. Any new plan that makes a man quit his sin and that prostrates a wrong I ani as mach in favor of as though all the doctors, and the bishops, and the archhisheps, and the synotle, and the I academical gownemen of Christianity I sanctioned it. The temple of Llerith must come down, and. I do not care how it eoratis. Still further, I learn from this subject the power of arample. If Abimelech had sat down on the grass and told 1 his men to go and get the boughs and go out to the battle, they would never have gone at all, or if they had, it ; would have been without any spirit „t or effective result, bu.t when Abimelech goes with his own ax and hews down a branch, and with Abimelech's arm puts it on Abiraelech's shoulder, and marches on, then my text says, all the people did the same. How natural that was! What made Garibaldi and Stonewall Jackson the most magnetic commanders of this century? They al- ways rode ahead. Oh, the overwhelm- ing power of example! Here is a father on the wrong road. All his boys. go on the wrong road. Here is a. father who enlists for Christ. His children enlist. I saw in some of the picture galleries of Europe, that before many of the great works of the masters -the old masters -there would be sometimes four or five artists taking copies of the pictures. Those copies they were going to carry with them, perhaps to distant lands, and I have thought that your life and character are a master- piece, and it is being copied, and long after you are gone it will bloom or blast in the homes of, those who knew you, and be aa. Gorgon or a Madonna. Look out what you say. Look out what you do. Eternity will bear the echo. The best sermon ever preached is a holy life. The best music ever cha,nted is a consistent walk. If you want others to serve God serve him yourself If you want others toshoulder their duty, shoulder yours. Where Abimeleeh goes his troops go.. Start out for heaven to-day,and your family will come after you., and your business associates will come after you, and your social frieze& will join you. With, one branch a the tree of life for a. baton 'marshal just as many as you omnipotent power of a good or bad ex - can gather. Oh, the infuaite, the semi - ample! I saw la.st summer, tear the beach, a wrecker's machine. It was a cylind- er, with some boles in the side, made for the thrusting in of some long poles with, strong devera e, and when there 18 aey vessels ii tnrnble or going to pieees in the offing the wreckers shoot a rope ottt to the suffering men. They grasp it, and the wreckers turn the cyl- -ed the rope winds wound the d those who are shipwreck - g at your foe to -day ee.with a tremendous atteetted to it swings future. Your children, and are to fp-nave nd feel the loeg readiug poll, ".loeg after the fig- ures on your tombetoes are so near worn out that the 'visitor cannot tell whether it was 1896 or 1796 or 1696 that you died. Still further I leam froze the sub- iect the advantage a coricerted action. Abitaeleela had merely one out with a treebranch, the work would. uot heve been accomplished, or if 20 or 30 raeu had. gone. but when all the, axes are lifted, and all the. sharp edgeet fall, and all these men tarry each his tree branch down and throw it about the- temple, the victory is gained -the temple falls. My friends, where there L'4 one man in the church of God at this day shouldering the whole duty 1 there axe a great many who never lift an axe or swing a bough. it seems to me as if there were 10 drones he every hive to 1 busy bee, tis though there were 20 sailors sound. asleep In the slap's hammocks t i men on the storray deck. It seems as if there were 50,000 men belonging to the reserve corps, end only 1000 active combatants. Oh, we all want our boat tei get over to the gulden sande, but the most of us are seated either in the prow or in the stern, vera,pped in our striped shawl, holding a big -handled ?sunshade. while others are blietered in the heat and pull until the oarioeks groan and tlae blades bend till they snap 1 Oh, You religious sleepyheads, wake up 1 You here lain so long in one plare tbat the ants an.1 ca,terpillers have begun to crawl over you 1 Wha..t, do you know, my brother, about a living gospel made to storm the world? Now. my idea. of a Christian is a raan on fire with zeal for alai, and if your pulse ordinarily beats 60 times a minute when you think of other themes and talk about other themes, if your pulse does not go up eo 75 or 80 when. vou come to talk about Clarist and Heaven, it is because you do not know the one and other. have a poor chance a getting to the In a formee charge. one Sabbath, I took into tbe pulpit the church records, and I laid them. on the pulpit and opened them and said: "Brethren, here are the church records. • I find -a great many of you wbose names are down here are off duty." Some were afraid I would. read the names, for at that time some of them were down deep in the, worst kind of oil stocks and. were idle as to Christian work. But if ministers of Christ to -day should bring the cbureh records into the pul- pit and read, oh, what a flutter there enough in church to keep the cb.eelses cod. I do not know but what it. would. be a. good tbiag if the minister once in re while should bring the church records in the pulpit and call the roll for tbat is what I consider every church re- cord. to be-ro.exely a muster roll of the Lordea array, and. the reading of it should reveal where every soldier is and what he is doing. Suppose in military circles on the morning of battle the roll is called and out of a thousand men only a, hun- dred men in the regiment answered, :Wbat excitement there, would be in the camp! What would the colonel say? What bleb talkina• there would be among the captalns and majors, and the adjutant,! Supperee word same to headquarters that these delinquent exciesed therneelves on the ground that they had overslept themselves, or the morning wee damp, and they were afraid of getting their feet. wet, or that they were busy seeking rations. MY friends, this is the morning of the day of God Alraightees battle! Do you not see the taro en Hear ye not all the trumpete of 'leaven and all the drums of hell? Which title are you on? If you are on the right side, to what cavalry troop, to what artillery ser- vice, to what garrison duty do you be- long? In other words, in what Sabbath school do you *Leech? In what prayer meeting do you exhort? To what peni- tentiary do you declare eternal libertyr YOU dinne, nothing? Is it possible that bonofdoofintsr; the riches of heaven? What broken sorrow have :you ever set? Are nothing? is it possible that a map or a woman sworn to be a follow- er ca Jesue Christ is doing ncithing Then hide the horrible tecret front the gage's. Keep it away from the book of judgment. 11 you are doing nothing, do not let the world find it out lest they eharge . . your religion with eing a faise face. Do not let your cowardice ate; treason be heard among the ma.rtyria., about the throne, lest they forget the • sanctity of the place and. denounce ' your betrayal of that rause for which they antagonized and died. May the eternal God arouse us all - to artion 1 As for xoyeeli, I feel I would . le ashamed to die now and enter hea- ! yen until I have atcomplished some- I thing more decisive tor the Lord that 1 bought me. Oh, brethren, how swift- ly the time goes by 1 It seems to me as 1 if the years had gained some new, power of loconaotion-a kind of speed.1 electrie. The temple of Berith is very broad,1 and it is very higb. It has been going ! up by the hands of men and devils, ' and no human engineering can demolish , it, but the 76,000 ministers of Christ in this country should each take a branch of the tree of life, and all their , congregations should do the framed and we should march on and throw these I,raihes around the. great e les of sin and worldliness and folly, it would need no match or coal or torcb! of ours to touch off the pile, or, as in the days of Elijah, fire would fall from heaven and kindle the bonfires of Christian. victory. over demolished sin. Still, further, I. learn from this sub- ject the danger of false refuges. As soon as these Shechemities got into the templethey thoughth were safe They said: "Beritb, will take care of us. Abimelech may batter down. every- thing else. He cannot batter down the temple where we are now hid." But very soon they heard the timbers crackling, and they were smothered with smoke, and they miserably died. with smoke, and they miserably died. I suppose every person hi this audience i this moment s stepping into some kind of refuge. Here you step in the tower of good. works. You say, "I shall be safe in. this refuge." The battlements are adorned, tne steps are varnished, on the wall are pictures of all. the suf- fering you have alleviated, and. all the schools you have eestablished, and all the fine things you have ever done. But hear you not the tramp of your =- pardoned sins all around the tower? They each have a match. You are kindling the combustible material: You feel the heat and the suffication. Oh, naoy you leap hi time the -gospel de- claring, "By the deeds of tiae laity shall no flesh livilag be justified!" . "Well," you say, "I have been driven out of the tower. Where eball I go ?" Step into this tower of indifference. You say, "If this tower is 'attacked, it will be a great while before it is taken." You feel at ease. But there is an. Abimelecla with ruthless assault. coming on. Death and his forces are gathering around and they demand that you surfender everything, and they clamor for your overthrow, and they throw their elteletenarms in the window, and with their iron fists ,,they beat against the door, wee, while you. are trying to keep them out you .se& the torches of judgment kindling, and every forest is a torch, and every mountain a torch, and every sea a. torch, and while the Alps and Pyrenees and Himalaya& urn 'into. a live coal, blown redder and redder by the whirl- wind breath of a God Onminotent, what will become reit refuge of 'Lee? "Bat," rays some one, ',you are en- gaged in a very mean business, driv- ing us train tower to tower." Ph, no!. 1 want to tell you of a Gibraltar that never Lae been and never wlfl be taken, of a wall that 310 satanie assault can scale, of a bul- wark that the judgment eartliquake,s. cartnot bridge. The 'bane refers to it when it says, "In God is thy refuge, (tad uuderneath thee are the everlast- beg arme." Oh fling yourself into 151 Tread down unceremoniously eveey- thing that intercepts you. Wedge your way there. There are enough hounds of death and peril after you to make rota burry. Many a man has periehed just outside the tower, with his foot oxa the step, with his hand on the latch. Oh, get meidel Not one surplus eqeucioenkd, quhiacykei you tee spare. Quick, HIE SUNDA1 SCHOOL. INTERNATIONAL 'LESSON, FEB. 9. -- *The Sermon on the Mount." Unto 6.41.- 40. Go'den fest. Luke 0. 46. GENERAL STATEMENT. Consider the circumstances under which the Sermon on the Mount was delivered. Jesus had been going about Galilee proclaiming "the Gospel of the kingdom," that is, the "good news," that the "kingdom of heaven" was at hand, This meant ba Jewish ears that he was about to "restore again the kingdom of Israel," that Messiah would appear, rally the nation around him, drive out the Romans, and it in regal splendor on David's throne at Jerusa- lem. That was the good tane owning for which a3I Jews waited and longed, and now that a Prophet, evidently a greater one that even John the Bap- tist, having miraculous powers, is an- nouteing the immediate approadi ot the kingdom, multitudes have. come toge- ther from all parts of the eountry, from distant north arid south, from the shores of Phoenicia and the mountains of Edora (Mark 3. 8), to hear this new ProPhet's message. The Sermon on the Mount is this Prophet's manifesto, but he turns upside down all the old ideas of the Jews. The kingdom was not to bring power, pomp, prosperity to its subjects ; it was to belong rather to the poor and the, meek. to the mourn- ers and the persecuted. Its warriors were to be makers ot peace, the seek- ers of righteousness, the pure in heart, the merenui. The sermon its a sum- mary of all Clirietian teaching. In these. final sentences we read three warnings against false teacters, who in- evittibly reveal ills fruits of their teach- ing in their own conduct; againstfalse prcifeqsors, who perhaps perform distal- guesheij sarvices, but 'hi heart are strangers to Christ and in life disobe- dient to hLs will: :rid against false hear- ers, who listen to Christ's words with pleasure, hut heed them not in prate ice, who build their cbaxacters on the &tit- , eng sands of worldly purpose. In the slugs of . temptation they shall fall, ; while the life founded on faith in Christ shell stand the storms of time, aodere-x ceive its reward in eternity. This im- preesive pieture ends the- discourse, while the listeners wonder at its bold : declarations and at the spirit of the - new Tearher, so different from that of the rabbins of the schools. PRACTICAL NOTES. Verse 41. Why beholdest thou. The ; verb here used means to "stare at" as by ' a. close inspection. The mote. lateral- ly, a sPeek of theft a chip; figutatively, a little fault. In thy brother's eye. The eye is the man's judging faculty. The beam. Figuratively, ems great fault. In physical lite it would be impossible for one to have the smile:it particle of wood or grain in his eye without know- ing it; but how marry of us have serious faults .and ignore them. while we mag- nify the size or the faults of others? The worst men have often evonderfuller sharp eyes for the delinquencies of their neighbors. 42. How mast thou say. How can you be guilty of such ridiculous imesum- htion ? let me pull., (2) Uncharitable judgment often tonceals itself under the cloak of friendship. Thou hypocrite. A. hypocrite is one who is more zealous to reform others than to reform himself. Cast out first. (3) To every man the purity of his own character should be of the first importance. (4), Only those who have humbly sought holiness can hope to purify others. Then shalt thou see clearly. (5) To correct the faults of others is a. duty which requires the clearest moral vidion. No truly good man can notice a brother's mote or beam -without trying to help him to get rid of it. 43. A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit. Hence where the fruitof action is evil we know that the heart must be unsound. 44. Every tree is known by his own fruit. What a man does or refuses to do, how a man stands with those who know Jijm, best, what 15 the k.ind f ' in- fluenoe a man habitually exerts -these are the tests of his character. It is well, however, to remember that man juelgeth by the outward appear- ance, wbile God judgeth the heart. Thorns...figs, not of a bramble bush... grapes. In Palestine, behind roughhedges of thorn and the prickly pear, fig trees are often seen completely covered with the tendrils of vine bran- ches. 45. The good treasure of his bead. It would be in harmony with our Sav- iour's use of the figure to think of all our hearts as being empty in childhood. Every act, every word, every thought, tends to fill mu memory, to mold our tastes, to control our will; every experi- ence of our life is an added treasure to the store of our hearts. If our life has bean .good. its added resources will be good; if our life has been evil, its resources will be evil; and in the hour of emergency what goes out from our beads will be fair specimens of what is there stored. 46. Why call ye me, Lard, Lord, and do not the thdrigs which 1 say V From the warning against false teacbers Christ passes to the consideration or false pro- fessors. (6)' There is a vast difference between lip service and Janet loyalty. (7) He that professes love to Christ mut praetice obedience to God. Pro- fession is easy; anyone can say, "Lord, Lord." "Vara repetitions" do not be- get love (Matt. 6. 7); -"devils believe and tremble" games 2. 19). Many shout "Church" who only "steaa the livery of laeaven to serve the devil in" The true Christian says., "Not my will,' but thine, be clone" (2 tun. 4. 5; Jelin 15. 5; James 47. Heareth my sayings, and death them. • These sayings mchuled the whole of the Sermon on the Mount; they included also all precepts whirl are in harmony with the mind of Christ. He that valves them into hie retied as izemory lessons, bue weaves theni lute his, 48. He is like a man wilich built a house, aud digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock. Because of the oceasional heavy rains in hilly Pale- stine. a good foundation is of first ina- portauce; only a house upon a rook could withstand the storms. The pea- sants cottages are often made of un- substantial aterials, quite suffici 'ment, however,for the wild climate of the Ori- ent. The spring freshets wash all away except those that stand on high rocks. (8) He is the wise man who builds a character on Christ as his foundation See 1 Car. 13. 11; Ise. 28. 16; 1 Peter 2. 5-7 1 neut. 82. 31. (9) Not, morality, nor principle, tor generous impulses will afford a .basis of charader so sure as faith in Christ. When the, flood arose. The spring freshets and storms- heat vehemently upou that house and coeld not shake it. There are many critical hours in life that test our character and hope, such as doubt, temptation, and approaching death. Claristian char- acter eau be so founded and built as to be steadfast and immovable - through life and in death. 49. Without a foundation. None but a foolish man would so build. The sinner hears Christ's sayings, but does them not. Ile sees the rock, but does not build an it, He sees the right, but does the wrong.' He builds up a worthless character upon an utterly worthless foundation (John 5. 40; job. 8. 13, 14; Psalm 1. 6). The stream did beat ve- hemently. Rain, floods. and winds come suddenly in Palestine, and with great violence. The listening multi- tude had often beheld such storms of fury, and well understood the necessitv of building on a, rock. Van Doren hi upper Egypt saw an entire village (founded on the earth) in ruins, having been destroyed by a flood from the Abyssinian mountains. The ruin of that house was great. Such disaster will be mine if I prove hypocritical or jlt"h'ItwaiineVlT:lahTltg:otwleft was teaCet doers of his work are tried, often sud- denly and. furiously, vet their salvation is sure (2 Thn.. I- 12: 19; 2 Peter 1. 10, 12). The sinner's trial ends in certain and utter overthrow (Ezek. 13. 8 eJer. 12. 5; Prose 10. 28). 0.11•11M11022M1161,212 A JOURNEY THROUGH TIBET. Dangers and Adventures of a Party ot English Travellers -A. Substantial Ad- dition to Our Knowledge et central Asia. The London Times has the following story of a perilous trip taken in the interests of geographical exploration and discovery Mr. St. George Little -dale and Mrs, Littledale have just returned to Eng- land after accomplishing a remarkable and hazardous joarney across Tibet. They were accompanied by Mr. LLttle- dale's nephew, Mr. W. A. Fletcher, who proved in every way an excellent trav- elling companion. Mr Littledale will give a full account of his journey at an early meeting of the Royal Geographical Society. The party left England in the autumn *2 1894. They entered the north of Tibet. from Kaehgar across the Kuenlun Mountains by the Cherchen river, with a. great caravan of horses, mules, and donkeys. The travellers kept well to the west of the route followed by Prince Henry of Orleans and M. Bon- valot. For two months they were trav- elling at an altitude of 17,000 feet, and on their approach to Lhasa had to cross a difficult pass rising to a height of about 20,000 feet. THE HA.RDSHIPS that were endured were most tryinKto all, and we regret to say thati rs. Lietledale has suffered seriously. Of about a hundred animals only a score or so succeeded in reaching the neigh- bourhood of Lhasa. The result was that Mr. Littledale had to abandon meet of his collections, including many natural history specimens. Still, he has succeeded in bringing home a fair collection of birds. By the pass referred. to above the party succeeded in reaching evvithin 40 mile -s of Lhasa, nearer than any European has got since the days of Abbe Huc. This success -was not attain- ed without reek. Leaving the pass was a, troop of 250 men armed with match- , locks, who threatened to fire if the party dared to pass. No one 1,V8S more determine.d to go on than Mrs. Little- ; dale, although there were only three armed sepoys with the party. As a ; matter of fact, the travellers did pass through the gauntlet. of matchlock men, not one of whom fired a shot. Mr. and Mrs. Littledale had quite , made up their minds to enter Lhasa. They would have done so, but when they -camped after crossing the pass I the donkeys on which were all their baggage, provisions, etc., had not turned up, and, indeed, they did not turn up till after the lapse of some ; tune Partly on this account and partly on aecount of Mrs. Littledale's ;health, Mr. Littledale determined not to force the position, but to turn west- wards towards Ladak. THE TIBETANS I insisted on the party returning as they , came, across the terrible pass, but this it a so u e y refused to do, and, as usual, on the display of firmness, the Tibetans yielded and allowed the travel- lers to go their own. way. Mr. Little- ; dale would have liked much to go south ; into Sikkim, but, under the circumstance es, this was impossible. He therefore proceeded north-west by Tengri-Nor and , the group of lakes which lie between ;that and. Ladak. The party arrived in Srinagar a few weeks ago. I Although Mr. Littledale did not suc- ceed in adually entering. Lhasa, he ; has accomplished far more than any , one expected he would do, considering 1 the conditions under which he travel- led. He has traversed a very great ex- tent of unexplored. country, both in ay- ; proaehing Lhasa and in leaving it. ills . map is an admit -able piece of work, in ; view of the circumstances under which it must have been executed. There are ' about 30 sheets, each about 1813. square, on. which are plotted with won- : della' minuteness the features of the ' country through which the party pass- , , ed. The scale. of the map is five miles to the inch. It does Mr. Littledale the highest credit, and forms a substantial idditiou to the least known part of Cen- tral Asia. Altogether the expedi.tion promises to take a high rank in the his- tory of geographical exploration. A Narrow Escape. Customer -What did you mean by selFmg methat stuff you called hair - restorer, and telling me it would re- store my hea,d to its original condi- tion? Druggist -.Didn't you like it ? Customer -No, I didn't. • If I had kept on mu& longer, I would have been entirely bald. Original c.ontlition, in- deed! Druggist -Most people are born bald, six. That is the brignol condition. TIIE PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF THE %LAND OF CUBA,. The Success or the lasurgents.-Kow They Morass the Spanish Airin7--L Montreal er llito Lived in cam for Many Tears Spealcs of the Island's Anairs. Canadians are aware that there is a revolution in progress in Cuba, but of the motives which have led to it of the interests involved, of the char- acter of the people, and. the physioal features of the island, which has again and again tried in vain to secure its independence from Spain, they do not know a, great deal. Mr. Wilfrid Skalfe, of Montreal, bas lived in Cuba, for several years, where he has occupied the position of chem. - 155 011 a large sugar estate at Soleded, on the south coast, and he hes studied the political situation with much in- terest. Capital is not bellicose. It never goes about with a chip on its shoulder. It wants ehiefly to be let alone to do its work, and make fat dividends. Capital has often been frightened in Cuba. They make great revolutions there with great regularity and ferocity. And the moment the revolution gets started on horseback -and, every man in Cuba has to travel on horseback whether he is at peace or war, for the government of Spain has not got to the point a recog- nizing publie highways as adjuncts of civilization -it attacks capital. Capital in Cuba is chiefly sugar. The island produces three things -sugar, tobacco and fruit; but sugar is the great source of wealth, and. it is for sugar -or raeher Lor the revenue derived from sugar - that Spain keeps her clutch upon the country. The way to cripple Spain the most effectually is for the revolutionists to BURN DOWN the sugar plantations. This it bee al- ways done, and this it has done in the present case, with the result that thou- sands are thrown out of employment, millions of dollars' worth of property &strayed, and a great number of men, women and 'children on the brink of starvation. The insurgents rather like sugar, but they feel they must destroy it as a war measure. to inflict a wound upon Spain which she must feel sensibly., and which xnay event Ilv win the victory for the rebels more delasively than bullets. General -Campos promised when he took charge of the army whieli Spain sent out that he would protect the sugar district by drawing a line of soldiers across it. He did nothing of the kind. The rebels broke through to the five towns which are the centre of this; industry, laid waste the country, levied upon the people, and set the sugar fields on fire. And it is such a. simple matter, ac- cording to Mr. Skalfe, to destroy hun- deed.% of thousands of dollars' worth of property. "The sugar cane," said this gentleman in the course of some talk on the present struggle in the is- land, "is more easily ignited than a field of hay. A spark from. a cigaxettewill destroy a whole crop. Even in ordin- ary times we have armed men riding constantly around the sugar fields TO PREVENT FIRES, and it is a strict law that none of the laborers shall smoke while at work. One way is for evil -disposed persons to catch a snake -snakes are abundant though barraless-tie a piece of tow to it, ignite the tow, and then let it loose theouteb a swum field. This carries de- struction before it, and as 37.011 never know where it may run, there is no tak- ing action to avert the odschiefeatich , it will be sure to work." 1 "I do not think this business will cease 1 before next year," Mr: Skaife continued. "The insurgents are all mounted, and W15 gives them an immenseadvantage i over infantry. There is nothing broader ;than bridle paths through the whole 1 country. The towns may boast a side- walk here and there, but even this is so narrow that only one person can. walk I on it. But the open country has no 1 roads, and all persons have to use horses. !Mounted thus the insurgents can make Isudden dashes, sudden forays, can sup- port themselves in the country and carry . on the game for an indefinite period. It 1 is possible that the importance of the !sugar industry may be recognized by !both parties and provision made for the I prosecution of this industry, without 1 which the island would be *2 little use. 1 "Capitalists do not want. to takeeither 1 side. They avant to be let alone; but ;they feel that in any case there will be trouble for a long tirae to come. Un- derstand, the Cubans HAVE A RIGHT TO REBEL against the governro.ent of Spain. This has been most arbitrary. The English colonies had not .one hundredth part the right to rise against England which the Cubans have to rise against Spain. They have long demanded autonomy, and pro- mises have been .made to them; but in the meantime the iron rule goes on. For instance, all tbe important civil and 1 military positions are given lo Spaniards, who look down upon the Cubans as an inferior race. It is well known that political hacks are sent out in order that they may have a chance of growing suddenly rich. And they do growrich at the expense of the people. The Cap- tain -General at Havana is supreme, and although thepeople in the towns have some forms of local government these are little better than a mockery, see - big that it has bappened that the Span- ish authorities have taken all the taxes of a town which were to be used for civic improvements and applied them to their own uses. People are willing to pay taxes when they know that these will be expended upon improve- ments, but 'in the CaS0 of Cuba the taxes, which are farmed out, go out of the country. This has produced a feeling of great bitterness. OF ocense there axe among the in- surgents a lot of filibusters, who care nothing about the cause of quarrel and all for a wild time, but on the other haaid there are many earnest men ' amongst them, who desire autonomy for the sake of the peosperity of the eoun- try. If this were seeured, however, and it zney be, we would. certainly -see, if not another revolution, a Period Of GREAT DISQUIETUDE, for with itelerendence the negroeo who are about two/11441es per cent. of the population, woald want a share in the new goverrameet, and thie.the Ca- bana who hate the negroes, would never =anent to. The .Spaxiish Government have now about a hundred thousand soh:bora on the island. This, accordieg to Mr. Skaffa meets at least r5,d00 ,tt day to the mother Muntry. Spain is miser - for rate. etias, porhans r a year, 1 34ektileinee,frworld, what thee' I other band, On their light horses, 511 0- I denly make a dash at you while you are at dinner, while you. are peaceably hostile ciouutry? e insurgents, on t sod, "urfan, fordwithoutthbrseak`at tablo leave," you to your sugar caves, with the greatest want; take food 1 for themselves and horses; put a match I good will to yourself, but with deadly ; hatred to the Spaniard*, who, but for t! jtleacetroungaarn„ wholiuulrd. riot hold Cuba 111 But these fellowca,n sustain them - I selves for nothing, while the Spanish general will have to pay pretty smartly ; for anetbing he gets, besides experienc- inig, when be least expects it, unpleas- an pokes hi the ribs irani the flying rebel, who elarshes along upon his two- penny half-preuner pony, while the sol- diers stick fast in the mud. THE MUD OF CUBA. And the mud of Cuba! When the rain comes down -and it comes down with a vengeance for mouths at a time, to the dismay of the natives and tbe growth of the cane, wlaich needs it --the deep red soil is turned, to mud, la which the feet and legs sink, frora whicb there wishnorxeotruincatrtixonlra, apnadssaavbliecb renders the While this is fatal to infantry, the basurgents on their horses rather like a, revolution witich promises so much and of which they have all the excite- ment and little of the hardsbip. The sugar exop of Cuba per, annum amounts 5* e uiiilion to • the general lown.e,ss of price, bas Bt ounts .sugTahrts. moNev Lugs not been prefita,ble in Cuba. for some ttirmameprdt. 15Thteo reaveolueartiorb!teEpevderlyn entail sugar estate uses a thousand tons of cane each day, and employs about rive hundred hands. These are Cubans.Chinz ese and negroes. The wages are about eighteen dollars a month and board, which the estate provides in a huge re- staurant, close to the factory. The Chinese board themselves and get about 828 per month. l'he negroes ere from Africa, near the Congo, and are not of She repulsive type of most of the American negroes. They are good work- ers, but they are despised. The whites never mingle with them; would not sit in the same cafe with them. Mr. Skaife does not think the insur- gents can capture Havana. They may be able to set. it on fire, which they could by first blowing up the waterworks, and the ayplying inflammable material, little chance of escape if fire were ap- edy is old; and the people would bave Mr. Skaife. "The population is iiienit 175.000. The streets are narrow; the lieTahis weuld be a great celainity," said "The last revolution lasted from 1878 to 1888. and I think Gomez, the pres- ent leader of the rebels, was one of the men whom Campo o then bought off. That was how it was settled last time. He cannot do so now, however. and think it will go on indefinitely." THE LOSSES. "Who do you think will make food the losses to the sugar esteem ?' "That- 'is the quest -ton Can Spain roake good such enormous 1osse.4?15 is doubtful. On the other hand, should ,:sheiset.sil,n.ited States recognize the rebels as belligerents, that might put Spain in a position to repudiate all claims for "Well," said Mr. Skein., rather gritti- ly, "Cuba is not a partimelarly inviting place for the capitalist just now," Nevertheless, tide gentleman is going to start for the Wand shortly to see bow things really are, and what arrange- ments -if any -can he made for carry- ing on the sugar industry, rebellion, or no rebellion. Every estate has about a million dol- lars invested, and the outlook is serious for the American and English invest- ors. This Is a curious fact -where bananas are grown, there the people are Wein- inate. The Spanish soldiers, corning mostly from the northern parts of Spain, are much hardier than the Cu- bans, who are made soft and indolent by 'a tropical climate, and fruit which is to tea had for the pluekinc., If, therefore. 1:00t iv font, tb••• .plusaing Lames mete Spain ought to win. But those native horses are the most ridiculously elusive things and that is what makes the revo- lution linger. Size of the Universe. "It has been estimated," says W. H. Lamaster, "that a cannon -ball moving with a, velocity of 500 miles an hour, and leaving our earth at a certain time and traveling in the direction of the nearest fixed star, would not reach it in less than 4,500,000 years; and. yet there are stars in the heavens and vis- ible through telescopes that would re- quire a. cannon -ball moving with the same velodty at least 500,000,000 years to reach them. It was said by the elder Herschell that it would require light tra.veling at the rate of 185,000 miles a second two millions of years to come to the earth from the remotest luminous vapors within reach of his forty -foot telescope, and yet, whatever may have been the efforts of astronomers to bring the starry heavens as a whole into view, even with the most powerful reflectors, they have so far proOed to be fu.tile. Hence, to the minds of men, the uni- verse must seem forever to be and to remain immeasurable, incalculable, and incomprehensible. And while we may be able to weigh and measure suns and systems within range of our telescopes, there are others so far awayand so far beyond our powers of vision, and our power of calculation, that even our present supposed great knowledge of the sidereal heavens would dwindle mto the thinnest of mental vapories." The Queen's Work. Most people have an idea that royalty has an easy time of it, but the fact is that Kings and Queens, even in times of peace, are almost as hard worked as day laborers. Queen Victoria, for in- stance, last year had to append her sig- natuxe to some 50,000 documents. She practically never has a holiday while at Buckingham or Windsor. She rises at 17.30. At 8 she has prayers, and half an hour later breakfast, and. than works with her secretary steadily for five houes and a half, until 2 o'clock. Some- times she has been called up; in the naid- dle of the Meat owing to some urgent state paper requiring her signature. The Poe Will Flee in Pear. Of war we ne'er will see a trace, Unheard will be its rumors, When the new woman takes her piece To fight the foe in bloomers. Equal to Enaergeneies, • Country Editor -What' s the matter now 8 Pressman -We're out of ina. Well rub the rollers with tea office, towel.