HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1898-6-9, Page 7NOTES AND COBLVIRNTS,
The BuSaiens are losing no time in
laying oat and preparing to improve
'the territorry of about eight hundred
square mike in the Liao-tung penist
elate, whith tbey now hold in treufruct
front China. Adatiral iibaso2, core -
Mending at Pert Arthur, has Welled
a proclamatioe stating that the diet
triot under Ru.seiaxi jurisdiction ex-
teuds from that place to a line drawn
, between Polentien and Pi-tsu-wo in
latitude 39 deg., 25 min, IC, but that
unimportant oases are xeserved, at the
discretion of• the Ru.ssiae officials, to
the local Chinese authorities. All the•
harbor, inolhding Kin Cbau, at the
head orf Society Bay, on the west eide
4 the Peninsula, are included in the
area described. Port Arthur, as has
I been .officially announced by the Rus -
elan Government, becomes a purely
Military port, and has at present a
gerrison of 3,000 men which will short-
ly be raised th 5,000 by the arrival
of reinforcements dired from Odessa.
A 'number of six-inch quiek-tiring guns
laave already been mounted on tee bat-
teries defending the entrance to Port
Arthar, and a guardship patrols the
entrance to the harbor at night. Heavi-
er guns and large quantities of war
material are being sent out from Rus-
sia ontele vessels of the Black Sea vol-
unteer fleet and. on French steamers,
a, slumber af winch heve been chart-
ered by the Ruseirna Government or
the occasion. The whole military
roles in the Prussian limits of the Liao -
tang peninsula Is to be brought up
gradually to 20,000 men who will be
supported eventually by 50,000 more,
distributed along the line of the
transmanchurian Railway, with the
array of eastern Siberia as a reserve.
This last force is about to be increase&
by an additional brigade of riflemen,
and other augmentations are contem-
plated.
The partial adaptation of Ta -lien -wan
to military purposes has necessitate&
finding larger accommodation for
commercial objects elsewhere. This
the Ruesian authorities believe can be
obtained. at Kin Chau, at the head of
Society Bay, about forty miles north
of Port Arthur, and. engieeer officers
are at present engaged in making sue-
veys of the locality for the purpose of
sestinas' a site for a railway terminus
near a good anchorage. In order that
there may be no future trouble on the
subject the Russia Government has
acquired by purchase all the town pro-
tperty at Port Arthur and is taking
lover ; cr session, 80 that the construc-
tion of the necessary accommodation
for the in aeasine garrison and of the
Crevernment arsenal and workshops
rrav araseed without delay. At Ta -
I lee -a, an new fortifications have al -
,ready 1‹.r n begun and plans prepared
;roe the ethetruction of a dock which
well convert the southern port into an
hie ;relent naval base as well as a mili-
tary st,tion.
At Wel-haiorei a British officer was
a rpr 1,1 ie,l. immediately after the ar-
8.114emertt for its cession by China
eris comeleted, to confer with the jap-
ans e commander on the evacuation of
:he place and it is intended to replace
ihe last Japanese detachment by a re-
f: gement of British -Indian troops. On
ihe de; arture of the Japanese, Che -fu,
to the west of svill be giv-
en up by the British as a rendezvous
for their China squadron, of which the
headquarters well be permanently at
eh: latter place.
A NARROW ESCAPE..
A darkey was suing a railroad com-
pany for danaages-cansed by the kills_
roe of his cow. There was a strong
Flt..picion that be had purposely driven
the cow on the track.
you not drive the animal in tient
of the engine? asked the lawyer for
the railroad.
No, sub, I didn't.
'You'll swear you didn't?
Yes, suh-,-ten times over
• Tie won the case, but as he pocketed
he &Leek for his money, some one over-
heard him say :
Cat wuz a narrow escape I had, I tell
roe; but I 'tor him de truth, it wuzne
-me wbai driv' de cow in front of de
engine, but my brother-in-law, he de
one done it I 1 migbty glad dat law -
seer stop when he did, kase he was
right in de family
ANID MRS. R.
Winkle -Eh 1 How is tbis, 13inkle
I've heard you say raa,ny a time that
every man should be master, in his own
r house; but-hel hal-old boy, you don't
seem to be mastee here.
13inkle, sheepishly -This is my wife's
house.
:WANTED A 'WearCal,
A prison visitor recently asked one
of the prisenees how he came to he
!there.
Waist, was the answer.
How was that, pray?
Well, 1 wanted another man's watch.
want willing I should have it,
and the judge wants me to stay here
iive yeers.
MOT TOO P-RUDEINT.
; When we get mantled, Eliza, I hope
you will cut dawn the expensive fea-
ture of dress.
Oil, I can do that so easy, The more
alecollete they are, you 1010W, the laes
cloth it requires, and theh I won't
need to have ray bloomers cut so loge,
you know, urless you say so,"
Ile is webdering stow if it pore to
be too prudeet
THE PROOESSION HALTED
REV. DR. TALMAGE PREACHES A
SERMON TO YOUNG MEN.
he Finieval In the elty or Nate-Ille Was
An Only Son -Was UIMmother's Paget.
tor-Cerlat Appears seem the 8 -ecoc-
ide Balm, 1,1ke Young IiED rl.`0101 fttC
Wild -4448W Let489/1104 Drawn Erma the
Wont.
A Washingtom despatch sears: -The
Rev. Dr. Talmage preached from the
wards: "Now when he came nigh to
the gate o;t the eity, behold, there was
a dead man carried out; the only eon
of his mother, and she was a widow;
moth people of the eity was with her,
And. wben the Lard saw her, he had
eompassion on her, and said unto her,
Weep not. And he came and touched
the bier; and they that bare him stow).
still. And. he said, •Young mare I say
unto thee, Arise. And he that was
dead sat up, and began to speak, And
he delivered him to his mother," -Lake
vii, 12-15.
The text calls us to stand at the
gate of the city of Nain. The streets
are full of business and. gaiety, and
the eer is deafened with the hammers
of mechanism and the wheels a traf-
fic. Work, With its thousand arms,
and thousand eyes, and thousand Met,
fills all the street, when suddenly the
orowd parts, and a funeral passes. Be-
tween the wheels of work and pleasure
there coraes a long procession of
mourning people. Who is it? A
trifler says: "Oh, it is nothing bat
a funeral. It may have eoro,e up from
the hospital of the city, or the alms-
house, or setae low plaee of the awn;
but not so, says the serious observer.
There are so mealy evidences of tired.
bereavement that we know at the first
glance some one has been taken away
greatly beloved; and to our inquiry:
"Wbo is this that is carried out with
sa many offices of kindness and affec-
tion?" the reply comes: "The only son
of his mother, and she a -widow." Stand
Wank and let the prooession pass out
Huth all the voices of mirth and pleas-
ure! Let every hea,d be uncovered!
Weep with this p-assing procession, and
let it be told through all the market
places and. bazaars of Nein, that in
Galilee, to -day, the sepulchre hath
gathered to itself "the only son of his
mother, and she a widow."
There are two or three things that,
in mar mind, give; especial pathos to
this scene. The lirst is, he was a
young man that was being carried out.
To the aged, death becomes beautiful.
The old man halts and pants along the
road where once he bounded like tbe
roe. From the midst of inamedicable
Min:tent and sorrows, he cries out;
-Floes long, oh Lord, how long?" Foot-
sore and hardly bestead on the bot
journey, he wants to get home. He
site in the church and sings, with a
very tremulous voice, some tune he
sang forty years ago, and longs to join
the better assemblage of the one hun-
dred and forty and four thousand, and
the thousands a thousands who have
passedthe flood. How sweetly he sleeps
the last sleep. Push .back the white
looks from the wrinkled temples; they
will never ache again. Pole the hands
over the still heart; they will never
toil again. Close gently the eyes;
they will never weep again.
But this man that am speaking of
was a young man. He was just put-
ting. on the armour a life, and. he
wee exulting to think how his sturdy
blows would ring eat above the clan-
gour of the battle. I suppose he bad. a
young man's hopes, a young man's am-
bition, and a young ru.art's courage. He
said: "If I live many years, I will feed
the hungry and Maithe the naked. In
this eity of Nein, where there are so
nattny had young men, I will be sober,
and hmeet, and pure, and ,magnanim-
011% and my mother shall never be
ashamed of me." But all these pros-
peets are blasted in one hour. There
he passes lifeless in the procession. Be-
hold all that is left on; earth of the
high -hearted young man of the city
of Nein.
There is anotherehing that adds very
much to this scene, and, that is he was
an only son. However. large the fam-
ily flocks may be, we never could think
of sparing one of the lambs. Though
they may all have their faults, they
all have their excellencies that com-
mend them to their parental heart ; ancl
f it were peremptorily demanded of
you to -day, that you should yield up
some Of your childiree out of a very
arge family, you woala be confound-
e;d., and you could net make a seiec-
ion. But this was an only son, around
vhom gathered all the parental expec-
a Lions. How much care in his educe -
l011. How much ca,ution in watching
is habits. He would oarry down the
ante to otbe.r times. He woulci have
ntire control of the family proper.
y, long after the parents had gone to
heir last reward, Ile would stand in
ociety a thinker, •a worker, a I:Milan-
hropest,e, Christian, No, no. It is all
nded. Behold hian there, Breath is
one. Life is extin,ct, The ,orily son of
is another.
There was one other thing that add -
d, to the pathos a this seene, and that
was his mothet was a. widow. The main
ope �f that harth had been broken,
rid now he was come up to be the staff,
he chief light of the household had
e'en ertinguiehed, end this was the
nly light left. suppos,e she often
aid looking et m: "hi'There are only
wo of us." Oh, it is a grand thing
• see a young Man step taut in life,
ma say to his mother; "Don't be down-
arted, wile as far as poosible, take
tiller's place, and as long as live
ou shall never went anything." But
as! it is not alwaye that ways Spree-
nie,s the Youbg people get tited ol
e old people. They say they are queer;
hat they haerre so many ailments; and
hey saMetimes wish them out of the
ay. A edun g Mee and his wife sat
the table, their, little son on the
aor playing beneath the table. The
oM gMealealther wait eery old, and hie
Tli E EXETE
build shoOk so, they std: "You shall
00 mer,s els with u$ at the -table." And
so they gave him Or place in the aor-
nes', Where cley by (ley be ate out a
ttteatio.twiler.11 Otto 1;yevilerisytlihaiondg tpruenst binto
led
se much be dropped it, and it broke,
liald the sou, Seete& at the elegant ta-
ble in midterm, said to his wife: 'Now
we'll get father a woocleo bowl and that
he can't break." Se a woodee bowl Imes
obtained, and every clay old grandfa-
tber ate out of that, sitting in the nor -
nor, One day, while the elegant young
man end his wife wets setae" at their
table, with cetase,t1 silver and all the
luxuries, and their little son at upon
the floor, they sew the lad whittling,
and they siad: "1�y son, what are you
doing there with that knife?" "Oh,"
seed he, " making a trough for
uall
wYenfathheSry ague(it otilltitIr6h" r to sat out 02
But this young man of the text was
not of that chneacter. He did not be-
long to that school. I can tell it from
the way they mourned over him. He
was to he th,e companion of his raoths,r.
He was to be his mother's protector,
Be would return now some of the kind-
ness he liad reoeived in the days of
childhood and boyhood. Aye, he would
With his atrorig hand uphold that form
already enfeebled with age. Will he
do it? No. In one hour all that pro-
mise of help and oompanionhsip is gone.
There is a world of anguish in that one
short phrase, " The only son cif his
mother, and the a,widow.."
Now, my friends, ii was upon this
scene that Christ brake. He came in
without any introduction. He stopped
the procession. He ,hed only two ut-
terances to make; the one to the
ra,ourning, mother, the other to the,
dead. Be oiled out to the mourning
one "Weep not," and then, touching
the; bier on which the son lay, He eried
out: "Young raaa, I say unto thee
Arise And he that was dead set up."
:r learn two or three things from
this subject; and first, that Christ was
a man. You see how that sorrow play-
ed upon all the chords of his heart.
think we forget this too often. Christ
was a man more certainly than you
aee, for He was a, perfect man. No
sailor ever slept in ship's hammock
more soundly than Christ slept in that
boat on Gennessaret. In every nerve
and in every muscle, and hone, and
fibre of His body -en every emotion
and affection of His heart- in
every action and decision of His mind,
He was a man. He looked off upon
the sea just as you look off upon the
waters. He went into Martha's house
just as you go into a cottage. He
breathed hard when He wee tired, just
as you do wben you are exhausted. He
felt after sleeping out a night in the
storm just like you do when you have
been exposed to a tempest. It was
just as humiliating for Him to beg
bread as it would, be for you to become
a pauper. He felt just as meth insult-
ed by being sold for thirty pieces of sil-
ver as you. would if you were sold for
the price of a dog. From the crown
of the head to the sole of his foot He
was a man. Oh, when the thorns were
twisted for His brow, they hurt Him,
just as much as they would hurt your
brow, if they were twisted for it. He
took not on Him the nature of angels ;
He took on Him the seed of Abraham.
Ecce Homo -Behold the man 1
But I must also draw from this sub-
ject that He was a God. Suppose that
a. man should now attempt to break up
funeral obsequies. He would he seized
by the law, he would be imprisoned, if
he were not actually slain by the mob
before the officers could secure him. If
Christ had been a mere mortal, would
He have had a right to come in upon
such a procession? Would He have
succeeded in His interruption a He was
more - than a man for when he cried
•out: "I say unto thee arise 1" He that
was dead sat up. Oh, what excite-
ment there xnuet have been tbereebouts.
The body had lain prostrate. It had
been mourned over with agonizing
tears, and yet now it begins to move
in the shroud, and to be flushed with
life ; and. at the command of Christ he
rises up and looks into the faces of the
astonished spectators. Oh this was the
work a a God. 1 hear it in His voice;
1 see it in the flesh of His eye • I be-
hold it in the snapping of death's
shackles ; I see it in ebe face of the ris-
ing slumberer I hear it in the outcry
of all those svhe were spectators of the
scene. If, when I see my Lord Jesus
Chriat mourning with the bereaved I
put my hands on His shoulders, and
say: "My brother," now that I hear
Him proclaim supernatural deliver-
ances I look up into His face and say
with Thomas; "My Lord and nay God."
eIllo you not think He veas a God? A
great many people do not believe that,
and they compromise thematteror
they think they compromise it. They
say He was a very good man, but Ile
was not a God. That is irarossiede. 'He
was either a God or a wretch and 1 will
prove it. If. a man professes to be that
which he is not, what is hg? He is a
liar, an imposter, a hypocrite. That is
your unanimous verdict. Now, Christ
professed to be a God. He said over
and over again He was a God, took the
attributes of a God, and assumed the
works and offices of a God. Dare you
now say He was riot? He was a God
or He was a weetch. Choose ye. Do
you think I cannot prove by this Bible
that He was a God? If you. do not
believe the Bible. of course there is no
need of my talking with you. There
is no common data trona. which to start.
Suppose you do eelieve it ? Then I can
demonstrate that He was Divine. I
can prove that Ile was creator, John i.
3: "All things were made by Him;
and without Hini was not anything
made that was made." He was eternal,
Rev. XXii. 13: "I. am Alpha and Omega,
the beginnieg and the end, tbe first
and the lest." I can , prove He was
omnipotent, Heb. i. 10: "The heavens
are the work of Thiee hands." I can
prove He was omniscient, John ii. 25:
knew what was in man." Oh, yeSi
He is ti," God. He cleft the sea. He up-
heaved. the crystalline walls along which
the Israelites marohed. He planted the
mountains. He raises up governments
and casts down thrones, and marehes
across nation, and across worlds, and
across the universe. Eternal, omnipo-
tent, enhindered and unabashed, That
hand that was nailed to the cross holds,
tbe stars in a leash df love. That heed.
Mutt dropped on the bosom, in fainting
and death, shall make the world quake
at its nod. That voice that groaned in
the last pang shall swear before the
trembling world that time Weill lie no
longer, Oh, do not insult the conanaon
senee of the race, by telling us that this
glorious person, was only a man, in
wbose presence the paralytic arra was
thrust out well, and the °levels crouch,.
ea and the lepers dropped that Scales,
and the tempeets fOlded their wings,
and the boy's satchel of a few leaves
TIMES
lalede a banquet for five thousand, and
the sect procession of ley text broke ou.t
Ln corigratuletion and hosanna,
chAriainw, aI,sle:I'snym,frootthatalitzboer,suigeg that
you,
thie Was a eity funeral. In the coun-
try, When the bell tolls, they anew
ail abut it for five miles
around, they ill3QW what was
the ratter. with the man,
how old he was, and, what was his last
exPeriences. They know with what
temporal prasPeets he bass left his fam-
ily. There is no haste, ethere is no has
deceeey, in the obsequies. There is
nothing done as a more matter of. busi-
ness. Even the alaklren ooime out as
ptbeP
athetiZeani°11a
theitt-s' Ileltawl°e*symseenato-
desPeaa, and the breaks weep in synas
pathe as the procession goes by. Bat,
mark You this lei a, 1 am speaeing
of was a city funerale Itt great
cities the cart jostles the hearse and
there is mirth anti gladness and indif-
ference as the weeping procession goes
by, In the city of Naan it was a coin -
mon thing to have trouble, and be-
reavement and death, Christ str.W it
every day there,. Perhaps that very
hoer there were others being carried
out; but this frequ.eney of troubla did
not hoaden Christ's heart at all, fle
steeped right out and He sew this
mourner, and He had compassion on
her and. He said; "Weep not." Now I
bave to tell yoa, oh, bruised souls, and
there are many here to -day, have you
ever looked over an audiense like this
ani naticea how many shadows of sor-
rowthere are? You cannot, where you
sit, sae them, trut 1 cen trona m here I
stand„ 1 come to all such to -day and
say: "Christ meets you, and He has
compassion on you., and He says: 'Weep
not.'" Perhaps with some it is financial
trouble. "Oh!" you sae, "it is such a
silly thing for a. man to cry over lost
money." Is it ?. Suppose you had a
large fortune, and all luxuries brought
to your table and ynur wardrobe was
full, end your home was beautiful by
nausie, and seulpture end painting, and
thronged by the elegant p,ntt educated,
and then some rough misfortune
should strike you in the face, end
trample your treasures, and taunt
your childten for their faded dress, and
send you into commercial circles an un-
.derling where once you waved a scep-
tre of gold, don't you think you would
cry then? I think you would. But
Christcomes anci meets all such to -day.
He sees all the straits in svhicla yo -u
have been thrust. He observes the
sneer of that man who once was proud
to walk in your shadow and glad to
get your help. Ile sees the protested
note, the unaancelled judgment, the
foreclosed mortgage, the heart -break-
ing exameration,and He says: "Weep
nae," I own the cattle on a thousand
hills. I will never let you starve. From
my hand the fo,vls of heaven peck all
their food. And will I let you starve?
Never -no, ray child, never."
Or perhaps this tramp at the gate of
Nein has an echo in your own bereft
spirit. You went out to the grave, and
you felt you .never could come back
again. You left your heart there. The
white snow of, death covered all the
garden. You listen far the speaking of
voices that will never be heard again
and the sounding of feet thatevill nev-
er move in your dwelling again, and
there is this morning, while I speak, a
dull, heavy, leaden pressure on your
heart. God has dashed out the light
of your eyes, end the heavy spirit that
tbat woman oarried out of the gate a
Nain is no heavier than yours. And.
you open the door, but he comes not in
And you enter the nursery, but he is
not there. And Y0a sit al the table,
but there is a vacant cbair next to you.
And the sun does not shine as brightly
as it used to, and the yokes of affec,
k.
tem do not strike you with so quic
a. thrill ancl. your cheek has not s
healthy a hue, and your eye has no
so deep a fire. Do I not know? D
we not all know? There is an unlift
ed woe on your heart. You have been
carrying out your loved one beyond th
gate of the city of Nain. But look
yonder. Some one stands watching. He
seems waiting for you.. As you come
tie He stretches out His hand of help.
His yoke is full of tenderness, yet
thrills with eternal. strength. Who, is
it ? The very One who accosted the
mourner at the gate of Nein. and He
says: "Weep not."
Perheps 11 18 a worse grief than that
It may be a living home trouble
that you cannot speak about to
your best friend. It may be some do-
raestio uneappiasess. It railer be an evil
suspicion. lt may be the disgrace fol-
lowing in the footsteps of e son that
is wayward, or a companion who is
cruel, or a father that will not do
right; and for years there may have
been a vulture striking its beak in-
to the vitals of your soul, and you
sit there to -der feeling it worse than
death. It is. It is worse than death.
And yet there is relief. Though the
night may be the blackest, though the
voices a hell may tell you to curse
God end die, look up and hear the voice
that accosted the woman of the text,
as it says: "Weep nota
•
• "Earth has no sorrow
That heaven cannot cure."
• I learn again from all this that
Christ is the master of the grave. .Test
outside the gate of the city Death and
Christ measured lances, and when the
Young man rose, Death dropped. Now
we .are sure of our resurrection. Oh!
what a scene it was when that young
man came back ! The mother never
expected to hear him speak again. She
never thought that he would kiss her
again, How the tears started and her
heart throbbed as she said: "Oh ray
on, nag son, my son 1" And that scene
is going to be repeeted. It is going
to be repeated ten thousand tinaes.
These broken family circles have got
to come together. These extinguished
household lights have got to be i.e
-
kindled. There will be a stir in the
family lot in the cemetery, and, there
will be tu rush into life at the com-
mand: "Young mart, I say unto thee,
Reiser Aa the child shakes off the
dust of the tomb and comes forth
fresh, and fair, and beautiful, and
YOU throw your arms around it and
press it to your heart, angel to ang-
el will repeat the story of Nein: "He
delivered him to his mother," Did you
notice thee passage in the text as I
read it? "Ile delivered him to his mo-
ther." Cai, ye troubled soulsl oh, ye
who have lived to see every prospect
blasted, paled, scattered, come:reed!
wait a Hale. The seed -thee of tears
will becortie the Wheat harVeSt. In
clime oUt of no wintry blest, under
a sky palled by no hurtling tempest,
Meld redeenaed one that weep net,
that part not, that die not, friend
will come to friend, and kindred will
Join kindred,. end tbe long prooemion
to marebes along the avenues of
gold will life up their psairne as again
ar1d again it is announced that the
serrie One wile came to tee relief of
tine woman Of the text, come to the
relief a many a maternal heart, and
repeeted the wonders of xesurrectiori
and "delivered him to lea mother,"
Obi that will be the barvest of the
world. Thet will be tbe coronation
of princes, That will be the Sabbath
of eternity.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
A.Case Where An itmincent Juan night Ilave
Been Arrested',
A receet incident in London serves
to prove that the etrongest chain of
eireurrestantial evidence may be de-
fective.
A. visitor at the American circes ex-
changed comments with a well-dress-
ed stranger who; set by his side, and
used his own opera -glass freely. Xid-
way in the performanee the stranger
remarked:
el have been here severed times, and
know the best features of the show.
I advise you to watch closely with your
glass what is now going on in the far-
thest ring, It is one of the most in-
teresting numbers of the programme."
The advice was followed. The vise -
ter watched eagerly the performance
in the distence, and when it was fin-
isbed, thanked his neighbor for the
hint, saying that it was well worth
seeing. The stranger assented, and
after momentary delay left his seat,
:a; ymd. es.ingthat he would not stay to the
enas he had seen the show several
"It is your first visit here," he add-
seden
,"ianng,,
"and would better remain for
the last eat, which is the best of the
y
Not long afterward the visitor miss-
ed his watch, and felt sure it had been
stolen by the stranger while the opera-.
glass was in use. The ;solice at Scot-
land Yard advised, the victim the next
day to advertise for the watch, and
also to open negotiations with sever-
e!. of the largest pawnbrokers for its
recovery-, leaving with them, a descrip-
tion of it, In the course of a week
he received a call frari one of the
pawnbrokers.
"This lathe like your watch," re-
marked the dealer, "but I can't believe
that it is."
A gold watch was produced and at,
once identified. It corresponded ex-
actly in size and design with the miss-
ing watch. If bore the name of the
same watchmaker on the inner case,
and also the nam.ber arid date.
"I am certain that it is mine," was
the response, "Describe the man
who has pawned. it."
This was done. The 'description
tallied quite elosely with that of the
eviireilosr.'s unknown tacquaintance at the
"You have bought it from the pick-
pocket," he added, "and must help me
in having hini arrested and convicted,"
• The pawnbroker admitted, that the
evidence was strong enough to convict
the man, but added that he had ab-
solute faith in his innocence. He
asked the loser to write to the watch-
naa,ker, and. ascertain whether, by any
chance, two watches had been marked
with the, same number.
This was done, and a reply was re-
ceived, stating that, by accident, two
watches had. been marked with the
same number and were exactly alike.
Ons of them had been sold to an Eng-
lishman whose name was given in the
letter. The pawnbroker, when the
name was repeated, exclaimed:
"That is the name of the man, who
pasvrted the watch because he was
penniless! I knew that he could not
be a pickpocket."
Nevertheless, the inn event man -would
have been canvicted if he had been
hastily arrested. The circurastantial
evidence would have been regarded as
conclusive.
FLOATING DOCKS.
In very early days ships of any size
were docked by grounding them at
high water and. then waiting
for the tide to recede, work
being proceeded with until the tide
again rose. This raethod etas improv-
ed upon by hollowing out a berth or
small basin, anl then, when the water
was dawn, a, temporary da,m would be
made across the entra,nee to the basin
where the ship la,y, so that work coultl
go on uninterrupted by the rising tide.
Thie was the origin of the graving
dock, the essential factor of which was
the existence of the rise and fall of
the tide, end it is due to the absence
of tide that we owe the original float-
ing dock. In the time of Peter the
Greet the captain of a British ship,
finding that his vessel in Cronsladt
ha.rbor was in want of docking, and
tiest, owing to the absence of title, the
then orthodox method was impractic-
able, obtained a hulk called the Camel,
and, completely removing her decks
and internal work, cut off one end and
fitted it with a gate. He then beach-
ed his ship inside the hollow hull of
the Camel, closed the gate, and pumped
the water from its interior.
• PEACE AND WAR.
A survey of the Posvere of Europe
shows that from the beginning of the
century to the end of 1896 Turkey had
experienced 37 years of war and 59 of
peace; Spain comes next with' 31 years
of war and 65 of peace; FranCe with
2'7 years of war end, 69 of peace; Rus-
sia, 24 years of war a,nci 72 ,of petite;
Misty, 23 years of war, and 73 of peace;
England, 21 yea,rs of war and 75 of
peace; Austria-Hungary, 17 aria 79;
Germany, (exclusive of Prussia), 13 and
83; Sweden, 10 and 86; Portugal,
and 84 and Denmark, 9 awl 87.
NOTHING TO LOSE.
She -Oh, George, valet shall we de if
the boat Oinks?
veey pale -Never baind about
that, Sarah ; itis not our boat,
4.gut Which Can rite 30,000 bullets
a mite- ate hes been invented by Sones
ezienost t NeWbatitle, Eng -
Ian
IRE SUNDAY SCHOO
Lecoreters weend probably be &Versed
deny,
43. lie trusted in Gods See Psalm 34,
10, The eneeree,s of our Lead ;applied
to him the words of prophe,ey. M Dr.
Plemptre says: "Tho fulfilleeent at one
of the great- Messianie prophacieft aoi
thie manner iS ahnest incredible; but
two, things a,re to; be remerebered-tbey
did eat believe, rie we do, that this
Peelle was Messianie, for they ignored
the idea. of a suffering Chriae, ,13e -
aides their vela' familiarity with the
word of the psalm weeld naturally
bring its Phrasoology to tbeir lips when
occaeloia demanded it -only they ‘vould,
peemade thenasehrea they were right in
saying it when David's enemies were
verang:"
44. The thieves. Both ef them, it
would se,era, at the first ; math one wee
converted by the siglat of our Lord's;
aufferiea sand his resignation to o,n
tannaerited punithment.
45. From the sixth hour there was
darknea.s over all the land unto the
ninth hour, "This darkness was pre-
ternatural; not en eclipse, or an ea-
lipse could not take place et the full
moon. "All the land" is really all the
earth and, there is no sufficient reas-
on to condade tbat the darkness wee
carafined, to Juelea, Our Lord wa,s cru-
cified at the third hour, wheth is nine
• o'elock, and remained six hours on the
cross, the sixth hour woulci be noon."
.-rChuxton. The ninth hour would be
about three in the afternoon, when the
evening sacrifice was laid on the altar
befere the temple.
46 Eli, Eli, lama sabaehthani ? The
first, wards of Psalm. 22 in the A.raanak
dialect of the Hebrew tongue, the dia-
lect that Jesus spoke in his thildhood,
Thus with his last breath does our Lord
give honor to the Father and bear wit-
ness to the fulfilled words of tbe 011
Testament, What Aid Jesus mean by
thus quoting tbe psalmist's pathetic
reerlaeoll, "Xy God, ray God, why haat
thou forsaken me?" Dr. Abbott gives
a, commonly received explanation when
lie considers it representative of that
Phase of Christian experience, in which
svhile the intellect still holde fast to
its belief in God, the heart feels it no
more, and tlea soul is ill darkness in
spite of its faith in God. Psalm 22, how-
ever, has often been usedby holy He-
brews as a sort of death chant, and
it is not straining the meaning of verse
46 to understand that the sentence
quoted stands for the whole psalm. Just
as we would say that a man sang,
"Jesus, Lover of my scree" and by
that phrase mean that he sang the
whole h.yran which thus begins, so the
evangelist may mean that Jesus re-
cited this psalm, as was the custom
of godly Hebrews.
17. Some of them. 'Who must have
been Jews. El his, Possibly a misund-
erstanding of the e-ord Eli, but more
probably a bitter mockery. Elijah was
,expected by the jewe ae the forerunner
of the Mes,siala.
48. • Took a sponge, and fined it with'
vinegar. That is, with sear -wine, the
ordinary drink of the soldiers. Put it
on it reed. So as to pan it within reach
of the sufferer's mouth.
49. Let be. Another speech of mock -
INTERNATIONAL LESSON, JUNE 12.
"4esus Crstellied.," Katt, Oolden
Text, I. Cor. 154.
PRACTICAL NOTES,
Verse 35. Tbey cruelfied bioxi. 'elle
execulionera were four Roman soldiers.
In the act of crucifixion they first laid
the cross on the ground, and taking
off the clothing of the eriminal, they
made him lie dowa upon its main beam
and, stretch out bis arms along the
transverse beam. Tite cross was low.
Tee arms were nailed hi ,place; the
feet were sometimes tied, but giore gen-
erally transfixed by it :single large nail,
When the orirainal had been securely
fastened. the OTOSS W8.8 raised to an
opright 'position and slidden or dropped
into a hole deg to reeeive its lower
end. Death came very 'slowly, general-
ly after hours, sometimes after days,
of agony. According to Mark, Jesus
Was fastened to the cross at the third
hour -about nine o'eloc,k. john says it
was about the sixth hour. To harmon-
ize these apparently coutradietory
statements it is assumed, by many
scholars tlaat John, when writing this
letter in Ephesus and among Gentile
surroun.dings, followed the European
mode of reckoning time. Parted his
garments. It has been usual in most
ages and countries for the executioner
to regard the personal property of the
criminal as his own. _Matthew notes
th 3 general fulfillment of a prophecy
in Psalm 22, 18; for a still more spec-
ial coincidence see John 19, 23, 24.
This psalm is supposed to have been
written during the exile by a. godly
Jew in captivity at Babylon. Casting
lots. Garraents which would: not be
spoiled, by cutting would he divided
equally among* the executioners, but
other articles, such as the girdle and
turban and, sandals and the seamless
chiton, woven of fine wool and worn
next the body, would lose their value
if cue and so for them the lot was
resorted to. At this juncture our
Lord waged, "Father, iorgive them;
for they know not what they do"
(Luke 23. 34).
36. They watched him there. Appre-
hending an attempt at rescue.
37. Set up over his head his accuse.
tion. Whether this was done befor
the cross with its sufferers had been
• placed erect we do not know. • On. th
humiliating procession to Calvar
this accusation was carried ha fron
of jesus. It is said to have been cus
toxaary to write this aceusation i
black letters on boards smeared wit
white, gypsum. This is Jesus the Rai
a the Jews. The variations in th
form are notable. Compare -wit
this verse Ilfark 15.26; Luke 23.38; an
Teen 19. 19, It was written in thre
langnaees-Greek, Latin and Hebres
Th.e words, "The King of the Jews,
are famed in each of the evangelists
One might expect that in the -dare
languages there would be differences
Verbal traaslation was not demand
ed.
88. Two thieves. Robbers• aver
always put- to death b crucifixio
Great bent's of "thieves" -robbers -
at this time infested the cuantry alarm
Jeruselean. They were what are now
called banditti, and represented
half -organized political movement --
that chronic rebellion which disturbe
both Herorl 'and Pilate through nearly
the whole of their official terms. Thes
"thieves" were probably already and
er sentenee of death at the time o
our Lord's trial, According to legend
their names were Dysmas and Gysraa,s
One leader of mountain 'robbers accord-
ing to josephus, • dashed into jerkho
and. burned its palaces, and another for
• twenty ye,ars wasted a, wide spread
country with fire and sword.
39. They tbat pessed by. Multitudes
would be journeying to Jerusalem OA
the dray of preparation for the pass -
over. In that lea:bark: age the laigh-
est dignitaries were not ashamed to
telre part in mocking a dying man. The
brutaaity cocompanying Christ's death
was characteristic of execution through
all the ages -until camparatively re-
cent
thtimeiesrheads. See Psalm 22.
.
Reviled him, wag-
grig7. This psalm seems to have
bean iaa Mattbeav's mind during
the penning of this entire narrative.
Very likely, becau,se our Lord a little
later recited it, or part of it.
40. Thou, that destroyest the tem -
pie, and buildest it an three days. The
raying here misquoted. was more gen-
erally mieunderstood than most of the
teachings of our Lord. It made a deep;
impression on the minds of the people
early in his career, and doubtless led
more persons to consent to his death
than. anything else that he said.. And
yet we are to remember that he had
never been foil:tally condemned on
thee charge, as he shad bean on the
twice one mentfoned.. Luke gives 119
not the taunt of • the Jevirea
populace, but that of the sol-
diere, "al? •-• thou, be the King
of the Jews save 1 hyself," Lake 23;17,
then that he claimed to be this was the
ground of the charge of blespheray,
of which be had been found guilty.
It is a strange coincidence that these
words are exactly the words pronounce
ed by the devil in the. temptation in the
-wilderness, end the temptation is the
same now as then, To accept such a
ehallenge would have been to admit
a tack of trust in the, hetevenly Father.
41. Chid priests . scribes and
elders. "Rulers," Luke 23. 35; mem-
• bers e1 the Sanhedrin. It was in ae-
cordance with the custain of the time
foe these who had cond.erened him 16
wateh his penal suffering,
42 ne saved ethers ; himself he can-
not save. Remember that his riame
waS Saviour, that is the meaning of
Jesus, and that just ane week before
this theenthusiastie crewels had cried,
"Sesanlea, save nowl" These ineidents,
remote as they ere M usesvere all fresh
to the ears and eyes of those who elms -
tared about the Cross, What they
meant by his saving other 8 Is not crete
teen. As the VrOtd8 V1r8r0 Of Conte/111A,
It 18 probable that they wave 4 derisive
reference to the works of healing, anl.
espeoiaily the raising of Latarus from
the dead, the aeteality whith theee,
50. Cried again. (Sets John 19, 30; Luke
23. 46.) The words were, "It is fin-
ished," a.nd, "'rite thy hands I com-
mend my spirit." Yielded up the ghost.
ilelded. up his spiret, as if his spirit
was Itis servant, whom he now volun-
tarily dismissed, (See John 10.18.)
LONG-LIVED PRIME MINISTERS.
Predecessors tinny. Gladstone Whose Years
Have !teen Above the Average.
-William E. Gladstone, at his death on
May 19, was in bis eighty-ninth year,
and, be closed his foarth term as Prime
Minister of Great Britain in 1894,
when 85. The longevity of English
Prime Mini ,ters has always been mark-
ed. Lord Palmerston, on his death in
1865, was 81 years of age, and the Duke
of Wellington, who died in 1852, was
83. Lord Grey, who succeeded the Duke
of Wellington as Prime irleaistex, was.
in his eightieth seer wben he died in
Sealy, 1845, end he, in turn, was suc-
ceeded by Lord Melbourne, 'who was 70
when, he died in 18418. • Lord John Rus-
sell, who died in 1878, was a Londoner
by birth aad pearly as old as Mr. Glad-
stone at the time of his demise, being
88. • The Earl of Derby, three times
Prime Minieter of England, in 1852,
1858 and 1866 was 70 years of age at
the time of his death in 1869. Benjamin
Disraeli, Lard Jenacansfield, twice
Prime Minister of England, was 76
years of age at the time of his death
ha London on April 19. 1881.
The present Prime :Minister of Great
• Britain is 68 and his associates in the
Britieh Calamet are rather older than
the average of men in public life ha
similar • positions in • other European
countries, and decidedly older then is
the rule in the 'United States. The
Prersictene of ehe Cabene.t Council is
65, the Lord liigh. Chancellor is 73, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer is 81, the
Keeper of the Privy Seal is 75, the
First Lord, of the Admiralty is 65, the
President of the Board of Trade is 60,
and so onthottgla there are in the pre-
sent British Cabinet some- exceptions.
To what the longevity of British
Prime Ministertt is to be aseribed is
hard to determine, for tbe duties de-
volving upon the Prime Minister are
always of an irksome and vexatious
character. The Prime Minester has
very little respite from public servise,
arid the foreign relatiene of Great
Britain are so complicated and extend-
ed, that, the labors of the responsible
Minister may be said to be quite as
great whet Parlianierit is not in SeS-
8110.0' as when it is. Moreover, the
Prime Ati niste r of Great Erilaiti is ft he
recognized and responsible bead d the
politicalparty which is, domiteant dues
mg hi
is neumbeney, and its actual
leaderseaip and the protection of as
fortunes, depend upon bis course and
that of Ins associates in office, Not-
withstanding the,.se duties, these rnani-
role public and party obligations im-
po,:ed either by law or usage on ?little
Milataters in Frig -lend, the holders of
the office are not only long-livedas a,
rule, but decidedly more so then their
associates in the Cabinet,
A REINDT3t11.'S 1000T,
The foot of the reindeer, is most pe
-
either itt construetion, being eleeen
through the middle, tied eacb half rurv-
big upward in front.