HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1899-10-19, Page 6THE EIXETER ITS
JVOTES AND COMMENTS.
'Under tire earlier civil admstra-
ors of India the raoantain barrier of
he Himalaya, 15,00e feet hieb. and. 800
miles broad, wen deemed, a. sufeicient
lefeuse for the nortnwesteme frontier
)f the peninsula, tbe theory being
hat control of the pasaes would pre -
any e3aemy from invading threugh
'Ilene. A Russian army or Tertar
wren% setting out upon the conquest
if India, would first naYe to conquer
efglianistan and all the figlating tribes
inhabiting the mountain ranges, and
.then to defeat the British forces en-
igenched In the exits of the llama,
with ell India, to draw from, a. formid-
thle, if not impossible, task. Under
this piolioy the British garrison was
icept on the iuner side of the mountain
„vettil, and tee hill tribes left mucb to
Their own devioes, though punitive ex-
peditions from time to time, follow-
ing their robber raids into the low-
lands, served to keep alive in tbem
wholesome dread of British power.
For a decade or more, however, what
is known as the Forward pollen, has
to a considerable extent replanted the
older system of Lord Lawrence and
other civil administrators, the advo-
cates of which insist that the great
wall of the Himalaya does not of it-
self furnish a sufficient defense, but
that the whole range should be sub-
jugated and garrisoned and the fron-
tier pushecl over to the further side.
,Acting on this theory, they waged a
war last year with the bill tribes be-
tween the Punjab and Afghanistan,
and have occupied districts, built forts
and established garrisons through the
mountain country from Quetta to the
Eincloo Koosh. ielthough the process
has greatly increased military expend-
iture and locked up thousands of
troops in isolated posts, without any
es/mese-ending benefits, it promised to
eontinue until completed, plans baving
teen sanctioned, fully or partially, for
mew forts and increased garrisons at
many points in the mountainous coun-
try. It was expected by the Forward,
"'party that with the appointment of
Lord Curzon, a pronounced Russophobe, as vioeroy, they would have a
still freer hand, but so far from aiding
them, he has, with the approval of the
home -government, reversed their pol-
icy, and revived, so far as possible, the
earlier system. The scattered hill gar-
risons are to be drawn back within the
natural frontier and their places tak-
en by tribal militia under British. of-
ficers, supported, within the border, by
two or three movable columns of re-
gulars connected with each other and
with the Indian railway, system by
light railroads.
In this way the expense ot building
and maintaineng a long chain of forts
and garrisons will be saved, ande the
loss of strength through locking up
troops in the hills be obviated, while
in case of attack the whole army in
northern India will be brought within
easy reach of the frontier. Defensive
strength will, in fact, be increased,
for not only will the hill clans be icon -
ciliated by relief from fear of eonquest
and employment as soldiers in defence
of their own country, but the Iron -
tier force °an be concentrated at any
threatened point more rapidly than
before, and. the supporting army be
able to reinforce it more quickly. In-
deed, if India eannot be thus defended
against an invading force, which must
push its way through 800 miles of
mountainous country in the face of
fighting tribesmen, while the Calcutta
government is re-inforcing its own
expellee from England arid the prov-
inces, it is difficult to believe that it
can be defended at all. But the
ehange will be a hard blow to the For-
ward party, which for ten years has
directed the frontier policy of India.
A PRINCE'S EDUCATION.
lionectreng About the meet son or the
nuke or Yore.
The present idol of the British
public is Prince Edward of York, eld-
eat son; of the Duke of York, grandson
DI tite Prince of Wales, great-grandson
DI Queen Victoria, end heir in the di-
ced: line of the crown of Great Britain.
Prieee Edward, having been born on
Tette 23, 1894, is now well into his sixth
year, and regards himself as quite a
big boy.
His brother Albert to a year young -
ex, and the two princes have had, per -
baps, the share, but no more, of
brotherly " scrape." The Duke of
York is said not to baste intereeted
witb their small was, saying that to
"let them Sight it out will make them
better men," But be has interfered
successfully with another weakness of
Prince Edwerel.
It is customary for the royal ehil-
dree, hi meeting the queen, to kiss
her hand and riot her cheek; hat Prince
Edward did not like to do this, and
objeoted strenuously. 'One day he
heard sonas one speak of " Her Majes-
ty.1,
" I know who 'Her Majerity 'ia said
he; "it's just granny l'
"Aid who was the naughty little
prince who would not kiss granny's
handl"'
"That was raee' field Peinee Ed-
ward, tinabashed, "teed I'm not goleg
to kiss granny's hendl"
But When, he had arrived at the age
ef five, he felt himself quite a an,
and began to do es °thee Men did--
eiesed the qteens hand and alwaye
doffed his cap in her rireeettee.
THE COMING OF THE LORD.
ev. Dr. Talmage .Says the Time
Must be Close at Hand
fhoUsands Beckoning for God to Come—One Secret That
God Has Never Told Even to an Archangel—No Plan
or Angel Can Tell When the Lord Will Come—But
• the Dr. Says Ire Has Actually Arrived—He Is Here,
despatoh from Washington says:
—Rev. Dr. Talmage preached from the
following text: "Be ye also patieet ;
sta,blish yoter hearts; for the coming
of tho Lord drawetb, nigh."—lames
v.8. 1
The feelings with which we await the
coming of any person or thing depend
very much upon the nature of the per-
son or thing advancing, or upon our
fittedness, to meet him or it. It is
evening in a very pleasant heusehold.
There is a key beard at the front door.
The thildren come down the stairs with
lightning. I suppose that on that
day there may be rolled an dun storm
clouds, and that there may be folds of
darkness all around, the.perimater, and
that there may be a background black
as midnight. Then, while the beasts
are moaning with terror, and while the
housewife is kindling the candle at
noonday, and. while the janitors of
public buildings are lighting the chan-
deliers, and the nations are inerahl-
ing and half -suffocated with the ter-
ror, there may be in the distance a
faint sound of thunder that will roll
loader, and louder, as though a thou-
sand tempests were gathered in bat-
tle array, and that then there may
be a silenoe, a deep hash, a silence of
a bound, clapping their bands, and complete expectaney, and that win e
shouting : °Father's combeg 1" But the world is hushed in that dreadful
disaster has entered that home. The stillness, instantaneous with the orash
writs have been issued. It is time for
the furniture to be levied on. From
the oldest Wile -youngest member of
that household the feeling is that the
home mast be broken up. . The front
door bell rings, an official is about to
enter, and the whisper all through the
rooms of thee house is: "The sheriff's
coming 1" Mardi weather gets through
scolding, and one day the windows to-
ward the south. are opened, and the
apple blossoms, and tbe peach blos-
soms, and the plum blossoms garland.
th•e fields, and old age feels the flush
of new life in its veins; and invalidism
looks up and smiles, and all through
the land the word is: "Spring is com-
ing!" • Decenaber hangs icicles on the
eaves of the poor man's bouse. No
wood gathered. No teal. The crack-
ed window panes invites the sleet to
come in. The older sister, with numb
fingers, attempts to tie the shoe, lachet
of the little brother, and. stops to
blow warmth into her blue hands, and.
the father shiveringly looks down and
says: "01 my God, winter is coming!"
Well, it is just so in regard. to the
announcement of my text. To one it
sounds like a father's, to another
like an exec.utioner's footstep.. To one
it is the breath `of a June morning;
to the other it is the blast of 'a De-
cember hurricane. "The corning of
the Lord draweth nigh.'
1 du not see how, Uod eau afford to
stay away any longer. It seems to
me that this world has been mauled of
sin about long enough. The Church
has made such slow headway against
the Paganism, and the Mohammedan-
ism, and the fraud, and the libertinism,
and the drunkenness, and the rapine,
and the murder of the world, that
there are ten thousand hands now
stretched sep, beckoning for God to
come, and come now. Enough corn in
the United States and Great Britain
annually wasted in brewing and dis-
tilling to feed.
FIVE MILLION MEN.
Every grog -shop, every house of in-
famy, every gambling saloon, every
dishonest store• bank, insurance com-
that shall split the hills there sha
burst upon the world a fiery cohort,
a book of reckoning a throne, and the
Lord omnipotent,
I do not know but that the lightn-
ing flash that hurls that parapherna-
lia into the world may set the werld oh
fire, for we are told ills -neatly that the
world and all the things that are
therein are to be burned up. I see it
burning. The ships take fire naid-
Atlantic — brig, barque,- White Star
Line and Cunarder. 'The cities send
ap. jets of flames higher than the spire
or dome of Trinity or St, Peter's.
Banks and nion.eyed institutions with
cansumed bond and melted bullion—all
the investments of the world not
worth one cent on a dollar. The pie -
tare canvas of the Louvre, and of Lux-
embourg, and of Dresden, and of Ber-
lin, and of Naples, and of Florence, and
of Rome, curled up in the hot blast.
Cathie arch and Grecian column fall-
ing down low as the but on the com-
mons. Mount Washington, and tbe
Alps, and the Himalayas flat on their
A 'WRECKED WORLD.
A ruined world_ A burning world. A
calcined world. An ashen world. An
extinct world. Let the stars beat their
dirges. Dead &ties. Dead mountains.
Dead seas. That scene is not some-
thing that we read about as occurring
four or five thousand miles away, at
Stockholm or St. Petersburg. It
will occur here, and you and I will
be participants. When the roll -call
of that day is read: younname and my
name will be read in it, and we will
answer: "Herel" These very feet will
feel the earth's tremor, these eyes will
see the scrolled sky, these hands will
be lifted in acehanation or in horror,
when, the Lord shall be revealed from
heaven, with mighty angels, in flam-
ing fire, taking vengeance up.:n those
who know not God, and who obey not
the Gospel of His Son. It will be our
trial. It veal be our judge. It will
be olir welcomes or it will be our duom.
If each year be a mile, then over how
many miles has that judgment already
travelled, ar.d who can estimate the
number of revolutions in a minute of
the wheel of God's judgro.ent chariot?
It will not be an empty chariot, the
occupant flung out by the speed of
the travel or some sharp, turn in the
way; but firraly seated in that chariot
will be the Lord, the most grandly
loved and the znost outrageously treat -
pony, declaring there is no God, or ed Being mull the ages. Coraing to
if there be, let Him strike if He dare 1; blessHis saints. Rise, 0 children of
Corruption in the most of the city gove , the fire, and hail Him as He comes to
ernments—corruption reaching front, count your wounds! Corning to vindi-
the weatherevene on the top of thi
e: °ate Jeln cause! Crouch, 0 you scientists
city balls down to the lowest stone in ! and. infidels who said there was no
the foundation. Churches with men in; Christ, or if there were, He would
their membership not clean enough to never appear. Coming to east out
swab the foor-step of the pit; the the bard -hearted reel the rebellious.
theatres, huge houses of shame; three-, 0, bow now before His arrival, that.
fourths of the newspapers, with theirl thefl. you may be ready to hail Hirai
editors, reporters, and printing -presses Coming with the months. Coming
1
suborned of the devil; American and with the weeks. Corning with the
European society rotten until thefilth days. Coming with the hours. Coining
drips hissing through into the world with the minutes.. Coming with he
beneath, and smells up sickening to the
world above; and. although the dead in
seoonds. Comuegt "The corning- of
the Lord draweth nigh."
battle dat-number five times all the But my subject takes a closer gra.pe
present population of the earth, yet ple, and it closes in and closes in =-
nations longing for war, and this hour til it announces to you and to me that
six million men in Europe arming for Christ is coming very soon to put an
conflict, while applauding nations look end to oar earthly resideace. The
on, and the cry is: "Blood! give us most skilful theologians may make a
more blood ln The earth staggering mistake of hundreds of years in regard
under the successive shocks like a foun- to the chronology ibf the judgment;
dering ship at the moment when the bat it is irapossible for us to make a
passengers cry: "She's going doyen!" very wide mistake in regard to the
The inamirtent necessity for the world's time in which Christ will come &impel:
reformation and ponifieation I take as an end to our earthly existence. Medi-
a proof of the fact that "the coming cal science has done much for human
of the Lord dralveth nigh." longevity; bat it has only added a yard
I also see a sign of the Divine ad- to the road, it has only added
stance in the opportenity for repent- AN INCH TO THE SPAN_
once which is being given to the na.- "Draweth nigh!" How do I know it?
tions: revivals in India., revivals I know it by your looks. The fact
in Germany, revivals in Great that you are bales and well is no refu-
Britain, revivals in the 'United States, tall= of the theory. Brawn and
If there were not something tremen- muscle are no liindrance. I look over
sous coming, God would not, be so tire this audienoe th-night, and I see
gent or Importunate in His call. on every face the shadow of the eter-
Cbarches menage Christian and secular nal world, "Dranveth nigh 1" The
printing -presses calling, Young Men's tree is already growing which will
Christian Associatious ceiling. God, tarnish tlae wood for your coffin, Aye,
tied angels, arid men "ping. Xessages it ma3r be already hewn and planed,
of salvation in •the air, TelegraPhs and waiting for its occupant. ne
,reiw-
flashing tbe Gospel news. Steamsliips eth nigh I" The seamstress may have
earrying Chrestian ambassadors to and already pleated the last garment that
fro. Yes, we are on the eve of a uni- you will ever wear. There are streets
versal moral earthquake, "The "ale in this city with whieh you are per
ing of the Lore draweth nigh." fectly familiar where you will never
But there is a deeper atop in the or- again walk. "Draweth nigh 1" Theare
gen o/ nay text that teeds to be pull- are persoas in this house the tramp
ed out, read that organ stop is of whose pulses will Soon end. Your
THE JUDGMENT TRUMPET, eyes are slumberous for the last: sleep.
My text distinctly poinie3 toward that Yoe have tome near your final inhaleaugast arrival. Nov, there is pee see, tion. I hear the Glick of the bode ol
ret that God has never told even to the pale horse. There is some one
en archangel. 'There are no spirits in this house to -night veho wilt be
so exalted in heaven that God has Geer dead before to -morrow night, The
told one of thorn. 1± is the eeeret of cornitig of the Lord droweth nigh:"
seeretsI,t ie the seoret of the ages. Oh, if you knew, ray' brother, how near
If ail benne!) should rise up mid beg you are to the moment off exit front
God to tell them that one secret, He this world, do you know what you
Woutd, not be prevailed upon to tell it. would do? You would drop your head
That secret is the eltronologe of the and pray just now. If yoe knew how
j
Iginent The time when. No angel certainly the door of God's teethe is "(h '
ran tell, Tim Bible aistinetly- says he gradually s utting against your un-
man or angst can tell. But the fact pardoned soul you vvould cry out:
that each a day will COOM earindt be "Stop: Lill I enter." But You do not
dispiited, The Bible intintateS, yea., it realize it. Yoti see nothing. You
positively eays, that t t a
day God will come in by a il.aaft of
hear nothing, though there art wings
lit the sir, teed tembiiiege in the eartbeerneteinienele itte
and fleshings °mesa the heevens, and
"the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh,"
My subjeot °loses in mice more, and
clemee in until I eave to tell you that
God, who in the text is represented as
"drawing nip," bets ;lethally arrived,
No longer 'drawing nigh.' He is
Imre, Do you oot see Him ? Do you
riot bear nira Do you not feet tlira1
Whet means that loud beating of your
beart ? What ateans that anxious look/
What meaes this over -mastering sol-
emnity? It is God. It is the God who
rode the world and is going to dee
=lisle it It is the God who has been
offering you pardon for many a year
and bas (gime to see what you are ;go-
ing to do about it. It ie the God of
infinite love. It is tbe God of Immacu-
late purity. It is the God of irtexor-
eine justice. He is here. It is God.
From wall to wall, and from floor to
roof.
HE FILLS THE PLACE.
Genii God! 0, is it not grand, and
glorious, arid rnornentimus, such an in-
terview with Him—such a confront-
ing? You thought you would meet
Him some years hence. You. never
thought when you came in these doors
to -night that you would meet Him. 01
He has met you here, and. now what
will you do? Will you fly from the
room ared get away from Him, as I
saw, a moment or two ego, some one
go out of that door, to get rid tf Him?
Get away from Him 1 You cannot.
Trust in Him you ought. 13e saved by
Hun, you may. This God who has been
arriving, and who is now come; this
God win) • has been 'drawing nigh,"
bas come for one thing, and, that is
to save every one of you. He has cbme
a long pilgrimage, treading over nails,
and spines, and thorns, until the sharp
points eave struck up through the
hollow a the foot to the instep. He
nets come to carry your burdens, and
to slay your sins, and to sympathize
witir your sorrows. He is here to
break up your obduracy, and make
you fe,e1 the palpitations of His warm,
loving heart. 01 the love ot God, the
laire of God! There is no sea so deep,
there is no mountain so high, there
is no song so sweet, there is no cir-
cumference so vast as the lova of God.
'Measure it, you cannot. Rejeet it,
you ought not. 0,1 let us go down un-
der it, let us bathe in it—Chis love so
high, so broad, so long, so deep. In
the recent floods of France, at Castle-
zarazin, while the house was being
swept away, the mother, in agony to
save her two children, put thane in a.
bread tray and floated the. bread tray
off upon the waves; but the tray with
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
N,.
INTERNATIONAL LESSOOCT. 22
Etas'. Journey to Jerusalem," Ezra 8.
21,32. Golden Text, Ezra 8. 22.
• PRACTICAL NOTES.
Verse 21, On the twelfth day Ezra
and hts caeavart halted at the river
Minya. This is oot certainly icleriti-
fled, but Staeley and others believe
It) to be the spot where caravans now
make their plunge into the desert. I
proclaimed a, fast there. He had near-
ly two thousand people under leia con-
trol, including heads of families, mem-
bees and servants, priests, Invites and
temple slaves. Fasting as a religious
Rot wee popular among the jews. The
river Ahava. nerve into the Euphrates
from the east. At the, junction was
an ancient city called.A.va, That we
might afflict ourselves before onr Gee
The euperficial afflictioa was the for-
mal abstaining from food and from
the bath. The deeper affliction was
what all these things were signs of—
peofound petitence, close communion
with God, eubmission, consecration. To
'see lc of him a right way for, us. With-
out the guidance of God they would
be adrift on one of the raost Wage of
deserts, but it was not sand and sun
only that they mast fear. Hostile
tribes, espeoially those who lived on
plunder and loot, were plentiful, and
there was already political opposition
to their plans. For us, and for our lit-
tle ones, and for ell our. substance;
We can hardly overestimate the dan-
gers that beset Ezra,. No One now
would cross from Babylon to Jerusa-
lem with children and treasure if he
could possibly help it, and certainly
no one would venture without military
wort. It was known to many that
Ezra was to carry the treasure destin-
ed for Jehovah's temple.
22, I was asimated to require of the
king a band of soldiers and horsemen.
Ezra knew that he had made a pee -
found impression on the mind of the
Persian king, and. he feared that that
impression would be neutralized if he
now asked for human protection. The
enemy in the way. This enenay was
made up of swarms of nomad tiebes
wlao carve nothing for the Persian
the two children had. gone but a short
ki
the place. She got there. She took ng or the Perm= or the e ,
the two children. She somehow clam- !gods. That the enemy knew of Ezra s
distance when it struck a tree, and
bered up into the tree with them, and I
held on to a branch. But while hang- re
; plander the caravan, is evident from
and deliberately. planned. to
capsized. The mother started out for i start,
ing there the bratith began to crack, the desert oared nothing for i was
veree king's 31. undisputed territoryhWhile Ezra oontinaed in the
and she knew it could not, long hold , , e
the three, and so she wrapped up her ed by riabig safe, but these wild men a
little ones as well as she could, and the kings
'
ao.thority except as it
then she kissed the darling's good-bye, soIdeers. The hand. of our God
was manifest:-
and fell backward into the wane, and ' is upon all them for good. that seek
died, while they lived and were recov- ,
:him. This is immutably true. • In, the
midst ot all uncertainties God's hand
she tied them fast to the branch, and
you say : "Bravo 1 bravo 1 That was , favors tbose that love him and, oppbse
just like a mother to do that ;" but i bee ers eine 0e, the joueney leaned
these tint oppose him. It is true
!Christians are
med. What do you think of that? 0,
whet do you. say when .1: tell you that , but, God, never forgets thetn. Ezra
given worldly peeper -
TIDES OF SIN AND DEATH, 1 on :'the hand oft • God." in another
' e "I was strengthened as
says ,
these place h
that jesue Christ swims through I was upon us."
1 the hand of the Lord my God was upon
are bearing away the race, and tee;" and again, "The hand -of our God
the flood., and He comes to us to-nig-bt I 23. So we fasted and, besought our
to Wt us out and. to _fasten us to God for this. To fast would have been
the tree ef life, and then having given hypocritical without the prayer; the
un the lens of pardon and peones, falls !prayer was greatly intensifiee by the
back Himself in the billows of death, i fast. Be was eatreated for as. Ezra
Thee now! 24. I separated twelve of the chi
ing Jesus, let me embrace
ef
the sacrifice of the Son of God 1 Bleed -1
'had the assurance that his prayer had
been heard.
dying Hiraseef that we might live. 01
I suppose there may be in this house of the priests, etc. The old Greek
to -night whole families unsaved. Sab- , translation, Septuagint gives a more
bath before last a member of this 'evideat meaning, "I assigned twelve of
Church, not being able to get in Ins the chief of the priests." That is to say,
own pew was kindly 'riveted by a gen- twelve unnamed leading, priests were
tleunanto sit withhim and his fami- added to committee already ap•poiat-
le, and at the chess of the service, it ed, consisting of twelve Levites, Share -
was found that there was not one.raem- blab. Hashabiah, lens ten. As the
ber of that family that loved God.
What! the father unsaved/ in whose
hand God put the responsibility of
caring for the body, and put also into
the same hand the immortal destiny
of his thildeen. What 1 mother un-
saved 1 when, with her Christian ten-
derness, she ought tohave brooded all
her children, into tbe kingdom of God.
What 1 sons and daughters unblessed
and unsaved? What! a home without
God 1 Terrific I Hold back Thy judg-
ments, Lord.God, until that father and
mother can get to their home to -night
and consecrate that house, with one
biood-red prayer for 'mercy., "Come
thole and all thy hpuse into the ark.'
The day will cconee isiy dear friend,
when 3rou will find it Was a poor bust -
mess for y.ou to reject God. The dan-
ger of your soul, is awfully imminent.
"Ile that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, ' bat be that believetb
not shall ne damned." May. God fore
led that through any lack of vividness
and importunity •on my part this ser-
vice should be td any one in all this
assemblage an eternal catastrophe 1
WE TWO -
Always together, my love and I,
'Under Love's blue and. cloudless sky,
Wander we where joyous blossoms
grow,
Among the bowers where sweet violets
blow,
And pluck the sweets of everlasting
spring,
Whilst ths birdlets melodious num-
' bars sing.
And ever to as the skies are blue,
For we're all in all to each other, we
two—
The bgloisvsers decay riot that Love bas
The, violets live on in our sun -lit
heaven,
The birdlets' song is our owh for
aye, ,
It lrigere and greets us wherever We
strayi
Where is tills country in which we
That Ir'°aarrd my toys may call our home/
'Tis Leveler:id that mimes the blossoms
• fair,
'Tis in Loveland that violets scent the
air,
And its songsters, they Mang Us 0wel-
come true,,
So we stayed ire their Lovelaed for aye
lWe tend
t SAY, THOUGH, IS I'T t
More men would raagry if they Teal-
ized hove teeth eheaper than elittation
1
vessels had been set apart for, God's
worship, he desired to set epee cer-
tain men who would have no respon-
sibility on this journey but to take
cage of the vessels.
25e Weighed unin them the silver,
and the gold, and the eessels. in spite
of the tact that coins were current at
this time the Persian treasury kept its
wealth in bars or nuggets. We may
suppose the vessels to have come
originally from jerusalem. The offer-
ing of the house of; our God, which ithe
king, and bis counselors, and his lords,
and all Israel there present, had offer-
ed. ' The sacredness of the pcoasion
when these lavish offerings were made
impresses Ezra profoundly.
26 Six hundred and fifty talents of
silver, etc. It has been roughly estim-
ated that the wealth of this verse
would be represented by a million and
O quarter of silver money and five mil-
lions of gold:
2'7. Twenty basins of gold of a thou-
sand. drams. Or, as we have it in the
Revised Version, "bowls o - gold bf
thousand denies." A darks was worth
about five dollars. ,,Fine copper, pre-
cious as gold, Not, however, what we
would call copper, but a beautiful
amalgam made by the ancients, which
had almost fabulous value.
'28. "Ze are holy; unto the Lord. That
is, separatted, oonSaorated„ The men
themselves by their birth were conse-
crated men debarred from many of
the privileges et othet-Isre,elites, be-
cause they inherited the sacred duties
of the temple. The vessels are holy
also. They too had,. been set aside by
a formal consecration, and some of
them acubtless made for the holy
Lem,ple. Let the holy vessels be given
to the holy men. A freewill offering
unto the Lord God. Not a tithe or
tax a any scat, bat tee Spontane-
ous outpouring of their hearts. Of
your tethers. Jehovah, the God of
your fathers.
29. Watch ye, and keep them. As if
he had said, The rese at as will de-
fend ,you; you defend these sacred vie -
sets,' UntiI ye „weigh them, Make
a definite account tet th,e tteasures,
Chief of the *deletes of Israel. The
appointed heads of the several
oom-
munitie, as well as ciP the sacred ore
ders, ' At Jerusalem, In the capital
bity of the rejuvenated nation. The
oinienbers of the house of the Lord.
Rooms o.n each side of the main build. -
Eng, used sometimes for lodgings or
the priests, sometimes as storerooms.
SO. So took, the, priests and the Le. -
vitae. The -emanating e1 the forego-
ing versen Were all obeyed.. .
31. The twelfth day of the first
month. It took Ezra and his com-
pany 8 dr 9 days to journey from Baby-
lon to Alava, To go unto jertisalesne.
To go straight aeross the desert mo
which ie in the middle of what
is now Terkey in Asia. 'The hand of
our God was tepee us. See note on
verse 22, He delivered us from the
hand of the enemy. Whether with or
-without fighting, we are not told. Seth
as lay, in wait by the way. See note
on verse 22.
32. We omme to Jernsalem, Four
words describing a joerney which
must have been freught, morning, noon
and night, with picturesque incidents
and dangers. The strange sound that
still make that journey a terror to
the traveler, the tropical sun, the mir-
ror of sand, the dry, stale food, the
want of water, the exhaustion of the
children arid the aged, the constant
Lear of wild beats and wilder men, the
endle,ss anxiety of Ezra, and his coun-
selors—all these go unrelated. Abode
there three days. Por three days Ezra
remained- resting from the journey
before undertaking to executer the come
raands of God.
CAT THAT WEARS DIAMONDS.
In Cumberland, Md., there is a nig,
handsome cat, 'black as jet, except for
at dash! of white on the, chest and fore-
paws. This oat is conspicuos over all
other cats because in each eax hewears
a sparkling aod. beautiful diamond ear-
piece, beautiful enough to adorn the
shell-like ear of any society woman,
Sebastian is his name, and he is be-
lieved, to ,be the only cat in the world
that wears earrings.
Apart from his valuable ear orna-
ments, Sebastian would attract attene
tion anywhere on account of his enor-
mous size and tigerlike appearance.
When crouching as if about to spring
this peculiar cat presents a truly for-
midable appearance.' •
Sebastian is the property of Mrs.
Cornelia Anderson, a poet, and came
to her under unusual circumstances.
Mrs. Anderson went on a trip to Eur-
ope two years ago, and while on her
way home, as she was passing through
the streets of Southampton, England,
to board the steamship, she was fol-
lowed by Sebastian, who was then a
wild, unkerapt homeless waif. She
tried. to drive km away, arid Imagined
that she had succeeded, but somehow
the anima1 managed to get on board
and secreted himself below decks.
When the steamship was about half
way out- the cat made his presence
known, and was dragged before the
skipper to .have judgment passed up-
on him as a stowaway. ,Antiong the
crowd of, amused passengers su&ronnd-
ing the captain and. the unfortunate
stowaway Sebastian recognized in Mrs.
Anderson the countenance of an Cacl
friend and promptly manifested a de-
sire to renew the aoquaantance. Mrs.
Anderson took pity on his forlorn con-
dition, and Sebastian has been with her
ever since.
Sebastian is unusually strong and.
courageous, and is able to hold his own
against any dog in tbe neighborhood,
Indeed, when a. dog oti feline murder
bent happens to spy Sebastian, with
tail bristling and slaughter in his eye,
the dors' generally suddenly remembers
a preesinge engagernent in another
street and hurries.,"
Sebastian does not take kindly to
strangers, and 'the children of tbe
neighborhood are afraid to go near him,
but he is always quiet and subdued- in
the presence of Mrs. A.nderson, who be-
stows a great deal of care upon him.
' Sebastian has a seat of his own at
the dinner table, and a handsomely I de-
corated cot to recline in. He takes a
milk bath regularly every day. His
ears were pierced by Mrs. Anderson,
who thought it would be a novel idea
to adorn him with diamond earrings.
At first he did not relish the idea at
all, but now th'alt he has. gotten used
to them.- las carries his beautiful decor-
ations with a dignity in conformity
with his exaggerated idea of his own
importance.
MOTH AND THE FLAME.
Moths fly against the co.ndle flare()
because their eyes can bear only a
small amount Of light. 'When, there-
fore, they come within the light of a
candle, their sight is overpowered and
their vision confused, and as they, can-
not distinguish objects, they pursue
the light itself and fly against the
femme:
• FIRST WOMEN'S PAPER,
A copy of a curious newspaper has
been found, in the 'French national
archives. It is dated January 4, 1808,
and is called "L'Athenee cies Dames."
The articles are entirely written
women, and the object of the paper
seems to have been an attempt to
place women on an equal footing
with an
-nen_
TOOK THEIR OWN FORKS.
Before the Revolution in France it
was customary when a gentleman was
invited out to dinner, for him to send
,his servant with a knife, fork and
spoon; or, if be had no servants, he
carried themwith him in his vest Poc-
ket.
STILL IN 'THE DA.RIK.
Dashavvay—I treed to find out last
night if any other fellow had kissed
Miss Palisade,
Cleverton—Dld yr,u1
Dashaway—No. She declared (here
hedn't,
DESIRABLE CHANGE. ,
Jeck—I am net myself at all this
morning, 8ue,
Sue -1 am 50 read to hear it, for you
are sure to be mere endurable, whoever
else you may have become,
STRffele,
Mother is coning fleet week for rt
little visit, dear.
Well, then, you'll have to let ihe
cook go. No man earl servo two Mae -
(Ars I
cHERDIPTTLLY 010,10E1) HIM.
Collectoe—I hope it won't itoonverie
pence; yeti, sir, to give tats the amount
et our tall,
Der% toicen-C or tainty not, The
amotitit of that bill is 028, Gad to
oblige yen i
While womankind in the most of the
eivilized world is studiously exact in,
her adherence to the lews of changing
fonbiou, set up by, nobody knows who,
but supposed to emanate from Parts. it
is singularly pleasant to COMO linone
one little nation where the weaker seer, ,
are utterly uninfluenced by Rivulet
notions' of dress and who, altbouele .
within a comparatively few miles of "
the eity on the Seine itself, still adhere
to the simple customs and costumes
ot the dames of the roneantie ages, The
woken of Brittany, whom More than
-
one novelist of ability has seen fit to.
select far his theme, are not essential-
ly romantic; nor are they as a no.tion
either more or less beautiful than'
their fair sisters the world Over, but
they do dress in a style absolutely
peculiar to themselves, and in/ a man-
ner so thoroughly naive that the lib-
rettoist is never tired of depicting
them. The short,. flounoed skirt and '
the, neat, White bodice of the Bre n.
maid kia:ve helped thousaieds, of pretty
chorus girls into' the, hearts of suecepe
tible admirers.
Of all the peculiar things pertain*
ing to these highly interesting wo-
men, it is fit that, marriage, always e.
most highly interesting theme, shouldl
be the most peculiar. There is, strictly
speaking, no existence in Brittane
that iatensely enjoyable period of re-,
lation known as "courting." Just as.
the great majority of raankind, being -
ignorant bf the kiss, have missed one
of the divinest institutions of our
civilization and should .have special
missionaries sent out to them at ones
to diftuse among their benighted soule
the ineffable ecstasy of the chaste
salute, so the unhappy Bretoe girl
has never thee saying of yea or no in.
regard to tier future mate, is never
encased by the insinuating arm a a
possibly faithful lover.
IP Brittany, in the sense of the
word coramon among us, there are no
lovers, for the ardent youth who
would take to himself a wife, must
first apply—not to mamma, which is
bad enough nor yet to papa, which is
even worse — but a cold, indifferent,
uninteresting third party, a village
or township officials, especdally select-
ed and elected to promote matri.4029,r,
and. whose say in the matter, unless a
bribe or undue influence be brought to
bear, is final. This most important
individual is known as "The Bazval-
an.' His title is derived from the
, wand of brown which he carries on all
errands of state, o,nd without which be
is as powerless as a Roman nabob
without his lictors.
When Jacques has picked out that
partieular pair, of eyes,of e,nleles, of
dimpled arms he is certain he wishes
to marry be repairs to the Bazvalan
and makes known his choice. Mcor
sieur Le Bazavlah at once girds aphis
lions, and, seizing his wand of broom
sallies forth to the parents or guardian
of the lass in question. When the he
of the house descries theebrocat '
proaching he knows that his-dau
is sought for, and that if he le willing
the Bazvalan is come to sweep her out,
A marriagw contract is dravvn, up and
signed by the lady's parents and the
prospective groom,. the lady herself
having no vome at all in the matter,
She is 'not expected to demur at any
choice, since the mighty Ba.zvalan end
her papa tleem it proper; nor, as aiele,
is there any objection on her part. As
in some other countries which might
be mentioned, she is usually quitewill-
ing to be wed.
The ceremony of sweeping out,
which the multitudes of archeologists,
amateur and professional, profieient
in Bretagne lore have endeavored to
define, probably- owes its origin to the
old Mosaic idea of having a married
couple start r. life 'with everything
new. The original eweeping was not
turned upon the bride, . but upon her'
old duds.. Be the origin what it may,
the sweeping out is to -day a prominent
part of the orthodox Bretagne wed-
ding, and the 'blows which the lusty
villagers all armed with wands of .
broom, showered upon the heads and
shoulders of the happy pair are not
nnlike our custom of throwing rice.
The sweeping out is a festival of great
joy, and generally occurs just before,
and not after, the actual eeremony.
THE BANANA AS A. FOOD PRODiriT
Twenty -Ewe 'Mates More Nutritious Than
God SYbile lare:til.
It, is worth noting, in connectioe
with periods of famine in India arid
elsewhere, what a vast supply ol
wholesome food exists in the bengal°,
treated as breadstuff. In the West
Indies the trait; is cut into "pegs" of
strips,. and dried in the sun, ehen
groan.d to powder in a mortar and -
sifted. This flour makes a conveni-
ent and nutritious adclitioe to the pro.
Visions the negro takes with him whee
travelling, andheknows the ann. 0
making it into a variety of eneetising
dishes, •
It is estimated that the banana hart •
forty-four times more nutritive Valmi
than the potato, 'and, is twenty -Live
times more naigitious than good white
breed. This fact hag induced the
linerioh Government to send a &motes.
siert to the United States* and Central
America to investigate the adaptability
at the banana Plant fax extensive ,
agrioultutal dperations in the Conga "
and tor the produetion of cheep toed
Lor the warking classes in Belgium,
Now the banana grows plentifully in
India, where it is, hosve,ven MI le used
in eamparison with DS universal
popularity to Aerica, A, roocl oe
there will maintain a large
and tartish them besides vvltli plan- '
thin beer.
NO CREDIT FOR GOOD INTENTIONS
Some people, ' said the boy, ,never
'thenk yo., no matter what ye do
fur 'ern. A teller put a bent mu on
the teeeher'e ehair tie other day, an'
when die, teacher was about to met
down. I 'jzulloJ the chair out from.
Aronvil,o iartolioa
,a e.ti vheh
e i leneke11003buslimey itf
tii ,