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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1933-11-02, Page 6PAGE SIX; THE SEAFORTH NEWS. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER aecete , w rie,i�.V'es tipmettatostitseteemptiasacaseassiistiessisageoleasaracavem r'a"rreAk Tl ;' "fIt'15 ` MI CHAPTER 1, "Tara, O'Taral where art thou?" ^Slother, I am here. 'Le it time?" "Yee; we should go with the offer- ings to the :.temple. Come, thy father hath 'long been gone, and it will be broad day ere we can reach it. Come," said' her mother, entering a small open verandah which skirted the inner court of the house, where the girl at reading by the ;fight of a lamp, now paling before the dawn which was last spreading over the Sky, She shut .her boole with a revenent- iai gesture, laid it aside in its quilted rover, and stood up. How beautiful she was! Let us describe this 'Brah- mtttn girl to you, 0 reader! if we can, and tell you a little colncerniag her. There were many fair women of her sect :n "I z„ilapor r, and they are al- ways the Inst remarkable of their cs untry-wt: tater, heat none so fair as Tara, the daughter of Vyas Shes'tree to 'hrahmun'a From her earliest childhood She had given promise of grace and beauty, and since that per- iod—from the time when, hanging shyly to the skirt of her mother's gar- ment. she passed daily through the crowded bazaar and street which led to the upper gate of the temple—to the present, she had even been an ob- ject of remark and admiration; while ;he rank and ,earning of her father, and his position as chief priest, had maintained for her a continued and in- creasing interest ae she grew up. Lone who had the privilege of ad- dressing her ever omitted a loving greetin_ cr respectful salutetion; the puthlic flower -sellers entreated her with then.' choicest. garlands or nose- gays to offer up at the shrine --- the confectioners ever had a delicate sweetmeat with which to 'tenint the child—;,n1 wen the rudest peasant or ,;tier !oelied at her: as ;l e passed him, in we alder, stetched out his hands to her, and kissed the tips of Itis flrtgere in a worshipful salutation and benediction. The promise of the child was more than fn1'filled in the girl now bedding into early womanhood; and her ap- pearance was so remarkable that, while many of her old friends in the haz1s • now rarely ventured to accost her, and even turned aside their heads reverently as .he passed, she could not traverse the crowded street which led from her house to the temple, or, indeed, move anywhere daring the day w'i'thout attracting ad- miration from the crowds of strangers who, from all .parts of India, visited that renowned shrine of winch her father was the chief priest and man- ,wet-, Many e pilgrim and worshipper •azed wonderingly upon the cairn, gentle face -.which mot him at the earl - test dawe in its let aiirnal peramhula teen r"ttwd the temple, " or followed with his eye the graceful h rare which, carrying the daily sacrificial offerings, descended the flights of steps by wide!) the Fhrine tres approached; and, lar away in his notice v.11ege, under the snows of Himalaya, the burning fiends cf Rarne shwur, or the green plains cd Bengal, 1.1i1 o1 the heamii110 vision, and never 'forgot it. Tara has been up since before the false (-lawn. She has ae.sistccl her fa- ther with water to bathe, and in his private worship of the household gods. She has bathed herself, and is now dressed in the simple sarees or robe of ell 'Hindu females, 0 iso. c dart: blue sill-, striped with a fainter blue,and has a' broad border of a light 'bet rich pattern harmonizing with the colours of the garment, which, con- sisting of one long piece only, is wound rotundher several itrnes to form a skirt, thenpassed about her body and river her head an the left side, whence the end, which e of rich gold tissue interwoven with crimson flowers and green leaves, hangs heav- ily over her right shoulder and hack. !Below 't'he ' garment is aclosely-fitting bodice of striped orange sill: only; hart no portion of it le visible except a little of the sleeve above the elbow. Tari is holding the horderof her dress close to her cheek. as if to conl veal i° es -en from her mother; and the graceful outline of her arm eney be. followed, from the tips of the taper fingers past ,the wrist partly covered with purple bangles and a massive gold ring, along the soft round arm to the dimpled elbow whence it is lost among the folds of the saree which fabs over it. Dv you expect that her complexion will be fair like that ofour own nor- thern girls :Ah, nal that would, not harmonize with the dress or the coun- try; and yet it is very fair, 'Not a deep rich olive, but what seems at a first glance pale and colourless; yet the skin is so glossy and transparent that• the warm glow of her blocs is suffused Mader it with the 'least passing emo- tion or excitement, w'hich, as it fades, leaves, as you think, a more beautiful tint behind. .Aod the features harmonized with the colour. To a casual observer their expression was almost oneof habitual sadness, yet it was not in reality: there 'w0S calm, which as yet had known no rude ruffling—a sweetness that was index to asimple, loving, truetf,tl mind. True, she had cares be- yond those of ordinary household oc- currences, and these had no doubt ire creased the pensive expression always remarkable. 'So her countenance was not easy- to describe: nod could you account very well for the patient, care- entering are- en't lr n, look which met you frons 1e so young. What every one saw ;irst, were the so'f't brown eyes, shad- ed with long eyelashes which rested ellen the cheek. Ordinarily, perhaps, or if 40(111 when cast down, these eyes appeared nowise remarkable; yet if passing emotions were noticed, they closed when she waS merry, till only a ',right spark el light remained glint-' ening through the long gashes; and af0(1111. if 01lrprise, wonder, or admira- tion were excited, they suddenly ex -i ^solid, so that one looked into a 'tenth e>1 clear glowing colour, violet crud brown, the expression of which emeld not he fathomed, But 11abltital- ly they were Modest, pensive, and gentle -4M! of intelligence, and seem- ed to correspond with a low musical ea.lence ni voice perfectly natural, yet Asisted, perhape, by the habit of reading- and sttld3-ing aioud, which she had learned tram 'her father, In 'those calm eyes there was as yet no passion of any Lind. 'Some suffering, perhaps, h11t no rough awakening to the reali- ty of life. The ret of her face left nothing to be desired. The Brahmans of Western India usually possess features more European in their character than those f the same sect in other parts of the country, and in this respect the wo- men share then with the mete, if they io tvrt, indeed, exceed them. So Tara hal a ,',ft oval face, with small i1111 1t'>; and mouth, a thin straight nose it',f nnstrita almost transparent, which seemed to obey the passing em"tm'1 f her cottn'teance, 'Though tiie features 1verc soft, theyy were nei- ther impel e r weak in character; on the contrary, they appeared full of a ''Aw1n', best strength endtlran ee '',rd patience: while, in ,the full gloss' chit an throat, enough of determina- tion was expres,5d to show ,firmness and consistency of no common order, riecept the eyes, perhaps, there was n feature taf the face which could be ^..tilled exactly beautiful, yet the whole i01ilhiiterl to create au expression which was irresistibly interesting and charming; and where all harmonized, separate portions were not remankerl, Every movement of her lithe form was displayed by the soft silk drapery which fell over it in those graceful folds which we see expressed. in an- cie'nt statues, and it was cast '011 those full yet delicately rounded proportions which sculptors have hest loved to imitate. Standing as she was, the girl had fallen into an attitude which was most expressive; her head .raised and tnrnerl to meet her mother's ontranc5 a delidate naked foot, with a chain i klet of ;old resting 011, it, ptlt alit from beneath her robe: her eyes Open, Yet tat to their full w'idih: and her dins apart, disclosing 'the even glisten teeth:---shc appeared, in her er-' ieseed movement, as if she waited ted' some further communication from her mother, ' had hereel one make e, or . d r E o c to before she stirred, rNo wonder that, ,as each morning she left .the -house with her mother to pay her devotions at the temple, and, Passed aloglg with downcastes, 11er, graeeful figure attracted increasedyat' tention day by day. Maneaa good wish followed her --, many, a benediction_ front the aged poor of the, tawu, " to Whom herrarities were liberally dis' penned; .athd it might be, 'too, that other admiration, less pore in its char- acter, also rested upon her, and often,' unknown to her, dogged' her steps. The con'trast between ,Tara and her mother was in most respects a sulk ing one. No onecould deny. that An snda!Bye was a hanclson}e woman; her neighbours ' and gossips told her so, and she quite believed it, ,She look- ed, too, very young of her age; and as s'he. sailed' d'own or up the street leading to' the temple, and received the humble salutations of shopkeepers, flower -sellers, and all the tradesmen' of that busy quarter, with ,an air which plainly showed how much she considered it due to her rank slid sta- tion—ft would have been difficullt to say whether the timid ;girl following her, and screening her face from the gaze of the people as she moved along, was her daughter or youngest sister. Either site might be, and it seemed more probable the latter, than the former. 'railer than her daughter as yet, Anunda !Bye was not without much of the same grace of figure; but it was east on a bolder scale- The features were more decided and prominent, ehe colour several shades darker. The face, handsome as it was, had little of the softening element of intellectuality in it; and:lnntntla was igunrant of every- thing, but household management, in which she excelled, in add depart- ments, to a degree that macre her the envy of her female acquaintance„ and her !maimed the envied of his male essocilttes whose domestic affairs were r,nt conducted stitch the same regular- ity, and whose cookery was not so good. Enter the Shastrec's house at any time, and you were at once struck with its great neatness. The floor was always plastered with liquid clay by the women -servants when he was ab- sent at ten temple for nwruing wor- ship, and retained a cool freshness while it dried, and, indeed, during the day, 3e was generally decorated by Pretty designs in white and red chalk powder cdropped betweetn he finger and thumb, in the execution of which both mother and daughi0" were very expert and accomplished. The tihas- tre, s seat, which was, in fact, a small raped 'dial at one side of the large room, was usually decreed with flow- er,, -while upon the floor before it, the greatest artistic skill was expend- ed ill ornament by Tara and her mother. Above it were pictures of favourite divinities, painted in dis- temper colour: the amorous blue - throated Krishna playing to the dam- sels of Muttra; the solemn four -armed Gaueelta, sitting with a grave eleph- ant', head on his shoulders; the beau- tiful Laksltlnec-end Sltruswuti, the gotcic-oses of wealth and learning, the objects of household adoration: and 010 terri'hbe six -armed B!how'ani in her (mutest with the demon \'(aheshwnr, in eomnlctnoration of which the tem- ple had been erected—all surrounded by wreaths of flowers interwoven with delicate border patterns; — had been partly executed by the Shastree him- self, and partly by Tara, tvho follow- ed his tastes and accomplishments af- ter a pretty fashion, 'Thus decorated, the dins had a cheerful effect in the room: and choice and intimate friends only were admitted to the privilege of sitting upon it The house itself was perhaps in no degree remarkable. Outside, facing the street, vias 0 high wall, with a large door within a P10jeetdn.g porch or archway, which had a seat on ei- ther hand a; you entered. The rinnr- 711111c 1(10 richly carved, and on each side a harsc s head projected from the upper corner. Above the door, in a space left for the purpose, was writ- ten in reel Satiicrit letters, "Srec Mar tuned 1'russuun "The holy Mar'tund protects'," and \farttmd w<es one of the appellations of Siva. This legeed War.; surrounded by wreaths of flower-, the same colour; and, across the whole was a garland of mango leaves row withertd, which had hung there. since the last festival. As you entered the court, the prin- cipal room , was before you, on the basement of the .house, which you, as- cended by three steps. It was a wide npen verandah, extending the width of the court, supported 100(1 057011 wooden pillars, also richly carved, en which- crossed square capitate were fixed, and from these, beans were raid to farm the roof. This verandah was double; the inner portion being raised a step above the other to form a dais, *ard at each end of the inner portion were two small rooms lit 'the corners. ere of which vias the Shastt'ee's lib - The whole of these verandahs could be shirt in closely by heavy cm - tains of quilted cotton,, neatly coita- nceeteeb by devices of birds and flow- ers, which -hung between the pillars•, taut usually all was`onen, or clnse11 only by 'Lransparel t brands of split elute snspeuded outside,. 1Havivg a northers aspect, this room was atlwayscool, and was ';the ordinary resort of the 'Shastree,. Here be received his friends .and. neigh boors, 'held dispatetiogs, and instruct- ed his pupils, The Wooteh'seldom, 'en- tered it except iii the eve1li'ngs evhen undisturbed; for, although 'ttnsechuled from men, a certain degree - of reserve and retirement is always ` observable in the wbme 1 Of 1FIindh families. There was no ornantemt about the n7ah1 apartment excopt the IS•hastree's dais, and the borders : ;painted about niches and architraves of the doors; but it was kept a pure while, and was scrupulously clean. ria the centre of the bade os ll of the inner verandab,was a door which opened into a second court, round which was `a verendlah, tflso open, end, leading from it onthree sides, .steep- ing cheincbers and a bath -room.. In thisverandah there was nothing but a few spirtit'dug-wheels and their low stools; for Anun<da Bye 'lead no idea of allowing women -servants to be idle, and when thc'w'ere not working otherwise, they -were spinning cotton yarn for their o'w•11 clothes, IAnunda, herself had her wheel, and Tara hers, and sometimes they spun yarn dine enough for the IShasttee's waist -cloths, On •t'he fourth side of the court was the 'kitchen, and, passing by it, a dor led into a third court, more private, though not so large as the second. 'In the eetnr5 of it was an altar painted in distemper, on which grew a bush of loolse0 or sweet basil, grateful to the gods; and in the verandah, anoth- er altar, similar i11 form, on which burned the sacred fire never exting- uished. Close to it was the boor of the private temple of the house, which contained the household gods of the family. Isere it was 'that Tara best loved to sit when her share of domes- tic affairs was completed. ''T•Iere she tended the sacred fire, and offered worship, such as a woman would per- form, 0 the temple, She had a small garden in one corner of the court, which eotltai11et1 a tees jea5a111itie bushes, marigolds, and other com- mon flowers, which she cultivated for offerings to the household gods in the daily worship. (Here should study un- disturbed, aad did so 'with all her heart—here, too, it was that her moth. er found her. There was no decoration about the house, except, as w5 have already mentioned, border pattern:/ and quaintly designed birds and flowers upon the walls. Furniture, such as we nerd, was unknown. 4 small cotton pillow covered with white calico, set - ,tied for sitting tr reclining; and as the goddess B'howani, in her incarnation at Tooljapoor, does not choose, as is believed, that any one in 'elle town should lie upon a bed except herself, d cotton mares, on the their, or a coal that, stance,' for sleeping. The 'house, therefore, would have appeared bare in any of my reader,' eyes; but it was 'neat and pleasant to look at: and one .can imagine, though decorated in a higher style of are the Roman houses at Pompeii to have been similar in most respects of plan and domestic arrangement, There was 110 evidence of wealth, yet the Shastree was a prosperous man; and could you have ,een Alma - da Bye's stores of copper a1d brass (,te.'sils — large vessels for boiling vast quantities of rice on festivale and household ceremonies — her brass lamps and candelhra. her silver plate; for eating from, and silver drinking vessels;—you could have seen the .con- tents of her private room, in which' were sundry large chests, full of 0are05, or women's garments, of great value; some heir -looms, woven with gold anti silver thread, each having its peculiar history; the shawls which be- longed to '11er husband, the gifts of princes and nobles, tributes to his learning, of which she was very proud --could you have seen, too, 'the'strong box that lay hidden among the clothes n1 the largest chest, full of family jetvel,s and ornaments, among which were two necklaces of fine pearls, tint siv5 g'rlrl ornaments for ankles and wrist, for neck and cat, could you have seen all these, and ,lm heavy gold cinctures rnunll Allende's. and Tara's triol ttaists, and their maesfve gold bracelets and anklets, yon would have been envious, my dear reader. of conoiderah'le wealth in this particular. Otherwise, indeed, the Shastree, was a man of substance. Being an only nn, with no other sharers, at his fathers Isati,, he had inherited censider'ble property, .['le had 'him- self carder, by 1115 scholarly abilities, a small estate in 'a neighboring prov- ince, the rent of which was punctual- ly paid, and sena improving, for he was a good landlord. He derived a handsome income from the temple service, and from the offerings made to him as head of the establishment. Ile farmed some land, too, near the town, nm the hank of the small river Boree,' and had au excellent garden near the village of Sindeeh'el, in the plain below the hills, teh daily supply if vegetables from which was very nrofitable from the large and con- slanl cortstunetion in the tmwn. Fin - elk?, El's one of the tiirsst rearmed Sail. ;crit scholars of the Dekkan, hisn- of .,tluction was held in deserved repute aced his classes, were Sattended by young Brahntuds from all parts' of 'the, ementry, +from 'whom he received; fees according to ih•eir nteanis. • CI:IIAIPTIER fa; liltmany respects aVyas ISh'astree Was a,lemarka'ble man, 'and 'very cde- seevedly, he was held in 'great respect throeg'hout the country,::N•o ane could: look Ore him s'ilhout being cons;ious of his extreme' gobtct ibreedeng and In- tellectuality, 'Wen made, there was ua tIppeerlice'-of great strength, though in elle town ,gy1n11asienlr:as a youth, lie had held his' owls among the wrestlers, and had e'en been, fame - oils as a swrord-player, These were troubled times; when a km:eve:ledge :of w'eap'ons was 'needed by aft men, and even peaceful 'mercha'ints and priests did Ito[ neglect the use of them; but, as ' he grew older, the 'Sh'asitree had laid aside these exercises, and spare, strong muscular arms 'were perhaps the only evidence of them that remain- ed. ICertainly'the head and face were fine. The forehead ,was high and broad, slightly wrinkled now, and fur- rowed by parallel lines. The head was shaved, `except the lock behind, and its intellectual organs'were prominent. The eyebrows, strongly marked, but not bushy, prdjected 'boldly over ex- pressive eyes of a deep steel grey which were very bright and c'le'ar, and a prominent nose of Roman character, which corespohtded with a well -shaped mouth and e'hin. Certainly it was a handsome face --pale, sallow perhaps in color, yet healthy, and which oc- casionally assumed a noble and ever haughty expression; but ordinarily, it was good-humoured: and evidently elevated and prified in character b3 intellectual pursuits. The Shastree was a ratan of note as to learning and accomplishments. He was a profound Sansrit, scholar; and in law, .grammar, and logic, with the deep metaphysics of the Vedas, and their commentators, he had few super- iors. With mathematics and astron- omy to calculate eclipses and positions of planets, he lead sufficient acquain- tance to assist an old friend, who was infirm, in the arrangement of the "Tool+japoor Almanac," a task by no oceans easy, as it included calculation of the eclipses .of the year, and astro- logical tables, Of the popular Poor- 110s'he had less knowledge, or perhaps 4111 110t believe them; and, as many do now in these latter days, heir more to the ancient \Tedatl'tic theism than to the modern idolatry of tete Poorauic worship, The Shastree, as a devout IB rahn111n, had made pilgrimages, be- ing accompanied by his wife; and in disp'itatione at Benares, Natddea in !bengal, and Gya as well as at \Ia- dura and 'Con'jev.uam, in the south of India had gained credit, if not .res 110W11. an lighter accomplishments, too, such as music, ,he had a fair ailment of knowledge, and sang sweetly the various Rags, IDroopuds and other pleasures .of the classic styles, He con- sidered. perhaps, ordinary songs below notice; yet when he relaxed, 11114 was prevailed 'upon to sing some of the plaintive ballads of hie oval \[ahratta country, to his own Vine accompani- ment, or any of his own compositio'ns, the effect was very chartering. Tara had been carefully I i c ecu taught 1 him and 3 � Y at the neighbors often listened to her sweet voice in the morning and even- ing hymns, and chants of the service, •n the li'tle temple of the house. Yet wit'h all this wealth, which he shared. liberally with the poor—all this world - y good and honour--IV'vyas Shastree had two great cares which pressed mon hint heavily, and were shared by lois wife. The first was that he had no sou; the second,. that his beautiful daughter was already a virgin widow, LAnrl these were heavy griefs. Continued Next Week. SHIM 'MILK OR NIEAT FOR WINTER EGGS In order that a poultryman may get every rent .of profit enuring to him, be must avail himself of all the means at hie disposal to produce cheaply: !For instance when whole mill: is sold anywhere from .60c to a dollar a hundred pounds, skint milk has little value, yet if it is fed to poultry .it will bring fair ,returns, If skim milk were used itisteacl of beef slcraps as a source of animal feed, poultrymen would cut .clown on their feed bill and their cots of egg production at the sons time. An experiment conducted at the Dominion. Experimental Station, Cap Rouge, ,Que., for five seasons proved rather'conclusively that the lot of birds 'receiving skill-nailk laid more eggs and gained 'more weight than the one which wag fed beef scrap, other feeds being the sante, Skim-uupk should always he fed sweet.. or always soar so as to avoid bowel' troubles. Where skim -milk is pot available beef -scrap will have to be resorted to but the cost of produc- tion will be higher. No poultryman or firmer keeping he can afford these days' to feed expensive animal feeds PROFE'SSIOiNAL CARDS Medical D'R. H. H1OQH ROSS, Pliyaiciers and Surgeon,, Irate of London' Hoa'. petal, London, England. Specda3 attention to ^ diseases of, the: eye,i sass'. nose and throat, `'Office and mad- dence behind' Dominion Bank, Office ercial Hotel, Seatorbh, 3rd Monday ie;u Phone No, 5; Residence Phone 140. DR, F. J B'URRIOWIS, 'Seafoa-tde, Office and ,residence, ; Godericli' etrrgt, east of the United ,Church, Coataasoir 'for the County of Huron. Telephocte No. 46. DR, F, J. R. F0'RiSTER--');ye, Roo Nose and T.Sroat, Graduate is baits- eine, University of Toronto /ON. Late Assistant New York 'Opltttzm& mic and Aural Institute, MooreSreltf5a Eye, and Golden Square throat [meet. 5als, London, England. At Comm,. ercial Hotel, :Seaforth, 3rd. !Monday in each month, from 11 a.m. to 3 ff,es. DR, W. C. S'PIRO:AT,—'Gradttz0 eti Faculty of Medicine, University' 04 Western Ontario, London. If craw of College of Physicians and Sttei- geons of Ontario. Office in re= ad Aberhart's drug store, Seagos'& Phone 90. Hours 1.30-4 p.an., 7. -9 p.m, Other Nouns by appointment, Dental DR. J. A. MUNN, Successor eat Dr, R. R. Ross, graduate of Noseti western University, Chicago, Ill- Le- centiate Royal College of Dental Sec- geons, Toronto. Office over Sffdfz hardware, Main St„ Seaforth. Plume 151. DR. F. J. BECHELY, graduate., .1 Royal College of Dental Surgeuax, Toronto, Office over W. R. Seajt&x'rr grocery, Main St„ Seaforth. ?1a1a.ea.. office 185'W, residence 1857. Auctioneer. GEOIRGE ELLIOTT, Lict.W.csed. Auctioneer for the County of Iiacee., Arrangements can be made for Sale Date at The Seaforth News, CfIeanges1 moderate and satisfaction gurameeed WATSON AND REWP : REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE AGENCY:' (Succssors to James 'Watsosv MAUN ST., SEAFO'RTH, 0NT'. All kinds of Insurance risks effect- ed at lowest rates in First-£'fxs'r. Companies. THE McMCLLOP Mutual Forelusuraima Cos HEAD OFFICE—SEAFORTH, 0155± OF'FICE'RS Geo. R. McCartney, Seaforth - Encs_ James Connolly, Goderich - Vice-+4.7re:, Merton A. Reid, Seaforth-'Sec.- AGENTS: / W. E. Hinchley, Seaforth; Jelhsa 'Murray, R. R, 3, Seaiorbh; E. P,. G_ Yarmouth, B'rodhageu; James Watt_ B4yt'h; C. 'F. Hewitt, K'incardine.' 1'Vnt. 'Yeo, Ilolinesville. DIRECTORS: William Knox, Imudes'boro; Gear• Le-on'hardt, I3roclhagen; James Cott- Holly, Goderieli; Alex, Broad'foot, 110.. 3, Seaforth; Robert Ferris, fikrelsy George McCartney, No, 3, Seaforttf.a John Pepper, Brucefield; James Simi - dice, Wanton; Thomas \;toylaa, Ne. so Seaforth. Parties desirous to effect insrr' e 0 or transact other business, will:'I••;e promptly attended to by applicatfec>a to any of the above named officers a4-, dressed to their respective poet! offices. (71150 they can use skim -milk. 'ate greater advantage, ,Let 'us snake a. bets - ter use of the products which are at. our dlispos'al: — Experimental Farms: INonte, Otte dose of Miller's 'Worm: Plw-• clers'wi'l4 clear the s'to'mach and 'boa ds. of warms, so that the child w113 rro> more 'be troubled by their ravages,.,• The powders are sweet to the taste, and no child will object tr, taking; them, They are non -injurious 'dn titesr composition, and while 'dn 'some cases, they tray cense vomiting, that must not be talren';as a sign that they art nauseating, but as an indication ' •of' their effective woi>k,