Exeter Advocate, 1909-07-01, Page 2EVIbENCES OF RELI610N
Its Fruits are to be Seen in Noble
Lives and Kindly Deeds
"Ye shall know them by their
fruits."—Matthew, vi., I0.
Back of the now generally ac-
cepted statement that you may
know each man's faith by the fruits
of his daily living lies another truth
of not less importance, that the only
safe test for any faith, for any reli-
gion, is in its fruitage in the lives
of people and in the conditions
which it produces.
Any system of religious principles
and ideas holds authority for us, not
because of the wonder elements in
its historical or legendary begin-
nings, but because of the power it
has to win our admiration, to
arouse our better passions, and to
stir us to noble endeavor and to
better living. A faith has to be
judged by its present fruits and not
by its roots buried in the dark past.
We do not need to worry over the
history of a faith in its beginnings;
we need not allow the legends that
havo grown up to account for the
wonderful characters of some of its
ideals to stand in the way of our
appreciation of its present values.
Many persons are seriously con-
cerned as to religion. They know
that it meant much to their mothers
and fathers; they feel it ought to
mean something definite and vital
to thein, but they cannot force
themselves to believe
THE LEGENDARY WONDERS
and the philosophical absurdities
that seem to be inseparably bound
up with religion.
Is there not a plain path for ua
all here, to take religion on the
evidence of its real, present values?
If it is true that you cannot afford
to stultify your mind with super-
stition, it is equally true that you
cannot afford to allow prejudice to
rob your life of the tremendous
contribution which religion has to
make to it.
We may test every faith wholly
by its fruits. What is it doing for
the world 1 What effect dues it
have on the characters, dispositions,
deeds of those who follow it? Is
any community the better for_ those
who hold a certain faith? Does it
raise ideals, supply motives for
high, helpful conduct, and amelior-
ate the conditions of living? Does
it make life richer and more reason
able h
The apple tree in your old orch-
ard may have had many a misshap-
en root, many a feeder under the
soil that twisted and turned around
bowlder or stump, but the twisted
roots never interfered with your
enjoyment of the fine, rich fruit.
You judged the tree by its efficiency
in doing its particular business.
You could enjoy its products even
though much pomology remained
a mystery to you.
Men suffer and sacrifice because
they have seen the vision of that
which is higher and better than
ease or profit. Many are giving
their full, efficient lives in service
of their fellows because they have
learned to interpret life in the
terms of religion, of self -giving
LOVE AND SACRIFICE.
That sense of the higher values of
life, that consciousness of the ends
of living which makes us more than
clay, that faith in the eternal right-
ness of the universe that makes it
evidently better being good than
bad, being right than wrong under
all conditions—this is religion, and
every man may know its fruitage
in humanity and judge it thereby.
You must not judge any tree by
its orchard, by its owner, nor by
the crates that its fruit is packed
in. You have no right to ignore re-
ligion because of its legendary ac-
cretions of its present day incid-
ents; you must know it by its es-
sential effects on the lives
ofs men.
.
n
This is no academic, philosophi-
cal
cal inquiry. It is a matter for us
all whether we will live by the
direction of such motives as those;
whether we will take life in the
terms of its higher values; whether
we really have faith to follow this
high vision that shows the path of
living for the sake of the full, fine,
ideal life, and find the full fruitage
of life in following our own best
faith.
HENRY F. COPE.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTE:11NATIONA1. LESSON,
JULY 4.
Lesson I. Paul's Second Misolon-
ary Journey. Golden Text,
Acts 16: 8.
I. Planning fur the Second Mis-
sionary Campaign.—Acts 15: 36-39.
The lesson for toelay connects with
not mar his whole career because
of one youthful mistake. And the
future proved that Barnabas was
right in nis judgment. Paul him-
self in later years found that Mark
had developed into a man of great
heart, self -forgetful and courage-
ous, whom he could love and trust
and respect. In his two imprison-
ments St. Paul mentions Mark in
terms of high approval (Col. 4: 10,
11; Philemon '24; 2 Tim. 4: 11).
Paul on the other hand was will-
ing to take the risk of having as
his assistant u young man who had
failed him in one of the great crises
the eighth lesson of eur last quarter, of his life; and had nut yet proved
dangerous journey as was now be-
fore thein from which he had re-
coiled three or four years before.
Paul was apparently in not very
firm health, and it was absolutely
necessary to liavo a perfectly re-
liable helper.
Both Barnabas and i'aul were
right, and therefore each one stool
steadfastly by his own judgment.
'l'.trre was only one solution of
the trouble, and that was to part
as friends, and make two mission-
ary companies instead of one.
ii. New Work in Old Fields.—
Act s le: 40; 16: 1-10. Barnabas and
Mark went to Cyprus where the
tanuly of
Barnabas belonged (Acts
4: 36), and where he went with Paul
on the first missionary journey
(Acts 13: 4-12). Barnabas is not
mentioned again in the Acts, for ho
did not comp again within the plan
of that history; but "the choir in-
visible" on earth is heard in heaven
and the ret,.rd% of the faithful are
written in the Book of Life. Mark
is mentioned again through his
connection with Paul.
The Companions of Paul. Paul
chose Silas as his companion in
the place of !Minoltas. Silas (a
contraction of the Silvant's of the
Epistle•) was one of the lenders of
the mother church at ,Jerusalem.
Ile came to Antioch with Paul ns
their deleq-,te nfter the great eon-
ference (Arts 15: 221. Like Pail.
train work w.' to he ,lone, for same be was 81;<.nlnn citizen (Ilendall1.
re* '' left the mis>~tonnrie., and re- and was In thorough sympathy with
turned home. ]low much the dangers him.
of a wild almost unknown country, 111. The Beginnings of Chris -
how much the malarial sickness on tianity in Europe. ---Vs. 11-13. The
the coast which may have attacked four missionaries immediately sail
and weakened the young man. hail from Tina.s in a straight course. c0
to do aith his return we do not m.. e, to the island of Snrnothranie,
the first day. The next day they
sailed 75 miles to Neapolis (New
('its. Naples), the seaport of
Philippi. Everything was favor-
able. ter they made in two nr three
days a journey which took Paul at
another time five days (:lets 20:61.
Thence ten mil0=, by land or by th-
rives. to Philippi.
Philipni was named after Fins
Philin of Macedon. 1t is trilled
(v. 121 the chief city of that , art i
Maredonin t;'e fila in rank. 0. ,1
which describes ttie epoch making himself able to undertake such a
gathering at Jerusalem to settle
the disputed questions concerning
the reception of the Gentiles into
ttic church wish th. Jews.
For some time after that Paul
and Barnabas, the returned mis-
sionaries, preached the word of the
Lord in the home church at Antioch
which had sent them forth.
But the missionary spirit burned
within them and Paul proposed
to Barnabas that they return to
their mission field which needed
thein more than the Borne city
where were many preachers and
teachers.
He should visit his spiritual chil-
dren to see how they were growing
in grace. Ile would look at the
tender vines in the vineyard he had
planted to see what further caro
was required. These churches, so
far separated from ethers, having
received but n small portion of the
truths of the gospel, exposed to
temptations, to errors, and to
dangers, had no small need of
apostolic care and training.
Barnahas was quite willing to
go.
Then arose a practical question
between them. They needed some-
one to go with them as an assistant
In many ways.
Barnabas wanted to take with
them his young cousin John Mark.
who had started with them on
their first tour. hart on reaching
the coast of .lwhere their
know.
Barnabas had good reasons for
wanting to take his cousin with
him. The young man wanted to
go. Doubtless he was sorry that he
left the missionary company three
nr four year. before. a peeially
when at Jerusalem he heard the
glowing accounts of their sleeve,.
and was fired nith new missionary
peal. ile warted to redeem his
ehiracter and life Barnabas real-
ised the possibilities in .1' he
ilark 110 loved him. He loelieio'd
In him Ile %rented to K;ve the i seder the emper' r. mrd Tu.! tee
young elan nnnther chance. and 1 creme.
tt++++ +++++♦+++++ +++ ++2
The Man From
Over There
}
i+++++++++++++++++++ +4+
The man's eyes appeartd just
above the ledge of the open window
and stared straight into mine ques-
tioningly.
They were big eyes, dilated with
excitement, and they wore a hunt-
ed, panic-stricken look, such as you
may seen in the eyes of a rabbit
that has ben trapped.
"Better come right in," 1 said.
The rest of his head appeared
ever the ledge, and the face of an
old -young man with a short, un-
trimmed beard was revealed.
My study window was about
twelve feet above the garden, and
he had managed to scramble up by
a pipe. Now a leg was flung over
the window ledge and my visitor
was preparing to spring into the
room.
r:.1,01•• 'hat i4 n llnntat) i- 1.,71.
The strangeness if this intrusion
and something in the man's eyes
made me cautious. I unlocked the
bottom right-hand drawer of the
writing -table, took out the revol-
ver that lay there, slipped in a
cartridge, and laid the weapon on
the table by niy side.
The roan watched the proceedings
with attention, and finally nodded
approval with an air of assurance
that was not without humor.
Then ho threw his leg over the
window ledge and sWpped into the
room. Ho was panting and ex-
hausted; though he was well dress-
ed, his clothes were soiled by climb-
ing up the face of the house, and
one hand was bleeding slightly.
He sank into the arm -chair and
wiped the perspiration from his
forehead, his head dropping for-
ward and his chin resting on his
b reast.
"Been running?" I asked.
He nodded, breathlessly.
I studied his appearance curious-
ly. He was a little, wiry man, and
not more than five -and -twenty
years of age in spite of the ugly
growth of beard. Now that the
'iced for effort had passed, he was
trembling from head to foot, and
he drew in his breath with a queer,
half -sobbing sound. Sometimes his
eyes wandered furtively to the win-
dow.
"Are the police after you?" I
asked.
He had recovered his breath
somewhat. "Yes. I had to ,print
for it," he said. "Vaulted the
wall at the end, scrambled along
the gardens, saw your window open
and climbed up."
"And here you are."
He nodded. The man bore him-
self, in spite of his physical dis-
tress, with an air of self-posses-
sion that was almost ludicrous. It
didn't appear to occur to i tin that
any apology was needed for it,`rud-
ing upon the privacy of it law-abid-
ing citizen with the -police at his
heels.
"What's the trouble?" I asked.
"Murder?"
I made the suggestion at random,
never dreamed I had bit upon the
tru
"Yoth.
u've gltessod be skid.
"I'11 tell you the yarn directly. f
want to stroke now."
His assurance was imperturbable.
He admitted the charge as casual-
ly as if he had borrowed somebody's
utnbrella and forgotten to return
it
"You're a cool hand," 1 said.
"You don't imagine I'ut going to
shelter you, do you?"
"I guess you'll please yourself
about that," he replied. "You've
got mo all right."
As he stoke he stretched out his
hand to the pipe -rack by his side,
selected one of my briars, and then,
without so much as "By your
leave," reached fur tho tobacco
jar.
"i'm a bit blown," he remarked,
as he pushed tobacco into the pipe.
"Clot a tnatch 1"
His effrontery was irresistible,
but, feeling that. I was master of
the situation, I decided to allow
the comedy, or tragedy, which ever
it might prove to be, to play itself
out. -
Ilo sat there for a few minutes
putting smoke luxuriously, and I
stared at him and—wondered. 1Vhy
is it that a peaceful, well -regulat-
ed citizen like myself, who would
never dream of breaking the laws
' ,-f the land, should feel an instinc-
' tiie sympathy with a fugitive from
justice 1
1 ought to have tackled (1 is man
and rnagtered him—which I could
1 have done quite easily, without the
assistance of the revolver ---and
t'anded him over to tho police.
There was no reason in the world
why i should listen to his story,
which he was pi i-bably inventing
at this very moment. If he was nn
innocent man, it rested with him
to prove it to the authorities; if
he was guilty, he must take his
T•unishment.
And yet. such i= e queer twist
•,f human nature, i was hi.pingdrep
(ken at the bottom of my heart that
be would he able to make out a
pains to maintain an air of detach-
ment, though the team's impudence
fascinated me.
"I'll give you the flat-footed
truth," he said, coolly. "As a rule,
though, that's the last thing in the
world people believe."
He knocked the loose tobacco -
ash into his hand and dropped it
upon the carpet. "1 conte from
over there," lie remarked, jerking
his thumb vaguer toward, the
.West.
"America?"
"Now York."
"I thought so.'
He studied me thoughtfully.
"What made you think so? Ac-
cent 1"
"Partly. But nobody but an
American would have the" --I hesi-
tated for the expression, and, re-
jecting "impudence," substituted
"presence of mind" --"would have
the presence of mind to climb in-
ti, a stranger's house and chuck
tobacco -ash upon his carpet."
He signified his appreciation of
this point without embarrassment.
"I ran a dry goods store," he
went on. "Did pretty well. Had a
partner. Partner's name was
Bowles; mine's Vagrant. We had
a big deal on to buy up another
firm. Bowles pulled out. just when
I wanted him, went over ko the
enemy, and burst me up."
I wondered how much of this was
true and how much of it was in-
vented while he was loading his
,Pipe.
"It was a low down trick, sir,'
he said, emphatically. "1 was go-
ing to bo married to a hundred -
thousand -dollar -girl. As it was,
Bowles made half a Million, and 1
had to creep into a hole and pull
the holo in after etc•. That was
twelve months ago, but, 1 reckoned
I'd get level with Bowles. I've
been scraping the pieces together
to follow him to this country. Lye
been on his track for three weeks.
,He's staying at tho Cecil, but 1
never had the luck to got hiin all
to myself for ten minutes."
"You set out to kill him!" 1 said
coldly.
"Not me, r.ir. I didn't want to
gratify Bowles by hanging for hlin.
I in not playing nigger jokes. 1
wanted to lay a stick across him.
I wanted to make hint yelp. 1
wanted to mark him, so that every
time he looked at his ugly face in
the glass he'd say to himself,
"That's what 1 got for playing a who's in here?" inquir«t the
low down trick on Vagrant.' You
Ace my game, sir I I wanted to inspector.
quake that man sorry for himself.' I felt. my blood run cold. My
"it strikes me as shocking waste wife was staying in Bournemouth.
of time and energy. But go on.
My visitor looked as if, with
more time at his disposal, ho would
like to convince rile of the peculiar
fitness of making your enemy yelp.
"Bowles was slum," he wgnt on.
"I could never catch hiui in a cosy
corner. Then I heard he waw buy -
billdog type-- the kind of loan who, 1 sled a person with any decent feel -
whom be once lays hold of a prig- I ills.
c.ner, never lets go aga.iu, but is 4hH'' smiled pleasantly,
slow to move. ••Ttanks, old boy," she said. "You
He felt called upon to tell me the stay kiss me if you like."
w hole story, and 1 asked a series "Oh, don't be ridioulous !" 1 said
of questions. The police had been sharply.
searching all the roads in the dis- This was carrying a joke too far.
triet, and a lady whose house back- If the impudent little rascal had
r I upon mine had seen someone come a foot nearer, I should have
climb into my study window. knocked him dew a.
"'But I have boen sitting iu the "Would you like the sonata le
to fetch a cab, ma'am?" inquired
study for the last two hours," 1
said. "No one could have eaterec! the inspector, affably.
"If he would be so good," said
without illy seeing him."
The constable looked perplexed, my visitor, with what was intended
for a winning smile. "And 1 do tee
but. luckily omitted to ask point- hope roti will catch this horrid
hlank if 1 had seen him. team.
"You had better come up and The constable left the room, and
see the room," I suggested. I wished the in,pectour would fol -
Ten minutes had been wasted in low his example. But he foltealled
convcrsatiou. We proceeded up- upon to tell an anecdote akout a
stairs and were joined by a smart- smart capture tie once madill. when
koking inspector, who was by no he was stationed at 1Vhitechapel.
means the kind of man to be hood- My "wife" listened with an air
winked easily. of rapture. and the inspector bab-
Ttin study was enmity when we bled on maddeningly. At length
reached it, and my visitor had care- a message was brought up that the
fully reniloved all marks of his vis- cab sad arrived. I had to get th
it. The revolver which 1 had laid servants out of the way and aocont-
on the corner of the writing -table pany my visitor to the door. He
bad disappeared. Probably he had shook hands with the inspector mos
tiansferred it to his pocket, and affably, winked at me impudently
if he was caught it would be, traced and begged me, iu a whisper, not
to me 'without difficulty. Tho pipe te a bel anxieous ns accountthe cab and
be had been smoking had been re- got into
placed in the rack. was driven away. I
The two officers looked round the I returned to the house acrid,
room carefully and stared out of somewhat to my annoyance, the in -
the window. spoctor accompanied me back to
the study.
There were no marks on tho • daresay you are anxious to
gravel path below, and he had go in search of your murderer," I
plenty of time to make his escape said
by the way he cane. The disquiet- ••Murderer?" inquired the inspoe-
ing thought was that if he had been ter.. in a curiously dry voice. "Who
seen to enter the place it was cer- said I was in search of a murder -
lain someone would see him leave er 1"
it. "I understood that. a man had
I was in a been shot," I remarked, shortly.
charged with ''People who are shot don't al-
iuurderer and ways die," he replied. "I see you
cape. smoke Turkish cigarettes."
"Rune business," said the junior "Help yourself, ' I growled. 1E
officer. "Must have been another was clear that I had been made a
window." fool of in some way.
The inspector looked at me hard. "He was only stu,niel, and re -
"Can you suggest anything, sir 1" covered consciousness two minutes
he inquired. after I arrived on the scone. He
"I'm afraid not," I said, cauti- begged me not to arrest the man
ously. "Would you care to look who had shot him He said it was
ever the house?" a family quarrel and he didn't want
' • if you please." it to get into the papers."
We marched upstairs and search- ''Then why—"
ed in various rooms. Finally we I paused. If I said too much I
night give my self away.
was locked.
But the iruspector's cold eyes we 'e
came to my bedroom. The door
fixed on Inc thoughtfully.
''This little per orinanco has :est
you twenty pounds," ho said,
quietly.
"In—in what way?"
"You are not a very good actor,
sir. Directly I entered I knew by
your face the pian was in the house
and you were trying to shelter
Besides, there aro scratches on the
window -sill where he climbed i
As a matter of fact, too,
"wife" had the misfortune
her chin slightly when she sh
That's the worst of shaving in a
hurry. But why is it that people
will always assume that the pot :e
days; that's why my beard is un- followed by the two officers, and are fools 1"
trimmed. Ile came this afternoon,
and I had a big stick. But Bowles
diew a shouter on roe. 1 ducked,
ran in and collared him. We strug-
gled like wild beasts, and—some-
how the shouter cracked off, and—
well, I wR3 the Duly living roan
in the house for about two minutes.
Then there was a ringing at the
bell. It wasInc i the h oust agents clerk
fair way of being
having harbored a
helped hint to es -
Tho bedroom door being locked
meant that instead of escaping by
the window the rascal had remained
in the house.
of the aged Emperor of Austria.
Before I could reply to the in-
spector's question a voice said,
"Yon can't come in for a moment.
ing a house in this district. 1 f sha'n't keep you waiting long."
found out the name of the house. Thisvoice sounded like that of a
Jt was empty. 1 climbed in by tlio woman, though I knew- very well
back window and waited for him. It must be that of Mr. Vagrain, of
I've been waiting for hintthree New York. I returned to the study,
:n the course of a momentor two "Then you have actually allowed
I hoard the swish of skirts, the this murderous rascal to escap'?"
door was opened, and in stepped-- 1 said, making a desperate effort
I nearly laughed aloud. The ras- to hold my own.
cal had made use of my razors and "Not at all. My man will join
removed his ugly little beard. Fur- the cab at the corner and he a o.t
titer, ho had gone to the wardrobe be driven straight to the statien.
and taken out a long, blue cloth And now I must be going and make
coat belonging to my wife. It had; out my report.. Perhaps, sir, yen
to deep collar, and this, being will regard this ass a lesson. Eveer
who had followed Bowles round. 1 turned up at this hack, concealed good citizen is bound to assist the
was caught like a rat in a trap. 1 his short. hair. Ile was wearing a, police. Good day.'
slipped out by the back e -ay, think- wide -brimmed hat and veil.
ing to dodge him, and ran straight The fellow made a very present- It only remains to be added thrt
into the arms of a milkman who able woman and strolled into the Mr. Vagrain was "bound over" to
had heard the shot and wondered room fasteuing on a pair of my keep the peace, his proaeeutur de-
whitt was up. I flung bins off and wife's best kid gloves—ho had re- claring that the affair was an ac -
ran. But the hue and cry had markahly small hands—with all the cident. Evidently he had good rea-
'etarted. 1 heard police whistles dignity in the world. sons fur not wishing to make it
going in all directions, and it Ifo glanced at the ofhicers with publie.
seemed to nio that half the popu-
lation was at my heels. 1 ran all
I knew ; saw the wall at the end of
these gardens, and—here I nm."
"You made a mistake in running
away," I said. "You should havo
faced it out. It was a rnisadven-
turo.,,
But it was just here that the so-
ealled Yankee slitnness cnnie in.
The roan winked scornfully at the
n otion of facing it out. He knew
better than that. Bowles's friends
would employ the best counsel;
they could prove threats and mur-
derous intentions; he had waited
for his victim for three days in an
empty house, and—well, he guessed
if the police took him the rope was
ar good as round his neck.
While I was urging the folly of
this, a knocking was heard at the
front door, and a moment later one
e.f the maids came with the mes-
sage that a "police uhcer wanted
to speak to me."
I took care not to admit the girl
to the room,
"Tell the constable I will be with
him imrnediat.ely," I said, and
closed the door.
My visitor was on his feet and
1•) my side.
"Keep tho constable busy for
three minutes," he whispered.
"Thatcn's all I ask."
Of urso, I ought to havo taken
him by the scruff nt his neck and
handNl him over to the authori-
ties. But i couldn't do it. Since
the day I first followed the hounds
1 have liked to see the fox have a
talc so far plausible that i might faun ran.
h. jistifurd in Iettirg him run. i went downstairs—not too quick-
• Nee 111 tell you 1-iy stirs. li.
I .• said. .1% ase was ne dif celty in creat.
•• Th tabl 1 I handed ft to "her" 1 gave him G een--"Late returns show that
i iincin:; one." 1 replied. taki,t` was a burly fellow of the heavy, a look that would have extermin- it was a silver•plsted &that.."
some surprise and bowed slightly.
"Anything wrong, Harry 1" ho
inquired.
lie had taken my Christian naino
from a portrait in the bedvcotn and
used it with the familiarity of cus-
tom.
What was I to do 1 If I repudi
ated him I made myself look foo'.•
isli. Besides, the fellow's adroit-
ness was delightful ; it seemed un-
sportsmanlike to give him away
now.
"A man has been shot a few rods
away and the police have a notion
he has taken refuge here," I re-
plied.
"Very sorry to give trouble,
ma'am," said the inspector, "hut
we are hound to leave no stone un-
turned."
"Where are you going I in-
quired, by way of keeping sip the
comedy.
"1 sin going into Kingston to set-
tle Bentham's account," "she" re-
plied. "You had better write out
a cheque."
"Write out a cheque?" 1 gasped.
"Oh, we can attend to that some
other time."
It appeared to me that this was
carrying realism too far.
"I promised to settle it this af-
ternoon," "she" said, with perfect
composure. "Make it out for twen-
ty and don't cross it. 1 can cash
it at the bank. The account is
nineteen something."
Once more what was I to do? I
had practically acknowledged him
as m wife. How could I draw
back I took out a cheque-book
ait.h a groan and filled in a draft
for twenty pounds, making it pay-
able to "self" and endorsing it.
Strange to say, too, three montt.s
later h received a remittance fie
twenty pounds frons New York,
with a note of thanks for "services
rendered." "Your loan carried tno
back to New York, and I'm flour
ir•hing again," said my correspond-
ent.
The impudent rascal:—London
Tit -Bits
I'Itl «sl 1'S BIRTH R.1'l1'.
St ati'ticr Show Considerable 1
crease.
A <omprchensive work has just
been published, which was cum
piled at the special instigation of
the German Minister of Education
by the medical department of his
office.
It gives some interesting statistics ,
of the Prussian Mate in the year I
14407. The birthrate was consider-'
ably lower Ono in the preceding
years, numbering 1,2e,,,291.
Suicides showed an increase of
350 over 1900. There were altogetl -
er 7,643, of whom 1,79ewere women
744 cases occurred during intoxi-
cation, while 1,203 deaths were due'
to delirium tremens.
The number of victims of our
der and tnanslaugbter was 78'l, or
AO more than in the preceding sear.
— -.fir---
LATE RETURNS.
Brown—"I hear you celebrated
your silver wedding a few weeks
ago?"
Green—"So we thought at the
time."
Brown—''What do you mean bA
that?"