i Orphans’ Friend. Price, $1 a year.) OXFORD, N. C., DECEMBER 14,1883. (VOL. IX. NO 30. To the Business Public. The Friend visits about FO UR BUNFRFD Fost-Offices in North Carolina, thus giving advertisers the advantage of a general circulation. OBOANIZATION OF THE OR PHAN ASYEEH. J. H. MiiiLS—Suiperintendent. Miss E. M. Ma.ck—Teacher of Third Form, Boys. Miss Lula Martin—Teacher Third Form, (jlirls. Miss M. F. Jordan—Second Form, Boys. Miss Caroline rETTiGREW—Second Form, Girls. Mrs. Jordan—First Form, Boys. Mrs. Walker—^P’irtt Form, Girls. Miss V. V. Walton—Vocal Music and Drawing. Mrs. Rives—Hospital. Mbs. Hutchinson—Boys’ Sewing Room, Mufi. Fowler—Girls’ Sewing Room. Miss M. E. McPhebters -In charge of Dining Rooms. SPECIAL DVTIE8. GIRLS. Chapel—Cosby, Broadway and Mattie k'iland. Chapel I^ahps—E. Kelly. Chapel Stove—Douglass and A Keith. Office—H. Erwin. Library and Bell—L. Hudgins. Halls—Boyd, M. Gabriel, Young. T. D. R.-Hood, Johnson, E. Wright. C, D. It.—Beddingfleld, Bivins, Hill, J. Hatch, Powers, Watson. SSl^Tufford, S. Barfield. Water Shed—Haywood, Woodhouse Pigs—Grady, Holmes. Milkei^—Mason, L. Hatch. Girls’ Sewing Room—Knox. Boys’ Sewing Room—M. Hutchinson. BOYS. Cook Room—Tate, Chambers. T. D. B —D. RatlifFe. C. D. R.—Prichard, McLeod, P. White, Lem Lynch, Haywood, E. Woody. Boiler—W. Lynch, Haywned. T-amp-Lighter—Gihspn. Cow Boys—G. Poteat, Grady, W. Mc- Mule Boys—Parher, Austin, Wilson, .Jackson. Butler. Hog Boys—Presson, C. Poteat. Pig Boys—Coshy, Fowler. Mail Boy -R. Poteat. IN GOD’S BOOK, BY GEORGE B. GRIFFITH. With rosy faces saddened. 'Neath sunlig'4 w; rm and bland, Two t'lOVK who inourne 1 f -r mother W.re walki ig hand-in-hand. A WONDBErUL BEEAM. Thftj' knew why ev’ry passer, Along the leafy road, And those beside their windows, Such looks on tliero bcstoweii, Tender, pathetic, tearful, Each kindly glancj they read, And understood its meaning, '^J)ear boys, your mother's dead, ’ “Ob, Artie! ” sobbed the younge-.t, A bright-eyed, chubby lad, “The neighbors have forgotten That we’ve been rude and bad !” “All boys are naughty somet'mos, The eldest one replmd) '“And mother dear foi'gave us And blessed us ere she died,’' “Last night,” said Elver, slowly, “1 nromised God in prayer, That i would be His fai’ hful child, If he would for me care, “I mean, to act so every day That He with joy can loot, Into my heart, and write my name Within his Holy book, “And, Artie, only think, some day, Upon those images fair With smiling eyes mama will look, And see it written there'^ Ah, reader 1 could philosopher jlore precious thought express? Our God, who surely an swers prayer, Will little i'.lver bless, And many an anxious soul to day Will hope, with true delight, That angel eyes have read their names In lines of living light. A merchant who was a God fearing man who was very successful in business, but his soul did not seem to prosper accordingly; his offering to the Lord ho did not seem dis- to increa e. On© evening he bad a re markable dream. A visitor entered the apartment and quietly looked around at the many elegancies and luxuries by which he was surrounded, and with out any comment presented him with the re ceipts for his* subscription to various societies and urged their claims upon his enlarg ed sympathy. The merchant replied with various excuses and at last grew impatient at the contin ual appeals. The stranger arose and fixing his eyes on his companion, said in a voice that thrilled his soul. One year ago to-night you thought your daughter lay yoB could not rest from agony. Upon whom did you call that nigjit ? The merchant started and looked up, there seemed a change to have passed over the whole form of his visitor, whose eyes were fixed upon him with a Ciilm penetrating look as he continued; Five years ago, when you lay at the brink of the grave and thought that if you died } ou would leave a family un provided for- - do you reruem- l>(. r how you prayed then ? Pausing a luomeut, he went on in a stiil more impressive 'one: ‘Do you remember, fifteen years sine*^, wiien you spent days and nights in prayer: when you thought you would give the world for one hour’s assurance that you sins were forgiven — who listene ' to you then? ‘It was my Savior and my God ! ^ said the merchant, with a sudden remorsful feeling ‘Oh, yes, it was He !’ ‘And has he ever complain ed of being called ou too of ten I’ in a voice of reproach ful sweetness. Say are you willing to begin this night and ask no more of him, if he, from this time, will ask no more of you ? ‘Oh, never, never 1 ’ said the merchant, throwing him'* self at his feet. The figure vanished, and he awoke; his sou) stirred within him. ‘Oh, God and Savior, what have! been doing! Take all—take everything. What is all that I have done, tO' what thou hast done for me I ’ —Sel. IS ESUITEENITESS A DISEASE. Binghamton, and that the troui le with most of them was not that they could not be cur • ed,but they did not want t'> he. The Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin says: The truth that drunk enness is voluntary in 999 cases out ol 1 OOO’—is'^itselt a crime, and onght'to be consid ered an aggr^vvation of every offence committed under its. influence.’ That is; sound doctrine. It is not a disease any more than a tendency to theft or any manner of vice or crime is such. Pity the drunkard as you pity any other vicious or criminal char acter, so as to desire his re formation and^aid him in any honest effort he m’y make to redeem himself. But he should he’made too see^the fact/ that he is not incurring an amia ble weakness, to be passed by with a pleasant jest, but com mitting a crime against him self, his family, society,, and God. Men occasionally, in their theories and plans of hu manitarian character, become wiser and better than God and Scripture, l.ut soon or late, stubborn facts convince them of their error. God’s Word ranks drunkenness as sin, classes it with gross and hein ous sins, and denounces the same terrible penalties against it as against the rich. Let God be true, though all hu • man theories be proved to be false by his truth Southwest- ern Methodist. HEnmSTSTOSY. Beautifal Tribute to Women- A recent issue of the St. Louis BepuhUcan bad a well written editorial, with the .above caption, taking ground against th® theory, for some time so prevalent, that drunk enness is a disease, and claim ing that a man’s free will bad a great deal to do with his drink ing to excess or abstaining from doing so. A correspondent of the Bepuhlican refers to this editorial approvingly, and claims to have had opportu nity to observe a large num ber of cases of patients treated for inebriety in the asylam a We have seen many beau-, tiful tributes to women, but this is the finest we ever read: ‘Place her among the flow ers, foster her as a tender plant, and she is a thing of fancy, waywardness, and fol ly—annoyed by a dew drop, fretted, by the touch of a but terfly’s wing, ready to faint at the sound of a beetle or the rattleing of a window srsli at night, and is overpowered by the perfume of the rosebud. But let real c ilamity come, rouse her affections,"enkindle the fires of her heart, and mark her then- how strong is her heart! Place her in the heat of battle-give her a child, a bird, or anything to protect --^-aud see her in a relative in stance, lifting her whi'.e arms as a shield, as her own blood crimson her upturned forehead praying for her life to protect the helpless. Transplant her in the dark places of thegOarth, call forth her energies to ac tion and her breath becomes a healing, her presence a bless ing. She disputes inch by ienh the strides of a stalking pestilence, when mao, th* strong and brave, pale and affrighted, shrinks away. MifsortuiiG hurts her not; siie wears away a life in silent en durance, and goes forth with less timidity than to her bri dal In prosperity she is a bud full •of odors, waiting but for thehands of adversity to scat ter them abroaJ'-gold, valua ble,but untried in the furnace. In short, woman is a miracle, a mystery, the centre from which radiates the charm of existence’ We all naturally feel a cu riosity to know how a favor ite author came to be an au thor. Accident generally plays a part in it, particular’ ly in the case of the greatest writers. Indeed few have any adequate conception ol their powers and- capabilities until theydiave been tested, though indications of what is beneath the surface generall}^ “crop out” very early in life. George Eliot was thirty-five years of age before she bad so much as thought of writing a story. She and her husband werejust;8ettling down, after a summer holid iy on the C-'mtinent to a winter of literary hack-wmrk in Lon don. Their circumstances were straightened, she having revenue of eighty pounds a year from her fathers estate which she may have doub'ed by her pen, and he earned a very modest income by con tributing to Blackwood a;id other periodicals. One day her husband said to her, “My dear, I think you could write a capital story'’ The wmrds s mk into her mind. A short time after wards, as he was preparing to go out to dinner, at wlrch she was expected, sh.} said to him.— “I won’t go out this even ing, and when you come in don’t disturb me; I shall be very bu8> Soon she was able to show the opening portions of lier first tale, “Amos Bario' , wljicb amazed him, high as had f»een his estimate of her genius. He sent the completed story to Blackwood, in which it appeared not long after. Other stories followed, and finally, ‘‘Adam Bede,” a ful’v developed novel, was publish ed, which gave her a r;ink among the greatest writers of fiction. Durng this long period Mr. John Blackwood bad nev. er met his brilliant coritubu- tor, and still supposed that George Eliot was a gentleman —probably a clergyman. On one of his visits to London, he was invited by Mr. Lewes to dinner, “to meet George Eliot.” He came Dinner was an nounced; no one sat down ex cept Mr. and Mrs. L-^ wes and himself. Conversation prov ing very interesting, he mad® no allusion to his disappoint- ment, until the dinner wu.s over, when he said how much he regretted that George Eliot was not present. “Here he is,’’ said Mr Lewes, pointing to his wife, who sat quietly enjoying the climax of their little corned)'. Mr. Blackwood shook hands with hi^. contributor, and the evening passed very happi ly- When I dig a ma,n out of trouble, the hole that he leaves behind iiim is the grave where I bury my own trouble. At a microscopic exhibition in Boston the sting ot a hon ey bee was shown upon t!ie screen, and it was so sharp that the point could not be seen. A fine sewing-needle was shown at the ’same time, and the point witli the same power of the micrescope was five inches across. “God can make a fine point,” said the exhibitor, “but man cannot." ASKING A BLESSING- There is nothin'^ wliich it is right for 118 to do; but it is als' right to atik that God wou:d bless it; and indeed, there is nothing 80 little ‘ ut the frown of God can convert it into the mo^t sad calamity, or his smile exalt it into a most memorable mercy; and there is nothing we can do. but its complexion for weal and woe depends entirely on what the Lord will make it. It is said of Matthew Henry that no joui’t.ey was undertaken, nor any subject or course of ser mons entered upon, nor book committed to the press, nor any trouble apprehended or felt with out a particular application to the mercy-Beat for diro. tio .■ s- eistauce and success. It is- recorded of Corniiliu. Winter that he seldom opened a book, oven on f-^enoral subject/., without a*momert’s prayer. The late Bishop, llebor, (m each new incident of his hi-^tory, or on the eve of any undertak ing, used to compo e a brief prayer, imploring special help and guidance. A late physician of great co- iebrity used to ascribe miicii of his success to three maxims of hi8 father’s, the last and best of which wa'', “Always pray !>f your patients.’ ’ KIDNAPPED BY A BEAS. In the famous mill(!- nial prophecy in the Bible, the men tion of “a little child’’ with sav age beasts brings together iir:o- eence and ferocity in one bo:i’: t i'’ul picture. Real .situations l;k- ‘. hat are so rare that they seem acci dental, but every story li!'’ ihe following somehow makes us feel that even a wild beast may bo disarmed .ind made harmlobs by t o ’otn{i;in’ mship of a cii’bd A bai'v months old, ii;e child I f .iaim '* Vaughan of G( a- tle Valiev, was playing near its mother rc-cently, says the Ox ford (H.) Enterp'ise, when all at once .-bo misled the child,and conimonced searching for it in every direction, but could not find it. “ She then aiarmod the neigh bors, and Bovonteen of them went in search of tke infant. No trace of the child could be fcund,and the frantic parents almost concluded that it had fallen a victim to some bca^'t of prey. The soarcb-ms at le igth found the tracks of a hug.,: hear, and traced them through the fields. Becoming tired they retu: ned to their bouses, concluding tlRt tie child must be dead, and pei'hepB eaten up. At the break of next day they started on their search from the spot left on the night bclbr and at about ten o’clock, A. > found the baby curled up in a bunch of weeds and gras- in tiie bushes, sound asleep, witli its litie tattered and torn driss thrown over iis head, while ckise beside the sleeping child wa the warm bed of what must have been a very large bear, which had abandoned its captive on the approach of the men in searcli. Wonderful to relate, yet tiie fact is vouched for by trutbi'ul men who have seen the child, not a bruise or iuj try did th« child receive except a slight -cratch on its little bare foot although the child had been Car rie 1 by the bear three or four miles into the mountains over rough phic.-'s aiid through bushes. HOW BAY SAN AWAY- L'ttle four-year-old Ray was very angry as lie sat by tlie window looking at the carriage foil of merry children who ivere st>irting for grand* pahs to a Thanksgiving dinner. Why liH had not hoen al lowed to gO wirh them I hard ly like to tell you; for the fact iiJ, he had been a very naughty boy, a:id his punish'* ment was to slay' at home with mamma, who was too ill to go. T don’t c.are, I’ll run away,’ miiltored Hay', kicking the plasteiing with his copper toed shoes. ‘I will,’ he «dded,a mcruent alter, ns niiding down from the chair he seize 1 his cap id started dovvn tln^ ]--,no. Away across the brook, up on the great hill,* the beech'* nuts grew, and Ray knew it. To be sure it was rather late for bcecbnnrs, bat he did not stop to think of that. Oa be went, lus face red with the ran and his eyes dancing at the thought of the nuts and manuna’s fright But suddenly, as be had aL most re.icim:! the top.of the hill v'i.. )• the beech-trees gn-’v, lie hoard a noise in the brshes, and without waiting to see what it. was away he went tow'ards home. Oh, what a Ion ( way off home w,i,J W'Uild he ever get there! The raspberry bushes scratch* ({ Ids ha' ds a id tore liis dr: si^; and tne stones and logs re idways in the w ;y to trip him up While behind him the quick feet were com ing nearer. Once he looked back, only once, he did not dare to look again, for he saw something black among the bushes. Surely it was a bear. Ab, if he liad looked back, he would have seer.—what do you sup* pose! into the house he went,and slamming the door, peeped through the sidelights and tiaw his own Smut, the lamb he bad petted all summer. He did not tell, oh no; but ioamma had been watching Jiim air the while from her window up stairs. She told me tlie story as 1 lellit to you. Youths' Companion. Oa ! thrice fools are we, who, like iiew-uorn princes weeping in the cradle, know not that there m a kingdom befor e them. Holiness is not blind Illumination is the fir.i part of sanctifioation. Believers are childrtiQ ot liKht' We unhesitatingly condemn in o'hers the very same faults in which we indidgeomselves. Were vve as iinient t • their faults a*' we are to our own^ if it bid not make us bolter, it would make us ;tl, least less ceusoi'iuus: If the chiidreu are not taught, lrai,.od and brought upt.oOurst, the conversion oi Uie world will tarry long, weary ages. Here is our battle ground. Let the whole Church take a part—not one in ten.

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view