ihitdnational StMSanoi Lesson (Br E. O. HEI.I.feKfl. Acting Director of Sunday School L'uuro# Moody Bible Id ?tltute. Chicago ) LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 7 RUTH CHOOSES THE TRUE OOD. LESSON TEXT?Ruth l:?-ld. (Read en tire hook.) GOLDEN TEXT-Thy people eheU be ny people; end thy 3od my Ood.?Ruth 14. The book of Ruth ie a treat lore story, fall of deep spiritual eatsee tireness. Amid the tales ot war, de celt, success and failure, this stor> most beautifully Illustrates anothei side of the life of the Israelites. Th? author of the book is supposed to bare been the same as the writer of Judges, perhaps Samuel. I. "There Wee S Famine In the Land." This famine drove EUmelech, his wile Naomi and their two sons, Mabloo and Chillon, into the land of Moab, even as Abnun before them "west down" Into Egypt. The Immi grant dona married In that land, one of them becoming the busband ot Rufh. Through this Israelltlsh al liance Ruth learned of the true Ood and the record of this book reveals Ood to all who turn to him In sincer ity and truth. This suggests the es sential missionary character ot the Old Testament. After the death of ber husband and sons Naomi, hear ing of returning prosperity In the homeland (l:lt), elected to return to unr own people. II. "Entreat Ma Not to Leave Thee." Thte story pute to alienee all Of the mother-in-law Jokes. When Naomi thought they had gone far enough aba eonght to dlamlea the younger women and expressed to them tbo tender affection which ex latod between them. A woman In an eaatern land can find reet only In the hotlee of her hue band and theee young wldowa stood but poor chance of se curing busbanda among those who hated their race. Moreover we must remember that they were penniless. There seemed to be nothing forythem . to gain If they proceeded any farther (v it). Orpah reluctantly ai^l tear fully turned back but Ruth dlave to Naomi <*. 14). This Illustrates our experience when we hare to decide whether to leave friends, home and everything that we may follow Christ or, on the other hand, have to choose the things which are good and refuse to follow the best. (Matt. 10:ST; Luke 14:33). III. "Whither Thou Goest I Will Go." Naomi gave Ruth another op portunity to go back to her people and this time bases her appeal upon the love of Ruth for Orpah (v. 15). The word Ruth means "friendship." and one of the strongest motives for a loving nature to forsake the Lord Is the love for those that ire of the world. Many young men and young ?somen hate had such lores but they usually result In making shipwreck of faith. Read II Cor. 5:14. 16; Rom. 10:37. Tills test caused Ruth to count fully the cost (Luke 14:35-33). No more beautiful nor Immortal words can be found In all literature than Ruth's reply 17). Ruth's words are still sung atf^est expressing our song of life devotJMt. They have fur nished Inspiration for countless lives, ^sermons and stories, and for some of ' the earth's greatest musicians as well. They most wonderfully Illustrate our attitude towards him "whom not hav ing seen ye love" (I Peter 1:9).. (1) "Entreat me not to leave thee." No dlfflcultles, duties, faclnatlons nor per secutions are to turn us aside. (3) "Whither thou goest." Towards every Ideal, service, field of endeavor, war lodgest I will lodge." Where bis peo ple are In the home. In service, Inter course, social life, here and hereafter, I Win abide In Christ (4) "Thy peo , pie shall be my people." One In love, sympathy and purpose In Christ (5) '"Where thou dlest I will die." Let me die the death of the righteous. (<) "There will I be buried." In the same hope of Immortality, of the resurrec -c-flon, of death being swallowed up In victory (Qal. 3:20; Eph. 3:5; 1 Cor. 15:56). Ruth did not ask for com plete data from Naomi before she ac companied ber to the homeland (John 12:26). IV. The Sequel. At Bethlehem Ruth had no other thought than to cling to her , mother-in-law, even In poverty and a life of lowly service. She did her menial duties faithfully, and displayed mors of the real hero Ism of faith than that shown In the daring exploits recorded In the other history (Judges) of her day. The truest hero Is not the reckless partici pant In Europe's battlefields, npr Is he - found In the mad struggle for commer ctal supremacy, but more often In tbe self-sacrlflctng acts of tender women and in tbe common round of life's duties. Ruth in a humble hut with Naomi was better off and better satls , fled than to hare lived In the finest ' palace in Moab (Phil. 1:23). Through all of this love and devotion Ruth was being fltted for a larger sphere qf Influence In which she was enabled to give to Naomi tbe happiest life possi ble to her. Not once Is Ruth's beauty suggested but she had the more at tractive attributes of goodness, kind ness and courtesy. She may have bad personal beauty but her character far outshone the physical, and like Mary's precious ointment has filled the world with Its sweet aroma. Unconsciously she attracted the rfch land owner Boas, who was a true gentleman, and through her marriage to him she be came. through David, an ancestress of our Lord Jesus. Rahab the harlot, and Ruth the converted Idolatress, are each made a part of this ancestry (Matt. 1:5 R. V.). This lesson Is * suggestive one for Decision day In our Sunday schools. Give all an opportunity to ghoose and to follow even as Ruth did. For the little 'folks tell the story simply "aa to a little child." I * uyw-wlr-* ? VALUE OF THE GARDEN Usefulness Cannot Be Measured In Money Alone. Farmer Will Find It Profitable to Do vote Small Patch of Land to Vege tables?Location Should Be Near tha Homo. iFrepered by the United fltales Depart - meat of AarU"liars! If the* value of the homo garden were to be estimated in money alone It la safe to say that the returns from a small plot of land devoted to this purpose would be from eight to ten timee greater than the value of the ootton which could be raised on the same area. Many southern farmers will refuse to believe this. It Is, how ever. a fact that experts in agriculture have thoroughly demonstrated. For several years past, canning-club girls have made annual net profits of from twenty to fifty dollars on gardens only one-tenth of an acre In extent, and In Alabama this year products worth $700 were raised on seven-tenths of an acre. The usefulness of the gar den, however, cannot be measured In money alone, and no man can afford to Ignore the Important pert that an ade quate supply of fresh vegetables plays In preserving the health of his fam ily. ft is obvious that when a man buys vegetables be not only pays for the cost of production, but for the cost or transportation and marketing. He obtains, however, an Inferior article Many vegetables lose their character istic flavor within a few hours, and none are so free from the danger of Infection or so palatable as those which are grown at home. In practice, however. If the farmer does not grow hie own vegetables It means that In. a great majority of eases bis family gets no vegetables at all. One result of this Is a demand for tonics and other medicines in the spring, for It Is a well-known fact that vegetables and fruits furnish many Ingredients nbso lutely essential to human health. Where a monotonous winter diet falls to supply these Ingredients, the hu man system suffers and recourse Is hud to medicine. For reasons 'both of health and money, therefore, the fanner will find Two Connlng-Club Girls Hoeing Tomatoes. It profitable to devote to his home ginlett the email amount of land and the amall amount of labor that It re quire! The amount of land depend^ of courae. upon the alze of the family! In a majority of cases, however, from one-fourth to one-half of an acre will be found sufficient to produce an ade quate supply of vegetables throughout the entire year. Close attention must, of course, be paid to the rotation and succession of crops, the planting planned with forethought, and the cul tivation (Jone as carefully as that of any Held crop. No specific arrange ment can be laid down that would suit ail requirements, and each grower must devise plans to meet his own conditions. In this he is strongly urged to seek the assistance .which county agents, state agricultural ex periment stations, and the federal de partment of agriculture can give him. There are. however, certain funda mental principles which apply equally to all gardens. The garden should al Product* From a Texaa Garden. ways be located as close to the bouse; as good ground-can be secured. This means that the garden can be cared for at odd moments, when It would be neglected If It were at an Incon venient dtstance. The vegetables should be planted In long rows In or der to make cultivation with ordinary bone Implements possible. A slope to the south or southeast Is desirable, because the (round warms easily In the spring and early planting Is thus made posalble. Good drainage Is. however, a factor of greater Import ance. The land lhould have sufficient fall to drain off surplus water, but not safficlent to waah the soil. If all the ground around the house Is level and artificial drainage by open ditches or tile drains Is not resorted to, planting should be done on ridges or beds to prevent the drowning of the crops dur ing wet weather. ? Thorough preparation of the soil by plowing, harrowing, rolling or drag ging will ultimately prove a saving of labor by lessening the work of cul tivation. A deep soil Is desirable, but the depth should be Increased gradu ally. Barnyard or stable manure is the best fertilizer, because It furnishes both plant food and humus. It should be applied far enough In advance of planting time to allow It to decay. If it Is available, twenty to thirty tons of manure to an acre will prove very satisfactory. If this cannot be so cured. some leguminous crop such as cowpeas, soy beans, or crimson clover should be turned under to supply hu mus and part of the necessary nitro gen. Finally, additional fertilizing ele ments can be applied In the form of commercial fertilizers. These, bow ever, are expensive and It Is oue ob ject of diversified farming to enable the farmer to economize In their use. On farms which maintain an adequate supply of live stock, and where atten tion Is paid to the enriching of the soil by leguminous crops, this should not be needed, at least 1a, large quan tities. The vegetable); that the farmer will grow In his garden depend naturally upon local conditions und the family's own preference. Asparagus, however, should be Included wherever It will thrive. This Is one of the earliest vegetables and will prove a valuable addition to the spring diet. The roots may be planted In the fall or early spring. After the bed Is well estab lished, It should last Indefinitely, and for this reason the location of the bed should be very carefully considered beforehand. Beans are another vegetable which should always be included. The firtt planting should be made as soon as the ground Is reasonably warm, and 1 this should be followed by others at Intervals 01 ten days or two weeks, until the hot weather sets In. Cab bage la also desirable, because It Is economical In the use ot land and may be sown through a large part of the year. For spring and early summer, good varieties are the Jersey Wake Held, Charleston Wakefield, All fiead Early and Succession. In most sec tions ot the SouUi it will hardly pay to attempt to grow cabbage during midsummer but a fall crop as well at a spring crop should be grown. Cauli flower Is generally regarded as a greater delicacy, but it Is not so hardy as cabbage. For further Information on these and similar vegetables such as celery, lettuce, cucumbers, egg plant, etc., the prospective gardenei should apply to his state experiment station ot to the division of publics tlons of the U. S. department of agri culture for the various farmers' bul letins on these subjects. Although, as has already been said, the choice of vegetables to be grown In the garden must be determined by Individual tastes and circumstances spinach should not be omitted. This canjie grown In the open throughout the fall and winter all along the coast south from Norfolk, Vs., and Inland through the lower tier of southern states. In the colder regions, a little protection may be' necessary during the severest weather, but two or three Inches of hay. straw or leaves will usu ally be found sufficient Seed planted in the autumn will furnish greens throughout the winter and early spring- Spinach should hd sown In drills twelve to fifteen Inches apart, at the rate of one ounce to 100 feet of row. For the average family, three or four ounces of seed will be found sufficient. In an article of this kind, however, it is obviously impossible even to name all the products that a garden may be made to yield. The farpier who has hitherto neglected the possi bilities of a half acre or so devoted to the purpose should begin with the simpler and most useful vegetables and gradually Increase the variety in .his garden as his experience and knowledge of vegetable growing grows. No mention has been made In this article of potatoes, fox their Impor tance in the family diet entitles them to an article to themselves, which wll< follow shortly. Sell Unprofitable Fowls. Some of your hens lay a great mani eggs during the year, and others lny very few. Sell the unprofitable birds Sweet Clover Cutting. The first cutting of sweet olorer should be made Just before the bios soma appear. Cut It high enough to leave a few side shoots and leaves (a foot high may be necessary) otherwise It will not start up again. Most Profitable Animal. Anyone can get one brood sow and some can get more and with good management no animal on the place will prove more profitable v , Hay for Farm Horn. Authorities say that a farm horn of medium size wilt thrive on ten pounds of hay per day and that eight een pounds a day la excessive and should not be allowed. It Is better to keep somewhere near the happy medi um. A good rule to go by la to allow one pound of hay to each one hundred pounda of horse. Alt things being equal, the produc tion and value of a live stock tarn, steadily Increases. PRACTICE SAVING IN KITCHEN broper Uh of "By-Products" Will Do Much to Reduce Bills Prom the Butohsr. To apply a manufacturing term to our household materials and methods our kitchen ''by-products" should be mors carefully considered than they often are; and by this expression Is meant waste materials. The by-pro duets of meat are more often lost than those of other foods, and this (s a groat loss, slnoe this group of foodstuffs Is increasing In espenee. Hones are chler among them, and fat All bones may bs quickly turned to good servtee by being washed, covered with cold wa ter. heated gradually and made Into a broth, which even tf small in quantity will add flavor and some nutriment to gravies or soups. We must learn to use these meat flavors to help reduce | the oost of living by making gravies and vegetables more palatable. As to the fats, they are not always made aa full use of as Is possible. For shortening cakes, etc., for deep frying and for soap every bit may be used with little additional labor. ; To prepare It suet Is cut In small pieces, covered with water, allowed to soak for a day, the water being .changed once. When drained. It la put In a kettle with one-half cupful sktna milk to each pound of suet, and Mpoked slowly until sound of boiling nas ceased. When partly cooked the 1 clear fat Is drained from the scraps A combination of leaf lard or chick en fat with beef fat yields a softer product. Whether sliced bacon Is tried on top of the stove or baked In a pan to the ov^p, a large proportion of It exudes In dear fat. All of this should be saved to use for browning vege tables for soup or for hashed brown botatoes or similar nitwiviaoa SALT PORK PROPERLY FRIED This li a New Method, and tha Reaulta Will Justify tha Time Spant en It. Here's a new way to fry salt pork: Slice salt pork In slices a little thicker than bacon, remove the rind, place In a skillet of cold water and add a quarter of a teaspoonful of soda, bring to boll. Rinse with cold water, dredge with floar and place In light ly creased skillet. Sprinkle lightly with red and black pepper and sift In a small amount of sag* Now sprinkle with sugar about as one would salt the same amount of fresh pork. Do not use too mueta. Lastly, dust with nutmeg to give a pleasant arqtna, but not sufficient to taste. Fry a light brown on both sides and remove to a hot platter. Pour off the grease from the top. leaving about two tableepoonfula of grease the skillet. Place in a heaping tablespoonful of flour in skillet and stir till It becomes a rich brown. Pour in about a pint of milk and bring to a boll. Season with salt , .Serve , with gravy and meat separately.. X??, Spinach with a dessert of hard boiled eggs and vinegar, is an excel lent accompaniment to the above. To'Launder Woolen Garments. To clean blankets or all-wool gar ments. shave up half a bar of any good laundry soap, add four tablespoonfuls of borax and a little water, and melt over the Ore. Then add four table spoonfuls of household atpmoqla, put in the tub and half fill the tub with cold water. Enter the articles to be cleaned, and let soak four hours. Then rinse In water containing four table spoonfuls of ammonia. Do not wring. The article will be just like new and will not shrink. Tripe Fried In Bitt?f. '? Cut tripe in pieces for serving and boll twenty minutes, which makes It nice and tender. Beat one egg, add one-quarter cupful cold water, one teaspoonful salt and flour to make a batter, not too thin. Dip the tripe in the batter and fry until a nice color on both sides. If there is any hatter left pour It Into the spider and cook with the rest. Be sure to hare plenty of grease In the spider. If you use fresh tripe add one tablespoonful vinegar to batter. Brazilian Stew. Cut up a few onions, tomatoes and carrots; have ready two pounds of the shin of beef, cut Into pieces about two Inches long, and dip each piece Into vinegar; put the vegetables and meat, with some pepper and salt. Into a saucepan Without any water (or In a casserole In the oven), and let all simmer for four hours. There will be plenty,of gravy, and the meat will be very tender. Shin of beet is Inexpen sive. . Cold Slaw. Chop one small head of cabbage and one-third of a bunch of celery to gether. For dressing, stir one pint vinegar, two beaten eggs, one tea spoonful of salt and two teaspoonfuls of French mustard, with a half-salt spoonful of pepper, together. Cool Until It comes to a boll, stirring con stantly; then remove from the Are and when cold mix well wtth the chopped cabbage and celery. Rich Chocolate Pudding. Beat, tne yolks of three eggs until very light and thick, with half a cup ful of sugar, flavoring to taste, two ounces of sweet chocolate and a half cupful of chopped almonds. When thoroughly mixed, stir In the whites of the eggs well beaten and pour the mixture Into a buttered baking dish. Bake In a moderate oven from 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with any light sauce. Broiled Flounders, Parsley Sauce. Put the flounders In boiling, salted water and cook 20 to 25 minutes. Put some butter In a saucepan, stir In some flour and add some of the wa ter In which the flounders were boiled. Have It as thick as sauce Is usually made. Then chop some parsley fine and put In the sauce. Salt to taste. Let stand on the back of the stove a minute. | IDLERS DESTROY ALL CHANCES OF PROFIT 1 Get Rid of the Old Machinery and Hava the Meat Up-to-Date Labor-Saving ' Kind?Thle la an Era of Efficiency. (By JOHN D. PRENTICE.) I A good many year* ago 1 suddenly soke up to tka fact that tha idlers , an the farm are the things that keep a man from making money. When I came OOest fifteen years ago I visited a big manufacturing plant at Chicago and I was struck by the system which kept everybody and everything busy. In going through the factory 1 could not see an idle man nor an Idle ma chine. Everything and everybody was on the Jump every minute. No lost motion, no loafing on the Job. And as I pondered over the matter on my way to my new farm I began to realise how much I ha