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MmNAnONAL
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Lesson
(Bjr B. O. SELLERS. Acting Director of
Sunday School Court*. Moody Bible In
Chicago.)
LESSON FOR MARCH 14
?AUL QAIN8 HI* KINGDOM.
LESSON TEXT?I Samuel, chapter 11
GOLDEN TEXT?Ha that Is slow to an
*ar is better than the mighty: and he
that rulath his spirit, than ha Chat taketh
* clty.-Prov. 11:22.
*
In order to ropey Israel's rlctory un
der Jepthah, Nahash tbe Ammonite de
manded the right eye of those besieged
in Jabeeh In OUead. knowing that the
left eye would be hid by their shields
and they would thus be Incapable of
warfare. For Israel to make any oov
eoant with the Ammonites was eon
U*ry to God's commands (Ex. 21:32;
Deal 21:1).
I. The Cry of. Jabeeh, wv. 1-2. This
STsst probably occurred about a month
after the previous lesson. It was a
Proud, haughty da mead made of thase
Israelites. Exhausted and hopeless,
they had offered to become servants in
order to livb. So today we freqasnt
ly And men willing to compromise
with the world and the devil, who only
hold them In derision and contempt
(V. 2). Compromising Christians are
Jlways blind loaders of the blind (Matt
1*14; 4:22). The demand of Nahash
would also bring reproach upon Isrdbl,
yet this same king afterwards showed
Unduees to David (II Samuel 10:2).
History records that Emperor Basil
II actually sent an army of 14460
sightless men back to the king of Bui
ffsrta, who died of grief and horror at
the sight
It The Conquest of Amman, w. 4
II. Nahash granted the request for
a seven days' respite. Here was Saul's
opportunity?wrongs to be righted and
People to be saved. Saul had held his
peace since being anointed by Samuel,
employing his time in everyday toll
and duties (v. 6), for the messengers
did not Snd Saul at home Idle. The
tidings of this Insult were told to the
people who lifted up their voices and
wept (v. 4). The nsws of this threat
ened calamity reached Saul's ears and
his conduct effectually put to silence
those "worthless fellow." who de
?pised blm and had brought no pres
ents at his anointing (10:27). Instead
1 ot tears Saul Is moved to deeds. Like
Clnctnaatus and Israel Putnam, ha left
the plow to take up the sword. Saul
did not In Ms own strength, under
take to relieve Jabeeh, for "the Spirit
of God came upon him" (v. t see also
Judges 2:10; 11:28: 12:26; Luke 14:
41; Acts 10:28). This moved Saul to
anger, not alone, at such an evidence
of cruelty, but more at the contempt
Nahash had for God and his people
8eul associated himself with Samuel,
the man of God. and summoned the na
tion of Israel to his side. He not only
challenged the people, but threatened
to execute their oxen In like manner
If they failed to obiy (v. T).
Tbe Holy Spirit gave Saul clear as
surance of a call from God. and be re
sponded with unquestioned faith
(Rom. 8:11). The people responded
with greet rapidity, for the fear of
Qod came upon them also. We have
the good news of a better deliverance
from a more subtle foe to proclaim
In the present age. They all resorted
to Bexek. west of the Jordan. The
messengers returned bearing a mas
sage having two meanings (v. IS), and
that helped to keep Nahash ignorant
of Saul's nations on ths other side ot
the river. Dividing his army Into com
panies Saul attacked the enemy "la
the morning watch," and completely
overwhelmed them and put them to
rout As the Ammonites had refused
to show any mercy, they la turn were
fudged unworthy of mercy (v. 11, see
also James 1:13; Matt 7:1).
III. The Crowning of Saul, w. 12-ig.
Saul's victory so Impressed the people
that they demanded to know of Sam
uel who It was that had refused him
as king, desiring to put them to death.
Saul showed his wisdom by not per
mitting such a course of action. Many
today refuse God's divinely appointed
king who Will yet be glad to acknowl
edge him (Luke 18:27; Phil. 2:10).
In the next place Saul did not claim
credit for the victory for, said he.
The Lord bath wrought deliverance
In Israel" (v. 1J R. v.). All real vic
tories come from God (Ps. 44:4-8; I
Cor. 16:10). This was the true king
ly spirit Saul reaped tbe reward of
his humlHty, bis forbearance, cour
age and activity in the loyalty and
pride of tbe people. Samuel gladly
shared In the success of Saul and led
the people to Ollgal for the crowning
ceremony. This was the place where
Israel bad first encamped under the
leadership of Joshua and where the
twel?~ atones from the river had been
set up as a testimony to God's real
presence and deliverance. Surely this
was a suggestive place for Sau'r to
receive his crown and be ratllled as
king for all real vlcG vies are by God's
help and should bo acknowledged by
sacrifices and peace offerings upon his
altars. In chapter 10 we have *he
story of Saul's election; here we have
the consummation of that previous
election at Mlxpeh, which Is most
properly accompanied by religious
services, sacrifices and peace offerings
before the Lord.
Saul had natural and physical char
acteristics calculated to make him a
great and useful king?self-restraint,
modesty, military Invention and a ca
pacity for leadership. ^
He was shrewd, patient anfi gener
one.
He thus stood on the threshold of
his kingdom with the possibilities of
untold usefulness end blessing.
We ere "kings and priests nnto
God." He has ushered us Into his
kingdom. Power, usefulness, nflu
eoce, helpfulness, victory ore- sit, are
before us. "Napoleon said that his
nobility dated from Areole and Maren
go. May ours date frox the victories
of love over the evil within us and In
the' world.", "Thie Is the victory that
overoometh the world, even oar
faith" U John ?:41 ^
HU6E 6UN FOR CANAL ZONE
ThU bus* 16-Inch gun. th? blunt tingle piece of armament In the world,
vaa on Ita way to the United State* arnnat at Wktertown, Ma>*..to be mounted
preparatory to iblpment to the Panama canal for aone defenaee. The gun.
which weighs 184400 pounds, had to be shipped on a specially constructed
steel bridge car, which alone tips the scale at 182,410 pounds and which
required a carriage of 82 wheels.
YOUNG SOLDIER
PROVESA HERO
Carries Colonel to Safety and Re
turn# Under Fire to Rescue
Englishman.
SUCCORS A DYING GERMAN
French Bay'* Thrilling Deed That May
Win tha Victoria Craaa of Groat
Britain?CycHot Wins French
Dace ration.
London.?The Dally Chronicle pub
lishes the following from It* special
correspondent at Angers:
"Jean Bars or, 'simple aoldat' of tha
Second regiment of infantry, should,
after the war, be Jean Berger, V. C.
He is a Frenchman?yes, but listen to
his story.
"Ha, a boy of about eighteen years
of age, lies In hospital here, wounded
badly, but not dangerously, in the
side and also In the hand.
"Jean Joined the Second regiment of
Infantry, which was soon under orders
for Upper Alsace.
"It was during one of the almost
innumerable fights which, battles in
themselves, are making np that
Homeric struggle of the nations on
the Hirer Aisne that the colonel lead
ing the gallant Second was shot down
Machine guns were raking the quickly
thrown-up trenches: showers of rifle
bullets were falling everywhere
around. With that heroism whlcb
takes account of nothing save the ob
ject in view, Jean rushed out of his
shelter to carry his colonel to safety.
"Through a rain of leaden death he
passed scatheless, reached bis colonel,
and carried him to safety.
Back. Through Hall of Load.
"An he was performing bis glorious
act ha passed an officer of the Grena
dier guards wounded severely In the
leg, who qalled out for water.
" 'All rtfht!' cried Jean, '111 be hack
la a minute or two.'
"He put tha colonel in the shelter
of a trench where the Red Cross men
were at work, procured some wine
from one of the doctors, and set forth
again to face the bullet showerr And
again he went out untouched.
"Reaching the English officer, Jean,
held np the flask to the wounded man's
lips, but. before he could drtnk. a bul
let struck tke young Frenchman in
the hand, carrying away three Angers,
and the flask fell to tbe ground. Quick
ly, as though the flask had merely
slipped out of one hand by accident.
Jean picked it up with tbe other; and,
supported by the young Frenchman,
the English officer drank.
"While be was doing so a bullet
drilled Jean through the side. Tet,
In spite of the intense pain, he man
aged to take off his knapsack, and.
searching in tt, discovered some food,
which he gave to his English comrade.
"As the guardsman was eating, he
and Jean discovered that near them
was a wounded German soldier, who.
recovering from the delirium of
wounds, was crying out for food and
drink. The Englishman, taking the
flask which hdd still som? winf In It,
and also the remainder of the food
from the Frenchman's knapsack, man
aged, though suffering great pain, to
roll himself along ail he reached the
spot where the German soldier lay.
There, however, he found he was, by
himself, too weak to give the poor
fellow anything.
"So he shouted to Jean to come to
his assistance, and, though movement
could only be at the cost of great
pal a, the young Frenchman managed,
too, to reach the place, and together.
Englishman and Frenchman, succored
tbe dying German. One held him up
while the other poured wine between
his parched lips.
All Fall In a Heap.
"Then human nature could stand no
more, and all three fell, utterly ex
hausted. In a heap together. All i
through the long night, d night <g>n
tlnuously broken by the roar of can
non, death watched over that Strang*
sleeping place of the three comrades
of three great warring nations.
"In the morning shells bursting near
them arouaed the English officer and
the French soldier. Their German
neighbor was dead, and for a long
Urn# they could only wonder bow tbe
day of battle wae going. When tbe |
forenoon wae well advanced they saw
Germans advancing.
"Jean, who can speak German,
called out, 'We are thirsty; please
give us something to drink.' He was
heard by some offlcer of uhlans, who
rode up, and, dismounting and cover
ing them with his revolver, asked
what was the matter.
" 'We are thirsty,' replied Jean.
"The German looked at the little
group. He saw his countryman lying
dead with an empty flask beside him.
and guessed what was the scene of
comradeship and bravery which the
spot had witnessed. He gave Instruc
tions to an orderly, and wine was
brought and given to the two wounded
men. Surely, that Is a scene and a
deed which will wipe out many a bit
ter thought and memory of war!
"Just then the cannonade. burst
forth again with tremendous fury, and
the German force which had come up
had to retire. Shells were soon burst
ing all around, and fragments struck
the English ofllcer. He became de
lirious with pain, and the young
Frenchman, stiff, feverish, and weak
himself, saw that It was necessary to
do something to bring the ofllcer to a
place where he would be safe and
would receive attention.
"Jean tried to UK the Englishman,
but found thpit he had not sufficient
strength left to take his coihrade on
bis shoulder. So, half lifting blm, and
dragging and rolling him at times, the
gallant little plou-piou brought the
wounded English officer nearer and
nearer to safety and help. The jour
ney was two miles long! . . , But
at last it was over.
May Get Victoria Croas.
"The two men came upon some
trenches occupied by the silled forces;
they were recognised and taken In
charge by an offlcer of the English
Red Cross. They had both lust enough
strength left to shake hands and say
good-bye.
"'If 1 live through this,' said the
offlcer or the guards, '1 shall do my
best to get you the British Victoria
Cross.'
"For the two nations have become
one by bloodshed and bravery die
COMMANDS BIG ARMY
%
Gen. 81r lan Hamilton la in corn
mane'. of the home army of Great Bri
tain. He has a force of 500,000 men
drilling In defense work all around the
Islands In readiness for a possible Ger
man Invasion.
WHEN PASSION TAKES HOLu
Terrible Spectable When Fury Sup
plants Dull Courage In the
Soldier.
Parle.?The following scene was de
scribed by an officer who took part
In It:
"For long hours the soldiers have
lain In sodden burrowe exposed to ter
rible Are. Nerves are unstrung, tem
pers on edge. At last they are upon
the enemy: they can now prove their
valor with cold steel. At last It Is
man to man.
"Suddenly the sound of loud and
continuous laughter Is heard. One of
the soldiers has passed the border of
.. . ??HI I I
piayea. and, In addition, a Utile Inci
dent which 1 can relate will show that
there la a precedent tor a union of
honora aa there la evidence of a com
plete union of hearts
"In the British expeditionary force
there la an English soldier, a member
of a cyclist corps, who Is proud to
wear upon his breast the 'medallle
mllltalre' of the French army
"The story of the strriug incident
has been told to me by rienrl Roger, a
young soldier of the Fifth Infantry,
who aaw l^lrom the trtncles and who
Is now lying wounded In hospital here.
"During one of th? engagements
last week on the River A lane, the Fifth'
was holding an Intrenched position
and was faced In the distance, by a
strong force of the enemy. To the
right and left of the opposing forces
were large clumps of trees, In one of
which a force of English troops had
taken up a position, a fact regarding
which the Germans were unaware. In
the other wood, It was soon discovered,
lay a considerable body of German
Infantry with several uachlhe gun see
dons.
Cyclist Wins Decoration.
"A road ran beside the wood In
which the enemy lay hidden, and
along It a force of Frencb Infantry was
seen to be advancing. Bow were tbey
to be saved from the ambush Into
which they- were marching * That was
the problem, and It was a difficult one.
"Every time the French troops In
the trenches endeavored to signal to
their oncoming comrades, hidden Ger
man sharpshooters picked off the sig
nalers Soon the position seemed to
be almost desperate: every moment
the Intrenched French soldiers ex
pected to bear the hideous swish of
the Maxims mowing down their un
suspecting comrades.
"Suddenly, however, something hap
pened which attracted the attention
of the French and German trenches.
From the wood where the English lay
hidden a cyclist dashed?the English,
too. had seen the danger, and a cyclist
had been ordered to carry a message
of warning to the advgnclng French
column, several hundreds strong
"The cyclist bent lo-? In his saddle
and darted forward: he had not gone
a hundred yards before he fell, killed
by a well-aimed German bullet. A
minute later another cyclist appeared,
only. In a second or two, to share his
comrade's fate.
"Than a third?the thing had to be
done! The bullets whljfzed round him.
but on he went ovei( the (Ire-swept
zone. The Frenchmen held their
breath as they watched the gallant
cyclist speeding toward the Frencb
column.
"The Frenchmen could not resist a
loud 'Hurrah!' when they saw the
daring cyclist dismount on reaching
the officer in command-of the troops
which he had dared death to save
"The officer heard the message and
took In the position at a glance. He
gave an order or two Instantly, and
turned to the Englishman.
"Then was there a fine but simple
battle picture which should live.
"The French officer saluted the gal
lant fellow standing by the cycle.
Then, with a simple movement, took
the 'medallle mllltalre'?the Victoria
Cross of France?from his own tunic
and pinned It on the coat of the Eng
lishman.
" 'I am glad.' young Roger told me
when he had finished relating the
story, 'to have lived to see teat deed
It was glorious!'"
restraint. He Is transformed, a very
figure of destruction; It Is no lunger
dull courage,- but a blase of fury that
sweeps the ranks of the enemy like a
Are.
"Machine guns have no reply ro such
seal of passion; no machine conceived
could oppose this living flood of wrath.
The sound of that terrible laughter
will ring in my ears as long as t live."
HE IS SOME CORN HUSKER
Michigan Man Claims Championship
and May Do Husking Act
In Vsudevllle,
Grand Rapids. Mich.?P. E. Thomas
of this city claims the championship
of Michigan for corn husking. He es
tablished a new record this year on
the farm of R. G. Brumm, near Nash
ville, In Baty county, when he husked
146 bushels In ten hours, an average
of 14 3-6 bushels per hour, or one
bushel to each 4 2-7 minutes. Fla
best time during the day was It
bushels in 40 minutes.
Mr. Thomas' grandfather was an
expert husker and at one time did
even better than the grandson's best
record, husking 16S bushels In ten
hours. His father husked 147 bushels
In ten hours.
Mr. Thomas has made a business of
husking corn for 17 years. He says
the corn In Mr. Brumm's field is the
best In which he ever worked. The
corn Is of the Folsom yellow dent
variety, which was Introduced Into
this locality by W. H. Burd. Mr.
?Brumm's held contains 8 1-6 acres and
the total yield was 1,143 bushels, an
average of 140 bushels per acre.
There Is no question about the cor
rectness of Mr. Thomas' record, as
accurate time was kept on his work
and on the measure of his corn by
Mr. Brumm. Mr. Tbomaa says he ex
pects to beat his own record and that
of his grandfather next year. Ho may
go on the vaudeville stage with a corn
husking act next fall.
Grew Irish Potatoes.
Berlin.?The Germans pf Berlin are
to grow Irish potatoes; A society has
been organised to cultivate them In
waste places of the city which cannot
be used for other purposes.
THERE'S MONEY IN THAT COW
Silver Dollar In Stomach of Bovine
Proved Indiana Butcher'e
Prediction.
Lafayette. Ind.?John Klink, a bot
cher, thinks he has a right to believe
that there actually !e money la cows
He bought a Belter at the stockyard*
here for MS and took It to a slaugh
ter house. After the animal had been
killed a bright sliver dollar was found
la Its stomach. The former owner
made no effort to claim the money
and could not explain Ita presence In
the cow's digestive apparatus. When
Kllnk bought the cow at the yards
he remarked: "There la money In that
cow. she Is a good one." His predic
tion Uterally came true.
Worth Knowing.
It la Important that everyone should
be able to Judge ot the nearness or dis
tance of a thunder storm. The sound
oT the thunder, caused by thjf heating
and sudden expansion of the air by the
great electric spark which we call "a
flash ot lightning," travels a mile In
Ave seconds When there is an Inter
val .between the flash and the sound
of the thunder of two seconds or more,
the storm Is for the time being at a
safe distance, but whan the Interval is
only a second or less the storm Is
close, and any prominent object near
you, or you yourself, may be struck.
It Is the man wbb uses himseii too
seriously that gets laughed at?Pitts
burgh Sua
FINE FIVE-ROOM
COM HOUSE
Arrangement of Roof Give* Most
Interesting Effect to the
Structure.
SHINGLE SIDING A FEATURE
Idas Has Been to Arrango Oeaigns to
Carry Out tha Oanaral Architec
tural Effect?Llghta Ara Mada
on tha Multlpla Win
dow Plan.
A cobblestone trim arltb shingle tid
ing gives this Ave room cottage house
a distinguished appearance.
An Interesting effect la produced by
gltrlng different angles and pitches to
the roof, which effect la extended out
orer the front steps by the lerel top j
of the pergola. It It not often that a
roof la designed commencing with a
level, then supping up to square pitch.
The rubble stone wall piers and
chimney all help to produce an un
usual front. The manner of shingling
the sides of the house is different from
the ordinary, but It belps to carry out
the architectural effect, as Intended.
This manner of "siding houses uses
up lust about as many shingles as It
does to space them evenly, but It gets
away from the ordinary wsfcr of laying
shingles and It makes a distinction
between the sides of the house and the
root. The joints are broken the same
and the covering Is Just, as thick and
valuable, the only difference is In the
appaaraaoa
The windows are built on the mul
tiple window plan, but they are so ar
ranged as to produce the casement
window appearance. Because of the
double sash, any window may be
opened at the top or bottom In the
usual' way. They may be screened,
curtained and shaded according tS the
best custom, se that the women have
no objections to offer. This probably
accounts for the use of so many win-1
dows built in this way. Woodworking
factories make box frames any alia
and to contain as many window* as
the plan calls for. There are weight
boxes between each two windows, so
the sashes are hung by sash weights
in the usual way- The Idea is new In
house lighting.
Twenty or thirty years ago the fad
was to make windows narrow. Some
of them were mere slits in the wall.
Sometimes the wall was bereled away
outside to admit slanting rays of light
into the darkened rooms. But people
soon tired of such dungeons, and. the
fashion pendulum seems to hare
swung clear over in the other direc
tion and the style now demands as
much light and sunshine as possible
Tears ago windows were fltted with
outside blinds. It was customary for
the women to go around each morn
ing and close the blinds to keep the
llll^lPj| 'fcjpOM'
'Ma.
fOCU [ I to ^ W
\ TaSuX pH
1
Floor Plan.
?un from fading the carpets. Because
of the advantages of polished or var
nished hardwood floors and numerous
rugs, housekeepers are not so much
afraid of fading colors. Also manufac
turers have learned how to use better
dyes, but In all probability the chief
reason is better education In regard
to health.
The world progresses slowly, but It
Is evident that the different subjects
taught in schools are broadening the
minds of pupils so that as they grow
up the old ignorant notions of the
danger larking in sunshine and some
other back numbers are laughed out
of existence. The Improved micro
First Gum In England.
When Edward IV returned to Eng
land In 1471, ten years after he suc
ceeded to the throne, he obtained
some forcea "rom hie brother-in-law.
the duke of Burgundy, Including 300
Flemings armed with hand guns, thus
being the first to Introduce these
weapons Into England. Afterward they
became common. At first they were
fired by the application of a lighted
match to the powder by the hand. The
match was a wick lighted and pressed
against the ^nder In the pan. The
aeopea which have helped to broaden
the atudjr of bacteriology have dose
more to eradicate dlaeaee and to In
?tall aeneibje ldeaa, many of which
have really become faahiona. than all
the peeachlhg or old-time doctor*. I
A atudy of thta cottage houae plan
ehow* more window lurface than a
150,000 houae built yeara ago. When
the window ahadea are rolled up to the
top the houae la aa light aa a new
offloe building There are no dark
camera for the harboring of dirt and
bacteria.
r iuc piau snows uial llie flunt of the
cottage U given up entirely to com
fort Thar* Is a living room 23 by 14
; feet with a ?un parlor loggia 11 feat
by 7 feat 6 Inches arranged In inch a
manner that both rooma are comfort
able In winter aa well aa In aummer.
The large cobbleatone chimney la
built ea pec tally to provide a fireplace
for one end' of the fine living room.
The oobbleatone finish may be repro
duced In the living room or not aa the
owner wlahea.
Cobbleatone for lnatde finish has nev
er become very popular. However, It
the atones used, are carefully selected
for color, the finished chimney and
fireplaces may be made very attrae
< five. The stones that are polished by
rain and snow and sunshine acquire
dolors soft la tone and they may be
selected to blend together harmonious
ly to build up a work of art. Tbls
part of the decoration belongs to the
owner. The stone mason will place
the cobblestone In any position re
quired, but the superintendence of the
owner will be necessary to bring about
| the desired result
The slldlqg door which connects the
dining room with the parlor has a
rather wide opening. Wide doorWaya
are used In very small houses. In
fact, it would almost appear that the
widest doors are fitted Into the small
est houaea Wide doors are a neces
sity to accommodate modern furniture.
The big upholstered chairs and daven
ports require more than an ordinary
doorway to paas them through.
There is an extension built out from
the dining room to accommodate a
built-in buffet or sideboard. This exten
sion Is a study because of the manner
In which the built-in cabinet work Is
made. Such designs show the care
with which modern houses are put to
gether. Several odd-shaped windows
built Into this extension are Intended
to admit plenty of light to the dining
room and to merge with the built-in
fabtoet work In euch a way as to cre
ate envy among the neighbors.
The two bedrooms and the bath
room are connected by a short hall
way with doors opening both Into the
dining room and kitchen. The kitch
en, pantry, cellarway and back porch
ot this little cottage house are eery
compact and conveniently arranged for
doing the hoasewo^k- In a cottage
more attention usually Is paid to the
cellar than la houses, which Is one
reason for designing a good stairway
to go down to the basement. The
basement In a cottage house often Is
used for different kinds of storage, and
thore are a good many trips made
down and up In the course of a work
day.
Admitted to Lama Brotherhood.
Although a foreigner and a "devil."
the privileged of a lamasery in Tibet
were accorded to Mr. Francis H. Nich
ols, whose curious diary la published
in the current Bulletin of the Ameri
can Geographical Society. It records
his conviction that more than a third
of the population of Tibet are lamas,
ordained devotees of the state reli
gion! In every family where there are
five sons ot more one Is compelled by
law to he a lama, and in some parts,
of Tibet there are lamaseries of wom
en. The lamas' vows of celibacy and
chastity furnish one reason why the
population of Tibet is sparse. Chil
dren possessing "sacred signs of
Buddha," consisting of ridges on the
back of thumb or finger between the
base and the first Joint, are at once
resigned to the lama class. Mr. Nich
ols was discovered to have line ridges
on his thumbs, which admitted him
to the lama brotherhood and material
ly aldec^-hls studies.
Muddled Legislation.
The dyeing Industry, now so much
under discussion, was once the subject
ot a curious piece ot muddled legisla
tion. In the reign of George III a bill
was Introduced Into parliament for
regulating the use of madder tn dye
ing. In Its passage through the house
It gathered some sixty sections of re
strictions and enactments, but some
how In the chopping and changing the
word "madder" became entirely de
leted, and accordingly the measure
was Inoperative from the first.?Pall
Vail Gazette.
Naturally.
Boarding House Mistress ? What
part ot the chicken do you wish?
Freshman ? Some of the meat
please.?Pennsylvania Punch Bowl
Invention of a look to Are the powder
In place of the hand waa suggested ny
the trigger of the croaabow. The
matchlock fired the arquebus. or
harquebus, used by the soldiers of IM
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In
projecting a ball which weighed near
ly two ounces.
Aa to Palmistry. '
If the llnea of the hand really Indi
eated-how long a person will live. In
aufahce people would have adopted
palmistry long ago.
*1 w ?<
Taking Away
the Stones
\
Br MV. HOWARD W. PUB*
T
TEXT?Take yt away tlx^ jMone.-JohB
There ere man; atones of Ignorance,
perplexity, and belief which one en
tuuuien in v.nrio
tl?n work, and tt
often .require*
I rent (kill to re
more them
Occasionally w*
meet * person who
claim* that there
are *o many con
flicting opinions
among Christians
that he doe* not
know what to be
lie**. Remind him
that the differ
?nee* of .opinion,
a* ? rale, relate to
minor matter*.
such aa the mode of baptism or the '
method of church government, and not
wan ^ <?ue?l?* Of salvation.
While they may differ ions as to
tonni of worship and methods of gov
hU^S',' U ,00,u,, ,or on? ?o allow
Ws attention to be diverted to these
^tissues, and lose sight of the main
question. Besides, it is an indication
,?e,nt;' '"'"ess ?l??n one is not
*""n? to U>e Scriptures and
form an optnlon of his own. God has
?l*eu as the Bible which reveals his
*.'? i,*nd* mind capable of under
standing it (John 30:31). God's will
realC^rn^,|thlW1' 01 ?alT^Uon is re
?ealed so clearly that even a child can
undersund it. What excuse have we
then for deferring our daty?
We have no right to hold this mat
ter of repentance in suspense simply
'J"t,h?re eome things in the
Bible which we do not understand
There always will be things la the
Bible which we do not understand, and
T*" UBtU *J1 th,n?* *re under
stood by us we shall never be saved.
If we will obey that part of God's word
w? do understand, w. will soon get
light on some of the obscure things.
I once met a man on the train who
claimed to be a skeptic. He said there
were so many different religions that
he did not know what to believe. "One
Claims that we ought to worship Budd
U and another Confucius. Some say
that Mormonlsm is the true religion
*nd I suppose you would say that
Jesus Christ was the only Saviour In
the midst of all these conflicting opln
1? one to know what to be
1 said to him, "My friend, did you
evwembrace anj-^ne of those relig
"No, sir."
"You remember the fable about the
horee which stood between two stacks
of hay. He was about to take a bite
from one when there came a smell
* ?Ter. toe other so Inviting
to*1 he hesitated; then he caught a
whig from the other which led him to
turn again, and Anally he starved to
death between the two stacks, be
csuse he could not decide which to
est from.
'Now friend, are yoq.not making'
???toke which the horse
made? Here you stand la the midst
of all these religions starving your
soul because you do not know which
one to Jtoose. Had you not better em
brace some one of them, and do It
quickly? If you think that Buddhism
is the most promising become s Budd
hUt If you think Mormonlsm is from
God. become s Mormon. If you And
salvation from sin In these religions
continue In them, but If not. then ac
cept Christ as your Saviour, and I am
sure you will find salvation In him
He la the truth; seek no further But
by all means embrace some religion
end do it quickly for you are starving
jour soul for the lack of some one
to worship and obey."
I believe there is some truth In
stoat you say." ..id the nun. "but
this is my station and 1 must leave
you. I am glad we have had this con
versation and 1 hope we shall meet
fcgain."
Apparently the man was convinced
of his mistake, and was becoming In
terested. but be was leaving the car
end what could I do? I thought of
the little package of leaflets which I
usually carry, and selecting a couple
T rushed out on the platform and gave
them to him. One wgs the Christian
life card, and the other was a leaflet
written by Dr. J. w Chlckering of
Washington, D. C. Before he died the
author had the names of over seven
teen hundred people who had written
him or told him personally that they
attributed their conversions to this
tract
Then I commended the man of God.
hoping that the next Christian who
met him, might lead htm further along.
Perhaps some of my readers have mot
him. What success did you have? "
Daniel Webster states his position
?very clearly In a letter written to a
friend: "I believe that God exists in
three persons; this I learn from rev
elation alone. Nor is It any objection
to this belief that I cannot comprehend
how one can be three, or three one I
hold it my duty to believe, not what I
can comprehend or account for, but
what my maker teaches me. I be
lieve religion to be a matter not of
demonstration, but of faith. God re
quires us to give credit to tbe truths
which he reveals, not because we can
prove them, but because be reveuie
them."
God Made Us for Hlmeelf. Sjj
Wa were made tor God. No work,
no enftroesment. or culture or natural
power*, will aatlefj a man Who ha*
once awakened (o hi* heart need.
Only a faith like that eipreeeed la
the preat wotd* of St. Auguattne oaa
satisfy. "Thou haht made ua for thy
?elf, end our heart la reetleea till R
nnd* rent it tne?."?Ku?U USaek.