VOLUME II.
OXFORD, N. C., WEDNESDAY,'NOVEMBER 29, 1876.
NUMBER 4P,
TI113 SII.13NT
'\Ve two lives, the outward seeming tair,
jVuii tull of smiles that on the surface lie ;
Xhe other spout in many a silent prayer,
With thoughts and feelings hiddoa from the
eye.
■pile weary, weary hours of gentle pain,
Unspoken yearnings for the dear ones gone,
I’lie wishes half-defined, yet crushed again.
Make up the silent bfe we lead alone.
And happy visions we may never show.
Gild all this silent life with sweet romance;
That they will fade like sunset’s clouds we
know,
Yet life seeriishrighterti'cm each stolen glance.
This silent life, we little reck its power
To strengthen us f»r either gc.od m-i:!:
Whether we train our thoughts like birds to
soar,
Or let them wander wheresoe’er they will.
This silent life not those we love may shafe,
Thout^h day hy day we strive to draw them
close;
Our secret chamber—none may enter there,
Save that one Q) e that uever seeks repose.
And if beneath that eye we do not quail.
Though all the world may turn from us aside,
Wc own a secret power that shall prevail,
When every motive of our life is tried.
WOMAIV'S WORK FOR
Two very simple and axomatic
principles go lar to solve tlie
iniicli discussed woman question ;
iirst, every creature of God has a
right to do, a duty of doing,
wliatever good work it can; abil
ity is the uieasure of both right
and dut\'. Second, the only
measure of ability is experiment;
the only' wav for any class to as
certain what are its powers is to
trv tliem.
’\Ve liave little faith that wo
man’s convention’s will ever do
iiuieli to solve this problem. It
is not by asserting, but by doing
that women are to prove their
liglit to do. Mrs. Somerville
proved the right ol woman to the
iiigher education by making her
self one of the first mathemati
cians of Europe. The women
who are quietly going on without
any flourish of trumpets or wav
ing of banners, in organizing
meetings, presenting reports, en
gaging in discussions, manipulat
ing- business, raising money and
wisely expending it in Christian
work, are doing almost as much
for the emancipation ol their sex
from the shackles of Christian
conventionalism as for the deliv
erance of their sisters from the
more intolerable shackles of a
heathen conventionalism. Now
and then a conservative utters an
amiable growl in the columns of
a religious new'spaper, because
tliev presume to “speak in meet
ing.” Now and then some an
cient, who should wear knee-
breeches and shoe-buckles, with
delightful naivete, proposes, as a
distinguished divine did lately in
Canada, that the women shall do
all the work, and the men hold
all the offices. But the Christian
W'orld at large accepts the demon
stration of success, and honors
woman for attempting whatever
she can really achieve. The wo-
men of this State in quietly^ re
forming our chaotic state charities
are doing more to induct women
into politics than a dozen woman s
conventions ; and the work done
in behalf of Christian missions by
such an organization as that which
held its convention recently in
Brooklyn, or on behalf of temper
ance by such a society as that
which is to hold a Convention in
Newark, next week, reams on the
workers. A Society which ex
pends less than $1,000 in salaries
and room-rent, and does the good
that the Woman’s Union Mission
ary Society is doing, demonstrates
its right to do its work by the
clearest kind of evidence. It is a
home as well as a foreign mis
sionary society; and its home
work is all tlie more efficient be
cause it is unconscious.—Alliance.
A H.^STA SUPPER.
There have been experiiiients
to ascertain in how short a time
wool can be cut from the sheep’s
back and made into a garment.
Doubtless these prompted some
citizens of Carrollton, Mo., to
learn how many minutes it would
require to cut wheat in the field,
thresh it, grind into flour, and
make into bread. A committee
w'as formed, who with watches in
hand oLsjrved the experiment,
'fheir report is as follows ;
The undersigned citizens of
Carrollton and vicinity certify
that at a trial made this dav for
tlie purpose of ascertaining tlie
time i}i which bread could be
made from wheat taken in the
field standing, the following time
was made by' J. E. Lawton, pro
prietor of tiie mill: Commenced
cutting with the reaper at 3.01 p.
m ; iiui.shetl cuUiiig, 3.02 ; began
threshing at 3.02J; finished one
bushel at 3.04|. Commenced
grinding at 3.04| ; finished at
3 06f. Mrs. Lawton began mak
ing bread at 3.08; finished at
3,08^. Griddle cake baked at
3.09^; and biscuit baked and
eaten at 3.12 ; the whole accom
plished in 11 minutes. The reap
er and thresher and the mill were
thoroughly cleaned out before the
trial commenced, and not a parti
cle of flowei was used that did
not come from the wheat cut in
the above trial.—The witnesses
kept separate time, and in the re
suit all time agreed.—Youth's Com
panion.
MEiV WHO COUED PROFIT BY
A lllIVT.
It is worth a great deal to a
3'oung man fo be quick enough
to take the first hint of future for
tune, to seize the right “chance’’
at the right time. One of our
New England exchanges calls
two illustrations of this to our
recollection.
Every one knows Thorburn the
seed man. It is said that Thor
burn, a young Scotchman, arriv
ed here penniless, and was work
ing at his trade as a raeclianie,
when one day he bought a _ few
beautiful flowers from an itiner
ant seller for a mere song. On
liis way home he was asked by a
gentleman to sell them, and the
figure named was quickly given.
A profit so easily made caused
him to think, and. soon after
Thorburn became a florist, and
his establishment has been kept
up for si.xty years. Fairbanks,
tlie scale maker, once kept a small
country store. His scales were
primitive and out of order. He
made a set to suit liiinself, and
tins was the foundation of the
great factory at St. Johnsbury,
Vt., which now supplies a great
portion of the world with its
scales and balances
A BEAU’iTFUE ILEUS'FRATJOA.
We take from an exchange this
very beautiful illustration. It is
simple, touching and 3'et thrill
ing :
“If a child liad been born and
spent all his life in the Mammoth
Cave, how impossible would it be
for him to comprehend the upper
world ! Parents might tell liim
of its light, its beauty, and its
sounds of joy ; tliey iniglit heap
np the sands into mounds and try
to show him by stalactites liow
grass, flowers and trees grow out
of the ground, till at lengtli, witli
laborious tliiiikiiig, the child would
fancy he had gained a true idea
of tlie unkno-ivii land.
And yet, tliough lie longed to
behold it, when it came that he
was to go forth, it would be with
regret for the familiar cr3'stiils
and p'oek hewn rooms, and the
quiet that reigned therein. But
when he came up, some May
morning, -vi'itli ten thousand birds
singing in the trees, and the hea
vens bright and blue and full of
sunlight, and the wind blowing
softly through the young leaves,
all a glitter with dew, and the
landscape stretching away green
and beautiful to the horizon, with
what rapture would he gaze about
him and see how poor were all
the fancyiiigs and interpretations
which were made within the cave
of the things which lived and
grew witiiout; and liow lie would
wonder that he could ever have
regretted to leave the silence and
dreary darkness of his old abode !
So^ when we emerge from this
cave of earth into that land where
Spring growths are, and where is
eternal summer, how shall we
wonder that we could have clung
so fondly to this dark and barren
life !
THE HEBREW BROTHERS.
our lamp is dark.”
Then Joseph, looking more
troubled than ever, suddenly
seized liis staff and w'alked awav,
leaving his wife in anxiety and
wonder. He wa.s gone, however,
but a veiy short time, and when
he returned, his face and manner
were entirely' changed.
Calmly he oflered the Sabbath
prayer, and then, with a smile,
he lit the Sabbath lamp. His
wife still wondering, questioned
him.
“Rebecca, ni\' beloved,” lie
said, “I could not wor.sliip till I
was reconciled with Isaac. It is
done and now I am at peace.”
“But,” said she, “how could
you go to Isaac’s house and come
back so soon ?”
“Ah, Rebecca, my brother
could not rest any' more than I,
and he met me on the way, and there
we embraced and wept together.”
“Be angrj’ and sin not. Let
not the sun go down upon your
wrath,” is a Christian piecept.
But more primitive worshippft's
of God, who have never owned
that the New Testament is the
perfect blossom of the Old, are
found to obey this as a pious ob
ligation, proving that the law of
love is as ancient as the Crea
tion.
A grandson of Joseph and Re
becca became a Christian minis
ter, the eminent Dr. Capadose, of
Holland, who, while living, often
related the above story with de
light and gratitude.
♦iilVE Y'OURSEI.F.
TRUE ECONiOMY OF FIFE.
When our great Teacher told
his hearers, in the Sermon on the
Mount, that they ought to make
up their quarrels, and forget their
mutual hatreds before performing
an act of worship, probably ma
ny of them felt their hearts re
spond to his words. Any .Jew
who brought his “gift to the altar,”
could know from his own scrip
ture, that the form of prayer is
nothing without the right frame
of mind.
There is a true story from the
Netherlands, that two Hebrew
brothers, Joseph and Isaac, affec
tionate, but naturally high-tem
pered, one day had a difference,
and parted with hot -anger.
It was the day' before the Sab
bath, and as evening drew near,
Joseph’s wife observed him walk
ing to and fro, looking uneasy
and unhappy^ She finished and
laid aside her weekly work, and
waited for him to come in and
make the usual preperation. The
sun went down, but he still moved
about, and seemed to grow more
nervous and gloomy ev'ery min
ute.
She spoke to him, “Husband,
it is almost dark. Will you not
light the Sabbath lamp ?”
But Joseph paid no heed.
Presently she called him again.
“Dear husband, why' do you not
come in I The Sabbath 1ms al
ready begun. Behold ! overhead
the Lord has lit His stars. But
The true economy of human
life looks at ends rather than in
cidents, and adjusts expenditures
to a moral scale of values. De
Quincy pictures a woman sailing
over the water, awakening out of
sleep to find her necklace untied
and one end hanging over the
sti'eam, while pearl after pearl
drops from the string beyond her
reach ; while she clutches at one
just falling, another drops beyond
recovery. Our days drop one
after aiiother by our carelessness,
like pearls from a string, as we
sail the sea of life. Prudence
requires a wise husbanding of
time to see that none of the gol
den coins are spent for nothing.
The waste of time is a more se
rious loss than the extravagances
against which there is such loud
exclaim.
There are thousands who do
nothing but lounge and carouse
from morning till midnight
drones in the human hive, who
consume and waste the honey
honest w'orkers wear themselves
out in making, and insult the day
by their dissipotion and debauch.
There are ten thousand idle, friv
olous creatures who do nothing,
consume and waste and W'ear
what honest hands accumulate,
and entice others to live as usehss
and w'orthless lives as themselves,
Were every man and woman an
honest toiler, all would have an
abundance of everything and half
of every day for recreation and
culture. The expenditure of a
few dollars on taste is a small
matter in comparison with the
wasting of months and y'ears by
thousands who have every advan
tage society can offer, and exact
every' privilege it affords as a
right.
Said a mother to me one dav :
“ When my' children were vouiig
I thought the very' best tiling I
could do for them was I0 give
them myself. So I spared no
pains to talk with them, to be a
loving companion and friend to
my children. I liad to negl; ct
my' liouse many' times, I had no
time to indulge myself in many
tilings wliicli 1 sliould liave liked
to do. I was so busy adorning'
their minds and cultivating their
hearts’ best affections, that 1 could
not adorn tlieir bodies in fine
clothes, though I kept them neat
and comfortable at all times. I
have my reward now. Mv sons
are ministers of tlie gospel nn'
grown up daughter a lovely cl,ris-
tian woman. I liave plenty of
time now to sit down and 'rest,
plenty of time to keep my house
in perfect oi'der, plenty of time to
indulge myself in many' ways,
besides going about iny Master's
business whenever he has need of
me. 1 have a thousand beautiful
memories of their childhood to
comfort me. Now that they have
gone out into the world, 1 liave
the sweet consciousness of having
done all I could to make them
ready for whatever work God
calls them to do. I gave them
the best I could—my'self.”-—Ex.
COURAGE.
“There is a moral courage
which enables a man to friuuipli
over foes more formidable than
were ever marshalled by' any
Caisar—a courage which impels
him to do his duty; to hold fast
his integrity ; to maintain a con
science void of offence towards
God and towards man—at every
hazard and saorfije, in difiance
of the world and of the prince of
the world, Such was the courage
of Moses, of Joseph, of Daniel, of
Aristides, of Phocion, of Regulus,
ot Paul, of Luther, ot Washing
ton, Such was the courage which
sustains every good man amid.st
the temptations, allurements, lioii-
ors, conflicts, opposition, malice,
cruelty', persecution, which beset
and threaten him at every stage
of his progress through life. It
is not a noisy, obstrusive, bluster
ing boastful courage, wliicIi push
es itself into notice when there is
no real danger, but which shrinks
away when the enemy is at the
door. It is calm, self-possessed,
meek, gentle, unostentatious,
modest, retiring, but when the
fearful arrives, then y-ou .shall be
hold the majesty of genuiuo
Christian courage, iu all her na
tive energy, breathing the spirit
of angelic purity, and grasping
victory from the firery furnace or
the lion’s den, when notone of all
the millions of this wcu'ld’s heroes
would have ventured to share her
fortune.
“ T fear God, and I have no
other fear,’ is the sublimest senti
ment ever felt or uttered by mor
tal man.”
There are some preachers who
can manage to deliver a sermon
and leave out Christ’s name alto
gether. Surely the true believer
will stand like Mary' Magdalene,
over the sermon and say ; “They
have taken away my Lord, and I
know not where they' have taken
Him.”—Sjmryeon.
A.
J!
1 -iii