Orphans’ Friend. Price, $1 a year.) OXFORD, N. C., JUNE 29, 1883. (VOL. IX. NO. 6. OEUMBS OF CHBISTIAN OHABITY. BY MBS. ENOCH TAYI/>B. I ma^e a call ' he other day On Mis. Smith, across the way; And as Nve in the pari or sat, Indnlging in a social chat, There came a beggar to the door, Which led us to discuss the poor. Now, Mrs, Smith belongs to church, And seems.to be in daily search Of souls to save, and good to do— And I think her heart is bon j, t, to.ij But when it camv> to charity, I then could very p'ainly see She had but little she could spare, Although she had a liberal share Of Ibis world’s goods; but tlien, you know, It’s hard for some to let it go I Said'she, ‘Tpity all the poor. And. hate to turn them from my ■ door. It almost makes my bosom bleed Tq Ibojs aroifnd and, see the need That daily stares us in the face- dust see tbie lovely Brussels lace I bought to trim my grenadine, The handsomest I think I’ve .seen. I oltep tuink I’ll try to see If I can, through economy, Sawe enough'togive the poor A pdrtiem of my worldly store. I think ni wear a cheaper hat— But, Mrs. Jones, I can’t do that; And tlien 1 want a seal-skin sack— I’ve not a mantle to my back. X must get what I need to wear— They say thi se people over there Are starving more than half their time,— ni send John over with a dime ! ■‘(3® down,. Mary, and tell the cook, If she will in the pantry look, Shft’U, find, some steak—a little tough, Bpt the will think it good enough; Gj),! ake it^tp those hungry boys, I .hope thatjthat m^y stop their I can’t hel^,^hinking of the poor— 1 saw do^^tbw^, in Stevens? store. Such a lovely Paisley shawl, And.just %e thing, as I am tall— There gi ps tl]» bell—who is it, lohn? Tell the beggar 1 have none— 1 can’t give every thing away 1 Bpt let me see—oh, hero, John, stay I I thipk Lhave some, cast-off shoes, That, none of us can longer use ; Gp give hilt) these, they’re in my road, Ajid tel^ hi«Q he should trust in Godl “Oh, Mrs. Jones, I’ve made a raise, Ajbronii-pew satin polonaise Dp tell me ho^ to have it made Tp oast Kate Cooper’s in the sh.ide! I TOust-to-raorrow send some tracts To post those folks in Bible facts ; For paupers, as a general rule, Will neviT go to Sunday School. Just see my lovely ostrich plume. It’s long enough to da?t a room; They say' that poor man was a clerk, But lor a year, has had no work; I’d really love to give them aid. But I must havfl my velvet made. “Now, Mis. Jones, don’t rise to go; Why can’t you stay and help us sew For those poor children over there? Oh, dear me, I do declare, 1 quite forgot that I’m to dine With those wealthy friends of mine; I’ll have to let the children go, For really I’ve ru) tibie to sejir; I’m sorry they’ve no clothes to wear, And only wish I’d some to spare. How sad it is for i;s to see, So much of want and poverty ; So many sinners proud and vain— It always gives us Christians pain. The carriage waits—I must away— Do call again another day.” Feebleness of means is, In fact, the feebleness of him that employs theuir THE BROKEN CLOCK. There was a poor family liying in one of the large for« ests of Grermany. The father was often at work a good dis tance from his home, and if anything went wrong in the cottage, the mother was una ble to leave it to go to the town to get the help she need ed. ii One day she was sorely vex ed to dnd that some of the children had been tampering with the clock, and put it out of order. This made it irapos sible for her to order the ways of her household as regularly as she wished to do, for she was a most methodical wom an, and liked doing every thing properly to time. How ever, she quickly called to mind that her old uncle was a clock-maker, and she got one of the boys to go over a great distance on foot, to where this old man lived, and persuaded him to come over and mend the time-piece. It was some time before he could do so; and when at last Karl Hans, the uncle, came, the whole household assembled to watch him at his work; for they had a great' respectfor.his intimate knowl edge of the insides of clocks, which were nearly as queer as the insides of human be ings. Karl was not a very talkative man, but he had the repatation of being very knowing, and taking in what was going on around him, when he appeared to have one if not two eyes shut. “Have you got anything else which wants mending?” he asked, as he half shut his eyes, and peeped sideways into the most mysterious part of the clock. “Not that I know of,’’ said Mrs. Schmidt; “and I should not like to trouble you, umde, if 1 had.” “0, don’t mention trouble,’’ said old Karl; “only I thought it might be as well for the young people to mend their manners, and then perhaps they would not go meddling with things too high for them like the clock.” The boys did not know which way to look, as Karl said this, so stared at the walls and ceiling as it they were guilty of having shown’ bad manners. “It’s astonishing how few folks understand bow to mend their manners,” Karl contin ued; “they don’t seem to see that if they do things which are out of place, they are sure to put other people out, and in the end make things un comfortable for themselves. "Very many hearts are broken past mending, by not having the little cracks patched up,so to speak, by soft words, be fore they have gone very deep. People should make it their business in life to mind these two things, first to be sure and not break anything themselves, and secondly, to be sure and look out for what other people have broken, in order to try and mend these things. There’S a deal to be read in the Bible about “re pairing’’ and setting things to rights; and I am never more happy than when I have un done seme one else’s mischief,’’ Karl did not say much for some time, and indeed it would have been of smalKuse if he had done so; for the ba by having succeeded in ram ming the spoon, given her to play with, half way down her throat, had a great chok ing fit, and every one’s atten tion was given to thumping her on the back. When peace was restored, Karl had nearly finished his work. “Now^ boys,” he said, “the inside of this clock, the works I mean, are set right; so you will find the hands will point to the true time without your helping them along with your finger and thumb. Clocks and people are very much alike, they go right or I'vrong according to the state of their insides, where the works are. There are some folks would make you believe tbat the outside of a clock is the most important part to have hand some looking; but a very bad clock for telling true time may have a very fair face. And there are some folks who want to get everybody to look fair on the outside, to act like re spectable people, and do this and not do the other, they are always jogging away at the hands of the clock, so to speak; but they forget that the grent matter is for every one’s works to be clean, their in side heart I mean. David did not say, “O Lord make me a respectable man.’’ “Keep me from drink.” “Keep me from swearing.” He said, “Grive me a clean heart,0 Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.’^ He knew if his heart, were clean his way would be true, just as the hands of the clock point true, if the works inside are going on rightly. “And Grod knows when we carry a fair face and act like Christian men, whether we do so from being shoved on, so to speak, by some one else’s fin - gers or from right feeling. “He dosen’t care for a new face when the clock of your heart has got tiie old works. He wants new works—that is the first and all-important point,—’Renew a right spirit within me,’ says David. Then no matter what ups or downs come, your inside clock, your heart, will make your hands go right. You may be shak en one day, kicked down the next, and lifted up the third, but you will still go right. “But if you have only been helped to go right by your fellow-man, and not by God’s Spirit which is the oil of grace then your hands will tumble about any how, if you are but in a crooked place; they will fall' back to the lowest point they can, for there will be nothing behind to hold them up.” In this way old Karl tried not only to mend the clock, but to set the boys to think ing; for be was one of those who had what is better than all the head-knowledge of scholars,—he had some of the wisdom which comes from the Lord, and which is as necessary to guide people through life as a compass is to the sailor at sea. And no one of the family, who saw the old clock day by day, ticking steadily on the walls, forgot anything which Karl had said whilst mending it so thoroughly. A SILVER RULE. RESTLESS FRANCE, Ever since the warlike star of France paled before the tread of German invasion, that theatrical and vain-glo- lions people have been thirst ing for an opportunity to re cover their laurels. Too cau tious to provoke the heavy arm of Germany, or of other European military nations, they have been gentle as coo- in^ doves -where there was danger, but fierce as the screaming eagle among the ill-armed and unwarlike races of Asia and Africa. In south . eastern Asia is situated the Empire of Anam, whose area is three times as great as the State of Missouri, and whose population is estimated at 15,000,000 souls. Anam was once subject to China, but several centuries ago rebelled and established an indepen dent existence, which it re tained until a few years since when, it was virtually made a dependency of France. Re cently they have pushed their aggression.s into the province of Toaquin, on the borders of China,with the result of arous ing the hostility of the Celes tial Empire, and there seems to exist an excellent prospect for a war of no .little magni tude. The Cliinese have been conforming their army to European standards, arming it with modern weapons, and it is thought that it has been greatly improved in efficien cy. It is not impossible that the latter may receive the sympathy of England and Germany in the event of war, and it is possible that the French may find that they have undertaken all that they are able to accomplish. During the last war in this country, one of the men forc ed to bear arms was an old turkey-hunter ‘named Car- wiles. He bad passed his life hitherto in the mouptains of West Virginia, and knew a great deal more about wild turkeys than about shot and shell. As old soldiers sav, shell fired from ^.cannon fly through the air with a pecul iar fluttering sound. In fact, these flying shells 4re called “wet geese.’’ When Mr. Car.- wiles went into battle for the first time, his regiment was placed in a certain piece of woods. While the troops were there, the opposing troops began to shell the woods, and the huge projectiles screamed over the treee-tops. As the first shell went over Mr. Car- wiles’ head—“flut! flut! flut!’’ - -the old turkey-hunter look ed up, exclaiming: “My gra cious, boys, what a gobbler!” You all know the Golden Rule : “Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you.” Here is a rule which we will put by itself, and be cause of its value call it the silver rule: “Think and say all you can of the good quali- ities of others; forget and keep silent concerning the bad qualities.” You can not con ceive how much such a cours© will heighten your happiness and raise you in the esteem of your companions. Did you ever think any more of a boy or girl 1 ecause he or she found fault with others? Nev er call your sclioolmates or playmates ugly or cross to their faces or behind their backs. If they are ugly, or stingy,Jor cross, it does not make them better for you to talk or think about it, while it makes you love to dwell upon the faults of others, and cau ses your own soul to grow smaller and become like the foul bird that prefers car rion to food. Rather tell all the good you can, and try to think of some good quality of vour mates.—American Farm- HELP YOUESPLP. People who have been bol stered up and levered all their lives are seldom good for any thing in a crisis. When mis fortune comes they look around for something to lean upon. If the prop is not there down they go. Once down they are as helpless as capsized turtles, or unhorsed men in armor, and cannot find their feet again without assistance. Such silken fellows no more resemble self-made men, who have fought their way to po sition, making difficulties their stepping stones, and deriving determination from defeat, than vines resemble oaks, or sputtering rush lights the stars of heaven. Efforts per sisted in to achievements train a man to self-reliance, and when he has proved to the world that he can trust him self, the world will trust him. It is unwise to deprive young men of “the advanta ges which result from their own energetic action by “boostin’’ them over obstacles which they ought to surmount alone. SYMBOLS. The vernacular of the Boston girl is becoming shockingly uusesthetic. A Beacon Mill belle was accosted by a friend who said,reproachfully: “Em ily, this is the tbiid time you have been engaged since we have returned from Nantucket last fall.’’ “Yes, Mollie,” was the reply, “I’m not throwing anything good over my shoul der thre season.” Mr. A. Armfield P. 0.,!^.* I. says; “Mv wife has proveu your medi cine to be good for nervousness uml general dehQlty.” RECREATIONS. A holy life is made up of a number of small things. Little words not eloquent speeches or sermons; little deeds, not miracles, nor one great heroic act or mighty martyrdom make? up the true Ohristiau life. The little, constant sun beam, not the lightning, the waters of Shiloh “that go so softly” in their meek mission of refreshment, not tlie waters of the rivei, great and many, rushing down in torrent,noise and force, are the true sym bols of a holy life. The avoid ance of little evils, little sins, little inconsistencies, little foi bles, little indiscretions and imprudences, little indulgen ces of self and flesh—the avoidance of such little things as tliese go far to make up, at least, the negative beauty of a holy life.—Moratius Bonar. “Your recreations, of which you liave given me a brief vsketch, are doubtless inno cent,, especially if they occu py no more of your time than a due attention to health, and the wants of your nature de mand. Altlio.ugh you hav# often reproached me' with be ing too austere, I am far from thinking that religion forbids the use of innocent recrea tions; because being indiffer ent in themselves, they be come useful when they are necessary for tlie relaxation of the body or the mind. I am not at all sliocked at the tradition which informs us that St, John sometimes amused himself with a par tridge which he had tamed. Happy are they who, as far as they are able, endeavor to turn their own recreations to the advantage of others,which may certainly, if not always, sometimes be done.—Fletcher. THE VALUE OF MAN. Man, as a rational being, is allied to the divine; the imaged likeness, though frightfully deformed, is still discernible to the all seeing eye; God re cognizes this distant relation ship as He sees liim lying in spiritual ruin, and then when he believes, the distance is gone; it is his faith which brings him near to the Infi nite One, and makes him, in some sense, a partaker of His infinity. T.’his is his value. Hence the power of that glo rious scriptural anthropopas thism. The Almighty Shep herd leaving the ninety and nine to seek the one that is lost in the wilderness,—Tay-^ lor Lewis. A quiet man traveling a short time ago by rail, in Eng land, was annoyed by the noise which two or three men in the same carriage were' making. One of them had been telling tremendous sto ries about himself, in a loud voice, and liad tried once or twice to draw out the quiet man, but in vain. At last he turned to him and said, rather offensively: “I fear, sir,that our noise has rather inconven ienced you.” “Not ill the least,”he replied. ‘^I thought,” returned the noisy, “that you did not seem interested by my stories.” “Quite tlie reverse, my dear sir,” said the quiet one: “I was very much so —in fact, I am a bit of a liar myself*’’ The time has almost come when the politician who winks at vice that he may make votes will miss his mark. The majorities will be on the oth er side, and self-stultified men will no longer crawl into high places with their moral back bone broken. Speed the day! Mr. J. D. Suttenfield, lleidsville,N.C. says: “My wife has never felt her neu ralgia since she used Brown’s Iron Bit ters. It improved lier healtli greatly. T.J.&W.D.H0RNER’S Classical, Mathematical and Commercial School, HENDERSON, VANCE CO., N. C. The Fall Session opens the Fourth Monday in .inly next. The teachers are tried aird experienced; the terms reasonable and the aceoininodations are first-class; tin; Discipline is good and the Course of Study thorougli. For circular giving particulars, ad dress the principals. 4-6t i II I

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