Orphans’ Friend.
Price, $1 a year.)
OXFORD, N. C., SEPTEMBER 14,1883.
(V0L.IX.no 17.
mST HIM.
Is the tempest ’roaod t'lee raging?
Do the angry billows' roar?
Is there darkness all about thee,
Not a ray frt)m yo:i far ehore?
Trust in Jesus.
Did thy summer friends all leave
thee
In adversity’s dark night?
Christ was left alone on Calvary,
Without one bright gleam of
light.
Suifering Saviour.
Does the cruel breath of slander
Touch thy name with blighting
power,
Till thy heart is well-.iigh broken,
In a lonely, friendless hour?
Trust the shepherd.
Me, thy Friend^ will gently lead
thee
Into ways thou hast not known ;
'Ihen, oh, sad heart! ever trust Him,
lie will save and His own.
Ever trust Him.
Has the heavy hand of sorrow
Fallen .m thy drooping head?
Hast thou wept beside Ihe dying?
Hast thou mourned above the
dead?
Then, oh, trust Him I
There is yet a bow of promise
bending ’neath that far-off sky ;
Tiiere’s a dazzling rift of sunshine
Bursting through the clouds on
high;
There’s a Helper.
There is still the ‘‘Rock of Ages,”
Everlasting arms beneath;
Cling to that, poor, earthly pilgrim,
In thy hours of deepest grief.
Trust the Saviour.
—Christiaoi Obmver,
From the New York Observer.
m PIEST SWARM OP BEES.
I had received the gift of a
colony of bees, not because I
cared ior sucb(*a present; but
an old gentleman who bad a
large apiary, and who took
great interest in the working
of the little creatures, wanted
very much to bestow a hive
uoon me, and I accepted
chiefly to gratify him.
When the swarming season
came on I watched my bees
carefully, for I had become
more and more interested in
them. I had read all I could
lay my hand on in regard to
the treatment of bees, and I
had asked my friend, who was
a practical bee-keeper, all the
questions I could think of, es
pecially in reference to their
swarming, and how to hive
them mostsuccessfally. Week
after week passed, but there
was no swarming. The colo
ny seemed in an active condi
tion, however, and that kept
up my hopes. I believed that
they would swarm sometime
or other—probably when my
duties called me from home—
and so I made all necessary
preparation for the event as if
it weie a matter of vast mo
ment. My visits to the gar
den during the warmer part
of the day were frequent, and
I always paused near the bee
hive to watch the Utile create
ares, and to interrupt them in
their course if they should
suddenly form a bee-line for
the distant ^vood.
The day was hot, in the
middle of Juno, about half
past ten o’clock in the moin^*
ing, and I lingered near a nice
bed of ,strawberries to gather
a lew for iniiuediate use when,
casting my eyes toward the
bees, I saw a great oommo-
tiou about the door of the
hive. I hastened •near to se
cure a place of good observa
tion. In less than a minute
the air seemed living with lit
tle things flying madly in all
directions.' After a few mo
ments I noticed the thickest
of the cloud floated down to
wards an apple tree that
spread out its young branches
near the gronnd. Then my
eager eye caught sight of a
little dark knot forming on
one of its boughs, and I shout
ed with great delight, “They
are settling!'’ So they were,
and in five minutes a large
cluster like a mammoth bunch
of grapes hung swinging from
the branch.
A table was soon placed un*-
der, with a new patent hive
upon it, and according to my
friend’s instructions I shook
down the cluster at the door
of tlie hive. There was a
grand commotion under and
around, and already the bees
began to enter the new house,
and I thought the feat accom
plished, when my assistant
exclaimed, “They are going
to swarm again!"” I looked
up at the old hive to see it
black with bees—not another
swarm, but the. one I thought
I had captured going back to
the old home. How disap
pointed I felt, and how I re
proached myself for bungling
the work. The opportunity
could .not have been more fa
vorable. So convenient, so
easy. T might have dropped
every bee into the new hive,
and thus have secured the
prize. I was so disappointed
and ashamed of myself that I
grieve 1 over the mismanage
ment all the afternoon. True,
it was some little comfort to
know that they might swarm
next day; but that would not
mend the present failure—
and then' perhaps they would
nbt-light at all, but fly direct
to the distant wood.
“Surely,” said I to myself,
“surely there is a lesson here
for me; for every one young
or old who will learn.” First
opportunities, improved Or
lost, generally make or mar
our whole life. Every one’s
experience furnishes proof of
this. I knew a youth who had
just left school. ■ A friend who
had watched over his educa^
tion with deep interest gave
him a splendid opportunity of
gaining a fortune beside.s
making himselfa man of much
account. His em[doyer was
well pleased with him. He
was capable ot filling the sit
uation in every “respect. His
health was excellent. Every
thing bid lair for a prosperous
and oven a useful life. He
fell into a mistake, however.
Carried away with excitement
and evil associates .he made a
rash bet on his favorite racer,
a .id lost it—and took the mon
ey out of his employer’s safe,
just for a few days of course!
The theft was soon discover
ed, and he was dropped from
nis place. He lost his splen
did opportunity for life; he
lost his self-respect, his char
acter, and his life; tor he chose
to meet an offended Grod rath
er than live under the scorn
of his former acquaintances.
Another young man with
great difficulty obt'^iued a
good sitaation. He held it
for a few months till he
thought he knew how to fill
it. He made a slight mistake
I which his master pointed out
! to him. Instead of being
grateful he was impertinent,
and on Saturday night he was
paid off with the doubtful
compliment that he was too
smart for their kind of busi
ness.
A youth goes out into the
world with false ideas of right
and wrong. He thinks tliat
it is no matter what he be
lieve if he only tries to do a.s
well as he can. He possesses
a little religious knowledge,
but he does not make it a vi
tal element of bis being. He
has just enough to be called
moral, a pretty good sort of
man, fairly honest. There
was an opportunity in bis Hie
when he might have secured
an undoubted interest in reli
gious things, but he made the
mistake of neglecting it, and
he never could see another
half so. favorable again. He
lost his first opportunity of
becoming a Christian, and of
enjoying the happiness of a
religious life, and, saddest of
all, he is likely to lose the
salvation of his soul; for the
end of religious mistakes may
involve a loss as great as that
of the soul without an oppor
tunity of regaining the treas
ure This is why Grod’s word
is so urgent: “Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found;”
“Tliose that seek me early
shall find me;’’ “Behold now
is the accepted time, behold
now is the day of salvation.”
Yes, a lost opportunity is like
a lost day; it never returns
again. Another ma}' or may
not take its place, but it is
gone forever. R. H. C.
SHARPER THAN A SERPENT’S
TOOTH.
A week or -two ago, a
young man, belonging to an
influential, honorable family,
cheated a couple of business
firms in a great Western city,
by false representations, out
of a couple of hundred thou
sand dollars. The matter
was brought before his father
an old man of stern integrity.
The young man was bis only
child.
“Gentlemen, I can do noth
ing,’^ he said. “I have paid
nearly halt a million dollars
already to make up sums
which he has embezzled, He
has brought me to beggary.
The law must take its course ”
He turned away. The road
between him and de.;th was
short, and it would be dark
and hard.
On the same week an elder
ly woman was seen to throw
herself into the Schuylkill riv
er, near Philadelphia. She
was rescued with difficulty.
She held in her hand a satch
el containing gold, notes and
bank-books representing sev
eral thousand dollars. When
she recovered her senses she
was asked.
“Why did you do this?
You were in no danger of
want,’’
“No: I had money enough.
But I had five children once-
four boys and a girl They
all went away—all went away.
They have not wanted me to
visit them, and they do not
write to me. I have waited
for years, and they have not
come back. Folks told me
they were doing well, and
were fine gentlemen and la^*
dies; but they have forgotten
their old mother. I was so
lonesome that my head got
queer. Indeed, gentlemen, 1
tried to do all I could for my
little children but when they
grew up they were tired of
me.”
No words of our.s can add
to these two chapters of actual
life. Very few sons and
daughters are as guilty as
these, but how few are whol
ly free from such guilt? Many
a man or woman, who would
not take the life of the poor
est living creature, kills the
souls of those who love theui
best, by years of passive, cold
forgetfulness and neglect.—
Youth's Com'^anion.
THE SEX LINE.
It is interesting to observe
that one of the demands made
by the telegraph strikers Is
that women operators should
receive the same pay as men
for the same work. This ii an
ethical considt'ration, whicli
sooner or later must force its
way into commercial deal
ings. Either the price of
skilled women labor will
be assimulated to that of
man, or the price of
male labor will be adjusted to
that of women. Supply and
demand, not the arbitrary
sex line, will fix the rate.^—
Christian Register
This paragraph . touches on
one of the iniqiiities of the
business world, which has al
ways been to us a surprise
and a scorn--the denial
of equal wages to wo
men, who do the work in
trusted to them as faith'uily
and skillfully as men. It is
the survival of the unfittest of
all heathen prejudices-'-the
spirit that regards the mother-
sex and wifo-sex as though it
belonged to an inferior race,
and had beenmado physically
weak that it might be tram
pled on. If any difference in
the rate of wages is to be es
tablished,let the present rule
be reversed, and let women
receive the larger pay,
out of reverence
for the sisterhood
which supplies our two high
est blessings, our wives and
our mothers. One thi g, at
least, is certain, less ot the
money would be used for
purposes of vice, and more
of it would be employed to
improve the condition and to
conserve the morals of the
working -'•Christian In
dex.
These two paragraphs de
serve to go around the world
as companion voices, calling
people back to their senses
That women are paid less for
their work than men, just be
cause the}- are womeo, as is
done every day all over the
world, is a shame that ought
n'ot to spoil the roseate cheeks
of the first morning of the
twentieth century.-—JlTaco^-i
Advocate.
Th'j complicated diseases brotight on
by intense study, thought, care, anxie
ty, etc., are often ot the most serious
nature. Heed, such symptoms as loss of
memorj, universal lassitude, heart dis
ease, kidnew complaints, liver troubles
and a general breaking down of health
and strength. When thus afflicted,
when the least exertion causes great
fatigue, when life seems a burden, use
the reliahiii strengthening tonic,
Brown’s Iron Bitters. It will afford
you sui’e relief.
The humility that can yet talk
has need oif careful watching.
CATASTROPHE IN JAVA-
A volcanic eruption which is
believed to rival in destructive
ness the terrible earthquakes of
Lisbon and CaraCcas, occuired
last week on the idand of Java.
The dialurbances began at the
island of Kr tkatoa, abo. t fifteen
mi es off the coast of Java, and
soon extended to the larger is
land; until more than one-third
of the forty-five Javanese craters
were in a.tivo operation To
the torrents of tiro, lava, and
sulphurous mud, the clouds of
asfjes, and the shock of the earth
quake was added the deluge of a
tidal wave.' Wnen morning
came it was discovered that an
enormous tract of land, fifty
miles square, with all its inhabi
tant', ha 1 disappeared, while a
range of mountains entendin.-
along the coast for sixly-tivo
miles had gone out of sight. The
towns of Tauerang, Speelwyk,
and Figelenknig were wholly or
partially destroyed by the lava.
Angier an i other towns were en
gulfed by the tidal wav-?, while
Batavia has been visited by show-
eraofashesandstones. Through
out the island what a few hours
hi fore were fertile valleys, cov-
en«‘.d with flourhhing plantations
of coffee, r cc, sugar, indigo or
tobacco^ wore now hut mu‘l,8tone
and lava. Probably not a crop in
Java will bo saved, while the
lo.v8 of life, it is feared, will
re’.ach seventy-five thousand
Souls. Twenty thousand Chi
nese are believed to have perish
ed in Batavia alone, being sw ept
away from: their homes on the
sea-shore by the rising of the wa-
,tors. The volcanic character of
the i land renders it pe^uliai’ly
liable to catastrophes of this
kind, while the density of its
population—eighteen millions of
people being packed in an area
n )t largerthanthe State ofNew
York—make them, when they
occur, terribly fatal to human
life.
CURIN& A BAD MEMORY
Your memory isbad,*ier-
haps, but we can tell you two
secrets that will cure the;
worst memory. Oue—tdread
a subject wlien strongly inter
ested. The other is to not
only read, but think. Wben
you have read a paragraph or
page, stop, close the book, and
try to remember the ideas on
that page, and not only recall
them vaguely in your mind,
but put them into words and
speak them out. Faithfully
fitllow these two rules and you
w'ill have the golden keys of
knowledge. Besides unatten-
tive reading, there are other
things injurious to memory.
One is the habit of skimming
over newspapers, all in a con>
fused jumble, never to bo
thought of again, thus dili
gently cultivating a habit of
careless reading hard to break.
Another is the reading of
trashy novels. Nothing is so
fatal to reading witJi profit as
the habit of running through
stories a d forgetting them as
soon as read- Ikuowagray*
haired woman a life-long lov
er of books, who declares that
her mind has been ruined by
such Selected.
'Mrs.'Wm. Wifiglns, Ridgway, N.
says: “I have taken Brown’s Iron
Bitters and find it the Lost tonic 1 have
ever used.”
There is perhaps no better
test, of a man’s real strength
a..u cliaracter thau the way
in which he bears himself
under just reproof. Every
man m kes njistakes, eveiy
man commits faults; but not
every man has the honesty
and meekness to acknowledge
his errois and to welcome the
crilicism which points them
out to liim. , it is rarely diffi
cult for us to .find an excuse
for our course, if it's an
excuse we are looking for. It
is, in fact, always easier to
spring to an angry defense of
ourselves than to cUtnly ac'*
knowledge the justice ol ans
other’s lighteous coiuleuma-
tiou of some wrong action of
ours; but to refuse to adopt
this latter course, when we
know that we are in the
wrong, is to reveal to our
own better consciousness, and.
often to the consciousness of
otheis, an essential defect of
our character. Ho is strong
who dares to confess that he
is weak; lie is already totter^
ing to af 11 who needs to bol
ster up the weakness ol his
[)eiso;iality by all sorts of
transparent shams. It is not
in vain that Scripture says:
“Remove one that hatli un>*
dorstanding. and we will un
derstand knowledge;” for one
of the be-st evidences of the
possession of that discreet
self-judgment which stands at
the basis of moral strength,
and one of the best means of
gaining it when it is lacking,
is just tins willingness to ac
cept merited reproof; and to
pruiit ‘•■y it when accepted.—
S S. Times.
CHILDREN.
No other class touches the
chords of so tender a concern
a.s do the children. What is
sues hang on a child's life! In
t!ie palm of the tender little
hand is carried a mothers
heart, a father s hopes. It the
child misses the path of honor
and falls into evil ways, and
throws up. to an evil youth, a
mother’s heart will be broken,
a father’s gray hairs will go
down to the grave with sor
row. What a path the child’s
tender feet has to tread!
Thruugh what snare8,tbrough
what experiences of evil,
through what perilous com
panionships its life must run !
Who that reflects on the hopes
and fears bound up with ev
ery child’s life, the possibili •
ties, alike dread aud splendid,
that overshadow it, but has
his he^^rt stirred with a deep
aud pathetic longing to do
something to rescue these
tender lives from the touch of
hurm^-^Southern Ctoss.
I have some degree of power
over my outward man, but little
over my inward. I can, make a
shift to be just, aud do acts of
kindness and humanity, and put
on a show of courte.y aud civil
ity ; but tho^bent of my heart is
still the same. I can no more
love God with all my heart, or
cume up to St. Paubs description
of charity, than I can reach
hoaveu with my hands. In th'S
point of /iew, what a seasonable
aid is gospel power! and liow ex
actly is the religion of the Bible
suited to the wants of mankind,
in its offers of forgiveness and
renovation. .