M
D
RESS,
H
VOLUME XX.
FRANKLIN. N. C. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 2, 1905,
MUMBE1UI
FRANKL
THE
Bwlft to It cloaa
Kbba the long summer day,
Spirit! of gold ;..
Each pawing ray.
Blowly the biio alnka
Weary to rut.
Tired, th nlgbtbtrd
Flees to Ita neat.
Down thro' the graj mlata
Softly I go.
Each tiny ripple '
Whispering low.
MMMMM))MMMMMMM)M)lMMMMMMilMlialMVl)am)lMiMaMmMM)aWM
Little, Old Hiss Lavender
By ETHEL M. BRinBLB.
RlUtWUtKllMtsiltseitlt
Our verdict at first was that she
was odo of the most uninteresting,
colorless sort of nonentities we had
ever had the misfortune to come
across. She was very quiet almost
subdued In her manner with a Bllght-
ly perceptible touch of shyness, and
: a slow way of speaking, which an
noyed us both exceedingly.
We agreed, however, that the aunt
was a sweet old lady, exactly like
an Old World picture or a bygone ro
mancejust the type one instinctively
associates with an atmosphero of la
vender and faded rose petals.
Her one Idea in life indeed, nearly
all her Interest seemod centered on
the only human being she had left to
love her grandniece, Lilian.
It was really too pathetic to hear
her talk; I mean when one saw the
girl, for she spoke as If she possessed
all the graces and charms of a beauty
and the attributes of a genius In em
bryo; whereas, in reality, she was, as
I mentioned before, a most ordinary
looking, commonplace little person,
with nothing to redeem her rather
plain features but a pleasant, though
rare, smile, which lit up her face for
a moment, and quite changed, its ex
pression. The pathos, however, lay In the fact
that "little, old Miss Lavender," as
we had, with common consent, chris
tened the old lady, could never see the
mile, or. Indeed, anything in the
world around her, for she was totally
blind.
Not for her did the sun turn the
glistening dewdrops on their tiny lawn
into diamonds or the sweet-scented,
old-fashioned flowers In the little bor
der spring forth Into glowing colors as
he passed, a Bad-looking, old figure,
though with a certain dignity of her
own, down the tiny, gravel path be
tween the lilies and roses, which
Stretched in a row to the little, green,
wooden gate.
Yet one. wonders- If, after all, there
were not compensations. loving her
niece as she did, it would have been
to her sensitive heart to see
the girl was sometimes passed
among her more utpred com'
or. when other Til
duuul'
rs. Noah" th"
secretly at Its reeularfrPCIirance
each hlghday and holiday: f How little
we knew! It wag only the other day
I found my sister Molly kneeling be
fore a funny little box sofa In MIsb
Lavender's best bedroom, shedding a
quiet tear over something inside, and
when I stole over to see what the
contents were which caused my usual
ly light-hearted sister to weep, I found
her holding a fold of the historic cash
mere in her hands.
It made a lump rise In my throat
too, and I turned quickly away, and
crept softly downstairs, to where the
pathetic old figure, in its dainty, lace
can and fichu, sat In the sunshine
on the little lawn.
3 he looked up as I approached, with
mile of welcome, and made room
fori me to sit on the seat beside her.
) I l utsaiu JUU1 lUUiaicyD, iuj ucai,
Ji i. r .......... .. j...
am d knew you wouia spare tne oia
iman a little time for a chat. You
ow, I have had another letter from
llan the dear child is so happy,
d I want to have a little talk about
r with Some one who knew her,
The sightless eyes were turned
gerly toward me, while the fragile
hods tumbled for the letter In the
tie, satin work-bag she always car
ted.
I How could one have the heart to un-
JnrplvB her to dash the hone from
&
,wqie brave, old face and the brightness
fl-ora her life? It would need a braver
ope than I, and we had long-ago de-
elded to help Lilian In her deception,
- and never to betray her secret to the
loyal, trustful heart which beat for
' -'her alone.' As she said, It could not
be for long now, and, after the end,
what would It all matter to anyone
except herself?
It was curious how we all, even
, down to Molly, who was always so
..down on. anything not. quite above
board, combined to aid Lilian In ber
. deception toward Miss Lavender; but
yet, what else could we do?
She had confided In us one day
, while we were all three sitting out on
the lawn, and Miss Lavender and my
mother were Indoors, having a quiet
chat together.
To this day 1 don't know what led
up to It; I rather think H was after
Molly had been holding forth on her
' pet subject of the general uselessness
of most girls' lives nowadays, and how
ap few realized the obligation of work
of eome sort.
"I consider any . sort of work Is
, ' noble," she wound up, In her Impetu
ous way; "and, provided it Is honest
' there is nothing derogatory In a girl
'earning her living by doing some so
called menial task."
"I am quite of your opinion," gald
1 Lilian, quietly; "and it leads me to
tell you something which I have de
, elded upon doing. You know or, at
. least, no doubt you have guessed,"
the continued,'' flushing painfully,
"that we are very poor, You girls,
who have i almost all that you can
wish for, can hardly realize how poor,
or or how difficult It is sometimes to
make both ends even get within a
measurable distance of each other,
much less attempt - to meet. Well,
lately; auntie has lost some money-
not much to you, t dare say, but to
ni "
HOAMER.
Signs of the tree-tops
Atnne wrth the night j ,
llrrath of the willows! e
. The moons mlity light.
Marking, Hit ahadowa
tinkle my mat ' " , ..
Where dark boughi art drooping,
l.a.len with dew.
Roaming 1he silliness,
ltlly I dream
Lulled hy the silence,
1 sleep with the atream.
Woods and Waters.
She broke off, and looked, with un
seeing eyes, out over the little hedge
and on to the road beyond.
"No, don't say anything, please," as
I opened my Hps to speak, "Auntie
has her little annuity enough for hei
to live upon not in luxury, certainly
but she has simple tastes, and can
manage well enough. When it comes
to two however, there is nothing
more to be said, and o I 1"
she faltered a little for an Instant,
"have decided to leave her and to
earn my own living."
"Well, I call that very sensible of
you," said Molly, warmly. "1 am
dreadfully sorry for you, of course,
dear," she added, giving Lilian's hand
a little squeeie, "and you know "
"Walt till you hear all," said our
companion, reddening painfully. "1
don't mind for myself, of course; It
won't matter to me a bit," she went
on, bravely; "but I think it auntie
knew, It would break her heart She
thinks I have secured a post as com
panion to one of the leaders of the
'four hundred,' and is quite delighted
at the Idea of my being in society;
but, In reality" and here, for a mo
ment, she hesitated; then, as If mak
ing a final effort, went on, hurriedly
"it Is not as companion that this so
ciety woman has engaged me, but as a
sewing maid."
For one second we were silent.
"A sewing maid?" echoed my sister,
quickly. "Oh, Lilian, what will you
have to do?"
"Live with the servants, for one
thing," answered Lilian. "Yes, I
know that we all have meals to
gether In the servants' hall only the
uppers have their dinner n the house
keeper's room, and I shail not even be
an 'upper,' " she added, sadly. "Oh, I
know well enough what you would say,
but when all Is sa'a and done, what
else can I do? Mrs. De Voore treats
her servants well; I shall be earning
my own living? tuid earning it In the
only way I am coTPjetent to do. I
have no talent, nothlng"tJ!ecommend
me above the thousands ofdrbfiT fr
cleverer girls, all anxious to
pLUl, Mil yol
ted. "She cannot live long now:
dor says that at any moment
her heart attacks may prove fatal,
and as long as she thinks I am well
and happy, and she has no anxiety
about money matters, she will go on
happily and well. Nothing would Induce
her to let me go If she knew the real
truth she must never know promise
me?" she Insisted, entreatlngly.
What could we do? Wo could only
promise, and walk sadly Indoors. Our
mother tried to do something about
It; but when she was driven, as a last
resort, to give a sort of half hint to
Miss Lavender, we could see, by the
way she took It, that she had not a
shadow of an Idea as to the real truth,
and, In honor bound to Lilian, we could
do no more.
Well, she went, and what that girl
gently nurtured, and always accus
tomed to a certain atmosphere of
delicacy and refinement must have
gone through makes me shudder to
contemplate.
Her letters to the old lady were per
fect marvels of Ingenuity. Always
rigorous as to truth, she managed In
the cleverest possible manner to evade
all unpleasant items, and yet appear
to be having a perfectly delightful time
oy ner accounts, it was only to us
who, knowing the truth, could read
between the lines, that these letter,
appeared one of the saddest and most
touching tributes to the love she bore
her aunt, and we learned to dread our
weekly visit to the little, red brick
house when Lilian's last letter was
Invariably brought out for our delec
tation.
The girl always wrote describing
the events which took place in Mrs,
De Voore'a household, and when men
tion was made of a certain smart
dance which had been given, she de
scribed the decorations and the young
ladles' ball gowns so vividly that Miss
Lavender, remarked,! complacently:
It la easy to see that they treat
her as one of the family! Why, the
dear child seems to know all about
their pretty frocks, and the little ins
and outs of their lives! You see,"
she went on, tapping the letter, which
we noticed she seemed to love to
handle, as If the feeling of the paper
conveyed some Impression of her dear
ly loved niece, "I feel that dear Lilian
Is now partaking of some of the ad
vantages which she ought to huve had
all along. I did my best for her,"
with slight sigh; "but now she Is
seeing something of life, and enjoy
lng herself in a natural way, and it
does my heart good to think how truly
happy my Uttle girl Is."
What could we say? I know Molly
and I left the dear, old lady that day
with a terribly guilty feeling in our
hearts.
It was always most pjalnful to us to
see those bravely written letters, con
veying ao much of the weariness and
heartache beneath the carefully word
ed lines to those who knew the real
facts, and could realize how sordid
and bitter her life must be, in reality.
Sometimes we , wondered how it
would all end, and if ever in this life
Lilian would win her reward for the
pluck and tenderness she was show
ing, toward her beloved guardian.
The end came sooner than we ex
pected, however." ,
We went as usual to pay our week-
nnnvR - and. nrror nil a - .
m mm hi' LJbai
ly visit at the little house Just off the
highroad; but, to our surprise, there
was no lace-capped, black-clad figure
to greet us at the door, as was the
general rule. , -
"She may have forgotten, and be
upstairs," I said, quickly, though a
sudden feeling of foreboding seized
me;- and, fearing I know not what, we
silently entored the tiny hall. All
'was silent, and we stood, hesitating.
not knowing exactly what to do.
At that moment, Miss Lavender's
little maid-of-all-work appeared at the
top of the narrow stain and one look
at her frightened face wag enough tn
tell us something gravely wrong had
occurred.
"What Is It? What has happened"
Molly asked, anxiously, and it was
only after many inherent - speeches
and much lamentations we learned
that Miss Lavender had been seised
with one of those attacks which
Lilian had so dreaded for her, and it
was with difficulty the little maid had
managed to help her mistress to a
couch and revive her from a death
like swoon.
Our appearance on the scene could
not have been more opportune, and be
fore another hour had passed we had
got "little, old Miss Lavender" com
fortably into bed, and the doctor had
come and gone again.
His verdict was a grave one, and re
sulted, though much against Miss La
vender's wishes, in a wire being sent
Immediately to her niece.
"It Is such a pity," the quavering,
old voice whispered, as I bent down
to catch her words; 'there was to have
been a dinner party tonight, and
Lilian will miss It all now. I really
think we might have waited till the
morning," ehe added, so faintly that 1
could barely catch the words.
It was, only two hours later that
Lilian arrived, and, though she had
traveled as fast as possible, and suc
ceeded In catching an earlier train
than we had hoped, Bhe was just in
time to be recognized by her aunt;
and It was In the girl's arms the lov
ing heart, which had always cared
and thought for her, ceased to beat.
Poor Lilian was, Indeed, alone in the
world now!
Our mother was as sweet as pos
sible and, ot course, we all insisted on
the girl coming to us on an indefinite
visit; I think each one of us tried to
share some of our pleasures and joys
with the forlorn little guest; and,
though she proposed, after some
weeks, returning to Mrs. De Voore, it
was only a half-hearted sort ot an
Idea, and none of us allowed It to be
entertained for a moment.
She has been with us a year now,
and Is almost like a sister at least,
Molly and I feel so, though let It be
whispered Jack apparently does not.
"One never knows what may hap
pen," my fair sister remarked oniy
last night, In her oracular manner.
Stranger things have sometimes
occurred, and, Jf WPwere to become
llty, I, for one, would
welcome." .
responded,
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
In 1S34 one of the leading railroads
of the United States printed on Its
time table: "The locomotive will leave
the depot every day at 10 o'clock, If
the weather is fair."
There are several species of fish,
reptiles and Insects which never sleep
In the whole jt their existence. Among
fish It Is positively known that pike,
salmon and goldfish never Bleep at
all, also that there are several others
In the fish family that never sleep
more than a few minutes a month.
The best language for making love
Is said to bo the Manx, because It
has 27 ways in which to say "my
sweetheart." The Irish language is
a close second in the number of en
dearing terms, however, and has the
added advantage that most of these
words are extremely soft and euphon
ious. The total coal production of the
United States ts now at the rate ot
1,000,000 tons per day, and the con
sumption of coal by railroads is equal
to 40 percent of this, or 400,000 tons
per day. The fuel bill ot a railroad
contributes about 10 percent of the
total expense ol operation and 30 to
40 percent of the total cost of running
the locomotives.
A wandering tortoise has been re
covered through the ingenuity of the
sister ot its owner, a boy living at
Princes Rlsborough, Buckinghamshire,
England, who painted the lad's name
and address on the animal a back. Af
ter an absence ot several weeks the
tortoise, which waa much prized, has
just been sent home. It had traveled
a distance of 1 1-2 miles.
' When the first two tons of anthra
cite coal were brought Into Philadel
phia, In 1803, the good people of that
city, so the records state, "tried to
burn the stuff; but, at length, disgust
ed they broke it up and made a walk
of it" Fourteen years later, Col. Geo.
Shoemaker sold eight or ten wagon
loads of it in the same city, but war
rants were soon Issued for his arrest
for taking money under false pre
tenses. The visitor to the Falkland Isles sees
acatered here and . there singular
shaped blocks of what appear to be
weather-beaten and . moss-covered
bowlders In various sizes. Attempt to
turn one of these bowlders over and
you will meet with a real surprise, bo
cause the stone is actually anchored
by roots of great strength; in fact,
you will find that you are trifling with
one of the native trees. No other
country In the world has such t pe
culiar "forest" growth.
Ne Lack of Variety.
A traveling salesman Just back from
Maine says. In the Boston ' Record,
that he recently asked an old fisher
man In a snow-bound hamlet what he
did with himself evenings.
'Oh," said the old man, easllv.
"sometimes I set and think, and then
again I just se'
frg, a our sister in
TW&atiguMlliy into bed.
, :
BOA STOPPED RAILROAD
SEIZED TWO LABORERS AND
THE OTHER8 WENT ON
STRIKE.
Funny Experience of a Civil Engineer
. In BrazilAnaconda 8o Frightened
Fifteen Hundred JVIen That the
Building of a Road Ceased Forever.
"Railroad building In Brazil some
years ago was primarily a fight
Against rank vegetation and labor
troubles," said Thomas E. Cassldy,
who was formerly an engineer there,
and he told a strenuous story ot how
an anaconda killed two men and
frightened fifteen hundred others to
such an extent that the building of
the road ceased forever.
"I was born in England, and was
there educated as an englner," he
said. '"Way back In '87. nearly 20
years ngo, I went to Argentina, and,
after remaining there a short time,
went on to Brazil, where the incident
of which I have been reminiscing oc
curred. My memory Is fading now,
for none of us can remember very
distinctly the happening of a time so
long ago, but as I look back across
the years I can still sec the horrible
sight of those two men being ground
to Jelly by the great anaconda of the
forest, I can still Bee the rioting ot
fifteen hundred hungry men and the
burning of the Brazilian undergrowth
as It made Impossible the extension
of the railroad.
"I remember a funny experience
when I landed at Buenos Ayres. From
the steamboat we wore transferred,
with our baggage, to..a tugboat In the
middle of the river, because of Its
shallowness; from there to small
rowboatsjfrom there to carts pulled
by horses In the water, and. for the
rest of the way. were compelled to
get wet feet by walking ashore. But
ono gets used to that sort of thing
down there or used to .anyway.
"I went to work at my profession as
a civil engineer, not finding it very
difficult, for at that time men of spe
cial training were in great demand in
that country, and I was not long
waiting. I dickered around for high
er wages for a while, and then went
at It for the railroad contractors then
constructing the Babia and Minus
railroad. The name was as far as it
ever got, as far as the completion of
It was concerned, for Its untimely end
was not long In coming.
"The road was being built directly
through a dense forest, such . as is
common In the land of the equator.
Those who have Been the everglades
or the delta of the Mississippi, or the J
great woods In parts of Canada, can
never imagine the growth one wit
nesses there. Great, giant trees seem
to pierce the sky, so high do they go,
and spread over all branches and
leaves which make all dark and mys
terious beneath. These rank, luxuri
ant, grasses, bushes, oflwers, water,
growth -and vegetation of every kind
make a mass almost Impenetrable.
When the great rains of the tropics
swept acvflr It one could almost see
the grffvlu -going on.
"Wefl. 1J, was through this, mass
Uiat we wero going to build our rail
road, and it was through this mass
that we made slow work. We moved
the camp, the rude camp of the road
builder, from place to place, as we
moved along. Birds and animals of
almost every description were In
abundance, and wild fruits of every
kind wero In plenty, yet most difficult
to conquer for the uses of man. But
we hud provisions supplied from the
rear at headquarters, and with am
ple material of construction, we pro
ceeded.
"But suddeuly, like one of the groat
storms, there came a time ot trouble
and despair, from which I narrowly
escaped with my life. I think we
had been leading the kind of life I
have described for some two weeks
when we reached a place called Ita
pulco. We had started to work in
the morning as usual, and all of the
1500 men were engaged In the battle
against the wilderness." It had ralneo
during the night, and the sun had
not been up long enough to dry up
the moisture, which made the humid
ity almost unbearable. The place
where we were working waa awamp
land, the black, rotting swamp vege
tation over a black alluvial soil. It
was here that we. met the anaconda,
which was the primary cause of the
breaking . up of the camp.
'.'Probably most of the laborers had
seen anacondas before. Certainly I
had. They could be seen colling
around the trees at a distance.. On
most occasions we dlf not come
within speaking distance of them, but
at this time the great serpent waa
asleep, apparently,, despite the noise.
Colled around a groat black tree,
with its spots visible and its appear
ance making one shudder. It awaited
Its victims .in the small animals of
the forest. Some- men surrounded
the tree, jabbering , among them
selves, and Intensely Interested. Two
of them went very near' to the tree,
actuated by some, mistaken Idea of
bravery,and evidently scheming to en
trap the monster, which waa colled
several time's around the tree. Per
haps the boa awoke just at that time.
Perhaps be had been only waiting,
but in an instant he partly uncoiled
from the trees and caught the two
men together in Its power. It must
Save been thirty feet long, and, with
Its monster strength, it .crushed them
t that those some distance heard
their bones ( crackle 'like kindling.
Then It burled ita great fangs deep
In the body of one of them, quickly
sinking Into the pool ot water at one
side of the tjree, for we had been
working alone; the side of a stream.
It was a horrible sight, and the men
were frlghtendd, some of them super
stltiously, as iever before. --.
"They madej It known that they
wished to go Jno further, and i. mur
mured 'among themselves like mutin
eers at sea. l was In the afternoon
of the. same dhy that we heard that
the material hiad been stopped at
headquarters, nd ao there we were,
without means! to go ahead. . There
was no food an I no money to pay the
men. Against them there were but
irmr engineers,! Including a Captain
Balfour and a rnan named Averdlck
and fnysolf. They demanded
our f
provisions, as on the following day
they grew hungry. We had but little,
and could give them none, and ithen
came the deluge. The grumbling
grew to threats and the threats to a
wild riot, the men burning the entire
camp. Perceiving our danger, for
they had threatened our Uvea, those
t have mentioned. Including myself,
took, the three mules in the camp,
and made off back the way we had
come In building the road as fast as
we could. The fourth engineer, a
Swiss, we left there, as he could find
no mule. Of his fate we never
learned, and even of the fate of the
road we were Ignorant, for we soon
took ship for England, and 1 never
saw the tropics again. New Orleaus
Picayune.
AID8 TO LITERARY WORK.
Shorthand, Typewriting and Phono
graph Cylinders.
Literary men and newspaper repor
ters are coming to discard the pen, as
business men do, In the Interest of
speed. The Medical Times remark
ed the other day that the pen belonged
to the era "of the stagecoach and
weekly mall." Perhaps that statoment
exaggerates the truth, but not exces
sively. It is not every writer, of
course, who can avail himself of the
most modern facilities for rapid work.
Whether he operates a typewriting
machine himself or employs some
one else to do so tor him, the adop
tion of the practice Involves some ex
penditure of money. The acquisition
of the art of stenography is useful,
especially to court reporters. A writ
er may find it helpful In making his
own notes, or . In recording a com
munication that Is received over a
telephone, where accuracy is of great
Importance.
Generally, though, the literary man,
like the business man, makes use of
the services of an assistant who can
take memoranda In shorthand, and
subsequently produce the matter in
full with a typewriter. Some, persons
operate the machine so skilfully that
they can take a letter or story di
rectly from dictation, and the author
Is thus enabled to get his copy sooner
than otherwise.
. Another resource, the phonograph,
once promised to be a great conveni
ence to writers. That Instrument
seemed to be admirably adapted to
record speech with acenracy and
speed. It has been something of a dis
appointment, though, because - It Is
narder wori
A than Is
ledlcal Tl
lme of th
T-ered by tin
arder work to learn juBt how to use
commonly supposed. The
Times recently pointed out
the embarrassments encoun-
by the man or woman who uses
It.
After the recording cylinder Is put
place in the machine and started
onf its revolutions, ready for dictation,
theVe appears at once In the operator
a sVnse ot hurry, similar to that ex
peafenced In dictating to a stenograph-
but much more Intense. Until he
can' WSehJils brain cells that no space
is being wasted when h,e is not die?
fating, for the mftsbUie can be easily
controlled In its revolutions, the op.
eratojr loses the threadVoT his dis
course in his desire to k9P up, ap
parently, with the rapidly
cylinder. It takes time and trai;
to learn to keep one's wlt from being
distracted by gazing at the revolv
ing wheels. Then It is humiliating ta
discover how Indistinctly one seems
to talk; ho knack of speaking into the
tube must be learned.
Again, Jnly about twelve hundred
words can be dictated to a cylinder
before it must be cleaned oft for
further use; this cleaning of cylinder
is an accurate, time consuming work
which Is no child's play. Moreover,
the machine is a very accurately made
instrument, which must be kept In
perfect order; it is not especially com
plicated, but it demands careful over
hauling from time to time. The ex
pense ot the phonograph was, five
years ago, In itself prohibitory; it Is
now within reach commercially.
But the most serious objection to
the phonograph, as to the steno
grapher, Is that tt requires some one
to take off the dictation on paper; it
la left In an unusable form ty the dic
tator. It the writer does th'ls himself,
he, ot course, saves'no time beyond ar
ranging to do it times when It would
be Impossible to compose. If he has
it done, he quickly learns that the
labor of "reading off the cylinder" is
very brain fatiguing,! and many type
writers seem unable ( to stand the
work. .There Is also teome likelihood
of mistakes in i copying from the
cylinder although theV percentage is
less than In shorthand Work, but the
notes can be gone ovel any number
ot times.
Revenge,
The great trust magnate! who owned
the United Statea was orif his death
bed, dictating his will.
"I leave five millions to-Mlss Serch-
ligh," he directed.
"What magnanimity, "wbkt kind
ness!" murmured the lawyeivs, "Five
millions to the woman, wbh wrote
about him as an Iron-bearteH villain
anrl a rallirlnua hVnocrltel"
But the magna! had neard.
"Magnanlmttyiothlng!" he
tilalm-
ed. "If she ti
s) the money.
will
be cast out asa
If she refusjs 11
traitor and a
am;
she will regi
the
lost fortune all
her. life. Sheila a
woman.'
With a light of
satisfaction the I
nate continued parceling out the 1
American continent. Clement 8c
In Life.
- v Wasted Energy.
Somet imes head and heels work we
together, but It waa not ao In a ei
reported tui the Yonkers Statesmi
Bam, a colored mn, was an hour latej
and bis employer aVked him to explain.
"Yes, sab, I'll explain, saa," tnun
replied.
"Well what ftxeuse haven, you f It
"I was kicked by a mule on Ky way
hern ash" V I
N .
... u. .J . . 1
, - : ;
you an hour, Sam, tt you were ableKI
1U UUKUI UUl LU dsvb fiHutinr. U I
to come at an.-
Well, It wouldn't have if he'd only I
kicked me In dls direction. You see,
lsss, be kicked me de other wy."
The Moors are very fond cf ner-
made bread and have a foaat en tt
whenever thev can get the excuse.
1HE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR. M. E. HARLAN.
Saljjeott Moral Amninent.
Brooklyn, N. Y.-The Rev. Dr, M. E.
Hnrlnu, pastor of the First Church of
Christ, Hunday morning gave another
of his series of sermons on "Problems
of Power For Tlnln reople," the spe
cial subject belug "The Problem t
Morally Healthful Amusements." In
February he offered prizes for best re
plies to questions covering the siveral
problems to be discussed. He sent a
printed list of these questions to sev
eral hundred people over the country.
The sermon was based largely on the
replies he received. The text was from
Ecclesiastes 111:4: "There Is a time to
lnugh and o time to weep." Among
other things be said:
A few years ago, when a certain sup
posed ornament (?) to French society
was asked what he did, be replied:
"My business is to amuse myself."
The history of the church Is but a his
tory of the struggle between men and
womeu like this Frenchman, on the
one hand, and, on the other band, those
who have had no ;lace for a smile in
their religion. The world has never
lacked the stole mid the sensunllst. To
the stoic the church hns seemed very
lax. To the sensualist she has seemed
too strict. The church nlwnys has
stood and altfnyx will stand against
the purposeless lives of both of these
extremes. If to the mere pleasure
seeker the church hns seemed dogmatic
and damnatory, we must remember
that pleasure has been tyrannical and
brazen and absurd. To him who wor
ships the god of pleasure, even other
wise harmless pleasures become dissi
pation till the world Is full ot the In
sipid In heart and the vile In character
and the purposeless lu life. God did
not make the world for mere amuse
ment, neither did He design that It
should be run by the mere rolllekers.
Yet desire for food mid clothes Is no
more an Indication ot the physically
robust and normal man tbau are the
demands for laughter and amusement
Indices ot the normal, mental and spir
itual man. The question Is not, there
fore, one of amusements, but what
kind and how much.
No doubt that the church -has often
been too closely nllled with the stoic
in exercising damnatory power respect
ing all forms of amusements. But be
fore we censure too severely let us take
into account the conditions of ber early
history. The church began her mighty
march ot conquest In cities where all
sorts of lewd and obscene amusements
were the rule Rome. Corinth, Ephe
sns, etc. In these cities the god of
pleasure held such high carnival that
Industry was .throttled and domestic
life wns weakened. Rome's great am
plilthentrc, seating 385,000 people, could
easily be filled with the morbid crowd
that measured the worth of the amuse
ments by the fury of the entertain
ment and by the number of men and
horses slain merely for their amuse
ment. The F.mperor Trnjan gave a
three months' show In which 10,000
men and 11,000 beasts were slain to
amuse the very best people ot Rome.
Men would appear on the stage dressed
gorgeously, when suddenly flames
would burst forth all over their bodies
and they would die writhing in agony
of flames to the delight of the god ot
pleasure. Often Christians
spectators and often
pants In these brnf.
fun" .was th
dying
the
run
ness
i and i
"food and
fun?
ness to these deba
or amusement, can w
coming from such a blrtCpfc
church has at times been extreuW
Gibbon tells na that in the dayv
wereforced L
nomes worst ramiues sne aismisseuv
her senators and patrons of art, but to nl.
sausiy ner goa or pleasure sne kept
her vile vestal virgins and her 6000
dancers and singers of tho lewd sort
to amuse ber as she staggered down to
death or lay in the last convulsions of
her dying hour, He will not criticise
too harshly tho church who has come
with her down her Llstorlc way and
has witnessed her death struggle with
the professional dispensers ot amuse
ment, who, as vile In purpose as the
vestal virgins and who for financial
gain will pander to the selfish and
sensual moods ot men till they leave
those who otherwise would be noble
men and women, mere derelicts on
life's set to the menace of the Innocent
voyagers.
, Even to-day under (he speli of this
pleasure good men will pay an uncom
plaining tribute to her and do not
hesitate to keep an open account with
the dispensers ot hilarious and sensu
ous amusements about dance halls and
theatres, while at the same time they
will become exceedingly poor and sav
ing It approached for charity or philan
thropy or justice. The mere vagabond
on the streets with his hand organ and
monkey, or the grewsome and discord
ant "curb stone band" take In the rev
enue that belongs to laundryman or
grocer,' as though these mountebank
dispensers of amusement were more
deserving than they.
Heeing how Borne amused herself to
death and how Spain amused herself
with her bull fights out of one of the
first rank powers into the imbecile
skeleton she now represents, no won
der onr Puritan fathers were fearful
of this pleasure god. He is blind who
sees no Inconsistence In the Puritan
ical bans on all forms of amusement
till a man must be or nt least appear
miserable before he can be happy. But
he to-day Is worse than blind Wtio
does not see, and especially In city life,
that the god ot pleasure has become
daringly despotic and that she tyran
nically Invades every shrine of her
devotees, and that no day Is too sacred
for her ribaldry and coarse jest By
pandering to the ruinous passion that
would rather laugh than to think she
would leave our fair land tenantless of
the serious and the wise and fill it
with a race of grinning pigmies. Any
amusement that hinders me from doing
my duty in my business during the
week or makes me careless of my du
ties In "the bouse of God or that would
make serious thoughts a bore is to be
avoided. Foster nor barbor no amuse
ment that cannot grow consistently on
tho same stem with the Christian re
Vgton. The godless Coney Island erase
ft creates a morbid desire for Sunday
amusement that as a vampire feeds fat
" ?' o MX religion.
I "uu" mere i uaugtr us uemg
mis-
pnderstood when I speak In detail. The
IKt. I.i. II , i, . ,
"("" traoueu religion win mm
nU too lax, while the man without
nV'viction will think me too strict.
Wth a seal worthy of a better cause
th.'i church in the past has nicked out
a fV'W amusements upon which It has
pln V th ban and left others with
no civ-'suro. It has decreed thnt daiieV
lug a I card playing and the theatres'
were : tbennaelves ailiful and devilish
ami v. re worse than are "Jnenli ntirl
or "lilind Man's Buff," w
more widely practiced game or miser
liness or covetousness or "fibbing." It
Is a hopeful sign that the present
tendency of the church seems to be to
give more attention to -the affirmative
side of life rather than to act as Phari
saical judges on the negative. "Thou
sbalt not," :s like a prop to keep a
dying tree from falling, but K takes
more than a prop to make a live tree
grow. While the prop may have a
place it Is not nearly so Important as
some think.
I am not a theatregoer nor ballroom
frequenter, neither do I know even the
names of the different "playing cards."
I feel that I have much better use for
my time and money. From my ob
servation I have no hesitancy, however,
In agreeing with those who lenlled te
my question that the theatre and dance
and progressive eucbre and cards are
menaces to the development of the
Christian lite. While of themselves
they may not be more harmful than the'
other forms of amusement named, their
influence seems to be against them.
To the question: "Do you personally
know people who frequent the theatres
and ballroom and eucbro parties who
at the same time are also leaders in
prayer meeting and the Sunday-school
as soul winners, with a good, healthful
Influence?" only two answered In the
affirmative. Why? Does l: not Indi
cate that there Is something out of
harmony tvlth these particular amuse
incuts and tluj healthful influence of
the Christian life? Is it right to go
counter to the testimony of people
scattered over such a wide territory
and from so many different denomina
tions so long as we prize ou religious
influence?
If we say the theatre as a whole 1b of
good Influence and a necessity for the
men who are carrying the great bur
dens In the commercial nud industrial
world, then It falls short of its purpose,
for the theatre is supported not by the
Cargenles and Rockefellers, but mostly
by those who cannot afford It and at
the same time do what they ought to
In philanthropy. Most of the support
comes from the younger class, who as
yet have no great burdens to bear. As
to why those who frequent them are
not real forces In Christian work, read
tho following: President Eliot, of Har
vard, says: "The influence of amuse
ments may be drawn from the quality
of the popular theatre. The taste Is for
the trivial spictacles, burlesques, vul
gar vaudeville, extravaganzas, and the
stage often presents to unmoved, audi
ences scenes and situations of an un
wholesome sort."
One of tho leading dramatic critics
of the English press, Mr. Clement
Scott, says It Is "nearly Impossible for
a woman to remain pure who adopts
the stage as a profession aud that the
stage has a tendency to disorder the
finer sensibilities and to substitute hol
lowncss for sincerity," and adds: "I
speak from my Intimate experience
with the stage running over a period of
over thirty years." Is It right to de
mand amusement at the enormous
price suggested by these men lu the
ruin of the virtue of womanhood whose
profession is to amuse us and thus
like Rome's vestals let their virtue pay
the awful price for our mere entertain
ment? If It Is "nearly Impossible" to
adopt the stage and remain pure, then
it Is not Christian to demand that form
of amusement on whose altars woman-
hood Is sacrificed.
that of onr own.
won'
to
me
sense o
who may
most oTHlfTtl'T
ambition to make
shunning that form of amusement of
any kind which runs such tremendous
risks.
Are you asking me t a mnn Is to be
deprived of bis rights Just because ho
Is a Christian? This is a goad question
over which to pause and ask for the
sake of others not what are my
"rights," but what aro my duties and
obligations?
Why Conductors Hate Friday.
It was Conductor 4987 on the Am
sterdam avenue line to whom a wom
an tendered a dollar bill In payment
of ber fate last Friday morning. The
conductor looked at It in a discour
aged sort of way and hauled a roll
of bills from his pocket.
'It beats anything," said he, "how
everybody pays bills on Friday. Fri
day is bill day on the street cars.
Yesterday noon I turned In $14 In
small change. Now look at that!"
"But why should people pay bills
on Friday on bis line?" asked the
woman," encouraged at the unwonted
affability of the conductor.
"It's not on this line alone," said
he, "it's all over the city, any car
you've a mind to go on on Friday.
Friday's bill day. . All the conductors
will tell you the same. "
"And there's another thing," be
continued! evidently determined to
make a clean breast ot It, "anybody
that runs for car Is bound to give
you five one-cent pieces.. Never falls.
All the conductors will tell you that"
"Why, conductors must get-as sup
erstitious as gamblers," said the
woman.
' "No superstition about It, It's. abso
lutely so," said tho conductor, as he
rang up the fare, New York Press.
Mr, Edison's "Intuition."
In the World's Work there Is an
article on "The Modern Profession of
Inventing." In the course of It there
Is told the following incident:! In the
practice Ot his profession- Mr. Edison
has to save time. There Is a pretty
well developed suspicion among his
assistants that his deafness Is a ruse
to avoid hearing things that he does
not care to pay attention to. When
Mr, Edison sat for the photograph at
the front of this magazine. In one of
the poses his eyej were dropped,
looking at his hands. It was a time
exposure, and the instant the shutter
ot the camera closed with a click lie
looked up and exclaimed, "Over ex
pnsd." His attorney shouted to V
"Did yc-ii hear that ciici
'"'"Eh?",- '-
"How it' "
nre
A CRITICAL TIME.
When maw Is eleanln' nonas, you be'
We ain't sot much to say;
Thn baby that would wbtae an' tret
Throughout the llveloug-day .
Now does Jeat what maw wants rtm 40-t
lle'a allent as a mouse, -
An' all ns other youngster.' too, -
When maw la clcaum' bouse,
When maw la cleanln' house, then pop
He wears a solemn frown ;
Without bis breakiaat out he'll hop
An' (It bis meals down town.
An' late at night we'll bear hlra swear
Because he's caught a douse
From some old pall left Manilla' there
While maw wua cleanln' bouse.
When maw Is cleanln' bouse, by gosh.
There's soapsuds high an' low ;
An' water 'round you conies, ker-sloas
, 'Most anywhere von go.
The rooms Is cold, the meals la bad,.
It's one continual souse
An' we will all be more than glad
When maw's done cleanln' house.
Louisville Courier Journal.
JUST FOR FUN
"In our amateur theatricals, I ra
tied off the honors." "I was wondering
what had become of them." Cleveland
Leader.
He But what does your father se?
In me to object to? She He doesn't
see anything In you. That's why he
objects. Chicago News.
Pell Did Hardup ever hear from
that uncle of his who mado a fortune
out west? Mell No, his uncle heard
of him first. Detroit Free Press.
"De bird dat can sing an' won't
sing," said Uncle Eben, "aln' as bad
as de bird, dat can't sing and Insists
on buttln' in." Washington Star,
Ethel I know he's rich, but Isn't
ho too old to be considered eligible?
Edith On the other hand, he Is too
eligible to be conaldd old. Puck.
It often happenrSjBian will pirt
himself to no end of troitt
the key to a woman's heart, when all
the time the door Is wide open. Life.
"Yes, Miss Pert, I am the sole re
maining memucr of my family." "I
read Just yesterday that the lobster
was becoming extinct." Houston
Post.
"So you took an ocean voyage for
your health?" "Yes." "How did it
work?" "I got seaBick and never felt
so miserable In my life." Washing
ton Star.
"Is that John givin' tho college yell
inside?" "That ulu't tho college yell;
the old man's flallln' him out with a
hickory, an' he's givin' tho home yell."
Atlanta Constitution.
Edyth Are you going to Niagara
Falls on your wedding trip? Babette
No; I went there on my two pre
vious we(jrqrlns and 1 believe It's
should do," Houston Post.
"No," said Mrs. Housekeep, "my ;
husband is not at home. He's out
hunting, as usual." "Hunting? Why,
this Is the close season " "He's hunt
ing a cook. That season Is always
open." Philadelphia Ledger.
"To be successful In politics," said
the young man, "I suppose you've got
to keep your wits together at times." :
"Well," replied tho politician, "that's
not so Important as to keep your Hps
together at the right time." Philadel
phia Press.
Husband Do you know that every
time a woman gats angry she adds a
new wrinkle to her face? Wife No, I
did not; but if it Is so I presume it is .
a wise provision of nature to let the
world know what sort of a husband
she has. New Yorker.
If you peep under your pie at the
bottom crust your hostess will be of
fended. If you do not take the precau
tion your stomach may be insulted.
The only sate rule In this dilemma la
to Insult the one you can afford to in
sultBoston Transcript
"Come, Wjllle," said his mother,
"don't be so selfish.' Let your little
brother play with your mairhLeji alH
tle while." "But," proteJl Willie,"'
"he means to keep them always." "Oh!
I guess not." "I guess yes, 'cause he
swallered 'em." Philadelphia Press.
An Example to Follow.
"What were the last figures on the
bulletin for Brown?" demanded , Mr. ;
Harris, when he and. his son had been
at home halt an hour, and his vexation
at the way the election seemed to be
going had cooled a trifle.
"i don't remember," said John,
whose interest In the election was but
lukewarm, ' and who was then with
Nansen In the "Farthest North."
"Don't remember!" thundered his
father. "Don't remember, sir! If you
are so, stupid you can't remember a
few important figures for ten minutes
at a time, why don't you write them
down, as I do?"Youth's Companion.
A Rush for )rune .
, That prunes aro at pre:
account of price and i'
consideration of re'
denced by a by
Slegol Cooper's
Store tr--""
half ,
; i- rma -
V
Uulli,'!
I