Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Sept. 6, 1905, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
FHE ; FRANKLIN PRESS. . VOLUME XX. FRANKLIN. N. C.. WEDNKSDAY. SEPTEMBER 6, 1005. NUMBER 36 PROM HILL The inn hid eroas'd from hill to hill, Iti path we rall'd a day: We saw etch other fan to face, Then each one went hla way. Peecendlng darkness auperrened. We term'd Its substance night. And In Ita folde, tare hat In thought, Kach Tleloa pass d (rom sight, BILLY AND THE HINDU SEER. IT WILUUI Billy had paid no attention to the Hindu Seer, and probably Lever would had It not been for Mary. Returning from the field at noon, he came upon that young lady under the willows down by the spring, crying like a school-girl that has just dis covered her idol Is brass. Billy cleared his throat two or three times, got down on his hands and knees and drank from the spring, then sat down on a rock and awaited developments. "What seems to be the matter?" he asked when the last smothered sob had trailed off into dewey silence. "Nothing," answered Mary, drying her eyes on the corner of her apron. "What folks usually cry about," said Billy dryly. "What do you think Is the matter?" "I don't think," flared up Mary, "I know lt "What?" asked Bl'.ly. "It's about Sam," she replied, show ing signs of a relapse. Billy took out his knife and began trimming at it idly. Where there ire symptoms of tears it is always best to wait, you will have to any way. With a little wordless coaxing Billy got the whole story. Sam was Mary's sweetheart, and they were to be married in the fall. The Hindu Seer had told her that her lover was false, that he really loved a girl in town. "Pshaw!" said Billy, picking at the earth on his boots with the end of the willow stick, "Sam's all right." "Now, Uncle Billy, you needn't try to Bmooth things; It is bo. He hasn't missed It on any one else, and I Just know what he said about Sam is true. Another thing that proves it is, he had letter last Sunday from &irvl3 Point, and he wouldn't tell me what was in it nor who it was from. And I'll never go with him again as long as I live." Billy got up and went to the house without arguing the matter. Bob, ne minio me np-ciajrffln ugobJsjHwUh' the work this evenTngT I've got a little knockln' around to do." There was an unusually large crowd in the shade of the big oak back of the blacksmith shop. Some were waiting for hirrrrvl.ir' 1 or ploughs to be Lot them were there llndu Seer.' fealnst the tree and Wmself Stories of how he had told that Mrs. Hobbs had a relative that died of a lingering Illness, that Miss Combs had passed through a great Borrow, that Edna Carter was to take a long Jour ney, and similar stock prophecies passed unheeded. It was when Deacon Wade gftve his experience that Billy's Interest was so far aroused that he quit fanning, rested his hat on his knee, and squinted his left eye thought fully. "I never believed much In spcrlts," said the Deacon, "but that fellow can shore tell some mighty queer things. He told me I had buried somethln' val uable, and It was stole by a toll man with sandy hair and cross eyes. "As a matter of fact, I done that very thing. Bight years ago last September 1 sold a span of mules for three hun dred dollars, and that evenln' I got to worry! n' about robbers and hid it by that old Jonathan apple tree. The next morning It was gone. Tim Runyon nd Claud Tayer were the only ones In the neighborhood that knew I had the money, and Tim was tall and was red-headed and had cross eyes." "Wasn't It funny though," said Tar- heel Jones, "how he hit It on old man Sawyer. The Hindu had called for any body that wanted to, to come up, and that flsty old cuss hops up, wag ging his head and winking right and left, and marched up to the platform. "The Prophet shet his eyes and wav ed his hands before him a few times old Sawyer stood there wlnkln' like a pup with Its eyes Jest open. 'I see,' said the Hindu, 'four wives. One was worked to death, one starved to death, one died to get away from you, and the other' and before he could finish, old Sawyer was wavln' his arms and sayln,' 'You're a liar and a humbug, Uar and a humbug!' "Nobody knowed before that old Sawyer had been married but twice, but he owned up afterwards, and told that Claud Tayler that run away, was his step-son by hla second wife." "The queerest thing," said Todd, who waa never interested In anything until It became a "payln Insitooshun," "was how he told Granny Stewart where her lost spoons were. They'd been gone eight years, and aha went right home nd found them exactly where he aid." "Ain't any quarer thaj what he told me," said Dodson, a fellow who had never had much faith in anything be . (ore but mules. "They kept after me to have my fortune told, and 1 want to him, and, says I, 'Old man, if yon will tell me where my lost log chain Is, 111 give you a dollar to tell my (or- 1 tune." He kinder shut hla eyes and weaved back and forth a few times , and laid, 'I'm in the corner of a low land pasture where an old it raw stack stands. I go fifty steps, and there at the root of a tree I see a chain burled under loos bark.' Well, I'll be durned, If I didn't find that log chain right ' there at the roots of that tree. "It had been lost eight year the seventh of last May. I remember, me and Bob Stewart and Claud Tayler 1 were hauling some logs, and when we went to load Friday mornln' the chain was gone, and we had to quit nntil I Went to towa and got another." t , , Billy heard other stories at the post- ; office, and at the squire's office, and ; when he Joined the group waiting their turn at the mill, still the only subject of conversation waa the Hindu Seer. TO HILL. And yet alone the aun'i bright trail We read another need : And amiwer'd It through brotherhood In loving word and deed. And when the evening btlla of life With cold and crimson burn. That day In memory proven the heat Which holda eome kindly turn. I. llench Chamber, In Ttam'a Horn. J H. HAHir. Everywhere he went he found the story was continued, and everybody asked what he thought of It. In reply he merely squinted bis' left eye; and shook his head in a way that implied he might have an opinion later. He was urged to come and be convinced, as every one else who doubted had, and he said he thought he would come out. . Although It had been but seven days since the Seer had pitched his tent in the grove of Buckeye Bridge, the stories of his marvellous revelations of the past, and his prophecies of the future had spread until the plough boy fifteen miles away, stopped at the pas ture bars to discuss with the milk maid the wonderful fortune-teller down at the Bridge. Hard-hearted old fellows who even doubted that a message can be sent on a telegraph wire, becr.me flrrqly con vinced that the Hindu had direct com munication with hoaveu. Stingy ones that kept a fire all night in June to save matches, cheerfully paid their dollar to learn the mysteries of the future. Stories of Tappings, of signs, of omens and ghosts that had long since been Irjld by skepticism, came back to memory and were eagerly told and seriously believed. Every night the crowds increased, every day the excitement grew moro foverlsh. Women became nervous, men suncrstltious, and children afraid of the shadows. The country was in awe, filled with the vague unrest of mystery. Billy had accumulated all the Infor mation he could second hr,nd. and de cided to go near for himself Friday nisht. It was a clear moonlight night, and the crowd, which had begun to gather soon after sundown, steadily Increased. Tho fnawras 7uTbfrf-tiUKglcs. wagons horseB, and still the rattle of wagona s.nd the whir of buggies from every direction. The word quickly passed that !illy Hotick was there, and the Interest doubled. Billy's reduetance to accept the Hindu's prophecies as direct reve lations from the spirit world, had been the one thorn In the heel of the Seer's followers. Now that ho vvas there he should be convinced in . a way that uld conquer JklsiinhMief for all stnrrncar the which was almost as ring, and contained scata for nearly a thousand people. At tho east end was a raised plat form from which the Soer gave public readings free. At one side of the stage a door opened Into a passage way, which led to the Hindu's gorgeously furnished tent, where private readings were given at one dollar per revela tion. The attendant came to the front of the stage and raised his hand for si lence. Tho red curtain over the door of the passage way parted, and a tall, majestic figure with flowing beard, white as snow, a turban on his head, and a rich Oriental robe over his shoulders came forward and ascended the stage. The lights were so ar ranged that the audience was In the full glare, while the stage was in semi darkness. The attendant made the usual an nouncements, and asked for volun teers. Several came forward, and one at a time their past and future were revealed to the audience, which lis tened with the profoundest awe. After waiting several turns for Billy to go forward the crowd could no longer restrain its impatience. Some one called "Billy Houck!" and the call "Billy!" "Billy!" was taken up all over the tent and even echoed from the out side. The attendant lifted his hand for si lence, and asked if the gentleman called for would not come forward. Billy stood up and the crowd began to cheer, but he did not go forward. When silence was restored, he said: "Fellow-citizens, you know I ain't much of a believer In fortune-telltn', but I'm wlllln' to be convinced. I'm willln' to give It a fair trial. Now, this man never aaw me before, and I'll let him tell my fortune If ho will let me tell one. We'll ask Judge Davis of Sarvls Point to call out some' man ! never saw before, and If I don't hit it as well as thli man does on me then I'll give np. Ain't that fair." The at tendant started to protest, but the proposition had caught the audience, and the Hindu nodded hla approval. Billy waa seated on the platform with his back to the audience. The Seer stood up before him and majestically waved his hand before his face, and began, In a dreamy voice, to reveal Billy's history. Hla story of Billy' past wm re markably accurate, and at several points waa so diverting that the crowd roared with delight flome revelations were decidedly embarrassing, but Billy never flinched, never moved a muscle until the reading was finished. The Hindu resumed hi neat, and Billy arose and Indicated to Judge Davl that he was ready. The Judge announced that as it was known that neither Billy nor the Seer had ever met before, that It seemed most appropriate that Billy tell the fortune of the Hindu Seer. For a moment the audience was struck dumb with the audacity of the suggestion, but seeing how Billy had been trapped, they broke Into a long, hearty laugh. --; : i ' They grew Instantly quiet Billy was offering the -Seer the chair near the edge of the stage. Surely he was not going to try Itt . . .. "t But he was. Coolly, Impresslveiy' he faced the Seer, half closed his eyes, waved bis hand before the Hindu' face, and began In a penetrating maa tone: "I see before me a young man that loved spotted pants, red neckties, and hated work." The audience was struck with horror. Surely Billy would be consumed by (re. But he was not V "When he was seventeen he wasn't worth the powder and lead it would take to .kill him, and when he was twenty he wasn't worth nigh that much,' The audience gasped. This wai sacrilege. "It Is eight years ago," went on Billy with his eyes fixed on the Hindu, "I see him followtn' Deacon Wade home from town. I see him' hide in the brush and watch the deacon bury three hundred dollars In the orchard, and then I see him slip in when the deacon Is gone and steal It." The people loved Billy, but this horse play was going too far. Why didn't some one stop him? But nobody did. "Again I see him, and he is sllppln' into Granny Stewart's kitchen. He steals her silver spoons, then gits scared and hides 'em under the smoke house." The audience stirred. They were blindly Incredulous, but this was in teresting. The Hindu sat motionless. "I see him helpin' Jim DodBon haul saw-logs, and he gets so lazy he hides the log chain so he can miss a half day." "Again I see him," said Billy, speak ing a trifle more distinctly. "It Is midnight, and he is slipping round; the back of Norton's store. The Seer gave a start "I see him cut the window out, climb In and rob the safe." Billy gripped the Hindu's wrist and held him until he finished. "You all knowkbim. His name is Claud Tayler, and the sheriff Is waitln' for him at the door." Quick as a cat springs the Hindu leaped for the passage way, leaving his robe behind. The attendant went out uxder the edge of the tent. . "Well," said Billy to the Squire as they took an Inventory of the things left behind, "they got away all right, but I guess there's money enough in this baft to pay back the dollar to all them who will own up they had their fortune told. If there's any left you better buy the Widder Jones a new wagon." "Where'd the sheriff go?" asked the Squire, but Billy merely winked his left eye. When Billy and the Squire came out of the tent the crowd had vanished as though it had faded into the night; all save two figures walking very leisurely and very close together across the Bridge. And as Billy caught the ripple of Mary's laughter, he squinted his left eye at the moon In a knowing, oaa fldentlal way. The Criterion, nj-""Njjast -r c AND CUB T' man ot many fads and hobbles, and one of these is clock making. He designed the biggest timepiece in Great Britain, the clock of the Cathedral of St Paul in London, and he also is the designer of tho great clock in the Victoria Tower of the houses of Par liament. What is called iu Canada the Twelvo Children act of the late Mer cier government, whereby a farm of government land was given to every father of a family of that number, has developed the interesting fact that the French Canadians are far more prolific than any of the other races of the Dominion, though even with them the number who are quali fied to take a claim under the law Is small. Only about six per cent of those benefiting by the act are Eng lish, Scotch or Irish descent. Chinese newspapers, owing to the cheap quality of paper u'kmI and to the low price of labor, both literary and mechanical, are issued at an ex treme y smal'. figure. T'w price of the ordinary Shanghai Journal is four cash, or about one-fifth of a cent A curious custom still holds good In the village of Waddesdon, In Buck inghamshire, England, where, on any morning or evening of the year, a person can claim a free drink of new milk from a cow specially kept for tho benefit of thirsty wayfarers. A swan, about which a curious story is told In Cumberland, England, has Just returned from its summei visit to Moorhouse Tarn. Originally the swan took up his abode on the lakelet In company with his mate, but their nest was robbed, and the female bird died, apparently brokenhearted. The bereaved consort covered the body with leaves and reels and de parted. Every spring since he has regularly returned to the grave, al ways alone, and, with the water' bens for company, swims - disconsolately about the tarn throughout the sum mer. t Camllle Flammarlon, the noted ai tronomer and scientist, in a recent lecture in Paris gave an account of some ot the freaks of lightning. These freaks, however, he affirmed, were determined by causes which we have yet to learn. Sometimes It kills', sometimes it merely Injures, and sometimes It seems to be frolick ing In a way which gives rise to the hypothesis that "it is a thought which. Instead of being attached to a brain. Is attached .to an alec trio current" Sometimes It plays the physician, ; as In the Instance st Romalnes, v France, when V in 1698 It struck a man who had not been able to walk without a crutch on account of rheumatism. After the shock the rheumatism disappeared. ... i; ' '. As Advertised. . -"Dont you hire any servants at all to seep this hotel clean? My room Is In aa awfully dirty condition," com plained tho victim of the summer hotel "ad." "That's the fault of the wind," de clared the proprietor blandly. "You know,., advertise 'Swept by ocean breezes.' V-Town and Country. ; QUAINT IMITATIVE CRIMINALS f . THEY FOLLOW ONE ANOTHER IN - MET0D8 OF CRIME. r Aemarksbls Instances From Records of Successful Robberies and Swin dles That Have Been Copied When "Dinner Hour" Robberies Were Fashionable. The Imitative faculty of criminals is well recognised by all engaged In their detection, says the London An swers. One sensational crime make Scotland Yard watchful for others In which some of its peculiar features will be copied. One of the most remarkable series of Imitative crimes, in modern times occurred at Windsor. While the Count and Countess of Mnrella were one February evening, at dinner in their mansion near Virginia Water some thieves ascended by means of a rope ladder to a window In thq Countess's dressing room, entered the room snd, having collected a rich booty of rings, watches, brooches, necklaces and other trinkets, worth some thousands of pounds, disappear ed with them, For a considerable time past there had been none of these dinner hour robberies. Now tho feat of these thieves was to make them common. Strangely enough, their Imitators ev n selected the same neighborhood. Within a few weeks, while the Belgian ambassador, M. van de Weyer. and 1b wife, were dining in their resi dence at New Lodge, thieves made a clean sweep of madame's Jewelry In precisely the same fashion. The next gang of imitators were not so lucky. Through a mistake In the dining hour of Lord Ellenborough they tim ed their visit to his Lordship's house too early In the evening. Instead of being at dinner his Lordship had gone for a drive, from which he returned later than had been expected. On go ing upstairs to his dressing room be found the door locked. When it was broken open the thieves had vanish ed, but his Jewelry.scatteredonthe bed ready for packing up, was still there. Similar as these robberies were they were the work of different criminals, all Imitating the first. They soon had Imitators all over the country. Gainsborough's great picture "The Duchess of Devonshire" was stolen one night from Messrs. Agnew's gal lery In Old Bond street by thieves who cut the picture from its frame, rolled It up and carried It off. There had been no robbery ofthe kind since 1850, when burglars visited the picture gal lery lp the Earl of Suffolk's residence and cut out and decamped with sev eral pictures, of which they trlcAin vain to dispose. In disgust they rt. abandoned the treasures, worth e thousands of pounds, nidlng a UTJ'natfe equally their attempts to make money by their crime. Still, they had their imitators. The very next year thieves made an entry during the night in to Woodvllle Lodge, Clayton, Sussex, and cut from their frames and de camped with pictures valued at from 10,000 to 15,000 pounds. In December of 1874 a quick wltted daring thief, who chanced to bet at Paddlngton Station, took advantage, of tho bustle on the platform attending the arrival of tho Prince of Wales to lay hands upon the Jewel case of the Countess of Dudley which contained gems valued at 20,000 pounds. The Jewel case was In the custody of two female servants, who reached the sta tion in a cab. The first, alighted from (Tie cab, put tho caso down on the pavement and turned around to assist her companion out of tho vehicle. When she looked for the case again It waa gone. Seizing upon the arrival or departure of royalty as an oppor tunity for theft immediately sprang Into fashion among thieves. The very next month, at the same station, as the Duke ot Edinburgh was passing through it, thlevos found an opportun ity to rob an attendant of the Russian ambassador, Baron Bulow, of his dressing case, containing Jewels worth somo thousands of pounds. The fact that the man chose as his example waa rewarded with ten years penal sevltude did not deter Tarpsy, the Jewel thief, from resolving to Imitate his plan. The first thief or dered several thousand pounds worth of Jewelry from a London shop, had the precious trinkets brought to his house, chloroformed the unlucky bear er, and disappeared with his booty. Tarpsy proceeded on the same line. With his wife he took a house in the West End, and then proceeding to a Jeweler's, requested him to send a selection ot diamonds and emeralds for his wife's consideration. The un fortunate Jeweler's man, when he was shown Into the Tarpsy drawing room, was seized, chloroformed, bound and gagged, while Tarpsy and his wife de camped wltr their-precious burden. Bo tar the plan had succeeded, but Tarpsy commenced to fall as soon as he began to be original. He and his Wife bsvlng stolen away to Leaming ton, Tarpsy excited the suspicion of the landlady with whom they lodged by tho peculiar changes he effected in his appearance. So acute did her Suspicion at last become that she communicated with the police. When they arrived they were Justi too late. The mysterious lodger had slipped away to the con tinent The detectives, baffled for the moment, were not, however, dis couraged. Mrs. Tarpsy remained, and they watched her keenly. Some months later she donned the deepest mourning and tho Informa tion that she had lost her husband; who had died on the continent, Spread around. The detectives rightly con jectured that Mrs. Tarpsy was merely taking steps to convince any possible watchers that their trouble would be In vain. They , watched her more keenly than ever, and following the "widow" one day to a bouse in the north ot London, discovered the "do ceased" and much -mourned husband allvt and welL , , Tho theft of the body of Alexander Stewart in New York in 1878 Ira ltated'ln 1881 In Scotland by a gang ot plains, who stole the body of the f.arl of Crawford from Its resting mi Ihn arches of hey waaH the ( , 1 unfortun- place In the family mausoleum at Dunecht . The perpetrators of this ghsstly deed performed It in a won derful manner. The body of the Earl he having died In Italy had been embalmed and placed in three coffins. The Inner one was of Italian wood, the second wss of lead and the outer one of oak. Thus secured the body was consigned to the family mauso leum, the entrance to which was cov ered with flagstones, over which was a thick layer of mold, set with grass and flowers. The thieves, breaking through every obstacle, abstracted the body and bore it off. For more than a year no clue to either the miss ing body or to the perpetrators of the crime was discovered. Then an old poacher related how he had seen men commit the robbery. They had, he declared, sworn him, with terrible threats, to secrecy, and he had till now held his tongue In ter ror. He pointed out the spot n the wood where they had hidden the body and the corpse was found burled there, wrapped In some thick blankets. The old poacher was himself accused of having bad a hand In the deed, snd, being placed on trial, was found guil ty, receiving a sentence of five years penal servitude instead of the reward he had anticipated. The mutilations of cattle for which the young solicitor Edalji was, upon evidence that most people who had studied the case) considered very In conclusive, sent to penal servitude were imitated by wretches in many parts of the country. Whether the terrible Whitechapel murders, known as the Jack the Ripper" crimeB, were all the work of one man, or of a man and his Imitators, Is a doubtful point in detective circles. OLD SETTLERS. One of Them Tells about Chicago's Babyhood. The challenge that was issued by A. Filer at the yearly reunion of the Chi cago Pioneers and Sons and Daughters of Pioneers held In the Public Library building, May 27, to the effect that he arrived In Chicago before any one liv ing here at the present day, has been met by Mrs. Adeline Heartt, who as serts that she antedates Filer at least a year. "I'm awfully sorry that It has to be a woman to answer this challenge," said Mrs. Heartt yesterday, "but you know how an old man Is about thing like that, and I just have to teli him. If I didn't, he'd go on talking that way until everyone would think he really was the oldest settler." With the dates ready on her tongue, and the events firmly fixed In her mind, Mrs. Heartt, in her little home at 3219 Prairie avenue, stoutly affirmed that she was here before Filer, and, after living nearly a year In a log cabin near old Fort Dearborn, wei Macklm whlcl "Wo arrived lrihlcago ol she declared, "and spent the hiH weeks In the old fort "My father was Sergeant Luther Nichols and he came to Chicago with his family, my mother and me, with Major Whistler, at the Blackbawk up rising. We were only an advance force and three weeks later General Scot), came with his army and brought the cholera. The troops that were station ed in the old fort, with their families, wore forced to vacate to make room for the sick ones and we moved out, finding shelter for ourselves wherever we could. My father made a tempor ary home for us by piling some boards against the stockade of the fort and thlB kept the rain off for nearly a month. Then we obtained a log cab in and wo lived in that for nearly a year, when the soldiers were ordered to Mackinac, early in the spring ot 1833. "In the spring of 1834 we came back to Chicago, where my father was mus tered out of the army. He engaged in the teaming business. He had several one horse carts and he transported freight from neighboring settlements and In the village to the boat landing. Our cabin was near the fort, where the river runs Into the lake. "I remember the trip from Chicago to Mackinac, but what is most promi nent in my recollection Is the first cen sus that brought Chicago's growing population to 500. My father spoke of it so much and so often at the time, that it made an impression upon me. And I don't believe there were more that three or four real Btreets in the whole place, either "And I don't believe I am the old est pioneer at that, for Eleanor Hamil ton Keenan, whom I met at the re union a year ago, was here before I got here. She is a daughter ot Colonel Richard Hamilton and, if I remember rightly, she was here In the early part of 1832. I have not heard of her since the reunion." Mr. Filer challenged James B. Brad well to find anyone who got here be fore 1833. "I am the oldest pioneer liv ing," said he, "and I landed In Chicago from Buffalo in 1833." Chicago Trll bune. Overdoing It "Ye-es," Mr. Billings said, reluc tantly, in reply to his friend's re mark that Mrs. Joyce was "an awfully sweet little woman." ; "So cheerful! Always sunny; always looking on the bright side!" Billing's friend contin ued, enthusiastically. ' "There is su'ch a thing as overdoing that "bright side' business," said Bil lings. "Tho other night I waa up there, and Joyce you know how absent-minded he 1st put the lighted end of bis cigar In his mouth.. He Jumped three feet, and waa a little noisy for a minute. Right In the midst of It all Mrs. Joyce smiled blandly, and said: "How fortunate you were, dear, to discover H at once!" Ways and Means. "Good citizens." said the reformer, "should band together and get con trol of the primaries." "But what method would you, ad viser asked his friend. "Jiu-jitsu or plain assault and battery?" St Louis Post-Dispatch. The straw hat Is to be abolished In the British navy. ' THE PULPIT. A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY THE REV. J. D. BURRELL Subject : The Friend of Ood. Brooklyn. N. Y.-Snmlay morning the Rev. Joseph Dunu Uurrell. pastor ot the Classon Avenue Presbyterian Church, preached nn Interesting ser mon on the subject, "The Friend of Uod." The text vrns from James USB: "He was called the Friend of God." Mr. Burrell said: The figure of Abraham Is one ot the most majestic spared to us by the past. He stands before us In singular dig nity, serenity and power, and bis su preme quality was that be was the friend of Uod. The phrase is peculiar. It is not said that Uod was his friend, but that be was God's friend. There Is a differ ence. We accept the friendship of God ns a matter of course, like the air we breathe. But the thought that man may be a friend to God scarcely conies to ns at all. There is something deeply touching nbout that thought. For we usually look upon God ns sufficient unto Him self. Yet in this other respect we see Him longing for friends. That desire Is common nmong men, for there are many lonesome, misunderstood, hungry for a friendly word of appreciation. Now think of God also as misunder stood, grieved by neglect, yearning to be loved. Then think of Abraham ns giving God his heart. You tee how much it meant to God that Abraham was his friend. One Is led to be the friend ot another by liking him. The reason wby we like him may be inexplicable to our selves, for there is no accounting for tastes.. All fruits are the gifts of God to men, yet some we enjoy and others we reject. All people are children of Uod, and we can. love every one of them In a disinterested and fraternal way. But this does not Interfere with our liking some better than otlprs. Even our Saviour felt this human ten dency and was drawn by It to a spe cial Intimacy with the apostle John. I suppose there never was a person about whom people differed more than Charles Lamb. Some could not endure his perpetual raillery, his bad puns, his stammer. Others knew him to be one of the rarest spirits, subtle in in tellect, exquisite in taste and grandly unselfish. Now that liking which mnkes friend ship between man and man makes It between man and God. We can pic ture Abraham at the close of the day, when the tents had been pitched and the evening meal eaten, going apart from the camp for a little space that he might open bis soul to God. We can imagine David at night time while the city slept, mounting to the roof of tbe palace and beneath the canopy of stars communing with the Most High. We can see Christ escn.p'ng from tin crowds that thronged His steps and eagerly hiding for a brief time In the seclusion ot some mountain top that Hfvt be alone with Ills Father. a nil tbra Vsfi liked worth asking w I do not say reverence do not say submit to '-snd wo like God? It is a pJcu- uestion. Perhaps asking it makes wonder whether our appreciation ot uod does not lack something ot the .warm throb of life. Friendship also involves similarity of tastes. In fact, most of our friend ships come about through our being brought together in the pursuit of somo common interest, by an ocean voyage, a golf club, a board of directors, a Sunday-school class, for example. Peo ple whose chief interests differ are not likely to become friends; Emeraou and Boss Tweed, for example. There Is no better field for studying the laws ot friendship than a college. Young men r women who have known each other pleasantly enter in the samo class, go together for a time, then gradually, without any 111 feeling what ever draw apart In order to form other combinations. This shifting is gener ally due to the dominating power of some common interest French, boat ing, editing a paper together, member ship In the same fraternity and the like. Tbe same principle holds true In the friendship between man and God. It is brought about by similarity of tastes and Interests. Supreme in God is the sense of order, whose moral side Is righteousness. How can He have any friendship with a man who lacks this sense ot order? Who does not mind being a glutton or a dru ikara or Im pure, or telling a He or taking what is not his? As Paul says, "what fellow ship hath righteousness with unright eousness?" And another characteris tic of Ood is His spirit of charity. But suppose a man is Indifferent, hard and selfish, prone to cberlsb grudges and fo do nnkindnesses, how is friendship possible between him and God? "Ho that loveth not his brother whom ho Lath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" It Is Important, then, for us to ask if wo like what God likes, if wa value highly, as He does, the soul, tho spirit, nal life, a character of purity and good ness'. These are the foundations of friendship between heaven and earthy Again, part of friendship is loyalty. But loyalty how far? Through bad re port as well ns through good report? Assuredly. Tbe friendship that will not endure strain is of little worth. Twenty years ago a young man was swept sway by the excitement of gniu bllug in Wall Street, and misused tbe funds ot tbe bank of which he was president. The deflclt of. millions was made good. ' But, ot course, the ills grace was there. Yet to-day he has standing In a certain small social cir cle. His friends, you see, realized that tbe man was not really vicious at heart and stood by him to help htm make a new lite. How many a man, who In fact has done no wrong, bnt who has had some Idle gossip raised about blm, has found himself deserted in a mlnnte by those he counted upon as his friends. There is no social tragedy more pitiful than this, and also none more discreditable to human nature. ' To be a friend to God means to be loyal to Him through storm ss well as through sunshine, in tbe day not only of prosperity, but also lu that of ad versity, when the skeptic says, "If Ood Is good and Is your friend, bow can He permit this trouble to fall upon your' Then when suspicion Is raised about God, many who have called themselves Ills friends fall away from Him. The true friend Is he who stands by God when strange and cruel things happen that cannot be explained, who main tains confldenc- in tbe divine goodness when olhers deny It. who defends Cod's name when others Impugn it. who says with Job. "ttiongb He slay ine, yet will I trust Him." Uod will never forget stnuchness like that - tii-neroslty Is one of the lovely trails of true friendship, It comes out in feeling', in rondwt and In special tok ens In the form of girts. , T ie ancients illustrated this In the slory of Dam snd Pythlns. Pythias was enmlcuined lo death, but begged leave to go home and arrange his af fairs. His friend Damon took his place In prison. In the end In tbe nick of time. Pythlns returned and surrendered himself. Because ot the spectaclo ot such -ft friendship be was pardoned. Hut the Interest of the story centres In Damon lying In prison while the days of Pythlns' absence lengthen and the Nme of execution draws near. For not only was Damon content to endure im prisonment for his friend, but far be yond that he was prepared to die in his place. Tbe story is no doubt a fairy tale, but Is gives us a true lesson, and has hnd influence upon the civilized concep tion ot friendship. And as applied to our relationship to God it is suggest ive. It our friendship to Him is genu ine it will bear the mark of generosity. There have been not a few friends of Uod ready to die, If need be, for Him. And yet there are mnny who render to Uod what they like rather than what He llkes, Sometimes presents are given among us on the same Irrational basis. You have seen a poor young couple receive from some rich ac quaintance an absurd wedding present of a costly piece of bric-a-brac which would be utterly out of place In their modest parlor, and would divert an amount of money which would have been a grcnt help In practical form. The donor consulted his desire rather than theirs. So Is it often with men's gifts to (oil; they give Him what they like rather than what He likes. In Jere miah's age they offered sacrifices of liuilock8 and goats. lit Christ's day they performed elaborate religious cer einouics and wore phylacteries and fringes. In medieval times they did penance and paid money. To-day they erect costly churches and endow col leges. But If .we would please God we must consult His wishes In our gifts n nd not our own. And what does Uod like best? A pure heart, a humble and contrite spirit, days free from evil, prnctlcal thoughts of kindness for oth ers, homes of real devotion, sacrifices of money from genuine love of His work, words of honest testimony for Him in public and private. These are the things Uod likes, and thou who love Him even effer them to Him. In the fourteenth century, when tho moral and spiritual state of Christen dom was dark, Jifjyioup of noble souls banded themselves together to strive nfter holiness. Their headquarters were nt Strnssbtirg and Cologne. Their greatest member was John Tauler, the celebrated preacher, whose printed ser mons made a deep Impression on Lu ther. The Influence of those men was performed and abides to this day. But the thing to notice especially about them was their name: they railed themselves "The Friends of Uod." Is there not a place for such people In the life of to-day? Men arc apt to become so absorbed in the concerns of this life ns to neglect Uod altogether, nnd when they do think of Him It is often with the desire chiefly to get something from Him. How sordid and unworthy this all Is. We ought to have our relationship on a higher level. Is It not possible for us to appreciate) Ills grandeur and goodness for their own excellence? Cn we not like Him for what Ho is? As He looks down iinon a eoiislderablyWnfferent world, can we not give Him the happiness of letting Him see that we are His friends? And when trouble bewilders us let us still believe in Him; when Ills good name is assailed, let ns de fend Him; when He wants some one to do His work, let us say, "Here am 1, send me." We are familiar enough with the Idea that God is our friend. But the ques tion Is who are willing to be frleuds of UoJ? Pandor Thla Fitct. "Take your Bible, and carefully count, not only the chnpters or tho verses, but the letters from the be ginning of Genesis to the 'Amen' of the Revelation; nnd when you have accomplished the task, go over it again nnd again ten times, twenty, forty times nay, you must read tie very letters of your Bible eighty times over before you have reached the requisite sum. It would tako something like the letters of eighty Bibles to represent tho men, women and children of that old n:id wondrous empire. Fourteen hun dred of them have sunk into Christian ITi'uves during this lust hour; thirty three thousand will pass, to-day for ever beyond your reach. "Despatch your missionary to-morrow, and one million and a quarter of immortal souls, fur whom Christ died, will have passed away to their final account before he can reach their shores. Whether such facts touch us or not, I think they ought to move our hearts. It Is enough to make an angel wceo." Rev. Silvester Whitehead. I'ha Warn of Jaftna, The l,ord Is the hearer of prayer. There should be waiting on Him, not only in the assembly of His people, not only with the attitude of reverent re gard, lu tbe forms ot religion, but ns the Psalmist puts it: "Truly my soul walteth upon Uod." For salvation, for protection, He Is to be sought; and whatever the trouble of our lives, we thus get stability. What can we ask? The fulfilment of the exceeding great and precious prom ises. But what plea can we present, weak and sinful as we are? Tbe name that is above every name the name of Jesus. John Hall. Tha Way Wa Do Thlngi. Bcv. F. B. Meyer says: "Knitting needles are cheap and common enough, hut on them may be wrought tbe fair est designs in the richest wools. So tbe Incidents ot dally life may be com monplace in tbe extreme, but on them ns the material foundation we may build tbe nnseen but everlasting fabric of n noble and beautiful character. It vdoes not so much matter what we do, but tbe way in which we do It matters greatly." Rose culture may be said to be lo cated near the apes of commercial horticulture because of the refine ment ot the product. Jhe high prices which excellence commands In the open market and the exceeding skill and Intelligence required tor the best results says the Massachusetts Ploughman. Some ot. the beat horti cultural talent In the country Is be ing devoted to production ot new varieties ot roses, and the rewards et success In that line are very con siderable. . 1 1" - ;V'": : ' V K I do not think I have ever been to Impressed by the magnitude of Parts, by Ita vast' encompassment and in finite variety, as upon my return here after a round ot the other great Euro pean cities, says Henry1 Wattersoa la the Courier-Journal. Any one ot them might be lifted bodily and set down la one of the faubourgs of Pstls with out changing the oroer ot things, or seriously disturbing the people and the life about the centers. ON THE SERVANT PROBLEM. When women mtt to have rtat t Their volcea atrlk a loyona kyi Thej lulk a while of this and that, Of shows that they Intend to aca. Of couplca who cannot agrea. . , . But era the time to end the call One of them aya, "it aeema to toe I cannot keep a cook at all." ... Forgotten then the sown or hat, I Or what the coming styles may be. ' Or who is banting off her fat, Or who paid aurh a monstrous fes ' For leKol aenrlce la 8. 1). In acceuts that can' but appall ,: One will assert unhappily. "I cannot keep a cook at all." They cease to criticise tha flat, . Or to flisntsn' Ihe latest tea. Or how the Browns made up their spat. Or wlint Homebody said when aha At etiriire Itmt In one, two r.:hree. Then melancholy cornea the fall In voice uf her who's up a tree, "I cannot keep a cook at all." L'enrol. Princc-ss, I make appeal to thes When next I saunter down thj nail llon't let me iiear oh. heed this Dleal "I cannot keep a cook at all' JUST FOR FUN "He said he'd never marry a woman for her money." "That was before he knew what it was to need It," Cleveland Plain Dealer. ' " "Papa, must a man be narrow-minded to keep in the straight and narrow path?" "No, son; but the man who keeps therein frequently is." Hous ton Post.. "A woman's bonnet would not cost much if it wasn't for the trimming," said the miserly husband. "Neither would a man's whiskers," answered his wife. Chicago News. ; "Once In a while," said Uncle Eben, "a mfln thlnlta ho la aluiwin1 tila In. --" sT ihni he Is puttln' jMrfinC reasonahwarTTiiu on somebody s pa tience." Washington Star. ' ,, Nan I, don't see why Miss Mugley should want to marry him, with all her money. Dick I guess she had to. I don't believe he'd have taken her without it. Philadelphia PresB. a "That letter carrier would make a good baseball pitcher," observed the fan. "Why?" demanded the score board fiend. "Because his delivery Is so good." Portland Telegram. "Miss Antcek says this is the most sanitary of all the ages." "She ought to know," said the man who roomed across the hall. "She's compared i good many of them." Detroit Free Press. "I. omk hair on a man used to be considered a sign of strength." "Well, long hair on some men indicates that they're too strong to work and earn the price- a harreut.'yPafclh Ledger. La Don t you think that some men make a mistake in adopting oolitic as a career?" "Yes; but It isn't SssJ serious as the mistake that politics makes in adopting some men as its representatives." He Yes, but women are so elusive. She But, then, the glory of winning. He Pardon me; I mean, no matter whom you marry, you And next-day you have married somebody else.-1'-. Town and Cbuntry. i : "It's curious," said Uncle Eben, "to hear tell 'bout how many geniuses has been allowed to starve an' how many lazv folks manages to alt a livln' by prctendin' to be geniuses." Washington St nr. . Friend of the FamHy Why do you J always Bpeak of ydur tneras 'jth'' governor? It pleases him so much. Ho never really has a say in any thing; mother Is the real executive. Detroit Free Press. "I do hate to see women standing up in a street car." "Oh! Now I know " "What do you knowt" "Why you always shut your eyes and go to sleep as soon as you get a seat." ---Cleveland Leader. . ... . "Who is that fellow in the stage box who Is laughing so heartily?" That's the author ot the opera." "Rather bad taste." "Not at all. He never heard that comedian's Jokes before." Cleveland Leader. Automobllist (recovering from In Jury) Isn't that a pretty, stiff bill, doctor? Surgeon You don't suppose I'm going to let the repair men do a! the getting rich out ot this business do you? Chicago Tribune. J "What can a fellow do when he gets to the end of his rope?" murmur-j ed the disappointed citizen. "Throw the cigar away and light a fresh one,") suggested the idiotic citizen cheerful ly. Louisville Courier-Journal. , ; ; j Tommy Will no "undesirable for " eigners" of any kind be allowed t. live in England once the Aliens bil has passed? Father No I r Aon' think so JtoinjnjartJfaTCkr Mamzell Cai have to go! Punch. She Here Is a ' wonderful thin. They're actually growing potatoc and tomatoes on the same plant. I Nothing so wonderful about thai Cabbage snd tobacco have long bee grown that way. Philadelphia Bu letln. ' "Yaas," said Cholly, "I'm going I tor cwicket and golf and all that san ot thing. They're such manly sport Hon't y' know." "The Irlie!" exclal cd Miss Sharps. "You're becomii real mannish, aren't your Phllad phla Ledger. "Do you think they'll ever be ai to run the trains so fast that we c go from Chicago to New York si back In a day?" "I hope not Wh Is the use going to New York it y cant stay all nlght."r-Chicago I Sord-Herald. , , ' 1 Judge Have you nnythlne ft t before I pass sentence upon " y Bank Wrecker Don't the rules am you to take out time from my tenoe equal to the length of t miserable speech my lawyer made ? Cleveland Leader., All the Same In Dutch. Little Margie heard a speak of some one who wss i i ble as being "In a piekle." t after her small brother was i some mischief and she ex . "Oh, you mustn't do that, 11 ax yen will get i a cucumber!"
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 6, 1905, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75