North Carolina Newspapers

: PRESS, Jill VOLUME XX. FRANKLIN. N. C WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 22, 1905. .NUMBER 47 ' rypti i t. 1170 N ALONG For B tli loitering of tt toad. The hidden voire that dings: For me the vernal myuerlei, . Deep woods and alien t springs. 1 I I 1 1 I TTTtTtTTVTTTTtVTTVVTVTTVTTVTTTtTTtTTTTTTTVT r The Stranger A PROFITABLE INTERHIS5I0N ; IN A WEARY JOURNEY. .... BY JULIAN JOSEPHSON. . VVVl VVTTTVVrTVTf I VTI I IfV The tra -i. .Iiough sKrcely past .middle age, . withered little shrub of a man a iim and crooked-backed aa If he wert seventy. Hia face wet angular and wizened. Hia eyes were little, and seemed half closed; hie mouth wai big and amiable. Hie whole countenance gave the Impression of sly good nature. He was dressed plainly almost shabbily and carried a long gtay overcoat across his shoul der. His only visible article of lug gage, was a greasy, battered leather satchel, which he handled with great care. : . In spite of his decrepit appearance, the man proved himself a tireless walker, using a long, swinging stride that carried him ahead at a surprising speed. For more than an hour ho walked on steadily. All at once bo heard not far behind him the squeak ing of a brake and the bumping of wagon wheels upon the rocky road. A few seconds later the Antonio and Fort 8 tan ton stage hove Into sight. "Howdy!" shouted the big, red whiskered driver, heartily, pulling up his horses. "The same to you, pardner!" The TOlce was surprisingly resonant. "Where you bound for?" "Next town. How far Is It from here?" "Well, sir, San Marclal's every bit of eight miles and mighty bad walk In' In the dark. Better jump up here with me! Got plenty o' room!" "Thanks, pardner, I don't care If. I do!" Thereupon he swung himself up beside the driver with an ease that astonished this good-hearted Individ ual. " "You're powerful spry for an old man!" he observed, admiringly. The stranger smiled slyly and nod ded. "Tomorrow's the Fouath ol July," he muttered, half to himself "That's right," replied the driver, re gretfully. "There'll be big doln's at San Marcial tomorrow an' it's Just my blamed luck to hare to miss 'em. By George! I'd give a dollar just to see the big shoot!" Jis "companion seemed mildly In- shooting contest?" 1 big pistol-sbodtpr the county, The stage was now descending a ticklish grade, and the driver's atten tion was wholly occupied In guiding bis horses so that the stranger was left to his own thoughts. He shook , his head dubiously, San Marcial - pernaps we last piace in wnicn nc would have expected ever to find him self. - But this was before the "Royal Amusement Company" of San Francis co had been stranded. When the crash - came, he found himself marooned in a little Arizona town without even suf ficient money to make his way back to Phoenix. He had already written to . bis brother In San Francisco; but he knew that it would be many days be fore the money could reach him. Be sides, his boy was at Phoenix. And at the thought of the child a little curly headed rogue of ten the father's eyes grew motst. Inured though he was to long abscence from hl boy, he was suddenly seized with a longing to see him to hold him in his arms. But as yet this longing seemed cruellj far from realization. For as matters now stood the man figured that it was at least a hundred and fifty miles to Phoenix. And he had just three ; dimes in his pocket. At last he had decided to start out for Phoenix on foot hoping that perhaps something might turn up. At the moment when the stage driver had picked him up he was finishing his third day's journey. For a long time the man sat ab sorbed In his gloomy thoughts, dream ily watching the trees and rocks and bushes as they grew shadowy and in distinct In the thickening darkness. He was roused at length by the hearty voice of the driver. . "Well, pardner, here we are!" As the stage drew up the stranger thanked the driver earnestly. The men shook bands, and the stranger jumped lightly to the ground. "Geod luck to you!" called the big driver." Then cracking his whip and shouting at his wiry, thin-necked sor- "rels, he sent them down the mala street of Ban Marcial at spanking - trot. The stranger watched the lum bering stage as it pounded away . through the darkness, and long after It was out of sight listened to the rap id clatter of the horses' hooves. Then he looked about him. . Except for a few stragglers the strtrt was de serted. The man deliberated a mo ment, Then he began to walk rapidly iown the street, continuing his pace until he came to a dense patch of brush just outside of the town. Plung ing Into this he found a small cleared pace where he could not be observed from the road. He then cut a few leafy boughs and spread them on the ground. Buttoning his long heavy overcoat closely about him he lay down, and was soon fast asleep. ' . Ban Marcial was at Its best From the sparsely settled surrounding coun try cowboys and ranchers many with their wives and children had been straggling In since daylight -Now at noon the street was, alive with figures. Lounging to front of San Marclal's three saloons in evenly numbered groups were about thirty ranchers and racqueros whites, Mexicans, and In dians. Nearly as many horses were tethered to the scrub oaks at th side of the road. .. The stranger In San Marcial walked thoughtfully up the street, and stopped a moment before the salotn that looked most promising. Tha gripping his f N2I the THE WAY. I covet not the ended road, ' The granary, the aheaf : , , . For ma the sowing: of the (rain, The promise of the leaf. Diehard Kirk, In Llpplncott's Magailne, at San Marc.al. satchel firmly he walked in. The place was crowded with noisy, demonstrative fellows. Some were) drinking at the bar; others were playing cards in the back of the room; the rest were stand' Ing around the big, barrel-shaped stove. As the stranger entered there was a momentary hush which he could not but notice. The loungers gaped at him, sized him up critically, and looked amused. The bar-tender Indulged in a smile that was bland, politic, almost Imper ceptible. Those at the bar rested their glasses for a short start. Then grad ually the stranger became less and less an object of Interest, until finally he was scarcely noticed. ; - Reading the signs aright the strang er walked up to the bar, and putting down a dime quietly ordered whis key. He swallowed the fiery stuff with a slight grimace, and was about to leave when he heard some words' nt his elbow which caused him to keep his place. The talk at his elbow went on. And as he listened the lines of his good-natured mouth relaxed broadly and- the bright little eyes twinkled. He whirled about, left the saloon, and walked rapidly until ha came to his resting-place of the night before. Placing his satchel carefully upon the ground he opened it and took out a chamois-covered package. Untying the buckskin strings he un wound the chamois-skin wrapping un til four superb pistols became visible. They were of the finest workmanship, the barrels long and slender. Taking the guns up affectionately the strang er scrutinized every part. He tested the trigger, the cylinder, and the sight. Then apparently satisfied, he re loaded each chamber carefully, and put the pistols back In their wrap ping. Holding out both hands with the palms downward, he regarded them, critically. "Steady as a rock!" he muttered to himself. And the, little eyes twinkled merrily from under their half-closed lids. At two o'clock an occasional strag gler might have been seen entering the vacant lot behind Shield's saloon. By three o'clock a crowd of two hundred ' men had fathered there. At the far two old army d white, upon nimseu, cnaiK utfiWl'praiilYig 1 number of concentric circles. A large, crudely lettered placard placed mid way between the two targets an nounced that the great pistol shot con test for the championship of San Mar cial County and a prize of one hun dred dollars In gold was to begin at half-past three sharp. The placard called it a contest. But as a matter of fact everybody In San Marcial felt pretty certain that there would be only one contestant Pitted igalnst a goodly number of men all more or less noted for .their prowess with the pistol Tim i WhltBett had twice given conclusive proof of his su periority. For the last two years be had carried off the prize badly de feating the best of his competitors. As defeat seemed certain and there was only one prize, no one else now cared to enter the lists. But then San Mar cial considered Whltsett's shooting alone worth the seeing. The judge of the contest was no oth er than Bob Evans, sheriff of the county. Mounting the box which had been set up against the back of the saloon to serve is the judge's stand, he raised his hand for silence: "Fellow-citizens, the following con-, test is for the championship of San Marcial County and a prize of one hundred dollars in golc. It is open to all comers. The rules are as follows: Each man must empty four six-shooters, which are to be drawn from the holsters and fired.. Two bolsters are to be worn at the belt and one under each armpit and each brace of pistols is to be put back In Its holsters be fore the second brace is fired. In 'deciding- the points, the number of shots in the target and the time taken to put them there will both be counted. I am now ready to receive entries." A burly, red-faced rancher slouched out of the crowd, and, stepping up to the sheriff, said something to him. "First entry Tim Whltsett!" shout ed the sheriff.' Th crowd cheered faintly. Whltsett was a bully, and had tew friends. There wa a pause. Then there arose a general snicker which gradual ly swelled to a great roar of laughter. A hundred fingers were pointed at the queer,, insignificant figure that was cow seen approaching the judge's stand, i Then tbey began to hoot him. It was the stranger. With bis looso coat removed his thinness and dwarf like stature, were ludicrously accent uated. ..Pausing a moment he drew from hie pocket a large pair of glasses, wiped them carefully, and placed them upon his nose. At this move the risi bilities of the crowd burst out anew arid the stranger was saluted with cries of ''Grandpa!" Humpy!" Ap parently oblivious of the noisy ridicule that his appearance had provoked, he spoke a few words to the sheriff. Then the , latter, struggling vainly with ; his ; countenance, announced, with gusto: j "Second entry Henry Jason, of Bab Francisco!" - Wlfitsett was laughing Immoderate ly. As soon as he succeeded . In re ducing his mirth to a very broad smile he took his place on the mark, his hands banging at his sides. "Ready!" csUed the sheriff, watch In hand. "Fire!" Whitsett's hands swept r ttftly, al most mechanically, to the hols'ers. The red-sleeved arms came to an in credible quick level and stiffened. Six double reports sounded and a, sprink ling of black spots showed on the 1 . i 1 1 in in white surface of the target Still smoking, the empty pistols were fish ed into their holsters. Then both hands flew upward, touched for an In stint the shoulders, and shot out again. There was a bright gleam of Bteel and again came six rapid dou ble reports. Whltsett shoved the plS' tols Quickly Into the shoulder holsters and swaggered Into the background. The sheriff ran down to the target, counted the shots, and made a note of the result Then he returned and mounted the box. "Score of Tim Whltsett! Time: Thirteen seconds. Target score: Four In the bull's eye, nine In the first ring, six tn the second, five In the third. This breaks the time record and tar get record made by Mr. Whltsett last year.1 The crowd responded but faintly. It hated to see Whltsett. win. Jason's (ace was, stern and Immov able as he took his position. The laugh that had started among the crowd died away Involuntarily. Whit- sett's face alone wore an expansive smile of contempt. After all the crowd had begun to think that there was something inscrutably cool and business like about this little misshap en tenderfoot. Jason's eyes were fixed alertly up on the target At the word "Fire! the blue, damasceened pistols leaped so swiftly Into bis skinny fingers that the spectators could not follow the movement with their eyes. They saw only a flashing double crescent of steel. Then, before anyone had com' prehended what was happening both pistols were whirling high in the air, Ban Marcial held Its breath. In a moment the pistols had descended, and twelve reports rang out so rapid ly that they seemed to blend Into six. With a quick twist the wonderful lit tle stranger sent the guns Into their holsters. Again, almost before the thoroughly amazed crowd knew what was taking place, a new pistol glisten- ed in each of Jason's hands. This time only one pistol flew Into the air and as It whirled In the sunlight, the magician discharged the other twice In lightning like succession. Then, deftly catching the descending pistol, he emptied both guns with incredi ble rapidity' and seemingly without aim. Returning the pistols to their holsters with some quickness, he lean ed cooly against the judge's box, his face as Inscrutable as ever. Then San Marcial went wild. They did not wait for the score they knew good shooting when they saw it. Tbey liked a man, moreover, and appreciat ed one even if he did happen to be a tenderfoot. Whtisett, With a scowl of rage on his bloated face, slunk into the crowd. He kno at he was beat- en kl cial rejoiced In his d Th rosa the lot s he once Hence was !4 rn. rit Mnnrv Jannn San Fran- , . qX,-,, TimB. Pleven and one-half seconds. Target score: Seven in the bull's eye, twelve In. the first ring. five In the second. Which breaks all records!" The sheriff drew himself up to his lull height, and as soon as the shouts and cheers of the crowd had subsided, went on: "As sheriff of this county and In behalf of my fel low citizens IN want to apologize, Mr. Jason, for the shabby way we treated you. And I want to congratulate you, Mr. Jason, on the finest handling of shooting irons ever seen In Arizona!" Thereupon he banded Jason five shin ing twenties. Jason pocketed them with murmur ed thanks, bowed low to the crowd, and repaired at once to the saloon where, surrounded by an admiring group of citizens, he cleaned and pol ished his pistols until the blue, dam asceened barrels fairly sparkled. This done he replaced them carefully In their wrapping. - "Good-day, gents," he said, evenly, and left the saloon. That night Henry Jasoni lately of the Royal Amusement company but better known to a few seekers after curious Information as the champion trick pistol shot of the world lay back contentedly in the big padded seat of the south-bound Antonio and Fort Stanton stage. His right hand rested lightly upon the handle of a greasy, battered-, Utile satchel. His left .hand was hidden but fnom the ample folds of his gray overcoat came the faint yet unmistakable clink of double eagles. Out of the darkness he seemed to see a curly headed lit tle rogue coming breathlessly to meet him. And as he meditated dreamily upon the pleasant Illusion, a happy, wistful smile played about his Hps. San Francisco Argonant : His 8entlments. Albert E. Plllsbury, former attorney general of Massachusetts, on visiting the birthplace of Horace Greeley In Amherst, N. H., noticed that there was no placard about the place to Inform the public of Its historical Interest Accordingly, he himself tacked on the house a card, which read: ,-"This la the birthplace of Horace ' Greeley While he was engaged at this task passing native paused to read the card, and, turning to Mr. Plllsbury, he remarked with some acidity: "The gall of some of you fellers that her made money In the city Is fairly sick' nln', What do you suppose folks here care whether you was born on this farm or some other old farm? Them's my sentiments, Mr. Greeley, and don't yod forgit It" Hartford Times. Hs Recognized Them. Permitted to return to earth for an evening, Henry VIII. was witnessing the performance of a modern minstrel troupe. ,';:", ?' ;',.,:v' It was evident from the King's be havior that things theatrical had great ly changed since his time. "Is -there anything at all familiar about this entertainment, sire?" they Inquired. .' Henry shook his head, sadly. "Noth ing but the jokes," responded he, - Just a Hint "Tea." said Slcpay, "the suit fits me splendidly. Great piece of work; It's a credit to you." "Tea," replied the tailor, "and please don't forget that It's a debit to you," Philadelphia Ledger. wJii r t AsssssvtassftasaBa-' 1 1 .1 and exaX more mof A profound! i ' - -.- - Rundown Land and Live Stock. . One of our exchanges mentions an Incident of recovering run down land of a farmer- in Pennsylvania, who bought 70 acres of such land some 12 years ago. This farm then furnish ed feed for two horses and six cow. The average annual Income amounted to less than $3000, supporting a very common sort of way Its owner and family. Today this farm maintains forty head of cows and enough horses to do the farm work. Last year the sales from it reached near $4500. The change has been brought about by in- .1 telligent farming, In which soiling that is keeping animals In stables In stead of pastures and, feeding green crops to them has been one of the leading principles. Indiana Farmer. Poultry on Town Let It Is surprising how easily few hens may be kept on a small town lot eay twenty-five feet square and practically at no cost whatever. The scraps from the table and those things that would otherwise go to waste, will be sufficient to feed a dozen hens throughout the entire year. On ly a few minutes' time each day will be necessary to attend to them, and they will supply a small family with all the fresh eggs tbey will need. Of course, you cannot keep many, but a few will give surprising results Let those who find It difficult to se cure fresh eggs, especially during the summer months, built a small yard and house and try what luck they will have. We venture to say that they will never again depend on the market man for their supply. To Prevent Alfalfa Bloat At one of the Institutes recently held the subject of alfalfa causing bloat was brought up. One replied as fol lows: "I have known two or. three instances where entile died from pas turing on alfalfa alone, but where It was sown with a mixture of grasses I have not known of such cases." An other said: "Some farmers In OhS sow It with brome grsss and clover. It Is an excellent mixture, and with it the danger of bloating Is extremely email. If wheat straw stacks are available, tho danger is reduced to nothing, as the cattle will eat the alfalfa for two or three hours and then eat thest1W: Another gave It as hJrpTnion that w are fJ2JWWTt pure and mixed. - 8" "think it Is quite possible to grow It profitably In a rotation where there is only two years in hay. Tho crop Is very much greater than we could get from the common red clov er, bo much so that It more than pays for extra cost of Bced." Weekly Wit ness. Feeding Lambs. Sixty lambs fed 100 diys on eleven and six-tenth acres of fit id peas which were raised on sod land without ir rigation. These lambs harvested the crop, made better gains, and went to market in better condition than lambs from the feed pens which were fed alfalfa and corn. It Is possible to fatten lambs with out grain on a cheap ration of alfalfa, turnips, and oil meal, and Buch ra tions, will be further investigated. A complete and well balanced ration of alfalfa, turnips, corn, and oil meal gave the largest gains on the smallest actual amount nf nutrients in the food. There are probably better and more practical rations for fattening lambs In Wyoming than the alfalfa corn ra tio commonly used. Combinations of wheat and burley fed alternately in ten-day periods bid not give the best results. Fed In this, manner, the lambs ate less and made smaller gains than on other train ra tions. Under our conditions, it will not pay to feed small stunted lambs on full grain rations for short periods. Wyoming Experiment Station. Harvesting Buckwheat The harvesting of buckwheat re quires some nicety of touch, for, like oats only mora so it does not ripen Its seed uniformly. The succession of blooming and ripening is so long that first-formed seeds may be ready to shed while those following on are still green. The only plan, however. Is to ex amine the crop carefully from time to time, and reap when there la- the greatest attainable quantity of ripe' and bold seeds; - And with crops of this peculiar ripening it Bhould always be borne In mind that the earliest seeds are far the best, so that It is better to lose two of the later than one of the earlier. "The crop may be reaped or mown, cut with machinery or otherwise, The fashion used .to be to pull It but that plan would not suit us nowadays. It was held by our fore- 1 fathers that pulling did not shake out so much seed ss reaping. But tho cradle scythe always, was a popular plan, and It you have only a little to cut, there is no better plan for you to pursue today.- If, however, weather comes on hot It is better to mow ear ly tn the morning and in the evening. the same as we take beans when over ripe. The dew and damp et morn or eve then eaves shedding of the seed to a considerable extent ' If buck wheat is reaped before the last stage of ripening, as most of our other crops are, there la too great loss In the secondare and later ripening grains.. The crop may either be sheafed and shocked like wheat, or be left In cocks or bunches tike peas. In the former plan no moving is needed till carting in takes place, but In the latter tho wads may require turning a time or two particularly if rain falls. But throughout the process the less mov ing the better, so long as the straw Is got quite dry, as the more moving the more Shedding. There is liable to be heating in stack, tocj In fact, Is sure to be, If leading Is conducted before the crop Is ready, Patlrnce Is a virtue .Garden here, as In hay-making. Soma fa. mere put In a layer or two of brush or. straw in the stack to give air and save fermentation. As with . other crops that do not ripen uniformly or regularly, buckwheat needs extra care In carting and stacking, as well as In the reaping. J. W. R., In the Massa chusetts Ploughman. Exterminating Mice and Lice, To have poultry do well in hot weather, It Is essential to keep a sharp lookout for mites and lice. There are several species of hen lice, but the one that gives the most trouble 1b about one-twelfth of an Inch long, with body elongated, of whitish color, and smooth and shining. The head is large and round on the anterior mar gin, and the margins of the body are black. Its whole appearance, there fore, Is distinct from any other species of lice, and It Is also larger. Known as Llpeurus verabllts, N., it is by far the moiit numerous of all species that Infest poultry, and during the hot weather of July and August will, if not checked, increase so rap Idly as to cause even the most vig orous fowls soon to stop laying, grow poor, and cease to be profitable. But If there is any difference, It seems to have a special fondness for young chicks. Accordingly if they begin to act sleepy and refuse to eat, 'it is well to examine them closely for these lice. Look on their heads and necks, and around the vents, for it Is there that tbey congregate and do the mis chief. In point of fact one of these blood-suckers Is sufficient to cause the death o( a chick. And what should be done when tbey are found? Simply mix together a teaspoonful of kero sene and a teacup of lard, and grease all the infested parts, but be cautious not to get any of it otherwise on the bodies of the chicks. Insect powder is good to use on hens similarly afflicted. To be sure to have it take effect, they should In dividually be held up by the legs so that the powder, thoroughly dusted on to the feathers, will fall down bo- and reach the skin. Ac- n duBt balh will also as- iltry to rid themselves of f they can be extermln means mentioned, any which may be present will have to go. Nnt an hnifNter. with the red mites. These, staying mTOirds only a night, secrete thpmri uns: the day in small cracks and crevices ( on the roof and walls and nests. As a matter of (ruth, they seem to flourish iu filth. If present In a poultry bouso therefore, the proper thing to do la to strike them In their retreats. For this purpose all inside fixtures should first be removed and thoroughly cleansed. Some good, strong Whitewash con taining a few teaspoonfuls of carbolic acid should then be made, and with a powerful force pump, sprayed Into every crack aud crevice where It Is possible for them to be. This solution will kill every louse with which It conies 'In contact. As some, never theless, may escape, the spraying should be repeated in a few days. As to the roost poles, nests and the like removed from the building, go over them thoroughly with a mixture composed of one pint each of turpen tine and crude carbolic acid and one bait gallon of gasolene, kept in a ran tightly covered until used. Upon be ing restored to their place again, these,' too, 'should be whitewashed. In conclusion, It Is well to whitewash even the fences near poultry quarters that have been Infested with lice. Cleanliness Is the object desired, and that cannot be attained unless the poultryman Is prompt and thorough In doing his part Fred O. Sibley, In the Massachusetts Ploughman. . From Paris to Timbuctoe. Timbuctoo has been brought well within the reach of the traveler by the exertions of Lieut. LeBlavee, who has Just arrived In Paris after car rying out the difficult task of organ izing a steamer service on the River Niger. Since July 1 a regular steam- .shlp service has been tn working on the Niger from Koull-Koro to Timbuc too. Two steamers connect those plac es, which are nearly 700 miles apart, by a trip made once a month, and It is honed that the service will be Im proved greatly next year. Lieut. Le Blavee thinks that henceforth the journey from Paris to Timbuctoo will not take longer than 19 days that is, one day by rail from Paris to Bor deaux, eight days from Bordeaux to Dakar by sea, one day by rait from Dakar, to Balnt Louis, three days' navigation of the River Senegal from Saint Louts to Kayes, two days by rail from Kayes to the Niger, and then four days by a steamer until Timbuc too Is reached. London Globe. A Famous Song. . One July Sunday Schubert, Doppler and others were returning to Vienna from Potzlelndorf, ' and) strolling through the village of Wahrlng, they espied that a friend, Fiexe, seated at one of the tables. ; They agreed to ' call a halt, and Schubert sat down beside Flezo and began to turn over the leaves of his book which was tying open on the table. ' Suddenly he stopped, and pointing to some verses exclaimed; "Such a lovely melody baa come Into my head;. If I had but a sheet oT muslo paper with me!" : , ""he resourceful Doppler drew some lines on the back of the bill of fare, and then and there In the midst of all the attendant noise and fiddlers and the skittle-players, of waiters run ning about in full hubbub of a holi day crowd, Scnubert wrote that love ly song truly a wonderful sweet air, with marvelous rloh words to It, There are more than 18,000 viubllo lamns In Liverpool. iweeu cess ti N Bist a 1 thesef I ated J othrl Aet THEPULPir. A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY THE REV. OR. H. ALLEN TUPPER. Sobjecft Marriage and Divorce. New York Clty.-Dr. H. Allen Tu, per, pastor of the Fifteenth Street Bap tist Church, preached Sunday on "Mar riage and Divorce." The text was Matthew xlx:4-6: "And He answered and said unto them: Have Je not read that He which made them at .the be ginning made them male and female, and said-for this cause shall a man leave father and mother ' and shall cleave to his wife; and tbey twain shall be one flesh? What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Dr. Topper said: Marriage was the first Institutional gift of God to man; and the family was the first organisation formed by God. for the blessing of humanity. During all the centuries, amid the changes of governments, ceremonies and dispensa tions, the impress of divine favor rest ed upon these heaven-born establish ments, and when tbelr integrity has been maintained they have been the sources and centres- of light and love; but when their integrity has been as sailed untold sorrows and suffering have come upon mankind. Chris, wrought the beginning of His miracles at a marriage feast, in a gath ering of families; and the pen ef in spiration pictures Him as the Bride groom and His Church as the Bride. The holy ordinance of marrlago was given to support social order; to in crease human .happiness, and to pro vide that through well regulated fami lies truth and righteousness might be transmitted from age to age. The vio lation of its vows is the canker at the heart of human progress and civiliza tion. In the West Indies, we are told, there is a timber that has all the ap pearance of strength and solidity, but when the test is applied it snnps asund er aud a fine white powder fills the air. The cause Is now apparent; a worm has eaten its way Into the heart of the wood and slowly but surely devoured its fiber until a hollow shell only re mnlns. The divorce evil, If not arrested, will gradually undermine our proud civiliza tion, aud when the testing time comes what appeared to be so attractive will prove to be only a hollow sbam. In the discussion of marriage and di vorce I will call your, attention to n divine law, a social disease aud a fatal danger. First A divine law. Centuries ago the cunning Pharisees attempted to on trail the divine Teacher by asking Him the question: "Is It lawful for a ninu to put away his wife for every cause?" In that day there existed two opposing schools. At the bead of oue was bbam nai. who Insisted that divorce should be allowed only in the case of adultery; at the head: of the other was Hillel, who maintained that a man might put away his wife for nny cause nt all. The tempters of Christ thought that line trap was well set, for if He failed t hold strict views on the marriage ques tion they would report Him to the fol lowers of Shamuinl, and if He held the otiDositfl onlnioh tl"v would turn unon Hlmtllfr nniltvjli-tD-tolJflS Hillel, one of whose strong adherents was Herod, who had Just beheaded John the Baptist. In Hie wards of an other: "Brushing aside their qulbbllug. Jesus goes back, to foundation princi ples and gives His message to the church of all ages concerning marriage aud divorce. ' It Is a fivefold message: The mar riage of one tn.tn and one woman is a divine Institution; it is a divine act; it joins husband nnd wife in a relation closer and more binding tban the rela tion of parent and child; it so unifies husband and wife that they cease to be two and become one flesh; and It can be dissolved only by death. When the point was made by the Pharisees that Moses maintained that a writing of di vorcement shall be given under certain conditions, Jesus declared that this was a concession to the hardness of heart of the people. The position of Jesus Christ on the subject under discussion is clearly set forth In His Sermon on the Mount: "It has been said, 'Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writ ing of divorcement, but I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornica tion, caiisetb her to commit adultery." And Mark records thess words of Jesus: "Whosoever pittteth away his wife and ninrrleth auolber committcth adultery against her. And If a woman shall put away her husband and be married to another, she commlttetb adultery And in Luke we have' set forts, the same law of Christ. From His recorded words we are forced to the following conclusions: That Jesus allowed divorce on one and only one ground, namely, adultery, and that He seems to allow the re-marriage of the innocent parly. In Epbeslans v:22-29 Paul gives the noblest picture of the sanctity and dig nity of the marriage relation, for he compares it to the mystic union be tween Christ and the glorious church of the redeemed for whom Christ died. This is no temporary ' bond to be snapped at will. Jesus Is to-day the Head of His Church, and It is being purified by Him nnd made without spot or wrinkle. Moreover, in Romans vii:l-0 Paul argues that the Christian Is set free from the bondage of the law, as the woman can have a new husband only on the death of the former husband.,' But In I Corinthians vll:12-10 Paul speaks of the problem In family life presented where the hus band is a Christian and the. wife i heathen and vice versa. He has two things to say about this new problem that had not arisen when Jesus spoke on the subject His first word la that the Christian must not force a separa tion. If the heathen husband or wife Is willing to continue the union, the Christian must , be willing to do so. The marriage Is legitimate and the children are legitimate. But the other word la this: Suppose the heathen husgand or wife is not willing to keep up the marriage relation and Insists on separation, then what? Well, let the unbelieving husband or wife go, says Paul. He nses the word "depart" here, not the technical word "put away." It would seem that this Is a case of voluntary separation, not a legal dl' vorce. If this be trne, there could, of course, be no re-marrlage In such cases, for the marriage has never been legally annulled. . This alternative Is not even raised by Paul in this connec tion. It may bo properly said, then, that Paul did not advocate divorce for anything save adultery, though be -does lot even indicate this exception save by Implication, v - This divine law Is set forth in no un certain sound on the pages of God's Word; and the disobedience of it must entail sorrowful results to the Indi vidual, the family, and the community. . Second A social disease. Divorces are more numerous in the United Btates in proportion to marriages than in any other country of which we have anv record. This social disease Is con. tr . and t-.i.pg. In IS.'), 3 5 per cent, of marriages ended In divorce. In 1880, 4.8 per cent In 1880, 6.2 per cent. In 1900, 8.1 per cent. In 18U0 the percentage of the divorced to the married was O.S. In 1UO0 It was 0.7. According to the census of 1000 there were 2457 divorced women in the United States under the age of twenty, and 13,175 divorced women between twenty and twenty-five years of age. South Carolina is the only State In the Union which grants no divorce. ' New York is the only State In the Union which proposes to grant aivorces only on Scriptural grounds; yet New York grants, annually, more than a thousand divorces. Illinois gives a fair illustration of the laws of almost all the States. Af ter reciting a long list of grounds upon which a divorce may be granted, the law concludes by empowering the court to grant a divorce upon any plea which It thinks justifiable. The Western States, in order to in crease their population, are making open and shameless bids for those dis satisfied with the married state to come to them and have it dissolved. Statistics given by the Chlcsgo Dally News Almanac, l03, snow tne roiiow ing number of divorces granted in lead ing cities of our country in 1901: Providence, 827; Cincinnati, 405; Bos ten, 408; Cleveland, 454; Philadelphia, 492; St Louis, 573; New York, 817; San Francisco. 846; Chicago, 1H08. The statistics of Cavroll D. Wright, Commissioner of Labor, for twenty years, from 1867 to 1886, show 828,712 divorces granted in the United States in those, years. Xr. 'G7, 9937 divorces were granted, while in 1886 25,535 di vorces were granted, making an in crease of 157 per cent. The Increase of population was sixty per cent, during the same period. In 1867 Ohio granted 001 divorces, and in 1900 the State granted 3217 divorces one to every eleven marriages 'solemnized In the State. Indiana granted, tn 1807, 1090 divorces, and In 1900, 4599 one divorce to every six marriages solemnized In the State. Only a short time ago the papers were telling of a woman in Indiana who had eight living husbands, from whom she had been divorned, and this same woman was then preparing to be mar ried to the ninth victim. Michigan in 18117 granted 449 divorces, and in 1900 granted 2418 divorces one divorce to cverv eleven marriages solemnized In the State. A table of divorces In the Christian world tn 1885, as given in "Studies in History, Economics and Tubllc Law," issued by Columbia University, gives the following interesting fact: Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Roumanlu, Russia and Australia grant ed a total of 20,111 divorces, while In the same year the United States grant ed 23,472 divorces an excess over all other countries in the Christian world of 3361. Forty-five States aud several Terri tories have various and conflicting laws, and more than 3000 courts have jurisdiction of divorce cases. A learned essayist says of our legislation rimtvlt "presents the largest and Strang est,ofid perhaps the saddest experiment in tie sphere of family laws which free, self-governing countries have ever journal that divorces were granted in Chicago for the following causes: Snor ing, cold feet, eating with a knife, In sisting upon going to bed in his over coat and boots, smoking cigarettes, failure as a cook. During recent years divorce has de veloped into au Industry in the United States, the legal profession and the bench have done much to encourage this terrible traffic. For C211 divorces In France In a given period, the United States offers 25,000, the United Kingdom Bbowlng 475 and the German Empire 6078 for the same time. For a period of twenty years in Maryland the rate of marriage to divorce was 61.94.- Massachusetts averaged 31.28 to every divorce. Some of the popular theories nre that divorce is due to the conflicting and in harmonious statutes of various States. Thus as Colonel Wright, iu his reporT,i informs us, it Is tho belief that persons residing in the Htsto of New York, where the law is strict, are in the hnblt of seeking divorces in Rhode Island. But the statistics show that of 4402 divorces granted in Rhode Island only ninety-seven were to parties married In New York, and of 0020 granted In Pennsylvania, only 705 were to parties married In New York, 'while pf the 289,540 couples whose pince of mar riage was ascertained, 231,807 were di. vorced In the same Stnte tu which they bad been married. Third A fatal danger. The attack npon the Integrity of the family Is an unmitigated evil and a crime against social order, which can only result in the destruction of all that is purest, noblest and best In the world. Here we find the secret causeol the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. The laws as to family life were loose; di vorce became epidemic, and the empire went down in ruin and disgrace. The Reign of Terror In France followed the establishment of a law that marriage could be dissolved merely by appli cation; 20,000 divorces were granted In Paris in one year, r.nd during the same period 48,000 outcast children were car ried Into foundling hospitals and near ly 10,000 new-boru babies were taken out of the sewers of the city and from the secret places by the police. The Indescribable horrors of those times It Is Impossible to picture, and who will say that directly or indirectly the vio lation of the sanctity of the marriage state and the purity of the family life did not contribute largely toward those days of terror? The rejection of the Bible, the denial of God and the dese cration of the home yielded bitter fruit the taste of which still lingers in the mouth of France, aud lessons written In blood have never been forgotten. To-day tn that countcy it Is allowable to obtain separation for five years, and at the end of that time to apply for the conversion of the separation into absolute divorce if the parties have not been reconciled. The practical results of the Imperial divorce law' in Germany have been gratifying. - It gives four grounds for divorce namely, adultery, attempt of either husband or wife on the life of the other; malicious, willful desertion and continued, violation of the marriage vows. ' Both In Fronce and Germany attempts are being made to escaps threatening dangers by the enforce ment of stricter, laws on marriage and divorce. ' ' In New'' England and Wales there were 17i divorces in 1870: 330 in 1880; 864 In 1900, and 727 In '88'J; and the growing evil Is a: lnv attracting thj at tention of the lawmokers. We do not recognize the family at all In our na tional constittition. It appears In our State laws only as au object of some care, but not as an element of political power, Mr. Gladstone declared that bis fear for our future centered very largely wn our ability to protect the family, for weakness here uionns disas ter everywhere. , Realizing the perilous position tu whlrlvwe nre placed bv the. increasing social '.rvlli r"-nltina' from divorcer a iw-'I'-t of pulillc i;iiit4 men inHln t-'i a corrective movement In 1878, and what is now knom. as the Nutiolul League for the Protection of the Fam ily, founded upon a broad bnel was organized in 1881. The results' from this and kindred organizations huve been marked and encouraging. Radi cal improvements are noticed in the laws of New York, New Jersey, Penn sylvania and Wisconsin; divorces after residence of only three or six months are no longer permitted, as they for merly were, in North Dakota, Georgia, California and several Territories. All causes for divorce but one have been, stricken from the lnws'of the District of Columbia, and commissions on uni formity by co-operation of the States . now exist In no liss than thirty-four . States and Territories. The question of a constitutional amendment and admission f a nation al law on the matter under discussion have been agitated; but as long aa twelve States can be rallied In defense of the maintenance of State rights, It is a waste of time to attempt the amendments on marriage or divorce. But the agitation against this evil goes on as never before. The pulpit, the press, the platform, the schools, coW leges and universities are awakening to a sense of the moral and social dan ger that threatens us, and the out spoken discussion of the marriage re lation and the divorce laws must result In great good. Thirty years ago none of our high er educational institutions gave any, attention to the study of the family, bat now the theological seminaries, the ' law schools and the universities are giving special care to this most im portant subject. We may be assured that our boasted civilization, our proud commercial greatness, our high edu cational attainments and our brilliant material developments will only hasten the day of our disaster unless we pro tect the family and honor the God of the home, who is the Father of us all AN ANCIENT SHIP. jnteresting Curiosity Is Nelson's Fa mous Ship Victory. There are few more interesting Cu rlcsltles In the world than the model of Nelson'famoii8 ship, the Victory, which was made by French prisoners of iv.ir nt Fcrtsmouth more ihan- r'. century ego. Th's model is owned by ' a resiili nt of Bedford, England. The (any in ennncctirn with it Is that when n inimher nf Freuch prisoners were cuiilini'il lii enc; of the prisons ai I'oi'lsuiiiiiili i hey occupied then sclvra in building thin model. The material used In lis construction was . taken f rom I he hones of the meat sup- . plied lo the prisoners, nnd tho time occupied In I he work was live years. The model i three feet eight inches in length and bas 1U0 workable guns. Her masts, yards and booms are in mammoth Ivory, while the eyos of her.' rigging and strapping of all blocks aro scored, the dead-eyes and blocks numbering about 1.000. She Is equipped with six boils, viz., theS miral's galley, aft: the big launch, starboard barge, port plnnance and first and second cutter, port and star-i board, accompanied with four anchors,; two sheet and two bow, as in Ncl-. son's day. In fact, this model Is a--faithful reproduction of the" famous Victory at the time of Nelson's suc cess. A brass tablet Indicates the spot where Nelson fell, and the steps, too, are there down which the fallen hero was carried. To-day the model Is In a state of perfect preservation and Is kept In a glass case- The own er informs the writer that the model Is valued at 1,000 pounds sterling.- New York Herald. WHO 13 KODAMAT Power Behind the Throne Says News , paper Correspondent. - If one asks who Kodama Is there are two answers; one, that he ts tho chief of the general staff in the Japan ese army, and the other that he besides, a poor unlettered man. wb tt 52 yearg t( age, rules Japan af ;uldes her a.mles. v yi ': Richard Barry, the war correy' j ent, says, in "Port Arthur,", thif man thlnkkjhll$ others slc works while others' efff He is 'tuu power behind the throne, the adviser at the general's ear. " Many public men In Japan believe Kodama to be an unsafe person of second-rate capacity. .. He had beon sent to Formosa, to "get rid of him." There he raised the place from sav agery to a commercial prosperity. He could have been prime minister. "No," he said. "I would rather pull strings than be one of the strings to be pulled. Russia is peeping up over the border. Let. us prepare. Give me a desk In the war office." - So the critics were glad to get the Upstart out of the way. But whn the war came, one man had his finger on things, and. knew when and where to strike. He knew the points in tho Korean coast where an army could be landed. He knew tow jtoon It could he transported there; where all the merchant steamers were, and how long It would take to tiirn them ii transports; and ho had the auduciiy of genius. He was not a very presentable num. He had never traveled, and snol nothing but Japanese. He won! I laugh like a boy at what he libel, and frown over what diseased him. And ho scorned a frock coat and stm :. to a kimono. Hut tho 'emperor ! the wIsohI heads about him l.iiujf what Kodama wan. ami nltboiii.li tbv could nut, for prido's pal.o, g.vo I the command "f tho army, i crowned him with pnui.-r. mi r WP A- I (