J't
iBTH)
?
VOLUME XX.
FRANKLIN. N. C. WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 20, 1905.
NUMBER 48
HQV THfr HARDY "if
otv thanKsgivInq
28t VtARS ago w .
JQJ H AKKSOIV I N 0
V DA V dawned coldly and
8 T 5 cheerlessly two hundred
" I Slid eighty-live years age
0p .--when from Hi deck, of the
fn... Jurk the Pilgrim Fathers giiaed
upon the forbidding line cf the New
Kuglnmrroasb Kvert to-day the shore
of Cape Cod present mi nnytb.iig hnt
cordial face to the ocean, and what
must the 102 vmturesom passengers
on the Mayflower have thought ns tiicy
saw the sand dunes rlslnij up out of
the sen that chilly ninrulng of Novem
ber ?L ItHOT Stern nnd deterring n
their own reilglon. Iny thnt New World
to which they had sailed to Bod liberty
or belief; Inhospitable, wind-swept,
treeless, loomed the land. It must
nave, taken dire necessity or dauntless
courage to make ft landing at Mich a
- spot. :. -i , " ; .
But the Pilgrims were made of stern
stuff, nnd what lay behind them was
infinitely worse to them than what
Iny before. So (hey stoutly called their
women nnd children together and ven
tured ashore to plant the banner of a
gloomy religion upon a still more
gloomy shore, from that lauding
sprung the town of riyinoutb, and
from those men and women sprang
the mighty race which now, from the
Atlantic to the Pnclfic. elves thanks
each year for the blessings of the last
twelve months.
; Edward Wlnslow. historian of the
for fm,
Plymouth Colony, ha left us 'an ar -
count of the first Thanksgiving Day.
It was celebrated In ItUJ, after a year
of cruel cold, hardship, and difficulties
overcome. The work of settlement had
been hard, and the houses, of rough
hewn logs, had risen slowly, Expgsed
to the fury of a New England winter,
offering suffering from hunger, con
stantly threatened by. rovllig tinnds
of Indians, those heroic souls, "with
sublime faith, could ttlil thank God for
benefits received. A row of graves lay
near the sea, almost half the number
ef those who had landed the previous
year, but, undaunted, they, Inch by
Inch, fought the wilderness, the ele
ments, and the savages. And they
gave thanks that their condition was
not worse.
Of Just what the first Thanksgiving
dinner consisted Brother W'nslow does
'
not relate, but contemporaries tell ns
thnt even In those srreminus tlinci
there wns good cheer. They bfid tiir-
" 1 L-A nr"' I 1
.-iPgJ y-Ov ' H - with hearts and lij?s in worshipful occord JWvTf
W; VT lit we recount foe blcssinjtt on us poured rrV 11 . f&i
; m s
". . . is v
.4
keys, you may be sure, and fat geese,
reminiscent of Michaelmas feasts at
home. ; There was feathered game a
plenty, and venison for the killing.
Oysters lay bf fore their very doors, and
fish ga!ire. Then there were the home
made barley loaves and cake of In
dian meal a- dainty borrowed from
the aborigines. For vegetables they
land peas nnd, of course, beans; pars
nips, carrots, turnips, onions, cucum
bers, beets, cabbage and "eoleworts."
Then they had grapes "very sweety
and strong," history : tells us with
melons and other toothsome products
of the vine. And Inst, but by no means
least, copious supplies of what the
Indians called " "comfortable warm
water," but what the griur Puritans
knew as "Hollands. '. So some broad
leather belts were loosened, probably,
after the meal was over, and the long
stemmed pipes were lighted.
It wna ou such n day that the Puri
tan housewives were In their glory.
Cunning recipes, handed down from
grnnddamns who flourished "while
James I. was king;" rare cordials, mnde
from berries and herbs; compelling
"pasties," most excellent tarts, wheat
en biscuits, calculated to lead men's
thoughts nway from holy things; force
meats, preserves and Jellies, all fresh
and sweet from the spotless kitchens
of Dame Brewster and Priscllla
Alden. ..
Nevertheless, with all the feasting,
' religion things were not forgotten.
'J lie Hrxt harvest feiitlval was unbared
In with. pTayer and tue giving -of
thanks.' n The Indians -were mainly
friendly, and King Mansasoli and hi
retainers were bidden to the festivities
with that New Kngilnud hospitality
Which has continued ever since. Long
winded prayers there were, without a
ilotibt, to which thu Impaiuive Indians
listened with stolid culm. A man who
could not pray for one solid hour with
out repeating himself was not consid
ered of much account those days, and
It Is pretty certain that the endurance
of the worshipers was tested that day.
So dawned and waned the first Thanks
giving. ' ' ''f.:.r: .;;'-'..l'
. The first national observance of the
day followed the proclamation of
President tieorge Washington, Issued
In January, 1785. It will be read with
Interest, as It was the first real "crow"
that our forefather permitted them
selves after the stirring time of the
((evolution. : It was as follows:
"When w review.: the calamities
which a fillet so many other nations, the
present condition of the United Stale
affords much matter of consolation
and satisfaction. Our exemptluu hith
erto from foreign war, an Increasing
prospect of the continuance of that
exemption, the great degree of Internal
tranquility by the suppression of an
Insurrection which so wantonly threat
ened It, the happy course of our public
affairs In general, the uuexampled pros
perity it s'.i classes of our citizens, are
circumstances which particularly mark
onr situation with the Indications of
the Divine beneficence toward us. In
such a stnte of things It Is In an espe
cial manner our duty as a people, with
devout reverence and affectionate grnt-
f)lft)tU ao'd"
itude, to acknowledge our many and
great obligations to Almighty Ood, and
to implore 111 in to continue and con
firm the blessings we experienced.
"Deeply penetrated with this senti
ment, I, George Washington, President
of the United States, do recommend to
all religious societies and denomina
tions, and to alt persons whomsoever,
within the United States, to set apart
and observe Thursday, the 10th day of
February next, as a day of public
thanksgiving and prayer, and on that
day to meet together and render sin
cere and hearty thanks to the great
Ruler of nations for the manifold and
signal mercies which distinguish our
lot ns a nation; particularly for the
possession of constitutions of govern
ment whlcti unite and, by their union
establish liberty and order; for the
preservation of our peace, foreign and
tlomcstlc; for the reasonable control
which has been given to a spirit of dis
order In the suppression of the Inte
Insurrection, and generally for the pros
perous condition of our affairs, public
.and private, and at the same time hum
bly and fervently beseech the kind
Author of these blessings graciously to
prolong them to us; to Imprint on our
hearts a deep and solemn tense of our
obligations to Him for then?; to teach
us rightly to estimate their Immense
value; to preserve us from the arro
gance of prosperity, nnd from hazard
ing the advantages we enjoy by de
lusive pursuits, to dispose us to merit
the continuance of His favors by not
abusing them, by, our gratitude for
I them, and by corresponding conduct as'
citizens ana ns men to renaer mis coun
try more and more a safe and propi
tious asylum tor the unfortunate of
other countries; to, extend among us
true and useful knowledge; to diffuse
and estnbllsh habits of sobriety, order,
morality, and piety, and Anally to Im
part all the blessings we possess or
ask for ourselves to the whole family
of mankind.
"In lestlmony whereof, I have caused
the seal of the United States of Amer
ica to be affixed to these presents, and
signed the unuio with my hand, done at
the city of Philadelphia the first day of
Jauuary, 1705.
"GEOUGE WASHINGTON. '
-By the President:
.... r, "Edward Randolph."
" Thus did the eagle scream In 1706
and the noble bird has boim llftlug np
hi voice annually ever since, v ? -
jjhanksgivmcf t
r
N
"Soub.
Celery. T ; Oliv.
ooiltd nh, fSouce.,
J Boiled Pototots. .
Rods! Tu'rKey. Giblet Grovy.
Mosbtd Tumibs, Browned Sweet Mafoa
1 1 Cranberry Jelly. , . v
Lettuce, French Dressing. .
Cheese Straws, Salted Almorjds.
Ice Cream", I Ginger Wajenf:
Cofee.
, Fruit.' , Nuhs- Bonbons-
My ThunkiKlTlnc.
The ged sire thanks the Lord,
For loved ones at hts feAtal board; v
Aflliience pays oblation's grac,
For fortune ease and luxury's soft era-
... brace. , .-
The world Wh blewinss mnniffilti, ; : :
AVkh riches fraught and jor wntold;
Yet none, I trow, ntay lieneilictions pvove,
lKcelhiiy thy sweet, Hiilib love.
1 .o
1HEPULP1T.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. OR, FRANK O, HALL.
utyavt Tha Spirit Buntk mime.
' New York Clty.Dr. Frank Oliver
Hall, pastor of tb Church of the Di
vine Paternity, preached Sunday morn
ing on "The Spirit Beareth Witness."
He chose his text from Bomaus vlil:18:
"The spirit Itself beareth witness with
our spnrlt that we are the children of
God." Dr. Hall said:
It Is easy to build au argument for
the existence of God. The process of
reasoning may be briefly stated thus:
We are compelled to think tliat there
can be no effect without a cause. But
if we trace an effect back to it cause
and' find this in turn to be an effect,
then trace thnt back to its cause and
find that also to be an effect, we must
at length predicate tha existence of an
adequate cause for all phenomena, an
Underlying and eternal reality.
Or you may put the argument in this
way: ' ;' : - -
No thought without a thinker. -
There is thought In the universe.
Therefore there is a thinker in the
Universe. ' .'"-' "
As the universe is practically infinite
we must believe that in and through
the universe lives an Infinite Thinker,
and inasmuch as we cannot coucelve
of an impersonal thinker we must
conceive of God as a personal being.
To be sure, our wordn are inadequate
to express Ihe qualities of the Divine
Life. As the heavens are high above
the earth so are His thought higher
than our thoughts. The .mode of His
existence may be infinitely higher than
what we name personality. But these
are the best words at our command.
We are obliged to use them or nothing.
So we have a right to say that Ood is
an Intelligent personality.
Yon may find such arguments elab
orated at great length in scores of
learned books on theology and theism.
But when - yon have read them and
agreed with the conclusion, what does
It amount to? Very likely men and
women have come along this dreary
pathway of logic to the more beautiful
realm of faith, but I am convinced
that a mere Intellectual belief in God
is practically worthless. Ninety-nine
out of every hundred convicts in our
states' prisons believe in God. James
states the ease still stronger. "Dost
thou believe in God? The devils also
believe and tremble." There Is neither
comfort nor strength nor enthusiasm in
a mere intellectual belief in the exist
ence of God. -
One may find an intellectual delight
in listening to a clear and convincing
argument for theism as he might in
listening to some skilled mathematical
talk about geometry. But something
more Is necessary. Every one of us
knows what It Is to long for the con
sciousness tf a personal relationship
with God the Father. "O God," cried
Augustine, "Thou hast made me for
Thyself aud I cannot rest nntll I rest
In Thee." O, to know God personally;
to come Into touch with Him; to feel
HI love and His pity; to be able to
aay, "Within Thy circling arms I He,"
and feel the sentiment of the words;
to know that He is my Father and my
friend! O, to have His Spirit bear
witness with our spirits that we are
cbjldxen.oM2jiil.! . ' .
now, one can nomorFTpmrTwa, ran
sclousnesa or the power that cornea
from this thought by a mere exercise
of-the reasoning faculties, than he can
learn to love Tennyson by going
through the process of conutlng the
number of words or letters In his com
plete works. One might gain a certain
Intellectual satisfaction in doing that.
But if you are really to get good from
Tennyson, then bis spirit must bear
witness with your spirit; that Is, his
thought and his sentiment must meet
a response In yon. So, if God is to be
an ever present help In trouble, a staff
for the band and a guide for weary
feet, then one must have something
more than a mere intellectual belief
in His existence. What the world
needs, what each one of ns needs, I
not so much an Intellectual assurance
of God's existence as spiritual assur
ance of His personal relationship to
us as Hi children,
I know that I am appealing to com
mon experience and a common longing.
Not one of us who does not know what
it Is to desire with a mighty yearning
for a personal assurance of the lore of
God, What are we, after all, but cbh
dren? " -
But what am I?
An infant oryini in tha night; - -
-Aa Infant ervins lor a lnht
-W-flOJWfnino language buCa cry,
Just as the child wakes in the night
and, feeling the blackness huge aud
empty about him, cries out into the
gloom for companionship and love, and
the father come and takes the child
in his arms and, with confident voice,
soothes away the childish fears, so of
tentimes we children of earth feel the
darkness of life oppress our souls and
cry out for the strong arms of a heav
enly Father. Why should we be
ashamed to acknowledge this hunger
of the soul any more than we are
ashamed to acknowledge the hunger of
the body? How, especially in th
midst of trouble, the heart hungers for
its Father. When the cloda fall upon
the coffin lid, how the soul cries, "My
God my God." How, when the clouds
of adversity . gather dense when the
cherished ambitions of. a lifetime prove
futile; when the fortune which waa to
make the years ot old age bright takes
to Itself wings; how, when the familiar
friend lifts up his beel against one
the heart cries' , out, "Oh. God my
God!" Aud even In the sunshine and
the Joy of life, when everything seems
to bo bright and beautiful and full of
promise of future Joy, there will come
moments when it all seems empty and
meaningless and .the soul cries out for
God.- ".i . ..- y v.---;
wy memory goes .bacK to my own
young manhood, and I recall a day that
was more than usually beontlful, when
I stood alone by the sea. . i bad every
reason to be bRppy. I bad found my
place In the world; bad a work to do
and the future seemed full of promise.
My health was perfect, and I bad not
been disappointed, -even In my boyish
dreams. And yet I recall the awful
loneliness and emptiness of the hour.
I had but to walk a mile t be wel
cowed by true and tried friends. But
I stood there, lonely and homesick.
There Unshed into my mind tbe dreary
words: '
O wc poor children of nothing, alone, on
' tuis lonely siiore,
Born of s brainlens nature who knew not
that which she bore.
And I remember thnt I threw myself
on the grass there, with the sunshine
n.'tV"er me and birds singing about
mevwlth everything, appnrently, to
nir.ke me happy, In tbe depth of my
Inneltiiess I felt like a child who had
lost its mother. What more did I
wiintV I will tell you what I wanted--what
you want, nhnt every man aud
woman . hungers f.r with a hunger
(let per (linn any physical longing. I
wanted II:h Spirit to bear witness
Willi my spiri: that I was a child of
Go. 'iiliins elfp could natls-fy; uo!u-
ing "Ise evrr cnu sntiufy the deep bun-T
ger or the huninn heart. f
One might say that snob, a- youth '
wns abnormal, insane, If thts were an
extraordinary experience, hut Is an ex-
petleiicc common to us All.' Here Is a
sn:ig eompesed by some unknown sing- i
er 4009 years ago, a singer of a differ- J
eut race, in a far away land, under en- ;
ireij -different circumstances from
too? lu which we live, bnt thl song .
has been taken up and repeated by .
millions of human beings because the
words express the evrr recurrent senti
ment of the limnan soul In nil ages and
all lands.; "As ths hurt pnnteth for ;
the water broaks ao pantcth my soul :
after Thee; O-Gol." You shall find
tliis sentiment expressed In ten thou- i
mind hymns. In a million churches on
this Sunday morning It Is b?ing sung. !
In a million mosques it is being rhaut- j
ed. In n million Buddhist temples It
Is being uttered. All nrotind tbe earth '
all classes and conditions of men, rich I
and poor, wise ana fooiisii, good ana '
bad, high and low, are longing and
praying to have His Spirit bear wit
ness with their spirits that they are
children of God. -
And not only do the people who be
lieve In God testify to this. The most
remarkable and pathetic testimony
comes from thoe who Intellectually
deny thnt there la sufficient reason to
believe In the existence of God. It
seems to me thai almost the wrearlest
ttords that ever fell from human Up
were uttersd by Professor Clifford
wben he felt himself compelled Intel
lectually to take file atheistic position.
"I hare seen the spring sun shine out
of tbe empty heavens upou a soulless
earth, and have felt with utter loneli
ness that the great Companion wa
dead." And you will remember that
Professor Komane. though at tbe last
i. . n il . . . , 1
he saw a great light and weut to his
death full of trust "like one who wrapa
the drapery of his couch about him
and lies down to pleasant dreams," at
one time wrote a book called "A Can
did Examination ot Theism," and In
this examination found no ralio'.ial
ground for a belief in God. He closed
his book with these words: "I am not
ashamed to confess mat with this vir
tual denial of God tbe nnlverse has lost
Its soul and loveliness, and when at
times I think, as think at times I
must, ot the appalling contrast be
tween tbe hallowed glory of tbe creed
that once was (nine and tbe lonely
mystery of existence a now I find It,
at such times it will ever be impossible
to avoid tbe sharpest pangs of which
my nature i susceptible." Take note
of these words of an absolutely sincere
and fearless man, "The sharpest pangs
of which my nature is susceptible."
Now why should one feel like that?
Suppose there is no God, what of it?
Suppose it should be proved that this
world has been produced b the opera
tion of physical forces working in ac
cordance with blind aud heartless law,
what of it? Is not the sky Just as blue,
the grass ai green? Are not friends
as dear? Why should we not get along
without God? Why should we care
whether God Is or Is not?
A friend told me this Incident the
other day: Ther was a family consist
ing of an aged man and woman, a
number of sons and daughters and a
little group of grandchildren. Tbe aged!
grandfather was enjoying a serene and
happy old age, loved by all, and the
home was one of peculiar brightness.
One night the aged man, as usual, took
his evening paper and sat In bis accus
tomed place tp read, wjpea -hhr glasses,
made arjuimeuFor two to the white
-bJllKiwlfe knitting opposite, and af
ter a little, as his, custom was, fell into
one of those quiet slumbers peculiar to
old age. Around him tbe other mem
bers of the family talked and laughed
and Joked till one said, "Father seems
to be sleeping very soundly," and, plac
ing bis band upon the old maSV-S honl.
der. discovered that he waa TeftdJjhey are sorry they aro unable to
Now, ask me, will yon, what difference
Is made? The home waa left, tho lamp
burned as brightly, the newspaper
filled with interest was there, nothing
was apparently changed. Was not the
sky Just as blue and the grass Just as
green and did not the stars shine as
brightly? What difference did It
make? Why, If be was dead his spirit
could no longer bear witness to the
spirit of the aged wife that he loved
her. His spirit could no longer respond
to the Joy of bis grandchildren. There
is a difference b 'tween a dead body
and a living mau tbat makes one stand
in tbe presence of his living friend
with Joy and In the presence of the
friend's dead body with unutterable
misery. There is a difference between
a dead universe and a living universe,
That is the reasou fniuhese ntta
orDiack Wjr"L!JleW!Jse- who do
nopoeiieve
1 longeth yea, even falnteth
the courts of tbe Lord."
Now I want to call your attention to
the testimony of this hunger after God,
to the existence of God. Whence cams
this universal and insatiable desire?
It came from the same source as the
nilghty longing ot a woman for a child,
the longing of the child for a mother's
love. It was wrought into man by the
same power tbat makes the man search
through the world for tbe one woman
to whom he can give himself In love;
by the lame power that makes the
maiden desire above everything else
tbe love of one strong man. All these
are wrought by nature Into human na
ture. David was right and his analogy
was complete. "Aa the hart pautcth
after tbe water brooks so pantetb ray
soul after Thee, O God." As the thirst
of the hart for water, as the'fact that
the hart suffers and dies without
.water, Is testimony enough for him tbat
somewhere there must exist water to
satisfy his thirst, so the thirst of the
human soul for God, this mighty ery
that goes up from every human soul,
is Inexplicable except upou the ground
that God I and tbat somehow Hts
spirit can bear witness with our spirit
that wo are children of God. When
yoa nave convinced me tbat tbe love ot
man for woman, of mother for child li
without meaning or purposo then I
will believe thnt this longing of tbe ho.
man soul for God Is not to be trusted,
Until that tlma I know that I have ev
idence In myself tbat God 1 and that
I nm related to Him. May we not trust
this deepest and dirinest Instinct of
unimm unture? If not, what can we
trust? , .
You tell me that you will trust your
eyesight. But why? If tbe thought of
God is a delusion, why may not the
whole visible universe be a delusion?
if my instinctive ontreaching after that
which is holy is a lie, why may not
what I seem to see be another He?
Yotiasay that you will trust your rea
son? May not thnt also be another de
lusion? "Two times two are four,"
pit ayi,-"al"-aya .have been, always
will be." - But how do you know?
Have you any right from your own
petty experience to assume tuat some
thing was true a million year ago and
will be true a million years hence? But
yon do assume that. You must trust
your reason. Then why not trust this
deeper Instinct of the human soul
which cries out for God and can be sat
isfied with nothing less? Religion is
Its own evidence. The man who trusts
mid surrenders himself to God docs
not need tc have it proven to him that
God i. His eniiit beareth witness
wilh onr spirit that we are cluMrcii of
tj'id.
Eut you will say, "Prove It to me."
I ask you to prove it to yourself. I
cannot prove it to you. No man can.
You must make the experiment for
yourself. You must prove it yourself,
Here is a man with his eyes bandaged
tight, who cries, "You any that the
sunshine Is beautiful, the grass green,
the roses red. Prove it to me." What
will you do? There is no possible way
In which you can prove the beauty of
tha world to this man with bandaged
eyes. "Off with the bandage!" yon
cry. "Open yonr eyes and look. Trust
tbe evidence of your own senses. Then
you will believe." "How does opening
the eyelids alter the relation between
my eyes and tbe light? Why, the glor-
ions revealing light come In, a thing
it cannot do to shut eyes. How doe
breathing in alter the relation of my
lungs to tbe air? Why, It bring the
air that was before outside of me ln-
side of me. Just where I absolutely
need it for very life, that la all. Tbe
open toul takes Ged In, Tbe shut soul
keeps God out, that is all. Tbe immu
table, eternal laws of light and air are
not changed, they are illustrated there
by. The Immutable love of God Is not
changed. Its glorlons working is illus
trated when the believing soul opens
Ita gates and lets the King of Glory in.
Oh. friend, you who are hungry and
thirsty and have tried in a thousand
ways to find satisfaction and ha -found
it not, make another experi
ment make the supreme venture of
faith. Try trusting in God to tbe ut
most. Surrender yourself to the guid
ance of His divine will. I believe that
thus yon will find strength, comfort,
satisfaction and that your faith shall
prove itself In the deep experience ot
your life. You want me to prove to
you that prayer l effective and rea
oWe. I will not try. I ask you,
Hthoi- ta nanva i vAnisialf Pre
rather, to prove it to yourself. Pray.
Talk to your Father. Listen to Hie
voice. Then you will no longer be ask
ing for proof that prayer is effective.
Yon will have evidence in yonrself.
There is a God and He is bur Father,
and He reveals Himself and HI love
to men; not to a few men, but to all
men. His spirit will bear witness with
your spirit if you will open the eye
and ears of the spirit to bear and see.
Sorrows may encompass you, temp
tations may harass.-you, disappoint
ment may come to you. Still trust,
poor soul; trust as never before. Trust
In the Lord and He shall bring it to
pass. Cast tby burden on the Lord and
He shall sustain thee. Out of the
depths of the soul's experience were
these words uttered. They can be
proved true In the deep experience ot
the soul to which they appeal.
BOYS CAN SEE ONLY AT NIGHT.
Seek Darkness During Daylight, but
at Nightfall 8ee Like Owls.
In Hartford, Conn., live two broth
ers who during daylight are nearly,
as blind as owls, but at night can see'
like cats. When the sun in shining
Hyman and Abe Wblte, one six and:
a half years old and hla brother three
year younger seek the darkest and!
shadiest places they can find, to avoid!
the glare of light that makes vision'
practically impossible for them. When!
Ihe shades of Bight fall they are ready,
for anything, an- In a condition of,
darkness that prevents their little1
friends from seeing, anything around,
them Hyman and Abe are perfectly at'
home. '
- The father of the two boy named
is a dealer In bottles, and he baa had
the eyes of his two sons examined by
experts In Hartford and New York.
Nothing that has been done has help
ed their condition.; The boys are not
depressed in spirits by their affliction.
pury-win omer ooya in tne nngnt day
light, biit-they remain cheerful and
are usually a6t&to find some com
panions in their ehaoj.and sheltered
retreats In Riverside ParkT-
The darker and more shaded -Uie
spot the better It suits Hyman and'
Abe, and they are glad when tbesun
goes down and permits them to see
clearly the objects around them.
Their little eyes are peculiarly sen.
sltlve to light. ,
The neighbors aay the White boys
will hare to be taught In night schools
as they will be Jinable to study during
the daytime.
QOOD AND HUMOROUS EXCUSE.
Debtor Really Deserve! Grant of Ex
, tension of Time.
A prominent business house In Bal
timore placed a bill In the hand of a
collector, who, in response- to re
quest tor settlement, received the fol
lowing in reply.
v ' "My Dear Sir: Absence from the
city prevented my writing in answer
to yours of recent date.
"It will be utterly impossible for me
to settle the claim yon .mention at
prenent, for the very simple but good
reason haven't got it '
"I lost every penny I had In the
world, and considerable I had in the
future, In a theatrical venture last
September. Up to the present time I
have not recovered from the shock. '
"I think it you lay this fact before
your clients they will not advise you
to proceed harshly against me. From
their past experience with my mode
of procedure In day gone by I do not
think they can recall any auspicious
mannerisms which could lead them to
suppose I am a debt dodger.
"I have simply been initiated Into
the Lodge of Borrow, Hard Luck Chap-'
ter. Fool Division No. 69.
"My picture, hanging crape-laden on
the walls of the Hall of Fame, bear
the legend, 'Bucker No. J387849J.' i
"My motto la briefly: 'I would" It t
could; but I" haven't, so I can't' .
: "Fortune may smile, however; up to
tbe present writing It has given me the
laugh. I have hopes.
"Directly I am in a position even re
motely suggesting opulence. I assure
you your balance will receive my very
prompt attention." Montreal Herald. -
Two Thousand Swans.
Near the, little village ot Abbots
bury. In DorMt, may be aeen tbe larg
est swannery In Europe. It I nearly
1,000 yeara old, and at the present
time there are about 2,000 bird on
the farm. The owner of the swannery,
la Lord Ilchester, who Is Lord-Lieutenant
and an alderman of the county
of Dorset. No restriction whatever la
placed upon the swans, and they roam
and awlm about Just as they like.
They are born flgVera, and during the
breeding season continual fighting
takes place. The nesta number 600,
but very few cygnets ever reach thtf
water after emerging from the shells
on account of the Jenlous onslaught of
the rarcnt birds from pfher n '" ''
y, , j.;,-..,
EMPRESS OF ALL
ISRIPSiilfll
TUB CZARINA IN COURT COSTUME.
LITTLE GIRLS AND A BOY, THE
W1XD0W SHADE HOLDER.
An Ohio man bus devised an entirely
new idea in shade-holders, en HIum
trntlon of which we show here. His
holder lias quite a few advantages lu
that It cnu be changed to fit any ordi
nary window frame without destroy
ing Its future usefulness In case of
change of residence with change In
size of window frame. The body of
this holder Is mnde of a bar divided
in the centre, the two parts belug
adjustably attached to u grooved hinge
by menus of thumbscrews passed
through slots In the hinge plates. On
one side of the slots are projecting
teeth or a roughened surface to pre
vent the bur from slipping by undue
pressure. Ou the ends of the bars
are pivoted metal beads, having rough
ened surfaces, which bear against the
window frame wben tbe bolder Is in
place. Projecting from the ends of the
bars are adjustable Journals, to hold
the shade rollers and are held In place
and regulated by thumbscrews. To
put the bolder in pi nee In the window
frame, the bars are first adjusted so
as to tighten It in the window frame.
Then Ihe bends are placed In the corn
ers of tbe frame by holding the bars
with both bauds. By pressing up
ward the holder Is immediately sprung
firmly in place. Next the Journal
bearings for the shade roller are ad-
busily spetjho into rosmoif.
Justed to tit the roller without having
to cut It off or In any manner marring
the roller. Philadelphia Record.
IN HOMOS OF FRANKLIN.
When the two hundredth anniver
sary of the birth of Benjamin Frank
lin I celebrated, on January 17, 1000,
the kindly regard In which the memory
ot , the Brat American Minister to
France is held lu Paris wilt be shown
by the dedication of a bronxe statue
of Franklin, given to the city by John
H. Harjes, at present tbe resident
member In Paris ot the firm of Mor
gan, Harjes & Co. The statue I by
John J. Boyle. It will be a replica or
tbe one In front -of the Philadelphia
Po8tofflce and will be placed in the
small grass-covered plot In the Rue
Franklin, near the Place do Troca
dero and just in front of tbe Trocadero
Palace, wblcb ha been given for that
purpose by the Municipal Council ot
Paris. Tbe pedestal will differ firom
(bat supporting the Philadelphia fig-
1 tVi H"l
I
fx
FAitm" "i
tne, ti t
for f
I
J Pi, I
IV.
THE RUSSIAS.
SHE IS THE MOTHER OF FOUB
HEIR, BORN LAST SUMMER.
OROWNIE PINCUSHION.
Thl entertaining
bas a r'"rr""frfin i
nnd legs of wlrafwlth cloth hands and
feet and beafltuffed body made of
bright-colored clotb. Philadelphia
Record. ' ,
NEWHWpWsiTL. ' .
The Arinorlul Device Adopted by
the Insular Government.
Several years ago, writes n Washing
ton correspondent. French E. Chnd
wick discovered that tbe great seal of
tbe United State bad been heraldical
ly rrniiiY1 fnriffMt"""V'.'jjT'M" and
fqHrnwith fi Averted by
experts aiyj.,,-, cut"
StatUlir,,,lr,m,,t Tl.lu laMtn m BtnHv
the devices used by tbe lother Fed
eral Departments, and new designs
were soon made for. the Army and.
Navy and tor the customs service of
ihe Treasury. Even tbe flag of the
President bad to be altered. The ex
perts who were consulted In these
cases about tbe same time devised
a new coat-of-arms for Porto Rico nnd
a new seal, which gave Home Indica
tion that the Island had passed from
Spanish sovereignty to that of the
United States.- In the last few months,
however, Porto Rico has abandoned
Ita new seal and
turned to its for'
the name of t
"Puerto Rico,'; '
to all official '
autbentlcat '
the fact tb
name of ,.
Rico," J
the U-
; a'
t
I v I