PRESS,
FRANKLIN. N. a-WEDNESDAY,! MARCH. 81 1906.
.NUMBER 12
VOLUME XXL
THE FRAN
KLIN
.
ASPIRATION
the pnte una misty parttrko of Tims
llover about us ; scarce our ryri can me
loutbe far-off dreaut of what wo wore
... , o
uree triiih, which one w woul redeem
with rhyme, . ,
H proved Instead a worliwofn panto-
in Ira.
' Th tunalng rlwr ot expcdlMiry
Has drowned the liupcs that Kortuue held
- la fee.
Ray fall upon the track 10 many (limb)
Way atrlve to "peak what all tha earth baa
heard J
Why labor at a work the agea plan?
Lire has awn llred bo ott aa outworn
thine!
Then hark) The tlme-swect of a bird,
Acw a Oowcr ; and see all, iiami to
- "nan '
The endless aspiration ot the aortas.
A MIDNIGHT
"Please leave Jim at home this trip,"
mother said, when father suggested
taking me with him, as be often did in
the holidays, t was a lad of twelve
and father, who was a contractor, had
bla; Job on a new railway. The ob
ject ot this journey was to pay the
men, the paymaster being ill.
I dost like you to carry so much
money, mother complained. "It's
dangerous."
"Not a bit of it, Mary; don't worry
Not a creature knows that I am taking
It Besides, we are ahead of pay day.'
But mother was not satisfied, watch
Ing us wistfully from the doorstep the
next morning when wo started for the
office. A messenger from the bank
brought the. money, which was put
Into father's valise. My bag was only
half full and exactly like father's In
Iz and color.
We left town at 11 o'clock. You may
be sure that we kept a careful eye on
the valise.
It was dark when we reached OnU-
ton, and after a roor supr.-r at the
only hotel we waited for iho stage
which was to take us to our destina
tion twelve miles distant. The stage,
drawn by two bony horses, rumbled up
to the sidewalk.
Where's Bill?" father askod, for the
burly fjrlvcr always amused him with
bla quaint remarks.
'Guess Bill can't drive this here
stage tonight," the landlord answered.
"Them old horses skeered at some
thing this morning and upset the rig.
an Bill, he's a-Iyin' upstairs with
broken leg."
Billy'B substitute was anything but
attractive. I have seldom seen a more
disagreeable face. His eyes were
small and shifting; his modtk drawn
down. He was polite, however, and
put out his hand for the valises.
Never mind," said father, careless
ly. 'They will not t6 In the way,
since we are the only passengers."
The night was dark and gloomy An
unaccountable depression came over
us. Going through the village father
told me that it had once been of some
Importance, but a rival town had
drawn lfj buslnets and people, add
ing thP.t It was sad to sc: "such beaiitl
luj houses going to decay."
We will pass a hnusa said to be
haunted," father went on. "A man,
was found dead In his room and the
place became so terrifying lo the fam
ily that they left It hurriedly not even
taking their furniture."
I wished that father would not dwell
nn such unpleasant subjects, for It
gar me a horrid sensation of fear.
"Where did the accident happen this
morning?" we Inquired of the driver.
''Near the haunted house was the
reply. The horses seemed nervoit3 and
ahied at every shadow.
Here's the place," the driver cried,
"and ei
le it! the beasts Eeem to
It." At the same instant the
rememb
terrified
nlmals shied violently, and
before,
could speak the left wheels
bad g
ditch and the t ig pole
he man jumped out,
snap
1 trying
the frightened horses.
Strang.
we were unhurt and
acram
clinging to our luggage.
The d
rofessed great concern,
:h annoyed at the accl-
appear!
dent. X
to lift tl
ed the horses and tried
son, but so much damage
had bee
ie that it was Impossible
to repair
"I mu:
let on to' Norton tonight,"
father a.
"Can we get a wagon
nearr'i?
There
as nothing nearer than the
man declared, "and I must
Vkad hitch them
fapaj rnhhfne' his
the old house
lan give you a
by daybreak."
ho alternative,
tnanslon. The
I man with an
I h large pale
I head with a
llrlnHlv Mvlns
sfierter. tfter
ierry wood fire,
haslze the fitful
inducted to a big
Jits windows opened
host left us we stepped
Jcovelng that the veranda was
dilapidated and that a long
' leartsVr against It We next
' our attention to the room. A
I hla-h-Hacked bed stood at one
land If e centre a table on
were tw k lighted candles. It
Pen a handtm apartment with
painted walls anil dark wains-
Old pictures hung on the
I their gift framed tarnished and
Opposite the tables were por-
J handsome people In the dress of
ago. '
ve began to prepare for bed. Father
'ed his valise on' the table, taking
f different articles and laying some
the money parcels on top. I wan
ed about looking at everything, t
1 an uncanny feeling and a Benga
li that somebody was looking at
;, and that some one was breathing
nr. ; ; oc, '., '
"'Look at this picture, father," I
cried, pointing to the life-sited face
of handsome old gentleman with
cold blue eyes. "He seems to look at
me wherever I go." ',
"They say that's a sign of good
painting, Jim." , . f '
I bad been learning of eyes lately
from an uncle who was an oculist and
t bad shown me bow the Pupil dilutes
It.
The fu 1 throat of the world la charged with
BOOK,
Morning and twilight melt with ecataay
In the hlli heat of noon. Simply to be,
I'alpltnnt where the gma spring forces
throng,
Kuser for life, lite unashamed and atrong
Tbl b desire fulfllled. Ksalted, free,
The spirit gains her ether, aeornfully
Denies existence that Is dark or wrong,
This In enough, to see tfl Wbg begUn
Which shall l flnlsbrtl In some field afar.
Laugh that the night may still contain
star,
NWP Idly moan your Impotence of grace.
Life Is a son, lift un your carefree face
Cladly and gratefully toward the sun.
Helen Hay Whitney.
RUN.
By
Frie Waters.
in darkness and contracts In a strong
light. I do not know what Induced
me to take one ot the candles and go
close to the picture. .
"See this big moth, father," t cried.
"Can I catch it for my collection?"
Going to the portrait of the old gen
tleman t raised the candle suddenly,
and was certain that t saw the pupils
of the blue eyes grow smaller and
smaller.
"Oh, that moth!" t said, and made
another move with the light, to see
again the sharp contraction of the
pupil.
"There! you've blown out the light!"
father said. "Be careful, lad."
In the dim light 1 glanced hastily,
to see a well dilated plipll in the pale
blue eyes. To say that I was fright
ened would be to put it mildly. I was
perfectly terrified ghosts and goblins
were in the very nlr. If ghosts could
see they could hear I dared not speak.
Once raoro I raised the candle which
I had relighted. Had I been dreaming?
The eyes in the portrait were dark
brown!
What I had sr-en, 1 had seen, but how
was I to convlace father of the fact
He, meantime, had repacked the valise,
leaving It On the table. Ooing behind
the bed Where the ycs could not fol
low, I wrote rapidly on a bit of paper.
Again pretending to catrh a moth I
called father. The moment he saw
my ghastly face ha rralheci that some
thing serious h?a happened. But for
the money he might have laughed at
rfly fears, but he was superstitious and
confessed afterward that he had expe
rienced the same sensation of a pres
ence la the room. He scribbled a few
lines, telling me tft watch him and
wait.
We heard voices below; a door shut,
and then silence fell. We blew out the
lights and pretended to retire. Then
father got up quietly, took everything
Out of my bag, which, you remember.
was the duplicate of his, and stuffed
it with heavy bedding, locking and
strapping It and putting It on the ta
ble. Cramming everythlne In the
precious vail?), he put It In the. bed.
We were dmsed except for our boots.
We left the Krenrh window ajar and
get into bed. 'Tie tr.bbn came up and
shone Into tbe. mora.
"Good night, Jim; pleasant dreams,"
came in a sleepy voice from father and
presently loud snores could be heard
from his side of the bed. An hour
passed. I kept shivering and seemed
to see mother watching U3 anxiously;
would we never Bee her deaf face
again? Suddenly we heard Stealthy
steps and nudged each other, The
snoring became louder. Peeping
through half-shut lids, we saw a
shadowy form creeping In the window,
Itnd a hand stretched out to the valise
on the table. Then cautiously and
noiselessly man and bag disappeared.
Father argued that the men would
take their plunder to a distant room
to Open it, and that If they found them
selves tricked our fate would be seal
ed. Signing me to follow, father slip
ped out of bed. Carrying our boots
and the valbe we gained the veranda,
going down the ladder, which creaked
under our weight. Great heavens! If
It should fail!
We touched the ground safely.
Moving In the shadow of the building,
we reached the barn; hiding behind It
Horrors! what did we hear! I clutch
ed father's arm and we cowered down
in the high, rank burdocks. The door
opened, and four men came, out, laden
with trunks and bags. They hastened
to a wagon already loaded. The poor
old stage horses wero harnessed to it.
It was evidently a "flitting." There
was not time to examine their spoils.
They'll not wake till morning,"
the blue-eyed man whispered hoarsely.
"The old one Is snoring like a rusty
aw."
To our unspeakable relief they Jump
ed in and drove rapidly toward Oak
ton, evidently to catch an early train.
When they disappeared we ran rapidly
down the road. At last we reached a
house. Waking the inmates we told
our story. One by one the family .hur
ried down, and a little brown-haired
girl was greatly excited, watching us
curiously.
"We thought them suspicious charac
ters," the farmer said, "and only to
night a hint was given me that they
were a gang of counterfeiters, their
chief belna, the blue-eyed man with the
broken Buee. The authorities .were
prepared to search the place tomor
row." Neighbors were collected, horses
brought out and we started in pursuit
And here I may as well say they were
never captured.
At daylight the constables from the
village went with us to tbe haunted
house, where were found evidences of
a counterfeiter's work, and signs of
hasty departure. They bad probably
been wa'rned of tbe Intended raid, and
father's Journey with the money atnd
bad delayed their flitting in order to
secure It In both cases causing the
breaking down of tbe stage. We
thought with glee how enraged they
must have been when they opened tbe
bag. . ;-vvv, ' -
In examining the bouse they found
the secret of the blue eyes. In an ad-
Joining room tmng a picture. Taking
It down we saw that the plaster had
ben removed and the canvas exposed.
Over the eye were cleverly arranged
slides. Moving them, one could by
pressing the face closely to the yield
ing canvas, look Into the next room.
Tbe man with 'the broken nose could
do so more easily. Thus I saw bit
eyes as be watched father stow away
the money.
That night's adventure gave m6 thl
chance of finding 4 treasure, for the
little girl whom I met for the first
time that night is now my wife. She
declares, however, that It was not a
case of "love at first sight" That
a more grotesque little figure she never
saw, with staring eyes, hair standing
on end, clothes covered with burrs,
and a red necktie neatly tied under
one ear. Michigan Fanner.
AUDIT GAME 8WINDUE.
Applicant fer Loan Pays to Have Mil
Books Examined Gets Nothing,
It is hard to keep track of the easy
money games that fe going bh in
this town all the time, the man who
pays tbe bill Is usually the one whd
is looking for money that is not easy.
He Is short himself, itnd he is seek
ing some Ohe to help him out. When
he has had his little dose of ex
perience he Is shorter than when he
began.
A new phase of the swindle might
be called the audit gttme. A man
needing eapitai Is likely to be takeri
in by men who advertise that they
have Unlimited Capital to put out in
safe ventures. He knows that his own
business is pretty well founded and
he nibbles at the bait.
At the office Indicated he gets a
cordial welcome. He would like to
borrow money, would bet Well; tie
has come to the right place, but it is
only fair to Warn him that the shop
cares to rid business only with high
grade business men. .
the applicant, however, is a little
wary. He would like some assur
ances on bis part that the men he Is
to deal with are all right The man
who receives him calls his attention
to several prosperous looking men
sitting In an Inner office looking over
securities, Ho points these men out
as rich- and at always Seeking 6afS
Investments. Bometimes the Caller
ii IntMduced to one of these merl; whd
mildly acknowledges that he has
money, but whd make it known at
once that he has no desire to handle
any proposition that Isn't safe. He
nods to the first man, and tells the
visitor to make plain his proposition
to him. If it seems to be good, he
111 be glad to look it over.
Here Is where the bunco game be
gins. Tbe office man again says that
his clients must be lure before they
Invest. It will be, tlecdBsttrv to make
an exhaustive examination of the ftp1
pllcant's hooks, it is drily right that
the applicant should pay for this. Ac
cording to the nature of the business
In which he is engaged, the price will
be from $100 to 500. The lender-to-be
assures the replicant that there will
not be the slightest difficulty in get
ting the loan. But the money must
be advanced to pay for the examina
tion.
The applicant ts by this time sd
confident that he will get the money
that he pays the advance required.
The exaniiherB bomb around all right
they go over the books and ask a lot
of wise questions, but are non-com-mltal.
In due time the applicant gets
word that the moneyed men have come
to the conclusion that the examina
tion of the applicant's business shoWs
a condition which makes it undesir
able for them to ihvest lb it;
A promoter Who has investigated
feevei-al of these concerns said to a
Bbtt Reporter that there are scores
of men engaged in this game. Net!
Ybrk Bun.
QUAINT AND CURIOU3.
the most remarkable movement of
our times is expressed in the state
ment that "the world Is eating up Its
sheep." In Germany the flocks have
decreased over 60 percent since 1873,
and this l.i only an extreme instance
of what is going on elsewhere. The
Increasing price of beef is given ai
one reason of the eating up of the
sheep; the dread of tuberculosis It
another.
At a recent Bale In London a quarto
volume containing the second part
of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," and
bearing the date of 1G05 was sold for
$2,500. This volume, which was In
scribed with William Penn's auto
graph, was one ot five early Shakes
peare quartos belonging to George
Carrington, who had owned them for
many years without realizing their
great value to collectors of rare
books. The entire five were sold for
$14,250.
A Sullivan county dead man sang at
his own funeral. A phonograph was
placed on bis coffin. When the relig
ious ceremony was over the phono
graph was turned on and the church
listened to the dead man's voice
rendering one of his favorite hymns.
Kansas City Star.
Burglars who have a dog to keep
watch for them and give the alarm
when danger approaches are operat
ing in Alameda,. Cat., with surreal.
The police havo a description of the
dog.
Taking four heads ot human hair
of different colors but equal weight,
It has been found that the number of
hairs per head varies as follows:
Red, 90,000; black, 103,000; brown,
109,000; blonde, 140,000. Dark brown
hair is the color most frequently
found in England, the proportions
averaging as follows: Red-haired
people, 30; black, 67; fair, 108; light
brown, 338; and dark brown, 807.
Four hundred and fifty hairs of aver
age thickness laid side by aide woutl
cove one Inch In width.
A fire which broke out at the top
of 200-foot mast In South Boston,
belonging to a local space-telegraph
station, proved to be quite beyond the
Ingenuity and resources of the city
Are department r! Tbe mast was con
sumed In 11 hours down to the 60
foot gait. It was then determined to
make an effort to scale tbe pole, and
four firemen undertook to raise a sec
tion ot hose within reaching distance
of the flame. Theyveiimbed 10 feet
apart, and while the weight of the
hose, severely taxed their combined
strength, their efforts were success
ful and tbe blue was readily ex
MARRIED THE WRONG MEN.
Instance! From Austria and France
Where Women Wed Their Doublet.
A strange case of matrimonial
fraud hat lately occurred at Vienna:
A woman of the lower middle class
married a man whom she took to be
a -Herr Weiss, her fiance, returning
after a year's absence in America to
make her his wife. In less, than a
month he robbed her of her savings
and then suddenly disappeared.
A month later she received a letter
from America regretting that the
writer bad been too Hi to return at
the time agreed, but stating that he
was about to sail, and that Immedi
ately Oh his arrival would fulfil his
promise by ieading her to- the altaf:
The ietter was signed "Herrmlnrl
Weiss;"
The poor woman was thrown Into
a sad condition of perplexity and ap
prehension, and her worst fears were
realized when, on her correspondent's
arrival, the recognized that she had
been Imposed upon by a callcMa im
postor whose resemblance to the real
Simon riure as marvellousiv strlk
ing. it subsequently transpired that
the genuine Herrmann Weiss had
while in America foregathered with
bis double, who had ascertained suf
ficient of tho former's history and
prospects to enable him to carry out
with sucoess his bass scheme of
Cepllon arid heartless robbery.
When Claude Boririat, a baker of
Marseilles, was In hiding from the
police, who held a warrant for his ar;
rest on a serious charge, he managed
to communicate with an acquaintance,
one Lerlot, who In every respect was
his exact double, and conjured him on
the Btrength of their old friendship
to promise that, should any mlsroiv
tune befall him, he would, by Imper
sonating him an ensy enough task
by reason of the striking resemblance
existing between thenl keep frOrn thd
young woman to whom he was en
gaged the knowledge of her lover's
shame. Lerlot gave his promise,
which gat but lightly on his
conscience, as one to be kept or brok
en as whim might direct.
However, when Bonnat a day or two
later fell into the hands of justice
Lerlot sought out the young woman,
of whom he had no previous
knowledge, with the result that his
susceptible heart was to touched that
he pntered into the fulfilment ot his
promise With surprising zeal. Sri well.
Indeed, did hfc enact the rold oi hoii
not that ho in a short while espoused
tho latter's fiance. Tho couple led
a life of complete happiness, which
was in no wise dimmed when some
year's later, on the convict's release,
the wife first discovered the fraud
of which she had been the victim,
Tlt-Blts.
Hurt Only In Feeling.
What promised to be a serious ac
cident on Riverside Drive the other
day was turned Into a comedy for the
benefit of the throng of promenaderS.
A young woman In tbe battiest ot
riding costumes, mounted on a hand
some bay reached a point opposite
103d street, when the saddle girth
slipped. The young woman made a
frantic effort to retain her balance-,
gave a shriek of dismay and clutched
at the horst's mane.
Several men among tho promcnad
ers dashed to iter rescue. The horse
frightened at the noise and commo
tion, began to prance. Women
screamed as they saw visions of tbe
animal dashing along the driveway
dragging a helpless rider at the stir
rup. Lut the unexpected happened. The
rider's foot did not catch in the stir
rup. She lost her hold on the horse's
mane and alighted on the soft soil
In a sitting position. Instead of rift
nlng away, the horse turned and
rubbed his muzzle against his former
rider's shoulder as though to nay,
"What on earth la the matter with
you, anyway?" The heroic rescuers
had no more to do than to raise a
crimson-faced girl to her feet) assist
her to brush the dirt from her riding
habit and tighten tho saddlo girth,
And when they aided her to remount
she was so indignant she forgot to
thank her would-be preservers. New
York Press.
What Womtrt Can Do For a Town.
When 1 was a young man I lived In
an old Maryland town. Ib tbe centre
of the town was a wide, forlorn mai
ket place. There was an old market
bouse and another building Which
held the town engine and the fire
bell. I visited the old town recently.
The market house and the engine
house were gone to other quarters
and the old market place Is trans
formed Into beautiful lawns, flower
beds and neat walks all done by the
ladies of the town. Would that the
women of every country town would
take bold of matters in the same way
and transform the waste places Into
beauty spots to delight the eye. This
meant you and your toWn.-W. F.
Massey, In Practical Farmer,
Cured.
A story is told of the wonderful
cure from deafness of a patient who
was recommended to hear a Wagner
opera, and to sit near the orchestra
by the trombones. The physician ac
companied his patient and sat beside
him. Suddenly, while the crash of the
instruments was at its loudest the
deaf man found he could hear. "Doc
tor," he almost shrieked, "I can hear!"
The doctor gave no sign that he no
ticed the remark. "I tell you, doc
tor," repeated tbe patient in ecataey,
"you have saved me! I bave recover
ed my hearing." , Still the physician
was silent He had become deaf him
self. Harper's Weekly.
Turkish Proverbs, i
George Harris, a student in Cam
bridge University, ; compiled - these
Turkish proverb while on, a recent
visit to Constantinople: - "
"They divided tbe flowers and the
rose tell to tbe lot of the thorns."
"When the horse dies his master
tears off bis iron shoes."
"The good men do Isn't equal to the
frogs they bave frightened." '
"When death comes the iog
presses up against the wall of Jhe
njosqw" Detroit Newi
SERPENT'S WISDOM A
MYTII. '-:
oNAKEft GOOD Ad FOOD,
NOf AS PEf 8, 8AY8 A
v SCIENTIST; ',
BUT
Blue Racers the Most Delicat Eating
Snakes Not Hostile to Man
Their Cunning and Curlotity
Good Point! About Them Snake
Meat 8andwlchea.
"Snakes are all right as food,'; but
very unsatisfactory as pets, for the
reason that they have no psychologi
cal nature," said a tcentist now cdn
bectea With Harvard university.
During a six years' residence In tho
West he niade a close study of 6iialies
and their ways. Having thert lit hisl'
study unconfined and about hit prem
ises in numbers, he became familiar
with them.
The Wisdom of the serpent lid pro
nounces a tnythi though he admits
that snakes have much cunning, are
Vdly to a degree and perfectly under
stand their power and limitations.
For example, a rattlesnake does not
retreat in haste when disturbed. Real
izing that Its bite ends the game, it
Is Invariably deliberate, but If left to
itself in its own good time it makes
eft.
, bther venomous snakes also recede:
slowly, Understanding as does the rat
tler, that they are equal to most emer
gencies. Contrary to the common no
tion, snakes are not hostile to man.
The most venomous and powerful
will run from man if possible. It U
only in self-defence that any poison
ous snake strikes.
That a rattlesnake rattles to give
warning of its presence is a popular
fallacy. It really doeB nothing of tho
kind. The tails of all snakes quiver
Whea they are exPlted and therefore;
the rattle is heard when disturbed,
Why 11 has rattles dn Us till nd One
has been able to find out
It would be, according to this stu
dent of snakes, quite absurd to con
clude that the handsome, Independ
ent, husky rattlesnake Is Instinctively
or otherwise considerate of others In
giving warning of Its presence. As
are all snakes, It is simply negative
in its attitude toward others, save
when the Instinct of self preservation
Is aroused, when It becomes positive
in self defence.
The chief difference between the
Ways of a poisonous snake and of one
whos bito is no worso lhan the sting
of a mosquito. Is in the deliberate
withdrawal of the one and the hasty
retreat of the other In case of dan
ger. The large majority of snakes
are quits harmless and slip away with
all speed at the approach of either a
human being or an animal, knowing
that the ability to cohceal themselves
is their one means of preservation.
Whiid hot crediting snakes with
wisdom, it Is stated that in man?
ways they are the reverse ot stupid.
They are very curious, arid when they
can dd so Without danger to them
selves, they examine an unfamiliar
object with keen and repeated atteri
tlon. It is rolatcd by this scientist tbnt In
attempting to capture a water snake
he put his foot on it in the soft ooze
at the creek side, but failed to hold
it To see what the snake would do,
ho stood perfectly still, and In a few
moments it came back and, swim
ming slowly round and round his
boot, examined it most carefully, not,
as might be supposed, by looking at
it, but by touching It at every point
with its tongue, not once, but again
and again.
The quick thrusting out and draw
ing in ot the tongue Is a Bnake's way
of finding out what things about It
mean. Tbe tongue is its most Import
ant sense organ. It really has very
little sensation elsewhere, and those
thftt are most poisonous can, If not
restrained or hurt, be moved about
With impunity.
Vet those who handle add Study
snakes constantly Invariably hold
them by the back of the neck, as a
cat does a kitten, and both Seize and
liberate them with alacrity. Before
they are seized the rule is to keep
oUt of striking distance, which is
one-third the length of the snake,
In the college town where these
studies of snakes were made the anti
pathy arid horror With Which they are
Ordinarily regarded ttd longer pre
vails. On one occasion a city visitor
at the scientist's house announced in
terror that there was a snake on the
steps of tho porch.
"Yes, It's sunning itself," her host
ess replied easily. "I often fear sore
one will step on it. For several years
It has been about the grounds. It is
quite harmless, though occasionally
it captures and devours a young rob
In. Snakes are so very fond of birds,
and they require live food."
For some years a large pilot snake,
picked up on a Michigan prairie and
named Daisy, was almost constantly
with this man, who, to know snakes,
made companions of them. Often It
wound Itself about his arm and it
seemed to like being there.
the dainties that snakes love he
provided and ho constantly bestowed
on Daisy such care and attention as
was calculated to win a snake's affec
tions. The only result waY . that
Daisy grew quite unafraid; seemed
to prefer to take food from his hand
and made no effort to escape, which
was all that could be expected from a
creature which has no affection for
its young, Many snakes spurn their
offspring from tbe first; others keep
about with them for a week, giving
them pointers aa to how to get on in
the world, and then leave them to
shift for themselves. 'V "'"(
Daisy when left, to its own diver
sions followed the Instinct which
gives Its kind the name of pilot
snake, and would make excursions np
tbe supports of porches and the sides
ot w bouse or room, but was quite
willing to be captured and carried
about In tbe fall It descended to
the cellar, and winding itself up in a
tight coll hibernated, without food,
from the middle of September to the
middle of April, coming out in-Twfwthe'? ?" J Am,
... . v while making up your plan of life."
spring, seeming glad in Its way to be
alive. :,
In discussing snakes and their pe
culiarities, attention was called to
their beautiful coloring and markings,
wblch, it It asserted, are finer than
I
those of any other creature living on
land in this part of tha world; . to
their graceful movement in symmetri
cai curves, and to the fact that they
never make a superfluous motion.
Observation also shows that they
serve a useful purpose in ridding the
land of grasshoppers and other pests'
Inimical to agriculturists!
Most particular as to their food,
snakes eat only that which they kill,
and they Judge of the fitness ot their
food by Its motion, taking nothing'
which .does not move swiftly. Field
mice and birds are dainties they espe
cially covet, and in hunting and cap
turing them they display the guile
and cunning which tho scriptures at
tribute to them.
That thiy charm their prey Is an
other popular belief which is quite un
supported by fact. The creatures they
htfht fenr ihem, as a hungry snake
has a way of getting what it goe
for, ftiid, seeming to understand this,
biid Is bo filled With terror when It
lees a snake that often It Is unable
16 fly and falls an easy victim to its
emsmy: It is this condition that leads
to thb generally accepted Conclusion
that, a snake has the power td Cnarm,
Asi nn article of diet, t,he bide rid
er, ofSall snakes Is said to be the most
dellcare in flavor, as It is very cleanly
In Its r.abits and particular as to its
food. TThe flc3h of the rattler Is also
perfectly wholesome and toothsome,
hhvln, ".'.flavor, like the flesh of most
snakes', ifikc chicked.
At aU evening entertainment, given
at the hbnte of this Investigator, let
tuce edgeq sandwiches' of flrfeiy
minced Bnakfe meat were served, and
were supposed to be chicken until it
chanced that B student discovered a
peculiarly shaned bone, twirling it
between his thmb and finger he ar
proached his hct and asked if'there
was anything, saVe a snake, that
could make use that bone. Being
assured there was not, the company
wero soon discussing tho merit of the
bitie racer they Wad bejn eating.
From one Snake 3a sandwiches had
been made. New YrVh Bun.
BLIND BUT PLAVVOOf BALL
Kentucky Youths Havi
Nerve and
Rely on Keen Sense
Sound.
With all the hullabaloo
igalnst foot-
ball, some sensible, some
from those
who don't know a footbaul from a
free lunch, but who are renly to fall
In behind any clamor, there f one in
stitute down In Kentucky whnUe play
era have made no complaint alhd who
are Mind. The Kentucky lristltute
for the Blind has a football Ajeven,
and it Is no Imitation game thf!ypla'i
either. They are slghtleis but touf;
ageous and play a spirited, slUlful Wd
vigorous game.
"Our blindness is merely a handi
cap," say these sightless gridiron
warriors. "We are strong, and we
don't got laid out any more than other
players do. And we manage to hold
Bur own.''
An extremely acute sense of hear
ing Is one of the faculties that enable
the blind players to overcome their
want of eyesight. Their highly de
veloped sense of sound enables them
to tell where a play is going, If an
opposing play goes toward the left
wing the blind players endeavor to
mass there as quickly as possible.
What Mr. Gregory, their co&cfi, calls
muscular action is another thing they
rely on. They are able to thus divine
movements or their opponents'.
There are, of course, limitations to
the ability of blind players, not felt
by those who can see, and out of
courtesy to them opposing teams do
not try end running. They confine'
their attacks between tackles. But
the blind players try end runs as well
as otber wide thrown mancuvres after
the manner of Yale and Pennsylvania,
leading exponents of open play, and
whose game is not built entirely
around bruising tandems and the like.
They do more line bucking than any
thing else, and- now and then throw
Interference at an opposing end with
enough precision to put him out of the
play. Also, like -the Ells and Quakers,
the blind boys make agility cope with
opposing weight
The blind players use a round ball
because It Is easier to handle, and do
only direct passing to avoid fumbles.
When a certain "hole" has been sig
nalled for, they get together and help
the runner as much as any other team
would. Their attack Is versatile, and
the handicap they suffer on the de
fence Is offset not a little by the foot
ball axiom that a strong offence Is
the best defence. 1
Those who have seen the blind
players in action say they are rugged
and speedy and slam Into an opposi
tion which tbey cannot see with fear
lessness and determination. Keen
eyesight is considered one of the es
sentials of football, yet these youths,
who play in the darkness play it well.
And they get lots of enjoyment out of
It New York Sun.
Boy's Chances in Life.
"One chance in nine thousand.
That's the chance you bave, boys, of
being recognized as a successful man
ot affairs it you only provide yourself
with a common school education," said
a lecturer at a boys' club the otber
evening. "This Is not my own opinion
or somebody's guess, but the report ot
the United States Bureau of Educa
tion," said he, in explaining bla re
mark. "It is not very encouraging to
many of you, who early have to be
come wage-earners.' The same report
tells us that a high school education
Increases a boy's chance about twenty
two times, while a college training in
creases the young man's chance ten
times over tbose of the boy who stops
with a high school diploma.
! "You see, then, that tbe college
graduate has 200 times tbe opportunity
open "to the boy with' only a common
school education. These statistics may
not apply' to us t you cr to me but
(bey are telling the true story when
we consider all tbe people of this
country. . -..'
"It is rather a cold-blooded argu
ment for higher education but It la
New York Press.
The first notes of the "Marseillaise"
are being used aa a popular form ot
whislled greeting In London,
V HE (PULPIT. :
KU ELOQUENT SUNDAY StRMON BV
DR. DONALD SACE MACKAY.
fubjtct How to Grow Souk
Kew York City. Sunday morning. In
the Cnllcsnle Church, the Rev. Dr.
I)otiil(l Sage Miickny preached on
' How to ,'row a Soul." The text was
frnnj 11 Peter lll:1S: "rfrovr In grneo
end In (lie knowledge of otir Lnrd and
Piivlour Jesus Christ." Dr. Mackay
snld:
In the course of my rondlnsr the other
evt iilnc I came across this striking and
KUsgrstive sentence, "We can each
grow n fnul If we are willing to pay
the price." These words set me think
in p. Wlint a tremendous possibility
find bat placed In the grasp of each
one of ns. AVe have In our power the
opportunity of grnwlnar an immortal
soul. That opportunity Is this life the
question Is, Are we willing to pay tbe
price?
Do wp realize what the growth of a
foul vrllliln n means? Do we realize
n lmt life Is without n soul? We hear
It sometimes said of one that he is n
"oul!p man." Usually we under
stand by that description a man de
void of the ordinary feelings of our
common hiininnlty. lacking In kindli
ness and sympathy, and Incapable of
generous action. True enough, but a
soulless man In the real Import of the
vnnls. means a ereat deal more than
tlint. To be soulless Is to be dead at
I lie vital centre of life. It Is to be cor
rupt nnd degenerate at that point In
cbnrflcter from which the dlvl-e and
Inmiortnl springs Into power. Soril
lessness Is spiritual desenerncy. It
Is what Paul calls "Dead In trespasses
pud sins, without hope and without
Ood In the world."
Is it worth while, then, paying nny
price If we can start within ourselves
this growth of nn Immortal soul? "We
enn ench grow a soul," snld the writer,
"if we nre willing to pay the price.
Assuredly it Is worth It. for this Is
the one and the only victorious life."
More than tbnt this Is the heart of
all true religion. If our religion Is not
developing spiritual life within us our
religion Is vain. That Is the great
thought of Christ's teaching, and in
that He has emphasized the deepest
thought of all the irrent teachers of
the world; You may remember, for lr
stance, the Words of Socrates In Jls
Defense, addressed to bis accusers,
when in describing the greatest york a
man could do he said, "For I fl noth
ing but go nhout amongst you,;er8imd
Ins you all alike, young and od, not to
take thought of your person, 0r your
properties, but to care abot' the great
est Improvement of your toul." Than
that statement of the ireat fireek
teacher the flospcl of CbuRt enn ndtl
no stronger emphasis to tip tremen
dous significance which belongs to the
growth of a soul.
-,.Arl yet it is just at,s point that.
for most ot'X't'irerrVil tragedy of
spiritual experience vAveils itself.
What is It that most troKbles yon In
your religions life, if at any moment
your give yourself to honest self-eam-Inntiort?
What Is the real diseourike
ment that haunts us even in our keen
est prayers nnd most fervent stlppifca-,
tleus? Is It not just this our utter
poverty in soul growth, the dreadful
jack of any real evidence of progress in'
spiritual things? .Indeed by the or
dinary standards of life our souls do
lint grow. At the very best they sim
ply stnml still, so that spiritually, even
the best of lis. nre pretty much as we
wero fifteen or twenty. years ago, with
tho same tendencies dominant, the
same temptations present. With others
of us it Is worse than that. In spite
of our prayers nnd afplrntions we are
conscious, when we are brave enough
to face the fact, that splrltunlly we
grow more stunted and dwarfed as the
years pass on. Our faith becomes less
fervid, tin spirit of prayer dwindles,
the sense of find evaporates In the
stifling atmosphere of selfishness and
wordllness (lint wraps Itself like a sea
fog around ns. Tlint, I repeat, is the
spiritual tragedy that plays itself ont
In the secret places of our lives; spir
itually we do not grow as we ought;
our souls lock that touch of life which
reveals Itself In ever deepening
ttreucth and power.
Well, now having faced this two-fold
fact on the one hand that each of us
can grow a soul if he is willing to pay
the price, nnd on the other hnnd that
thin soul-growth Is not being realized
within us as it ought let us see this
moruina what arc some of the condi
tions In obedience to which soul-growth
may become a glorious reality for each
one of us.
1. Let ut recognize In tbe first placo
what the soul is, what It represents:
By the soul, we mean something deep
er than "the machine which ticks in
the brain, that ealcnlates and memor
izes, that learns the tricks of trade,
and practices them In the world." That
is not your soul, although I dare lay
It Is the ouly apology for a soul tome
of us havo. The soul Is that in you
and me which has kinship with Ood.
It is the chamber In which the divine
and immortal within us dwells. The
soul Is the holy of holies In a man's
life. It Is as Paul says, "The Temple
of the Holy Ghost." When, for In
ttance, you feel at times, as surely at
times we all do, an almost overpower
ing yearning after God-, to know Him.
to be like Him, It Is your soul that Is
speaking. . It is the immortal within
you, crying out for Its kinship with
God. The vitality of your soul, there
fore, is tbe pledge of your immortality.
Destroy the soul, and you destroy that
within you without which eternity Is
unthinkable. That is why Christ put
such emphasis on the awful possibility
of losing the soul. "What shall it profit
a man," He said, "if be gain the whole
world and lose his own souir Noth
ing can compensate that loss. Gbrlst
does not say that "gaining tbe world"
necessarily means loss of tbe soul;
what He ssys Is, that a prise even so
great as ue attainment of the whole
world would not offset the loss ot
single Individual toul. Do we realise
tbattv
' Tbe first condition, therefore, In soul
growtb, is to realize tbe Issue at stake,
to recognize tbe Infinite value ot yonr
soul as your one and only assot wben
death, with ruthless fingers, strips
you ot air else. "Think of living,"
aald Carlyle, "for wert tbon the plti
fullest of all the sons of earth thy life
la no Idle dream. It is thine own. It la
all that thou bait to face eternltf
with." True, but living without a m!
Is to make eternity a voldless blank.
It is your soul within yon, claiming it
klnablp with God, that is the only
thing worth living for. That Is tbe
Brat point Wben yon recognise that,
yon have taken the first -step in soul
growth. -
2. The second condition !s to recog
nise clearly the great hindrance to
soul-growth. It la futile to nak why
onr souls do not grow natnrally. as, for
Instance, the body does. Spiritual de
velopment Is one thing, natural growth
ts quite another thins. The- fact must
be jeeognlzed, exnlaln It how you wilt,
that aVitil-growth is tremendously hand
icapped and hindered by forces whioh
consmre its mm. in ofner worns, onr v
sonlt nre In the arrtp of a deadly ills-
esse, which dwnrfs nnd stunts them.
What Is that disease? A correct fllse- :
nosls la the first step to complete tbe
cure.
Snpnosp for a momnt yon hav a '
hoy who. Instead of growlnir Into v
henltli nnd strength is pinched anrt
clwnr'ed and nnemlc In annearnnre.
Yon tik the lsrt to n nhvslclnn. nnil
he will tell von tbnt that boy of vnurs
is really snrTerlng from a wronir bnbtt
of life. Tie ts not helng nourished nrop.
erly. Pis dlestlve onrnns nre helm?
overlonled with fond which h cannot
assimilate. What the bov needs is not ;
more fond. Imt less: not richer diet,
bnt simpler. Nature Is belntr thwarted
by artificial living, nnd artificial living
Is the seed-nlot of dltease. ' And the
physician will doubtless tell you tlint, '
the bov being young, the cure is simple.
He will sav: "Give nature a clinnoe
by simplifying his daily diet." Well.
It Is even so with the health of the sou).
Our sonls srp starved nnd stunted by a
disease, which Is created and aggm
rated by n wrong mode ot life. We
nre so gorging our minds with nil the
elaborated and artificial forms of llr
Incr. that the spiritual wllbln us is
stifled. Sin I the disease which kills
the soul, but sin Is slmplv a product of
that sordid selfish life which clogs the
great arteries of the soul. If deliber
ately we follow a life which makes no
provision for prayer and communion
with God. which cherishes evil hnblts
nnd nourishes actions which begin nnd
end In self, then we nre deliberately
killing the son
Is the price we
4a m-nw n tnnl 7
n- ,i.tv,X- JFLita the
immu m jni- wnnjM r.um'i-
make provision, not fotjfl,yis us. a"
the flesh, but of the m thing" or
purer, sweeter, simple' atmosphere
be soul will incvltaiiy begin to grow.
The vitality of yonr&oul is wonderful.
Its recuperative P0n-prs are marvelous,
bnt these powers must have their op
portunity. Her,s a disease which Is
stunting and s,vlv killing my soul
am I wllllngj fulfill the condition
which will PtjWiIcntp that disease, and
make splrlkf, growth a reality?
3. Thatipads to the third point.
What Is Wt condition? And who of
us, by hvn strength. Is sufficient to
meet twF -Snditlon? We cannot cer
tnlnlyAfr. jr own efforts, hope to-re-verssy
fe natural tendencies within
na Jr ti war against our souls. We
cfW bv nny strivings of our own.
fm-cV spiritual growth. If we nre nn
nble to add a cnblt to our pbyslcnl
stature, much less can we add to our
spiritual growth. Yet, the call of
Christ Is to "grow In grace, nnd in nis
likeness." What. then. Is the secret of
that growth? Tbe Gospel of Christ is
the answer. Our souls grow ns they
come Into living touch with Ttim. We
cannot transform ourselves, but we nre
transformed into His likeness, as we
reflect the spirit of Jesus, nnd wo re
flect Jesus in the measure that we re
flect on Him. Make Christ the theme,
of your dally prayer and meditation,
nnd every moment yon spend in His
presence is a springtide of spiritual
growth within your soul. That growth
vou cannot check: no sin can hinder it
if you are living In the atmosphere of
Christ's life. It is not our striving
0n,i tnii?ellngs that add to the statnre
of the soul; it is onr faith, simple ns
that of a little child which, laying hold
of the love of God revealed in Christ-
raiMs-np the soul, day by dnyJtrfoHla
grace and Into Mis- HKeness.
Now, I ask, is there anything strange
or rhvstcrlons nbout that? Is spiritual
growth subject to laws any different
from those which govern nny process
of mental development? Surely not.
To make nny theme a subject of dally
thought Is to mnke that theme n potent
influence in your life. The more deeply
It lays hold of your mind the more pro
foundly it becomes a part of yourself.
All you have, to do is to fulfil the con
dition of continuous thought, and tbe
object of your thought reacts upon you
and becomes a dominant factor of
growth. We speak, for instance, of
man being possessed by tome master
passlon-lt may be the love of money,
or of power, or of sordid self-indulgence,
or of some higher Interest, but
whatever it Is. the result is the snme
Constant dwelling upon it moulds char
acter into its likeness.
So It is with the soul that surrenders
ltelf to the Influence of Jesus. As we
think of Him, and as wo enter into ho
spirit of His life, and breathe the at
mosphere of His love and purity, grad
unlly we are transformed, and the soul
witliln us leaps up into glad recognition
of its lawful Love. Every power wo
have, every faculty we possess be
comes Interpenetrated by His spirit,
and because His spirit is life we live
also.
Rowland Hill used to tell this story
of himself:
"People say when I preach the Gos
pel very earnestly, 'How excited Mr.
Hill gets!' Why," said be, "I wit
walking through Wotton-under-Edge
tbe otber day, and taw some men dig
ging gravel. All of a tudden tbe earth
gave way and burled two or three of
tbe men. I ran off at fast aa my old
legs would carry me, and I thouted,
'Help! help! help!' but people did not
tay, 'Poor old Mr. Hill it getting dread
fully excited!'
"Oh, no! be might be as excited as ha
pleased wben men's lives were in dan
ger; but wben a man's soul waa in
danger tbe proper thing would be to
say to him very quietly and calmly,
'My dear friend, unless something shall
Interpose, and you shall one ot these
daya become tomewhat different from
what yon now are, it will not be quite
to well for you in another world as.
perhaps, you might desire.' "Belfast
Witness. .,.,.,r.
The models of fnshlon bare cannot,"
even bt certnlu of patting mmtr j
tbe door mats In btavta
Cut Two Only.
Members of the ruling - class In
China show their superiority cyer tha
working people by letting all thefri
ger nalla except those ot the index
fingert grow so long that they Inter
twin and curve In Irregular spiral.
Paralytic Cured by Shock.
: An old woman In Germany bad been
bedridden on account of paratyphi for
ten years until recently, when a tern
peat In her neighborhood shook the
houaea and ao frightened the old par
alytic that ahe leaped from her bed.
There has been no relapse, and she
may be set down, perhaps, a; the only
hum ot cur by tempest
' w3Vhar. tbcjiBr
Tw. jrTK
It w