'48
THE SUNDAY OBEGONIAN,, PORTLAND, MAY 21, 1905.
"TOMORROW THOU SHALT BE MISSED"
SERMON BY DR. NEWELL D WIGHT HILLIS,
PASTOR OF PLYMOUTH CHURCH, BROOKLYN
Text: "Tomorrow thou halt be mlwd. be
cause thy place shall be empty" Samuel, l:xx.,
whole' chapter.
THESB words throw a sidelight upon
tho friendship between David and
Jonathan. David, the shepherd boy,
had , everything to gain by tho new tie
a friend at court, an open sesame to the
palace, the favor of the King himself.
Contrariwise, Jonathan had everything to
lose; in lifting David Into eminence, the
Tieir to tho throne risked his own future,
and helped transform the people's cham
pion into a popular idol. But Jonathan
was as true as steel and as tender as a
woman. Ho loved David as he loved his
own soul. Because that love was -wonderful,
passing the love of woman, their
friendship, like that of Damon and
Pythias, will ever be celebrated In song
and story. But Saul, the King, was cold
and calculating, prudent and far-sighted.
He wished to sec his throne securely set
tled upon his son and his own name and
fame handed forward forever. He feared,
too, lest the fame of David might eclipse
the" name o Jonathan. Events soon
proved that Saul was right. No sooner
was David enthroned in the palace as
the bosom friend of Jonathan, than this
boy, with the sun In his hair and smile,
won his way Into all hearts, gained the
hand of the daughter of the palace and
a seat at the King's table. Every day,
also, -the people thought less and less of
Jonathan, and more and more of David.
Then an unexpected event brought on a
catastrophe. One evening, when David
was passing through the streets toward
the palace, the people surrounded him
and cheered him, saying that Saul had
slain his thousands and David his tens of
thousands. In a sudden outburst of en
thusiasm the crowd lifted David to their
shoulders and bore him with shoutings
to the palace. It happened that Saul was
standing on the balcony and, looking
down upon the scene, his blow was black
with anger. That night the jealous King
cought the young man's life. Then, for
Jonathan the whole structure of happi
ness fell into ruins. David, his friend,
prepared to flee under cover of darkness,
but before he fled the two friends met
for a final farewell. Each knew that the
friendship was forever interrupted. To
morrow hired assassins would be on
David's track, and even if the boy es
caped Jonathan felt that the inevitable
hour named death would be postponed
but for a brief time. "Whether his friend
David died tomorrow, or not until ripe
age, at best the end would come soon.
Anticipating that end and forecasting the
rounding out of his career, Jonathan ex
claimed: "Tomorrow thou shalt be missed,
,for thy place shall be empty." Then the
wo young me 4, tearing themselves asun
.separata In the darkness, with the
promlse.the me to the other,, to make
ready if or the end, and to round out tho
life 'career.
Short f.he Longest Life.
Since that far- jff scene, full 20 centuries
have come an'd one. The tombs of David
and Saul are dist, and the city itself is
a ruin, but th? shortness of life is a fact
that still ho6s this far-off generation.
For swiftness our life isllkc the wea
ver's shuttlg i!Ue the. bird's flight, like
an arrow that rises only to fall again.
The life, even of the strongest man. is
a flame on the candle, that for a moment
burns up brightly, then flickers, to die
out forever It is this fact that makes
a community or a congregation like unto
a series of moving pictures. ye journey
on from births to deaths, from weddings
to funerals, the light and the dark being
strangely Intermingled. Certain men are,
indeed, so busy with their task as to be
obliviou? to all that goes on around them.
For that reason they do not realize what
a dissolving phantasmagoria life is.
These men think that their generation is
moving slowly, inpcrceptlbly, towards the
end, a movement not unlike that of the
glaciers in Switzerland. When the sci
entists investigate some Mer dc Glace,
they fix their instruments of observation
on the sides of the rocky valley. Then
poles are fastened to the glaciers. Three
months later the observer takes his ob
servation afresh, sighting across, and
finds the glacier has moved a few feet
on the sides, and many feet In the middle.
But, in Alaska, there is a sharp, wedge
likc valley that runs straight into the
top of a mountain many thousand Xect
high. Swiftly the vast quantities of snow
and ice come sliding down, and tho trav
eler sees tho river, as it were, ever mov
ing forward. Before men's eyes the river
flows, huge blocks of Ice break off and
sail away to return to that infinite sea
Horn which they came. And for wonder
ful men, not otherwise Is It with our gen
eration, that moves forward with im
perceptible swiftness, life dissolving be
fore bur very eyes.
A Mechanism Thut Soon Wears Out.
But the brevity of life gets fresh
meaning' when Ave consider it from
the viewpoint of the scientist. In the
German University is a man who meas
ures the life force of each student.
This scholar has made a study of tho
human body as a piece of mechanism.
.He tells us that a man of 150 pounds
Is made up of 120 pounds of water, 23
pounds of carbon, 7 of lime,. 2 of gela
tin, with 2 ounces of salt. These ele
ments are so hold together by the vital
spark that the physical engine will run
50 years, provided tho Arcs arc shut off
early each night and the boiler run at
gentle pressure and the engine never
racked by rapidity. But under present
economic conditions he thinks that -40
years of work is a lilgh average. He
adds that all of the Sundays and at least
15 holidays must be added for cooling
the bearings and guarding against fric
tion. In his estimate lie figures that
the youth of 20 years old has 40 years,
of -300 working days each, or 12,000
days. The scholar insists that eight
hours are all that the engine will
stand, if it Is to run for 40 years. This
gives 96,000 hours for one's Hfo work,
for the founding of a home, the estab
lishment of business, the building a
bridge, the Invention of tho tool, the
building of a good name, the acqulsl
tion of a holy character. If you are 20
years old you have 96,000 hours left; If
30 years old. 72,000: if 40 years old.
4S.O0O hours; if SO, 24,000 hours; if 60,
you will have 12,000 hours, If 70, you
have a little handful of perhaps 500
hours. And what a beggar's handful it
Is. How soon swallowed up by time, as
snow flakes in a river. Such consider
ations give us pause la retrospect
they tell vs this Snraraar vacation has
made permanent chasges la our gener
atlon. FrlesfeMpc 0ave bees Inter
rupted that "will never be renewed.
Partnerships have been dissolved with
out the partners understanding it. The
book you have just read will never
again be opened. Scats tomorrow will
be empty that will never again be Ailed.
Whatever you do must be done quick
ly. The night come.th when no man
can -work.' For tomorrow, or on the
morrow's morrow, you will be missed,
for your place shall be empts.
Today Is Very Urgent.
If wo stand afar off from life and
view it in Its totality, we characterize
It by threo phases the past controlled
by memory, the present presided over
by aspiration, the future governed by
hope. But, strangely enough, the av
erage man forgets his past, is un
conscious of his present and lives only
in the future the one part of his life
that Is shadowy, uncertain and non
existent. It has been wisely said that
the shrin9 of memory represents a tem
ple that Is always empty, but the tem
ple where hope dwells Is always crowd
ed with worshipers, and her forehead
is a lays wreathed with flowers. It
seems all but impossible for the youth
to say that for him there is no tomor
row, that the next grave digged In the
waving grass will be his grave, or that ,
tomorrow ho shall be missed, because i
his seat will be empty. Therefore, to-:
morrow eclipses today with Its great- j
ness. But life's greatest word Is now.
Time is a relative thing and, strictly j
speaking, the present alone is life. Op
portunity Is not In yesterday. Oppor
tunity is not In tomorrow. Opportunity
is here, or nowhere. Every day be
gins with the angel of opportunity j
standing upon the horizon and blow
ing the trumpet and saying: "What 1
thou docs, do quickly." For every
hour is big with destiny, every
moment is freighted with possibility.
The hour may not be long, as the hand
ticks off the golden drops named min- i
utes, yet one hour was long enough for
Warren Hastings to hear how his fath- j
er lost an estate and long enough also
to make plans for Its recovery. In the j
Western forest the rainstorm drbve the
farmer's boy into a cabin and for an
hour tne rain fell in torrents, but in a
chink between the logs was a copy of
Aesop's Fables, and that hour was long
enough for the youth to fill his mind
with pictures, upon which he afterward
patterned his stories and parables as
martyred President. An hour is long
enough for us to read a great chapter
that will change the current of life, to
make a holy resolve that will exalt the
level of our activity. It is long enough
to wipe -Gut an old enmity, to form a
new friendship. The secret of failure
Is drifting, delay, the dissipation of
time, of thought, pf friendships and
emotions. This is what Cervantes
means when he says that most men
dwell in a house named By-and-By, on
a street called Never. Therefore, God
bath appointed an antidote for all these
errors and perils. He would sober life,
steady it, lend It ballast and In time of
storm anchor it by the reflection that
tne career will soon be ended and our
spiritual Waterloo either won or lost
forever. It Is the part of wisdom and
prudence, therefore, for each one of
us to reflect today that tomorrow we
shall be misscJ, because our place shall
be empty.
Warning for the Mature mid Old.
Jonathan was a young man when this
word of warning was crowded home upon
him. But if it Is important for youth to
remember that the days are few and brief,
how much more important for those who
have reached middle life. In view of the
few days that are left, alas for him who
postpones his tasks, puts off his duties,
delays his plans and overcrowds his to
morrow. One of the most striking Inci
dents in the career of that great man,
Abram Hewitt, was an incident that oc
curred just before his death. One day a
gentleman called upon Mr. Hewitt and
expressed a desire to visit the Cooper
Institute. It seemed that the merchant
was forecasting the end of his life, and
was making plans for some form of pub
lic benefaction. Having a large property,
he did not know whether to distribute It,
to give it to a hospital, to a college or a
church. But when the man left Mr. Hew
itt he had apparently made up his mind.
A few months passed, the merchant died,
and the will was probated. But the man
had done nothing. Then Mr. Hewitt said
that during the past 23 years he had been
approached by perhaps 50 men, who were
bankers and manufacturers and mer
chants, who had accumulated a largo
property and were planning how they
might invest it so as to make themselves
unconsciously immortal. That being dead,
they might still live and npeak and work
and Influence their fellows. But tho old
merchant added that these men almost
without exception thought they had done
enohgh when they talked about what
they were going to do for society. For
some reason, they could not believe that
tomorrow their seat would be empty. For
them the important word was the future.
Tomorrow they would be generous, tomor
row they would endow a school, tomorrow
they would build a library. Tomorrow
they would search out some poor youth
and send him to college, tomorrow they
would be generous to some poor family.
Will they? No; theso things will never be
done. He who docs not do his work today
will never do It. If the resolve at the
present moment is not strong enough to
securo action, think you that when time
has weakened the resolve, and halved it.
that the decision will be reached? For
the middle-aged, by way of pre-eminence.
the great word Is NOW. Are you going
to make a will? Make it today. Are you
ever going to be generous? Be generous
now. Are you going to insure your fam
ily? Do it tomorrow morning. Have you
harvested great wisdom as a merchant?
Find some poor clerk and stamp your
Ideals of business into his mind forever.
Remember that the night cometh. "To
morrow also thou ehalt be missed, for thy
seat shall be empty."
AVJsc "Word for Young Men.
-But no man is so young but that he
will be the better for remembering this
counsel of David. Ton deem your treas
ure, young men, to "be your youth, health
and strength, and the power of recupera
tion, all yours. Tours, too. the eager.
hungry mind, tho plastic memory, yours
the power of casting yourself with en
thaslasm into some great cause of reform.
or department of study. The young man
is like a General with ten thousand sol
diers or helpers beside him, standing for
the ten thousand hours or opportunities.
aj&i the eld bu U like the Grweral
whose host Is reduced to a handful. But
do not presume upon your youth and op
portunities. Opportunity never comes
twice. Once she opens her golden gates
for you to pass through, but if you delay
the doors swing to, and closing they close
forever. Most young men are slain by
overburdening their tomorrows. Today
they enjoy, today they give themselves
to games and pleasure; tonight thero will
be the theater and dissipation; but, oh, in
that golden temple named tomorrow, hopo
whispers there will be a bag of gold
lying at the altar. How many ducats will
there bo in that bag? Not one, young
man, unless you ccaso your present course
of living. But another youth there Is,
who at 50, standing in that temple, will
And the bag overflowing with pieces of
gold. And whence came these yellow
disks? They came In this fashion. Every
day being young, the youth saved up one
golden circle through his economy and his
spirit, and sent it forward, and his far
off future of success was simply the point
at which his many and noblo yesterdays
emptied out their treasure. Tomorrow's
wisdom and tho ripe honors that come
to the scholar, with the wreaths of fame.
represent yesterday's study, and each year
in the past brought one leaf, and many
years brought many leaves, and all the
leaves were wrought into one laurel
wreath of immortal fame. For It Is not
enough that a young man should want
to bo rich. Tomorrow he must open the
furrow and sow the seed, and reap the
harvest, and then old age will bo a
granary where the sheaves are garnered.
All this perchance goes rfght In the face
of your present method of life, as a young
man gay and frivolous, as a young man
flitting from pleasure to pleasure, as a
butterfly from flower to flower. But be
not deceived; Nature and God are not
mocked. Whatsoever you sow, that you
shall reap; whatsoever you plant, that
you shall pick. Whatsoever you mete out
to Nature, that will life measure back to
you again. To the frivolous, life will give
vanity; to tho careless, forgctfulness; to
those who live for the body, to gluttony
and drunkenness, she will give the jaded
palate and the racked nerve. For Nature
never makes a mistake in her book
keeping. What Is your life? If I were a
painter and could sketch rapidly while I
talk, I would paint a tree, growing in
some garden where dead sea apples are
ripening with fruit stuffed with ashes and
soot. I would show you the tree covered
with webs of caterpillars, answering to
your evil thoughts; with aphides cutting
at the heart of the bud and blossom, put
ting decay In the young fruit. At the
root, the gopher, cutting off the founda
tions of food and succor, answering to
the secret sins. Until the boughs are
blasted and the leaves are shriveled and
Honored With Nation's Vote of Thanks
AVIIliam P. Lukes, an Oregon City Laborer, Received Eighteen Sword Cuts, Defending His Captain.
OKiXiur city, or.. May 15. (Special
Correspondence ot The Sunday Ore
gonlan.) William F. Lukes, who
wears the medal of honor and received
the thanks of Congress for valor during
the Corean outbreak in 1S7L is employed
as a common laborer at an Oregon City
paper-mill.
Lukes has had a most eventful career.
Ho was left to shift for himself when
but 9 years old, and became a cook. He
went to California when but 15 years old,
and prospected all over tho Coast He
was mining in Mexico when Maximilian's
army started for the City ot Mexico. He
and his companions enlisted as privates
and he was made a Captain for conspicu
ous gallantry at tho battle of Acapulco.
He was captured soon after, released on
parole, rejoined Maxmllian, was cap
tured again, and with two companions
sentenced to be shot the next day. That
night they broke out the blockhouse,
swam a river and escaped.
After Maxmilian's capture, Lukes drift
ed out to China, and was in Tientsin dur
ing tho massacre of 1SK). He enlisted In
tho U. 5. S. Colorado and sailed with the
fleet under Admiral Rogers to attack the
Corean forts in 1S7L Under the command
of Lieutenant Magce, his company land
ed and engaged tho Corcans. After two
days of fighting, tho natives were driven
into one of their numerous forts. Two
unsuccessful attacks were made upon it,
and in the third Lieutenant Magec was
killed. The command fell to Lukes, who
was a petty officer, and the fort was cap
tured. Lukes looked for the body of the com
mander, and found that the Corcans were
The "Jottings of Old Lim Juckiin"
Oplc Head's Philosopher Utters Some Quaint TJcmarks on the Subject of Funeral Sermons.
T is a pretty risky matter to tell
I the exact truth all the time," said
ojd Llmuel to tho young preacher,
the Rev. J. Abner Smlthson. They,
wore sitting in front ot tho black
smith's shop, beneath a dogwood tree
In bloom. Within the shop tho smith
was nailing Iron on the hoofs of the
preacher's horse. The company was
not large, but, of course, included old
Brizlntine. Abner J. Smithson was
cultivating,' In this the first six
months of his circuit-riding, the pro
priety of solemn expression. Ho had
attuned his voice to melancholy, had
mastered the necessary sadness of eye,
and was now shaping his general at
titude toward woe-begoncness. He had
not yet reached tho happiness of the gos
pel, that cheerful acceptance of Galilee,
that most uplifting of all philosophy, tire
"Sermon on the Mount." "I think that
all the truth is due at all seasons and at
all hours of the day and the night." he
replied, casting a sorrowful look upon old
Lim.
"Well, with a certain amount of lee
way," said Lim. "When they asked the
Savior if he would pay tribute to Rome,
he could have said yes or no, but he looked
at the imago on the coin and said. 'Ren
der unto Caesar the things that are Cae
sar's. That was a sort of leeway. The
most effective truth can he told by an Il
lustration, and yet it would seem like
a-dodgin of the truth. The apparent
shift brings out the brightest colors of
the truth. Now, Abner, suppose you were
called on to preach the funeral of our old
friend Brizlntine. Would you tell the
truth?" j
"What do you want to drag mo into It
for?" Briz spoke up. "Do you always
neei me to fetch out your p'Ints?"
No, not always," said Lim. "You, ain't
particularly useful in the illustratln' of a
truth, but you are generally close afceut
the tree itself gaunt and bare, when the
Summer Is past. For all these outer sym
bols portray those Inner vices that ate
slowly destroying your character at Us
center. What man Is not conscious of
some error and mistake In "building his
life? Time offers opportunity for correc
tion, but the time is short for slaying
the evil and planting the good. Turn away
forever from your old life, burn all your
bridges behind you, pledge fealty to a new
career. The hour Is sublime with Its
possible issues. Act quickly, for tomor
row thou shalt be missed, for thy place
shall be empty.
No Man Hus Done Enough for So
ciety. Wise and prudent men who wish to
make the most of their gifts will find
here Incitement to Increasing influence
If tomorrow wo shall be gone, then today
let us do one more good deed, speak one
more kind word, recover one more prodi
gal, plant one more vine of happiness,
open one more fountain of well-being. Too
often old men seek leisure, withdraw from
active life. So far from wishing to die
with the harness on, they Insist that they
have dono enough for society, and that
the time has come -for young men to do
the work. Over in England there is a
most Impressive spectacle. The great
statesman of his day I had almost said
England's only great statesman has Just
resigned from the Cabinet. The man is
nearly 70 years of age. Years ago he was
called the Cabinet breaker, because he
withdrew from Mr. Gladstone, for he be
lieved that tho solid nation was an issue
paramount to a great man named Mr.
Gladstono (though many of us regretted
his action). Ho has been one of the best
hated men of his time, and now he has.
by his resignation, brought down upon
himself abuse, vituperation, hatred be
yond all description. So far from seek
ing retirement, he has stripped himself
like an athlete and entered upon a task
that asks for fullness of strength and
25 years of time. At bottom his position
Is this that England Is to recover her
supremacy only by forming closer ties
with her colonics; that Canada and Aus
tralia and South Africa arc now closer
to England, through the new steamships,
than the Islands of Orkney once were;
that the time Is soon coming when the
English-speaking people of - 300,000.000 will
combine against the other 1.200,000.000 of
the earth; that the time is not long
enough for the new laws, the new trea
ties of commerce, the new relations that
must be developed between the English
speaking people. -The statesman feels
that the time is short; that the work is
great; that the little petty discussions
about 2 per cent tariffs are for those who
j I
William 1'. Luke. I
I i
i,--.-. ....... ........... .4
earning it off to the mountains. Calling
for volunteers, but two men responded.
They soon overtook the retreating. Co
rcans and a desperate hand-to-hand fight
took place When reinforcements arrived
the marines found Lukes with IS sword
wounds lying unconscious across the body
of his commander and his companions
and help us to fetch things home. Yes.
and now, Abner, suppose Briz was dead
and ''
"I object," Brizlntine interposed.
"Of course, you object," said Lirauel.
"You've been objectln' a good many years,
tryln to homestead as many days as pos
sible, stakin' out the weeks and foreclosin
on every month you can; but the time Is
a-comin' when you "
"Can't you talk about something Icctlc
more cheerful, Llmuel?" Briz Insisted.
"Oh. this is cheerful enough. Yes, Ab
ner, suppose Briz was dead and you were
called on, to preach his funeral. Would
you. tell tho exact truth about him?"
"I could And many good things to say
in his behalf." the youth replied.
"Yes, that's to be supposed. But would
you tell the folks that the worst beatin
I ever got In a horse swop I got 'from him,
and on a Sunday at that? Would you tell
'em that him and mo had f)t roosters in
a barn by the light of a tallow candle?"
The young preacher sighed. His sigh
was not as yet fully developed, but he
was improving. He sighed and said: "I
should not mention such foibles."
"This here subject is like a hot potato,
and T wish you'd drap It," said Briz.
"What," Llmuel spoxe up. "don't you
want to serve in the Interest ot truth?
Jest keep quiet a. while. Foibles, eh.
Abner? Well. now. life's putty much
made up of foibles. That part of a human
which is most human is a foible. Of
course, Briz don't know what a foible Is
he 'lows mebby it's somethln' to eat. but
we'll let that go. No, sir, Abner, you'd
git up there and rare- and snort over
what a good church member Briz was,
jest as if goln' to church and acknowl
edging that the preacher had put forth a
powerful effort was the sum total of lite.
You'd say he loved his fellow man. when
the fact Is he loves a hog better hogs
jowl with mustard greens. And durin
the time we would set there and agree
with you, kaowia that we were all liars.
Now. Briz he Is ail right putty much
ay sort f a raant caseee wkea he feels.
are young, but he will do the great thing,
emphasize essentials, stand for principles
that abide and let the secondary things
go forever. This man of nearly 78 has
undertaken an enormous task. It Is work .
for a giant. It demands a score of years
and the fullness of strength, when he has
but a handful. But It Is a sight for the
world to admire, that a man, when others
seek leisure, rushes into the heart of the
fray, covets tho hardest task, seeks to
win one more great victory for uis coun
try and to lift his people to new levels of
prosperity and wealth. Time may dis-f
provo his theory and discredit his judg--ment.
but to the end of time men will
admire the man who crowds his old age
with new duties and toils-as one who re
members that tomorrow "I shall be
missed, because my seat shall be empty."
Forecast of the End.
In the closing hour of his career, when
Jesus Christ rose, into the upper realm
of Intellection, ho used only the most
powerful forms of truth. At that time,
when he was preparing his disciples and
his generation for his departure, he gave
them three parables on the shortness of
life and the duty of rounding out one's
work. He likened the soul, with all its
treasures of sense, to a palaco or ances
tral mansion, with noble halte and vast
libraries and gallery, stored with per
chance the portraits of one's ancestors,
marbles, pictures, tapestries, ivories and
bronzes, treasures from India, art curios
from Egypt, wedges of gold and bars of
silver. In the storehouso of the mansion
are fruits and foods against the Winter,
and In the strongbox the family plate.
When the householder goes into a far
country, he gives all In charge of a trust
ed servant, and commits to him the key
of the strong box. but no sooner is his
master gone than the servant calls in
his companions, who,- with him, enter
upon a drunken orgy. Drunken, they
consume the precious liquors; gluttons,
they waste the food. They strip the prec
ious tapestries from the walls and sleep
on them as swine on the husks. Avari
cious, they break into the strong box;
careless, the smoke begrimes the wall.
Suddenly, in the midst of their carous
ing, the lord of that mission returns
home. And Jesus tells us that so is
the coming of the San ot Man. It is un
expected, like the coming of a thief in
the night; it is sudden, without any pre
monition. He charges men, therefore, to
live under the shadow of that over world.
On the morrow you shall enter Into
God's presence, and give an account of
every Idle word and deed. This forecast,
he says, should sober life, steady it,
make proud men modest, make strong
men humble, make the rich and pros
perous remember the source of their pros
perity, make the poor to reflect that their
troubles were but for a day; tomorrow
they will be over. The rain and the
frlendlcssness are but for an hour. To
morrow the door shall open into the
father's house, and then, oh, all forgot
ten, the ice and hail and the fire blast.
Therefore watch, be ready. What thou
doest, do quickly, "for tomorrow thou
shalt be missed, for thy seat shall be
empty." (Copyright, 1903, by McClure,
Phillips & Co.)
dead. Scattered 'around them were the
bodies of 16 Corcans. The carbine which
Lukes carried In that engagement is in
the Museum at Washington. The steel
barrel was cut half-way through by a
great two-handed sword carried by one
of tho Corcans.
Magee's body was shipped to America
for burial, while the man who rcscued.it
lay 39 days unconscious from the 18 sword
cut3 he had received on the head. Then
he suffered from three or four epileptic
fits a day. Surgeon-General Gilchrist op-
crated on him at Yokohama, and then
he was sent to the Brooklyn Naval Hos
pital, where a number of other operations
were performed. He was discharged from
the Navy on account of his Infirmity,
and soon after Inherited $1S,000, which
he spent for treatment and operations at
the hands of the greatest specialists both
in this country and Europe without ob
taining beneficial results.
After his discharge he was given a vote
of thanks by Congress, breveted a Cap
tain, and received the medal of honor
upon which Is engraved: "For valor. Will
lam F. Lukes, landsman and a member
of Company D, U. S. S. Colorado. Can
ture of Corean Forts, Juno 11, 1S7L" He
now receives a pension of "$30 per month
under special act of Congress. This allow
ance will be increased to 572 per month
when he reaches the ago ot 60 years. Mr.
Lukes Is now In his 59th year. He cialms
tho distinction of being the only man
living to wnom Congress voted Its thanks.
Lukes speaks fluently the Scandinavian,
Russian, German and English languages.
anu Dciorc locating at Oregon City un
sucessfully prospected In tho mining dis
tiict in Southern Oregon.
like it and a man that don't has got a
Kooa aeai ot tne liyoercrlt In him; don't
work on Sundav. It's trut fnn rnnt
hanker after work at any time. Just a
natural sort of a man and yit. if he was
.10 aie yoaa mako him a saint. There
nas been more lies told In prcachln'
funerals than In makln' love and they
wan't .half as necessary."
The youth sighed. "All funeral orations
are not lies," he said.
"No. mebby not. And now I remember
one mat was tne trutn. .Bin Henly used
to live down the river owned nearly all
that country. He was a great traveler
anu a smart man. Well, one day he went
to a preacher and says to him. says he:
Parson, do you think you could preach
a truiniui runeral sermon?' Without a
moment's thought, the preacher said hn
could. 'I think so, too.' replied Henly;
'that Is. after I give you the points. And
11 you onng em out just as I give em to
you. why, I'll pay you what It Is worth.
Now. listen and mark me. Nobody -In
the neighborhood knows tho age of this
man nor his name. So far as we know
he never told his age, never uttered a
He. never cheated, never talked about his
ncignoors. never voted the wrong ticket
never did a thing objectionable, so far a
we know. He Is at my house. I have
Invited a few friends. Come over and
preach his funeral.' Well, the preacher
went. A few people gathered under the
trees In the yard. The coffin was placed
on two chairs. The parson stepped for
ward and looked at a hit nf Tvatvo nr.
which he had taflen down all that Henly
naa Baia. Then he began, and he stuck
to his text for quite a while, but after a
time he began to wander off. He towered
in his praise of the deceased. He saw
that Henly was pleased and he went fur
ther. He took Inspiration from Henlv.
countenance. He knew that this was
some poor old stranger that Henly was
buryin out ot charity. And when he got
tnrougn wltn him Henly shook his hand
ana saia: -uooa Duny. Tne parson wai
sorter astonished. 'Do you want some
thin' said at the grave?' he. Inquired.
""No said Henly. Tra not sola' to
bury him just yet He's cost me so much
Tm goln' to keep aim a while. Would you
Seasonable
Specials
Our four-days' cut-price sale was remarkably successful. Throngs
of busy buyers crowded our store from the opening to the closing
hours. Many men saved a week's salary in making their purchases
here. The people know that when we advertise a cut-price sale, the
price is invariably and truly cut no fake advertising goes here. This
week "we shall present specials in high-grade goods.
N. B. Do not overlook our little balcony sales.
$30 BUFFET $20
471. This is a handsome piece of furni
ture that ordinarily sells for $30.00
and Is so priced in our salesroom
but we are going to make it a special
this week for only $20. But one will
be sold at this price first to come
the one to get the bargain. It is
golden oak. hand poish. has heavy
French plate mirror, 17x33 inches, top
is 18x42 inches, handsome serpentine
front, three drawers, two doors,
-handsomely finished, heavy brass
trimmings. The workmanship is thor
ough in every detail. Inspection will
convince you or tne rare
bargain here offered. Call
for No. 471 and take it at....
$15
Dressing
Table
hi
ni
No. 41. A very handsome little dress
ing table, worthy of any home. Made
of quarter-sawed oak, hand polished,
has French plate glass,
inches, top 18x23 Inches. IT -J -tf
Always sold for 513.00; this 13
week it is cut down to r
Go-Carts
That Go
They have been
going all week at
a pretty brisk pace,
owing to the money-saving
cut we
have made in the price. There's a
window full of them yet. and the sale
continues a few days longer. These
carts are the regular $3.00 kind: they
have wood back, cloth seat, wicker
dashboard, rubber tires, fold reclining
or flat, and the mechanism is easily
adjusted. You will need it this Sum
mer on the Fair grounds. For (T 4 ir
a few days longer a 53.00 IL fl
folding go-cart for only
A Little Special Balcony Sale
In our store there is a little balcony that has never
been of any service, and wc have determined to utilize
it the coming week in a special sale of small articles,
bric-a-brac, etc. It will pay you to keep your eye on
that balcony. Changes made every day. Here's a sam
ple: A $2.75 taborette for $1.75; a beautiful water set.
75c;- a 23c glass sugar shak.cr, with nickel top, 13c: a
mahogany dressing-table thalr, regular $11 for $6.o0.
Keep your eye on the balcony!
I. GEVURTZ & SONS
173-175 First Street. 219-227 Yamhill
like to look at the man you have talked
so familiar about?" The parson 'lowed
he would, and Henly took the lid oft the
box. Inside there wag tho old fellow
an Egyptian mummy. The folks they
tittered and the preacher didn't like It.
He said Henly had fooled him. 'No,' said
Henly, '1 gave you the facts and you
fooled yourself.' And Briz," old Lemuel
added, "I should think the best way to
preach our funerals would bo to wait
about 5000 years after wc are dead. That
length of time seems long to be llvin',
Abner, but to the dead It ain't a minute.
And It Julius Caesar should awake he'd
say, 'Oh, no, I haven't been asleep Jest
dozed off a little. The church Is im
provin all tho time. Abner; sends fewer
children to everlastln torment, but it
hasn't reached a point yit when it can
afford to tell the -truth at a funeral. To
tell tho truth wouldn't be just to the liars
that are left 'Irwin'. There Is one thing
the preacher always thinks he can say
of a deceased and tell the truth, and that
Is to call him a- useful citizen. And the
fact Is, after he's dead the neighborhood
Improves."
The youth sighed again- "Ah, Mr.
Juckiin, since we have supposed the case
In the er fictitious death of Mr. 'Brizln
tine. let us be truly absurd "and suppose
that you were to preach your own funeral
oration. What would you say?"
"He has got you now," laughed Briz.
"Not necessarily," Lim replied. And
after a moment he continued: "Why.
Abner. I'd say somethln like this: 'Old
Llmuel Juckiin lies here before you. He
never claimed even to have shaken hands
with a saint. If he didn't do the best he
could, he tried to make himself believe
he did. But the Lord is a better judge
ot him than he was of hlmfelf. Amen."
(Copyrighted. 1D03.) OPIE READ.
RUSE OF BRIDE AND GROOM
Host Railroad Tickets and Quarreled
Over Them to Fool Passengers.
"I have traveled as a Pullman conduc
tor for 25 years and have seen hun
dreds of newly married couples," said a
man with a blue suit and bright brass
buttons as a Santa Fe train came into
the Union Depot at Kansas City the other
day, "but not until this trip did I ever
sea a bride and groom who could keep
the public from knowing they were on
a honeymoon trip. But- this couple about
which I speak certainly did fool me to
perfectlon-
"A handsome young ssan and as blush
$20 ParlorTables $12.50
You have never been offered such an
opportunity to add a beautiful cen
ter table to vour parlor as in this
instance. The table is a handsome
round top. 24 inches in diameter,
piano-polished mahogany, well worth
the original price. But it Is one ot
our leaders, and all wo rqucst is
that you call at the
store and examine it. t-f fffk
A $3.50
Rocker
for $2.50
S53S A handsome
Rocker with ma
hogany finish,
cobbler seat, high
ly polished, very
pleasing in de
sign, easy and comfortable. Sells res-
uiarly ror 53.50. It Is
your own by asking for
.$2.59
the above number and
paying
Desk Men
Will find this store decidedly the
proper place to come for Office Desks.
Stools and Chairs. A largo stock and
prices absolutely right and goods of
first quality. Call when you need any
thing In this line. Glad to show you
our roll-top, flat-top, standing and com
bination typewriter desks, whethcryou
wish to buy or not.
S-foot Desks $21.00 I
4- foot 27.00
5- foot - 33.03 .
ing, beautiful girl got In my car at Chi
cago as we started West. I noticed ..hat
'the man sat down very selfishly and im
mediately began reading a newspaper, as
if he didn't know a winsome little woman
was sitting beside him. He had a 3ial
and haughty air about him and I rather
disliked him for his lack of courtesy.
Pretty soon I went around to collect
tickets and asked him for them. Without
taking his eyes from his paper he said,
'Mary, give the man the tickets and
went on reading.
" 'You know I haven't the tickets,
quickly replied the woman. 'Then you've
lost them,'-retorted the angry husband,
'for I gave them to- you before wo got on
the train.' '
" 'You didn't either,' his wife rerticao
" T did
" 'You didn't.'
" 'I know I did.'
" 'And I know you didn't. Do you mean
to say I tell what isn't true?'
" 'No, but I'm sure you've lost tho
tickets.' Teplied the husband with a look
of extreme disgust in his countenance.
"I saw trouble was brewing and told
them I would return later to get the
tickets." continued the Pullman conduc
tor as he told his story to a crowd around
him. "When I went-back the man was
reading and the woman was pouting-. Tho
tickets were In a seat across from them,
and I checked them up. Not a word was
spoken as I returned -the tickets to the
woman and left.
"A fellow in the car asked mo If that
was a newly married couple, and I in
formed him it certainly wasn't, for both
man and woman fussed too much for
that. I offered to bet him they had beei
married ten years.
"Well, we finaly reached El Paso, Tex.,
where the man and woman were to get
off the train. As the train slowed up
the man called me to him and said:
" 'Look here, old man. you've been rath
er nice to us and we want to let ypu into
a little secret. We were married i"st
before getting on this train. That fuss
about the tickets was all arranged be
fore we started and I bought the news
paper just to make the bluff good. Dpn t
you think we behave well for bride and
groon3? "
Norwegians Longest Iilvcd.
The Norwegians are longest lived of
the European people, and the Span
lards the shortest. The average dura
tion of life in these foreign countries
is as follows: Norway. 50: England,
45; Belgium. 44; Switzerland , 44;
France. 43; Austria, 30; Germany, W;
Italy, 33; Bavaria. 38. and Spain, 32. "