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About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1890)
H TALMAGES SERMON. Hi PREACHES ON THE COWARDLY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. fha Brooklyn PMuo Gives Another ItI doneo of Bt Gonitis la tho Uhou Ho prowl tnm tho Book of Bala Th Imboi la foil ' Brooklyn, June 22. Dr. Talniage give another evidence of hi gcnlui In Hi sermon for today. The Book of Ruth has furnished the subject for many sermons, but they have natural )y been concerned with the central character of that beautiful story; It re mained for the popular Brooklyn di vine to find In the churuuter of the less conspicuous widow material for spirit nal lessons. His text li Ruth L 14: "And they luted up their voice and wept (gain: and Orpali kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave untohur." Fol lowing 1 the seruion: Moab was a heathen land. Naomi Is about to leave it and go Into the land of Bethlehem. Blie has two daughters-In-law, Ruth and Orpali, who conclude to go with her. Naomi tells them they had better not leave their native land and undertake the hardship of the Journoy, but they will not be persuaded. They all three start out on their Jour ney. After awhile Naomi, although the highly prized the company of hor two daughters-in-law, attempted again to persuade them to go back, because of the hardship and self denial through which they would be obliged to go. Ruth responds In the words from which I once discoursed to you: "En treat me not to leave thee; nor to re turn from following after thee, for where thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me and more also if aught but death part thee and me." Not so with her sister Orpah. Her determination had already been shaken.. The length and peril of the Journey begnn to appall her, and she lind worshiped the gods of Moab so long tliat it was hard to give them up. From that point Orpah turned back, the parting being de scribed In the words of my text: And they lifted up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed hor mothar-ln-law, but Ruth clave unto her. LK3SOX3 FK05I TUB flTOKT OF ORPAH. Loam from this story of Orpah that some of those who do not leave the Moab of their iniquities are persons of fine susceptibility. It was compassion for Naomi In her widowhood and Bor row that led Orpah to start with her toward Bethlehem. It was not because of any lack of affection for her that she turned back. We know this from the grief exhibited at parting. I do not know but that she bad as much warmth and ardor of nat ure as Ruth, but she lacked the courage and persistence of her sister. That there are many with as fine susceptibility as Orpah who will not take up their cross and follow Christ Is a truth which needs but little demonstration. Many of those who have become the followers of Jesus have but very little natural impressi bility. Grace often takes hold of the hardest heart and the most unlovely character and transforms it It Is a hammer that breaks rocks. In this Christ often shows his power. It wants but little generalship to con quer a flat country, but might of artil lery and heroism to take a fort manned and ready for raking cannonade. The great Captain of our salvation has forced his way Into many an armed castle. I doubt not that Christ could have found many a fisherman natural ly more noble hearted than Simon Pe ter, but there was no one by whose con version he could more gloriously have magnified his grace. The conversion of a score of Johns would not have Illustrated the power of the Holy Ghost as much as the conversion of one Peter. It would have been easier to drive twenty lambs like Jo!in into the fold than to tame one lion like Peter. God has often made some of his most efficient servants out of men naturally unimpressionable. As men take still and unwieldy timbers, and under huge handed machinery bend them Into the hulk of great ships, thus God has often shaped and bent into his ervice the most unwioldly natures, while those naturally Impressionable are still in their unchanged state. HOW MAST NEVER BECOME CHRISTIANS ! . Oh, how many like Orpah have warm affections and yet never become Chris tians! Like Orpah they know how to weep, but they do not know how to pray. Their fineness of feeling leads them Into the friendships of the world, but not Into communion with God. They can love everybody but him, who Is altogether lovely. All other sorrow rends their heart, but the." are un touched by the woes of a dying Christ Good news fills them with excitement, but the glad tidings of great joy and salvation stir not their souL Anxious to do what is right, yet they rob God. Grateful for the slightest favosa, they make no return to him who wrung out the last drop of blood from his heart to deliver them from going down to the pit They would weep at the door of a prison at the sight of a wicked captive In chains, but have no compassion for their own souls, over which Satan, like a grim Jailer, holds the lock and key. When repulsive, grasping, unsympa thetio natures resist the story of a Saviour's love it does not cicite our urprise; but it is among the greatest of wonders that so many who exhibit Orpah'i susceptibility also exhibit Or pah's impenitency. j We are not surprised that there U v - ,i- hut a stranee patroness id unn, - , thing Is it that sometimes the Rose oi j Sharon will not grow in a garden. On, a summer morning we are not surprised i to find a rock without any dew on it, but if going among a flock of hb'es we , saw in them no glittering drops " would say, "What foul sprite has been rohbing these vast r We not sur prised that Herod did not become a Christian, but how strange that Uie young man Jesus loved for his sweet- the Redeemer.' Hard hearth RJT. trembled, proud Nebuchadneuar re-' pented and cruel Manasseb turned unto t ie Lord; but many a nature, affec tionate and gentle, has fouKht success-1 fully against divine influences. Many ' "ove " 'used to come In the win dow of the a k, although finding no rest for the sole ( f her foot " wnV MAST START BUT Tt'RS BACK. Again, the history of Orpah impresses upon me the truth that there are many who make a good starting, but after I awhile change their minds and turn back. When these three mourners tart from their home In Moab there la as much probability that Orpah will reach Bethlehem as that hersitr Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi will ar rive there. But while these continue In the Journey they commenced Orpah after awhile gets discouraged and turns back. This is the history nf n,.n. . ouL Perhaps it was during a revival of religion they resolved upon a Chris tian life and made preparations to leave Moab. Before tliat they were Indiffer ent to the sanctuary; churches were necessary evils. The minister almost always preached poor sermons, because they had not the heart to hear them. They thought the bread was not good, because their appetite was poor. Re ligion did very well for Invalids and the aged, but they had no desire for It Suddenly a change came upon their ouL They found that something must be done. Every night there was a thorn In their pillow. There was gall In their wine. They found tliat thoir pleasures were only false lights of a wamp that rise out of decay and death. Losing their self control they were taitled by their own prayer, "God be merciful to me. a sinnor." They did not suspect it, but the Holy Ghost was In their souL Without thinking what they were doing they brushed the dust off the family Bible. The ground did not feel as Ann under them, nor did the air seem as bright They tried to dam back the flood of their emotions, but the attempt failed, and they confessed their anguish of soul before they meant to. The secret was out! Thoywanted to know wlutt they must do to be saved. THE 8TART FOR BETHLEHEM. With Ruth and Naomi weeping Or pah started for the land of Bethlehem. They longed for the Sabbath to come. Straight as an arrow to the mark the sennon struck them. They thought the minister must have heard of their ease and was preaching right at them. They thought the sermon was very short, nor did they once coil themselves up In their pew with their eyes shut and head averted with an air of unmoved dignity. They began to pray with an earnestness that astonished themselves and aston ished others. Shoving the plane, or writing up accounts, or walking the street when you might have thought their mind entirely upon the world, they were saying within themselves, "Oh, that I were a Christian 1" Orpali Is fully started on the road to Eethle hein. Christian friends observing the religious anxiety of the awakened soul say, "He must certainly be a Christian. There Is another soldier In Christ's ranks; another sick one has been cured of the leprosy." The observers turn their attention another way. They say, "Orpah is safe enough; she has gone to Bethlehem." Alas I Alas I Starting out for heav en is a very different thing from arriv ing there. Remember Lot's wife. She looked back with longing to the place from which she came and was destroy ed. Half way between Sodom and the city of Refuge that strange storm comes upon her, and its salt and brim stone gather on hor garments until they are so stiffened she cannot pro ceed, nor can she lie down because of this dreadful wrapping around her gar ments and limbs; and long after her life has gone she still stands there so covered up by the strange storm that she Is called a pillar of salt, as some sailor on ship's deck In the wintry tem pest stands covered witfi a mail of ice. Ten thousand times tea thousand men have been destroyed half way be tween Sodom and the city of Refuge. Orpah might as well never have started as afterward to turn back. Yet multi tudes have walked In her footsteps. Go among those the least Interested In sa cred things and you will find that they were once out of the land of Moab. Every one of them prayed right heart ily and studied their Bibles and fre quented the sanctuary, but Lot's wife looked back wistfully to Sodom and Orpah retreated from the company of Ruth and Naomi It Is an Impressive thought that after Orpah had gone so far as actually to look over Into the land of Bethlehem she turned back and died In Moab. TO TURK BACK MEANS TO STRUGGLE. Again, let our subject Impress upon us the truth that those who have once felt It their duty to leave their natural state cannot give up their duty and go back to hardness of heart without a strug gle. After Orpan naa uiorouguiy made up her mind to go back to the place from which she started she went through the sad scene of parting with Ruth and Naomi. My text says: "They lifted up their voice and wept" All, my hearer, it requires more decision mi perseverance to stay away from the kingdom of God than to enter It Although she did not know it Orpah passed through a greater struggle in turning back into the land of Moab than would have been necessary to take her clear through to Bethlehem. Suppose you that those persons who have remainea in ujcit - ( had no struggle! Why, they have been obliged to fight every Inch of their wuy The road to death is not uch ) easy traveling as some ministers have, been accustomed to describe It From beginning to end it is fighting against the sharp sword of the Spirit It is climbing over the cross. It Is wad ing through the deep blood of the Son of God. It Is scaling mountains of privilege. It is wading through lake of sorrow. It is breaking over com mUnlon tables and baptismal fonte and pulpits and Bibles. It U wedging one's self through between "wilful who sUud before E TpresTu. back and bold on to us by their prayers even after we have thm mwbsedtopg downward Ko man onirht fn tlilnC rf "ntv. aertaklng to go back Into Moab after taring eome within sight oi Bethlehem, unless he have a heart that oannot be made to quake, and a sure foot that will not slip among Infinite perils, and an arm that can drive back the Son of God, who stands In the center of the broad road spreading out his arms and shouting Into the ear of the thought less pUgrim, "8topl stopl" TBI KUTNBB'i BCRDK? HEAVIER THAN TUB CROSS. We talk about taking up the cross and following Jesus, but that cross is not half so heavy as the burden which the sinner carries. It is a very solemn thing to be a Cliristian, but it Is a more solemn thing not to be a Christian. There are multitudes who, afraid of the self denials of the Christian, rush Into the harder self denials of the un believer. No yoke but Christ's, how ever tight and galling 1 Orpah goes back to her Idolatries, but she re turns weeping; and all who follow her will find the same sorrows. Just In proportion as gospel advantages have been numerous will be the disturbance of the heart that will not come to Christ The Bible says In regard to the place where Christ was buried : "In the midst of the garden there was a sepulcher;" and In the midst of the most flowery enjoyments of the unpardoned there is a chilliness of death. Although they may pull out the arrows tliat strike their soul from the Almighty's quiver, there remain a sting and a smarting. If men wrench themselves away from Christ they will bear the mark of his hand by which he would have rescued them. The pleasures of the world may give temporary relief from the up braiding of conscience, but are like stupefying drugs tliat dull the pain only temporarily. Ahab has a great kingdom and you would tlilnk ho ought to be happy with his courtiers and chariots and palaces, yet he goes to bed sick because Nabotb will not sell him his vineyard. Hainan Is prime minister of the greatest nation In the world, and yet one poor man who will not bow the head makes him utterly miserable. Horod monopolizes the most of the world's honor, and yet Is tlirown into a rage because they say a little child Is born In Bethlehem who may after a while dispute las authority. Byron conquered the world with his pen and yet said that he felt more un happiness from the criticism of the most illiterate reader than he expert eneed pleasure from the praise of all the talented. A LESSON FROM SHENSTONE'S LIFE. In the last century In England lived the Immortal Shenstone. Portions of his life were given to the writing of poetry, but this was not evidently the field for which nature had equipped him. His name will aever be forgotten, because of the home which he adorned and beautified until there probably never has been so bright a spot since the Garden of Eden as what iia loved to call "The Leasowes." In addition to the marvels which nature had wrought he added the perfection of art Arbor and terrace and slope and rustic tem ple and reservoir and urn and fountain here had their crowning. Oak and yew and hazel put on their glory of verdure. What the greenness of deep grass and the foam of cascade and the glitter of still lake could give of beauty were added. No life was more diligent and no soul more Ingenious than those of Shenstone, and all that genius and diligence were directed to the adorn ment of that treasured spot What more could one want to make home happy T Yet there Is one man who sits sighing In those bowers, and casting gloomy looks upon those parks, and the mirth of leaping waterfalls makes no melody in his ear. It Is Shenstone, the owner of the Leasowes. "I have lost my road to happiness," says the despondent man. "I am angry and envious and dejocted and frantic, and disregard all present tilings, Just as It becomes a madman to da" My friends, there Is no solid happiness In anything but re ligion. I care not how bright a home Orpah has In Moab, when she turns away from duty she turns away from peace. Amid the bacchanalia of Bel shazzar's feast and the glitter of chul lees there always will come out a hand writing on the wall fearfully ominous. "Tekel" weighed In the balances and found wanting. When you can reup harvests off bare rocks, and gather balm out of nightshade, and make sun light sleep In the heart of sepulchers, and build a firm house on a rocking billow, then can an unpardoned soul And firm eniovmont amid its trans gressions. Then can Orpah go back to Moab without weeping. FAMILIES DIVIDED BT RELIGION. " Again, this subject teaches that a religious choice and the want of it fre quently divide families. Ruth and Orpah and Naomi were tenderly at tached. They were all widows, and their life had been consecrated by a baptism of tears. In the fire of trial their affections had been forged. To gether they were so pleasantly united you can hardly imagine them separated. Yet a fatal line is drawn dividing them from each other, perhaps forever. Naomi cannot live in a heathen coun try. She must go into Bethlehem, that there anions the pious she may worship the true God. Ruth makes a similar rhnltVL but OrrahTe lifted up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her." The history of this family of Ehroelecb Is ttie His tory cf many families of tin's day. How often it is tliat in a circle of rel atives, while they look alike, and walk alike and talk aliie there Is a tre mendous difference. Outwardly united In the aff actional relations of this life, they are separated in the most Im portant respects. Some now are the children of light and others the chil dren of darkness. These are alive in Christ and those are dead in sin, Ruth In the land of Bethlehem, Orpah In Moab. Of the same family are David and Solomon, worshipers of the most high God, and AdoMjah and Absalom, who live and die the enemies of all righteousness. Belonging to the same family was the holy and drroui Ell and the reckless Phlnese and'flophnL Jonathan Edwards, the good, and Plerrepont Edwards, the bad, belong to the same family. Aaron Burr, the dissolute, had a most excellent father. Dying yet Immortal hearer, by the solemnity of the parental and filial and conjugal relation, by the sacred ness of the family hearth, by the honor of the family name, by the memory of departed kindred, I point out this part ing of Ruth and Orpah, WHT PKOFLR REFUSE CHRIST. Again, this subject suggests tome two of the prominent reasons why peo ple refuse the kingdom of Christ There may have been many other reasons why Orpali left her sister and mother-in-law and went back home, but there were two reasons which I think were more prominent than tho rest She had been brought up In Idolatries. She loved the heathen gods which her ancestors had worshiped, and though these blocks of wood and stone could not hear, she thought they could bear, and though they could not see, she thought they could see, and though they could not feci, she thought they could feel. A new religion had been brought to her attention. She had married a godly man. She must often have heard hor mother-in-law talk of the God of Israel. She was so much shaken In hor original belief that she concluded to leave her Idolatries, but coming to the margin of the land of Bethlehem hor determina tion failed her and speedily she returned to her gods. This Is the very reason why multi tudes of persons never become Chris tiana. They cannot bear to give up their gods. Business Is the American Juggernaut tliat crushes more men than the great car of the Hindoos. To it they say their morning and evening prayers. A little of Christ's religion may creep Into the Sabbath, but Mon day, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the days do voted to this American IdoL Every hour there Is a sacrifice on the altar. Home duties, health of body, manly strength and immortal affections must all burn in this holocaust Men act as though they could take their bonds and mortgages and saw and trowels and axes and day books with Uieni Into the kingdom of heaven. There are many who have no unholy thirst for gold, yet who are devoting themselves to their worldly occupations with a ruinous Intensity. Men of the stock exchange, men of the yardstick, men of the saw, men of the trowel, men of the day book, what will become of you, if unforgiven, In the great day when there are no bouses to build, and no goods to sell, and no bargains to make? It is possible to devote one's self even to a lawful calling until It be comes sinful. There Is no excuse on the earth or under the earth for the neglect of .our deathless spirit Lydla was a seller of purple, yet she did not allow her extensive occupation to keep her from becoming a Christian. Daniel was secretary of state and attorney general in the empire of Babylon, and yet three times a day he found time to pray with his face toward Jerusalem. The man who has no time to attend to religion will have no time to enter heaven. ' THE WORSHIP OF MAMMON. But there are others who, while their worldly occupation has no particular fascination over them, are entirely ab sorbed In the gains tliat come to that occupation. This Is the worship of Mammon. The ring of dollars and cents is the only litany they ever utter. Though in the last day the earth itself will not be worth a farthing, a heap of ashes scattered In the whirlwind, they are now giving their time and eternity for the acquisition of so much of It as you might at last hold in the hollow of one hand. The American Indian who gave enough land to make a state out of for a string of beads made a princely bar gain compared with the speculation of that man who gains the whole world and loses his own souL How much comfort do the men take who died un forgiven ten years ago, leaving large fortunes to their heirs f Do they ever eome up to count the gold they hoard ed or walk through the mansions they built! Though they could have bought an empire, they have not now as much money as you have tills moment In your pocket Solomon looked upon his palace and the grounds surrounding it, pools rimmed with gold and circling roads along which at times rushed his fourteen hundred chariots, while under the outbranching sycamores and cedars walked the apes and peacocks which by the navy of Hiram had been brought from Tarshish, and from the window curtains with embroidered gold and purple through which came out the thrill of harps and psalteries min gling with the song of the waters. When Solomon saw that all these luxuries of sight and sound had been purchased by his wealth he broke forth In the exclamation, "Money answereth all things." But we cannot receive It as literal It cannot still the voice of conscience. It cannot drown the sor rows of the soul. It cannot put a bribe In the hand of death. It cannot unlock the gate of heaven. The towor of 81 loan fell and killed eighteen of its ad mirers, but tills idol, to whose worship the exchanges and banks and custom houses of the world have been dedi cated, will fall and crush to death its thousands. But I cannot enumerate tries to which men give them selves. They are kept by them from a religious life. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon," and the first thing that Christ does when he comes into the temple of the soul Is to drive out the exchangers. BO NOT TURN BACK BECAUSE OF DRXAD, But it was not only the gods of Moab that made Orpah leave her sister and mother-in-law. She doubtless had a dread of the hardship to which they would be exposed on the Journey to Bethlehem, and Orpah was not alone In the fear. Doubtless some of you have been appalled and driven back by ' the self-denials of the Christian Ufa The taunt of the world, the charge of ' hypocrisy which they would sometimes j be obliged to confront, has kept many away from the land of Bethlehem. They spend their life in counting the est; uad because a Cliristian life de mands to much eourage and fifith they dare not begin to build. Perhaps they are eourageous In every other respect. They are not timid In presence of any danger except that of trusting In the Infinite mercy of Christ The sheep are more afraid of the shep herd than of the wolvea They shrink away from the presence of Christ as though he were a tyrant rather than a friend who stieketh closer than a broth er. They feel more safe In the ranks of the enemy, where they must suffer Infinite defeat, than In the army of Christ, which shall be more than con- auerors through him that hath loved icm. Men shiver and tremble before religion as though they were command ed to throw their life away, as though It were a surrender of honor and man liness, and reason and self respect, and all that is worth keeping. WHT SHOULD GOD'S MERCTBK DOUBTKDl What has God ever done that bis mercy should be doubted 1 Was there ever a sorrow of his frailest child tliat he did not pity f Was there ever a soul that he left unhelped in the darkness I Was there ever a martyr that he did not strengthen In the flames? Was there ever a dying man to whose relief he did not come at the cry of "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit f" Aye, my soul, what has God done that to basely thou hast douBted hiut? Did he make the whole earth a desert t Are all the skies dark and storm swept! Is life all sickness! Is the air all plague t Are there nothing but rods and scorpions and furnaces 1 God knew how many suspicions and unbeliefs men would entertain in regard to him, and there fore, after nroklng a multitude of plain and precious promises, he places his hand on his own heart and swears by his own existence! "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure In the death of him that dieth." Why, then, fight against God! This day the battle rages. Thou art armed with thy this, thy ingratitude, thy neg lects and Christ is armed against thee, but his weapons are tears, are dying agonies, are calls to mercy, and the bat tle cry which he this day sends over thy soul as he rushes toward thee Is, "Save thee from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom." I would not envy thy victory, O hearer, If thou dost conquer, for what wilt thou do with the weapons thou hast snatched from the armed Redeemer, what with the tears, what with his dying agonies, what with his calls to mercy f Would God that Orpah would get tired of Moab I Would God that Orpah would go to Bethlehem I ABOUT CUT FLOWERS. Ho- Pt k Thom For TroumlMloa Through tho Molls, The pr-klng of flowers Is oae of those trivial concerns of every-day life whlob most people consider a very easy matter; but, to judgo by the appearance of some of the paokagos of flowers wblcb one re oelves, It would seem that, even In Uil simple matter, It Is possible to make mis takes. Of the numberless parcels of flowers wblob go through the post every day, few arrive at their destination In eveo (airly good condition, and who has not experienced tbe disappointment of finding Into what a collapsed state sum delightful present of flowors has fallen during Its not over-gentle Journey by post or rail? A case has been known ot specimen flowers sent to a show plied one upon another In an ordinary band box. Card board boxes should not be used on any account Wooden boxes are slightly heavier, but the extra post age is well laid out In the certainty that the parcel will not be orushed In transit, as so often happens to card board boxes. The boxes should not be more than Ave Inches In depth, except in the case of those employed for largor flowers, such as arums, when they may be a trifle deeper. From two and one-half to four Inches is the most useful depth. Shal low boxes su table for this purpose caa usually be obtained from any grocer fur a trifling sum. The box, before the flowers are put in, should be lined with a sheet of cotton wool and a sheet of tissue papor above, taking cars that It fits nicely Into the corners and the sides. Then tbe box is ready for tbe flowers, which should be placed row after row until there is a layer of flowers, fitting one into the other, all over the bottom of the box. A great mistake Is commonly made in putting more than one layer in a box. and in crowding tbe flowers one on the top of the other. This is quite fatal, and if packed In this manner tbey can never travel well. The rows must be as close together as possible, the flower besda of each row should lie on tbe stems of the row immediately preceding It, so that when the box is finished only flowors are to be seen, and none of tbe stems are visible. Tight packing Is much to be recommended; the parcels are rough ly bandied, and unless they are closely packed tbe flowers will shift to one end of the box. The flowers having been carefully arranged, another sheet of tissue paper should be placed over them, and enough cotton wool to fill up any space that may be left One layer of wool is generally enough. If tbe box bas a loose cover a nail should be put at each end to prevent the corner of tbe lid from slipping in on the flowers and crushing them. There is one point to be particularly observed. No flowers ought to be packed immediately after tbey are gathered, but tbey should be placed In water some hours beforehand. The reason of this is that the flowers D1HJ DftTt IIIUO MI lUUft up lumviru, water to last during tbe journey, iDat they may not flag so quickly. Queen. The whole secret ot the' Keely motor hu been exDlained by the Inventor himself. What can be more lucid tharrr the folio wins-: "There is a triple sym pathetic order of vibration diverting the positive and negative currents to one general polarized center; tins rota I rr action is continuous when sympa thetically associated with the polar 1 u mr t. O stream, new sura duu. Tbe uses of electricity extend. An electrio flatiron is one of the new things under the sun. The iron is hollow, and the wire passes Into the center and Is so arranged that when tbe electricity ie turned on tbe flat face of tbe iron is kept at an even degree of boat J out sufficient to do good work. It la one of the easiest thing In the world to get Into debt, but debt is one of the hardest masters to serve and eoe el the most dlffieult to NUMEROUS OCCUPATIONS. A Woitora VI mg Outdid All Competitors ad Tboa Didn't (Jot Through tho LUU A Kansas gentleman sends to The Companion a report of a conversation recently overheard In a shop where several western men were comparing notee on their different kinds of work. It soon came out tliat nearly every one present had been born hi the state of Vermont and "raised" on a farm. But after Kolng west they had all engaged In a variety of occtiiMitlous. One man said: "I went into real estate ; then sold out and tried clerking It on a Mississippi steambout ; then went Into the cattle business, and tired of It; packed up my goods and settled on a claim In Nebraska; quit thut, and went to Texas to do business In a feed store; from there I went on the road for a boot and shoe firm, and Just now I'm In the livery business." "That's nothing," said another. "I've been a school teacher, a post master, a preacher, a lawyer, a blooksiuitli, a notary public, a store keeper, a sheilff, a count? suiHriutendeut of schools, a cigar manufacturer and a farmer." There was silence till another man remarked tliat he had left the printed list of his accomplishments and occu pations at home, because It was too bulky to carry around, but If he re membered rlk'ht the list began with a oollege president and endod with mem ber of the legisluturo. At tills point two or three men re marked that It was getting rather close In the store; they guessed they would go home, and they went out Another man edged up to tho door and said in a bur tone that he thought his expe rience would beat tho lot for variety. Some one asked htm to tell it and he said: "I bwran life as a baby. From that I grew into a boy. While I was a boy I went to school, clerked It In a drug store, worked on a farm, had my arm i ..i i.. ..... ...in uroaen in iwu iutiia m a w tun,, taught the district school one term and sung in the village choir. "When I grow up I sen-oil as appren tice to a tailor hi Boston, but at the end of six months I ran away to sea, and went around the world three times. At the end of my lost voyage I bought a ticket for Texas, and went onto a ranch where I stayed two years. I then had an offer to edit The Weekly Blh lard, and bold the position Just one week, when the government offered me a place as Indian agent "After serving a year at that I wont into the minimi business lu Colorado, and made two hundred thousand dol lars in six months. I went to San Francisco and invested my fortune In real estate. The Investment was un fortunate, for In less than a month I lost every cent of It, and was obliged to seek work as a day laborer on a rail road. "I worked up from brukeman to en gineer, and then In a collision I broke my leg and had to go Ua hospital While there I studied medicine, and when I got out I took to practicing, and was quite successful until I treated a smallpox patlunt for erysipelas. Then 1 decided to go to preaching, and got on well at It for several months. But the pay was not very regular, and 1 quit to go Into a dentist's olllce and" It was very qtilot hi the store, and the man who had had such a variod ex perience said softly t "Good night, gen tlemen," and went out He was the wag of the town, though the strangers did not know it; but his story was a good comment on the number of occu pations that some western men try. Youth's Companion. Tho Chair Touh a Notion to BtrolL The action- of a chair which formed part of a display of. furniture on a cor nor in one of the important cross town streets caused no little wonderment one windy afternoon not long ago. The pavement in front of the store is smooth, and slopes to the gutter at a considerable angle. This choir, which had a solid bock, stood right on the oomer, and the wind, blowing squarely against it, caused it to slide gently to ward the gutter. Tho wind blew stead ily, with Just sufficient strength to move the chair at a slow pace. The persons who happened to be looking out of neighboring windows or of passing street cars or carriuges, and therefore did not feel the wind, could not Imagine what had oome over the chair, that it should thus gravely and sedately leave its fellows. Even those who were on the sidewalk, for the most part, never thought tliat the wind could be the cause ot the phe nomenon. A policeman across the way made up his mind tliat some thief had tied a thin wire to the chair, and was dragging it where he could put It into a wagon and drive off with it The offi cer started toward the chair, and Just then a clerk who had happened to see the runaway dashed out of the furniture tore, recaptured the fleeing object and tied It to a big sofa. It took the police man some tune to understand the caue of the chair's pranks. New York Trib- It Was Too KatornL A boy at Niagara Falls learned to hoot like an owl, so as to give signals when he got out to the Indian country. He hooted In the back yard of a citizen to see if his Intonation was a go, and the man came out and fired a shot which peppered him all ovor and almost eaused ius death. Detroit t ree rress. CaM Knoagh. Country Swain (timidly) Would yo be mad if I asked you to be my wife! City Girl (briskly ) Not at all ; but I'd be toad If I (aid "yes." Puck. A New England journal thinks that if milk must be sold under regulations for quality the rule should apply to other products as well. There sre hundreds of tons of Inff rior fruit and vegetables sold that need inspection. Every time piece of land is cleared of its timber a large amount of potash is carried awav in the timber removed. It is a serious lorn of that substance, snd the land should be well dressed with sshes or some other kind of potash com pound. Land can be exhausted of its mineral matter by the production of trees for cord wood and lumber as by other crops. ONE OPIUM EATER CURED. Bat It Took a Term In flag ling sod F'.ntllrM Agony to Do It. A confirmed opium smoker was re cently asLoJ whether ho ever know a person who hud been cured of the Lubit "Only once," ho replied, " and then it wasn't a voluntary cure by any means. ITo wus a man about S3 years old, who had been a slave to the habit for fifteen years. He was so given up to it thut his business went to smash, and he used to resort to all manner of things in order to p t money to pur chase a 'shell.' lie used to crave eight shells or $3 worth of opium a duy, and 1 linvo frequently met him in a joint thut was run by two tough Uhinumcn in Marion street, offering to roll for smokers in order toshure their opium. Otio Uuy ho hud been with out a sinoko for uboul seven hours, and ho became so desperate that ho tried to rob tho till in a grocery store. Ho was detected and arrested. Ho got word down to tho joint telling of his misfortuno, and begging for God's sake that some body woiilifsend him some opium. I bought soino dry opium pills and got them in to him uftcr a deal of trouble. Tho next day 1 cilled on him and a more niisciufde wretch 1 uoversaw. IIo was suffering tho tortures of hclL Ho wus doubled up with cramps in his stomach, and the inevitable pain be tween the shoulders, which feels as though somebody was driving spikes into your llcsh, was rucking him. These tortures were joined to severe fiainsinall tlio joints, as though the imbe were decaying and would soon drop off. IIo hud been without opium so long that ho was fairly furnishing, and tho small quantity of the drug I bad been ublo to send was disposed of in short order. " 'There isn't a uisto of it left,' he Soiled to mo m I entered his coll in 10 Tombs. Then ho rolled his tongue around as though searching for any mail particles thut might be hidden away tn a tooth. I gave htm tho pills I had brought IIo seized them like a starving man would seizo a crust of bread. IIo placed two of them in his mouth and rolled them around until they had dissolved, and then washed thorn down with a mouthful of water. In a fow minutes ho wus lying on his cot as placid and huppy as a healthy buby. 1 kept him supplied with opium until ho was tried and sentenced. I managed to slip a fow of them into his hand as lio was on his war to Sing Bing. I heard no more of him ana forgot all about him until one day, on Broadway, several years luter, a stal wart rosy checked follow shipped me on the shoulder and heartily shook me by tho hand. I wus nearly sur prised into a lit when he expluined that ho wus tho opium fiend of a few years ago. Ho said that when he got to tiing Sing tho habit was on him very strong. The pills I had given him had crumbled to dust in his pocket, and had become so mixed up with a lot of other stuff that ho could not uso them. IIo was in a raging torment that night and cried for tho drug. Tho keepers found him, and tho prison physician, who was called, fortunutely diagnosed the case correctly. U wasu't much credit to him, however, for every feature of the man's face and every motion of his body almost proclaimed him an opium fiend. He was removed to the hospital, and the physician was kind enough to get interested in the case. He braced him up with hypndermio injoctions of morphine every liino the craving came on, and by a liberal use of this drug finally wore away tho desire for the other. Of cotirso this treatment cre ated tho niorphino luibit, but this was more readily cured, and my friend soon lost all desire for drugs of any kind, and is a prosMrous, happy man today. If ho hud not been arrested he would certainly have gone the way of all the (lends, and have ended his life himself, or died miserably in some bole. Ho tried to reason the case with me in hopes that 1 would surrender the drug and endure the agonies that such a privation would produce for the pleasureattcnding the feeling that I was no longer a slave to it 1 have heard all of thoso arguments a thou sand times, and frequently 1 have luin in a joint with another smoker, and we havo both sworn oil", and the very next day we would both be in the same pluceugain. I am getting worso evory yeur. The habit is growing more expensive, and tho longer I am at it tho less disoscd do I feel for work of auy kiud. My memory is failing mo uow, and I am already pretty well along on tho downward roadL I'll go a littlo further down, and then good-by to everything." Now York bun. A nahjr Horn with Tooth. George Baker, a restaurant keeper, living at ICS 1'urk aveuue and doing business at 33 Madison street, is the Eroud possessor of a baby girl who was orn with a set of teeth. When littlo Julia Orine Buker arrived in town a day or two ago, very red, very bald and weighing six and a quarter pounds, she horrified tho nurso and astounded Dr. Phillips, the family physician, by exhibiting an upper row of liz white frout teeth and fourpcr fcctoncBon her lowor gums. They were almost fully developed and were bard enough to use on the toughest beefsteak in existence. It might bo thought that the little Btranger would develop accomplishments in keeping with the early growth of teeth and tort out. walk, talk, sit up at the table, and perform ever so many clover acts, and her fond father doubtless gleefully imagined that she would do something of the kind to sort of keep up the record, but she did none of these. 1 6ho can bite, though, and that, too, ' good and hard, as her father can tes tify, she having got bis little Unger in her mouth aim made him dance. However, the little one shows remark able signs of physical vigor, and at present she cuts bread sopped in milk and little particles of tenderly cooked chicken, a feat which is said to be un precedented in the annals of medical icieace. Chicago Special I o not plan t corn on the same lunde that you grew a crop upon lant year. A rota tion of crops Is best. When the location (or corn in chnnged every yenr there is lees liability of nttuck from rust, and the soil is not compelled to perform the same duty twice in Biiccwxion. It is a pleasure with those who live on the suburbs of towns and cities to keep a few hens. A small flock will co?t but little, as the scraps from the table and any waste material will proviile a luro share of the food. It in claimed that as many es are produced in suburban sections as on the (arms. I of umxwr should omb