WOMEN TAUGHT TO SPAR. It IfflnnrmTliclr llenltli, nnd Olvos Tlwa a Crncofttl Cnrrlnuo Tlio Xxcrctse Hccomliijj Very J'opulnr. Tlio credit of intcrostins: the fair sex of Urn city in nthlotio exorcises, says 3Tic X&v Tori: Mail aud Express, is ilua, wrilbont doubt, to Mr. William It. Trarera. and to no ono of tho.hcnlth- fririnr snorts aro tlio vomit: ladies of New York more devoted tiiau that of sparring. Several schools whero -women nrc daily taught the use of tho xnmt;-&arca flourish in this city nnd vicin ir. and physicians aro beginning to recommend tho oxcrciso as second only in importance to that of walking. Tlio prejudice against sparring conso qncutnpon tlio vulgar and inhuman practice of those who formerly repre sented the sport, aro gradually being bvoroomc ami a ono ou thusiaslic Jcnchcrof Ibo scioticn roinarkod, it is not at nil nnl kcly that the instruction of joun women in tho methods of lending trowa-counter, and uppi-r cuts -mil in the near future form an import tint part of tho curriculum of study pursued At orcry pnvalo and public school. I sidviso every young woman who necks my advice nowadays, who complains of dyspepsia, insomnia, or feeling of lassitude to try her hand at punching the bag, and find when they follow jd advicb thoy invariably im prove." "Tli b was a well-known phy sic an siaswcr to tho writer's ques tioning coaecrniiig tho matter, and ho further Touclisafed tlio information lhat for women incl.nod to-embonpoint nothing 'Jid thoin moro sorvico than a few niinnles' exorcise onco a day in a buuttriLh tho glove. Another opinion in support of the ef ficacy of ilws exoro flo comos from ono of tho leading uctrussos of tho day, who tfcui speak of sparring by la dies: "1I a lady engaged in theatrical or opsnUvc work could select but ono of the many aocoiuiili.shmuntH to which vreasu rlasa are devoted, I should re coramu'tid aparring. Tho stately car riage, willy Kit which nono of us can liop-j to Kuccocd, is made tho more easy by a knowledge of tho principles of boxing; ami it comes, too, without amy wjcuiinr: effort. Tho grace of mo tion Uialftoxno boliuvocomos onlv after baring spent days and wouks with tho foils or under tho tutelage of a dancing master in just as easily acquired by parrinv. and 1 think in a much less time. Our mast successful actors and nclmnvjE aro those that include among their other accomplishments that of tho pnuciploa of sull'-dofenso. Lantry, Modjcaka. Fanny Davunport, Mary An derson, and ithors aro all adopts in tho urU and I am glad to know that Ihoyoungwr monitions of tho profession aro licjrinaimr to dovolo some attention to tho tunlter. Sparring Is not a now exorciso for Aromcu. though up to tho present time it hns had hut few apostles hero. Hilly Kdwiurdj, tho well known pugilist, has for soino limo instructed Now York so c otr girl in tlio nrt, grown womanly, of clJ-liifense, and l'rof. 1'indluy and a Mins -Autonio have done like sorvico for voung ladicM ot I'hiladolphiu, while Kilty Clark for some time had a largo cliusi in Bmlon. To-day, however, tlio qaurt, crorciso, or pastime by whloh uvur uatun ono may bo pleased to call it. it not indulged in by society's fair daughter nlono, but tho shop-girls, women lvhositall day at a typo-writer, and orcn by women who aro mothers snd havo tlio duties and oaros of a home upon thoin. At a well-known dry goods palace in this city tho room given tip to its fomalo employes for luncheon purposes is transformed al altnost every day at tho noon hour into a bovin school, whoro tho girls moot in fricudly contest or spend a brief peri od in pounding u huge football. Such oxcrciso is rendered dilllcult and to soiiio extent undesirable by tho fact that tho young women tiro not properly dressed for tho sport. At tho regular school, howovor, a dross soniotiiing like a bathing suit is worn, which, to gether with canvas shoos with rubber soles, complete tho attiro. Tho gloves used nru the sumo as thono used by tho sturnirr mix. nod, while soiihi of ihom aro miniature feather pillows, others ivroHullieioutly hard to bring down an injunction from tho Law ami Order so ciety's pot ornament from the bench. lunionid oncountors aro tho exception rather than tho rule, nnd wheu indulg ed In nro usually between the teacher and pupils, and rarely between two pupils. A tightly-blown foot-ball, fast ened pendant from a hook in tho cell ing by a pioco of hemp ropo is general ly tho object of attack, nnd around this thu fair young girls daueo like so many Comauoho Indians, striking out first with tho loft, catching tho leather sphere squarely in the centnr, then ou tlio recoil ttonding It spinning again Willi & olovor uopor-out or a cross-counter, each timo (lucking so as toavo d a blow in tho faeo as it comes back to its original jm.sllion. Consequent upon gtho 'little uso to which lad usually nut their left hand, they experience considerable trouble in mastering some of tho feints, guards, nnd loads, but what they lack in this particular is largoly mudo up In tho r snpplcnosa of limb, and when onco the "olutinate left hand" becomes educat ed, tho points made by tho female sparrer are moro deft, clearer, nnd certain than those usually made by man. Tlio reverse guard and retreat, however, lutom to come natural to wo men; but their greatest trouble is in breathing. Ono minute's exero so will send a young lady to her comer pull ing aud blowing as if she had run a half-tu to, and it takes n long limo for tltora to learn how to breathe, Thu double guard la another, thing that omaerf almost instinct ivolyio women, bat fer all that thoy develop a'i a rule into "ruahors" and seldom deserve tho reputation of boaig cant otts sparrors. Om the whole, thoy am unthusiastio uud pentarcring and aro quick to no ipialBttbenwolros w.th pugil flt o points, mid best ol rill aro voryiIow to ongago in exlidiitloti. Thoy tuko to tho njtort for tho plu .sioal gooil It dous them nml for the development of mind mid miioli that itiiivimlily follow a i iri i uu.fcjr n conso uniJoiui and uitna 4i j .lutructor. ROMAN ARCHITECTURE. Skill Shown by Jlnnonn In tlio Cut- tine nnd I'ollslilnu of Mnrble. Mr. J. II. Middleton, M. A., Sladi professorof line art at Cambridge, deliv crcd his second lecture on nrchitccttin at the Hoyal acadomy tho other day taking for his subject "Methods o Decoration as Applied to Roman Build ing3." Sir Frederick Lclghton was it tho chair. Frof. Middleton began bj remarking that sinco tho early "feu did" poriod of Greece thoro was no agi of anything like equal splendor in tin decoration of houses until the early year, of tho Roman empire woro reached In tho most nourishing poriod of Grcel art, architectural splendor was devotee to sacred purposes, nnd tho samo was tho caso thoughout the republican pe nod of ancient Homo. Even as Into a. tho days of Julius Ciesar anything lik magnificence in a private house wa. viewed with extreme jealousy by tin Roman people. But lifty years Intel all was changed. Augustus encour aged the uso of marbles and tho erec tion of splendid buildings of even kind, and in his roign tho house of af most every rich citizen began to b decorated in tho most costly and clabo rato way. Tlio lecturor then proceed cd to speak of tho skill shown by tho Roman niasom in cutting . and polishing, nol only of slabs and columns, but of doll' cato moldings in tho very hard red por phyry of Egypt and tho green porphyry of Sparta, which a modern marble mason would declaro to ho unworkable. Tho skill of tho Romans In this work appeared to have been derived from the EirvDtians, bv whom tho tubular drill set witli ruby, corundum, or other hard stones, was in uso, as hau boon shown by Mr. Fctrio, as far back as 4,000 B.C., so that tho diamond rock-boring drills introduced of late years for mining anil othor operations were by no means a now thing. Marks ot such jowolcd drdls woro to bo soon on tho hard gran ites and pornhysles used in Koine, ana such refractory materials wero cut with comparative rapidity by saws set with similar jewels or li,ard stones into slabs of wonderful thinness and ovomiess. Tho Romans had always a strong incli nation to mako tho "groatost possible display at a givon cost, and voncors ol porphyry only onc-otgiitu oi an men m thickness wero otlon usou uy mom. jo known oxamplo of a Roman room ex isted with its marblo lining still com plete, but tho abundauco of broken fragments which woro ofton found, aid ed by tho print ot tho maroio lining on its cemont backing, holped us to mako out tho usual scheme of tho decoration, which, supposing tho marblo to havo covered tho whole wall, Bcomod to havo boon vory much like tho design of tho wood panollngs which woro used by Wren and hi pupils iu tho first half of the Ins! century. Thoro was a dado witii mold ed skirtings below it, tho lattor being f i om twelve to fourtuon inches high! while tho capping of tho dado was from threo to four foot nbovo tho lloor. At tho coiling lino thoro was a door cornice, and tho Intormoiliato wall space was d vided into panels. Mar bios of various colors woro used to stromrthon tho oflect of each lino and molding. Having described tin methods adopted for attaching the marblo linings to tho concrete- walls ol the buildings, tho lecturor described the design and exoeution of Roman mosaic work, and thou passed on to notice the stucco reliefs, which wore used for the decoration of walls and coilmsrs. The best of those reliefs, ho said, woro bv far tho most artistio among tho moth ods of decoration usod in ancionl Rome. Tho finest examples had roalli nothinir that was Roman in thoir do sign or troatmout, but wero roally pure UrooK work, such as wouiit not nave disgraced tho school of 1'raxitoles oi Scopas. Finally, tho lecture treated of tempera, fresco, and encaustic paint ing, as used at l'ompoii and olsowhoro. London Times. A Now Version. "Mother may I go out ami tobogl" "Vcs, my darling Ulnlre, Hunt up a heavy linrd wood log To hold down your Imlr," Whitehall Time. Finished It tit Lust. "What do you suppose my wlfo did yesterday P" asked u Lisbon stroot man of mysteries. "Don t know," was the replv; "perhaps sho got up and bull I tho tiro." "No, sir! But I'll toll yoi what sho did do. Sho finished i patchwork nullt ye storday that she bo gau forty yours ago this winter, when sho was it "little girl of four years. Tin sowing is in contrast, but not nion than would bo oxpoctod. V hat Is alsi strange, her mother started her t making it forty years ago and cut ou the squares for nor, mid her mollioi helped hor to draw it In yesterday," licioistm (Me.) journal. Tim C Iris in Bine. Tho young ladies of tho high school admiring tho miliary oxorclsos by the boys, have organ. zed a battalion of foui companies, nnd drills have roplaeoc calisthenics exercises. Tho uniform i a navy blue llauuol short skirt nm blouse, with a felt hat nnd scarlu feather, although tho headgear is no fully decided ou. The four companloi liavo boon thoroughly drilled in tin school of tho soldier and go tltrougl their fauiuirs like veterans. Thoy wd next try battalion movements, am meanwhile arises the question: Shal the battalion bo armed with woodei guns? Itoslon lludycl, A Cow.Ciitehor Wearing u Watch. In tho case of thu mangled remain recently found ou the front of ti For Win no locomotive, n verdict was rcn dored of killing on the railroad. Tin mnn's Identity is still undiscovered. I watuh of the victim of tho disaster wtt found on the cow-uutohor, still running U had boon thrown out of his pocko nml tho chain lind caught nnd wotiui around ono of the bars, holding It so uriily. Pitt slum Dispatch, IR BEECHER'S LAST SERMON. IT YAS DELIVERED AT PLYMOUTH CHURCH SUNDAY EVENING, FEB. 27. tie Talked of Resolution and the Necessity for Firmly Adhering to Certain Fixed Principles The Mooda that Govern Us Should bo Subordinated to Our Better Solves If "We Would Succeed Here and Hereafter. Mr. Ilccelicr's last Bermon was delivered In Plymouth Church Sunday night, Feb. 27. II. Wlinun reported it ns follow?, for The Sew York Woiltl: "And he said unto his disciples. There was . certain rich man which bad a servant, and the same as accused unto him. No ser vant can teivu two masters; for cither he will hate the one ami love the other, or else he will hold to the one and dcsplsu the other. You cannot serve God nnd Mammon." Text. I,iile, xvl. chap., iv. verse, the first clauEC! "I am resolved what to do" "I read In your hcaili'K this narrative, this parable of our Lord. The unjust steward has been accused, ami rightfully, of betraying his trust and uastlng that committed to lilm. Ills master called him to an account, and he was satnfled that tlie cud had come; and lie com muned with himself, acd as the result of that, and looking over all tho circumstances, he laid, "I am resolved what to do." "What he resolved to do whs not very hon est, hut it was very Bhrewd. He resolved to make friends of all the debtors of his lord. He called them up and settled with them In such & way as to lay them under obligations grati tude to Him. And so, although he and they cheated the master, he made his own nest warm and the master praibcd him not Jesus, but the man that owned the property Is the one. When he heard of lthesaldtohimsclf: "Well, that Is shrewd; that Is cunnlnir; that Is wise," and the comment on It Is: "Children of this world arc wiser than the children ot light; that Is to say, men who arc acting in worldly reasons, for worldly reasons, are very much wiser than the men becoming good trom the highest moral considerations. Hut that that they have selected is simply this: "I am resolv ed what to do." "What then Is the nature of a resolution what is the scope of It, the potency? And what are the drawbacksl The self-consideration of these questions may throw light upon the path of many of us. Now, our long effort of making up our mind Is equivalent to form hur a purpose. When a man resolves, he means, or he should mean, to do something; and all resolutions carry, or should carry, not simply tho end sought, but aUo the capable and necessary means by which tho end Is toilght. I am resolved to cross the river, by tlie'tirklge, by boat or by swimming. To stand on one side and to resolve to be on the other, without any intermediate means of doing It, would be folly Indeed. I am resolved to-morrow togo to market. All the Intermediate and Implied steps by which that resolution could be carried out lire Included lu the res olution Itself. A resolution is a purpose In so far as simple things, uucomxmuded, In eomplcx, are concerned. A retolutlon may bo executed immediately, without loss of time; Indeed, the greatest number of resolutions are those which like the stroke of the ham mer or the explosion of a gun, are almost with out auy appreciable lnterlapse of time. 'I am resolved what to do.' Natural resolutions: At the crv of fire the man Instantly looks out to sec what to do; at the call of a man to step to the door and see stranger or a friend ; ho retolves to do It; although thu resolution Is latent In such a scn$c by repetition, he is not conscious of making up his mind. "In regard to a great many of the acts of a man's lile, cerebration that Is to say, the action of tho brain has become so common that It takes place without any appreciable appearance of taking place. A multitude of things If one gets In a crowd, and a man would strike lilm, his defense Is not the result of reflection, and yet It was In him as a re sult of experience to protect himself; and, !f It bo n shadow, It Is just the same, for a shadow seems like a substance, and be puts himself lu a ludicrous attitude of defense: he smiles, and goes on, but tho action of the mind, the uucoucloiis cerebration, Is there. As, for In stance, in things that apply to the now, that nie uncompoiindcd and simple, a man resolves and executes almost at the same moment. The child calls from above, 'Father', and In cldently there Is no thought whether he shall or not answer, yet the train goes on within him, and he replies, '.My son, what!' Or the call has come to him for help, aud he In stantly, before the last echo of the sound dies out of his car, he Is on his feet, on his way. Hut these arc very simple things; they are tho primary forms, which afterwards becoming more and more complicated, runuiog through longer periods of time, imply a great many Intermediate steps. For a man can resolve that he will go to bed it doesn't take long either he resolves that to-morrow morning lie will get up and go 'cruising,' but to-morrow Is ilark and 6tormv, and tho resolution Is not hull so strong when ho wakes up as It was when he went to bed. There arc a great many considerations that come. Or the man resolves that to-morrow lie will go to market; neighbors come hi; ho waits; it Is noon, and then tune Is tot) little to go. 'And come again.' Aud ho puts It oil until next morning. So between the resolution and thu night for one takes hold upon the other thcro li a delay und the Intermediate history. "Now, as ou go on In this life, assoclety Itself becomes more complex civilization Is growth lu complexity as thu things that you resolve to door not to do are largely In their times, and are clustered together by cause and effect, resolutions spreading over solong spaces and so much interiucdiatl'Un Is some what different from the tlrst resolve. "Resolution, then, means a purpose, the will Itself; and It lucludes lu it, also, all hulls pcnalblu Intermediate steps; and some resolu tions execute themselves Immediately; some with some delay; some with long delay; some, through many subordinate resolutions, that carrv out Ute primary one. Aud a man may resolve at a critical moment that which will determine the whole character of his life: yea, ho mav determine In imr ono single, tlual mo ment 'that which will tako tho whole of hie life to carry luto effect. This Is tho case ot ten thousand men. Whcu my father was yours:, a hid (ho was brought up bv, substan tially, an uncle), he had In him all that was necessary to make him what he was In his professional life. Hut ho didn't It; ho was carrions; ho was heedless; ho was forgetful of tilings external; and so Uncle Lot lleutoa one morning, going out, found that being out late with the horses the nlcht before, visiting some youug company, tho bridle was placed over the water-trough and the saddle was thrown down behind the stable door, and the horses turned In without a halter, and ho said, 'Oh, well, Lvman will never make a farmer; he Is not tilted for IL' And so talking In the orchaid with lilm one day, he says: "Lymau, how would you like to go to college!" No answer. They went on working all day. Next day about the same hour, as thev were worklug together hi the orchard, Lymau says: 'I would like to go, sir.1 That settled it. In that be ginning was a purpose that shaped differently his whole life; It never gave out; It brauch td in every direction; he made what ho was; that was owing to tho parting; by not, ho would havo been a miserable farmer: ho made a tolably good mluUter and a tolerably good father. , , , "So, then, a man may form a resolution without noise, without parade, but that with lnihilte sequences lu IU development. It may Include in Itself a short proces nml an Inter mediate; It may Include in Ibelf a louger pro cess; It may Include lu Itself the whole scope of a man's life, aud tbrlce ten thousand reso lutions will be formed success vol v to carrv out the great primary resolution which a man makes. Thus, If a man Is to be a lawyer he u not going to be a blacksmith, nor u sailor, nor a soldier, so that there U the roolutlon of ex clusion; It turns him away fiom those tbtuus Inconsistent with tho tlret element. If he It to be a lawyer there must Ik) the question ot education, and a prof ess Ion al education, and all the conditions which aro prerequisite to tho presenting himself to the court aud hU license to plead and the beginning of praotlce. All of Uiote am wramvd un lu the tlrst de termination, 'I will lc a lawyer;' but that de termination don't make lilm one; It starts lilm on a long train of events that arc necesviry Ic makcblm a Iawer. And so In regard to morali ty, a young man mat stand on the thrcshhold of life; he may resolve that he will see the world; and the man that means to see every thing in the world will probably sec a good deal under the world, by aud by, that he wont care about seeing. A inan who resolves, on the other hand, 'I (relieve In honesty; it is the best principle' (but It Is better than nothing to say). That Is the best policy; It Is good poli cy; all good policy Is a principle; all good principles carry with them a policy. And a young man, he sat a, 'I am determined to he an honest and upright man;' that at once spreads to other men; he won't associate with certain ones, he will associate with certain others; he won't follow c rtaui things; he "111 seek other paths; the resolution sifts life for li I m out'of Its discipline, and another resolu tion Is a growing, crude thing. Now. there are a good many icoplc who don't seem ever to have a resolution: thev are like sleevs. a II their thoughts run through and arc wasted: there In a great difference about them: there are some men wlio;e thoughts are like thu ratchet wheel, the wlieel that has, notch by notch, to hold what It lia got; and there are a great many whose thoughts are like thistle downs that are going everywhere, nnd don't know that they are going everywhere, und arc subject to the mutations of the wind. There Is u great deal of difference need to be to wiu men to form resolutions, some times, of a strong nature and of a sterling strong purose; when once they have resolved never to illnch, they never know hi any hour a donnslidlug: they mav be less active at one time than another, but tney don't turn back. Once linvlntr put their hand to the plough they don't look back again. Hut then there arc those that have the same policy resolution, but they are made of different stuff; It slides away; they forget It; they are not stiff enough to stand up against the wind, It may be, that shall come uponthcci. "The general qualities of the resolutions which men make are of every grade; even a frail woman, walking In the boisterous March wind, may llnd that all the sail she carries she cannot make headway against It, and sup ports herself by a fence that Is stiff enough to hold her until the wind lulls. And as It Is in the community so It is In regard to the In dividuals there are so many persons who, left to themselves, waver; they do so some times from good reasons, sometimes from those not so good, sometimes tho purposes were formed in a moment of excitement and have nothing left of them when the excite ment cools. There Is Instability also arising from disability of oriraiilziitlon: that is to sav. a man mav be susceptible while one class of effects Is being produced, and In that mood he mav form a resolution, but to-morrow someother blessed, beautiful thing may come up, and he Is just as susceptible of that, and secondary state of mind obliterates the first. A man Is under the unfluence of music, aud all his purposes run under that power or In- fltienee, but, by and by, the outbreak of pol itics brings up patriotism, as it is called, and his moods change, and those early sensations at first arc no longer operative upon him; another powerful influence causes di pres slou. There arc many men who have such ancillary elements brought to bear upon their wills and upon their temperaments that thev arc almost persuaded to be Christians, and think they will be, but, going home in a liHrry, fall in with company, and the day fol lowing business Instincts und Interests. It Is like another scene that day. So that there is this chanecublcness In men. Then tho de crease of the power came from tho nature of the mind. There Is, however,, this Idea not to be neglected the distinction between the man's willing aud his wishing. A great many people think that a wish Is a resolution. Oh", it has gone Into a proverb, 'If wishes were horses then becgars might ride.' A man wishes he were ileli. but he Is too lazy, and he never will be; and man wishes that he knew more; probably never will; he Is lazy: a man wishes that ho could havo entrance into cer tain circles in society, but tho steps requslte he never will have patience or wisdom to take. Vou might just as well carry n candle aioiiud the Held aud think it is agriculture, because It Is light shining on crops. Thousands of people think thev wish to be Christians; they don't. That is tho Interpretation given much of the Instruction of Jesus. .Men came to him and said: 'Lord, wo will follow thee whither soever thou goest." 'No, you won't; you don't know that I am destined to suffering, poverty, persecution, death; you thiuk that I am going to bo a royal personage and shower honors and gold.' 'Ah,' sas one. 'I will fol low thee, but suffer me first.' Ah, there Is that if and 'but' in life. Ten thousand peo ple say, 'I would be a Christian If,' and that settles it. 'I want to be a Christian, but' yes, and that settles it again. And so Christ was surroumicu uy swarms ot persons, ioiiow lntr him around, wishiuir and wishing, with various degrees of excitability lu them, and he put them all on; lie would nave noining to uo with them. 'Let him take up his cross and follow me. whosoever wouhf be my disciples.' There Is something to do, something to prove, and to wisli. lucre is a great distinction ue tweeu wishing, then, and willing; for when a man wills the purpose carries with It the In strument to effect itself. You wish to be a Christian; do you will to be one! Your wish ing Is tatitallzatlou if will be accomplishment. "Now, Christian life is the only reasonable otic, whether you regard 1 1 as a duty or as a means of the greatest satlsfact ou; tout is to say, we were made to be Christians, and being a Christian Is simply putting yourself lu those, relations to yourself, to your" fellow-meu and to your God for which you were created. Did voii ever undertake to take apart a watch! That Is very easy. Did you ever undertake to nut It together" again! That Is not so easy. Vou don't know which screw goes In which hole; vou don't know exactly which wheel noes In first: but one thlnir is perfectly certalu. aud that Is that nothing else will lit together but that of which the watch was made, and each wheel was dlstmed to ono place and to one avocation, and If vou cau bring them to rri other, according to tlio Intent oi tiiemaucr, V. ...Ml .. ml nOinn.'lA If V,' 1 1 1 1W,I Villi' a man was bulit with a great deal more care ti, r n wntrii w. Hn 1ms definite rela- tlous to himself. A man was mado to live with men, and there Is only one way and one principle on which men can live together kindness, love. Justice means love; justice Is not something else; and we may bae a test; an example, a revelation In Jesus, In the Old Testament as well as the New, hut lu the New with clearer emphasis and linger light, seeing there how we have got to live towards our fel low men, what are the Interlacing relations and what are the predominant spirit lu which wo are to treat them. "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself." Self-love Is made tobe thu" very model and type of that affection which you are to give to all people. Then we know perfectly well that we are atliaoced to yet higher beings than man and to the Invisible compos as well as to the visible; and we cau not live when we are out of ioiut with any nt these relations In ourselves and to our neigh- ! liors and to our God. Now, I sav It Is reason- , able that wo snouiu endeavor to live alter tills type upon which wo were created. This Is reasonable. A great many men can, but, to the weak, Christianity Is nothing but priest craft, and It Is not reasonable for a man to be damned because he could not believe, and, es pecially, because he could not gulp aud swal low all the doirmas aud all tho forms. Hut that Is wide of tho mark, True Christianity I means living in those uiat ons for which wo were created harmonization of ourelv res, harmonization of our relations to our fellow men, hainiouizstlon of our relation to thu In visible future. And I say that It reasnuable; I sav more than that, that It has In It the Inherent, the greatest amount of happiness. For although, for temporary rea sons, a man may deler to his passions, taking the average and the whole life, bo loses rather thau he is tho loser uon,but sutlers then. A man mav think, because he runs through a dhslpated period aud tueu reforms, that the dissipation is all over. No, no. no; the causes sink uuder and ruu subterraueously, as it were; and there Is manr a man that has grum bled at forty live year of age from the mis conduct of twenty years. You know that thero aro the seventeen-year locusts; they lay their eggs, and those eg; lie Incubating la the ground for seventeen years; then thev hatch and come forth. A man mar by evil deeds lay the eggs that will hatch tweutv years after that, and as u geue-rsl truth 1 think It U demonstrable hy actual observation learning MIlll MTIUrillllld I nil lllu t Ituiii.l........ . . i. ''. "?iv"" u my neiguoor a a prohotn manlier bt sclf-coutrol. la that virtue, la mean to do with Owl; lliat liitniTriiv li tli.it l..f.. .... i. .... ... . ..... ..... j, ... "";i"ii ouiui is youu aner tueir iwssions the ubstauco of rallgkm iiself. It Is not i In mlddlH air afifirtlmir u learuluir vour catechism, ft U not your verses of faith, it Is not going througt ecclesiastical achievements. " Thou shalt lovi the Lord thy (J od ond thy nclghtor as thy self." Therefore toil must lilt wiursc.f, unc he that lifts bluif elf shows, not by partiallti towards the loner and worst features lu lilm "self, but towards his whole self the regent understanding, the moral power anil clement ntid splritunl In him. Now, when a man has this presented to him, and he Is urged to enter uxm n Christian life as the only honorable one. iliconivone mat lias uic gic.-ucsi satis faction lu It." the only one that earrles In It the Idea of dutv and cratltude towards (jod. how thoughtlessly men heed that. To-night ho-many are there of ion that say In thus looklnir over the sphere of life -life to come "I am resolved what to do." Hearing In mind what a resolution means and what It Includes, how mauv men can say to-night, "ies 1 am resolved what to do." Tlieie are very few ol you that would say, "I am resolved not to be a mrisllnti." loans n very nazaruous win;?, which verv few men care to resolve. .Men , mav sav. on the other hand. "1 hope some- ' time to be a Christian; I feel as II I would like to be one; I wish I was one; just as n lazy man wishes he had the produces of in dustry. Hut how many men are there here to night that can can say, "I am rcso.vcd what to do," "I am resolved what to do." "Are you then resolved at once to become a Christian J Can I be a Christian at once I In one sense, no; In another sense, cs. Nobody ever learned a trarie at a Plow, out lie can lie gin this day, no man ever became a scholar by a resolution, but he never can become one without a resolution; It Is a complex one and a constantly repeating one, ancillary resolu tlons uoholdlutr the main one. Are you re solved to be a Christian to this extent I a ill begin to-ulghti 'I urn resolved as far as I have ngnt aim as tar as l Know my way. i am lie termlncd, G'od knows I am determined, to square my life hcreafteron Christian principles. I am resolved to be a Christian man.' Now, this may include churches. I mav be a Roman Catholic and resolve It or a Protestant aud stay out of that church, and stay out of auy other church. This resolution doesn't mean I will be a Christian like to thU scheme or that schmc, according to this church or that church; It simply means In its simplest form, Its primary condition. 'I will regulate mv life. both inside and out,accordlng to the principles laid down for me by the Lord Jesus Christ.' Is not mat a very simple iningi nut wnai noes it carry with Hi It carries, in the first place, this: 'I will therefore beglu by excluding everything that I know will hinder this reso lution; from a consciously wicked way. I will becin as a part of the imminent ot tuts reso lution, I will stop.' That is the meaning of the repenlauce John began and Christ took up. J Hepeut, for the kingdom of heaven Is at hatid. that is to sav, I will get over every known wrong that is inconsistent with this purxse that I have formed; I am going to live as a Christian man, as a Christian woman; and if there be that which I know to be fundamental i ly wrong I shall carry out my resolution ' hy repenting or turning away from that. And men, hi uic nexL piuee, u reyuuiuou iu ut; a Christian applies Immediately; It is not that I will be a Christian next year, or by and by, or long time death, but it is going nu, bediming ut once to live, us far as I know how, righteous. Do you mean, then, to tako the steps that aro necessary Arc you ready to begin j our attempt to live a Christian life by saying In sincerity, 'God, show me the way; dive me thy helpf Are you willing! Not "to say your prayers; there are a great many prayers said; a great. many too few prayers that are felt and not true. Is there sincerity In you! I would to God that you have spirit ual refilling and the sustaining power of the whole spirit, that you have the certainty that he was working In me to will and to do his ;ood pleasure. Are you ready to begin your Christian life then by opening tho word of God and reading, not a chapter, nor a verse or two everyday, hut to make It the line of your counsel! "When any great combination, scheme, is being formed in New York any syndicate there Is always the lawyer, nnd thoy will never take a single step until they consult him, and he is about all t lie while; lie Is the man of the counsel; it is a complicated thing, and a great deal depends upon it, and they cannot afford to go wrong. Arc ou willing to take the New Testament as the line of your counsel i Sec what It says about lusts, about appetites, what It savs about crime and envy anil Jealousy and all 111 will and evil speaking and all selfishness lu Its grasping moods. Arc you willing to look through the New Testament to see what the law of the Lord is! Not by discussion. God will take care of his own defense and doesn't thank you for any help; nor has ho any occasion to thank anybody. Are you willing to take the Hlble just as the shipmaster takes the chart! When iio leaves the last shore light and takes bis dliection he never says, 'Head me a direction or two of the sailing directions, aud then road me the draughting Inside again and then again.' Tiiey have no relation at all to his course, to his actual sail ing; hut he is not going to read so many parts of' his chart aud of his sailing directions. Why. No; he lays out his voyage from the be ginning and every day he takes observations, and then he checks down ou the chart just where ho Is. At noon to-morrow he takes an other observation; not because there Is any need of reading his chart, hi reading any book on navigation; not because he Is studying as tronomy for the sake of anything that Is In astronomy. He lias got a definite purpose in life; after which he sells his astronomy, and after which he sells his books, or thoso which lay his course. Aro you willing to begin a Christian course aud voyage by going ti) the word of God to ascertain exactly what is ex pexeted of you, both what you are to reject and what you are to adopt! "That is sensible, that is right resolving, according to a practi cal basis aud resolution. Or, ou the other baud, are you, while you are weighing, that Is. In yourself, are you saying to yourself: 'My other people of "God got on the best way. i There Is rav father and mother. If there were ever any l uristians tney were sucn. 1 believe they were real Chrls'tlans.' Now, a man's mother Is Infinitely more to him than the Virgin -Mary Is to auy devout Catholic "You come Into the church because you find 1 sympa hy theie and k ndlv help there. Ar ou willing to take advantage of all thes Are 6 kindly helps, so that you may ho able to keep your purpose and yp.ur will! Arc von willlug to begin it now! lou don't need any more knowledge. You have been brought up iu Ciiristaln knowledge from the very cradle; you havo no bad associations; you have necessari ly none by the average, but what Christian life was and Christian duty, Is there there is not a uiHii here that ueeds'to have additional Instruction; he knows lhat ho Is bound to live obediently to God aud lu love with Jesus Christ, lint can a man come Into a state of emotion! Can u mau by simply sayiug I will, teell No: no; hut by i-aymi; 1 will" feel he can take the steps to feel. A man shivers and savs, 'Chills and fever arc not acrceable; I am determined to get over them,' Well, ou can not get over them by determining ft, but If you will take quinine enough you can. Now, let your purpose be not simply this, 'I am resolved to be a Christian,' but i am resolved so un ostentatiously. I am going to feel mayself for all the help 1 can and all tho Christian Insti tutions that aro necessary for my weal.' Now, that is practical, and that Is common sense as well as moral sense. Or are you going to say, 'Well, 1 will see about It' No, you won't; you know it. Aud that thing we have In our limes, w lieu a lot ti debtor, lie lias given a note for the sake of paxliur a debt but for the sake of gettlug rid of paying It they put It off for lour moutiis, ami tueu tney trlve anotu nothcr note. It is the irreenback biislues&ln which they nav one uote by civlng another. There are multi tudes of people that form a resolution for tlio sake of not fulfilling a duty, and a man says "Well, I have made up my mlud I am going to be a Christian as soon as I got ready.' When are you going to get ready t It bai clouded your conscience aud clouded your reason now hy promising to do that, by and by, when the convenient timo comes; und the devil will see to it that It never comes. It Is a resolution that simply means the feeling ot havmg done your duty. And I think the most scandalous meannesses and dishonor ablencss that cau very well be Imagined, when the parties concerned are regarded, Is that resolution that people form to be a Christian, when thev have wasted themselves In the ser vice of seltlshneks, and when they have come Into old age and he on their dnalli-bed. 1 should think my-elf verv moan If, In the sum mer time, 1 should gather a peck of pens and shell nut the peas, aud send the jkhIs over to , '1 tiat u wuav iiu-u they mean to hvo iu ; tuev mean 10 live uibltlou: they mcau to1ivnluollatruafiereii.se. aud before thnv die they mean to whip on the right side and get Into heaven When you come to examine1 such conduct In relations to men. thero Is not a avage that would not feci that was Infam-otis-to npav protection, divine bcowtle tlou, the ministration of God through' all the channels of ntnre arid tho kindness of God through Jesus Christ for the m nlstratlon of the gospel; aud the man' deliberately savs, we will seek all the money out of these things ond all the rest that Is In life, anil when we aro no longer use to ourselves we are going we will repent so as to get Into heaven. Two Dutch elders had been warm friends and yet ouc day they fell out with each other and the fire grevr Oercer until thev came positively to bate each other, and one Sunday morning the dominie going behind one of the elders heard lilm mut ter to himself, "Van Alstyne is a hypcrlt; he will go to hell, he will go to hel rhe old dominie spoke up to him and said: On, oh, mv brother, he won't go to bell." "ies. he will go to hell." "Well, but my dear fel low, he mav repent." "No-well, ho Is just mcau enough to do lu" Hut this It Is, cxn-did!- the condition In which some of you are. You mean to live hatefully, disobediently, dis honorably, and yet In the last estate you. mean to "whip up and get Into heaven you are "just mean enough to do It." "Now, on the other hand, pleased be God, he Is long suffering, and he Is patient, and as we would pay a debt, bv Installments, little by little, showing all the time that wo cudeavor to doit, he respects your endeavor to live, to repent and to live a Christian life, by Instal ments." "If you make up vour mind honestly to do It, he'will bear with your Incompetence and your Ignorance and your endearments; he will bear patleutly with you, and help you from day to day, and from month to mouth, and from year to year, 'growing brighter and and brighter unto the perfect day.' Is there any man here that cau say In regard to the past, I am resolved that I will cut loose from everything that has been a detriment to me, dishonorable to Godl Is there any man that will say In regard to the future, 'I am resolved what to do? 1 am resolved to take a higher life, the nobler Ideal; I am determined, by the help of God, that I will live in such a way that I should live. And if there Is, don't wait until to-morrow morning; read just your life to-ulght; go home and tell God of It; go home md tell your wife of It. That Is the very thing you don't dare to do because when a man has once committed himself he Is ashamed to go back; aud If you are ashamed to tell any bod v 'I have, made up my mlud to live like a Christian man.' It Is because you have not made un 'our mind. When a man has determined that he will live a Christian life he will be willing to show to nil that are around about him, 'I am going to try. I havo made un mv mind to try.' If you have mind jou will enter upon rour iournev. "The time Is past in which I have served the will of the flesh, aud now, to nltrht, I have determined that I will begin, with the help of God, to live a Christian life,' Aro there any of you that are willing to make that resolve! God help you. For a little niillc It will be a troublesome thing, for a little while, but then easier and easier, with cmuneratlon and exhilaration aud joy ana' iual victory." FINNED TO HIS SEAT. Dlscovertiijr n Itctnedy Aunlnnt Cock tails lletwecn tlio Acts. It is a very good story which a gen ivl friend of ours tells about a young man of his acquaintance, says The Bal- imorc American. The young man, it seems, is good looking, of a nice fam ily, and a good deal of a favorite with the ladies. Hut he is altogether too fond of a little rod liquor neatly trimmed with lemon and things amli served in cut glass s fond, indeed, ;hat some of the moro careful girls' nave of late fought shy of his escort :o places of amusement. One day last (veek ho invited a young lady to go and ieo "'1 he Harbor Light. She wanted ;o sco the play, and, tho truth is, rather iked iom wo will call the young oian Tom for short but she hesitated ibout accepting the invitation, Her friends adv sed her to decline, and' ivarned her that if sho accepted Tom tvould leave her alono a few minutes ifter every act while ho was out inter viewing the nearest barkeeper. "Oh no, ho woulden t do that," said ;ho young lady. "ies, but he would, tlio advisersi replied: "Ho took Em Johnson week before last, and went out threo times, ind came in chewing cloves and coffee, imlEmwas so mortified that she says"-- 'lint he wouldn t leave mo alone m ,ho theater, I know," tho young lady retorted conlidently; "and to provo it L tvill accept his invitation," Un the way to tlio tiieator lorn was. ill gallantry, and the curtain onco up ae was greatly interested iu the drama. But nt the end of tho lirst act ho made i brief apology to tho ollVet that ho wished to speak with a friend whom ho saw stauding in tho foyer, and rose to ;o. But ho didn't go. Somothing lecmcd to tako hold of his coat-tails md pull him back into his seaL Imag- iio poor iom's chagrin and surprise ivhen a second's investigation showed him that his fair compaii.on, who sat with such an innocent look in her orown eye's had pinned his coat to the upholstering of the seat w th a good. strong safety-pin. loin s lace felt as t it was on a broiler, anil a cold wave Dr two ran up ami down ins spmai ?olumn, but ho didn't say a word. Nor did ho leavo his scat until tho cur tain fell on the happy denouement in tho play. The end of tho llttlo drama in tho dross-circlo seats was equally igrceablo, for on their wav out To mi smil ugly confessed that the joko was on him and the reproof a mer.ted one. Ho also promised that if again given tho pleasure of escorting his charming companion to tho theater no safety-pins wotitu oe neciicu to Kcop mm in nor seat. "1 hope ho'H marrv that girl. "added our genial friend, "because f ho does ihe'll reform him and mako a man out af him as sure as guns." A Negro Melody. Doan' hurry me; I alii' tor blame; I has to tako my timo; Unless you tumbles to tho game An' tips mo with a d mo. I treated like it's mos' a sin Bokaso Ps brack; dat's strange! Still of I cannot chango mv skin I'll skin j-ou ob your change. Texas Sifti ngs. Tlio Extreme of Wretchedness. At the club Upon my soul, Dobson, rou u aro tho dismalest company i Know sinco that Brown girl gavo you tho nan. 1 never saw a fellow tako tho of con mitten so wretchedly. Wotchod! Haw! Wotchesl wa t a name faw it You can, aw. fawncoy wotched I am when I toll you u how mv. aw bweetches fit mo. Town Topics. aubject for a debating society-Which U raater evil, goring election! or hous A the tdcwinel WMUfiaU Time. -