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CURRENT TOPICS. A German scientist, Dr. Bail Konig, + has lately undertaken to prove. that in highly civilized countries man has 'abused his constitutional strength" and carat i$ more susceptible to dis- epse than he was in earlier times, There i+ obviously 'something to be said for this averment, but considered as a whole the 'facts do nat bear it out. It #' unquestionably true that as civiliz- ation advances human life becomes more complex, and the pressure upon a man's physical resources tends to be- rome more intense, It is also true that, certain forms of disease, such, for ex- ample, as cancer and heart weakn®ss, appear to be more prevalent than they were a century ago--we say "appear," because only in a comparatively recent period have the statistics of mortality and ils causes been trustworthy and exhaustive, Neither can il be denied that by our sanitary the multiplication of hospitals and sani- taria, the demonstration of the gern origin of disease, the discovery ol anti- toxins and specifics and the development of anliseptic surgery we have sensibly checked the natural process of elimina- tion which brings about the survival of the fittest and the extinction of human beings unable to transmit physical vig- ©* fo their offspring. Dr. Konig like wise thinks that he discerns marked de- tevioralion in the human stomach, ow- ing to what ho alleges to be the present swift decay and loss of the teeth. Much of this may be admitted, but there is preponderant evidence on the other side. If it were a fact thal in highly civilized . countries man is de generating we should undoubtedly ob- serve two things, namely, a diminish- ing birth rate and a progressive shorl- ening of the average human life. If we take a broad view of the matter we find the contrary to be the case. In Franch it must be acknowledged the birth rate has declined so notably that the popu- lation remains almost stationary (rom one decade to anolher. Against this phenomenon must be set the signally reduced death rate, the result being that the ability to outlive the Scriptural three soore years and ten, and even to sur- vive for a century, is much more fre- quently exhibited in France to-day than it was four generations ago. Then, again, Germany, where there is less il- literacy and avhere culture is more widely diffused than it is in the French Republic, has at once a high birth rate and a low death rate. As for the sup- posed injurious influence of the decay and loss of teéth on the stomach, it is notorious that the extraordinary devel- opment of the art.of dentistry in the last balf century and the studious care of teeth now inculcated and almost uni- versally practised by highly clvilized peoples have brought about an aston- ishing change. We scarcely ever sce now in men and women under age mouths disfigured by the loss or decay ol teeth! whereas this was a common sight up to fifly Yeurs ago. The official records of Geneva, which have been kept carefully for a long period, prove that the average duration of human life is materially greater than it was a hundred and fifty or a huhdred years ago. Nol only the average length of human existence but the retention of physical and intellectual "vigor, or what is called the prime of life, tends to be prolonged. The age limit of use fulness has in practice been pushed for- ward, The [ruilful activity of men over sixty and even seventy years of age is a phenomenon far more frequent- ly observed to-day than it was a hun- dred years ngo. Napoleon's career was over at forly-six; Von Moltke's can pearcely be said to have begun, so far as great achievements were concerned, i'l he was nearly seventy. What is true of war is true of diplomacy, of law, ol medicine, of every field of work in which mental and physical energy is ww "indispensable. When, in a word, we|R0 ; examine impartially all the data, weigh-| ing accurately all the evidence pro and © ocn, we seem justified in taking an op- timistic rather than Dr. Konig's pessi.|19 mistic view of the effect of civilization fea on the bodily 'well being and longevity | improvements7] Contrast Others' Trotbles ad. You Feel Ashamed of Your Own Compls a Why art thou cast down, Oh hy soul; and why art thou disquiet within nie?--Psalms xiii. 16. Perhaps Davil's despondency was én- gendered by the ingratitude and rebel lion of his son, dissatisfaction with 'his own life, remorse for his sins. He had cause aplenty for being "cast down. And so with most of us, if we be hon- esl with ourselves the cause of our de- pression of spirit will be found in our own acts. We have refused fo live in harmony with the laws of our physical, mental and moral well keing. An exhausted body, an overworked brain, a guilly oonscicnce are the answers to the hours oi gloom that so unaccounlably steal upon us. And yet {he seasons of de- jection that occaisonally dominate the bravest spirit are not always a sign that we have sinned or displeased God. They may spring oul of the inevitable circumstances of life; trying "relation ships, the narrow, monotonous routine of work, for which we are not respon | sible and from which we seek to escape in vain. But whatever the cause we cannot entertain or indulge gloomy thoughls. DESPONDENCY IS BAD. Nothing is so bad for man--body, mind, soul--as despondency. It clouds the intellect, dampens the ardor of lite, saps the will power, It will put cok ored glasses on his eyes; everything will be seen diswurted, Molehills will ba magnified into mountains. Man can yleld himself to moods of depression till the vitality, the joy and beauty of h'e are gone and he unfitted for -its duties. He can live in shadow and darkness until he becomes unable to see the rainbow in the clouds and for- gets that the sun still shines above them. "Why art thou cast down?" We must assert our intelligence and will power, seek to forget ourselves; think of the condition of others. Go on the street and see the aged washerwoman bend- Ing over her load, the cripple hobbling toward the passer-by fo ask an atm, the thin, fear-haunted faces of half: starved children; think of the hundreds of\incurable shut-ins, the hospitals over- flowirig with the sick and matmed and THE SUNDAY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON, "MAY 24. Lesson VII. Jesus' Death and Burial. Golden Text, 1. Cor. 15. 3. THE LESSON WORD STUDIES. (Based on the lext of the Revised Version.) Sequence of Evenis,--The betrayal and arrest of Jesus took place in the garden some time between midnight and dawn (Matt. 26. 47-56, and parralel passages). Then followed the {rial be- fore the Jewish authorities, Annas, Cai- phas, and the Sanhedrin (John 18. 12- Matt. 26. 57--27. 10, and parralle! passages), with the acoompanying inci- dents of Peter's denial and the repent- anoe and schedule of Judas. It was still early morning when the chief priests and the elders and scribes with the whole council "bound Jesus, and car- ried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate" (Mark 15. 1). John-does not record the fact that Pilate before de- livering Jesus to be crucified sent him a prisoner to Herod Antipas, yyhose jur- isdiction extended over ~ Galilee and Perea, where Jesus had t the greater part of his life. Herod was in Jerusalem al this time, and Was glad ol the opportunity of seeing-Jesusi ¢ whom he had heard much. disappointed, however, since Jesus ab- solutely refused to converse with him, with the result that hoth Herod and his subordinates mocked and ill treated him before sending him back to Pilate (Luke £3. 5-16). Another incident omitted from John's narralive is the warning of Pi- late's wife to her husband to have "no- thing to do -with tial righteous man" | (Mati. 27. 19). Both of these events pre- cede Pilates final preseuiation 10 the] Jews, and also the cruel mockery and scourging at the hands of the band 'of man soldiers inside' the {John ». oh Matt, 27. -- re total. rnc fous od Jab able, ie closing scene Shou 'Lord's trie core Pilate. (John | He was, | which would soem J} lwo: were to be: identified, thus maki benighted, the thobedida wh tramp.the n i sircets looking for work; read papers of the disasters by fire and accident that blast homes, hearts and cast thousands mercy 'of the world, and contrast with the condition: brook néighbor Fou y will feel non of ur : own complainings, But we must not only look Upon: the woes of others; we must seek actively. to lessen them, so far as Leth in us, if] we would escape our own. I we ¢an do nothing else we can cultivate THE HABIT OF HOPEFULNESS. We can follow the good example of the man who, when assaulled by the blue devil, "sought occasion to speak cheer- fully to some one who looked as gloomy ay he felt. A pleasant face, a sympa- thetic word, a hopeful prophecy may do more good than a - hundred sermons about 'heaven. No higher' conipliment |, can be-paid one than to speak of him 83 good-humored and good-natured, for these qualities usually spring from a healthy boay,. a healthy mind' and al healthy soul. "Laugh, and the world laughs with you"; weep, and you not only. do not weep 'alone, but you cause others. to weep; 50 woe begets woe just as joy- ousness begels joyousness. ot is more difficult to maintain a bright spirit than tc say bright things, and much, _more commendable. Then drive away gloom with gladness. Many a man has laughed himsel into health, into friends, into success and into heaven. Finally, "Hope in God.™ But it won't do any good lo pray and wail your com- plaints to the Eternal until you. have done all in your power to overcome the cause of your despondency. - If 'the cause is overfeeding, lack of pure air sand exercise; exhausted body or mind, remorse of soul, reformation of habits must come before e prayer. It we live soberly, keep a good conscience toward God and man, the spirit of gloom will take its flight, life will seem 'worth while and -we will have entered 'the kingdom of goodness. REV. GUY A. JAMIESON. 19. Wrote a title--in the SeNS8 of "caused to be written." Jesus of Nazareth, the King of "thé Jews--According to Matthew (27 37): "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews"; according to Mark (15. = Tas he King ol the vs" ; according to Lule (23. 38) "This {s the King of the Peo John having been an eyewitness, probably has preserved to us the exact wording of the title, the other evangelists giva ing only ils substance. 20. In Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek--Hebrew was the language of the temple, and the sacred ceremonial of the Jewish religion," Latin was. the} tongue. of the Roman=.conquerors, at this UUme in "possession of Palestine, while Greek was the language of the classic Gentile literature of the period. Meanwhile the common speech of thé street and of commerce was none of these in ils purity, but the so-called Aramaic;which was a modification or} volruplion of classical Greek. 00k his garments--And those also of the two men crucified with him. This was the recognized right of the scldiers entrusted with an execution. Coal--Or, "tunic," an' under garment reaching from the neck to the knees, or, possibly, as sometimes, to the ankles. LA Scripture Compare Psa. 2. 18: nil part my. garnients among the Ang Spo = vesiure do they cast ots," ; 25, His mother, and his mother's sis- ter, 'Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Maj lene--Lit., "his mother and his mother's sister Mary the (wife) of Clo- pas and Mary the Magdalene." = Wo note, first, that the. w8rd "wife," as the] italics in the text and the parentheses fu our literal rendering of the passage indicate, is in the-Greek left'to be sup- a plied; and that in the original rendering | there are no marks of punctuation. We | A note Blso pe, no Sohjunction oceurs | he phrase, "his mother's sis: ' between. ter," py the. lllowng mun, "Mary, to indicate (hat the 'the number of the women menti 'three. Ruther than' four, as some. com. | "thi It'is a 7-15), . including the mention of the | came over Pilate of man. As for fhe increased ability] Jew of 'highly civilized man to withstand the allacks of disease, this will be evilent when we recall the devastation wrou bo day. FROM ERIN'S Sai sie PL NEWS BY MALL enon MEANS ate Bopponings In the Bmersid Ise of Anterest to trish- men, It is proposed to sort an agricultucal school in north-east Ulster. Harland & Wolll, of Belfast, will build two- 1,600 foot steamers for the, White Star line, The annual concert in aid of the Bel- last Masonic charities, "held recently, was a great success. Twenly nalions have agreed to sup- Ply separate trade returns. of heir ¢ com- merce. with Irish ports, Sir Henry A. Blake, G. C. M. G.. ex- Colonial Governor, has been sworn in as a magistrate for the county Cork: Mr. Robert Hill Baillie, a well-known resident of Larne, fell down stairs, diy locating his neck, and dying "instantly, A total of 90,082 emigrants left fre-{ land last year, . Since 1851, 4,108,015 Jrish men-and women tive left the is- wi body of Huh 'MoAllister. was found ina quarry. near.Glenafm, where} tic 'he had ' gone to get. stones" for farm buildings. Francis J.-Dufly, Boho; has 'been ap- pointed - master of Enniskillen work- house. Thére were fine candidates dor the position, Dr. Pierce Hayes, ol Thurles, died suddenly. during the night at Callan, Co Rillihurys He 'had recently inheril- ed $100, ,000. Owen Hughes, of Killyneal, has been appointed, on the recommendation of Lord Rossmore, a magistrate for the County Monaghan, t In' Roscommon, 55.000 acres of un- tenanted land are being offered: for sale .by landlords as the result of the cattle driving crusade, Twenty cocks of hay, owned by Jas: Elair, Tinnock, County Wexford, ware burned to ashes recently. 'The origin ol the fire is unknown. . A: rigorous boyoott has been institut ooh people : Musselburgh are : the advisshili of h Bideting. ty spprosch, orca, publie Tho burn rough Ls 'Mend. ows, near Edinburgh; fs ighen be covered Jat 0 in" al a oost of $14,000. The Earl 0 Moray is to pay the half. During the past .year 804 cases 'of EE ta a ara ) a) an ro have: been disinlected. Campbellown thieves go in fo r pal. | ihe ranizing local industries. Considerable thelts of whiskey and kip, herring | is have boen carried out recent! It is proposed to establish a municipal workshop 16% women in = Glasgo where tailoring and makin clothing for the Jrorkets al colony may. be engaged in. Moffat Town Council {Kirkoubbr shire) is to piace a double row of trees along the High street, which 1s] 58d, to be. the widest thoroughtare .! any. burgh "in Scotland. Recently 'a fox _lerrier "belong Mr, Conocher, 'Newlands, was stu a fax holo§for six-da lied to. exiricato i the worse for its. trying ag ~ /Mole-catcling first became a , accupation in the Solway ated apout ly 11) years ago. 'The original mole catch: | ers were Englishmen, who were brought] = ply their calling on the lands of the} hen Duke of Bucoleuch. ; CHURN CREAM SWEET AS POSSIBLE] t have come to the conc the shorter the fime elapsecs the. milking of tho cow, and facture of bulter, the: better wil quality of the butter," What w. an acquired taste, vor is fat wipes 'Her ~s milk comes so-calted ripen thing for which we unnatural taste, and I same Class as. smokin ing whiskey, and all « in Carte on Susanol against peo-t.sehich the animal man has have (¥ken unitena lands "the to Whyte estate, i ¥ Bamund Roblinis, man, ol the 10 t Press -Assotlation, ager of Shel 2 2 lebrated his Journalistic ~ jubtice, "efev > 7 EY en oN hy. ats ovement «and ing. rbor, in order. lo. permi "ot entrance of Atlantic liner&ds under discussion. The proposed estimate. is' $497,500. - The Duke of Leinster has. presented several handsome contributions' to he La 'clergy of Athy for distribution: 'amongs the ot nn. Sommemoration of his com "The Buller wiiich » br the labor dic of en I aa 4 1 see i] inion fs Seneral, ab i pone --Suteres a 2 anndice, uo present, usually have a ¢ he, and sometim tie 'its "natural "color, and 'with will disappear the itching, the acho and the other A asspotated with ) Y. Ci. oa : 'By mixing two teaspoonfiils erie wi gp one tablespoontul and you Bmve: an a sacs throat.