IN OLD CHUR ' _. MANY STRANGE STGRIES COULD BE TOLD ABOUT THEM. > Tie Was When They Were Not the Quiet! «+ Spots They Now Are--Games, Dancing,' Fars, and Other Performances Took Place iy Them--Practice , of Dancing at Feasts Appears to Have Been Almost Universal w Wales. VE eg "ii the old churchyards of Espgland could tei their owl story, it would Le awauge sud uiteresting. Time was when taey weic not the yuity spots taey saw are \genies, dané:' mgy 1s, miracle pisys and various OIREr i livening performances took place in" them. Danting, as an expressicn ot religious emb- tion, wus praciised by the old peoples of the world. Probably the early" Lunstans may | haye desired in all honesty to show their joy if the same manner: The resyils were not fortunate. One of. the popes had fo prohibit} dances in. the churches. in 858 the Hishop! of Orleans condemned the dincing of women | ift the presbytery, at festivals. 1n 1209 the: * atrical dances in the churches were forbidden, and two church councils not long afterward condemned all dancing in churches or church- ards. + y The practice of dancing on feasts appears to have been almost universal in Wales. The people did not dance on the graves, but on the north side, where there were no graves. Probably this part of the churchyard, being more even ground, would be more convenient for dancers, al probably, 100, the supersti- tion (so common in Lincolnshire and York: shire) that it is unlucky to tread on tife graves, may have had some influence. The "eastern portion of the churchyard is regarded as the most honored, next the south, then the west, and last of all the north, from th Tief that in this"onlér the dead may rise. ence felons and notoriously bad characters were bried on the north side of the chufch. It jg not difficult to trace the connection be- tween the morris dancing and the church. } Whe the fifth crusade succeeded in effecting the capture of Constantinople, the Latins ih their. joy celebrated the event by solemn dances ini the great church of St. Sophia: The almost avatiahle Subject of The po ming play, as apart frond the miracle play, vor den from the crusading legend of St, George rescuing a Christian maiden from her Turkish masters, while the joy was invariably celebrated in the morris (ive, Moorish): dance.|, It is generally agreed that the morris dance was iMrodaced in England ig the sixteenth century. : Miracle plays continued to he represented itl churchyards ss Jong as they were played it churches, but they were 'never so populat in the open air as in the chutch, Easter and Whitsuntide were the great seasons for these performances. On Sundays and holidays the "¢hmtchyard was a-public playground. - On those days people went to mass iff the morn- ing ahd devoted the rest of the day to amuse- ments. Centuries have elapsed since many 'of the churchyard games were introduced, but they were exceedingly popular for a long rh lingering even to within a century ago. The merrymakings were carried to such ex- cess that prohibitions and condemnations were launched againss them. In the tenth century a canon was enacted warning the people not to spend in drunkenness and debauchery the season (the wake) specially designated for de- votion and-prayes. In Seotland the (provin- cial synod enacted in 1225 that "dances and ghmes which der lasecivi be mot performed in churches and 'churchyards," and aldo that "wrestling matches Jor sports be not. suffered to take place there upon any of the festivals." 3 An act of Edward 1 goes fuikhér by for bidding fairs and markets to be held in churchyards, Games and secular business in churchyards were forbidden by the synod of Exkter in 1287. "We strictly enjoin on parish priests that they publicly proclaim in their churches that no one presume to carry on combats, dances dr other improper sports in the churchyards, especially on the eves of feasts of saints, or stage plays or Jargtss ] 'A game of ball used to Ve plgyed .in a Staffordshire churchyard. The vicar tried to stop the practice, but was baffled by the pect severance of the boys. He gave orders that when he died he should be buried in the place and that an altar tombstone should be placed on his grave, saying that though he failed to stop the ball i de his lifetime he would \ stop it after death. He sticceeded. In the west of Rngland single stick (or "cudgel playing," as it was there called), was nearly 'always practiced in the 'churchyards, and in Devonshire a favorite amusement in churchyards was wrestling matches. The boys at Westminster school played a game ed nine holes in cloisters, and many of pices. these holes : sre to be seen, althanghl some have been obliterated by the work i restoration. Fox and geese boards are on the 'cloister benches at Gloucester cathedral and else whete: several dre on the twelfth cenifury tomb of Lourd 'Stourton's (so-called), at Salisbury, A on thie have of that cathe- ¢ ol was a frequent. pastime, bgrilresid asps gen n : y 1 ig at $s oe 8p 1% Shrove Testes. being] "the Eglin fairs x hat - The ge (or town) ! the feast. of the parish church. The an- in the churchyard, he church guarded some relic to which sl Lady | A far-off light: . Like a pale star-gleam on the wings of dream, Floats through the dark to me. + Of things that are yet to be, A dream of Faith . That shines through the mists of years, Till the long, long night is fast in light, And-laughter blooms from tears.' dream of Hope © ! ; That lives though all else 'he dead,-- | Hope crowned at last when the pain is past, And the last of the tears are shed. A dream of Love, . The Love that cannot A For whate-er befall, Lo¥e tonquers all, And 'death shall not prevail. Will my dream come true? . Some day on a_ far-off shore Will Death lie dead on his shrduded bed, And Sorrow be no mare? Some glad spring dawn Will there blossoms peage from pain? Will the .hidden good be understood, And lost souls found again? } Yes; for I know ' That only the good can live. On that morning fair, sometime, somewhere, All clze will Love forgive. Lillian Leveridge, Coe, Hill, Ont. The Thrice ExQuiite Gein. Theodosia Garrison. The Little Cherubs whispered, "What strange, new soul is this Who cometh with a tobe besmirched Unto the Place of Bliss?" Then spake the Eldest Angel-- "The robe he wears is fair-- The groping fingers of the poor Have held and blessed him there" The Little Cherubs whispered, "Who comes to be our guest With dust about his garment's hem nd stains upon his breast?' Then spake the Eldest Angel, "Mast lovely it the stain The tears of. those he comforted, Who may mot weep again" | | The Little Cherubs whispered, "What. strange, new soul is he Who cometh with a burden here And bears it tenderly? THen spake the Eldest the * He bears his life's award-- The /byrden. of men's broken hearts To place before the Lord. "THe dust upon his garment's hem--- My lips shall bow to it; The stains upon the breast of him Ar¢ gems thrice' exquisite Qh, little foolish Cherubs, What truth' is this ye miss? There comes no saint to Paradise Who does not conte like this." ---------------- Russia's Heavy Toll on Liquor. : Since 1601 the taxation of alcohol has con- stituted a bulwark of Russian finance. The manufacture and sale of spirits has passed through many and varied regimes, but along with the desire to check drunkenness and to promote the health and economig welfare of the peasantry has always gone the idea of increaging revenue, Government. monopoly was: really initiated by Cear Alexander 111, who in 1885 requested the Finance Minister (Bunge) to \draw up a plan for an experi- mental monopoly. The existing excise system had, however, so increased in productiveness that neither Bunge ' nor his successor, Vishnigradski, cared tp tamper with it: It remained for. Witte, in parsusnce of his mon- opolistic - policy, te intsoduce' the sy in operation to-day, which not only brings the government a vastly increased revenue (697, 503,834 rubles in 1906, as compared with 387, 000,000 in 1804, the last year of the general xd), but transfers a vast mass of political and economic influence from the local author- ities to the central administration. But it has made a nation of drunkards, All Customs Have An Origin. The custom of hanging up the stocking on Christmas eve arose from an incident in the Th life of the good St Nicholas. When over- taken by a severe storm he took refugein a convent and the next day, being Christmas, he preached so impressively to the nuns that they asked him to cothe the next year and preach again. On his second visit, also on-a Christmas eve, before going to bed, he asked each of the nuns to lendihim a stocking, and re filled the lot with sugar plums in' return for, their hospitality. v . In the making of mince pies, which form a part of a regular Christmas feast, trutton was the only meat formerly used, as a commemor- ation of the flocks that were watched on the holy night by the shepherds of Bethlehem. e were supposed to be suggestive of the wise men from the east--the 'and of Balancing the Acts of Bishop of London, . Socialists are not all demagbgwes working for their own ends, but some are absclutely Wtikelfish in trying to do something for the under dog. Is there anything essentially un: Christian in the ¢ommon ownership of land, and the means of production? Hut we have got somehow to make the transfer without aking €ithér the sixth or the eighth Com- ent. What I cannot dgree with in Sotialism is the un-Christian seiting of class aga'nit class in e8, that capital Socialism, ] and greed amongst any other class, and if we are going to have a Socialistic State we should want religion than ever be- WHIG, SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 1910. ISAAC WALTON. . A Sketch of a Man Whose Early Career Was teresting, Little 'is known of Isaac Walton's carly life and education, beyond the fact of his birth at Stafford, 1593, and that he went to London, while still a youth. In 1624 he lived on Fleet Strect, as a hinen-draper. There he formed a friendship with Dr. Donne, who, in 1623, be- came vicar of St. Dunstan's-in-the-West. Wal- ton was one of the vestry, for in the parish register (1644) an entry relates to the select- ng of a vestry-man "in room of Izaak Walton, lately departed out of this parish." Dr. Donne died in 1631, and Walton's Kfe of his friend was the commencement of his hterary work and the first of that. series of "Lives," which, together with "The Complete Angler" (1653) bave gained for him an immortality of fame. + In 1626 Walton married Rachel Flond, Arch bishop Cranmer's niece; she died in 1640. Walton retired from business in 1643, and lived for years in Clerkenwell, and later left London altogether. In 1647 he married Aane, sister of Dr. Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells; she died in 1660. The last years of his life were spent at Winchester, where he died December 15th, 1683, at the age of ninety; buried in Prior Silksteed's Chapel, Winches- ter Cathedral. : His prayer-book (1639, folio), now in the British Museum, is in good condition, and contains, in addition. to the usual seryices, Prayers for Parliament (consisting of the 67th Psalm and several Collects), and "certain god- ly prayers to be used for sundry purppses™ as well as the Sternhold and Hopkins' Palter But its chief interest lies in the autograph entries on the front page. First are births, baptisms, and deaths of several of his chil- dren; then' follows his second wife's death-- "Ann Walton, senior, dyed the 17th of April, about one o'¢lock in the night, and was buried in the Virgin's Chapel in the Cathedral of Worcester the 20th day.' She was a woman of remarkable prudence and of primitive piety. Her great and general knowledge, being adorned with such true humility and blest with so much Christian meekness, made her worthy of 4 more memorable monument." Remarkable Russian Sect. Among the numerous religious sects in Russia. the most remarkable and influential are the Subbotniki, or Sabbatarians. They first appeared in the reign of Catharine II, toward the end of the-¢ighteenth century. The members of this sect practice the rite of ircumeision, do not believe in Christ, accept only the Old Testament and observe the Sab- bath on Saturday. They ilso slaughter cattle an) fowls according to the Jewish law, use praying shawls, and wear zizit (fringes), pray- ing with covered heads from Hebrew prayer books, with a Russian translation. They are industrious, hospitable and can read and write. Up to 1820 they lived for the most part in Moscow, Saratoy, Tula, Orel, etc. In the reign of Alexander I they enjoyed freedom. Nevertheless, the Russian clergy of Mohiley killed about 150 Subbotniki and their leaders. e son of one of the leaders was tortured with hot irons and then burned at the stake. In the reign of Nicholas I many wished to embrace Judiasm, and settled in the Pale of Settlement (the Ghetto), but the Government banished them to Siberia and the Caucasus. The Subbotniki number about two millions, and dress like the orthodox Russians. God Bless Our Home. God bless our Home and Kmg, Loud let our anthems ring For Home and King. Grant us our heart's desire, And with Thy Cleansing fire, True love and strength inspire For Home and King. 'Blest mem'ry of our dead Whose blodd was bravely shed For Nation young. Through whom victorious We now are prosperous, May their brave deeds for us Always be sung. May Thine Almighty power Vibfate from shore to shore And give us faith, Fain in ourselves to prove strength from God above, And Canada to love . 'Through life till déath.--~Fane Sewell Nov. 14th, 1909. From Pilot tg Samurai. In 1600 William Adams, a Kentish pilot, ar- fived in Japan in command of a Dutch ship. On landing, he was taken prisoner and sent' fo Osaka to the Emperor, who. attached Adams. to his personal service. Later we read of the ex- pilot teachingshis royal master "jéometry and understanding of the art of maticks." A was well provided for, and to bhi 3 {whose hopeful spirit, 'Salvation J the soles, or san «| William Rugus, -------- a ------ SMILING CONQUERORS. Lessons to be Learned From the Interesting Bd Homan Lives, i Better than poems, essays 6r sermons is the lesson of contentment to be learned from the interesting human lives . which surround us Heroes and martyrs elbow us daily in the areets, | but: there is nome to sing their praises, or tell | their, courageous history. Whae a world thi | i } tionafity and indifference! 6 i The writer once met a noble-hearted woman | sunny disposition and | Christian resignation preaclied a lang-to-be-re- | membered sermon. The text might well have} been, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." | For twelve weary years this uncanomised 'saint | had been a sufferer from insomnia, her: moaxitnum | of sleep amounting to but three hours emt of the | twenty-four, while sometimes bat two. hoass' it | ful slumber fell 16 her share. Undér her phy- siclan's orders much of the day was spent in the | Missful sense of drowsiness' that vestibule of blessed sleep. ! Notwithstanding this living death, one never saw the invalid "blue" or anything less than cheerful, and at times she was brimful of life and overflowing with irvesistfole fim. - "1 would dearly love to sleep just - one whole night through, once again," she said musingly one day, "but. remedies fail, and physicians and friends advise id vain. Some day it must eid in death sor 'madness, 1 suppose, but I'm going to keep smiling and hopeful till that day comes" A moment later" her courtly, devoted husband enter- ed, with the tender concern his face always wore toward his brave little wife, and instantly the hervic woman threw all thought of coming" ill to the winds, and soon we were laughing merrily | over one of her witty stories, "It is a comely fashion to be glad grace we say to God," Jean Ingelow sweetly tells us. It might not be a bad idea to commit the lines to memory, and repeat them on. the | "blue Mondays," rumpled Fridays and busy! Saturdays of our hurried, oft-times difcontented lives, Happiness is a wayside flower, free to al who will 'pluck it, not a rare orchid only to be purchased, by the rich. There is a bit of joy in every floating, fleecy cloud, every golden sunset tint of evening sky. There is music in the free Winds of heaven if hearts are a-tune {o catch the | harmony. And, best of all, there is the thought of our Father's hpproving smile, that sunlight of | His presence so sweet, so invigorating, so' mar- | vellous that we may learn to rejoice even "under | the shadow." 1 Joy is the i -------------- Too Many of Them In Canada. Toronto Star. . Henry Inglewood is a human -drone. would rather loaf than labor. Te prefers jail life to honest toil, but, contrary to his| expectations, he is now enjoying both. Ingle-| wood came to Canada lately from the Chan Islands. He is a husky well-developed youth | of twenty years, well able to work: Recently | he went into Court Street Police Station and| asked to be locked up. He had neither friends nor funds, and no work, he said. The as-| sistant caretaker at Court .street is a 'young man from the Channel Islands, and he with | a touch of brotherhood took Inglehood home| fo stay with him that night; and gave him an outfit of clothing, and a few dollars thrown in, a policeman gave Henry was taken to He| Next morning the youth employment. he meetings of the Chan- nel Islands Society, and received sympathy and some hard cash. One member gave him a room free of charge for a couple of weeks, But he soon tired of his light tasks at the policeman's house. He told his employer he had a new job. The same day he went to Agnes Street Police Station, and asked to be locked up. Inspector Cuddy took him to the Army, but the air of industry at the barracks did not suit Henry. Once more he presented himself to the police, and put up the same old plea, This time he landed in court, and the magistrate, hearing of his lazi- ness, sentenced him for 90 days. A quiet tip Was sent to the jail, regarding Inglewood's antipathy to worl and he now labors hard day by day: "The Lord mage him able to work, and we'll make him willing," said a Jail official. Curious Facts About Shoes. Shoes among the ancient Jews were made of leather, linen, rush or wood; soldiers' shoes were sometimes made of brass or iron. Greeks' shoes were peculiar; they reached to the middle of thi legs. They also used san- dals. The Rome made use of two kinds, I, which covered the sole open air, but not once could she experience the | a grip to carry the clothes, | * & WD would be were we all awake to the wonders of it, | .{ instead of being perception muffled by conven Fight the "Great White Plague" Right at Home RESH air and cleanli: dishes, ete.--but it sterilizes ness! That is the die- as well. So that besides tateof modern science y cleansing, it also disinfeots fortheeureof consumption. | «it is a preventative Other maladies demand § against disease and decay. other treatment; but ever: Use Asepto--use it today doctor everywhere and for § everyday. every illness, will insist on § Use Asepto for washing cleanliness, In both surgery ; your dishes--your laundr . and medicine, absolute § --your woodwork, and oy Nor is cleanliness in the § Remember Asepto harms home only a cure--it is a § neither the hands nor the Asepto Soap Powder is 7 2nd disease. Try an Asepto probably the greatest, : Path yourself sec how not only does the soap.in y --bc. the large package. it wash--bedding, curtains, i Ask your grocer for it, 8 cleanliness comes before ! the result. Seo the dirt almost everything else. disappear as if by magi. preventative of it ina neh delicate fabrie--- eep your home clean. affects nothing but dirt cleanser of modeérn times . refreshing it is. --not only ta cleanse-- § All good grocers sell Asepto THE ASEPTO MFG. CO. ST. JOHN, S | ASEPTO | It takes an Artist to make a Kimona Many a woman, whe can make pretty waists and skirts, fails when she tries a Kiniona, It takes a master on Feminine Apparel to design a Kimona that will be chic and dainty, and restful and serviceable. 8 Even if you can make P attractive Kimonas, they will cost you more than § the daintiest of dainty § creations in the TE ERR Brand. In Flannelette, § Print, Cotton, Crepe and § Velours--from $1 up. Ask your dealer to show you § he "'Duchess" Line--every § garment guaranteed. Fe ee LS rve er WE of the foot 'and was worn at home and in company, and the calcens, which covered the whole foot and was always worn with the. toga when the ser went abroad. In the ninth and fenth centuries, the greatest princes of Europe wore wooden shoes. In the reign of of England, in the eleventh century, a great "swell," 'Robert the Horned," used shoes with sharp poi and twisted like rams' horns. Slippers were worn before Shakespeare's time, Noise of Anti-Bible Critics. General Grant related that when a lieaten- ant he was one day travelling on horseback, with a brother officer, across Western prairies, A sound of wolves was heard, and his com- more familiar with the habits of those animals than he, asked how many Me thought were in the pack. Grant really believed there were about '150, but fearing too extravagant a guess, he replied nonchalantly, "a dozen" By and by the animaly 3 igisters to-da f, judge of the weight and in- fluence of some university professors by the attention. they create, and multiplying their numbers and magnifying: their importance, echo their vagaries with general spiritual de- preciation, \ iin il nts, staffed with tow | A few pieces carried over from our holiday trade, we arc closing out at .a bargain : 4 Solid Polished Oak: Buffets. 3 Surface Oak Buffets. 4 Polished Oak Chip Closets. 3 Betts of 6 Chairs, 5 small and 1 arm, with leather seats. 56s The above are limited at the Sale Price. : James Reid, bh irr SON a ar SE THE LEADING UNDERTAKER. "Phone 147. - - 4 >. ARI AOA EEK FHA PAH ALE EHN E01 Fow of ow Best Cakes Fresh for Satay * : Dolly Varden, Walnut, Angel ; Delmonico, Elderado, Columbia, Maple Cream Bar, Cecil, Chocolate, t Cake and Pure Cream Cake; ; R. H. TOYE, 02 ge EAI GIAIIAIIIOK 90K We are Headquarters for PURE and Casting" Mlomibam Tae Canada S@e 12 nag agacts 0