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.g. WOMEN'S . I. ' . OVER MEN. It’s always ‘an interesting subject, the part played by women, and per- haps it is especially so at this time. Just read some of those chapters of Genesis and see what the women need to do with the men, and they bad no representation in the coun- cils, either. Look at Abraham and Sarah. Read ‘he twentieth chapter of Genesis and see what Sarah did to the entire household of Abimelech. Perhaps you can better appreciate the amount of trouble she made if you read on to the end, of the chapter (Ind see the number and value of the present Abimelech gave to Abraham to get rid of the woman. Another sad story in the world’s history is that of Hagar, who incur- red a woman’s hatred and was forcâ€" ed! to go into the wilderness. It is interesting to know that we get our word begins. from the same word as Hagar. (Presented 'by Sarah to Ab- raham, it seems very hard indeed that she should afterwards be turned with bread and a bottle of water, along with her son, Ishmael, into the wilder- ness of Beersheba. (Perhaps, there is hardly a better example of the value of a woman’s cleverness than that of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. You remember how Isaac wanted to bless his eldest son Esalu, and in those days a father’s blessing was like signing over, awill in behalf of the one so fortunate as to receive the blessing. Was it Jacob, the younger son, who thought of the plan to deceive his father? Well, not according to the account in Genesis. It was Rebekah who suggested the placing of kids’ and goats’ skins on tble backs of his hands to represent the hairy arms of Esalu. The-story of Samson and Delilah, is too well known to need repetition here. Samson, the strongest man in the world, was easily conquered by a woman. _King Solomon is generally conced- ed to have been the wisest man the earth has ever seen, and his know- ledge of women was something mar- velous.’According to all accounts he spoke from a wider experience than any other man. Still, how often does this greatest of all sages repeat the fact that the ways of a woman are past all finding out. In his proverbs he takes occasion to say a great many very plain things about a great var- iety of matters, but again and again he comes back to the power of women, and warns man not to try to test their strength with hers. Of course, hie, has a great deal to say about bad women and what they will do to the best ‘of men, but he also gives un- stinted praise to a good woman.‘ Do you remember this reference of his to the influence of women: _"There be three things which are too wonder- ful for me, yea, four which Iknow not. The way of_an eagle in'the air thle way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid." If you would know what this great man thought about good wo- men,' just read hlis last chapter of Proverbs. \Vhil-e he takes occasion many times to place himself on rec- 0rd as not favouring equal rights, perhaps woman was never better ap- p-rcciated or given a more beautiful tribute than in this chapter. There is little need to speak of the many instances in which even the greatest prophets fall before the power of women. The accounts are familiar to every one. 'Women do not have to go hackinto ancient history to prove their abil- ity to suffer the hardships of Soldiers in camp and on the battlefield. The Red Cross nurses in this day; and genâ€" eration are quite sufficient proof .of this fact. {But it is also true that woman has always been this way, and has always begged for the privilege of being at her husband's side, and in cases where she has been favored the instances are'few indeed where she has not proved herself avaluable helper and adviser. There was Agrippa, the elder, the wifé‘ of Germanicus, who shared: with her husband all his hardships in his campaign in the North. Some of the stories told of this brave woman prove that she certainly was entitled toa Red Cross badge of courage. Do you remember when her husband was so successful and so popular that it proâ€" voked the jealousybf Tiberius? Do you remember, too, how her husband begged her to submit to the inevit- able? And when her husband was put to death by 'Piso, the Governor of Syria, according to. her story, did she sit down and mourn her husband’s death? You know she didn‘t forshe was a woman.vSh-e had the ashes of her late husband placed in an urn and, carrying them to Rome, she ap- peared before the soldiers who had seed kahliifllCUS. The soldiers learnâ€" ed‘to love this brave woman so well thlat the fact gave Tiberius long spells of insomnia but knowing that she was a woman and that the sol-g diers were with her, he did. not dare to do what in all probability he want- ed- to do. But if he was afraid of her she did not reciprocate the fear. Wo- men seldom do in such acase. Al- though her husband had asked her not to provoke Tiberius, she more than provoked him. She vexed him. She made him mad and a mad Cac- sar was a person that even a woman might be excused for fearing.'Notso Agrippina. She did not hesitate to tell Tiberius who murdered her hus- band, and at whose instigation, Look at the imperturable Napoleon. Think of the way but was effected. at the very sight of Josephine. It was love at first sight, and, it is said that Napoleon was moved by this woman as he was never nroved: by any other person in the world. Do you remem- ber how very angry he was when this beautiful wife failed to meet him at the appointed time on his return from Egypt f. Do you remember how he used to take her with; him on some of his expeditions? Do you rememâ€" ber how she had the world at her feet in her receptions at the palaces of; the Luxembourg and the Toll- cries? It is said that Napoleon’s friends begged him to divorce Jose- phine before she was crowned Em- press of the French at Notre Dame, but that his love for her at this time was greater even than his ambition, and he refused to accede even when so great a thing as a posterity seem- ed aclosed door to this “ Man of Des- tiny." This was the power of a woman. To be sure, whenafterwards his love grew cold, or, as many claim, he com- pelled for the sake of his ambition, _ his love to grow cold, he divorced his wife. Ylou. know the story of that interview. You know, too, how it is said Napoleon Was forced to struggle with himself, as he had never done before, and that he died loving Jose- phine. Of course, she, being a woman loved him always. ’ Do you remember what one woman, Judith did for the army of Israel? Do you remember how.this beautiful widow of the tribe of Simeon saved her people from defeat? Every one is familiar with the story. and still it always bears repeating. Hsollofernes, the trusted General of the Assyrian King, Nebuchladnezzar, held the'He- brews in a state of siege. The besieg- ed' were in sore straits, and there seemed to be no wvaLy but to surrenâ€" dler. Then it was that after the greatestGenerals of the Hebrews had failed, Judith came to them with an idea of her own. Arraying herself in her most beautiful robes, and ac- companied only by her handmaid, she came to Holofernes and- told him stories that he believed. The victor- ious General proved an easy captive to this beautiful woman, and when he was asleep, taking his sword from his side, she severed his head from his body. Judith it was, too, who told the Hebrews when the proper time had come to fall upon their enemy. Her suggestion was carried out and victory followed , Think for a minute what Cleopatra accomplished. As the daughter of Ptolemy Auletes, she was to be_mar- ried to her brother, Ptolemy, this acâ€" cording to an ancient custom of the Egyptians, and, to share half of the kingdom of her father. But the young- er Ptolemy wanted everything, and so he proceeded to take away his sis- ter‘s portion. And did his sister go away and die of a broken heart? Not according to the history of the Egyp- tians. What she did was to go away qluietly and waither chance. That was the woman of it. The chance came in the person of Julius Caesar. After Caesar, for her sake, had waged war upon her enemy, Pompey, and had vanquished and killed him, she was restored to the kingdom of her father. She had accomplished her in- tentionsâ€"that was more of the woman of it. Then when Anthony came along she proceeded to tie him to the strings of her peplum in hard knots that he never could untie, not. to the very last, when she deroeived'him into the taking'of his own life. She failed at the last with Augustusâ€"that was the human part of it. But when you re- member that her failure was after she had played the part of, Isis with Mark Anthony in the most wanton plrofligacy, the world has ever seen, had betrayed to death her formeu lov- er, it is more than possible that her erstwhile charms had lost much of their pristine beauty, or what is even more probable, Augustus, knowing that he was dealing with a woman, was altogether afraid of her, and steeled himself against whatever at- tractions she might still have owned, So it was thlrt-a powerful woman icame to an end at her own hands, ‘when she .)\'as only 39 years old, a i move of Caesars in life, adisappoint- ied woman in death, the last of the :Ptolemies of Egypt. Where was ruled the worldlchIiliglivddh:tntlfistlizgg head. You can say that this was be- cause the Greeks were first of all ur- tistic, and for that reason woman, as the most beautiful thing in the world, was the only logical thing to fight over or Write beautiful poems about. At any rate, you can not read the story of ” Helen of Troy" without knowing for a surety that women were a power in the Greek world. .t’erhaps there is not amore interâ€" esting story in the fiction of the world, not to mention history, than the story of “Esther.” It is only another example of the power of a woman pitrted against the power of a man, and, in this instance everyâ€" one knows wh‘at became of the man Haman.‘ The King Ahasuerus hung- ed him, and the woman, Esther, be placed at his right side. There is no need to mention the name of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Or- leans, or a hundred more that are sure to come to your mind, when the influence of women is the subject. of your thoughts. The purpose of this article has been rather to prove the weakness of strong husbands in the | | hands of their wives and strong men l in the hands of women. And even if that last has every quality of inconâ€" sistency from a grammatical stand- point, it is true, every word of it, and men don’t have to read history or the newspapers to find it out. If you can’t prove it to yourself by look- ing over the top of your newspaper you can by thinking of some of your friends. The best part of the whole matter is that: a good woman can make a very :good and strong man, out of exceedingly raw, not to say poor maâ€" terial, and she is doing it every day, for all women are good: with perhaps just enough exceptions to prove the rule and make it possible to appre- ciate their superior qualities. _...__...__. COLD AIR HEALTH. __â€"-‘ Winter About. the licst Szlmulunt People E'un ll .ve. Many persons regard the season as an unfortunate visitation} It Is considered both uncomfortable 'lo the body and harmful to health. This is an error. C‘old'is amos. potent agent for the rest-onation- and pre- servation of nonmal activity on the {part bf the organs of tire human body. It isawisepvian of Providence which gives us a change of seasons. ' The winter cold, comes as a tonla to winter I “MWâ€"s- -CAPTURED GENERAL SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME ON THE VERANDA. Gun 'l‘alk lingllsh “’1'”, llul. Refuses to Do 80 ill HI. llclcnu â€"Ills Grout Allucllmcn to Him Wile, Who Share» Ills Cnptlvlly -Grnlcl’ul for lin'orlu to Make Him (.‘omfol-lnblc. A corrcspomlcirt who has visited the Boers in St. Helena reports their lot to be very comfortable. Cronje and his wife and three members of his staff are in Kent cottage, perched on top of a hill, “ just such a cottage as may be seen on the outskirts of many an [English village. Imagine an un- pretentious twoâ€"storied dwelling with slate roof and yellow-washed walls standing out clearly from a back~ ground of hillside. The window frames and shutters are painted the same shade of green that you may see any (lay at a Dutch farmhouse in the I’aarl district of the Cape Colony. In front runs a venanda, and there isa slightly raised 'stoepv.’ There is also ,some pretence at a flower garden, but lit is sadlly neglected. The garden is ‘enclosed by a 'black wooden paling, land still further in front is a little more cultivated land with bananasand a, few other trees. The scene is sim- ‘lpllicity' itself, but for the bell tent iin the right-hand front corner of the Igarden, and the steady tramp of khaki-clad sentries, east, west, north and south “ On the steep and beneath the ver- anda for the best part of the day sits Gen. Cronje, dark of visage, somewhat long-bearded, and with hair turning gray. His eyes are deep sert, dark and ferret-like, and his demeanor is one of EXTREME RESERVE. lPiet Clronje can speak Englishl al- most as well as any Transvaaler of Dutch extraction, but you may pll-y him in vain with questions, in Engâ€" lish. He positively refuses to speak anything but his native taal. and! even then his replies are little more than monoSyfllabIes. He "bias little to say labou't anything, and is difficult to draw. Of course he feels his posi- ltivon. You may see that written llarge Upon his face; but, contrary, tlol‘w‘ha't so many people think, \he ap- lpolars to be very grateful for any kindness that is shown him, and fully appreciates the efforts that are made to secure his comfort. Beyond this he i his is as the Sphinx. ( " It is a strange character, this of . Piet Cronje. Charges of terrible cruel- ship sent him into an cctasy of de- light, and he would chatter away. with fervor about ‘the dear Ladiea.’ Almost as soon as I stepped ashore at St. Helena. there was placed in my \hands a photograph of Schiel being driven along the way to main street on his way to Deadwood Camp. His eyes were raised, and you followed their direc- tion to an open window on an upper floor at which sat two girls. Yes, I thought, ' IT IS THE SAME SCHIEL. Talk to him at Deadwood, and there is the same assumptionâ€"it is not read -â€"of the old-devilâ€"may-oare spirit. - "’Next time I fight,’ he says. ' it shall be on the side of‘ the British,‘ but you feel instinctively that if he ever fights again it will be on the side that plays him best.‘ - "‘Oh, the war will n-ot- last long, he tells you; ' that is, if one thing happens. If you beat the Boers well at Kroonstad; it will all be Over in three weeks." , " Then he will change his tune. The assumed gayeuty passes away, and al- ‘most pleadineg he will tell you that be. is not at all well. treated, and that he has made application to be allowed to roam the island- on-' parole. Yet all the time this insincere-creature knows that he has been guilty of more at- tempts to escape than any other of ' the prisoners. "The Boer prisoners are being well - treated. This Ilknow as a fact, and as the result of personal enquiriel and observation on the spot. But, of course, there will be some objectors. British prisoners at Pretoria are per- _ mit-ted to- go out pionic‘king and so forth; and then he will make compar- isons. But of this statement we have no- confirmation. Other prisoners, however, are extremely well cared for. ment, and I do know as a fact that all of them are better fedl and get more fresh- meat than their guards, “ Unfortunately, sickness hjad brok- en out among this Boer prisoners, be- fore thley left the Clape. The sictk, however, are extremely well cared for. As I write there are twenty in hos- p'htai' out of the 500, on «shore, and'twc blalve died. These were accorded mili- tary 'honors, and were buried over the hills just beyond Cronje’s new. home.” ._â€".'¢._..._ MEDALS THEY WILL WEAByl.,., Elaborate Affair for the Brave Solution Who Are Fighting In South Africa. On the authority of “South Africa" the medal- for the campaign against this Boers will be- the most expensive repalr the injuries done by the enerva- ty have been laid at his door, and someâ€" and {me most ornate issued by th. l'n‘g' ‘heat 0f Gumm'el‘?- 'S‘llmmerflt Isl how, when you carefully regard~ his | British war Office in Schul for example, declares that the | recent years. true, has many, wise; uses in the» mat-;I face, you feel sure that the man is The medal prpper is £0,133 afive_point. ter of health, It induces, butdoor 1 life, rids the system of poisons though copious perspiration and through the lacorching rays of sun destroys germ life. . Winter is the great bracer of the system. It stimulates activity in every 'org'an. When cold attacks the surface of the body the blood Is Set unto; more free circulation as a means of bodily warmth. It is through the circulation of the blood that the huâ€" man anatomy is kept in a state of repair. ’ ' \Vhen the food has been digested and converted into liquid form, it is taken up by the blood and carried the rounds of the system for the pur- pose olf repairing the waste places. When 'the cold causes increased cirâ€" culation it also brings about more perfect nutrition. ' - Man's face and hands illustrate how weatherproof the body becomes when exposed to air. Continue-d actrvrty in [circulation on the surface caused by the al-r coming in conUact with the skin, tends to nourish and thicken the skin. Thus man’s skin grows thick-er in winter just as animals are supplied with udoub-le coat of fur. The sav~ anges who dWell barehe-aded in the open h-Irare seldom, if ever, known to be afflicted With bald heads, while wrth the civilian who shields his scalp scalp. from air, baldlness is prevalent. The Indians who, if not now,"in former days ro‘ame-d' our western borders, practically withlout clothing to shelter their bodies, became, through long exposure, so finured to cod that it gave them but little dis- comfort. ..___._â€" NOVEL WEATHER GUIDES. Postal cards are now beingl used for‘ thle purpose of. foretellinug the weath- er. They are manufactured in Italy, and are known as barometric postal cards. On the back of each is asmall figure, holding an umbrella-“Then the weather is going to be fine the um- brella is blue, when the outlook is doubtful- it is violet, and when there is going to be rain it is rose col-ored'.= These changes of color are produced by'mezrns of cobalt, which an ingen- iorus Italian inventor has thought well to utilize for this purpose.. armistice or firing on the women and children’s laager. Yet there are some redeeming features, as, for example, when the fire of patriotism lights his eye, and more particularly in the homage paid to his wife. All day long, Mrs. Cro-nje in rusty black dress and black Boer _'kappie,' is the defeated | General’s close companion. Others who are blood relations may emerge from the house and remain for a brief while beneath the veranda, but there is about them the restlessness and limpletufosity of the younger Boer when under restraint. When, for inâ€" stance, I was at Kent Cottage, there came within a hundred and fifty ylarrds, just outside the cordon of son- 'trries, ‘ TWO YOUNG SU‘BALTE R NS lleap-able of violating the terms of an with field glasses and snapshot camâ€" eras. Of course they were inquisitive. The General and his wife were: screen- eldl by the closed end, of the veranda; but a younger rellative was extremely annoyed. He was a fine, tall young fellow in shirt-sleeves and the inevit- able slouch halt. ~As he caught sight of the officers he ge-sticullated violentâ€" lly, flung his alrms about and mutter- ed in Dutch; Then he hurriedly en- tered the house, but only to emerge a minute inter, if anything more restâ€" less than ever. Cronje, however, and his wife have acquired the art of sit- ting still. His attachment to her is very great. Talk to him 'on any sub- ject and he will immediately make re- ference to her views and. acts. Cronje, the devoted husband, and Cronje of Potc-helfstroom', of lVIafelking, and of Kimberley! You come away feeling that the conjunction is incongruous. “ Quite a different man is Comman- dlanvt Schiel. Here you have one who received training in European military Schools. There is much of the soldier of fortune about 'him; but there. is much that is superficial. and insincere. "When i last saw Comman- dlanlt Schiel he was a prisoner on board her Majesty’s ship Penelope at 'l Simon’s Town. To-dlay he has recov- le-r'ed from his wound and occupies a ' tent standing alone and within sight has 'of‘ the house in which NapOleon lived and died. But it is the same Schiel. At Simon’s Town, the sight of ladies in a. boat approaching the prison, ed star with a gold centre surround~ ed; bya ring of bronze, on which the words "South Africa,” appear in raised letters. In the centre of all is la miniature of the Queen.lThe medal 'is this same size as the Khedival Star SOUTH AFRICA SERVICE MEDAL. of 1881. The ribbonl is (of four colours, a stripe of khaki in the centre, two of while, and one each,’ of red and blue. There will probably be a bar granted for each important engagement. Both ribbon and star are exceedingly at- tractive in appearance, and will doubtless, br woen with much pridt by the happy” recipients when‘ the waJ is over. Even up to the present, thl important engagements have bee] sufficiently numerous to provide barn to satisfy Tommy’s most ardent do , sire'for material decorations. Tu name only some of them there ill‘t Magersfontein, Col'enso. Belmont Graspan and Paardeberg. ___.__..._._.._. A TEMPERATE MAN. Sheâ€"Mr. DcGraft‘is. a temperatl man, isn't he? lieâ€"Very. [never saw him takl ' a drink unless somebody elsepaid for it. I ' “Mm-'V’VLNM'WVVA I â€"‘»VWM-w . . .. ‘* . 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